One month reflections

In another round of one-m0nth insights, Kelcie shares about her milestone in Chile and her reflections thus far. Her original post is here.

It’s been one month. One month since I’ve seen my parents, friends, home, town, and in general, The United States. I already feel like little bits of me have changed.

• I’m not a picky eater, at all, whatsoever, anymore. I’ve tried every food possible. There’s only like, two things here I don’t like. Garbanzo’s and Lentil’s.
• I’ve become much more adaptable and versatile. Before, I was more like, “I have to have my bed this way, ” or “I can’t have my foods touching,” etc. etc. Now I just deal.
• I’m not afraid to make mistakes and take risks anymore. I just go.
• I’ve learned to just laugh at myself and there’s no such thing embarrassment anymore.
• My personal bubble has gotten a LOT smaller.

So I should probably mention the Spanish thing. Wow. I’m surprised at myself. People back home would tell me that its really easy to ‘pick up’. I always was like, what does that mean?! But now I totally get it. I’ve gotten really used to hearing Spanish so it’s easier to tell what people are talking about, and then you kind of figure out what words mean. And not just random nouns either. Like, before I came here, I knew no past tense. But coming here, I’ve got it almost down. All without the help of any books or teachers or studying. The culture: Is awesome and I love it already. This is probably the most I’ve learned about. Here it is.

• They’re very affectionate and touchy feeling. Always hugging, kissing, touching. I remember the first time I was given the customary kiss on the cheek. I was so taken aback! But after that the first time it’s like whatever.
• They’re not very private people. They don’t lock doors, or sometimes even close them.
• They think if you don’t want more food, you don’t like it.
• I always considered myself a pretty well-dressed person before. But I am constantly feeling under dressed. Their style is just so different. Mine is like, colorful, cute, and kind of quirky. Here it’s just different. It’s always dark wash jeans, heels, and a dressy top.
• I love their slang. It’s really catchy. They have a habit of adding -po to the end of things. Like, Si-po, No-po, Claro-po. And they drop the ‘s’ of a ton of things, which honestly kind of works for me, so I don’t have to worry about the exact verb conjugation. Like, they say Gracia, not Gracias. And they never, ever, day Adios, always Chao. And the super casual ending of -ai to things. Like, Como estai? (Como estas) Que tienai? (Que tienes). I though some of you Spanish Speakers back in MN would enjoy reading about all their dialect.
• Smoking, once again, super common. All my friends smoke. I don’t think I’ve met one person my age that doesn’t. But don’t worry, I haven’t picked up on that habit.
• They have so much Chilean pride. I haven’t met anyone that’s been like, “I hate where I live” blah blah blah like we have in the U.S.
• Although I go to the most expensive school in town and my family is considered pretty well-off, they aren’t snobby or anything. They don’t look down upon those who ‘come from the other side of town’.
• They consider Copiapo small. So everytime I mention that I come from a town with 7,000 habitants, they’re so amazed.
• They never go out to eat here. The closest thing to that is going to the cafe for some coffee.
• Their main form of entertainment is spending time with friends and family. No going out to the movies, concerts, bowling, shopping, amusement parks etc. etc.

The people here are soooooo amazingly nice in general here. My family especially. I should probably talk about them a bit more. My host mom, Maria Eliana is really sweet. The other night she told me how happy they are with me, and that they think of me as another daughter. She’s funny too..She thinks Obama is the most handsome man. Haha. Her and my host dad, have a really cool relationship. They’re always teasing each other. Roberto is really kind too. He always says to me, “If there’s anything you need, whatever at all, call me”. Maria Jose is great host sister. She’s 11, but quite mature for her age. Really smart, and also really kind. I can’t stress that enough. That probably the biggest culture difference here. Just the warmth and generosity and sincerity. My family is constantly asking me if I am happy and content here. And I always, always say yes. And it’s the truth.