Mi querido Chile

Thank you for...

The words you have given me. I can better express what I feel now.

La comida rica, las empanadas, la charquicán y el pisco sour. 

The people I have gotten to know. My host nieces and nephews, my program director, my host family, my fellow gringos, interesting hostel guests. 

Showing me how to live in the present. Teaching me that time passes through me, not I through it.

Allowing me to accept that I don't have control over everything. Sea lo que sea, como Dios quiera.

Your geographical variety. The mountains to the east, beaches to the west, desert to the north, polar to the south. 

The changes that I have yet to recognize within myself and my perspective on the world.

Chile, junto a decirte chao, yo te pido que cuando regrese que aceptes la diversidad de la gente que hay en el mundo. I sincerely hope that, someday when I return, everyone is welcome, respected, and accepted in Chile-- the gays and the transgendered; the Protestants and the Muslims; the blacks and the Amerindians; the women who want abortions and those who have children out of wedlock; those with Mapuche last names and those with German ones; the blondes and the brunettes; the Peruvians and the Bolivians; and everyone else who would like a home, if only temporary, in Chile.

Soy gringa sí, pero hablo castellano.

Hypothetical situation:
As I'm walking down the street in DC, I see a woman walking in the other direction. I assume she's a Mexican because of her skin color, facial features, and tight clothing. She approaches me and says, in English but with an accent, "Pardon, how do I go to the White House? Is there a tram?" Instead of responding to her in English, I assume her first language is Spanish and start talking to her in Spanish with a US accent.

Of course, this would be wrong of me in many ways:
1a. Assuming nationality based on perceived race/ethnicity and stereotypical style
1b. Even if the woman's nationality or ethnicity (for example, "latina") are correctly guessed, that does not mean she speaks Spanish. Brazilians speak Portuguese; Belize English; Haiti French... And many people in every country do not speak the official or majority language. For instance, there are many latinos who speak only indigenous languages, especially in Bolivia and Guatemala.
2. Responding in a different language than the one in which I was addressed; ignoring the woman's original choice of language
3. Interpreting an accent as the lack of knowledge of a language as opposed to difficulty pronouncing sounds that are not present in her native language
4. Not considering that the woman may have come to the US for the purpose of learning English
5. Implying that my Spanish language skills and accent are better than her English ones without much to back up that claim
6. Implying that she is uneducated and disinterested in other cultures
7. Lack of recognition of the diversity of people; thinking "all Mexicans/latinos don't speak English"
8. Interpreting use of correct yet uncommon words as unfamiliarity with English rather than familiarity with another dialect of English

Fortunately, this type of situation is not common in the US. However, this happens to me every day in reverse while I'm in Latin America. It's extremely frustrating and insulting to me. I imagine it's even more so to Europeans or Canadians who are often assumed to be from the US, especially those who do not speak English at all or at least not as a native language.

And, finally, another note: If you're not being understood by a non-native speaker, consider that it might not have anything at all to do with language. The actual concept may be difficult to understand or remember (ex. complicated directions); the process/product may be unfamiliar to the person due to cultural not lingual differences; it might be difficult to hear you; or you just might not be making any sense.

Buenos Aires

Big Apple, París del Sur, Capital de Tango, Ciudad de Libros

Things I notice about BA...

It's the most racially, ethnically, and culturally diverse Latin American city I've visited. I see people of African and Asian descent and whites with all different hair colors. There are Italian restaurants and reggae type shops. People are speaking a variety of languages and signs are written in Spanish, English, and Portuguese.

It's a tall, dense city. Yes, there are plaza-parks like all cities founded by Spaniards, but they are smaller and less frequent. Instead, there are tight blocks, one way streets, and multi-story buildings.

Everything is old. The streets are cobblestone, buildings original, refurbished US school buses from several decades ago make up the public fleet, and the metro trains and stations are reminiscent of the 70s. While this can be inconvenient and sometimes impractical, it does give a special character to the city.

Everything is broken and leaking. Part of this is because of the age of the infrastructure. The high inflation, unemployment, and slowness of government work also play a significant role.

Porteños love book stores. They're everywhere. There aren't near as many pharmacies as there are in Santiago (which means there's a normal amount here).

The metro system is terrible. It's closed when it rains, requires several transfers to get pretty much anywhere, has old confusing creepy stations, is limited by strikes, and doesn't go to much of the city.

There is little cat calling compared to the other Latin American cities I've been to. In fact, I haven't been cat called even once and have only heard a couple incidences of it.

Women wear shorts, dresses, and skirts more frequently. They are not expected to wear pants all the time.

There are always Argentines who want to exchange US dollars on the streets. Because of the high inflation of the Argentine peso, most companies and apartment building owners establish prices in dollars. But Argentines continue to be paid in pesos and the government continues to limit the number of US dollars that an Argentine can spend/withdraw via banks. Thus, Argentines are desperate for US dollars and go to the streets. They offer 6 pesos per dollar to outcompete the banks. The current official exchange rate established by the government and used by the banks is 4.9 pesos per dollar.