After 60 days in beautiful Chile, my time here is coming to an end. These past two months have been more incredible than I ever thought possible, I find it difficult to even put into words how much I have learned and gained from this time, but heres to trying.
As Chilean culture has become more familiar to me, I’ve noticed some interesting deviations from the North American culture I am accustomed to. As you have probably heard before, Latin American societies tend to function at a slower pace than others. Punctuality is not stressed; people are not rushing to get to their destination. When I first took note of this I was still on “gringo time”, still planning ahead in order to be at the university at least five minutes before 10 minutes before class. Now, a month later, I have found that the non-sensitivity to time many Chileans possess has rubbed off on me. Where previously I would be rushing out the door at 9:20 for work, 15 minutes away that began at 10, I now find myself brushing my teeth at 9:40, not thinking about “what if a micro doesn’t come for another 10 minutes once I get to the bus stop”. I am actually very impressed that I have begun to adapt to this aspect of Chilean life. I didn’t think I had it in me to not feel controlled by the laws of time, however now that I do not I quite enjoy it. It’s a very liberating feeling when time does not carry such a heavy weight. And really when I think about it, why is time so rigid in the US? What is so incredibly urgent that being five or ten minutes late is going to cause madness. I foresee my return to the states as being un poco difícil because of this newly acquired mindset however I hope I am able to find a happy medium between twenty minutes early and ten minutes late (right on time, what a concept Lees!).
One particularly defining trait of Chilean culture is their dialect. It is quite distinct; speaking in the diminutive, dropping “s” and “d” from the end of their words and talking about a mile a minute. Our program leader told us the first day, if you can understand Chilean Spanish, you can understand any Spanish. At first it sounded impossible to understand, whenever my host family tried to converse with me they were met with a blank stare and apologies. I remember I woke up on the first full day with my host family and thought to myself, I have two more months of this, I don’t know how I’m going to make it. But here we are, two months later, and I am able to not only understand but also even throw some Chilenismos and “itos” into the conversation. I didn’t dawn on me until these final few weeks how much my Spanish has progressed but I am pleased to be able to say I can now, má’ or meno’, understand Chilean Spanish. The other night it was just mi mama Chilena and I at the table for once and we began talking about the host sisters and from there the conversation flourished. We talked about her childhood, how she met mi papa Chileno, her daughters and how she feels about where this day and age is taking them, so much! I felt incredibly fulfilled afterwards, it was fascinating listening to her stories and thoughts and almost equally as elating was that I could understand what she was saying!
…Hola, 2 weeks later!
I left this post to edit and finish, thinking I would return the next day but here we are, two weeks later and I have returned.
Over the course of these two weeks I have found my way back to the United States, to enjoy the end of another beautiful New England summer. While I am so happy to be back with family and friends, I have found that my head is somewhat to mostly still in Chile. Random memories surface in my mind and I begin to relive a marvelous time from the past two months. I feel bad to admit it, but I miss Chile more than a lot of things I have had to say goodbye to. I feel as though a piece of me remains in the exquisite country.
My flight back from Santiago to Atlanta turned out to be one of the highlights of the trip for me. I got to my seat and saw that I’d be sharing the flight with a friendly looking Chilean gentleman. Assuming he spoke Spanish, I quietly said “Perdón, permiso” and squeezed by. He looked at me once I was settled and we exchanged casual greetings in Spanish, but no “what country are you from?” This surprised me in the very best of ways. A crewmember began to go over safety information in English (as we were on a Delta flight) and while she was speaking the man next to me asked if I understood what she was saying. I was so shocked that he didn’t immediately realize I was an American student that I blurted out no. I rethought his question and after a moment corrected myself, explaining I had been studying in Valparaíso for two months and understood everything she was saying. He laughed and then we started talking, and talking and talking! We talked for a good two hours, him telling me why he was traveling to the US and showing pictures of his lovely wife and son that he was so proud of, and me sharing with him my experiences while abroad. It was fantastic, absolutely elating. It felt so incredible to communicate, in Spanish, with someone from a completely different culture, a completely different world, with such ease. I think this encounter was one of the most rewarding and uplifting of the entire trip. It made me aware of the sheer significance that learning another language comes with. It allows you to reach out to bodies of people around the globe, people with their own culture and beliefs, with their own exceptional stories. This knowledge exposes us to a completely new and unique section of society, allowing us the opportunity to listen and learn of people from a vast range of backgrounds. This to me is truly extraordinary.
The Wednesday before I left, a couple friends and I went out to explore Valpo by night. It was a great time, starting with a micro ride to an undetermined destination and ending with just three of us talking and drinking some fresh fruit juice at a little bar. The two guys I was with were two of the most distinct personalities on the trip so I knew I was in for a good time, however the conversation took a turn that I wasn’t expecting. We started talking about each of our “life stories”, different experiences that we have had that have helped to shape us into the people we are today. Listening to their stories, I reflected on how incredibly fortunate I am for every opportunity, every person, and every experience that has entered my life. Without them I wouldn’t be the person I am today, I know how cheesy that is but it’s quite fascinating when you think about it. Another popular but keen quote, “’Life is a journey, not a destination” explains this perfectly. Life is about the encounters that shape the way you think and the way you leave others feeling when you walk away. It’s not so much about where we’ll all end up, it’s about each and every one of our epic adventures getting there.
With that I do believe I should wrap this post up, it’s only been three weeks in the making. Chile was more than I could have every imagined these two months would be. From the first week to the last, there was quite literally never a dull moment. It’s hard to sufficiently state the enormity of impact the experience had on me but maybe that in and of itself is explanation enough. I hope so much that I will have a chance to return to the exquisite Chile I have grown to love. Until then, I will continue to practice my Spanish and relive my two months abroad through pictures and memories.
Besitos!
(Espero que disfruten las fotos!)
learning whilst living 