The Warmth of Latin People

Transcript

It must have been about 15 years ago, I was working with my buddy Mr. Battle. Mr. Battle was Mexican Austrailian dual citizen, he would tell me and this is an oversimlifications but he’d say “When I go to see my white cousins, it seems like their mentality is what can I take from you. What value can I extract?”

“When I go meet my brown cousins, they say what can I offer you, how can I make you more complete?”

And I thought about that, I don’t know if I was moved in that moment but later I thought about it, I was moved.

After that, maybe even before that people would tell me about places in Latin America. If they’d mention Machu Pichu or something like that I would just gaze in a state of revery just imagining a mountain or some distant land with mist circling around.

And I would wonder, what is that place like?

I remember I started learning Portuguese and later started learning Spanish. I remember originally I thought I would end up in Brazil and in 2011 I asked my friend Adam “Where do you think I should go? I want to take a trip to somewhere new.”

And he’s like “Definitely Columbia, go to Medellín. The women are beautiful, you’ll have a great time.”

I said, ok.

And soon after that I booked my flight and I had my Pimsleur Spanish lesson. I’d maybe gone through 40 hours of Pimsleur Spanish lessons and I arrived in Latin America and managed to talk to the taxi driver.

And I’m trying to have this conversation with him in Spanish and we’re talking about his daughter. “Ah yes my daughter, she studies in Melbourne and all these kinds of things.

When we got to the guest house he kinda helped himself to a tip with a little cheeky grin. I was pleased to give it to him.

And it was interesting I remember a few times I went to the house of my friend Johanna and her father is there and he’s very happy to see me.

I had this thought in the back of my mind like “What’s going on here, what’s the angle? Why is this guy being so welcoming.”

“Do you want a beer? What do you want? Take a seat!”

I thought “Does he want something from me, is he trying to marry me off to his daughter?”

Later I felt ashamed of even having these thoughts because this fellow Oscar, he was just so kind. He just wanted to welcome me, nothing more, there was no agenda.

He didn’t want anything from me except to welcome me into his home. And this is the kind of warmth that I love about Latin America and Latin American people.

When Mr. Battle, Aaron told me about how Mexican people are, I ended up thinking “I want that, I want to experience that, I want to be more like that.”

Of course when I decided to leave Australia, I chose to come here, to Latin America and I guess the point is….not everyone can travel to Latin America and not everyone wants to move here but anybody can embody that kind of hospitality.

If someone comes to your home you can say “Please, take a seat, have you eaten?”

That traditional part of Latin culture that they even take for granted. Like of course I’m going to offer you food.

We don’t have that in Australia.

Of course I’m going to offer you food. Of course I’m going to make you feel welcome in my house. Of course.

That is the warmth of the Latin American people.

The kind of warmth, fire, flame that you can also kindle in your heart.

Have a wonderful day.