"Welcome!" "Welcome!"

11 June 2012

Wanting to make a good first impression, I arrived to my first day of work disheveled and plenty of minutes late.

Speaking of first impressions, when I was introduced to my new boss, I replied to her "Welcome!" by exclaiming "Welcome!" - my Spanish already running afoul from word one. When she leaned in to peck my cheek - customary upon a first meeting - I shocked us all by attempting to kiss her other cheek. (Apparently not a custom here, which a cursory investigation would have revealed)

I had little time to recover from this small gaffe, due in part to my much more egregious transgression (arriving twenty minutes late). My boss was already full swing into an explanation of the project I'd be working on to another gentlemen also starting that day. That this new man was to be the head of the project I was brought in to work on only penetrated my consciousness days later, around the time he informed me that - after three days on the job - he was leaving to take a better offer.

But at that moment, just about nothing seemed to penetrate my brain. Of course, internally a number of questions were being asked by my subconscious: "What in the hell are they saying?! Am I supposed to understand any of this? Does it even matter that this is Chilean Spanish? Did she just ask me a question? What's the word for 'again'?"

I suppose the information was being relayed to me speedily since it had probably all been said the twenty minutes prior to my arrival. I began to wonder how many sentences could be shoved without understanding through my ears before my head simply would explode.

I should point out that for days before this I had become increasingly nervous. I didn't really know what I would be doing, had little confidence in my capacity to contribute to a project involving sustainable wine growing (not my expertise), and was terribly afraid - above all else - of the steep barriers to entry my Spanish (in)competency would confer on my initial days at work. So far this last apprehension seemed well-founded.

And yet by the end of the day I felt in good hands, my desk literally encircled by a gregarious flock of older ladies, all intent on making this newly arrived, surrogate son feel welcome and well-acclimated to Chile.