You're Going to do What?

In response to the question, “How was your last semester?”
Last semester, well last semester I was dropped off in an apartment with people’s whose language I didn’t speak and who didn’t know my native tongue. I spent the first few weeks having conversations with myself through the ears of the dog. At least her head cocked sideways to the infliction of my voice in stark contrast to the blank stares from the people I was living with while I stumbled over my words in this language unknown.

Regardless of the loss of my North American luxuries, South America taught me that at twenty years old living out of a suit case is the best thing you can do. Because at twenty years old you don’t need anything more than yourself and whatever can be maneuvered into the overhead compartment of an airplane or bus.

I think that C.S Lewis said it best, “Isn’t it funny how day by day nothing changes, but when you look back everything is different?” This one line is a complete synopsis of my entire time getting lost in Latin America.

I had no idea that anything was changing, but then I found myself having conversations with people at home, people that I used to agree with and realizing that we were now at two completely different ends of the spectrum. My perspectives altered drastically to the point where I hadn’t written my own story, my experiences were writing me and installing them subconsciously in my mind. It’s gotten to the point where now I’m just saying things aloud to see how the ideas fit; it’s like going clothing shopping for my mind – what looks good today?

South America made me it’s patient of patience and I believe I’ve successfully learned their methods through living out of a suitcase that was dragged continuously buses, trains, planes, cars, walking, running, stairs, elevators, all just different modes of transportation waiting to bring me to a new state of mind.