El despegue

Cinco meses no alcanzan

para conocerte bien.

Sin embargo, me siento

como si estuviera dejando

a un viejo amigo.

–

En este momento de despedida,

te veo en toda tu complejidad:

tu orgullo y tu dolor,

tu inteligencia y tu sensibilidad,

tu pasión y tu conflictividad.

–

Tengo lealtad a otro,

pero esto no significa

que no podemos comprendernos

o que no puedo aprender de ti

y vos de mí.

–

Tenés tus locuras,

como todo el mundo tiene las suyas;

no obstante, sos loco bueno.

No hay que escuchar a aquéllos,

ni acá ni allá,

que te llaman loco de mierda.

–

Me van a preguntar,

“¿Cómo es?”

Diré,

A veces se porta como un boludo,

pero es de muy buena onda.

–

Y te digo a vos

no adiós

sino:

Che, fue un placer.

Suerte,

y nos vemos.

La dificultad de despedirse

Making friends here has been delightfully uncomplicated. Almost all the Argentines I’ve met have been de muy buena onda, as the saying goes. Outgoing, easygoing, and I can’t think of another adjective that ends with -going, but you get the idea. Not to mention they’re curious about the States, and whatever their opinion may be of our government they are very interested in picking an American’s brain for a while.

Add in the fact that the Universidad Nacional de La Plata attracts exchange students from all over the world, and you’ve got a recipe for a delicious stew of cultures. Mmmm…multicultural understanding and friendship…tasty.

Left to right behind me: American, Argentine, Colombian, German

Unintentionally creepy metaphors aside, it has been an absolute pleasure getting to know the kids (and adults) here. I’ve had both good old-fashioned fun and intense discussion on every topic imaginable. And out of that, I really feel like I’ve developed some great relationships. Which, of course, is going to make it all the more difficult to say goodbye. Ain’t that how it goes.

But to paraphrase the old cliché, it is better to have made a friend in a foreign country and potentially not see him again than to never to have met him at all. Plus if you come back to visit, you can probably crash on his couch.

I also take a lot of comfort in knowing that I’ve forged bonds just as strong with my fellow W&M students. The shared experience of living in Argentina, with all the difficulties, good times, craziness, and inside jokes that come along with it, is something that we’ll always have in common.

A mis amigos argentinos y extranjeros: fue un placer conocerles. Espero que nos veamos otra vez en el futuro. Suerte, y Diós les bendiga.

To my W&M buddies: see you in the fall on the Sunken Gardens for some mate.