As if India weren’t enough, I’ve embarked on my next journey. I’m currently sitting on my bed in the Las Condes comunidad in Santiago, Chile, tired after 20 hours of traveling, living on 2 hours of sleep, and exhausted from trying to speak Spanish all day to my host family.
I arrived this morning at 7 AM Santiago time (3 hours ahead of California), and arrived at my host family’s house around 9 AM. The Delta flight from Atlanta to Santiago, although a red eye, was actually quite enjoyable. I sat next to a young Chilean man, and we spoke in a mix of English and Spanish about our native countries. He told me some great places to go while I’m in Chile, told me about his favorite soccer team (Universidad Católica) and told me the best way to get from the airport to my host family’s house. Upon arriving in Santiago, I was immediately overtaken by the smell of smoke. Santiago lies in between two mountain ranges, has liberal laws restricting pollution, and it thus filled with smog. You could feel and smell it in the air as we got off the plane, and it overtook you. Luckily, the area near the airport has the worst of it, and my house is far from there, so the pollution won’t be as bad. However, it’s the worst city I’ve ever seen as far as smog goes, and even though we’re very close to the Andes, they are sometimes completely masked by smog.
For the next 10 weeks, I’ll be living with the Isarn’s, a family living in a fourth floor apartment in the upscale neighborhood of Las Condes , which lies at the base of the Cordillera de los Andes. I’m living with a host mom, Alejandra, who is in charge of sales at a local vineyard, her three children-Cristobal (18 years old), Felipe (15) and Catalina (13), and an 8 month old puppy, Nacho. Cristobal works as a volunteer firefighter at night, so he usually sleeps at the fire station, but comes over for most meals, and he studies Civil Engineering at a local university. I’m really glad I have a host brother my age, and Cristobal is great. He drove me to see where my classes will be, told me how to get there on the bus, and introduced me to some of his friends. He’s busy this weekend with fire fighting, but he’s going to show me the city next weekend, and I’ll get to see the fire station, meet more of his friends, and hopefully my Spanish will be decent enough by then so that I’ll be able to make some Chilean friends while I’m here. Not that I don’t love Stanford students, but I’m really hoping to spend a lot of time with native Chileans here, and to not confine myself to the Stanford bubble. I’m really excited that Cristobal is going to help me meet some Chileans, and I think he’s going to be a great friend while I’m in Chile. My other brother, Felipe, is a tennis player, and according to Alejandra is currently #2 in Chile for the under-16 age group. He travels all around South America playing in tournaments (he’s off to Mendoza, Argentina this next week to play in a tournament), and is completely obsessed with the game. He attends a special school that allows him to only go to class 2 hours a day, and he spends 8 hours a day playing tennis. Catalina is great, too. She’s been around the house a lot today, so I’ve been able to talk to her a lot, and she seems very happy to have an American brother. She’s been very helpful all day, and is always a great person to talk to. I’m really looking forward to spending a lot of time with my host family these next few months! Tomorrow, we’re off to the countryside to spend some time with the grandfather, which I’m really looking forward to.
I really wanted to come to Chile instead of another Spanish speaking country because of how hospitable I heard the Chileans were, and I’m so far loving how kind they are. My mother is always offering me food, Coca-Cola, and any help I need, Catalina is always there to talk to, and Cristobal has already introduced me to the city and to his friends. I’m really looking forward to meeting a lot more Chileans in these next few weeks, and not limiting myself to the Stanford bubble. I can’t wait to push myself out of my comfort zone and to make friends who don’t even speak my same language. I’m excited for the beautiful country I’ll get to explore these next few months, for the people I’ll meet, for the Spanish I’ll learn, and for another great journey! As for right now, I’m off to bed, a great but tiring day behind me, and a wonderful day tomorrow in the countryside to look forward to. ¡Hasta mañana!
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