First Impressions

Te amo, Talca! I love my new city, and my family is pretty great, too, especially my host parents Jaqui and Coqui (yah-kee and coke-ee). 

On Sunday my family and I ate seafood soup for lunch.  Seafood soup, called "mariscos" in Chile, is a classic Chilean dish.  Meals in Chile are always accompanied by bread and coffee.  Coffee here is served so hot that I think my tongue will be perpetually burnt for the duration of my exchange... or life maybe.  Or, it could be that unlike coffee in the USA, it never mixed with milk or cream.  That being said, I would give anything for a latte from Starbucks, especially in this weather.

Chile is cold.  Very cold.  The buildings don't have heat, even houses and schools.  My abuela heats her house with a wood stove that looks like it could have been featured in Little House on the Prairie: the Movie.  My other exchange student friends from Germany, Massachussets, and Michigan make fun of me for my distaste for the cold, but this Floridian gringo is ready for summer in a few months.  Not to worry, I'm sure that I will complain more about the lack of AC.

Apart from "tengo frio", another frequently used phrase of mine in my limited vocabulary is "estoy cansado", or I'm tired.  Speaking Spanish all day, every day, is tiring.  I have to intently listen to catch as many words as I can, and then take my time to properly formulate a response.  All in all, the cognition is draining, but it is definitely paying off.  People are frequently surprised that a gringo speaks any Spanish, and are eager to help if they can.  Nonetheless, they still laugh at how slowly I speak (but so do I (-: ).

Yesterday was a full day.  In the morning, my host mom Jaqui and I went to the police station to complete my immigration paperwork. Chile is renowned for its incorruptible and honest "carabineros", or police officers.  Once we finished my paperwork at the police station, we had to go to the Registro Civil, which is a lot like the DMV in the US.  We waited, and waited, and waited some more for rude service.  Sound familiar?  At the Registro Civil we applied for my carnet, a form of ID that all Chileans must carry, even the children.  It took a few tries to explain to the woman behind the counter that yes, I only have one last name, unlike the two, or three, or four or more that many Chileans have.  As far as Latin stereotypes go, the use of multiple names is one that I can definitely affirm.  For example, my host father's name is Edinson Esteban Antonio Mendez Arenas, but he goes by Coqui.  I have no idea why.

During my short time in Chile, I have spent a lot of time at my Abuela's house.  I like it there not only because its warm from the wood stove, but also because its full of people.  In Chile, I have a really big family eager to help me with my Spanish and introduce me to the Chilean culture.  My host cousin, Sebastian, lives there with Abuela, his mom, Carmen Gloria, and his sister, Javi.  Seba and I went together to eat completos, a popular Chilean fast food.  A completo is a hot dog on a freshly baked bun with ketchup, mustard, sauerkraut, palta (avocado), and abundant homemade mayonnaise.  Chileans love mayo.  I look forward to spending more time there.  In fact, Jaqui told me that I will eat lunch at Abuela's house every day during school because its closer and she works during lunch.  Que divertido!

Tomorrow, I will start school. Also, I have a new phone number so the best way to reach me is on facebook .  Thank you for reading!
Chao,
Max


Side note: Most Chilean toilets are low-flush toilets and don't really spin, but those that do spin go counter clockwise.  Regardless, you can't flush toilet paper.  The more you know!