During our free time to sketch in San Joaquin, I found a bench that was across from an interesting statute that I wanted sketch. As I sat down and reached into my bag to grab my sketch book, I was startled when I looked back up, as a man had approached me and was greeting me with a handshake. He spoke words in Spanish, I couldn’t understand what he said but I believe he was asking me a question. In my below adequate Spanish skills, I tried to explain to him that I didn’t understand and apologized. He seemed somewhat shocked and slowed down, then he asked, “De donde eres?” I replied with, “Estados Unidos.” Then in perfectly clear English he said, “Oh! You’re American!”
The two of us continued a conversation in English as he explained to me that he was from California and had just moved to Santiago two weeks prior. He asked me what I also was doing in Santiago and I explained our trip to him. When I mentioned that we were from Ohio State, his eyes widened because he had a good friend that also goes there.
To me, this interaction was unforgettable because what I thought would end up being a quick and meaningless conversation due to limited dialogue – actually ended up becoming a rather long talk between the two of us. Despite limited dialogue, we were able to move past the language barrier and established common origins. These origins allowed for the continuation of our conversation. Something that we encounter everyday is facing the barriers that gets created by trying to make connections with others. Establishing common origins with others shapes our experiences.
I throughly enjoyed your post. It was great hearing about how you were challenged to push past the language barrier to create not only a point of origin where both felt comfortable sharing but what I consider a bond. Chileans are very social and kind individuals. I have encountered only positive experiences during this trip with them as we come into contact with their private spaces and public as well. It’s an amazing experience when you have created a memory based on comanlity and break what most consider a barrier. I encourage all to continue to do this throughout their trip. This is something I’ve been working on personally despite my grasp on the language but just to be comfortable with pushing my comfort level to explore and learn more