Historias Minimas. Experiencias Maximas (Sunday November 28th--Day 17)

There is a man at the hostel in Barreal--a brilliant, sharp, well.traveled individual--who I have spoken to a lot. A studied sociologist turned bank exec, he is clearly very well-off, although he doesn`t flaunt it. He loves his country and spends his time traveling its towns on business and for pleasure. Although for him, Barreal has his heart and he spends all of his free time here.
I have met a lot of people in hostels, and I will continue to meet a lot more. If I could write a character profile on each, I would...but there are mountains to climb and I´m busy elsewhere. But something about this man is worth noting. He wrote a book called ``Historias Minimas. Experiencias Maximas.`` Because his coorporate job gave him the opportunity to travel so much within South America, he has been able to meet and converse with a lot of people. His book is essentially about his travels, in terms of the people he has met and the stories he has heard.
Let`s apply his concept to the hostel in Barreal--Posado Don Lisandro. There are 6 people here, not including me. All of them are part of the family that runs the hostel, and they range from age 2 to 87. The oldest woman has four children and eight grandchildren. Her husband and she are from San Juan, but have lived all around the world (including DC) because her husband is a brilliant engineer. Even as she tells me she is ready to die and know her time comes soon, she speaks with a twinkle in her eye and stresses the importance of travel and cultural exchange. She doesn`t look a day over 65. The owners are a young couple in their 30s. They moved to Barreal four years ago and began this hostel. Their little boy is bound to grow up in a multi-cultural home surrounded by people from all over the world. Historias minimas. In the grand scheme of things.
But experiencia maximas. This is a home. Since I have been here, I have been treated like family. Four generations. Filled with life, generosity, curiousity, warmth, love, spark. The feeling I have when I am in this home won`t be forgotten...even if some of their details will. Experiencia maximas.
I have a feeling that over the next five and a half months, I am bound to find much of the same situation. Many people, each with their own story. And while I won´t remember them all, I know I´ll be touched and changed in a way that only hindsight can reveal.