The Flip Side…

So many of our friends envy us for doing this Americas trip; they say how happy we look in all the pictures…but, of course! The smiles in the photos do reflect genuine joy, for there is no doubting the benefits, growth and positive learning that travelling as a family for six months provide. Every single day, we express gratitude, we interact with our teenage sons in a way that would never otherwise happen, we have time for each other. Life is, in so many ways, absolutely amazing!

BUT, there are challenges, too! And in all fairness , I think we owe it to you dear Readers (sorry, couldn’t resist that !) to share an honest insight into the more contrary elements of Life on the Road…

Obvious complaints aside – such as wearing the same clothes for days on end and not being able to find showers (let alone hot showers) – there are three particular challenges that travelling through this austral continent have nagged me: Communication, Driving and Money (fairly universal, hey?!)

Communication is a huge issue for me. One of the greatest joys in travelling far and wide involves interaction with the interesting people one meets, whether they be native dwellers of the host land, or fellow travellers from anywhere else in the world. In South America, English is not widely known, let alone used, so having even a basic knowledge of Portuguese and/or Spanish helps a lot. I know neither beyond Greetings and a couple of basic phrases. These don’t get me very far, let me tell you! I have been trying to learn Spanish on the long drives, thanks to a trusty podcast, but the moment an Argentinian opens his or her mouth, I find I cannot recall and match a single word that has been taught in my slow, well-enunciated Spanish-for-Dummies podcast. The spoken lingua in these parts is way too rapido, so most of the time I pathetically flop back on my “Perdonne, no hablo espanol” cushion. I am finding these failures very frustrating! There is actually a bitter-sweet remedy to this problem, though, which has emerged in the form of mi marido Gus. His Spanish is very workable, but we (the boys and I) are far too dependent on him in every public communication. That’s the bitter-frustrating-disempowering part. Ultimately, however, it is undeniably ‘sweet’ having someone in the family who can fix us a bed for the night, or ask the directions to the nearest panaderia (bakery)…

Driving: problem #2. Of the 4,000km we’ve covered in Argentina alone, Gus has driven 3,800 of them! I should feel ashamed, except for the factors that outweigh the shame. Namely, the difficulties for me driving a left-hand-wheel vehicle with a dodgy clutch (sorry Robin) and, worst of all, my inability to stay awake at the wheel for longer than a 2-hour stretch. I know! Pathetic! However, I am somewhat appeased (aka not made to feel too guilty) by Gus’ passion for driving, especially on muddy/sandy/stony tracks, and his extraordinary ability to drive for HOURS on end quite effortlessly. Yes, I do feel bad, and Yes, it is (once again) frustrating and disempowering not being able to balance out our travel duties fairly. But it may well be the price I have to pay to ensure my family reaches the end in safety?!

Thirdly: Money. Ouch, always a tetchy subject. But in our case on this trip, not really an issue: we simply don’t have any to spare. Travelling on a shoestring budget means we literally use our cash for food, accommodation, fuel and museums. Oh, and beer for Gus and maybe some red wine for Mands. Ben and Max have stoically refused to give up asking for helado (ice-cream) at every town we stop at, but they are sadly rarely rewarded for their begging. In many ways, it’s so simple, so easy, travelling this way. After all, it eliminates any temptation to try to buy anything in the museum gift shops or at the craft markets. Most of the time. Sometimes I waver. Sometimes, when my guard is down, I wish we could afford to buy one special keepsake, or treat the boys to a fancy seafood lunch. And that frustrates me, too.

But once I have regained a sense of rationale and reminded myself of where we are as a family and what we are doing and giving ourselves, the nick nacks lose their significance. Ultimately, my heart recognizes a deep sense of gratitude of something far bigger than what can be purchased; that which has no monetary price attached, that which is priceless.

It’s funny, but as I end this piece, I realize that it is ending on a different note than what I set out to write. I guess what I’m really saying after all, is that in spite of the inevitable frustrations and negatives, they’re all for the good and none of them are insurmountable. Hooray!