Celebrating the Small Victories: Spoon Ring Edition
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve walked out of my door and said to my self, “Well, this is about to be an adventure…”. It’s part of the challenge of living in a foreign context, I think. This particular time I was on a mission of the creative variety. Specifically, I wanted to buy spoons and have someone turn them into rings — and there was no telling if I’d come back successful or if I was embarking on a wild goose chase. Here’s what happened:
Step 1: Find cute little spoons at the local market.
One of my favorite places to visit is a large marketplace called the bazroba. It’s my theory that you can find pretty much ANYTHING there if you look hard enough or ask the right person. Going there is like a big treasure hunt, whether you go into it with a specific item in mind or just to see what you end up finding at the end of your quest.
Anyway.
I almost always take the time to go by a specific stall that sells a plethora of secondhand dishes, utensils, and kitchen supplies. The first win didn’t take long at all; I found and bought five small spoons with pretty handles that in my mind would make beautiful spoon rings. Next step:
Step 2: Take the spoons to a jeweler to ask if he or someone he knows can transform them into rings.
There was man I knew of who had worked on several jewelry projects for friends of mine and had done a fantastic job. While I wasn’t sure if he would be able or willing to attempt my spoon ring request, I decided to start with him just see what he would say. I trekked all the way across the bazroba to find his small stall and, after showing him my own spoon ring, I asked if he could do the same with the small spoons I had. His response? “Of course! How would it NOT be possible?” Well, ok! I’ll take it.
I left my spoons with the jeweler and was told to come back in a week or so.
Step 3: Pick up and pay for the spoons-turned-rings.
I returned the following week to find that the jeweler had absolutely delivered on my request. I happily paid him for his time and expertise and returned home with my purchases and a smile on my face. The biggest victory? I used the local language during the whole process. The WHOLE process. THE WHOLE PROCESS. I emphasize this because this is a big deal. The local language is hard, people.
Living in a foreign context is a challenge. Some days I’m ok with it. Ready to take on the day, even. Other days its just… hard, exhausting, draining. Maybe its the challenging days that make the small wins feel like such a big deal. Whatever it is, I will absolutely celebrate the small wins, and this will always be one of my favorites.
