So I am currently rounding off my week at home back in the states, and looking back and reflecting on an intense whirlwind of a week. It was full of friends, family, culture shock, BBQs, tough news, English, nachos, life choices and realizing how refueling AND, at the same time, difficult home can be.
I have had a lot of fun seeing all the friends and family that I obviously do not get to see due to distance, though I realized, that even distance has not managed to keep many of us apart. I felt like I had seen most of the people just last week! That is when you KNOW you have amazing friends….
A smattering of wonderful people!
Look! there are more!
Here are some more pictures from my adventures at home!
Besides realizing that I have really really amazing, supportive and rockin’ friends, it was also interesting to come back from down south and rehave some culture shock! In terms of the language, the first few hours where insane. I had gotten so used to filtering out all the people walking down the street and around me, because I wouldn’t really understand them without really concentrating and listening to them. So all the conversations going on around me had really just become white noise to me. Then I step back into the English speaking world, and suddenly I can understand what everyone around me is saying. And I am listening. Because I am shocked that I can understand. And THAT is a brain over load. You just want to put your hands over your ears and block out all these voices….makes you feel a little schizophrenic for the first couple of hours.
My first night back was also a big shocker, when for the first time since I have been to Argentina, I dreamed in Spanish. It took being deprived of the Spanish for me to dream in it. I woke up, and I think the first few confused words out of my mouth were in Spanish as well.
I had many little cultural slip ups, like being shocked when people stopped for me in cross walks, being weirded out by how attentive waiters are, and how much stuff there is in the super markets!!!!!!!
So those are my amazing friends, and my minor culture shocks, but the week was really consumed by an important life decision, and to some of you, probably the most obvious thing in the world. One of the most interesting things about being in Argentina, and I noticed it very starkly since I have been back to visit, is that my favorite part of being down there is honestly….the Spanish. It is why I tromped over to Ecuador at age 16, it dragged my ass to Chile at age 18, suckered me into taking classes in college even though I had placed out of my language requirement, and now…the good temptress that it is, has seduced me back down to Argentina. For a whole year! So after that much patience, after putting in that much effort, and repeatedly influencing my life choices…I have decided to give in to this long love affair. I want to teach Spanish. Not just any old Spanish, Spanish to those that need it the most. Middle school and high school students. I love the language, and I want them to love it as well. I love manipulating young minds! I want to impart my knowledge, and build a better next generation. Education is the most sustainable form of development that there is. Education and the imparting of information is what makes democracy powerful, people better citizens and improves ALL situations. Plus I totally dig the idea of summers off!!!!!!
In coming home, I really realized that the Spanish was the thing that I missed the most about being down there, and that when I am down there, it is the thing that I enjoy the most and seek out the most. I went and found myself a tutor (Florencia!) who I go to once a week to work my Spanish, I read books in Spanish, I seek people out to just sit and have conversations, I ask people to correct me, I watch ONLY Spanish television (despite how easy it is to find dubbed English shows), and I avoid other Americans so that I get more time to speak Spanish. My life opportunity was knocking and has been for a while, and I simply have not been listening! So thanks to those out there who made me listen!!!!!! (told you I had awesome friends!) I have gone so far as to begin looking into teachers certification programs so that when I come back to the states at the end of my internships, I can go back to school and get certified and maybe get a masters in teaching at the same time!
And here is the most selfish part. I am so excited to return to Argentina, and have a really good excuse to completely self indulge in learning Spanish…before I felt bad when that was all that I wanted to do all day, study Spanish and then go out and practice….but now I can just let that passion run loose! You know something is right when the means seem like just as much fun as the end.
This is a big realization for me. A job path I have considered before, but previously I honestly do not think that i had the experience and personal self confidence (you try standing up in front of a bunch of rowdy teenagers!!!!) before to do this. But I am ready, and it feels damn right. But I would still LOVE to hear any of your thoughts….positive or critical (don’t worry…if you criticize my idea, I will only hunt down and kill you, your family AND all of your pets!)
it makes perfect sense.