By Miriam HillWhile one finds company in himself and his pursuits, he cannot feel old, no matter what his years may be.
~Amos Bronson Alcott
"You're spending six weeks in Costa Rica studying Spanish with college students?" exclaimed my friend. "You're older and retired! Aren't you nervous about traveling to a foreign country with younger people? You could end up rejected and alone!"
My friend was verbalizing my fears about my upcoming trip.
During the university's orientation I was relieved to see older people among the group. Then at the airport I was alarmed as I watched my peers hug the departing students and realized they were relatives staying behind. On the airplane I watched young friends engaged in lively conversations punctuated with laughter. I sat alone and pretended to read a book.
We arrived in San José and moved in with host families who spoke no English. When classes began I observed the students and the differences between my generation and theirs: I didn't have tattoos, wear skimpy tops, display a pierced bellybutton or use the word "like" with every other word. I searched for similarities: we spoke English, we wanted to learn Spanish, and we were sharing an adventure. That was a start.
During a weekend trip I feared no one would want me as a roommate. I was grateful when two girls asked if I would room with them. The next day we hiked 500 meters straight down into a rainforest. The return walk up was grueling. At the top, shapely Pam approached. "You kicked my butt on that climb and I work out four days a week." I sensed I earned her respect.
Back in San José I went shopping with several girls. I watched perfect figures try on revealing tops. I giggled while they checked out cute guys. I was enjoying "hanging out" with girls who were too young to date my son. We discussed parents, religion, racism, values, and dating. They probed for my views on these issues, forcing me to dust off opinions I hadn't examined in years.
I felt comfortable with the group during our next excursion. Suspended from a single cable, I soared from one jungle platform to the next. The trees below looked like stalks of broccoli. While returning in a van, I shared a seat, chocolate, and conversation with animated Katy. She confided that at first the students had doubts about my joining the trip because I was older.
"We, like, don't have those feelings about you anymore," she said with a smile. "We think, like, you're cool! When we, like, get older, we want to be just like you."
I, like, felt tears in my eyes.
When we returned to the States, I expected my new friends and I would go our separate ways. We would no longer have Costa Rica and Spanish to bring us together.
Like, I was wrong!
We continued the relationships that grew while hiking in a rainforest, bouncing along mountain roads, and sharing a sky ride over the jungle.
Traveling to Costa Rica with a group of twenty-somethings was rewarding... because our friendships became stronger than our differences.
My new peer group is, like, awesome!
~Amos Bronson Alcott
"You're spending six weeks in Costa Rica studying Spanish with college students?" exclaimed my friend. "You're older and retired! Aren't you nervous about traveling to a foreign country with younger people? You could end up rejected and alone!"
My friend was verbalizing my fears about my upcoming trip.
During the university's orientation I was relieved to see older people among the group. Then at the airport I was alarmed as I watched my peers hug the departing students and realized they were relatives staying behind. On the airplane I watched young friends engaged in lively conversations punctuated with laughter. I sat alone and pretended to read a book.
We arrived in San José and moved in with host families who spoke no English. When classes began I observed the students and the differences between my generation and theirs: I didn't have tattoos, wear skimpy tops, display a pierced bellybutton or use the word "like" with every other word. I searched for similarities: we spoke English, we wanted to learn Spanish, and we were sharing an adventure. That was a start.
During a weekend trip I feared no one would want me as a roommate. I was grateful when two girls asked if I would room with them. The next day we hiked 500 meters straight down into a rainforest. The return walk up was grueling. At the top, shapely Pam approached. "You kicked my butt on that climb and I work out four days a week." I sensed I earned her respect.
Back in San José I went shopping with several girls. I watched perfect figures try on revealing tops. I giggled while they checked out cute guys. I was enjoying "hanging out" with girls who were too young to date my son. We discussed parents, religion, racism, values, and dating. They probed for my views on these issues, forcing me to dust off opinions I hadn't examined in years.
I felt comfortable with the group during our next excursion. Suspended from a single cable, I soared from one jungle platform to the next. The trees below looked like stalks of broccoli. While returning in a van, I shared a seat, chocolate, and conversation with animated Katy. She confided that at first the students had doubts about my joining the trip because I was older.
"We, like, don't have those feelings about you anymore," she said with a smile. "We think, like, you're cool! When we, like, get older, we want to be just like you."
I, like, felt tears in my eyes.
When we returned to the States, I expected my new friends and I would go our separate ways. We would no longer have Costa Rica and Spanish to bring us together.
Like, I was wrong!
We continued the relationships that grew while hiking in a rainforest, bouncing along mountain roads, and sharing a sky ride over the jungle.
Traveling to Costa Rica with a group of twenty-somethings was rewarding... because our friendships became stronger than our differences.
My new peer group is, like, awesome!
http://www.chickensoup.com
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