FAREWELL TASTING THE OCEAN

By Andrea Guachalla

In 2019, a few months before the pandemic started, I was doing research on what a translator’s portfolio is because I was looking for a job and I had had some experience as a volunteer translator. I realized many freelance translators have a website where they post translation samples to the languages they are proficient in, and thought I might as well do the same if I meant to start working as one.

So there I was, trying to open a website and figure out what goes into website design and having a good portfolio. Meanwhile a Christian company was reading my application to one of their open positions for a translations-related job. Before I was done considering opening a website and posting samples, I was contacted by who would be my boss for several years. 

I no longer needed a portfolio, but the idea of starting a website where I could publish things I had written and translated in the past kept roaming around my head. I always loved to read. I always loved to write. So… “What if I post what I usually write for myself“ I thought. And so one thing led to another, and I ended up writing a 13-page project proposal called Tasting The Ocean during November of 2019, that was reviewed by several friends and family members who were kind enough to offer some feedback 

The purpose of the project was very simple: to write articles about the Christian life with a focus on encouraging others to steward their time, gifts and resources in a godly way and to analyze things through a Christian worldview.

From then on, four  months went by until the website was up and running. And let me tell you… I understood the reason there are people who specialize in developing websites through formal studies. Looks simple, but when you have no clue of how to do it, even the smallest detail can take forever to figure out. 

Now, more important than that is the date when the site was launched: March 3rd of 2020. Just nine days before the city I was living in was completely shut down because of the pandemic. Needless to say, along with being unable to do anything of what I was doing before came a lot of time to work on this new project. So I set the strict rule of posting one article per week (every Tuesday) about various topics, and though there were some weeks and seasons when it was not possible, I definitely learned to be disciplined.

There are just too many things that I learned with this project. I don’t think I can even summarize them, but persistence and discipline were some of the main ones. 

From 2019 to 2021 I was still directing the project alone. Family and friends often helped with reviewing articles, and doing graphic design for social media which definitely helped me with being accountable. It was in the second half of 2021 that my younger and beloved sister Carla officially joined the project as a graphic designer and social media manager. Since then we have been working together in TTO, and later on on a podcast some of you might know: A Conservative Voice in the Midst of Chaos (UVCMC).

Which leads me to writing this farewell article…

For one year and a half, me and my sister had been dividing the work between TTO and the podcast as if they were separate projects. And they were! But not quite… Really the initial intention of starting a podcast was to comment on the articles that were being published on TTO, but (again) one thing led to another and I ended up opening a separate set of social media for the podcast and started discussing events related to culture, society, politics and health from a Christian worldview. The set goals for UVCMC overlapped somewhat with TTO’s. So… Although we were doing the work separately for each project, the work being done on UVCMC started overflowing into TTO in the shape of articles about topics I was discussing at length in video format. 

Many months ago I was presented with the idea that the work done in TTO and UVCMC could be a joint one especially because the name of the project was somewhat, and understandably, confusing to some people. Hence my article on why I named it like that and a disclaimer on it not being about seafood.

Months have gone by and I came to terms with the fact that TTO would have to stop existing in order to give room to a new joint effort to encourage Christians to glorify God in the way we think about and engage in society, culture, art, and politics. And those are all the details I can give you on what is coming next. I will just add that the new project being developed includes writing in it.

For now let me say this: This project, TTO, lived through the pandemic and major life changes for over three years. Many articles were written, some of them never saw the light of day, designs were made and remade, many guest writers were invited, and many conversations were sparked. And for all that I am very, very grateful to the Lord and to all the people who supported us from the beginning and those who got to know us later. But with that I am also thankful that this phase is coming to a close, and a new one is starting.

I know I speak for everyone involved in this new project coming up soon when I say this: we are very excited to keep serving God, working together and learning to be willing tools God can use to bring His name glory and edify His church.