Twelve days until we leave for Chile. I've had a lot of questions about this trip, and not just my own. They go something like this: Say where? You mean South America? Are you going on a mission trip? Why are you staying so long? And the big question is: Are you looking for a place to move if Trump wins the election? You probably would not be surprised how often I'm asked that question.
The answers are: Yes, the Chile that lies along the southwest coast of South America. Yes, it is a very long way. No we are not going on a mission trip. We are going to visit, tour, and learn about a beautiful, fascinating country with warm, hospitable people. We are staying so long to have time to really see the country; to step over into Argentina for the wine country tours; and to see what it would be like to live in a foreign country for a while.
As for the big question, well, maybe. We would be more inclined to choose another country to live in if Donald Trump were to become President of our country, but our curiosity about another place to live is not limited by whether or not he wins.
Our interest in another place to live has to do with the climate of hatred, bigotry, and gun violence that has taken over our country. That we have become a people who would for one second take Donald Trump seriously, says to me that this is not the America I know and love. I do not think these issues will disappear, regardless of the outcome of this painful election. We have more guns than people in this country. People are arming to the teeth for some kind of armageddon that I don't understand.
In Chile, as in many other countries, it is very difficult to get a gun. Most all of the gun owners are hunters who own hunting guns. It is not an indicator of patriotism to own a gun in Chile.
I'm not going to live much longer. I would like to live the remainder of my life in peace. The fact that I see people in public places wearing guns on their hips nauseates me and terrifies me.
Would I like to get away from this mentality of divisiveness and violence? You bet. Is Chile the place? I really don't know, but it will be fun to see what it is like, and to live, if for only three months, in a place where I don't expect gunfire to interrupt the everyday process of living, and where I won't have to pray every day that the 5 and 6 year-old children I work with in school, won't be mowed down today by an AK-47.
So, I guess, we are thinking of moving. I wish it weren't so.
The answers are: Yes, the Chile that lies along the southwest coast of South America. Yes, it is a very long way. No we are not going on a mission trip. We are going to visit, tour, and learn about a beautiful, fascinating country with warm, hospitable people. We are staying so long to have time to really see the country; to step over into Argentina for the wine country tours; and to see what it would be like to live in a foreign country for a while.
As for the big question, well, maybe. We would be more inclined to choose another country to live in if Donald Trump were to become President of our country, but our curiosity about another place to live is not limited by whether or not he wins.
Our interest in another place to live has to do with the climate of hatred, bigotry, and gun violence that has taken over our country. That we have become a people who would for one second take Donald Trump seriously, says to me that this is not the America I know and love. I do not think these issues will disappear, regardless of the outcome of this painful election. We have more guns than people in this country. People are arming to the teeth for some kind of armageddon that I don't understand.
In Chile, as in many other countries, it is very difficult to get a gun. Most all of the gun owners are hunters who own hunting guns. It is not an indicator of patriotism to own a gun in Chile.
I'm not going to live much longer. I would like to live the remainder of my life in peace. The fact that I see people in public places wearing guns on their hips nauseates me and terrifies me.
Would I like to get away from this mentality of divisiveness and violence? You bet. Is Chile the place? I really don't know, but it will be fun to see what it is like, and to live, if for only three months, in a place where I don't expect gunfire to interrupt the everyday process of living, and where I won't have to pray every day that the 5 and 6 year-old children I work with in school, won't be mowed down today by an AK-47.
So, I guess, we are thinking of moving. I wish it weren't so.
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