By rmattiola
I turned 21 three days before leaving for Chile. I had a blast. At the end of the night, in a tapas bar, a small Hispanic man came out from the kitchen and presented me with a decadent flourless chocolate cake and a candle. The bar tenders called out, “Con Permiso! Atención!”
The small man who may have been 40 or 70 years old began serenading me with a beautiful Spanish song. I listened intently and was able to understand many of the lyrics. The song was sentimental and commemorative. He sang these romantic words to me as if he was a dear family friend. The next day, I recalled a lovely line from the song translated, “you were born with all the flowers”--ironic since my parents’ family and friends were sure to bring roses for the new baby Rosalie on the day I was born.
After the song ended we exchanged hugs and a sincere “muchisimo gracias”. Then the music restarted and my feet started stomping and I dreamt of the fun I’ll have in Arica.
I keep learning more and more about Arica, the Atacama Desert and Chile in general. For example, the Atacama desert is home to the world’s largest telescope. The nearly cloudless skies and minimal light pollution supposedly create the optimum star gazing experience. This news is super exciting since I will be living close by. I also read about an ancient anthropomorphic geoglyph called the Atacama Giant, thought to represent a diety of the Inca or Tiwanaku. This massive work of art is dug into the side of a mountain in the desert about 3 hours south of Arica. Hopefully, I will get down there to see it myself.
I’m feeling more confident now with my language comprehension after a week of translating Chilean government policy documents and reading articles here and there. I keep reminding myself, I can do this. Next time you hear from me, I’ll actually be on the ground in Arica, and will have just moved in with my new family!
Hasta luego,
Rosalie