Respect to the Other

by Rachel Alexander 

It is amazing how some people walk into your life and leave huge footprints on your heart. Michelle is one of those people. We were blessed to have Michelle as our tour guide during our time in Torres del Paine. Her official role was to coordinate our activities during our three days of exploring the heart of Patagonia. However, her unofficial role was storyteller and wisdom giver extraordinaire. A few of us had the opportunity to talk with her over huge plates of chicken and noodles on our first night in the park. As we sat around the table enjoying each other's company, a little too full to attempt to get up, we dived into topics about world views and the differences in cultures. Michelle grew up in Germany, traveled all over Europe, backpacked through Latin America, and is now giving tours in Patagonia. She is a rockstar with a cultural repertoire that exceeds most. Michelle instilled in us the importance of not taking other cultures at face value but really learning to appreciate other heritages. She said, "If there is anything I want you to take away from Patagonia, it is this: respect to the other." Michelle said that is the only way we can learn to live in unity with one another and it is our job as exchange students to inform the world. I hope we can make you proud, Michelle!