complete stories.

In my last post, I mentioned that I received a few questions that all tie into a similar theme. In general, they asked about what has surprised me most about my experience in Uruguay and what I have been learning about myself. These questions prompted me to do a lot of reflecting and turned one theme into a few. I don’t think I can fit all of them into one post, so today I will just dive into one.

This week is about the mid-point of my semester in Uruguay, so have spent some time looking over my journal from the past few months. I found a section that said this:

“Some people talk about thinking in pictures or complete sentences, but I believe I think in stories/histories. I think that is how I see people, too. Or at least how I strive to see them. When I meet someone new or talk about a friend or think about a family member I can’t just think about one word or thing. I mostly think about their stories and our memories. What makes them, them?”

After letting this thought settle for a few weeks I can say that I still believe it to be true…but I think it can apply to more than just people.

To be completely honest with you, I’ve been feeling a little “meh” over the past week. Around this time of year I usually get a little restless. I didn’t think the feeling would come this year since I am living what I would have considered to be the ultimate cure for restlessness. But here we are. “Meh.” I have looked for a few ways to shake up my days and be reminded of home. I’ve listened to music, gone on walks/runs, spent a little time in the kitchen with my host mom, and looked for some new activities to do or day trips to take. While I did these things I continued to think a lot about people. However, while I was out on a walk the other day, my perspective shifted.

I walked along the water while ‘Never Come Back Again’ by Austin Plaine and ‘Heavy’ by Birdtalker played in my headphones. I watched the waves breathe in and out from the shore. I thought, “This is the closest I’ve ever felt to being in my own movie montage” (call me dramatic but the aesthetic was real lol). At the same moment I had this thought, I made eye contact with one of the runners on the beach. This little interaction caused me to think “Are they also living their own movie montage?”…I am a sucker for a good analogy so here begins the spiral of thoughts.

This post originally started with the title “the people make the place.” I tried writing about this theme from a couple of different angles but it never felt right. Don’t get me wrong, I still believe people are instrumental to creating the identity of a place, but if we just talk about the people it isn’t a complete story.

I don’t know a lot about making movies, but my roommate this semester is an animation major and I am learning a lot from her. She is meticulous in thinking about how lines and colors interact in a space. Even more impressive is that she can put ideas to paper and make them move. When she does, every detail matters. If you don’t include the details, the picture doesn’t feel complete. But when you get the details right, the picture comes to life.

Similarly, as I lived my movie montage and the runner on the beach lived theirs, I began to notice not just the people, but also how they interacted with each other and their surroundings.

My headphones played the background music and the sun set the lighting. I saw lights blinking from the ships in the distance, kids kicking a soccer ball across the beach, couples walking along la Rambla and the water with mate in hand and dog in tow. I could hear cars passing by, people cheering for a sand volleyball game, waves hitting the rocks on shore. It all tied together in a sense of harmony and connectedness. It felt like a complete story.

As I write this, I am thinking about how it applies to the questions you’ve asked me. What has surprised me most about my study abroad experience and what I am learning about myself? I think one of the take always can be this:

This semester isn’t a complete story if I don’t pay attention to all the details. I can feel grateful to be in Montevideo, while also feeling a little “meh.” I can be excited to be making new friends at the same time missing my old ones. If I try to push away the details that are considered “less than desirable,” I miss the full experience of my semester. If I wouldn’t skip over meaningful parts of a movie, why would I attempt to skip over details of my story in Uruguay?

Life can be tricky and profound. Thanks for continuing to share it with me. I’ll try to write up another post that is just a general update with pictures attached soon! Until then, let me know what’s been going on with you! Nos vemos <3.

P.S. happy st. pattys!