Breaking Barriers

I was chatting with Beto the other day at the comedor. We were talking about Argentines' views of people from the States (Yankees). Most Argentines don't like Yankees. There are a lot of negative stereotypes based on TV shows, movies, the government, tourists who visit here from the US, etc. Fortunately, I have not experienced any hostility from anyone here. (I did see "Leave Yankees" spray painted throughout a plaza in the capital though.) I have felt accepted and welcomed by everyone I have met so far. As we were talking, Beto "confessed" that he felt negatively about Yankees himself. He shared with me that he was nervous about me working at the comedor this year. Nobody from the States had ever worked there before and he was nervous about how I would be, how the children would react to me (they hear a lot of negative things at home about the US), etc. This was all a shock to me because I have felt welcomed by Beto and everyone at the comedor since day one. I had no idea he was worried about me being there.

The next thing Beto said gave me chills and brought tears to my eyes. He said that I have changed his mind. He said that because of me, his negative view of Yankees has changed. He said that he is happy I'm here. He's happy with how the children have accepted me. He's happy with how I interact with the children. This made me realize the impact that I have made on the community I'm in here and the barriers that have been broken down. I didn't do anything special. I just spent time in conversation with Beto and building a relationship. I think a lot of times we forget how much of an impact we may really make on others by just taking the time to talk and build a relationship. And sometimes we don't realize how big the barriers are until they're broken. I know this was the case for me and I am very thankful to Beto for opening my eyes to it.