South America 2023: Travel Can Be Tough. Never Let That Stop You.

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Taking a Trip from Dismay to Delight

It will be a challenge to share all we have experienced of Buenos Aires, as we have experienced so much in the past 18 days. But before I take on that challenge - which will be the subject of a subsequent post - I wish to reflect upon how I felt upon arrival into this new culture, in this new country, on this new continent where everything was unfamiliar, including the language in which everything is communicated, lest you get the impression that it has all been fun and games.

Stan of course felt bewildered also, as it was all new to him too, and he speaks not a word of Spanish. But he was confident I would proficiently look after everything. As was I.

And prior to departure from Canada I had felt fairly confident that my Spanish language skills would be sufficient to get us by. I am after all fluent in French, I have completed several Spanish language classes over the years, and I had been studying Spanish quite intensely online for three months prior to leaving. However, given that I have never had an opportunity to put any of it to practice in a Spanish speaking environment, with the exception of a couple of weeks traveling in Mexico in my early twenties, I was quite taken aback. Achieving good grades in an online language course is quite deceptive, as these do not immediately translate to effective communication skills in real life situations, where speech is rapid, and demands comprehension, response, and thinking on your feet, as decisions are to be made immediately. Urgent decisions. Where do we get a cell phone chip for this country? Which way do we go? How do we get there? What bus do we take? Where do we get on? Where do we get off? Where is the metro station? What is a Sube card and how do you get one? What do we do next? Where do we find that? What does that mean?How much should we pay for this? What does this currency convert to in Canadian dollars? Why is this all so difficult?

The reality was that, exhausted upon arrival from our twenty five hour flight, I was completely overwhelmed when we first arrived, then soon after became quite angry at myself for not being able to communicate more effectively, and then later became entirely frustrated. I am quite practiced at having exceedingly high expectations - particularly of myself - and am far less self compassionate than I should be, so this went on for the first several days we were here. I was hesitant to ask directions; hesitant to ask for assistance, hesitant to ask for anything, really, which is not at all helpful when help is what you most need, all of which left me wondering what exactly we were doing here if I could not get over being uncomfortable leaving the apartment for lack of communication skills, all of which was further exasperated by media driven fears of how dangerous traveling in South America could be. This is not exactly being adventurous.

Stan, of course, was growing ever more frustrated as he speaks zero Spanish and was, as previously mentioned, totally depending on me to guide us in this country where it is far more difficult to get by if you don’t speak the local language than it is in Asia, where we typically travel, as the tourism industry here is much less dependent upon English tourism.

But then things began to change. And this was primarily because of the absolute eagerness of the people here to offer help to us so generously. Over and over again. Everywhere we went. In every situation where we appeared lost, or confused - whether on a bus, or on a metro, or on a street corner, or in a restaurant or store - someone would notice our apprehension, then step forward and offer assistance, and lo and behold, soothing communication, albeit basic, would take place.

It all began when we took that first step. In this case, it was just going out the door, and allowing others to help us. Perhaps that is a metaphor that can be extended further. Open that door. Allow others to help. Take that first step.

And always, the “porteños” - people of the port, the name by which locals are referred in Buenos Aires, because so many of the city’s inhabitants historically arrived by boat from Europe - always, the porteños and porteñas would leave us saying “good luck”, “thank you for coming here”, or “welcome”. Often, if one person offered to help, three others nearby would attempt to help as well. We were effectively transformed by these repeated acts of kindness. And it is, ultimately, always the kindness of strangers that inspires our travels.

The necessary fuel to get these wheels moving again had arrived, and all fear was dissolved in the process.

Eventually, with time and much practice on the streets, the gears in my brain kicked in and those Spanish language skills which had been eluding me returned, along with my confidence. So much so that in our last days in Buenos Aires, we were confidently taking buses and metros everywhere, getting lost and changing those buses and metros in unfamiliar neighbourhoods, then finding our way back with the help of many, often walking great distances and frequently talking with locals along the way. Only once did we resort to an Uber to rescue us, and that too was a good experience, as it was the first time ever using an Uber, a skill which will of course be useful in future travels elsewhere. Eventually, I began to communicate, sometimes effectively, in Spanish, and before we left our neighbourhood we had made friends with the neighborhood fruit and vegetable store family, the neighborhood bakery staff, and our morning coffee shop staff, to name a few, most of whom speak little to no English.

As always, the most difficult learning situations prove to be the most rewarding. Two weeks of immersion in this culture, despite its rocky start, has left me feeling grateful for all those hours invested in language study, and feeling that functional literacy is within reach. We have another four weeks here yet to make that happen. And we are already looking forward to our next trip to South America.

Travel can be tough. Never let that stop you. Get out that door, metaphorically or literally.

Thank you for your interest in our travel adventures and philosophical musings.

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Comments

[Gail]

Taking a trip from dismay to delight
Thank you so much for your travel updates. We have so enjoyed all of them and look forward to sharing them amongst ourselves and with others. Randy and Laurie are visiting tomorrow so we will be sharing those blogs in our discussions. Being in another culture and trying to communicate in another language is such a humbling experience and also such an education on so many levels. I ‘m sure that you’ve grown exponentially from these experiences. Takes courage and determination, both qualities that you have.. Thank you for your authenticity and willingness to share your learnings and insights that you have gleaned from your travel experiences. Makes me want to visit that part of the world:) Love and hugs, Gail

[The Dreamchasers]

Taking a Trip from Dismay to Delight
Thank you for your kind comments Gail. It is always nice to know that you are traveling with us, both vicariously and otherwise. Safe travels until we see you hopefully in the new year.