Reflections of a Nomad: Self-discovery in Chile

In Viña del Mar, Chile with a statue of Gabriela Mistral, the

only Latin American woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature

These past five weeks have certainly been a self-enlightening experience. My self-conception has grown and I've learned more things about myself that I previously have not been very aware of. These are a few random things specific to my character, personality, and interests.

What kinds of things? Well...

1) Laughter. I find a lot of things funny. It's like I'm being tickled all the time. In high school, my mother told me that I needed to tone it down a bit; laughing too much, even with close friends and family, was kind of a sign of immaturity. I was defensive at first, but I came to understand and agree with her. I've learned to dial my incessant chuckling back a bit, but I haven't sacrificed this facet of my personality. In a way, it makes me who I am. Laughter really is the best medicine anyone can get... and I like to overdose.

We've had quite a few funny moments with our homestay and throughout the trip. The most recent joke that comes to mind that my homestay mother made recently is that, in a few weeks, we would be able to see dreadlocks on her pregnant daughter's ultrasound because her daughter's boyfriend also has dreads.

Here are some other humorous and heart-warming moments we've had:

The other two interns, our co-workers and I came up with nicknames for each other. This is common throughout Latin culture. These nicknames are endearing, usually picking on a certain unfavorable quality of the individual, and are said amongst family and friends (ironic, I know, but these are terms of endearment that may be difficult for any non-Latino to understand). For example, one might lovingly call an overweight relative "gordo" (fat), or a darker skinned friend "negra" (black). The nickname I earned here actually doesn't have anything to do with my physical features or personality. They started calling me “Danza Kuduro”, one of the best-known Latin songs ever. At one of the gatherings we had with one of our co-workers and her family and friends, I insisted they put on “Danza Kuduro” and that we all dance to it. Nobody was really into the music (insert shocked face here), so they teased me and started calling me “Danza Kuduro” after that ("Danza" for short).

One thing Tessa, Anjalene and I find hilarious is that Chileans have oftentimes mistaken other Chileans for Americans when they’re seen with us. When we went to Viña del Mar, we spent the day with our homestay sister, but other Chileans constantly mistook her for an American because she was with us, three U.S. interns who are obviously foreign (especially me). This happened again in the metro a few days later with our homestay brother; a Chilean man noticed that we were all a little confused and looking about, so he came over and began asking our homestay brother in English if he needed help.

Chileans like to call out or approach me, Tessa and Anjalene in English (mostly broken). “What your name?” was a question thrown at us in one of our walks through La Serena, or simple “Hi!”s and "Hello!"s during our bike ride along the coast within the town :) What friendly people.

2) During this trip, while co-habiting a big, beautiful two-story home with about ten other people (including the other interns and our big homestay family), I learned something else about myself. I tend to avoid situations that would require others to exert energy for me. Strange, I know. It's not that I'm not appreciative of the favors people offer, or that I think I'm a high and mighty individual who can do everything on her own without the help of anyone. Not at all. My concern is that I do not want to be a bother to anyone. Others have helped me realize that I take this concern a bit far.

I started reflecting on this after seeing how selfless Monica, my host mother, is. She does a lot for everyone who visits and lives in the house. Family members and friends always pass through, day and night. I don't think there is ever a quiet moment in the home. The kitchen, dining-room and living-room are constantly filled with laughter, loud conversations in Spanish, the blaring TV, and smoke from everyone's cigarettes. Monica is a stay-at-home mom and she truly enjoys her job. She cooks, cleans, does everyone's laundry, shops for groceries and other house items, takes care of the two house dogs, keeps smiles on all of our faces… She does so much. Sometimes I feel bad when I have to ask her for small things because she has many other things to worry about.

Tessa brought it to my attention that when I feel it would be a bother for someone to do something for me, I try to have them forget about it by saying, “Maybe later," "Never mind," "Some other time.”

This hesitance to discommode someone else in any way is something I developed throughout my years (only with non-family though; I don't have a problem asking my family for help and favors) and carried with me into adulthood. In retrospect, I really don't know why I thought it would be bothersome to ask my homestay mom to take the milk out of the fridge for me, or to ask the other intern if she would mind picking up an item for me at the store. It's quite silly that I try to have such a complaisant disposition all the time, even over small things. I suppose it is a bit of a juvenile characteristic of mine (children are the ones who typically have meek, passive attitudes with non-family), but it's something I will grow past over time.

3) I love food. I appreciate it much more now… the variety of flavors and dishes here (and the deliciousness of it all) blows my mind. The food that host mom has prepared during our time here is served with care, warmth, and love.

Among my favorite dishes are:

Sopaipilla [Fried bread]