Una Despedida

Hey all, this marks my last blog post!

I'm still way too absorbed in all this to properly digest it, or even try to summarize 3 1/2 months of mayhem and growth..

But, I've been thinking a lot about how I've changed as a result of my time here in Central America..so here it goes!

1. You can't choose culture..you inherit it.

I came here thinking my U.S. identity meant nothing, and I was wrong. Just because I'm not proud of my government doesn't mean I don't carry culture around on my sleeve. Living here has forced me to really confront that identity for the first time. I've learned that the world is not one place, and I only know a very small, specific part of it.

2. There's more to language than words.

I used to think speaking Spanish was a function of how many words I knew. But now I understand that without the right expression, tone, emotion, pronunciation, no one knows what the hell you're talking about. Language isn't about memory, but expressive adaptation.

3. The world's not small..but we want it to be.

Kids with field day t-shirts from New Jersey, families living under signs from the New Zealand government..every time the word "globalization" popped into my head, it was because someone else was imposing culture, or religion, or idelogy. The world's not getting smaller, we're just shrinking it.

4. You're only as old as your adventure.

Being halfway across the world is like starting from square one. It was a poetic slap in the face to come here and realize I only know what I'm doing in my own comfortable little bubble.

So, at the risk that these four epiphanies seem delusional or incoherent, I'm going to formally close off my blog with someone else's words...

Siempre hago lo que no puedo hacer, para que yo pueda aprender a hacerlo.

I always do that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it.

--Pablo Picasso

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Thanks so much again for following my adventure!!!
I'll be sure to post photos when I can,
but that won't be until late December...
Happy Holidays!