Shifting perspectives or rather locations

 When I was about eight years old, my mom and dad told my sister and I that we would be going to another country for about a year in order for my dad to complete a sabbatical. This would mean we’d be moving to a completely unknown place with nobody we knew and no knowledge of the culture or language. But we didn’t care; we knew nothing of the difficulties it would bring. I was just a child excited to see a new place. Much to my distaste we chose to go to Ecuador. I was gunning to go to Thailand. 

When we first arrived, I was still frustrated and aggravated about leaving my home and all my friends behind for a strange “smelly” place. All I could think is “this is not Thailand.” We started taking Spanish lessons from a man named Felipe. He was very kind hearted and I actually enjoyed the lessons because we would always just chat over a game of chess or cards. It was fun. He bribed me with a quick soccer match after the lesson. It didn't feel like learning a new language, more like hanging out with a good friend.

 Not long after this we started school, still just knowing the bare minimum we needed to get by. It was terrifying, but we started learning Spanish much faster. Eventually, what used to be an unknown or intimidating experience became far easier. My perspective changed by knowing far more of the language and understanding. I began to actually enjoy living there. I was no longer counting the days till we left but forgetting about that all together. When we did leave and came home, it felt very weird to me--I really had no idea how big the world was until then. When Georgia and I returned to school in the US I noticed so many differences between the two places and things that used to not bother me now did. I missed taking public transportation, the school’s focus on giving us time to play outside, and the idea that by teaching us several languages we could choose where to live in the world. I began looking at social dynamics and the world in a completely different way. 

By learning Spanish and adjusting to the culture in Ecuador it gave me a whole new perspective on life. The conflict I felt due to the monotonous boredom of the same schedule, just trying to understand the language and waiting to go home, and it getting worse and worse to shifting how I viewed my life there and enjoying it. I stopped observing and became part of it.  Much like how David Foster Wallace in “This is Water,” describes the “ petty routines” that come with adult life and how you must look past them, find meaning in your everyday life and drag yourself out of the mindset that everything is terrible and depressing. By shifting my perspective from the monotonous routine of life there I found excitement and made friends. I started to actually enjoy myself and understand home isn't just one place, it's wherever your mind is. At first I was mentally in Carrollton but that shifted to Ecuador. Once that happened I truly was happy there. I found freedom and enjoyment in my days and time began to fly.

My world when I got back to the states was completely different. I had no idea what normal was anymore. I had a completely different view on everything. My friends had changed and now that I had lived somewhere else I would constantly compare them to the new friends I’d made. Kids in both places were obsessed with Disney World, but for Georgians it is an easy trip to make and for Ecuadorians it’s extremely special because it’s so far away. Before I moved, I guess I assumed that every country had a Disney World. Living in Ecuador was like looking at my life in America through a completely different filter. I had never seen it that way before and it changed me for the better in so many ways. Just like how in “A Pale Blue Dot,” we look back at our planet from a completely different vantage point and realize just how insignificant we look in comparison to the universe; however it amplifies just how special this planet is to all of us. Now I understand that the way we look at things is constantly changing based on where we live, what we see and what we hear.