Adventure – Uruguay (Part 37)

Transposing emblem by Alejandra Baccino Uberti

¿What is it about planning ahead that makes us feel in control? As if nothing could happen outside of our strategically thought-out plan; nothing will make us question everything we always took for granted.

You grow up, you go to school, and if you are lucky you will end up in a job you don´t hate; you find a partner, start una familia… grow old.

Punta del Este, Uruguay – At the park

¿But, what if all this just doesn´t feel quite right? ¿What if, suddenly, it all changes and you are left wondering why this happened to you? We panic. The floor, once so stable, becomes quicksand waiting for a misstep to engulf us whole.

¿Why does the unknown have to be so frightful and negativo? ¿What if, instead, we embraced it as una nueva aventura? ¿Why settle down when you have that little something stirring inside of you, screaming that this life, this plan is just too easy and too dull for you?

Montevideo, Uruguay – Thinking

Finally, you look at your reflection in the mirror and you make una promesa to yourself. You know it won´t be easy and you know that somewhere along the path you will feel pain, you will miss something, you might even regret la decisión. Yet, nonetheless, you forage out into the unknown, with hopes and fears, eagerness and doubts.

Rivadavia, Uruguay – Ignored

Having been born and raised in a third-world country that underwent una enorme crisis económica, uncertainty became a part of my life at an early age. Splurging was out of the question as every peso had to be planned, saved and carefully spent. Your parents had a job and an income until, all of a sudden, they might not anymore. Living at the edge of the abyss while seeing your parents struggle and fearing that the following night your life might change completely, bred una generación of academic over-achievers and people seeking government employment.

Piriapolis, Uruguay – On San Antonio hill

¿What does this mean? Our generación was instilled with la convicción that the more degrees you held, the better your futuro would be. And so we took advantage of free university education and all went and studied for traditional careers. We became accountants, nurses, lawyers y dentistas.

It was too late when we realized that la excelencia académica did not provide any certainty whatsoever regarding the futuro, as the aftermath of the financial crisis kept hitting close to home, with doctors working as taxi drivers and lawyers selling their most precious possessions. The tide shifted then, and the only safe haven became working for the government – a boring, monotonous and unchallenging clerk type of work in the many offices of the many ministerios y agencias of our government. Stamp after stamp, y café tras café, the self-confidence and spirit of self-improvement slowly fading away in exchange for the safety only a civil servant´s job can provide.

Punta del Este. Uruguay – At the bar

As predicted by Ayn Rand, our sociedad started regressing. All those wanting to escape the claws of our dull and corrupt sociedad fled to other countries looking for the excitement and oportunidades they provided.

Over time, la situación financiera improved and stabilized, but even then, that scourge was ingrained so deep within our nature that instead of moving forward we transferred it to different areas. Leaving your job to follow a dream or to travel the world is seen as immature and hippie-like, especially if that job has great health insurance. Not wanting kids is considered selfish and a cause of regret later on in your life. Being suddenly single when you are 30, after ten años in a relationship requires a lot of explaining. ¿And why should I explain myself?

Montevideo, Uruguay – Living

That was el momento when I realized that uncertainty is just a state of mind. Our bagaje cultural y emocional is what makes us scared of it. As certainty is studied in the fields of mathematics, logic and physics; uncertainty is studied from a psychological perspective and the way it affects our emotions and our social behavior. ¿What would happen if we learned to deal with uncertainty the way we deal with certainty, instead of letting it cause so much stress and anxiety? ¿Shouldn´t it be taught as part of the proceso natural of life?

Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay – Hugging

After many tears, when I finally understood that my uncertainty was una circunstancia dinámica instead of una situación estática, I realized that I could finally let out that feeling stirring inside of me, let it take me away and open all the doors available to me. The risks are mine to take, and no one´s to frown upon. As you begin making friends with this uncertainty, you become acquainted with fear, and instead of finding it overwhelm you, it pushes you to be braver than before, to accept that you do not know the future – a liberating and, ultimately, rewarding experience.

Alejandra Baccino Uberti

Credits

Photo 1: Montevideo, Uruguay – Breakwater – DFLC Prints

Photo 2: Punta del Este, Uruguay – At the park – DFLC Prints

Photo 3: Montevideo, Uruguay – Thinking – Mai Rodriguez

Photo 4: Rivadavia, Uruguay – Ignored – Bruno Aguirre

Photo 5: Piriapolis, Uruguay – On San Antonio hill – DFLC Prints

Photo 6: Punta del Este. Uruguay – At the bar – DFLC Prints

Photo 7: Montevideo, Uruguay – Living – DFLC Prints

Photo 8: Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay – Hugging – Don Mammoser

Locations

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