In Case You Missed It

Ok its no secret, I’ve been a little floja (lazy) when it comes to the whole blogging thing lately. Its not that I don’t want you guys to know what’s going on but life here has settled down quite a bit. The things that I would write about al principio (at first) are no longer a big deal. So its hard for me to a) see a point in writing about ordinary life b) find the motivation/time to write and c) muster up the snarkiness required to make anything that I write entertaining. So there you have it, my formal apology for being a study abroad bum.

So lets catch up on some more interesting highlights of my life in the past few weeks.

Santiago:

Ok so I wrote about the ramadas at Fiestas Patrias but I didn’t tell the whole story. I also went to Santiago with my Chilean family so we could visit my host sister Milenka, her husband Marco, and their daughter Maisa. We stayed for 3 days in what I called “Spanish Land” because I only spoke in Spanish for 3 whole days. It was both exhausting and rewarding. I also discovered in “Spanish Land” that my Spanish vastly improves after drinking a terremoto. Who would have thought? 

Anyways, the big story from Santiago? A unique run in with one of the nicest men I have ever met:

So I’m at the rodeo. (where the cowboys don’t use lassos to stop their bull, they instead run the chest of their horse into the bull and run it into a wall. From what I saw the goal is to have the bull off the ground, completely stopped between your horse and the wall of the arena. Lets just say the PETA people would have had a field day at this event)

This poor little guy's face is clearly crying out for help

So I’m at the more violent than necessary rodeo, looking at the stalls where they sell souvenirs.  I finally spot the item I want. It has been a long search but my journey has finally come to an end. “Cuanto cuesta?” (how much does this cost?)  “mil quienientos” (the equivalent to 3 US dollars) “ok” and I start to walk away. “de donde eres?” (where are you from?) “Los Estados Unidos, obvio ” (The United States, obviously, pointing at my blond hair). And so the conversation continues. He aske me about my studies, how long I’m going to be here. I say that I’m super sad to leave so he reaches down and grabs a keychain off of the table and says “un regalito” meaning, a little gift for you. “en serio?” (seriously?!) and he tells me yes, of course, so you can remember your first Chilean rodeo and your time in Santiago. I give him a big time thank you and mentally decide to buy the trinket that isn’t actually worth mil quinientos just because this man is so stinking sweet. But it doesn’t stop there folks. By the end of this interaction I have a glass of chicha from the land of Pablo Neruda, a sombrero which has been slapped on my head, and a mata, a Chilean cowboy poncho on one shoulder. My mom is taking pictures. I am the only gringa in the entire place (as usual). People are beginning to stare.

And this my friends, is the result: 

Yes, I look absolutely ridiculous. But yes, I am enjoying it oh so much

The rest of my time there was pretty standard. A lot of being lost in conversation because all 5 people would be talking in warp speed at the dinner table. A lot of attempting and failing to communicate very basic ideas. And a lot of learning about Chilean conversations work. Overall I would call this day a success. 

And here's some pictures of my host niece because she's just so darn cute: 

 Maisa y mi mama Chilena 

Kayaking: 

Lets start off by saying that this has been on my Chile bucket list since I got here. So getting to do this (and for only $6USD) totally made my trip. I went with 2 other gringos and 7 Chileans and a Peruvian. It was an amazingly fun time even though I forgot a spare change of dry clothes...I was completely freezing my little buns off but like I said, fue vale la pena (it was worth it). I was with 3 guys, Scott, Nelson, and Oscar who have a wrap for doing stupid and crazy things while together... so we or may not have had security called on us. 

The 3 crazies all surf so they were wearing wetsuits which means they spent half of their time in the water, not in their kayaks. They kept tipping each other out, trying to stand up in their kayaks, and splashing the rest of us. And when we got back they felt the need to jump off the pier multiple times (enter security). But the moral of the story is that we got the pictures, the boys got to be crazy, and we all got a good laugh out of it. My friend Deanna and I plan to return when it heats up and jump off the pier too ; )

 Me and my girl Deanna 

 Soaking wet. Thanks guys

The whole gang 

After kayaking:  

A group of us went back to Deanna's house. Deanna is a Chilean Gringa. She has lived in Chile since she was 4 because her parents are missionaries (meaning she is fluent in both english and Chilean spanish). So her family (2 parents and 2 siblings) are one of the greatest discoveries I have made here. Their house just feels like home and I already call her mom my mama. We had great conversation with about 11 of us around a huge table complete with ham and cheese sandwiches, tea, brownies, and a never ending supply of bread. It was great! And what made this night even better is that we taught my friend Oscar the phrase "dang girl!" So he says it all the time now. Its pretty hilarious. 

This Might Just Be Funny

So I'm at Logar de Niñas (the girl's orphanage in Viña), which is a regular weekly occurrence. But today is different (and by today I mean Wednesday). Its really bleh outside: kind of sprinkling, definitely cloudy, and even more definitely freezing. So instead of hanging out on the playground outside like normal we are inside on the ground coloring. Things are perfectly normal, the girls are yelling, fighting about sharing the colors, and continually asking for dulces (candy). Like I said, things are normal.  But then life gets interesting...

I'm sitting on the floor coloring with a little girl when I see another girl walking on her hands and knees like a dog. She even has a piece of paper hanging out of her mouth like a dog would carry something. So I say "mira! estas una perra!" (Side note: Here in spanish the nouns for both people and animals change depending on gender. Por ejemplo: mono is male monkey and mona is female monkey. This is information that you need to know before we continue the story) So here I am thinking that I said "look! you're a dog!" in an attempt to bond with her and create conversation. But no. she just gives me a look and keeps moving. So, thinking that i have just been ignored I say it again louder. No reaction. Its at this point that my friend Erin leans over and says "I don't think that means what you think it means". But no, I feel like a have a pretty good handle on my spanish so I respond "I'm saying she looks like a dog" and repeat the sentence for the third time. After this third time it occurs to me that I remember hearing "perra" used as a slang. And it is not a pretty word. So as it turns out "Bitch" the term for a female dog in english has the equivalent meaning in spanish.

Yes, I just called a 7 year old orphan girl a bitch. three times. right in front of her face.
that my friends, is what we call "lost in translation" or as I prefer call it, a "spanish fail"

So like I said, it may or may not be funny. I still can't decide.

But while you make your decision here's some pictures for your viewing pleasure:

Katy is one of my favorite girls. We refer to ourselves as Katy Uno y Katy Dos

Carrete

Carrete: bobbin. or in Chilean slang: a party.

You may be asking yourself why might a bobbin and a party be connected? Let me tell you. A carrete is a party that is like a bobbin. You pull the thread, pull the thread, but the thread just keeps unwinding and it seems like forever before you reach the end. That pretty much explains the Chilean take on parties: they never end.

Fiestas Patrias: Chilean 4th of July.

No, its not actually like 4th of July. Theres BBQs and fireworks but its so much more than that. No only do Chileans take pride in their independence, but their ability to throw a good party. Most people in the country are off for the ENTIRE week, and my friend Lucas was even given a "bonus" of about the equivalent of $150 USD so he could "celebrate the holiday right" (his boss' words, not mine). What in the world would someone need to spend $150 on you might be asking yourself. Let me show you.

 A Ramada (where a ton of Chileans go to party) is like a state fair (minus the pigs and beauty queens) Theres a ton of food, alcohol, games, rides, and merriment. 

 Anticucho: huge meat kabobs. These things rocked my world. 

 Games that no one wins. Ever. 

 Churros: Chilean funnel cake sticks. It was heaven

 Candied apples that my mama has an obsession with. At all times she could be found with the remnants of candy coating around her mouth. 

 Terremoto: sweet wine, fermenta (who even knows what this stuff is??), and pineapple ice cream. oooooooh baby!

 More asado, because I just couldn't get enough 

 Chicha: the grape version of spiked apple cider. And yes, that whole barrel is full of it. 

Me and mama with some chicha

And thats not even all. There were tons of stalls with clothes, jewelry, and trinkets for sale, carnival rides, cotton candy, a ton of beer, mote con huesillos (a cup of who knows what with a dried apricot and little pieces of something or another at the bottom), empanadas, choripan (choriso on a bun), completos (huge hot dogs with avocado, mayo, mustard, ketchup, tomatoes, and everything else you could possibly think of- nasty).  

These ramadas are all over Chile for 4 days, open at around 10am and don't close until around 3am. So like I said: carrete. 

But lets discuss my adventures at the Ramadas....

My first ramada was put on by my mom's school (shes a teacher). So I thought it was going to be super lame- like one of those fun days from elementary school thats in the gym where you play games and the coolest prize you can win is a hand full of Dum Dums. Wrong. So wrong. We walked in and it is a covered patio with tables all set up around a dance floor. In front of the dance floor is a stage where 3 different local traditional Chilean bands took turns playing all night. Later in the night I found out that the MC was a local radio reporter that was a big deal. The mayor also came by to shake hands with people and hand out prizes (a toaster and bed spread were among them- WHAT?!) So needless to say this place was kind of important. 

 But as I expected, I was the ONLY blond, the ONLY gringa, and the ONLY person there my age that wasn't there with a boyfriend/girlfriend. But after a glass of chicha I decided to let loose with my dancing despite the fact that everyone was looking at me. We literally danced from 9pm until 3 am with breaks only to eat and drink. It was a blast and I finally felt like I was in South America because I got to dance like a latina. It was all hips and booty shakin' so I was in my element! I also danced the Cueca (the national dance of Chile) at least 15 different times at the insistence of my Chilean brother. The first few times were an absolute disaster but by the end of the night I had it down. By the end of the night all of the prices of drinks drop so that they can get rid of everything. So with 15 minutes left of the night my mama buys a bottle of cola de mono (kind of like baileys). So I'm thinking "ok cool, she wants me to try this stuff out so we will each have a glass and take the rest home". Wrong again Kait. Within 15 minutes in between songs my mama and I finished the entire bottle. So lets just say that by that point me and mama were dancing together like girlfriends, spinning each other and laughing our butts off. It was a perfect night. 

The next day was a family day. My aunt, cousin, and grandpa al came over for lunch and afterwards we went out to the ramada in Vina. This one was more like the ramada that I was first describing: a huge outdoor party with games and food everywhere. My mom took me around and showed me EVERYTHING. I have never heard a person talk so much in my life. But at one of the stalls she points to a little wooden indian statue and asks if I know what it is. I said yeah, its an indian (i was thinking, ok mom, I might not speak great spanish but I'm not so dumb that I don't know what an indian figurine is). She just shook her head and asked me again if I knew what it was. I just looked at her like "Seriously woman??" and so she lifts up the indian and a little wooden penis pops out! I was so surprised that i just looked at her in shock. I had not been expecting my little Christina mama to show me something like that so I was completely surprised. When she saw my face she absolutely lost it. So then there we were, an old Chilean woman with her little gringa, laughing at a wooden penis like 2 twelve year old girls while my brother just looked at us and shook his head. Easily the funniest thing that has happened to me since I've been here. 

Reflections of a Prisoner

God used my down time with bronchitis as an opportunity to knock on my heart. I have spent the last 3 weeks battling against a cough, fatigue, mood swings caused by dreary days and low energy…and did I mention fatigue? All because I have bronchitis. This past weekend I was forced by my Chilean mother to spend an entire day in bed. As relaxing as this sounds, it was dreadful. I had too much time to myself to think about my current predicament. I was livid. Here I am in a foreign country, supposed to be having the time of my life and no. I am in bed. And my participation in activities has been “limited” at best. So I thought to myself, I have spent a ton of money to have fun for 2 weeks, get bronchitis for 3-4ish weeks, all the while sitting a house that I am still not comfortable with, without a couch that I can sprawl on, without a mom to snuggle with and make things better. Meanwhile everyone and their dog is out and about, running around in MY South America living MY adventures in MY time. I was depressed to say the least. All I could do was reflect on my time here (almost a month and a half) and think about all of the ways that I had not lived up to my potential here. I haven’t been to Argentina yet, I haven’t surfed, gone hiking, gone exploring, gone out for a fun night,  met and talked with a random Chilean, explored the cerros, learned how to salsa, and all sorts of other things that I pictured myself doing. And then it hit me: I had prepared myself for this trip by not thinking about the country because the best way to not be let down is to not have expectations right? And I successfully avoided thinking about the actual country of Chile before I left ...but I did picture myself and the adventures that I would have like a 3^rd grader dreams about playing in the sprinkler in the summer, all day everyday. So I didn’t have expectations for this country but I had expectations for myself.

            So this knocking on my heart… God asks: why are you so frustrated right now? (this wasn’t a literal voice, a booming and obvious “thus declares the Lord” moment. But in retrospect I realize that the Holy Spirit (God) brought this question to my mind because I needed to be set straight)

Beyond the obvious answer to this question: I'm frustrated from being sick and not having a familiar place to recuperate, why was I frustrated to the point of tears? Why was I “crying mad” at my situation?

Because I’m not living up to the expectations that I had for myself. I have such great dreams for myself, which is always a good thing. Having confidence in your abilities to accomplish your goals is a good attribute to have. But like all things in life, my bravery was not as it appeared. To me it was brave to face the unknown of another country. To experience Chilean culture and become a part of it. But now that I’m here I've realized that I'm not scared to be here but I am afraid to participate in the culture. I’m scared to embrace the cultural opportunities for fear of faliure. It is no secret that my greatest pet peeve/fear in life is to feel stupid. So I’m scared to talk to Chileans because I don’t want to be embarrassed by my Spanish skills. I haven’t gone out for a night on the town because I wont take the initiative to hang out with people outside of my closest friends group because it might be uncomfortable. I’m afraid to go play a pick up game of soccer because I don’t want it to be awkward. I’m mad because I’m not as brave as I thought I was. I’m not brave enough to live up to my expectations for my life.

But that isn’t the point is it? My expectations don’t matter. I need to strive to live up to the expectations that God has set before me. I need to strive to be the greatest woman of God that I can be. The question isn’t what do I want from my life? What do I picture myself doing here in Chile?

The question is: How can I use the time that God has given me to glorify Him and become more like the woman that He created me to be?

This trip is such a growing experience. One day I am in love with my trip and the next I am ready to pack up and quit. God is using these deep and dark lows and incredible highs in my life to show me a little more about Him and myself. I will never be enough. Ever. I try and I fail every time. But with Christ I can be everything that I was ever supposed to be. I can fulfill a sure purpose in every situation that I am placed in. This down time was a wake up call. A chance to remove myself from the action and ask myself why I am here and what is my motivation for what I am doing? An opportunity to humble my selfish ambitions and direct my eyes to Christ. To remind me that my value DOES NOT LIE IN MY ACCOMPLISHENTS. I am not any more loveable because I have hiked a particular mountain or have crossed a particular country’s border. It is not what I have done but who I am in Christ that gives me value and a purpose. I can not be loved for what I have done but for who I am.

I can never be greater than the woman that God wants me to be.

I can never be a great woman without the grace of God.

I can never find real fulfillment in anything but Him.