Amazon Simplicity and Change

The book Gringo by Chesa Boudin, keeps making me learn and understand South America every time. I just finished the chapter in which he goes into the Amazon and everything he encounters there. What I most enjoy about this memoir is that even though it is told by a gringo, it is very open minded. I have talked with gringos that think that their country needs to come into South America and take over so that "something good will happen." This mentality wears me out. It is refreshing to know that there are Americans that have grown up knowing that there is more than meets the eye to South America.

Boudin mentions the "gringo wild card" in every country he is in. From this, one can infer that he understands the position he has and doesn't try to disguise who he is but he attempts to go beyond it. In the chapter about the Amazon, Boudin travels in an uncomfortable cargo ship and when he reaches his destination, stays in a cramped little apartment with fifteen other people. Not once is there any complain about the uncomforted of the boat or any criticism of how the people live. This just makes it clear that Boudins memoir was not written to criticizes latin america but to understand it just as it is. This, once again, demonstrates his informal register when he describes what is around him and how he reacts to it.

An example of this is his description of the small apartment he stayed in:
"Lara shared a simple two- bedroom apartment above a minimart up a flight of cement stairs with peeling paint and behind a rusty steel gate... Seven children shared one bed and others alternated between the big bed in the second room, thin mattresses on the floor, the couch and hammocks." (page 91)
What I think stands out about this description and shows Boudins neutral tone towards the realities of South America, is how he describes it. I am sure that not many Americans would take in this scene with such calmness but would rather take to criticize the way of living. They would bust out the always famous phrase of: "In America ladidadida".

Boudin understands what it means to be American in Latin America. He knows that at times, human connections with those around him might only involve what latinos think he could offer them. A job in the US or just giving them money but Boudin goes beyond this. He writes that  he can't separate his personality from his nationality and this is why he doesn't bust out his money while he traveling. The subtitle of this book is "A coming-of-age in Latin America" and when Boudin reflects on issues like this, he demonstrates how he is growing and learning because of the experiences here. By understanding this, the memoir is so much more than what it seems because as you see change in the countries he passes, you see a change within him.