Vamos a celebrar

Today was el Domingo de Resurrección!!! And it's just possible that I was responsible for chucking a whole heap of balloons into the crowd at our last song-

 "Resucitó, resucitó, / y él vive para siempre, / resucitó, resucitó" ("He is risen, he is risen, / and he  will live for ever, / he is risen, he is risen")

Getting to the heart of things

Last week's Spanish homework was to write a letter of (imaginary) complaint. My teacher upped the stakes - not only was I to (try to) get the grammar right, I also had to persuade her that I had indeed been wronged and deserved recompense. But - and here's the point of my post - the way to persuade in Latin America isn't to get mad or threaten legal action: it's through emotion. The approach would be the same if you were writing to the CEO of Chile's most prestigous company - you need to wring their heart, persuade them that your grandmother's life has been threatened by their negligence, that they have made your orphaned nephew cry himself to sleep, that sort of thing.

Winging it

Speaking of cultural adjustment, I thought I'd share with you a couple of tips that have served me very well.

1. When in doubt, exaggerate your pronunciation. What might sound ridiculous to your ear will sound not-so-gringo to a native Spanish-speaker.
2. When you don't understand, fake it - or no-one will want to speak with you. I know this sounds naughty and deceitful, but the thing is most of the time social fluidity is of far more importance than the actual content. Conversations are more for building relationships than they are for transmitting information. Or at least that's how I justify the fact that I've been winging it for a year now. Usually I've been able to catch a word or even some words and guess the remainder; sometimes I've had absolutely no idea of what's being said. The practice is less necessary now that I understand most things most of the time, but it has stood me in good stead, preserving my confidence, making me an interested (though admittedly sometimes dimwitted) conservation partner, and it has certainly made good use of my problem-solving skills.

H/T Carolynn

Moving between cultures / 3

This is the third post in a looong drawn-out series about cultural adjustment (post one & post two). I wrote the previous one a year and a week ago, not long after my arrival in Chile. Let me remind you of the stage I was entering back then:

Entering
Observer of people, places, and events. Superficial relationships develop. Aware of what is different and why.
Growth in understanding and ability will be observed and noted. Invitations will be extended and 'bridge people' will help the formation of new networks of information and relationships.
Still ambivalent about roles, status, and relationships. Growing ability to take risks in order to learn. Feel less vulnerable but still uncertain of who or what to trust. 

And here's the final stage, into which I'm well-and-truely making my way into:

New culture
Growing commitment and involvement with people, places and events. Knows what is going on, acts responsibly.
Known as an individual and as part of a structure. Status will be earned or ascribed. Relationships will be at a deeper and more intimate level.
Security reestablished and growing intimacy in relationships. Confident in roles and behaviour. Sense of belonging with only occasional bouts of nostalgia.

There's still a way to go on some of the things. Because of the addled, ponderous way I'm forced to speak, most people haven't yet 'got' my personality and talents (!). There's room for growth in my friendships. And I've been fighting for a confident approach to my ministry roles this year - so it's kind-of reassuring to see this listed as 'a thing'. Going great guns with all the rest. God is good.

Getting to know ya

Here are three great ways to get to know a little about Chile, if you're keen.

1) Watch La Odisea. Three Chileans go adventuring in their own land. Lots of travel and adventure among countryside so spectacular it doesn't matter if you can't understand what they say!

2) Read Isabel Allende's My Invented Country: A Memoir. Wry, insightful and gently deprecating, it gives you a good feel for the many-threaded web that is a country's culture.

3) Watch NO. Recently nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and shot with delightful creativity, NO is a strange but captivating mix of cynicism and hope.

Chiloé

*gulp* After posting regularly all last year, things fell in a heap and it's going on three months since I last wrote y'all. But to make up for it I have cool photos of my recent holiday to Chiloé. Yeah!

We booked all our accomodation in advance - except for the first night in Valdivia which we ended up spending 1) in a pub until its 3:30am closing, 2) outside a service station waiting for the bus terminal to open, 3) in the bus terminal (photographic evidence above). It was mostly fun.

Things got more civilised the next day in Frutillar.

En route to the island of Chiloé (same latitude as Tasmania!)

First night in Dalcahue

The family we stayed with

Happy puppy

                             

Achao

Castro, Feria Costumbrista - lots of gourmet salmon, potatoes, jams, beer etc etc It could've been down the Huon or Channel!

                                 A smoking house!

Castro

                       Parque Nacional de Chiloé

Hola Tasmania!

Quemchi

                       Plus toninas (dolphins, essentially) jumped and played alongside the boat.

Last few days in Huillinco

Chau Chiloé!