Week 1: Chile: The Beginning

Hola from Santiago, Chile.  The home of Chilenismos (words made up by the Chileans), vino delicioso, and fresh avocado.  It’s hard to believe that I’ve been living in this remarkable country now for 7 weeks and I am beginning to actually speak Spanish.  I have certainly come a LONG way since my arrival…

            Upon boarding my LAN flight from JFK to Santiago, I stepped (or rather leaped) into the Spanish speaking world.  I had no idea what I was in for.  All along I thought “Oh I will just learn Spanish when I get there, it can’t be that hard”. WRONG.  My gracious host family picked me up from the airport at 6:30 am.  Our first conversation consisted of me speaking like Tarzan, and them trying to figure out what the heck I was trying to say.  It was a little daunting to say the least, but even so, it was love at first site. Learning Spanish has been far more difficult than I had ever imagined.  Luckily, my host brother Pedro speaks English pretty well, so he often serves as both my teacher and translator

When we arrived at my new home for the next 6 months, there was hot bread and fresh avocado, better known here as “la palta”, waiting on the table.  Ever since that day palta has been my best friend.  I even introduced my family to a mix of avocado and banana (which I created) that is delicious.  They think it’s weird that I like to mix food, but all the same they love me for it.  My Chilean family enjoys music, food, and good conversation. I don’t think I could have found a better match if I had tried.

I have learned a tremendous amount about the Chilean culture since I have arrived.  The people here have this lifestyle which is so different from the fast paced New York life.  Ever thing is done very slowly, and nobody seems to be in a rush to get to the next thing.  Their culture is rooted in music and the history of their ancestors (most importantly, The Mapuche Indians).  One of the first questions my family asked me is “how many Indian tribes can you name from your country”.  They told me it’s a game they play with people from the US because we clearly don’t know enough about our Indian heritage.  I am proud to say I named more than any other person from the US whom they had asked.  I was curious as to why it was so important to them. Jo, my host mom explained those are the roots which we are founded on. More notably, the tribes of North America and Chile have wisdom that is very important in this day and age.  They have a relationship with the Earth that we often lack.  For this reason, we should learn more about them and seek to find this connection.  She also requested that I make a note for everybody to google and read “Carta del Jefe Seattle al presidente de los Estados Unidos”.  This translates to “The letter from Chief Seattle to the president of the United States”.  It has an important message worth noting.

I have been able to do a bit of traveling.  A few weeks ago I took an overnight bus to La Serena, about 7 hours away.  From there I visited Punta de Choros, Vallenar, and Huasco.  At Punta Churros my friends and I got on a small speed boat and took a 3 hour tour to see dolphins, sea lions, pelicans, and mostly importantly penguins.  It was a phenomenal experience.  My friends and I sat on this boat in the middle of winter, bundled up with an airplane blanket just to see those penguins.  Let me tell you, it was well worth it!  Huasco is a small fishing town which holds a rare phenomenon.  While standing in the middle of Huasco, the desert is on your right and the sea is on at your left.  The people were extremely hospitable (as most Chileans are) and I even got some close up pictures of the fishermen cleaning the fish and throwing the leftovers to the pelicans. 

Life in Santiago has been good. I have met lots of new people, had many new adventures, and most importantly, I am learning a new language.  I am looking forward to sharing my experiences and giving a look into the life of a gringo girl living in Chile.