School blog #2

A second school blog, based on the following prompt:

1. What did you assume before you left that you are not finding in your host-country,

host-culture and/or host family and friends? Why did you make those assumptions?

Chileans are always asking me this question. Marquito jokes that they live in the trees, here. Yes, but the get up by elevators, his mom adds. I have a hard time answering this question, too, mostly because I have a hard time remembering what it was that I expected. I certainly didn't expect that they lived in trees, but I think I expected a quality of life close to that of the casa de huespedes in El Salvador. A real house, maybe with a lot of open-air, and okay furniture. I think that's pretty much what we have here in Vina. I've been told that my apartment is nice and I believe it. The decorating style is much more muted than that in the USA, but I'm not missing any comforts.

I think I expected my host mom to be a little more conservative. I believe she is politically conservative, but not in all aspects of her life. She is a strong working woman and is very opinionated. I was slightly surprised that she's single, but that doesn't mean she doesn't date. She's a modern woman and very easy to get along with. I was definitely surprised that we have a woman who works for us. Many of my friends' families have nanas, too. I suppose I always considered someone who cooks and cleans for you a luxury, and maybe it is here, too, but it seems so much more normal.

I expected a little more machismo from the men. Luckily, I haven't had to deal with very much of it. Most of my Chilean friends are boys, and I've found them to be very polite and respectful, and even sensitive.

I expected the food to be a little more flavorful, more reminiscent of Mexican food, but it's not even close. There are a lot of fresh vegetables and we eat a lot of turkey, but all of it is prepared fairly simply. It's pretty easy on the stomach, and I cannot get enough of the veggies. They just seem tastier here!

One of the hardest things has been my expectations for the weather. For some reason, I thought it was going to be summer during my entire visit, but this is unfortunately not the case. Luckily, winter here isn't going to be that bad, and I don't have to write home for my puffy coat.