With a little help from my fridge

After much thinking and planning, then meeting individually with 'my women' to talk them through what I had in mind, I'm happy to say that last week my grupos de discipulado finally got going! Attendance was a bit patchy and it was an intense week (in large part because of the demands made on my Spanish), but it was wonderful! Most of the groups had a getting-to-know-you time, but, within that, we were able to encourage each other with God's truths, and each group finished up sharing favourite Bible verses and explaining why these words had been important for us. Now everyone has to memorize one verse by the next meeting in a fortnight's time . . . except for me. I have to memorize five. And as my friends who tried to help me learn Greek and Hebrew will testify, I can't remember things, even two minutes later! But I'm sure going to give it a good Aussie go...

Música de la calle

Summer

I've recently realised that, while my internet connection may be erratic, it is at least UNLIMITED!!!!! Happily, this means I've been able to augment my three-free-station television staple with the wonderfully cheap Netflix!!!!! Life is rosy. It also means I can catch you up on a a few photos I took over summer...

                                 The gorgeous campsite of the Anglican youth leaders' camp I tagged along to.
                                 (There was a pool too!) (I also ended up a leader on a, very much drier, camp for
                                 teenagers in a town in desert country eight hours north of Santiago, but my
                                 camera battery ran out and I forgot to take my charger :/.)

                                 New Year's, I think.

                                 Christmas!

                                             A very humble Christmas market - no artisan craft here.

                                 A couple of photos from Cristo Redentor's church retreat.

                                 Our annual SIM retreat. Unfortunately I couldn't fully enjoy the beautiful
                                 location as I was frantically trying to get a book read for my Latin American
                                 Church History course :/. Next time!

                                Some of the SIM team!

                                Cristo Redentor's first women's group for the year!

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.