The World Is Full of Possible Celebrations

While waiting for my class to start, I start rummaging through old papers and a folded up, highlighted interview from Eduardo Galeano came tumbling out of my notebook. I realized that I read this interview long before I came to Chile but now, more than any other period in my life, I have been forced to listen and, while hearing new voices around me, I have experienced worlds that I could not have imagined existed. 

So here's to listening, experiencing, and growing!

And above all, most importantly if you don't want to be mute, you should begin by not being deaf. You have to know how to listen if you want to speak. Listen in order to speak. Then open your eyes if they're closed, uncover your ears if they're blocked. Listen, look, feel the voices of the world...The happy, the merry, the joyous (that's the word I was looking for, joyous) proof that the world neither begins nor ends at the edge of your own skin. That every one is more than just one, and there are colors and voices waiting for you...The world is full of possible celebrations. There's so much to celebrate. And to receive the world is to accept the horrors but also the wonders. It's a constant challenge to leave your shell, your prison. Just remember that in order for that to work you've got to also know how to see what's happening outside. Because other voices will challenge what you think, they'll help make you alive. It's a kind of dialogue, a fecund, living contradiction that allows for growth. 

Eduardo Galeano 

Hello Snow, Goodbye Winter

Winter, snow, and Christmas. 
Ornaments, ho ho ho, hot chocolate, and mistletoe. 
What else is there in the cold months? 

Oh wait! That is winter in the Northern Hemisphere.

Living in the Southern Hemisphere reminds me of the Chronicles of Narnia where Lucy explains, "And the White Witch has made a magic so that it is always winter in Narnia—always winter, but it never gets to Christmas."

Here in Chile we are in a winter...without Christmas. 

Nothing beats the winter blues though like a visit to the Andes. Over the weekend some friends and I climbed into a van and headed to the border region between Chile and Argentina. The day was perfect: snowball fights and snow angels, snowmen and sunshine, hot chocolate and good friends, white mountains and frozen lakes. 

What I realized was that even without Christmas, winters in Chile are still beautiful. 

Hello, My Name Is...Oh Wait, I Am Not Sure

"Beth" never seemed like that hard of a name. The one syllable word was rarely misspelled or mispronounced and, better yet, took me no time to fill out on scantrons for tests. (Seriously, could you imagine having a first name "Mahershalalhashbaz" and being in kindergarden?)

"Beth Anne" sometimes confused people. Two syllables, an "e" at the end, and a space in between was a bit tricky but people usually figured it out. That was, until I came to Chile...

In the last seven months my name evolved to the point now, when people ask me what my name is they are sometimes met with a blank stare.

But I am getting ahead of myself. Let me go back and give you the official name timeline.

Beth Anne- I leave Arizona, name in hand.

Beth- I drop the "Anne" in the airport. I have only been in Chile 5 minutes but both syllables are already causing problems.  

Bet- The "th" sound is almost impossible for most of my friends to say. When I say, "Beth," they ask me how to spell it. B-E-T-H. The response, "Oh I get it- Bet!" Perfect, I always wanted my name to reflect a work related to gambling. But Bet works. I begin to introduce myself as Bet to avoid spelling my name out all the time.

Vet- Let it be known that Chileans love to switch around the "v" and "b" sound when talking. So, the name "Vet" quickly followed "Bet." People start asking me things like, "I was calling your name, didn't you hear me Vet?!" Oops! I forgot my name is Vet. Forgetting one's name causes problems. Forgetting one's name in another country causes hilarious and sometimes awkward situations.

La Bet/La Vet- I actually find the use of pronouns before names in Chile really endearing (with a sprinkle of fancy). However, I feel like I am in a Pavlovian name experiment and suddenly find myself responding to La Beth or La Vet like a conditioned puppy.

Bent- If you are confused by how someone thought my name was Bent, don't worry, I am too. One day I was reading a group email from a friend and they mention "Bent" needed to do x, y, and z. I read the email and thought, "Well that is strange, I thought I was responsible for that but clearly this Bent person is taking care of it." Later realized that I am that Bent person. Luckily, the name Bent did not stick.

Gringuita- When you are the only gringa in your classes or events, people may start calling you gringuita, which literally means "little gringa." Nothing makes going to classes more interesting than being called gringuita and then talking about the history of the word "gringo" in Mexico. Love it.


After all of these names though, nothing really prepared me for the name my professor gave me in class today.

After discussing something in class, my professor looks at me and ask, "Gringuita, what is your name again?"

"Beth or Bet." I am trying to make my name as easy as possible for my 80 year old teacher.

"Beth?"

"Sí."

"Beth is too difficult. I am just going to call you something else."

"Okay..."

"I am going to call you- Panchita. Perfect name for you...Panchita!"

I almost die laughing. Panchita. I am not even sure how that is remotely related to Beth/Bet/Vet. The three syllable name seems less easy to me than Bet but what do I know?

So, the current phase in the name evolution is Panchita! I am thinking about scribbling "Panchita" onto my birth certificate and passport. I may even start signing my emails and introducing myself as Panchita.

Or I might just wait, who knows when my next name will roll around? But until then...

Yours truly,

Panchita

Being Uncomfortable

Changing countries, universities, languages, etc. can be a little uncomfortable (some days more than others). Chile is teaching me how to be at peace and live in an environment that is not necessarily the most immediately comfortable.

I was thinking about that today as I was catching up on some reading. (What else do you do when the forecast is rain with a high of 50?) I ran across a quote from one of my old teachers, Dr. Krauss, who said, “Being uncomfortable is a good thing, because it forces you to reassess your place in the cosmos. Being too comfortable means you’ve become complacent and you stop thinking. And so being uncomfortable should be a spiritually uplifting experience."

So, here's to being uncomfortable, to being a little crazy and taking risks. Here's to reassessing our place in the universe and in our neighborhoods, to thinking and acting, to discovering what exists around us and within us.

Perú!

I wondered if I could ever like Latin America more than I did before winter break but, after spending almost two weeks in Peru, I realized the my fondness for the Americas continues to grow. 

Peru was an incredibly beautiful country. Rich in both Incan and Hispanic history, Peruvian museums, churches, and Incan sites provided the perfect travelling haven for my inner historian. The country's geography provided an outstanding background for the travels. I super thankful for the time I was able to spend there. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I will stop rambling and let the photos speak for themselves...

This was one of the first plants to greet me when I arrived in Arequipa...

While I was there I visited the one of a kind-El Monasterio de Santa Catalina de Siena.

At night, the city lit up and music could be heard in all corners of the streets.

I made it outside the city for a bit and the surrounding areas were stunning. The city also is the home of the "Incan Ice Maiden", who I was able to see. Eek!

 Next, I moved onto Cusco. Below is a picture of the main plaza. This city is a fascinating collision of the Incan and Hispanic histories.

Peruvian kids were adorable.

Incan ruins are everywhere. This site was a storage fortress names Puka Pukara. 

Afterwards, I began the treck towards Machu Picchu...

The scenery was breath taking.

We spent the night camping amongst Incan ruins in the Sacred Valley.

And then finally made it Machu Picchu!!!

My childhood dream was to visit this site. 

I never imagined it would be so huge!

I hiked up Huayna Picchu with a friend. Machu Picchu looked so tiny from up above. (P.S. I did rock the ASU shirt there and saw a fellow Sun Devil. Of course, when I saw my fellow Sun Devil, I screamed, "Arizona State," across the Incan ruins. Once a Sun Devil, always a Sun Devil!)

The llama nobility still lives at Machu Picchu!

Afterwards, I headed to Lake Titicaca. The lake is the highest lake in the world and is enormous!

On the lake, there are many islands including these "floating islands" that are completely human made from straw and dirt.

Along with humans, these pigs live on the floating islands. 

Other islands have regular festivals. 

Amantaní, an island where I did a home stay, was filled with ancient Incan ruins...

including a temple for the sun god. 

I had a great island host and wonderful French travel buddies.

The lake was amazing!

Viva el Peru!

:)