Culture

Wow. It is hard to believe this trip is almost over. It has gone super fast. Although I have said this many times, I feel it important to reiterate...God has blessed me so much regarding this study abroad experience.
Okay, from a long time ago, I commented on wanting to write a blog about cultural differences. I have taken some notes and wanted to get a blog posted on this topic before I leave. Maybe you will find some of my stories or reactions funny and/or surprising. I find cultural differences especially interesting.
Therefore, here goes:

1- GRADES. When my semester was more than half way over, I still had not received a single grade back, even though I had turned in a significant amount of assignments. Furthermore, when grades are posted, it is common to see the grades of all the students. For instance, to receive my final grade, I usually look on a paper with everyone's grades listed. I can see who got the highest grade in the class, what that was, who got the lowest grade, what that was, etc.
2- GREETINGS. Okay, although this may sound unusual, we greet people with a kiss here. So, whether boy or girl, I greet by a kiss on the left cheek. (But boys rarely do that between each other.) An example would be if I see you at the Church. I greet you with a kiss. Then, even if we only talk for two minutes, I say good-bye with another kiss. Lots of kisses. Some days I think I give over 50 'kisses'. However, it's not really that weird for me, except when I see another North American. Do we wave, shake hands, or give a kiss on the cheek? That's when it's awkward, because we know each other doesn't normally do that. However, with Chileans, it feels pretty normal.
3- COOKING. When I am helping my host mom in the kitchen, she doesn't use written recipes. She tends to add things here and there and then asks me to try it to see if we should add more of something. I have no idea!
4- TRANSPORTATION. Cars are not common here. Almost everyone takes public transportation, whether that be the buses, taxis, or subway system. Some also walk. This may not seem that different. However, it becomes more complicated when it's time to bye groceries. The question that pops into my head is how we are going to transport goods.
5- CLASSES. In my classes, I might expect the professor to be explicitly clear on instructions. However, I should expect that no longer. :) For instance, in one class I went to, the professor assigned us a bunch of readings from books, etc. It was a lot of material. In the U.S., the professor would probably say which pages to read for when, what book to read first, etc. However, this Chilean professor simply gave us the list of readings and told us to read them by the first quiz. We didn't even know which ones to start with. I end up having to ask classmates a lot of questions, and if I email a professor a question, he/she may or may not answer. This is much different than in the U.S.
6- PROFESSORS. Here, the professors are hired on a class to class basis. For instance, one of my professors may work at 3 different universities at the same time.
7- GRINGOS. Many North Americans call themselves Americans, implying that South Americans are not Americans also. To avoid this mistake, I prefer to use the name "gringos", which is what they call us. In some countries, this word carries a bad connotation. However, here it is said with affection.
8- APPEARANCES. A blonde-haired and blue-eyed person would definitely stand out here. In fact, one can even tell gringos apart by the clothes they wear and the mode of behavior they use. For instance, to wear clothes with writing on them is not very normal here. Therefore, I tried not to bring many clothes with writing. Anyway, it has been interesting to see and hear people's reactions upon seeing me. One kid at an orphanage told me I looked like a Martian. Another kid asked if I go to the same hair salon as another person. I think this second child had seen someone else with the same color of hair, and upon seeing me, thought we probably went to the same hair salon. -haha This aspect has been kind of fun. :)
9- BAKING. For my hostmom's birthday, I was going to make her a food from the U.S. I had a hard time finding the ingredients that I wanted. I am also not a very good cook. Anyway, I ended up making Rice Krispie Bars, or something like that. I went to a grocery store to find marshmallows. The only ones there were, were for kids and were marshmallow twists of different colors and I assume different flavors. However, in the second grocery store, I found white marshmallows. They weren't the exact same but close enough. I looked for Rice Krispies. When I couldn't find any, I bought Corn Flakes. I also bought butter. Upon returning to the house again, I thought I was finally ready to make Rice Krispie bars for my hostmom. Little did I know, they did not have a mixing bowl. Baking here is not very common. I ended up using a cooking pot to mix things. However, I wondered how I could melt the marshmallows. I had to divide the recipe quantities into smaller proportions and use a cereal bowl for each part. It was interesting. They turned out, and my hostmom really liked them. I did too; however, they did not taste the exact same.
10- SICK. I got sick on two different occasions while I was here. (I feel great now.) It was interesting to see the differences in caring for the sick. For instance, to help sore throats, my hostmom ordered not to leave the house without covering up the neck, as if that gets cold, the sore throat would worsen. Also, she wanted me to drink tea with lemon and honey. Such mixtures were interesting, especially because in the U.S. we have different remedies. Furthermore, in the U.S., we tend to stay away from people that are sick. To the contrast, my hostmom had 2 friends over when I did not feel well. They both came in my room to greet me, which included the common kiss on the cheek. Furthermore, on a different day, although I was already feeling better and had returned to school, two friends came to visit me. One of them skipped school to do so, even though she knew I already felt better.
11- TIME. The concept of time and punctuality can be frustrating for gringos, as it is much more relaxed. People frequently show up late. In fact, times are seen as more fluid. If somebody is running late, they are still probably going to walk slowly to where they are going, without feeling very bad and maybe not even apologizing. For instance, a Church service goes from 12-2. At 12, the Church is pretty empty. But at 12:30, it may be almost packed. On two occasions for other activities, I have waited over an hour to meet somebody. I should always bring a book or something to do. In fact, professors can and often do arrive late to class, and the students do not complain or say anything about it. Somebody even told me that it is tradition to arrive late to your own wedding (I don't remember if this is the guy or the girl or both). Although this may be seen as irresponsible, for them times are much more fluid. They aren't so concerned. In fact, my hostmom and host brother might invite me to do something tomorrow. I frequently respond with the question, "At what time?" They usually do not know or at least have to put forth a stronger effort to figure that out. In my eyes, it is hard to plan without knowing the times. One time, my host brother asked me what time it was. I said something like, "10:12". He later told me that when he asks for the time, I do not have to say the exact time, that I only have to give him an estimate. As you can probably imagine, planning is done much more fluidly as well. Somebody can invite another person to do something tomorrow and then not follow through on it. I do not want to give a bad impression. Not all Chileans do this. However, it is common. But one must also remember it is done within a different culture and its norms.
12- MANNERS. Regarding manners, this is especially interesting to me. When I am at somebody's house and we just finished eating, I have been taught to help clear the table. However, when I have tried to do that here, it is almost seen as an offense. The host has that job. I still usually offer but usually get declined. However, to me, it would be less awkward if we just do it together. As for masculine manners, well, let's say they treat the ladies in a special way. If I am walking with my host brother for instance, I must enter the elevator first. I also exit the elevator first. He opens doors for me. I walk in front of him, unless we are going down stairs. I did not understand this. A friend had to explain it to me, when he saw me go down stairs before him...The guy is supposed to go down first, because the lady can fall, and if she does, he is supposed to catch her. Furthermore, if a guy and a girl are walking on the sidewalk, the guy is supposed to walk on the side closest to the street. Sometimes when my host brother and I were walking, I got confused when he would slow down, dropping a pace behind me, to switch sides. This was because the road and cars were now on the other side. The guy is always supposed to protect the girl from the current danger. This does not just happen in between couples. Friends do it as well as brothers and sons.
13- LANGUAGE. Although this topic is not completely cultural, I wanted to include it. Since I have spoken so much Spanish here (which is what I wanted all along), I sometimes have problems switching back to English. Sometimes I know how to say something in Spanish and then have to think extra hard to remember how to say it or to translate it into English. I am not afraid of ever forgetting English; however, I think it's a good sign that Spanish has become much more natural.
14- MICRO. The micro is a public transportation bus that follows a specific route. I can get on the bus and sit down. When all the seats are full, I would assume people would stop entering the bus. However, the bus driver wants more money and therefore tries to fit more people on the bus. Therefore, it sometimes makes for a packed bus. I found it quite funny at the beginning because I was so surprised the bus driver still didn't consider it to be full. There have been many times where I rode it standing up. But, one has to be especially careful of belongings when people are so close and touching. Anyway, other times, when the micros are less full, people come on trying to sell things like: cards, band-aids, candy, etc. Sometimes, performers come on, sit down in a seat, and sing or play an instrument. Afterward they will probably walk down the aisle asking for money. That is very common here. Frequently I see beggars and street performers who ask for money. The street performers may wait at the stoplights and when it is red and cars have to wait, they may juggle, throw fire, throw people, etc., and afterward walk between the cars asking for money. Although it is not common in the United States and the idea may not seem very attractive, these people are good at what they do. It is indeed interesting for me to briefly watch as I am walking past.
15- APPLIANCES. Finally, my last point might not be completely cultural either. However, I think it is worth mentioning to give an idea of day to day life. First of all, before we shower, the hot water heater must be lit. Also, I have to remember to extinguish the fire afterward. This also means that when I go to the bathroom and then wash my hands, I do so with very cold water. It has been colder lately (as the seasons are opposite and therefore it is winter here), but people do not have central heating nor wood-stoves. They wear more layers of clothing and eat different foods. My hostmom asked me what foods we eat in the winter. I thought the question was confusing, because I eat the same types of things in the winter that I do in the summer. She was surprised. However, from their opinion, in the winter, we dress warm to go outside but then enter a house to warmth and can immediately shed our extra layers of clothing. However, here the overall temperature does not get as low as there. But, I did hear of one of the gringas that was here at the same time as me, how she was complaining that she could see her breath in her room. That is an extreme case. In my room specifically, I have a little movable heater that I can plug in and turn on for a little while and then stop it before going to bed. Also, the ovens and stoves are not automatic. If I want toast for breakfast, for instance, I have to light the stove with a match, then toast my bread over a griddle type thing, flipping it over after a while, and then turn the fire off. Another thing is that almost all cars here are manual, not automatic. I was talking with a lady a couple days ago, who is the mother of some of my friends. She said she had ridden in an automatic car once in her life and felt as if nobody was driving, that the car was just going by itself. Another difference is that dryers are rare here. Therefore, some gringos have had problems with their clothes being too big on them, since they no longer shrink like they usually do when dried in the U.S. Also, without a dryer, one must always hang clothes up to dry. My host family lives in an apartment way up high, so that is hard to do. Furthermore, since it is winter, and the temperature outside is comparable to the temperature inside, clothes take an extra long time to dry. Although some of these things may seem like inconveniences, it is good to learn how others live.

In conclusion, much of the reason that I chose to go to a Latin American country instead of Spain was to see cultural differences. I have definitely done that. I have great respect for this culture; I do not think that any culture is perfect. I think that there are positive and negative aspects of every culture. I hope you found the differences I listed above interesting. And amidst me seeing such a different culture, God has protected me and answered many prayers. Praise be to Him! And thanks to everyone who has supported me in one way or another along the way.

4 Years Later

After four years of not seeing my good friend, we met up again. However, we did not meet in his home country nor mine.
My high school friend that was an exchange student himself came from Germany. Now he was in Argentina, while I was in Chile.
This weekend we saw each other again. And it was so great to laugh and remember old times. Truthfully, I think I forgot how funny he is and how much we laugh together.
One day, I gave him a tour of Valparaiso. The next day was of Vina del Mar. The final day was of Renaca and ConCon. However, in between activities he met my host family and some of my friends here. We had good conversations and an overall great time together.








Okay, one thing that I wanted to add was how Jannes and I have joked for years about being on the Amazing Race. When he was in the U.S., him and I watched a season of the Amazing Race. Anyway, this weekend with him reminded me of that. First of all, we were not in his country, nor mine. We were more or less in unfamiliar territory. We had to take taxis, buses, etc. We had to speak a language that is not native to either of us. We were lost at times. haha (I am not very good with a sense of direction.) Finally, the morning he had to leave, we were a bit late. Therefore, we were running to the bus terminal at the break of dawn. He had a big backpack on, and I was carrying the smaller one. It was funny, because it reminded us of when the teams on the Amazing Race head off early in the morning. They usually start running in the dark kind of like that. Haha Just a fun memory/thought that I wanted to record. :)

Chiloe

Last weekend a good friend and I traveled to Chiloe, which is in the south of Chile. He is originally from there. I saw a different style of life on this rural island to that which I live here in the high-populated city-life. In order to arrive to this island, we took 4 buses, 1 airplane, and 1 ferry. It was quite the adventure. We stayed in Castro, but my friend showed me some places around Castro as well, such as Chonchi, Rilan, Dalcahue, San Juan, Tenaun, and Quemchi. Most of these towns are much less-populated, which is more like what I am used to. However, this trip was also filled with cultural differences. We visited some of his friends, saw old and well-known churches, and went for rides in the Jeep. This island is known to receive a ton of rain. However, the weather was pretty good when we were there. It is definitely colder on this island, but I dressed warmly. In fact, I used socks and a scarf made of lamb wool. I especially enjoyed getting to know my friend's family and the area in which he grew up. Something I thought was really interesting was how we got off a plane outside, without a tunnel connected to the plane. It reminded me of how the President, for example, can exit a plane outside and wave at people.~haha During our trip, we took a lot of pictures. I especially liked the looks of these 2 things: 1) los palafitos (houses on stilts in the water, which made for neat reflections) and 2) the Andes mountains with snow on top and clouds in view from the airplane. Here are some pictures from the trip:

2 Despedidas (2 Good-byes)

Hello everyone. As my time is winding down here, I have been extra busy. I would like to explain two good-bye parties that I had/went to.

The first one was the ISA good-bye party, which is the exchange program that I have gone through. We went to an elegant place, where the ISA workers (7 or so) and the United States students (60 or so) ate and conversed.













The second one was a surprise party for me. Although I had suspicions, it was very special for me. It was a formal party, in which a bunch of many friends from the Church dressed up, prepared an elegant meal, and shared the evening with me. We talked, laughed, danced, sang, some people gave speeches, etc. It was a very nice evening.





I want to post two or three more blogs in the near future. Therefore, this one is especially short. However, I wanted to give this update, as well as include some photos. Until soon! :)

3 Weekends in a Row

Okie-dokie...This blog is going to talk about the last three weekends.
Three weekends ago, I went on an ISA excursion. We went to Pomaire, which is a typical Chilean town. It has a lot of artisan clay pottery. This same day we also went to Isla Negra, where we saw the third house of the famous poet Pablo Neruda. He collected many neat things that are normally found on ships. One notable thing was his collection of ships in bottles. By the way, I still do not know how they make those. :)
When I got back that Saturday night, I went to a missions group barbecue. I am in an intercultural missions group at the Church.


Last weekend I went to Santiago to visit a friend that I met in high school when she was a foreign exchange student. It had been four years since I had seen her last. I never thought I would end up coming to her home country. Now that I was here, we connected again. I took a bus into the capital and then rode the metro within the capital, because the population of Santiago is about 7 million. Anyway, while with her, we discussed cultural differences. It was really interesting because not many people have lived here and also been to where I grew up. Therefore, it was fun to discuss the differences and rehash old times. I met some of her friends. We went to a sporting mall, where they have sports to do as well as sporting merchandise to buy. I participated in a ropes course in the air. I was nervous, but it was fun, and I am glad I did it.
As for this weekend, what did I do...? Hold on a minute while I think...haha. Friday night I went to the youth group/worship service. A classmate of mine came with me for the second time. A small group of us went out for natural juice afterward. Then, Saturday was somewhat of a relaxing and catch-up-on-sleep and homework day, which was due. On Sunday I went to Church and afterward went for a 7-hour stroll with some friends. There were 5 of us...1 Brazilian, 3 Chilenos, and I. We took a car and visited ConCon, Renaca, Vina del Mar, and Valparaiso to show the Brazilian the scenery and attractions. It was great. Most of the places I had already been to, but it was good to reorient myself, because the first time I went, I was so new to the area and simply following the leaders. Anyway, we had a great time. We ate empanadas, which is kind of like an enclosed taco...but way better...haha. It is probably one of my favorite foods here. The first one I ordered had chicken and cheese on the inside. They encouraged me to try something different. So I ate a seafood empanada, as well as trying some other types. I at least tried crab, clam, oyster, and shrimp!!! Woohoo! And I liked it. Haha. They ended the tour in a little cafe up in a hill in Valparaiso. It is very unique. The inside walls are plastered with pictures and little momentos that past customers have left. Our waiter came out with a stocking cap on, which was probably the first time in my life that I had seen that. Also, a lady started playing guitar and singing a few songs for money in the inside of this tiny cafe. I learned a lot, had a great time, and was so fortunate these friends invited me for the day. :) We laughed a lot and took a lot of pictures, including some night-shots of Valparaiso.

Numerous Activities

This last week has been so busy. About a week or two ago, I had two big tests and handed in about a 13-page paper. The test that I took in one of my classes will count for 50 percent of my final grade. After having completed so much of those class demands, this week was more relaxing. It helped that Thursday was a holiday. Anyway, I am going to discuss of few things that I have done lately.

Okay, last weekend was the birthday party of my host brother, Felipe. A bunch of his friends came over (about 20-25) and we ate and talked. Here is a picture of him and I after the majority of the guests left.

My host brother and I are also in a program called Huellas. It is basically like a big-brother, big-sister program. We are a big-brother, big-sister to a little girl. Here is a picture of her and I when she came with the other kids from the orphanage to the Church. Last weekend we also visited the orphanage to spend time with the kids.




Okay, moving on, this week has been so busy. Monday night a friend and I went out for supper. Tuesday after class, a classmate and I went for a walk along the coast to see the seals. Before coming to Chile I had never seen seals. They are very amusing to me. I took a bunch of photos and filmed them as well. The thing most interesting to me was the following: in the picture are a bunch of seals laying on that cement thing out in the water. They barked some and moved a little bit. I wondered how they got up on that thing since it is about 4 feet out of the water. Suddenly, we saw a seal playing and jumping in the water. It then jumped up on the side of that cement slab and wiggled its way up and waddled the length of the cement to be by the other seals. It was awesome. I screamed!-haha. :) I also noticed star fish on the sides of the cement slab, which cannot be seen in this picture. Moving on, Tuesday night, two friends and I started a Bible study. Wednesday afternoon 4 of us went for a walk around the city. We saw the sunset and took some pictures. It was gorgeous! God's creation is amazing. He made the sunset, and I simply snapped the photo of it. I am including one picture I took of the sunset and also one picture that a friend took of Felipe and I in front of it. Then, that night I went to another city about 30 minutes away with some friends to a birthday party. It was fun. I am including a picture of us there.

Then, Thursday I got a call from a friend asking me to go for a bike ride. I was excited. I hadn't done that yet in Chile. I borrowed my host siblings' bike and headed off. I thought we were going to be gone a short while...not so much. We were gone many hours. We rode bike from Vina del Mar, to Renaca, and then part way to Concon (and back again). Almost all of this was along the ocean. It was gorgeous!


Then, on Friday morning, I went surfing.....yes, SURFING!!! A friend from the Church invited me to go. He is a surfing instructor. Anyway, surfing is tough. I have gone water-skiing before. In my opinion, that is a lot easier because the boat does a lot of the work. Yes, the skier has to wait in a ready position with the skis facing the right direction and then has to balance to get up. However, from there I think that one mostly has to stand with knees bent as the boat pulls him/her along. However, to give you an idea about surfing...okay first of all, one must be a sufficient distance from shore. My instructor explained to me that it is important to read the waves, to see whether it is a good one.


Anyway, after that is decided, I had to lay on my board, balancing in the middle...not too far to the right or left, neither to the front or back, or it would tip over (as it did many times). Then, I was supposed to start swimming, as I was balanced on this board. Imagine...staying balanced on this board while swimming without hanging onto the board..haha. Okay, anyway, after about 3 meters of swimming, the wave should reach me. If I have enough velocity and the wave is big enough, I should be pushed out in front of it. Then, after scanning to my left and right to make sure that I am in front of it, it is now time to pop up. That was probably the hardest part: to go from a laying position to standing up in one smooth motion without tipping the board. I fell numerous times. Pablo, my instructor, sometimes was behind me and gave me a push to increase my velocity before the wave even got to me. One time when I actually got up, I was so excited that I started screaming. I then fell. Haha. Also, after each fall, I needed to swim back out further (countering waves in the meantime) to a location from where I could start again. This is not the easiest either because the waves push you back towards the shore. Also, doing this with a board is especially tough. It should be easier to swim on the board against the waves, but I kept wanting to drag the board or push it, because swimming and balancing while on the board was very difficult for me (especially as waves kept crashing over me or pushing against me). Haha. :) I am probably making this sound like a soap opera. But I really just want to explain what surfing entails. As with many things, it is way harder than it looks. (Even though where I was learning was in a place with smaller waves and shallower water.) Anyway, it was really fun, and I am really sore today. But, I feel that it was worth it. Two other quick comments...since it is the ocean, it is salt water. Secondly, the ocean is so cold here, because we are so far south. In fact, a current comes up from Antarctica. Since the water is so cold here, sharks aren't really a concern like they are in many other surfing locations. I actually don't think I could have done this without a wetsuit, which kept me pretty warm. I also had a hat most of the time. The only cold parts were my hands and feet. However, after getting out of the water and out of my wet suit(s), I put on like 3 layers.

Then, I had a class on Friday night. Afterward, I went to a friend's house to have a pajama party. There were 3 of us in total: 2 Chilean friends and I. My friends and I made Gringa pizza with some ingredients from the U.S., and we watched some movies. We also played UNO (they play it somewhat differently). :)
Finally, today (Sunday), I went to Church and afterward went to a surprise birthday party in a city about 40 minutes from here. It was fun. We ate, talked, and did karaoke.
In conclusion, I feel very blessed to have so many opportunities to spend time with Chileans.