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I was an exchange student in Rancagua, Chile from 1996-1997. At the time, Rancagua seemed to be the epicenter of Rotary exchange in Chile. There were 9 of is in the tiny area! Santiago only had 4. Of the 9 of us, 6 of us were girls. Here we are on our way up to tour El Teniente, the largest underground copper mine in the world, conveniently located outside of Rancagua:
From left to right: Clare, Nanci, Krissy (kneeling), Erin, Martha, and Krissy.
Over time, I have lost contact with most of them; not to mention all of the boys. Through facebook, I have reconnected a bit. I now know a little about the lives of 4 of us. Here are the facts:
- Three of us have/are marrying Latinos. One married a nice white boy.
- I am marrying someone I met when we were there.
- Two of us are Spanish teachers (I think high school in both cases, but am not sure).
- One works in a Latin American Studies department at a major university.
- One has returned to Chile for a Fulbright.
- Two returned to study for some time in college (summer or year).
So…. at least the four of us who I know about, have clearly stayed connected to Spanish, Chile, and/or Latin America. Here is my question: Which came first? The chicken or the egg? Our time in Chile or our love for all things (and people) Latino?
