Post by Jennifer Swartz, GMBA ’19
“God loves us.” I am not a religious person, but over the past year of traveling through the Global & Experiential Education Department at GW, my classmates and I have come use to use this phrase. Why, you ask, while undoubtedly scratching your head at its nonsensicalness? Well, we coined “God loves us” to celebrate our travels. Moreover, we began reciting it to signify how truly fortunate we were to be able to take the time to be in school and venture on such profound, interactive, and worldly experiences. Our positive attitudes cascaded into waves of good fortune and the ultimate joys of traveling – meeting new people, discovering hidden gems, and being exposed to cultures in ways we never envisioned possible.
However, upon arriving to Santiago, my good fortune seemed to come to screeching halt. Chile, while known for many wonderful things, is also notorious for petty crime. I had a pretty rude awakening and learned rather quickly that petty crime is no joke, as my backpack, complete with my passport, wallet, laptop, and various other belongings got stolen. Enter shock, anger, helplessness. All the things you hope to never encounter while traveling.
This unfortunate experience happened on day 1. Yet, here we are, day 5 of the trip, and all of those feelings have long evaporated. What’s more, I have nothing but positive things to say about Chile. The wines are fantastic, and every winery I went to rolled out the red carpet… especially our client who allowed us to taste a vintage 1994 Cabernet Sauvignon – muy delicioso! The landscapes are both diverse and stunning, complete with everything from endless sandy beaches to snowcapped mountains to intricate skyscrapers. And finally, the people made it a place to highly revere. As someone who surely has annoyingly slow and broken Spanish, the Chileans I encountered always took their time to help me understand their language, whether I was at the embassy getting my temporary passport or ordering a delectable pisco sour. Their incredibly warm and welcoming nature allowed me to discover amazing restaurants, stumble upon more scenic hikes, and ultimately experience Chile on another level. The Chileans’ unflagging hospitality transformed what could have been an irreparably horrible situation to a trip that I will forever fondly remember.
So, while I am not thrilled about the fact that I need to get a new passport, credit cards, and laptop, amongst other items, I still believe that God does in fact loves us.
