The last week is turing out to be bittersweet. I'm sad to leave this country I've fallen in love with, but I miss home so much. The difference between cultures is really starting to hit me now. When I first arrived it wasn't so much a shock, I adapted very quickly. Now I wonder what it'll be like going back home.
Here I have little to no responsibility. I have to take care of myself when I leave the house and I have my school work. At home I do very little to help out, not because I'm unwilling but simply because they don't want me to. I tried to do the dishes when we made Thanksgiving dinner. Our host mom basically shoved us out of the kitchen. When I first arrived I came into my room and everything had it's own place. The bed was made and later I found out that they make the bed when I leave. I came home and it seemed like a miracle. I then started to make my bed, but then I'd find it re-made when I came home. So I sort of gave up on the bed making. It's one of the main cultural differences. The women here are so maternal, they need to take care of all the children. I have only cooked once since I've been here and our host mom kept coming into the kitchen making sure we know what we're doing. They can be rather invasive here.
On the subject of food, the meal system here is a lot different too. Everyday at 2 and 7-7:30 we eat. We eat a large lunch and then a smaller dinner. The family also always eats together. My host mom drinks tea as if it's going out of style. She tells us that's how she gets her water intake, her 10 daily cups of tea. Since I've been here I've eaten a lot of seafood, but no meat! They have a lot of it too. They have a plate called Crudo and it's a slice of white bread with raw meat on top. You cover it with mayonnaise, lemon juice and green onions. I have a friend who is in love with it and know others who won't go near it. They also have what's called a completo. It's a hot dog with EVERYTHING on it. The ingredient list includes, tomatoes, onions, avocado, mayonnaise and ají. El Ají is basically a hot sauce, that I LOVE. There's another dish called Chorrillano and this is probably the most appealing to me. It is a pile of french fries covered in every type of meat imaginable, cheese and an egg or two. You end up topping it with ketchup, ají, mayonnaise or mustard. Those are the favorite condiments in restaurants. Some other favorite foods are empanadas and alfajores. They're both delicious and I can't wait to make them for my friends and family when I get home! Also when you go out to eat they look at you weird if you just want water. They all drink pop, fanta and coke are the favorites or they drink alcohol. You can find a pisco sour any time of day, that's their national drink.
This reminds me of the other part of the restaurant atmosphere. Chileans smoke more than any other country in South America. They can smoke any where they want too. There are a few places they can't, where children eat, but that's about it. It's probably the one thing I will not miss about Chile.
One thing I've learned since being here is to enjoy the time that I have. In the US we always want to be busy or moving. If we're bored it's the end of the world. I'm going to take this concept back to the US. I've had little to no stress since I've been here. I feel so much healthier with such a little thing.
The main thing that has really made an impression on me is how proud chilean people are. Throughout their history they have been devastated time and time again with earthquakes and/or economic or political crisis. Even though they sometimes have little to be proud of they never lose faith (a good case of this are the Chilean Miners). Also, they have this yearly event called the Teleton which is nationwide event that helps raise money for a different charity each year. Many chileans go to the bank to donate money each year. This is something they should really be proud of and they are. The US could easily do this, but we choose not to. It's obvious we could learn a thing or two from these people in the south.
I love you Chile! Viva Chile! :)
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