When in Bolivia
It’s been weird being back. Not gonna lie. The strangest things are not what you’d expect. A typical “weird vibe trigger” about coming back to a country like the US is observing traffic, people’s mannerisms, and maybe customer service. What I noticed and what gave me a striking sense of other was throwing toilet paper into the toilet instead of a trashcan, smooth roads, managed trails, and how outrageously things are priced in US dollars.
I took about a month off of everything to assimilate back into “regular life” which I was really glad for. Okay, maybe I didn’t take a break immediately because I went to Outside Lands two days after returning. On top of that I immediately ran a ton of errands and managed to throw out my back. That really forced taking time off from “regular” things like my job, volunteering, and checking my email. I mainly focused that time into spending what few days I had with my friends before they went off to their respective colleges and my SCU friends going back home. It was the teeniest, tiniest window. But it worked! This was time well spent, and sunsets well-observed.
All jokes aside, this experience has changed my life completely. No matter the amount of times I recount it to family, friends, and co-workers, I end up rambling and delivering incoherent speech because I just cannot find the words to describe it. Everything was amazing. Everything was stunning. That’s all I could say! Then I’d spend at least thirty minutes going through photos. All of which still shake me to my core with how magnificent they are… This blog post honestly might be pretty short. I wish I could deliver in fully describing every single aspect. But I can’t do it the way it’s meant to be. I feel like I downplay each part even if I try to celebrate each aspect with elaborate words. Can’t do it. Not the same.
Starting to miss my homestay though. We cried upon departure. I know it’s not a forever goodbye since I’m hoping to visit on my next South America trip, but living with them produced so much growth within me. Bolivia was my first time being truly independent. And as I enter into my young adult life and prepare for graduation, it couldn’t have come at a better time. I feel so much more confident in pursuing my own path and fighting for what I want. A talk with Anna made life so simple. Example: why can’t you just email someone you really admire in hopes of working with them? Just do it. The worst they can say is no. You haven’t really lost anything. It’s such a simple life philosophy, but it took travelling to Bolivia for me to see it in action. Everyone here says to shoot your shot, try your best, do all the things. But it feels like whenever I’ve been told that, the person telling me has doubts about it themselves. Anna and Carlos have shown me different. They just DO. They do what they’re passionate about, they learn what they want, and they meet everyone just to know about their individual lives. Anna told me, “Once you get to know someone, you find out that everyone is interesting.” How open. How humble. How welcoming. Perhaps that single quote can describe my entire experience. It accounts for the people, the moments big and small, and so much more. Every aspect was interesting. There was something to see at every scale around every corner. So much of it was more than I could have ever imagined.
My entire life, I never thought I’d be able to do this much travel. I never thought an organization would fund for me to visit their project sites. Everything just kind of… happened. I’m truly at a loss for words. Everything that happened through this experience I never imagined would happen. If you told me when I entered college the exact play by play of any of these experiences, I would have laughed in your face. What I would tell my young self is to keep your mind open. To not worry about the outcome and to just go for it. Whatever “it” is. I wouldn’t have changed anything. Absolutely transformative. I encourage everyone to do something like this. If they have the chance to travel, do it. Not everyone can travel internationally. Even a drive to a part of town you’ve never been to will completely open your eyes to all else possible. For those that want to change the world, it is more than enough to start local. Your own home can make a world of difference. Not every world-changing move has to be done in a grandeur way. Small actions are just as important. Making people feel seen and valued, like they matter, will achieve the same. I hope more people have the chance to travel and meet other individuals while experiencing new cultures. Not the touristy stuff. That’s okay as a first time and every now and again, but try to do as the locals do. “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” That’s how I feel more connected when travelling. You get to know the ins and outs and how people really treat each other. I especially hope people can meet more Bolivians. Their incredible politeness and way of making you feel welcome is so humbling. It gets you out of the head space that blind nationalism fuels. Travelling is, above all, an immense learning opportunity — for which I am so grateful.
So… When in Bolivia, do as the Bolivians do. What does that mean exactly? You’d have to go to find out. But if you can’t, that’s just as okay. It means to greet whomever you meet on the street, ask your driver/carpool how their day is going, talk to the shop owner, get to know the wait staff, and generally treat every person like a good friend. Know their story and share yours.
