La Leyenda del Salto de la Princesa

For those who want a little taste of the indigenous culture here in the South, here's a fun Mapuche legend I learned about a waterfall I visited this past weekend...

Location: Curacautin, La novena regíon de la Araucanía, Chile

There were times in which the Mapuche in Curacautin received neighboring tribes that would come to trade, barter and partake in religious ceremonies.  These visiting tribes would introduce new and unknown items to the people of Cura, one of which, being the horse. 
One day, the tribes arrived as usual, but this particular day, they arrived on horseback.  Chief Huillical, in awe and amazement of this new creature, promised valuable gifts to anyone valiant enough to bring him one.  However, he soon discovered how difficult this request truly was (as the horses had to be brought over the boarder from Argentina).  Over time, this wish soon transformed into an obsession and Cheif Huillical desired a horse more than ever.  
Until one day, he learned that a beautiful white colt had arrived in Malalcahuello (the neighboring community).  Upon this new the chief united his tribe and announced:

"This is my daughter, Princess Rayén.  Whoever is able to bring me this white horse can have her hand in marriage."

Nahuelcura, a mestizo (mixed Spanish and Indigenous heritage), whom Rayén was in love with promised her that he would bring the horse to her father so that they could finally be together forever (as it was forbidden in Mapuche culture to marry someone of Spanish or mixed blood).
At dawn, the third day after the chief's request, a forceful neighing broke the morning silence of Cura.  Chief Huillical couldn't believe his eyes, the horse he had for so long wished for was standing in front of him.  But, to Rayén's dismay, the horse was brought by another, and indian by the name of Quilacura.  
Standing there, next to the horse, Quilacura asked the chief:

"Now that I have made your dream a reality, will you fulfill your promise?"

"A Mapuche always keeps his word", responded Huillical. "Go to the house, and take Rayén as your wife."

It was as if Quilacura was walking on clouds.  For so long he had jealously adored Rayén from afar and finally, she was all his.  But, when he entered the house, he let out a scream of fury that abruptly startled the entire tribe.  

"Rayén! Where is Rayén?!"

Little did he know, she was far from the house, with her love, Nahuelcura.

"Look for Rayén through the entire forest.  Look in every cave for three moons and three suns.  If she doesn't appear, she will have chosen her destiny and she will never again be a Mapuche woman", Chief Huillical instructed his tribe.

All of the men went out to look for Rayen.  Quilacura went out alone, running like a lion through an unknown course out of desperation. 
Rayén and Nahuelcura ran through the forest without stopping until dusk, where they found a huge rock to rest their weak and tired bodies.  However, the search for the young lovers continued, Quilacura not stopping for a single moment to rest or to realize that the three moons had already passed.

As soon as the rays of the third sun appeared, out of the brush came a scream:

"I found Princess Rayén! She is here! Everyone come!"

Upon these screams, Rayén and Nahuelcura looked around, but found no escape.  The Mapuche had circled them in from all ends and forced them to the edge of a cliff.  The couple was trapt.  The only way out, was to jump...
The couple looked at one another, gripped each other's hands tight, and threw themselves off the cliff.  
This is when the waterfall was created.   Ironically, it is shaped in the form of the white horse's tail.  Today, the waterfall (or salto in Spanish) is a symbol of their undying love for one another.

The Good, Bad, and everything in between

If you're wondering why many of you haven't heard from me in quite some time, it's because I've been out living, learning and soaking up as much as this country has to offer me.
However, with that being said, I have learned some noteworthy lessons that I believe are worth sharing...

After living in Chile for over 3 months now, I have transitioned past the "wide-eyed ignorant tourist" phase where everything is new, wonderful and exciting and have now entered, what I like to call, the "equal, but separate" phase.  Instead of being the new gringa on the block, I have successfully integrated myself into the daily goings on of Perquenco.  The students look at me as just another teacher, I've gained the parents trust and respect, I can walk down the street and run into familiar faces and have formed a couple of noteworthy relationships.  I coexist.

And as this transition has taken place, I have moved from the ignorant bliss of being in a new place to seeing things as they actually are.  In my first days here, I was warned that this would happen.  "Not everything is pretty," I was told, "There's good and bad in everyone and everything."  This turned out to be incredible accurate.  However, I have come to find that it doesn't necessarily have to be a negative thing.

You need the bad, in order to have the good.

You need to experience hardships, so that you know to take a step back and smile when things are easy.

You need people to be cruel, so that you can learn how to treat others kindly. --I've had LOTS of experience with this one, trust me.

You must know what it's like to fail again, and again, and again, so that you can learn to appreciate the little victories that carry you from day-to-day.

To the left are my dedicated sixth graders, that come to my English Club every week.
Even on the most hopeless, frustrating days, they can manage to put a smile on my face.


You need to make a complete fool out of yourself, so that you can just dive in without inhibitions or embarrassment. ---I finally agreed to let the school gym teacher give me Judo lessons. My first class starts tomorrow, wish me luck!
Oh, and did I mention that the other day I was voluntold to get up in front of an auditorium full of people and sing the National Anthem?! Yeahhhhh, point made.

You need to bust your ass, to the point where you ask yourself, "Is this even worth it?" So that when the time comes, you'll know it really was.

After days spent preparing a Halloween party for my 5th and 6th graders, I had TONS of kids show up.  They were all fascinated with everything I had prepared for them and they all had a blast!
Definitely one of the highlights of the semester.

When the people you rely on let you down and betray you, you realize how incredible it is when a complete stranger offers you a little bit of kindness.
In this case, Carlyn and I had 3 complete strangers   (whom we met via a mutual friend, Lorena) invite us to stay with them in their house, cook for us, and do everything possible to be the best tour guides in Valdivia.

When others loose their patience with you (for example, an old and bitter bus driver who doesn't give gringos the time of day), it teaches you to have tolerance for others who are struggling.

You must feel abandoned and alone, so that you can learn to find love and family in the hearts of others.

I, for example, have managed to develop a solid support system here in my home away from home.  My Chilean family consists of the infamous Peñailillos (whom you were introduced to in a previous post-I stay with them every weekend I'm not traveling) and my friend Carlyn, another volunteer like myself, and her host lady, Nelida (right).  Nelida has invited me to spend the weekend with the two of them in Curacautin countless times.  She plans each weekend out meticulously so that she can give us both the best experience she possibly can--with TONS of success, I might add--.  To the left is Leo (Chilean brother) on his 12th birthday.  I FINALLY beat him in chess a couple of weeks ago, he was pissed.  AND I took him out trick-or-treating for his very first time this year.



You must experience that "you against the world" feeling, so that you can genuinely thank someone for beding over backwards to help you.

You need to feel completely isolated, so that you know how special it is to be apart of something.

Me trick-or-treating with some of my students this Halloween.

There is a lot of ugly in this world.  There are ugly things, ugly words, ugly places and the worst of all, ugly people. I have come to find, that you need the ugly in order to fully appreciate what is truly beautiful.  You can find beauty in the oddest of places and in the most unlikely of people. Real beauty is not something superficial, its something genuine that you can see and feel inside and out. 

Due to the sheer vulnerability of my situation here in Chile, I have been faced with each and every one of these scenarios.  (For better or for worse.)  I take a look at my kids and it brings me back to a time when the only problem I had was that my little brother was annoying and wanted to play with me TOO much.  To be perfectly honest, I envy them.  How simple and pure the world seems from their point of view.   Little do they know, they'll soon grow up, loose that ignorance and begin to see the world for what it is.  A world where the good can not exist without the bad.  But like all the rest, this doesn't have to be negative.  

My experience in Chile has made me grow up in ways I could have never anticipated.  It has taught me to accept and appreciate reality for what it is, whether it be good or bad.  It has taught me to learn from each and every experience.  I have grown to appreciate the simpler things in life and I can feel myself developing into a mature, grounded and well-rounded individual, or dare I say it, a REAL person.  Don't be fooled! I still have a long ways to go! But I DO thank Chile for everything it has taught me thus far (and still continues to teach me) throughout this adventure.