by Brandy Richardson
Throughout our time here in Chile, especially during our weekend travel, I have noticed how quickly the people we have met are to make us feel welcome and at home. I have applied the phrase "home away from home" to my life in many circumstances, but never in so many in such a short amount of time. In the three months we have been in Chile, I have camped in Cajón del Maipo, had my first hostel experience in Viña del Mar, looked at the stars in La Serena, trekked through Patagonia, and most recently we stood with the moai on Easter Island. In each of these places there have been instances that have made that city, island, or town feel like home.
The Chilean people want visitors to experience their culture and their home and they go to great lengths to make sure that happens. Whether they realize it or not, the Chilean people are wonderful hosts and hostesses. This notion of making people feel at home and a part of your world is something that I want to bring back home. I work for the admissions office at Lipscomb and constantly have visiting students to show around and make feel welcome. Up until this point, I have felt like I did a pretty good job, but now I have a whole new outlook on what is means to make someone feel welcome. I want, from now on, to meet people and it be more than just a name exchange.
This weekend on Easter Island we were greeted at the airport with leis and as we were leaving Easter Island we were all given necklaces with a moai statue on them. I am not suggesting that we have to give gifts to everyone we meet, but making an effort to make it more than a handshake seems necessary after the experiences I have been blessed with here. I hope we can meet people who visit our home and make them feel as welcomed, loved, and honored as I have felt in every place I have traveled this semester.
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