She lived in a small town in the outskirts of the capital, where she would drive daily to make it to work and devote eight long hours of her day to something she didn’t enjoy very much, but she did it very professionally. Even though she was always waiting for something else, she was very successful at what she did.
She had a very active religious life. She went to church every Wednesday and Sunday and was part of a group that helped those in need, and supported the missionaries in other poor countries and places around the world.
She devoted all her free time to her hobbies; listening to music or learning other languages by herself kept her entertained and made her time elapse without major expectations.
Some day while she was at church after a long and hard day at work, she had a conversation with another church member who mentioned they were looking for someone interested in traveling to a country in South America, in order to carry out a humanitarian effort of literacy and introduction of their religion. Besides, that person may travel not only to that country but to others where they had interference.
This topic did not come up again for a week until she heard again through the grape vine that they were still looking for that person to travel. She didn´t stop, she just listened and her imagination began to fly to a faraway destination, she began to imagine how life would be in those countries, she wondered if the poverty she frequently heard about was real, she wondered how she could live in a place where she knew nobody and where just communicating with others may be an obstacle for her. She stopped for a second and just imagined what it would be like to arrive to a far away and strange place and start meeting and dealing with different people.
That night, alone by the fireplace of her small house and reading an enjoyable book, she glanced towards the window and saw scenery that did not attract her: fields covered with snow, gray and black sky, and rather cold weather. This made her think again about those countries which are supposed to have ideal temperatures year round, where people are lively, the sky is blue like her eyes and the night is unpredictable. She let her imagination wander until she was sound asleep, holding the thought of wanting to discover what has always been said about the tropical countries.
Every day she thought of different things and her curiosity drove her to purchase magazines and books about those countries and the lifestyle; she got videos and a lot of information that made her consider more and more the idea of being a candidate for the trip. She didn´t speak to anyone about this, she just read and imagined. She would listen to Latin music and tried to follow the lyrics because, although she didn´t speak Spanish very well, she understood it and tried to improve every day.
Finally she decided to be a candidate for that trip that had been going around in her head and, although she had many fears, she did it and turned in the application. She took longer to send the application than the church took in replying with a message thanking her for her willingness to do a good job with the people they say are in need. It was a short message where she was told the steps to follow to leave as soon as possible. She followed all the steps outlined by the church counselors without missing any details, she got ready as best as she could and left with the excitement of making a difference in the life of many as well as hers.
Ecuador is a hot country whose people are naive, kind and hard working. She found herself in the bedroom of a very nice hotel after a long trip. She was a little nervous although looking forward to beginning her work and meeting the people and go to these places she had heard so much about.
It was a warm morning with clear skies. She had gone for a walk after breakfast and returned to the hotel to wait for the person in charge of taking her to the church headquarters in the city. The wait was not long. Suddenly a man arrived and invited her to get in his car to take her to said headquarters.
The first Spanish conversation which had made her feel so nervous began with a very cordial greeting and the introduction of this man, whom she could not fully understand but tried to follow with no hesitation. It took several minutes to get there and in that short time she felt comfortable and wanted to continue the conversation for a longer time. She was asking many questions and wanted to know everything in a short time. The man answered her questions in a kind and gentle way and made her feel safe and confident everything would turn out very well.
Once at the headquarters she was introduced to those who would be her colleagues and who would share the majority of the time with her. They were very kind and made her feel welcome. The man who accompanied her said good bye explaining he had a lot of work left to do and he was hoping to be able to speak with her again.
Several days went by and she was immersed in her work and had little time to accomplish all the tasks she had committed to doing. One afternoon, while she was in the balcony of her hotel contemplating the impressive mountain in front of her, she received a phone call from the man who had accompanied her the first day. She was very happy to hear from him and he invited her for coffee. There she was, in a small cafe in a town which was far away from her world and her life, speaking with someone in a different language, and was not missing anything or anyone. There she was, totally absorbed in the conversation. Hours went by and when the afternoon was winding down they decided to go out and enjoy themselves. It was a starry night, the moon was shining and lighting up the whole town where they were strolling after having enjoyed a beautiful time, having listened to the music she liked, and having tried to dance like she always desired. She felt as if she had known him for a long time and with just one look she gave him a kiss to show her appreciation. She got one in return, not with the same intentions but with such passion that she gave herself to him and spent a night full of enchantment and feelings she had never had before. She gave herself, her soul and the treasure of which she was proud, she gave everything in a night that without thinking would change her life forever.
During her pregnancy she had a lot of troubles, which led her to the decision of returning to her country to have a special treatment, which proved to be unsuccessful. Her health worsened as days went by and the doctors suggested doing what they thought was best for her to survive this bad time she was going through. She did not accept, and going against everything and everyone, she wanted to keep going. She was dreaming of that world she got to know, and of returning, in order to share with her partner the scenery, the climate, and those beautiful places she visited and enjoyed. But that dream never came true and she carried them forever in her mind and in her memory.
