It is the beginning of December, which means I have been here in Ecuador
for about 3 months. To accurately express how my time here has been, I have
found, is very difficult. However, what I have found is that la lluvia (the
rain) has an interesting way of explaining my story.
In Ecuador, there is the dry season and the wet season. Right now, we are
in the wet season, which usually lasts from December to April. The days
filling these months are never predictable. The mornings can be intensely
sunny and blue skied, where the warmth wants to envelop you. Though at some
point throughout the day, the heavy gray clouds can sneak over your head
and in one instant they let go of the weight, allowing gravity to help soak
la tierra below. La lluvia is extremely crucial here, for it nurtures the
soil and gives life to the large variety of crops Ecuador holds. In a
sense, you could call la lluvia an essential part of the beginning.
Since my beginning here in Ecuador, there have been so many more
beginnings. I have been witnessing a new way of living, learning to adapt
to unfamiliarities, facing challenges I never would have imagined, and
understanding what it means to live in the moment even if it is
uncomfortable. There is no doubt of the many pressures that, if we let
them, can pull us out of the moment we´re in. Whether it be dwelling on how
you handled that situation just then or getting angry about missing that
bus by a few seconds or even unexpectedly getting caught in the rain, these
things happen and they are so often out of your control. During my time
here, I have wrestled with not allowing these uncontrollables to control
me. This experience has caused me much internal weather, and for all of it
I am grateful. This reminds me that I am growing. I am learning that
change, while it can be scary, is far from harmful. I am learning that what
matters is more so in how we respond than anything else. I am learning to
open myself up to deeply appreciate these aspects of life. Be, make
mistakes, and allow yourself to reflect on them. This pulling and
stretching of the self is called being a human being. It even says it in
the name– that the only thing that is, is now. You gotta let la lluvia
fall when it does, and when it does, you can simply observe what it brings.
Most of the time, when the rain does stop, there is a sense of clarity in
the air that is unlike any other.
“You are the sky. Everything else, it’s just the weather.”
