W.F. West High School

Chehalis, WA

Until this opportunity came about, the only experience I'd had with a Spanish-speaking country was with Mexico. While I had a great deal of knowledge and experience to share with my students in this respect, it was greatly limited in scope. The chance to travel and study in Chile, for me, signified a chance to broaden not only my perspective of Latin America, but that of my students, as well.

My experience in Chile has been outstanding in every respect. Perhaps the most enlightening, however, was when I was asked by a friend whether I preferred Mexico or Chile? I found the question extremely difficult to answer, and in response I offer only these thoughts:

MEXICO AND CHILE

Some people are drawn to comparisons,

The need to find some things superior to others,

To uncover fault and to laud beauty,

To decide.

I now have the honor of experiencing both Mexico and Chile,

And there will be those who will ask which I prefer,

Which, of the two, has the greatest riches? Beauty? Culture?

The choice.

To these I would ask, "Which of these do you prefer?

The water or the air? Which of these could you do without?"

In this lies the answer, after all.

The truth.

For both air and water are distinct elements,

Yet both are necessary for life,

Each contains a portion of the other,

Vastly different, yet eternally entwined.

Both can be soft, warm, and inviting,

Both can be strong, magnificent, and threatening,

Each has the power to build and to destroy,

Neither can survive without the presence of the other.

This is how I view Mexico and Chile,

Each as unique as the hemispheres which separate them,

A world apart, yet forever bonded,

Echoing of the past, yet looking to the future.

Shadows of their indigenous histories linger,

Aztec, Mapuche, Maya, Aymara,

Yet the sound of Europe rings in the air,

A mixture of cultures, of conquest, of war.

It can be seen in the eyes of the people you meet,

The pride of being Mexicano, the love of being Chileno,

Separate worlds sharing a common vision,

Separate cultures sharing a similar heritage,

Separate hearts beating to a constant Latin rhythm.

Chile. Mexico.

Air. Water.

Life.

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