No se preoccupes

I hear the phrase No se preoccopes - Don´t worry - more times each day in South America than there are Republican candidates in the rat race for President of the USA. That means, I am told this A LOT by South Americans.

Those who know me are aware I am pretty anxious and neurotic, though I try to hide it (and I usually worry about the unimportant things, which is why some people do not really how much I overthink and analyze things to death, since I do not seem distressed about what normal people are usually worrying about). But since I have been in South America, it has been harder to not express my constant worry or overthinking, in part because of the extra energy spent trying to decipher another language and communicate over language AND cultural barriers.

But my very neurotic personality presents one of the biggest clashes with South American culture, where the concept of time and efficiency and worry is really different than in US American culture. Whether it be a travel agent, hostel owner, taxi driver, store keeper ... everyone always tells me "no se preoccupes" even if it IS something to be worried about (What do you mean my flight was cancelled and you put me on an earlier flight without pre-warning so I am nearly late and being held up by the police who cannot find record of me in their computer and keep trying to just search my passport over and over when my flight is going to just leave without me? How do we get our train tickets that we just paid you in cold hard cash for and have come back to your office twice to get and will not have time to pick them up before our train ride for which we need the tickets?). Which ties to another cultural difference, that South Americans also never want to tell you something negative - would even rather withold information or tell a different explanation just so as not to displease you. Landslide blocking the train route? "Well, there is an incident and don´t worry, it will just be awhile" (3.5 hours of delays and random stopping later, the explanation is that "sometimes rocks fall" and don´t worry). I am just waiting for someone to say "Don´t worry, be happy."

The most difficult part of this, besides that South Americans can detect my nervous energy and want to tell me not to worry which of course makes me worry more, is that I think about how relatively LESS I have to worry about, as an American tourist compared to an average South American. What is it about our globalized, "developed" culture that people like me, who have so little to worry about in terms of a mortgage, feeding a family, advancing in a high powered career, and live in a stable middle class in the States with so many friends and family, can be so worried? Such is me, but its actually what makes me comfortable. Too bad it makes other people uncomfortable here in South America. Please, no se preoccupes about me.

Though few worries today in Cuenca, given lots of fiestaing - fireworks, dancing, and parades in the street to celebrate the holidays at this time of year (so there is an odd combination of clowns and kids dressed up in Nativity and biblical costumes and babies with santa hats in the parades; I was pretty confused at first). Although it also means that people are throwing water balloons from up high, a Carnival tradition, so that does worry me. Especially because gringos are gaint walking targets. AND I got hit by a pouch of candy that parade participants were throwing into the crowd - ouch (see reaction to the right). But I am learning more from people about being tranquila and will enjoy my last few days here in Ecuador, don´t you worry.