About three weeks ago, I had a short break from school so I decided it was time to get out of the city. I'd been feeling overwhelmed with the pace of Buenos Aires and, well, feeling lonely as well. Regardless, I thought that some time in the small town of Colón on the Rio Uruguay would do me some good. This trip was sort of a whim so I purchased my bus ticket the night before I left and didn't bother to make any hotel reservations...I thought to myself..."last resort...I'll just sleep along the river". ha ha.
The next morning I settled into my seat, already more relaxed just knowing that I was headed into the "interior" de Argentina. I took out my journal and wrote this to myself: "What I need is emotional homeopathy...treat lonliness with being alone". I convinced myself that that was what I needed.
Content with my myself for being so insightful (ha ha), I took out my thermos with hot water to have mate (kind of like tea, but drunk from a gourd with a metal straw and usually shared with others). There was a girl sitting next to me, Deborah, so I decided that it would be nice to offer her mate. She accepted and we started talking about the usual first time questions (Where are you from? What are you doing here? etc.). Deborah was also headed to Colón, not for vacation but to go back to school there after her vacation. She then asked me where I would be staying in Colón. I, of course, told her that I had no idea and she became very concerned, telling me that everything would be booked with it being winter break and all. I laughed and told her that I was going to camp along the river. She responed by saying, "oh no, you can stay with me and family." I didn't really take it seriously, but then 20 minutes later she says to me, "my brother said it would be okay if you stayed with us". Wow...she was serious...hmmm...I still wasn't convinced...I mean, after all, I need my "emotional homeopathy."
We arrived to Colón a few hours later. I accompanied Deborah to her house since she was going to take a taxi into town from the bus station. Of course, upon arriving, her sister-in-law, Gisela, invited me to drink mate with them. By 6 p.m. Gisela and Deborah told me to just to stay with them just like it were a hotel. I still wasn't convinced so I told them that I would go look for a hotel and would come back to get my things after I found one. I left and began to walk around town. As I made my way into the center, something said to me..."why are you going to refuse such generosity?" So I didn't even bother to look any further, I returned and ended up staying the entire four days with Gisela, Deborah, Sergio (Deborah's brother), and Orly (the dog).
There generosity was so, to say the least, amazing and touching. Deborah gave me her room and slept in Gisela and Sergio's room while Gisela and Sergio migrated to the kitchen and slept on a mattress there for four days. We ate together, had an "asado", drank mate, laughed, and had a wonderful time together. It was funny because I got exactly the opposite of what I convinced myself that I needed. In other words, I got to be with family, which is what I needed more than my stoic "emotional homeopathy". ha ha
I did have some important moments alone, though, as well. The first morning I woke up early to a day that was wonderfully sunny. I got up, put my bathing suit (hey...it didn't matter that were in the middle of winter...if it's sunny and there is a river...I am going to be in it. ha ha) and running clothes on and took off. I ran for about a half hour until I got out of town on the part of the river where the forest was left to its own devices. I came this amazing the little beach hidden away behind trees and bushes. I thought, yep, this is my spot. I rushed to take my clothes off and get in the water. I felt really alive (maybe the near freezing temperature of the water confirmed this. ha ha) swimming in the cold water with the sun blazing down on me making it bearable. :-) I ended up being gone for nearly three hours...lost in thought and prayer and meditation and just being there...
The other days I went to some nearby thermal baths and just sat by the river. The last night the family had a huge "asado" (kind of like a bbq) with every type of meat imaginable. The next morning they sent me off with good-bye gifts and hugs at the bus stations.
So, in the end, I got exactly what I needed, in spite of myself. And I think this beautiful family maybe got a little something of what they needed from me being in their home. We have to have faith that we do, indeed, get what is best for us in life if we keep our hearts (and minds..which gets in the way sometimes) open.
More info about Mate: http://www.noborders.net/mate/
