As I've spent some more time here in Chile and more of my American-ness is showing, I've realized just how different these two cultures are, but seeing these differences has been interesting and pretty hilarious.
I've learned that Chileans generally like Americans, and (usually) affectionately call us "gringos". Gringo food and really anything you thought you couldn't live without from the States can be found at the local equivalent of Wal-mart, which does in fact sell Great Value brand items. This made tonight's gringo dinner (homemade pizza that I made with my host sister Belen) possible. and delicious.
At first, I didn't like having a name applied to me that immediately fit me into a stereotype that I didn't want to continue, but as time has passed, I've realized that as much as I don't necessarily like it, I am in fact, a gringo. And, although my pride would argue, I think it's good that I've come to embrace my gringo identity. Here are a few examples:
- I take my shoes off when I come inside and my host family asks me repeatedly if my feet are cold. They're not, I respond many times, but apparently those responses do nothing to calm their worries, so I put my shoes back on in an attempt to change the topic of conversation. This is when I realized: only gringos take their shoes off inside in the winter. Of course.
- Similarly, only gringos frequently forget to bring their coat with them when they leave the house in June. Because they are still in "summer" mode. I mean really, it's supposed to be a sunny 85 degrees and humid. I'm still confused about why it's cold outside, and then I remember that I'm on a different hemisphere. Silly gringos, they don't even know what season it is.
- I drink water. I don't even drink enough water, but apparently Chileans are a different species of human and survive without drinking ANY. Tea, coffee, Coca-cola and sometimes super sugared-up juice. No water. ever. It's weird to drink water. and I've been SO THIRSTY. and confused. How is this possible?? Oh those gringos, when they come over to visit, they ask for water but I'm sure they're just being polite and don't want to ask us for a Coke. No really, I just want water, thanks.
- I don't prefer mayonnaise. But Chileans, oh they LOVE it. Mayo even has its' own spot between the aisles at the grocery store. Mayo goes on anything really; on toasted bread, on rice and potatoes, and on a specialty dish here called a "completo" which is a hot dog in a hot dog bun slathered in mayo, avocado, ketchup, mustard and tomatoes. Sounds interesting, huh? My host brother Lucas one night ate an entire completo and these things are literally as long as my forearm. Gringo hot dogs are boring in comparison, with just ketchup, mustard and sometimes relish. And they don't even know what relish is.
- And speaking of dogs, there are stray dogs everywhere here. They have overrun the city, and they sometimes steal food out of your grocery bag on your way home from the store, and bark incessantly at literally nothing at all. So to the rest of Quillota these dogs range from small annoyances to major inconveniences, but to me, a gringo, they're all abandoned, helpless victims who just want someone to love them. My heart nearly jumps out of my chest every time we're driving through the city and a dog moves out of the way at the very last possible second. This happens all too often. One day we were in Valpo, and I was petting a dog that I thought belonged to a shop owner, but I soon realized as we were walking away that the dog didn't belong to anyone, because it was following us as we walked further and further down the road. I think I said something like, "Aw, he just wants a friend." and my friend and co-intern Meredith, whose realistic point of view is quite juxtaposed to my emotional idealism said, "No, I'm pretty sure he just wants food." Yes, that's when I realized one of my most defining moments as a gringo: only way-too-compassionate gringos pet the dogs.
I am a gringo.
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Monday, June 17, 2013
"Remember who He is. Remember who you are. And then, just live."
Let me just say, God is absolutely here and working in Quillota! It has been such an incredible thing to see Him working so clearly in the small amount of time that I've been here.
Last Saturday, we had the opportunity to visit a ministry site where we will be working the next few weeks. Renacer means "to be born again"and it's the name of the site we visited. Currently undergoing a lot of construction and planning, Renacer provides a safe place for many in the community and runs a number of ministries, including providing housing for the homeless, delivering clothing to the elderly, and running programs for children who live in the poorer part of the city. We will have many opportunities to work at Renacer by helping to teach English classes and getting to know people there. However, Renacer is very much in need of prayer! There is a need for at least $5,000 dollars to complete the projects that are already in progress. The director of Renacer also needs help and direction with how to run these many areas of ministry. They simply don't have enough resources for each area even though there is a desire to meet every need. Please pray that the director and volunteers will gain a more clear understanding of where their resources should go so they can do more effective ministry! I'm excited to share more about what our ministry there will look like in the coming weeks.
Currently, the interns are working through a discipleship curriculum with the Millers' and the Jones' called Gospel Identity. We've only done one day of study so far, and it has already given me so much to chew on. The first main theme we started working through has been understanding who we really are in Christ, apart from what we do. Often, we can think that what we do is what ultimately defines us, but as children of God, it is actually who we are that defines what we do. It was so hard to describe who I am to the rest of the team without describing what I do! Believe me - try it for yourself, and see what you can come up with. It's hard! But God defines us as His children, first and foremost, and out of our understanding of that truth flows our actions. I've gained so much wisdom from our team already, and I've been writing down things they've said that have impacted me. Meredith Jones said in a conversation a few days ago,
The Gospel is just that! We can often make it more complicated than it really is. We can often make a checklist of the things we should do or the ways we should improve to become "better Christians" and become closer to Christ, but instead we can trust that He will work with us as we battle our sin and we have the freedom to live in His grace! It has been an incredible time so far, and I look forward to what else I will learn as we delve deeper.
Thank you for your prayers and your encouragement!! I hope and pray that the Lord is blessing you as well :)
Last Saturday, we had the opportunity to visit a ministry site where we will be working the next few weeks. Renacer means "to be born again"and it's the name of the site we visited. Currently undergoing a lot of construction and planning, Renacer provides a safe place for many in the community and runs a number of ministries, including providing housing for the homeless, delivering clothing to the elderly, and running programs for children who live in the poorer part of the city. We will have many opportunities to work at Renacer by helping to teach English classes and getting to know people there. However, Renacer is very much in need of prayer! There is a need for at least $5,000 dollars to complete the projects that are already in progress. The director of Renacer also needs help and direction with how to run these many areas of ministry. They simply don't have enough resources for each area even though there is a desire to meet every need. Please pray that the director and volunteers will gain a more clear understanding of where their resources should go so they can do more effective ministry! I'm excited to share more about what our ministry there will look like in the coming weeks.
Currently, the interns are working through a discipleship curriculum with the Millers' and the Jones' called Gospel Identity. We've only done one day of study so far, and it has already given me so much to chew on. The first main theme we started working through has been understanding who we really are in Christ, apart from what we do. Often, we can think that what we do is what ultimately defines us, but as children of God, it is actually who we are that defines what we do. It was so hard to describe who I am to the rest of the team without describing what I do! Believe me - try it for yourself, and see what you can come up with. It's hard! But God defines us as His children, first and foremost, and out of our understanding of that truth flows our actions. I've gained so much wisdom from our team already, and I've been writing down things they've said that have impacted me. Meredith Jones said in a conversation a few days ago,
"Remember who He is. Remember who you are. And then, just live."
The Gospel is just that! We can often make it more complicated than it really is. We can often make a checklist of the things we should do or the ways we should improve to become "better Christians" and become closer to Christ, but instead we can trust that He will work with us as we battle our sin and we have the freedom to live in His grace! It has been an incredible time so far, and I look forward to what else I will learn as we delve deeper.
Thank you for your prayers and your encouragement!! I hope and pray that the Lord is blessing you as well :)
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Bienvenido a Chile!
Well, I have arrived safely to Quillota, Chile!! After a few days of prep and training with the other WHM Intern teams in Philly and half a days' worth of traveling, I am SO excited to finally be here! I'm definitely feeling overwhelmed, but in a good way. Just from the drive to Quillota from Santiago, I can tell this country is so beautiful and has so much to teach me.
But, despite the good attitude I wanted to have this morning, something happened right off the bat that challenged my ability to maintain control of my perspective. As we walked to get our bags from baggage claim, each of us found all of our checked bags, except for - of course, my most treasured possession - my guitar. I had a feeling that it was possible that it would happen, but I had a 50-pound backpack and two other bags to carry, so I really wanted to cut down on the amount of things I had to drag through the airport. So I checked it. That was a mistake. THANKFULLY the missionaries we will be working with this summer came to pick us up and they were so encouraging and helpful, and one of them took me to find the airline's office and we spoke with someone who let me know that it is currently in Atlanta. I am so thankful that I at least know where it is! The airline is going to ship it to the mission family's house in Quillota later this week. Please be praying that it travels here safely!!
So, although that is not how I was hoping my arrival would go, the day definitely got much better from there. We went with our team back to their home and relaxed and ate lunch while we talked about, well, lots of things! We began to get to know each other and discussed the culture, the friends they've made in Quillota, and the plans for the next few days. We will be going on some excursions to Los Andes - the mountains - and Valparaiso, a coastal city, tomorrow and Friday. I cannot wait to see some more of this country's beautiful land!
After lunch, the three interns departed for their host homes. Erin, Meredith, and I are staying with different Chilean families while we're here, and these families are good friends of the mission team we're working with. I arrived at my home this afternoon and I already feel like part of the family! My brain has been going a mile a minute as I've tried to listen as quickly as I can to their Spanish and attempt, often miserably, to form some coherent response, but I've been able to communicate much better than I anticipated! I know my conversational Spanish can only get better from here on out :)
I am so incredibly grateful that so many of you are keeping me and my team in your prayers. It is so encouraging to know that so many are praying for God's work to be done here, and I am so humbled to be a part of it! If you would like to email me, my email address is laurissa.dragan@gmail.com. I would love to hear from you and how you're doing as well!
en Cristo,
Laurissa
But, despite the good attitude I wanted to have this morning, something happened right off the bat that challenged my ability to maintain control of my perspective. As we walked to get our bags from baggage claim, each of us found all of our checked bags, except for - of course, my most treasured possession - my guitar. I had a feeling that it was possible that it would happen, but I had a 50-pound backpack and two other bags to carry, so I really wanted to cut down on the amount of things I had to drag through the airport. So I checked it. That was a mistake. THANKFULLY the missionaries we will be working with this summer came to pick us up and they were so encouraging and helpful, and one of them took me to find the airline's office and we spoke with someone who let me know that it is currently in Atlanta. I am so thankful that I at least know where it is! The airline is going to ship it to the mission family's house in Quillota later this week. Please be praying that it travels here safely!!
So, although that is not how I was hoping my arrival would go, the day definitely got much better from there. We went with our team back to their home and relaxed and ate lunch while we talked about, well, lots of things! We began to get to know each other and discussed the culture, the friends they've made in Quillota, and the plans for the next few days. We will be going on some excursions to Los Andes - the mountains - and Valparaiso, a coastal city, tomorrow and Friday. I cannot wait to see some more of this country's beautiful land!
After lunch, the three interns departed for their host homes. Erin, Meredith, and I are staying with different Chilean families while we're here, and these families are good friends of the mission team we're working with. I arrived at my home this afternoon and I already feel like part of the family! My brain has been going a mile a minute as I've tried to listen as quickly as I can to their Spanish and attempt, often miserably, to form some coherent response, but I've been able to communicate much better than I anticipated! I know my conversational Spanish can only get better from here on out :)
I am so incredibly grateful that so many of you are keeping me and my team in your prayers. It is so encouraging to know that so many are praying for God's work to be done here, and I am so humbled to be a part of it! If you would like to email me, my email address is laurissa.dragan@gmail.com. I would love to hear from you and how you're doing as well!
en Cristo,
Laurissa
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Faithful :)
He is so faithful, I cannot believe that in just SIX DAYS I will finally be in Chile!! God has faithfully provided all of the money I needed! I have been so humbled and I am so grateful for the support of friends and family members, I can't thank you all enough!!
On June 9th, I will arrive at World Harvest Mission's sending center in Philadelphia to join my team and a few other intern teams, and from there we will go to a retreat center for the next couple of days to prepare for our trips. While we're there, we will have some training and much-needed prayer and worship time. Then on June 11th, we will fly out of Philadelphia to our locations for the next couple of months! I will hopefully be able to post updates along the way.
I CAN'T WAIT!!! :)
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