“Staying in touch”
In 2007, I was starting a new life in a small town called San Ignacio in Paraguy as a biology/chemistry teacher at a highschool. Because my house was far from the city center, when I was doing grocery shopping, I used to buy a large quantity of my staple food just to reduce the number trips. And I got to know Roberto (right) at my favorite butcher shop. He struck me as a young guy whose small talks were not too small – he often cited classical philosophers to back up his points!
About an year later, when I got familiar with my main responsibillity at the highschool, I expanded my area of work by providing a beginner-level English course to university students in town. Roberto enrolled in it, and so did his girlfriend, Raquel (left). I may have known her earlier at a bakery where Raquel was working but I am not sure which happened first.
Not only did they perform excellently in my class, we also became good friends. Especially it meant a lot to me, because I did not have too many close friends around my age in town.
Several years later, at my work in DC, my boss assigned me a project in Paraguay. And thanks to the project, I could visit Asuncion, the capital, the following year. I could meet the couple again then living in the capital, with an enhanced sense of indepence and definition in their lives.
Three years later, I met them again in Asuncion. I was a long-term traveler and they were profesionals in their areas. It was enjoyable to talk about the past we shared, and to continue to let our relationship evolve as we get older each time.
In this world, I hear people saying “let’s stay in touch” more times than I see it really happens. That’s another reason why that I am only grateful to afford to visit many different parts of the world to ‘stay in touch’ just one more time with people I know, and see how we are growing old.
with Raquel and Roberto
@ Costanera, Asuncion, Paraguay, June 17, 2018
