About a week ago, a friend of mine, Michelle, hosted a dinner party at her new house in Antigua, Guatemala. She invited some colleagues from her work as well as a bunch of fellow foreigners who had also made Antigua their home. You know, the ex-pats.
By seven o’clock the house was filled with an eclectic mix of Guatemalans, Dutch, Germans, Kiwis, Americans, Canadians, Brits, and one Egyptian. People were aged 20 to 66 and everything in-between. There were brown people, black people, white people, and the English were out right pale. Even the dogs came from different countries.
By eight o’clock the music was really going. Twin sisters were harmonizing folks songs over the banjo. The Kiwis were rocking out on the guitar. An American was singing sweet indie songs with her ukulele. And a Dutch girl had made a drum out of a garbage can. Everyone was singing and laughing and trying to remember the lyrics to that one song.
By nine o’clock we were breaking the piñata. (It is Guatemala after all.) We scrambled to the ground to claim our winnings and hoard as many bonbons as we could get our hands on.
It was a great night, a wonderful party. And, it wasn’t a holiday or a festival. It wasn’t even a birthday or a going away party. It was just a Wednesday night with friends.
Living abroad has exposed me to more people, cultures, and viewpoints than I ever could have imagined. Yes, I live in Guatemala, but over the past few years I’ve learned more about Dutch politics, Spanish economy, Brazilian street art, and Mexican corruption that I ever would have living in my home country.
By being away from our homes, foreigners in a foreign country are put on the same playing field. Color, culture, and age are barriers that slip away. We become part of a diverse, flexible, and ever changing Ex-Pat family. Some people are part of this family for decades, others only months, and nearly everyone will move on.
I’m soon leaving my family, leaving my life of no expectations and little responsibility. I will miss them dearly and think of them often – wherever they may be. But, one thing I know for certain is that if I ever do move back, there will be an eclectic ex-pat family waiting with open arms for me, even if I don’t know any of them yet. And I’ll enjoy singing and breaking piñatas with them some distant Wednesday night.