one of these is cuter than the other...
Vecino/a: (bay-see-no/na). Neighbor. Though in my case also means friend, and occasional serious favor-doer.
A few months ago on a drizzly and dark night, I got bitten in the spine by a very large wasp. They call it a "congaluna" here. In any case, I thought nothing of it for about 10 minutes, except that WOW it hurts to get a wasp sting there (I'm much more careful about standing under lightbulbs at night now). Then I started itching seemingly uncontrollably in my armpits, knees, and groin. Then I looked at my back and noticed it was all red. Then I couldn't stop itching my major articulations, and I saw that I was breaking out in raised bumps in all of them. Then the itching and breaking out started crawling up my neck, and soon I was worried my throat was going to close up. I could feel the swelling in my ears, it seemed. I was also, stupidly, without any credit on my prepaid cell phone, meaning I could not contact Peace Corps or any other emergency services. My option was to find someone who could do that, but it wasn't necessarily going to happen. I walked through the mud, trying to reach my host family's house (not a short distance). I turned back, and although I didn't want to disturb my neighbor, I had little choice other than waiting to see whether I was going to stop breathing or get better. So I knocked, and shouted it was me. Well, my neighbor didn't have any phone credit, but she ran off to the next house over, to her mother, who luckily did. And didn't think twice about calling Peace Corps for me, even though that meant they wouldn't have phone credit. They spent almost all their credit calling Peace Corps, my host family, and later, the ambulance from the nearby town. I was actually fine, I knew that even before I got to the hospital in nearby Santiago. But having my neighbor there to help me kept me from panicking, that's for sure.
This neighbor and I hang out a good amount, just talking and watching her baby (15 month old girl) grow up. I do consider her one of my best friends here. She's always willing to do things like fill up my bucket with water from her much larger tank, when we are all suffering from drought and she has 4 bodies to bathe and cook for, versus my one. I try to make it up to her by lending her a few dollars every now and then (I was uncomfortable about it at first, but she always pays me back as soon as she gets her child support money) or picking up some things for her when I go to the store (again, she always pays me back, there's no free money here).
So last night, when I was making banana bread and my gas tank finally went out mid-bake (4 months on one tank, I think it's a record in my town!), I was grateful that her mom is the only other person in town with a working oven and, luckily, a full gas tank. She didn't hesitate to let me into the kitchen so I could finish the baking. Of course, she got a nice hunk of bread. I hate feeling like that's not an equivalent favor (sweets for much more precious gas), but these people really understand giving and what it is to be a good neighbor. Giving is not about getting...it's about filling someone else's need, when you can. I know this is a fairly common theme with me and in this blog, but it always bears repeating, as I am reminded of it in powerful ways every day. There is always something you can give. In the USA, we tend not to be sought out for favors in the same way. However, that doesn't mean we shouldn't seek out opportunities to give, right?
