The Word "Tranquila"

As with most languages, one word can have several different meanings. One of the most beautiful words I have come to know so far is the word, "tranquila." The first time I heard it was in La Labor, with the psycho little Chihuahua puppy, Yogi. Whenever he would flip out and start biting everything, my cousin would tell him "tranquila!" as she pet his head and tried to get him to stop biting her. The second time I heard it was on my last night there, when I began to cry because I knew I would miss that family so much. 

It took me a while to figure out the "Tranquila" means "Calm down." But not in the same way Americans use it. "Calm down" is an impersonal phrase. It's a command. "Calm down" often translates to: "I know you're upset. I don't like that you're upset. It's bothering me. But I am not going to do anything to help. So you have to be the one to change how you feel." Which is why, telling someone to calm down is about as productive as trying to baptize a cat. It's not going to work. Ever.

"Tranquila" has a different context. It is a warm hug your host mom gives you, the softness of her body enveloping your face, as if she's trying to squeeze the pain and sadness right out of you. It is a gentle stroking of your shoulder by a Guatemalan host sister with the most beautiful brown eyes you've ever seen, that hold all the love needed to wash your pain away. It's the kindness on a teacher's face when she finds you crying in the bathroom and reassures you that you're not stupid just because you can't figure out how to use subjunctive tense, in Spanish, after only 5 hours of sleep. 

It's not a command. You don't have to calm down if you don't feel like it. But you better believe that person is going to do what they can to help. "Tranquila" translates, in context, to, "I'm here to help you find a happier state of mind, and I will love you until you're calm again."