Que Fue Extraña Es Ahora Familiar – That Which Was Strange Is Now Familiar

The other day I passed a milestone of sorts here in Santiago and also had a profound, at least to me, realization that things were definitely improving little by little (poco a poco).  In many ways, life here is settling in to a regular rhythm that includes life and work, but also has many elements of surprise along the way.  I imagine that it is the same back home, if I were there, it’s just that at times, we settle into routines in our lives that are just that, routines. We in effect (I am using the British royal “we” which really means “me”) settle into patterns that we just go through without really paying attention to the little things, the things that in reality have the biggest impacts on our lives.

Here in Santiago, I am always looking for the familiar, and have struggled to see it except in the faces of my friends and colleagues and the places (los lugares) in the neighborhood and around the university.  Yet, this past week, I started to see things clearly in the sea of Santiago, to see the details along the road (la calle), to see the faces in the crowd.  In some ways, it seemed that time started to slow down and that my frantic glances from side to side (lado a lado) on the Metro or on the street were replaced with a more gentle observational manner, like learning how to see the trees with the forest, to see the animals in the park and not just the park itself. For example, I got on the Metro, made it to the Plaza de Armas and popped out on the street.  Looking around, I could see familiar sites and buildings (edificios), and knew that by going right, I would be on the plaza, not lost, but right where I wanted to be.  In fact, as I emerged on the street, the throng that had once been a rushing sea of people without an end in sight, now slowed down to be a crowd of faces, not all recognizable as people I actually know, but as individuals living in the city, as fellow Santiaguinos. 

Later, I got back on the Metro and made my way over to Providencia.  While on the train (el tren), I was able to look around and see the faces of the people on the subway, not as threats or possible thieves (los ladrones) that I had read about in books and magazines, but actually people (la gente) just going about their daily business.  I could see the mother and her child going to do some shopping, and I could see the young men going to play some soccer (futbol), each glance brought a story and a person, not a situation of conflict or potential danger. I also made my way to a store, where I purchased a coat, much like the ones I have been seeing other guys wearing, a sort of stylish San Francisco Warf style that has a cool urban feel and is functionally warm as well. The fear that once almost gripped me to a state of being unfunctional is starting to diminish, and what was once strange (extraña) has now become familiar.

I have also taken to wearing a scarf (una bufanda) here in Santiago, as it really does a good job keeping the neck (el cuello) warm, which is very important, especially in the month of August (agosto).  Anyway, I often wrap it around my neck in much the way one ties up a package or a bundle of sticks, not in the stylish way that people do here on the streets.  Yet on the Metro, I was able to slow down and observe a man, close to my age and appearance, put his own by looping it around his neck and fitting it under his jacket in an effortless way. It was like being taught how to tie a necktie for the first time, but from a distance and without any real contact with the individual.  I have taken to using this method to put my scarf on comfortable and correctly and have even shown Sarah this fashion tip as well.  With my new jacket (mi chaqueta nueva) and a little help from my ability to actually fit my scarf around my neck, I have become more of a familiar site myself, no longer the misfit adolescent, but Chile Billy, resident of the great city of Santiago.