"Tranquilo, Tranquilo"

In the months following my arrival in South America, I enjoyed countless exciting adventures, hours of laughter, and some excellent empanadas. It was, however, also a difficult adjustment in some ways. I moved from a nation in which I could easily express myself to a country in which even the most basic conversations could be frusteratingly difficult. Even today, after 6+ months of Spanish immersion, I still struggle to express nuanced thoughts. My Spanish vocabulary remains somewhat more limited than my English one after all.

Words can obviously be quite powerful. They suggest mood; they convey attitude. Most importantly perhaps, they imply a manner of looking at the world. For instance, I've noticed differences in how most individuals from the United States (myself included) and Chileans/Paraguayan refer to mundane weekends in which they simply relax at home or complete other routine activities as opposed to doing something out of the ordinary. Those from the United States generally say that such a weekend was "boring." In Chile and Paraguay, on the other hand, spending Saturday and Sunday relaxing at home is considered "tranquilo" or calm. Obviously the second has a much more positive connotation.

Do those from the United States care less about their friends and families than their Latin American counterparts? I would argue that we attach similar value to those around us. We just have a tendency to expect more excitement in our lives. Why? My immediate hypothesis involved media influences, but those same forces inundate Latin Americans as well. Unfortunately, I cannot pinpoint any other "answer," but this slightly different attitude has already infiltrated my mindset.

After all, when asked about last weekend, I responded tranquilo. Nothing was particularly remarkable, but it was quite enjoyable nonetheless. Friday night brought an asadito with the other interns (from Spain and Italia) and a few Paraguayan friends. Saturday involved a movie marathon and some shopping in the markets of Luque (a suburb of Asuncion), which may very well be my future home thanks to the abundance of heladerias selling two scoops of scrumptious flavors for only 20 cents. Needless to say, I stopped at least once. Once again, I journeyed outside Asuncion to the suburb of Ita on Sunday to sit in a charming little park and sip terere with some friends while fending off overzealous vendors selling everything from bolos (friend puffs of dough filled with dulce de leche) to mosto helado (sugar cane juice. think rum before it ferments).

In the end, a mundane yet excellent weekend that fully embodies the word tranquilo.