Life is a beautiful struggle.
I have been in love with these words since I first laid eyes
upon them a few weeks ago. I believe they will define not only my time here in
Argentina, but my life as a whole.
Looking back on my life, I can see how my best moments were preceded by
my worst.
I know that this year will be very challenging as I face
homesickness, insecurities, language barriers, and many cultural differences.
In fact, during the very short time that I have been here at Universidad
Adventista del Plata, I have already experienced multiple ups and downs. My
ability to communicate with most of the people around me, including my
roommates, has been reduced to that of a small child. This is one of the most
frustrating feelings I have ever experienced, to not be able to say everything
I want to say. Talk about a major discouragement. Communication is a major struggle.
But it is also so very beautiful. The people here are the most welcoming, most
patient, most helpful people I have met in my entire life. They accept me as I
am, broken Spanish and all. They refuse to give up on a conversation even
though the majority of the time is spent trying to figure out what has been
said and what I want to say, rather than actually exchanging information and
thoughts. I thought communication would be a major barrier, but the people on
this campus don’t allow that. And so you see, communication is a beautiful
struggle, just as I am finding so many other aspects of life here to be.
My vision for this blog is that it will be a way for me to
share my life here with all of you, a way for you to see what I see, experience
what I experience, and maybe even feel what I feel. I invite you to join me as
I embark on this new journey and enjoy this beautiful struggle.
