Chile

It’s amazing to think that I have already spent twenty days in Chile. I’ve explored some beautiful places, tasted more wines than I can count on my hands, and eaten many of the rich foods Chile has to offer. I’ve had very limited access to wifi throughout my time in Vilches and Curepto, but now that I am in Santiago I will do a better job of sharing my experiences with you all.

Vilches

My first eight days in Chile were spent at an antique, Catholic mission center in Vilches Alto with twenty-three other students. Each day was spent taking classes of Chilean culture and the language, eating different Chilean foods, and relaxing at a beautiful river close by. In Vilches, I was able to get to know the other students better and continue to improve my Spanish. One day, we hiked a mountain in Reserva Nacional Altos de Lircay. A little bit half way through the hike, we took a break to relax and view the surrounding mountains. After about five minutes of sitting, the earth started trembling below me for the first time- an earthquake! After the hike, I found out it wasn’t actually an earthquake, but the aftershock of an earthquake that had hit Japan. Nonetheless, knowing that the ground was shaking in Chile as a result of something that had happened on the other side of the earth was astounding.

Curepto: My Family.

Curepto is a farming town in the Chilean Province of Talca, in the VII Region of Chile. I was excited arrive in Curepto because I felt ready to live with a family in order to better understand the language in a normal, family environment.

My host dad, Sergio, was constantly working because he runs his own construction company in the town, so I really didn’t see him that often during my time in Curepto. He was kind and had a big heart for his family and the people in the town, and was very quiet.

My host mom, Lucy, is hardworking. In the mornings when I would wake up, she would be cooking and cleaning. She constantly wanted me to try the food and often at lunchtime would serve me two different meals, which I never could finish. On top of eating two meals, she would then cut a melon and serve one half of it to me. I had to tell her multiple times that I don’t have a strong, Chilean stomach like she and the rest of the family have. Onces is my favorite meal. It is a smaller dinner and usually consists of bread, meat and avocado (which is one of my favorite foods!). The first day she served it to me, I put so much avocado on the bread that she kept joking she was going to serve me avocado with every meal. Thankfully she did not, but had she, I would have eaten it. My host mom has a heart of gold. Every day, she would take care of her three granddaughters: Connie, Josefina and Agostina. It was beautiful to watch the way she interacted with them and to see the way the girls would reciprocate her love with smiles and hugs. When I think about my understanding of family in a Latin American context prior to my journey in Chile, Lucy very much fits my understanding of a Latin American woman and mother. I am glad I was able to see the way she serves her family and her community at the church.

My host brother, Nico, is twenty-three. I’m really thankful I had him as a brother, because we did some pretty cool things together in Curepto. One day, we went on a forty-kilometer bike ride, another day hiked to some waterfalls, and he even invited me to the Asados (Chilean barbeque) he and his friends had together. At first, I was nervous to meet his friends because I was afraid they would speak too quickly or not want to talk to me because I am equivalent to a child when it comes to speaking Castellano. Contrary to my thoughts, they warmly welcomed me into the group and began to teach me all of the bad Chilean words they knew in exchange for the bad English words I knew. By the end of the week, my friends had taught me Modismos Chilenos, shared their favorite reggaeton songs with me and taught me how to dance the Cumbia. I miss my friends from Curepto.

With my family in Curepto, there was constant activity in the house. Whether it was my brother cracking jokes at me, my ‘mom’ playing with her beautiful granddaughters, friends and family visiting at night just to chat, or the quick pace television on in the background, something was always happening. What I loved about my family is that they invited me into their home with the intention to share their daily lives with me. They didn’t clean the house up or make it look fancier like my family does in the United States when we have a guest.

The Land Where the Earth Ends.

Chile is the Aymaran word for “The land where the Earth ends.” Chile is a country in South America that occupies a long, narrow strip of land between the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. I first fell in love with Chile while learning about it in one of my Spanish classes during my freshman year at Marquette. Geographically, Chile is incredibly diverse with the Atacama Desert in the North, Andes Mountains on the east side, ocean on the west side, glaciers to the south, along with volcanoes, islands, lakes, fjords, canals, and twisting peninsulas. Does that not sound incredible?

Almost a year ago, I had the crazy idea that I wanted to study abroad in Chile for the entire year. At first, my reasoning was not thought out very much if at all, but how can any idea in the first stage of development truly be planned? The reality is that it cannot, [if you disagree because you know someone capable of casting a vision or idea and having every little bit worked out immediately, please let me know so that I can be taught of their magical ways]. When I first started sharing this idea with close friends and family, everyone thought it was just another one of my out of this world; you don’t have the means to do this, idea. Not to forget, my parents were completely against it in the beginning. It’s amazing how mindsets and hearts can change.

In February, I will be moving to Santiago, Chile, for ten months and I am so, so excited. There are many different reasons as to why I am going and I would like to share those

I am excited to learn more about how Spanish-speaking people communicate, and how that compares to communication in the United States. I have lived in the United States for my entire life and am very much a part of this individual-focused, or ‘cold climate’, culture and I want to experience the group-focused, or ‘hot climate’ culture, which are apparent in Spanish speaking countries. I want to learn about the ‘hot climate’ culture of Chile and be able bring what I learn back with me to the United States and implement some of those things into my daily life. I also want to learn about the tiny idiosyncrasies within Chilean culture that I will hopefully experience at the home I stay at, at my school, and throughout Santiago and the rest of Chile that I am able to see.

Another reason I am going to go to Chile is because I want to continue to further my Spanish-speaking abilities. Spanish has always been among my favorite classes and when I go to Chile, all of my classes will be in Spanish. Now, I understand that having a ton of Spanish classes does not mean that all of my classes will feel like a family, as a matter of fact it is likely that none of them will be the same as the classes I have had here. Continuing to learn a language in a country that’s primary language is Spanish is going to be hard, and humbling, but incredibly satisfying. I am in love with the Spanish language because it is an emotional, poetic language and because my level of proficiency is that of a seven or eight year old, there will always be a new word or expression for me to learn.

College has been difficult for me in the sense that I am in this constant interim between my life at school and my life at home. This interim, at times, is difficult to handle. There are days that I love to be independent, and there are other days that I am reaching out and grasping for any part of my childhood that still exists. I will be permanently living in Chile for ten months and will not come home during any of the breaks. I think being away for ten months will be a challenge, but a great experience for me to grow and learn about my potential as an adult. I am young, but I am no longer a child and I need to keep moving forward in the sense that I will not live under my parent’s roof forever. With that being said, I know that they will love me forever. The ten months I am gone, I am going to miss them terribly.

I am notorious for having crazy ideas and dreams, but eleven months has gone by and one of my crazy-if not the craziest- ideas is becoming a reality. I’ve taken a lot of time to discern whether or not this trip is something God is willing for my life and also to define and discern ‘God’s calling’.

Last semester, I spent so much time waiting, praying to God for his will to be done rather than doing anything. Over the last year, I have learned that most days God isn’t going to call us to do specific things, and I must admit I became lazy and unfaithful during those times I was ‘waiting for God to answer me’. I am learning that sometimes you pick a road you want to go down and you sell yourself out to God on that road and the way that you walk on that road is going to determine whether or not it is God’s road. I’m learning that sometimes God is pleased that we come to Him with our crazy ideas-even crazier, sometimes He says yes!

In February, I will journey to the land where the Earth ends and I will share my life with an entirely different group of people, and maybe even share some of my crazy ideas with them-who knows what that will ignite! As I count down the months I have left at school and at home, I am finding it harder to begin say goodbye, but easier to embrace this new, unfamiliar home. God has [so far] made it clear that I am to go, and so I will go.

-cj.