Where are you from?
So a couple weeks have passed by, and I’ve gotten that question a lot. I hate that question. It’s frustrating because physically, I appear Latinoamericana, but as soon as I open my mouth, it all disappears. I want to completely integrate myself into this culture, into this society, but I can’t when it’s so obvious that I’m not from here. I do have an advantage over other Americans, however, with my seemingly Latina appearance; I don’t get any prejudice that way. They don’t immediately approach me with a more simplistic approach, speaking slower and carefully as though they might have to repeat themselves. I came here to be challenged, to integrate myself, to be fluent. I want to be treated as though my native language is Spanish, but of course that will take time. Ah, my perfectionistic nature: a blessing and a curse.
I’ve experienced a lot over the past couple weeks. I’ll go more in detail in the pages, but here are a few things so far:
The greetings here are awesome; everyone greets each other with a kiss on the cheek, even if you’re just meeting someone. I even got to greet the Mayor of Valparaiso like this (yes, I met the Mayor of Viña del Mar; you can be jealous). It’s very common and creates a warm environment (but not too warm of course). I was used to this already though because of my international friends at VU; they did this all the time.
There’s a lot of English music here. I thought I would be able to escape from the mainstreams of American pop and such, but it still exists over here. I’ve heard my fair share of Adele, One Direction, and Carly Rae Jepsen over here (still can’t escape “Call Me Maybe”…), but of course, they have plenty of Bachata and Reggaeton to compliment it. In the clubs, primarily, is techno-based music but of course, that is entirely dependent on the club you go to.
The Chilean eating schedule is different, and I actually prefer it to the American. They have a normal sized breakfast and later, there’s the almuerzo. Lunch here is the biggest meal and it’s usually a bit later in the day, about 2pm or 3pm. They usually consist of a simple salad (usually not of mainly lettuce but maybe some raw cabbage, celery, or carrots, and it’s generally salty), the main course (varies), and of course, dessert (usually fruit, but occasionally cake). Then much later in the evening, around 8pm or 9pm, they do something they like to call “tomar la once”. This is their version of dinner, but it’s really not dinner at all; it’s much more of a late night coffee or tea with maybe some bread or something light. Typically it’s time to sit and relax and converse with the family.
There are tons of dogs here…tons. They are roaming around the streets, sleeping in gardens, begging for food; it’s an epidemic and a major issue not only here but all over the country. Some have fleas, but most here are pretty safe to pet. In Valparaiso (the city next door), that’s a different story. They’re a bit more gritty over there, and if one starts to become aggressive with you, reach to the ground and act like you’re about to throw a rock at it (it works; I had to do this on one of my jogs). Generally however, as long as you pay them no mind, they won’t do anything to you. In fact, a lot of them have walked me home before as a bit of protection; they just want love…but you can’t give them all love. So, you learn to deal with it and ignore them a majority of the time.
I’m currently enrolled in 4 courses, 3 at the main campus (Rodelillo) and one at the international center (Montaña).
The way their “Carreras” (Major programs) are different than what I’m used to. When they choose a carrera, it’s a set schedule for all your years of school, which here is 5. There are usually around 15 students per year per carrera, so you’re with these students for every class every year, unless someone decides to change or someone from a new university comes.
Basically I love everything here. I live within walking distance to the beach, good shopping, and friends from all over the world. Life is good.
[The beach closest to my house]
Oh, and APOLOGIES FOR NOT WRITING IN A WHILE; I’ve been immersing myself 🙂 I’ll do my best to update you more on a regular basis.
Chao chao
By Micaela Johnston, more blogs to come soon!
One of the biggest cultural shocks that I have experienced so far would be the life of people on the streets. The very first day that I walked through the streets, my impression was somewhere along the lines of, “this is so adorable!”. The streets are narrow but the buildings are cute, and there was much life on the streets.
