HUMANITY: “It Must Be Nice”

By: MJ + PJ

This post looks back on an experience we had at the Argentine-Chile border customs office as we were making our way by bus to Porto Natales. Unlike our other HUMANITY posts, this one is not clearly a feel-good one. It is a reflection on people’s different perceptions about their positions in the world, and about traveling as a family unit in South America.

It was raining outside as we walked to the customs office near the top of the hill. There was not much further to go, but it had already been a long day and bus ride. As always, we were not quite sure what to expect from this office – each customs office and officer is different. It was a small room, and it was filled with our bus load of travelers.

We were at the end of the line as we were in no rush and getting AJ out into the rain took some extra time. As our bus concierge was getting everyone into a manageable line in the tight space, he saw us and hustled us to the front of the line. We declined at first, but he insisted.

“It must be nice”, said one of our fellow travelers, with a tone that hinted at annoyance.

At the time we had nothing to say. Everyone around us had heard the comment. We moved forward, as the bus concierge insisted that we go to the very next available customs window. Given that we did not identify who made the comment, we were unable to respond directly even if we wanted to. 

The customs officer interaction was straightforward so we exited the office and headed back to the bus, contemplating what we could or should have said. We let it go as it seemed pointless.

End of story, or was it?

“It must be nice” is one of those comments that is loaded with interpretation possibilities:

• Were we taking advantage of the situation? No – we were fine with waiting in line.
• Were we insisting to be put ahead of other passengers, who were also tired and a bit damp? No – the bus concierge was insisting as it was important to him.
• Did we have to move to the very front of the line? No – the bus concierge was insisting on that. 
• Did anyone else say anything similar, or want to say anything, in agreement? Not that we heard, but maybe they did.
• Were our other bus travelers taken aback by the comment based on their experiences or culture? Maybe – we do not know.
• Was the fellow traveler in a hurry to get somewhere? Probably not – we were all on the same bus.
• Was the fellow traveler aware of the regional customs related to handling families or those with impairments in public places? Probably not.
• Does the region where the fellow traveler is from have family-friendly cultural norms? Maybe not – or maybe the traveler never had children.
• Were we as a family unit with a young child eligible (based on the culture of the region) to be given a reprieve from the dynamics of crowds and lines? Yes.
• Was the fellow traveler entitled to protest us ‘skipping or cutting the line’ in context of the situation? Yes.
• Do we feel annoyed when people “skip or cut the line” when we have been waiting in the line? Yes.

So where does this leave us in terms of the comment and an appropriate response? Like we said – we didn’t have anything to say at the time as we were a bit taken aback. Saying nothing was our response.

In hindsight, and after seeing more of the world, more of the different cultures of the world, and more families in public spaces, we do have a response to the comment.

Our answer is simply “Yes”.