“I just kissed that man!” Courtlyn’s blood-rushed face explained his understanding of the cultural faux paz he had just committed.
We are still learning the expected greetings here in southern Chile. When you acknowledge a group, everyone is greeted....for women, everyone gives a kiss on the cheek..and for men greeting men, a firm handshake, hug, followed by a second handshake. This has been quite simple for me, (I am a woman) since I do the same thing for everyone....un beso every time!
For Courtlyn, however, he has had to throw away what he learned in Argentina (where everyone greets with a smooch), and it, understandably, has been kind of confusing for him. This was demonstrated when greeting Juvinal, a gentleman from the island of Voigue,(and a friend of the family, whose apartment we are staying in), who met us with his boat, Wednesday morning to take us to visit the island he lives on.
Juvinal, while he chuckled a little, after Courtlyn sheepishly apologized through a nervous giggle, didn’t seem scarred from the over-affectionate gringo, since he stayed with the plan in taking Courtlyn, Michael, Edwardo, Dean, and I on the half hour boat ride through the rain to his island.....his home...,his wood-stove-warmed kitchen...where his wife, Laticia awaited with with hot bowls of delicious “sopa de mariscos” (fresh shellfish soup)...and a cozy evening, filled with laughter, sharing, and new friendships.
This has been our experience in our first three weeks of being here in the southern part of Chile. The hospitality of all has been anything but “Chilly”. We are feeling very welcomed, and are feeling quite at home with people already.
Thursday afternoon, when it was time for us to leave Juvinal and Laticia’s simple, sweet homestead and return through the water once again, Laticia, Juvinal’s joy-filled wife decided to accompany us on the boat-ride. The beautiful blue sky turned to gray, and we quickly threw an orange tarp up over our heads and our bags to stay dry, just as the rain began to pour from the cloud above.
Under the tarp, I conversed individually with Laticia – about 9-11 and why she was afraid to fly in a plane, about what Courtlyn and I are hoping for, in being here in Chile for these first three months, and about the fact that I was sure that I had gained several pounds in the last 24 hours, due to her ability to make some amazing food!
When we arrived to the shore...it was time to say goodbye. Once again, I gave out kisses to everyone. I noticed this time, that Courtlyn, naturally kissed who he needed to kiss, and said “Chao” to Juvinal through handshake, hug, and handshake. This time, our goodbyes were more concentrated on saying goodbye to the friends that we had just learned to know...and less on the formalities of what was socially appropriate.
As they sped off by boat, once again, in the rainy water – I couldn’t help but feel warmth for this couple – They had welcomed us, making us feel quite at home....me and my husband – who greets men with a kissJ
So happy that you and Courtlyn are feeling "at home"there!
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