At last- I've arrived in my home for the next 5 months!
I can't seem to sleep for whatever absurd reason, so I figured I would blog about my new living situation for a bit.
We moved in with our host families on Saturday around noon, after a night of adventure and amusement at our lack of dancing skills at a really cool salsa club called Maestra Vida in Bellavista.
While I really love our group, I'm glad we moved in when we did- sometimes too much time together can be a bad thing. I was drained from orientation more than I realized and its been so much easier to recuperate from my cold,etc. in a house, especially since my room has a heater AND 6 blankets! I was really needing some time alone and starting to long to explore things by myself, which has always been my first preference, especially when it comes to interfacing with cities.
I love my host family!- in general we seem really well matched. They've been so generous towards me so far with everything- heat, coffee/tea, food, laundry. The best way I can describe them is very easy going and warm-hearted.
Margarita, my host mother, was raised in Argentine and is a painter. She's been married to my host father, Arturo, for over 30 years since she was very young.
By appearances, they are opposites- Arturo is remarkably skinny, almost fading away while Margarita gives the impression of being very hearty and permanent. Yet their chemistry as a couple is incredibly palpable- in fact, the only other people I've come across recently who exude that kind of energy have been, well, my actual parents. They have a certain joie d'vivre and ageless which is refreshing and intriguing. Gosh I love people.
Their two sons are also currently living at home. The older son, Rodrigo, is married, but has moved back home to start a business while his wife finishes school in Spain. The younger son, Gonzalo, lives in a separate half of the house with his wife Cynthia, and their two beautiful children. Francisco, aka Coco, aka Palomita (because he makes pigeon noises- pigeon=palomita) is 2 and doesn't talk yet, although he frequently lets out vociferous cries and gets into literally everything that isn't bolted down.
Martina is 3 and is so fun. She's like a little actress already- she dances, and she loves to monologue while watching movies. Today, she was watching Peter Pan (dubbed in Spanish), and she knew everyone's lines and copied their postures from the screen. Kids are so fascinating. Playing with her is good for my language too- even though she doesn't speak actual Spanish a lot of the time, I can ask her questions about the words for things, which is good for her mental development as well as my vocabulary! I'm a little worried though that my less than grammatically correct spanish is going to negatively affect her development, but there are so many other people in the house that she'll barely be hearing my voice at all. Lastly, Blas (not Max), is mainly Arturo's dog from what I can tell, who lives outside the house. He's a fat little beagle- super cute!
I'm overjoyed we don't have a maid. It just would have made me extremely uncomfortable. In generally, my family is definitely upper middle class, but not in a way that is ostentatious in the slightest, unlike so much of the wealth in Chile. Their home is comfortable, inviting, simple and elegant.
I'm also kind of obsessed by my room: it's spacious, warm and has an absolutely magnificent view of the cordillera. Today, it was amazingly clear since it had just rained and AHHHHHH it was gorgeous. I don't know how I'll be able to live without the drama of mountains after this: the other end of the horizon just looks so mundane in comparison.
Like I've mentioned before, Chile isn't so much of a culture shock as it as a reminder of what a nuanced thing culture is. My host parents speak English and half the TV programs are in English with Spanish subtitles so sometimes its easy to forget where I am. But then there are so many little things, such as:
-Does my host mother think I'm rude because I've been consciously trying not to eat a lot and sometimes politely refusing extra food? (Somehow, despite the starchy/meat diet, I think I've lost weight and would love it if it stayed that way)
-Figuring out which forms of address are appropriate and remembering how to conjugate them.(Tú, until I figure out this vos deal properly)Not to mention just trying to remember how to talk.
-Remembering to kiss people upon entering a room, if you haven't seen them for a while or when they enter.
-Quiet times- I'm never sure if things are pleasant or awkward silences, until you get to know people better.
-Using matches to light the stove (This has been challenging, given my lack of skill with fires whether in stick or lighter form)
-Getting used to the heat situation. I've been yabbering on a ton about it I know, but its almost more because its a state of mind than a comfort issue. I love the mentality Chileans have about certain things- on the whole, its not a quickest possible fix/let's throw some money at it and it will go away North American mindset. Problem solving seems way more holistic. Take my room for instance. Rather than having central heating, which would be expensive, inefficient and wasteful given the age of the house, I have a small heater, for when I need it, comforters to cover the windows and many blankets. The end result is similar, more ecologically friendly but certainly wasn't a one size fits all solution. Too bad my carbon foot print is climbing up due to my meat eating/plane flying though.
I know time has also been a big theme on this blog but I realized today how much time I've spent over the last 2 years especially trying to make sure my schedule is full all the time without really reflecting on what I've been doing. I've still been looking for opportunities to travel all the time, but I'm also excited to have a chance to start anew with my host family and the friends I hope to make. Because of where my life has been emotionally for a while, it's been difficult for me to focus extensively on my friendships and relationships. I'd really like for that to change this semester with people both near and far (geographically and otherwise).
Tomorrow, we're going to the national registration office and then I have the afternoon free to explore. I'm thinking I may hit up some artesanal markets or other cheap clothing stores. I have the perfect pretext to buy more clothes- I lost a bunch of things at the hostel and I packed lightly to start with...besides, everyone's wardrobe could use a little more alpaca...
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