About Me Charlie

 Hi! Welcome to my blog and thank you for visiting! 

 

My real name is actually Carlos... so where in the world does Charlie come from?

 

I was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, back in 1977, as the son of two Chilean immigrants who were forced to leave their country due to political reasons in 1973. In 1991, my parents decided that the best action they could take was to move to Viña del Mar, Chile. It was an opportune time because my father was getting transferred to work in Crystal River, Florida, and I was hanging out with the wrong crowd. Additionally, in 1990, Chile had transitioned from a military dictatorship to a democracy, which set the country up for a prosperous time. So, just a couple of months after I graduated from elementary school, we were off to Chile!

 

Moving to Chile at the age of 14 was a major shocker. Though I spoke some Spanish, I was not fluent, and I had a terrible American accent. I was put in a private British school called St. Paul’s School (a school I am eternally grateful to for accepting me), where I began to unwillingly try to adapt to the new reality and culture. It was at this time that some classmates began calling me Charlie. But why? I did not look like Charlie Brown, nor was I Caucasian. So, I asked, and the answer was much simpler than I expected. Charles is the translation of Carlos (my real name) in Spanish, much like Juan is to John or Pedro is to Peter. Charlie is the equivalent of Carlitos, a form of showing affection in Chile. I liked it and many close friends have called me Charlie ever since!