What I Learned in Bolivia Part 1

 SALT – Serving and Learning Together

A huge emphasis of the SALT program is learning and being open to learning. I’ve spent so many of my years sitting in classrooms, learning from a person standing in front of me. There, I had a goal, some specific bit of knowledge I was working towards. It’s a completely different thing to set out on a year with no idea what I am going to be learning. Of course, I had vague ideas about cultural differences and language challenges but for the most part, I jumped in, feet first, with no idea what the water would be like.

In the four months that I’ve been outside of the states, I’ve learned so much. Somethings that are hugely noticeable, others are vague impressions that will linger for years.

Leaving Bolivia closed a chapter on the first part of my year and began a new one. Like all good students, I’ve been reviewing my time there, processing what I learned and moving forward a little richer for the experience.

1.     Generosity doesn’t know an economic bracket. This tends to be a common theme when people talk about time spent overseas, but its one thing to hear about it, and another to experience it. I lived with a family that was lower-middle class and I spent my days working with orphaned, abandoned and abused children who had been hurt and then forgotten by the world. Nevertheless, first my family and then the children of Talita Cumi overwhelmed me with their kindness and openness.

2.     Unconditional Love. I’m pretty sure my family thought I was an odd duck. I liked to spent time in my room writing, rather than watching TV in the living room. I wanted to go places by myself, even though I kept getting lost. The portions of food I ate were ridiculously small compared to theirs. Sometimes I only wanted to drink water for a meal and I even would walk around in my bedroom without shoes on. Yet, in spite of the fact that I did so many strange things, they called me their daughter and cried when I left.

3.     Togetherness and Interdependence. My host sister was 20 years old still lived at home and didn’t intend to move out until she graduated from college and got married, at least five years down the road. Their other daughter was married, but still spent every day at her parent’s house. I moved out of my parent’s house when I was 18, and except for a couple months here and there, I haven’t lived there again since. There, it is assumed that the parents will take care of their children as long as is needed.

4.      Cultural Influence. There are so many little things that influence us that we are even aware of – eating with your fingures, how loud the music should be at church, how you invite people to events, how you politetly decline an invatation. Entering another culture is hard and frusterating. It is almost inevitable that feelings will be hurt and there will be misunderstandings. If you don’t start with flexibility and openness in your heart, you are setting yourself up for a rough road.

5.     Ant Killing. The best way to kill an ant is not just to squish it. If you just squish it, you might watch it walk away, albeit limpingly, five seconds later. No, the best way to kill an ant is to squish and drag your finger on the table. Plus, you can kill so many more at one time with this method.