My Supports

My Supports

          Being away from home has definitely changed or I guess I would say shifted my support system. My mother is my constant and most important support system. From what I should buy in a store to my life goals, my mother is on my speed dial. Although she is back in the states, thank goodness for MagicJack that has been a medium for our constant communication. Here in Colombia I work with 15 other foreign teachers and we quickly learn to become each other´s support system. Knowing that I am not alone in the fact that I have no family or close friends here with me is very comforting. There are other people who are in the same boat with you. The school where I work is also a very strong support system. The staff at the school knows that it is hard being away from family and they are always inviting and checking up on you to make sure you are doing well. These little acts of kindness are what have kept me here for the past 4 years. I feel like if the people who surround me were different, I wouldn´t have lasted so long here. Feeling like there is someone who keeps you in mind and worries about you makes you feel loved and warmth of family.

Having been here for 4 years now, I have seen several foreign teachers enter and exit the school. Luckily I am fluent in Spanish and I don´t need to depend on anyone to get around and get what I need. Something I have always thought about is if I would ever go to a country where I didn´t know the language. Not knowing the native language of a place where you live I think would be a great challenge for me. From something so simple as to ask for a cup of water to asking for directions in a foreign country I think would be torture for me. Just like many times I have been someone´s translator at the store and supermarket, I would hate to have to depend on someone to get a thought across. Not having that support system can definitely get you home sick really quick and very frustrated as well. Having to rely on body language and charades would be very exhausting and difficult. Not having the support of someone translating as well as guiding you around your daily errands would make for a very adventurous but none the less stressful experience.

I thank my parents constantly for not letting me forget my roots and raising my brother and me completely bilingual. I am glad I can communicate independently, write notes to parents independently, and live my life independently not having to rely on anyone to help me. Being able to speak, write, and read in a second language is the best present my parents could have ever given me.