South American Dreams, South American Destiny
By Michael Boyajian
Did you ever feel like you were supposed to carry out some kind of cosmic mission sort of like an involuntary dream that isn’t yours but one that was given to you by someone or something else that is meant for you sort of like a destiny.
I have one of these dreams about South America. It began when I was a child in elementary school and our assignment was to write to the consulates of foreign countries requesting travel brochures. Well for some reason I wrote to all the South American nations and received brochures from Ecuador, Uruguay, Columbia, Argentina and so on. I used to gaze at these colorful brochures in wonder of these far off places.
Then in high school I chose Spanish for my foreign language requirement. I did so so and always wanted to go back and improve my performance in those classes. The opportunity to do so arose with a trip to Spain last year when I purchased a Rosetta Stone Spanish language program. I did ok with it and managed to phrase my way around Granada.
But now for some reason I am studying the Rosetta Stone program again and I am doing real well. But why am I doing this? Am I still driven to do well in Spanish language studies, or is it because I want to go back to Spain next year? And we do have a plan to travel to Peru in a few years to visit Machu Picchu sort of carrying out my South American dream.
But the fascinating thing is, that while watching World Cup soccer, I find myself cheering on all the South American teams like Chile, Uruguay and Argentina. I look at all the faces of the players and imagine that I am supposed to be talking to them in Spanish on some sort of good will mission, not necessarily with our government but on my own or with a non government organization.
I reflect further and I had two great friends in college who were from Argentina. I keep in touch by email with one of them and the other I met a few years back at a college reunion. Another South American connection!
It makes my heart feel a little bit joyful that I have some sort of destiny in the future with South America and I wonder to this day what it will be, an embrace of sorts with a distant culture I believe. In the meantime though, I am content to watch my World Cup South American teams on TV.
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