Of Language Learning

 “To learn another language is to possess a second soul”. A bilingual friend of mine once shared this quote with me. Ah, what a rosy, romantic picture such a sentiment paints. I believe that at some point in the future this quote will resonate with me and I, too, will pass it on to a friend. However, in my current situation I can identify a bit more with a few things I recently read in an article about language learning: “Anyone who wants to learn a language well must have a solid theology of suffering” and, a softer version: “To learn another language is to come face to face with your humanity”. In the past few weeks I have been constantly out of my comfort zone and have felt more humbled and helpless than I have in a very long time. What was I thinking when I asked God to teach me to rely more fully on Him?! J

Through this process, however, God has put some people in my life to encourage me. I have a new housemate living with my host family. She is from France and speaks a little English and a little Spanish. She doesn’t yet speak either well, but man, she goes for it, and gets her point across and never pauses to apologize for her mistakes. I love it and it challenges me to speak more and to try more, despite the numerous mistakes I know I am making. I had to chuckle the other day when I left for school. My Bolivian dad and my French roommate were at the kitchen table. I had a brief conversation with the dad in Spanish, a brief conversation with my housemate in English, and as I left the room and bid them both a good day my housemate responded in French. What a beautiful picture of languages and lives colliding. I am grateful for this unique season in my life and I’m reminded of times in India and Bosnia when I first recognized the love God had placed in my heart for other cultures and places.

 

Christ Statues can be found all throughout South America. Cochababamba has
the largest one in the World (even bigger than Rio's)!

Views of Cochabamba from inside The Cristo

Every Wednesday and Friday afternoon after language school, I get on a bus that drives me about 20 minutes outside of town and then I walk 10 more minutes down a dusty road to a place called, “Cometa”. Cometa is a delinquency center for teenagers who have committed crimes. It is home to 7 girls and 80 boys who remain in the center for 6 months to 4 years depending on the nature of their crime. Myself and 3 other women spend a couple of hours with the girls, teaching them to cook a meal or to create a craft. We are there simply to build relationship and to show love to these young women. Their living conditions are poor and their treatment neglectful. Security is incredibly lax. We could bring anything in or out and are only asked to leave our phones at the checkpoint. I don’t know yet what God has in store for this time at Cometa, but I know that I feel privileged to know these young women and to be able to pray for them.

This marks the way to Cometa

Outside the gate

Beautiful mural outside the road to Cometa

Heading to a movie with  my host family in Bus 3V!

Making "ceviche", a Peruvian dish, at the school with new friends

These are the types of lunches my Bolivian mom sends to school with me each day!

Game night with some friends. Peru, France and the US represented.

Blessings to you, friends! Thank you for staying updated.