"¡Tranquilo!" the older woman in our building encouraged me after we attempted small talk, and I mentioned how I need to practice my Spanish.
"¡Tranquilo!" a fellow teacher assured me when I realized the copy man wasn't going to have my copies done in time for class.
'¡Tranquilo!" a friend reminded Aaron when he panicked about being 10 minutes late to their place (ever since high school marching band the poor guy can NEVER be late).
This word embodies Colombia. In Spanish it literally means "quiet, calm, peaceful." Essentially, people here don't sweat the small stuff. It's a very Bob Marleyesque way to live your life... "don't worry, about a thing...cause every little thing is going to be alright." It translates into their values here as well. Family is at the forefront of their lives and making time to connect with those closest to you and enjoying life is priority (Colombia has the most public holidays of any country in the world--I think it's around 18 or 19). If you think about the history and the greater issues that Colombians have faced (war, poverty, negativity towards their country from the rest of the world), it makes sense for them to have a word like this. No matter how bad it gets, why worry anyway? What good is that going to do?
I can't help but think about how we don't really have a word like this in English. Sometimes I tell my students and myself to "chill" or "relax" but those words don't have the same connotation as tranquilo. Those are more about calming down and controlling our emotions while tranquilo seems to be more about letting them go.
This word has been at the forefront of my own positive self-talk lately with the stress of planning for a new grade/class, learning Spanish, and discovering the quirks of Colombian living. I think we could all use a little more tranquilo in our lives.
"¡Tranquilo!" a fellow teacher assured me when I realized the copy man wasn't going to have my copies done in time for class.
'¡Tranquilo!" a friend reminded Aaron when he panicked about being 10 minutes late to their place (ever since high school marching band the poor guy can NEVER be late).
This word embodies Colombia. In Spanish it literally means "quiet, calm, peaceful." Essentially, people here don't sweat the small stuff. It's a very Bob Marleyesque way to live your life... "don't worry, about a thing...cause every little thing is going to be alright." It translates into their values here as well. Family is at the forefront of their lives and making time to connect with those closest to you and enjoying life is priority (Colombia has the most public holidays of any country in the world--I think it's around 18 or 19). If you think about the history and the greater issues that Colombians have faced (war, poverty, negativity towards their country from the rest of the world), it makes sense for them to have a word like this. No matter how bad it gets, why worry anyway? What good is that going to do?
I can't help but think about how we don't really have a word like this in English. Sometimes I tell my students and myself to "chill" or "relax" but those words don't have the same connotation as tranquilo. Those are more about calming down and controlling our emotions while tranquilo seems to be more about letting them go.
This word has been at the forefront of my own positive self-talk lately with the stress of planning for a new grade/class, learning Spanish, and discovering the quirks of Colombian living. I think we could all use a little more tranquilo in our lives.
I love this. I think I may be adapting this word as I near my 30th. ;)
ReplyDeleteBahaha! Good ol marching band! Looks like you guys are doing well! :)
ReplyDelete