Several times, and in different contexts, I was told that gestos -gestures- are important in Patagonia. Traditionally, social interactions begin with a handshake for men, or kiss on the cheek for women. A short visit to a home will commonly include an invitation to eat. Mate is served and enjoyed communally. At asados -barbecues-, wine is passed around in a bota bag, a tradition brought to Patagonia by Basque settlers. Students debriefing from the sea kayaking section of their course talked about stopping in a coastal village and being given free fish at the market. On a trip to pick up kayaks that had been left at the riverside home of a fishing guide, the guide helped load the kayaks for 2 hours, even though it wasn’t necessary. During a different trip to pick up students, when the bus driver and I arrived late to the last town before the pick-up spot, a woman kept her restaurant open for us.
NOLS Patagonia participates in this culture of gestures. Each day, the staff meets in the morning to greet each other. Mate is shared throughout the day. The logistics manager contacts families simply to keep up with what is going on in their lives. After loading the kayaks with the fishing guide, the NOLS Patagonia driver gave the man a rope that he can use with his boats. The branch works with one family who lives on land that is not reached by roads. NOLS Patagonia helps with delivering supplies to them when a course operates in the area. When most courses end and return to the branch headquarters, NOLS Patagonia invites partners in Coyhaique to the course graduation and asado, and at the end of each season, the branch hosts a community asado as a thank you to partners. This year, the community asado was held in Cochrane, 350 kilometers to the south, in order to thank families that are usually unable to attend the gathering.
Moreover, NOLS Patagonia shares by giving Chileans the opportunity to take NOLS catalog courses through scholarships, and has opened access to Chileans through the Spanish program courses.
