One Year in South America

Today is August 23, 2007: I have been living in South America for exactly one year.

Realizing that I would like to commerate this event on my blog, I sat down and attempted to describe everything that I have experienced in this time and all the changes that I have gone through. I quickly realized this is an impossible task. So impossible in fact that not only can I not find the exact words to express all I want to say, but I know that whatever I come up with will not be satisfactory.

On this blog at the same time last year (when I was writing something like 2 or 3 entries a week, haha), I made predictions and expectations about the upcoming journey I was about to embark upon. It is funny yet shocking to realize what answers still hold true and what would change if I were to write them today:

a. What are the five things that you are most looking forward to about going abroad?
1. language training/language fluency
2. experiencing a new culture
3. meeting new people
4. changing my world perspective
5. doing/experiencing things that only this opportunity in South America can provide me

All of these have happened and all of these continue to be something that I look forward to each day that I live here, although #1#5 have proven harder to acheive than expected. For my remaining time here, I am adding a #6: I am looking forward to taveling and taking advantage of surrounding countries and cultures

b.What are the five things that currently worry you most about going overseas?
1. saftey
2. homesickness/health of family
3. Loneliness
4. Frustrations in communication with others through a foreign language
5. not getting back into the country (for whatever reason - who knows!!)

#1 is something that has to always be remembered, but it has become a part of daily life. #2, homesickness, has occurred and I know it will occur, it sucks but is something that comes and goes with any experience away from home. Health of family has had a scare or two, although nothing has required me to visit home. Despite this it continues to be a worry while I am here and would remain the top of my list if I were to write this today. If I could sum up a large part of my struggles here, it would be #3 and #4. As far as #5, I guess we will have to see.

I would also add #6: people changing/friendships changing, not being "the same" when I get back home

c. What are five things you believe you will miss most from home when you are abroad?
1. mama's cookin' :-)
2. friends and family
3. life moments/milestones for family and friends
4. deep conversations with people in a language I understand
5. being involved/being a leader in my community

#1, #2, and #3 are absolutely correct and remain so to this day. #4 has not been a problem - I have had "deep" conversations in my foreign language as well as with the other Americans I live with. Surprisingly, I do not miss #5 much. Although some opportunites to take a "leadership" or "more responsibility" role have been presented, I have found that regardless of what job it is or the amount of responsibility, the work goes beyond being happy or personally satisfied at the end of the day. Sometimes, just being there is all that matters.

Eliminating #4 and #5, I would now replace it with: watching sports, especially KC Cheifs and ND football; a clear night sky in the country where all the stars can be seen

d. What are three things (people, places, activities, etc.) you believe you will miss least from home when you are abroad?
1. gluttony of America/processed foods
2. materialism and consumerism
3. America's obsession with celebrities

Yeah, too bad I didn't realize that globalization makes it near impossible to esacpe all three items on this list. Chile is a progressing country with constant influence from the United States and other "first world" countries, both in culture and in language. This is particularly true in the wealthy areas of Santiago. In the less wealthy areas, all three items on this list exists but in a milder form. The options are not as abundant as the United States (for example, they only have 8 versions of shampoo compared to our 17, ha!) and food is bought at the market and local indpendent corner stores. Yet, occassionally, a meal at McDonalds or Pizza Hut is purchased and a movie at Blockbuster is rented. All in all, regardless of where I am here in Santiago, I feel that if need something here I can pretty much find it (although it is hard to find chocolate chips for some reason...)

Chile also has their own obsession with celebrities (Chilean, U.S. and other international celebrities) with their own version of shows like Entertainment Tonight. In fact, major newspapers even have a section devoted to the latest gossip and it isn't unsual to find a breaking story about a celebrity make the occasional headline.

Despite everything, I have found that an occassional McDonald's meal or cover to cover reading a People magazine sent from the States, is not as bad as I made it out to be before. I have accepted them as a part of my culture, who I am as a person. So much so that all three the items on this list make for great cures for a good case of homesickness. :-)

Today I would replace #1, #2, and #3 with: closed minds and perspectives, particularly regarding international relations and the U.S. role in the world; U.S. obsession with competition and making judgements based on a person's status, job, or where they are going in life or what they have done; U.S. culture of fear

Many times I am asked by Americans and Chileans alike, "What is the biggest difference betwen Chile and the United States?" My answer consists of two parts. First, I tell them that I really only know Santiago and the expression "Santiago no es Chile" (Santiago is not Chile) is certainly correct. Second, I say that while Chileans place a larger emphasis on personal relationships, particularly those between family and between friends, and U.S. has a knack for efficiency those in Santiago simply have no clue about, I do not claim these to be my final answers. Right now, I do not know the answer. Looks like I need more time to figure it out.

I am concluding with a suggestion to look back at my previous blog entries, especially those written while I was in Bolivia, September to December 2006. Some are quite hilarious, some are an attempt to be insightful, and others well...just posting for the sake of posting something. In the end, while I know that the reflections above and all my previous blog posts combined do not fully describe my first year in South America, they at least make an attempt at the impossible. At least I know I can revisit this blog post next year.

Argentina Fun

Living in Chile, I am constantly reminded of how close we are to Argentina. The large Andes Mountains, now covered in snow and always visible, serve as the border between the two countries. Having grown up in the center of the United States, the thought of easily traveling to another country is fascinating, and something I usually associate with well-planned and well-financed vacations.

The view from the roof of our apartment building

First snow of the winter, views of the Andes Mountains near our apartment building

That is why, when I learned that for twenty dollars we could take a seven-hour bus from Santiago and drive through the Andes to Mendoza, Argentina, it immediately became an item on my “Must Do In Chile” list. This item was marked off the list as Patrick, Natalie, Roy, and I packed our bags and made an impromptu weekend trip to Mendoza two weeks ago.

Travel books and all Chileans say that Argentina is famous for three things: ice cream, shopping (particularly books, cds, and clothes that are barely taxed and incredibly cheap compared to Chile), and meat. The last two were our main focus, as shown by our first meal in Argentina at an all-you-can-eat steak restaurant followed by several bookstore visits.

For two days, we walked all around the small but very modern town, saw the beautiful plazas and parks, shopped, ate, shopped some more, and then ate some more. We even became accustomed to Argentinean Spanish, something beautiful that only can be described as the Spanish language spoken with an accent like an Italian who speaks English. Boarding the bus to return to Santiago, I was happy with our visit, knowing that we took all that Mendoza had to offer.

Walking in Mendoza and the Plaza Independencia

One of Argentina's many national banks

We drove an hour and a half to the base of the mountains. We knew immediately that something was wrong when we saw a large line of cars and buses parked on the side of the road that stretched for what seemed like miles. This was confirmed as our bus joined the long line and turned off its engine. "The passage through the mountains has been closed due to strong winds," the driver told us. "We are going to wait here and I am sure the passage will be opened soon," he also said. And so...we waited. I journaled about the experience and continued with the knitting project I had brought along for the 2 day trip . We even got out of the bus to enjoy the beautiful scenery that surrounded us.

5 hours later...we were told we were going back to Mendoza. The passage would not be opened today. An hour and a half later, we arrived back in the small town and were told to come back to the bus terminal at 8:00am the next morning to catch the early bus home.

The next day we awoke to news reports saying a snowstorm had passed through the Andes Mountains and travel through the mountains should not be expected. Only after arriving at the bus terminal at 8:00am and waiting for an hour and a half, this was confirmed - they were not even going to let us on the bus and attempt the trip. The passage was definitely closed and we would have to return again at 8:00am tomorrow to attempt traveling home.

After going back to the hostel and sleeping for another three hours (out of pure exhaustion I assumed), Natalie and I decided to leave the boys behind and have a "girls day" in Argentina. We, again, did everything immaginable in Mendoza, walking for almost the entire day before collapsing in our bed that night.

The next day, day 4 of our planned 2 day journey, we arrived again at 8:00am. We sat in the bus terminal for almost 2 1/2 hours...each passing hour brought pessimistic thoughts as no amount of information was communicated to us by the bus company. Finally, at 10:30am, we were told we could board the bus. We were excited and thought "this could be the day" although experience was telling us to believe otherwise.

After driving one and a half hours, again, to the base of the mountains, we saw the long line of cars and buses...again. We pulled to the side of the road...again. We were told the passage was closed and we would have to wait to see if it would open...again. This experience was no longer unfamiliar.

We passed the time as much as we could. I actually ran out of yarn to knit my sweater, the only "free time" activity that I brought with me. That's right - I didn't even bring a book. But hey, it was only supposed to be a two day trip.

4 1/2 HOURS LATER, we were all convinced we were going back to Mendoza, once again. This was troublesome as our funds were beginning to get low (remember all that shopping!) and our good memories of Mendoza were being tested. Frustration and impatience was high. I decided to get out of the bus to stretch my legs, walking along the long line of vehicles and admiring the scenery. I couldn't believe the large number of people trying to get through the mountains; I had to remind myself that it was three days worth of traffic attempting to make up for lost time. With 20 minutes left until the scheduled turn-around, I heard the bus driver yelling "Let's go, we can go through, everyone back on the bus!" Before I knew it, we were speeding through the Andes Mountains, attempting to be the first through the expected long line and wait at Customs. Pictured: Me as I wait to cross through the mountains

Snow was everywhere and it was clear why the passage had been closed. Nevertheless, seeing the Andes Mountains, especially as it turned dark and the stars illuminated against the snow, was simply amazing. "Majestic" is the only word I can use to describe them. A sight of God's beauty and a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience that I will never forget.

Combined with the 3 hour wait at Customs, it took us 14 hours to get from Mendoza, Argentina to Santiago, Chile. Learning experiences aside (uh...never again during the Winter), we had a great time and I am glad that I had this experience. It seems that now, whenever I see the Andes Mountains, I am not only reminded of how close we are to Argentina, but about the great adventure where a good time was had, beautiful sites were seen, and unexpected events allowed for a truly unique story.

Me in front of a mountain at Customs and the boarder between Argentina and Chile, and other various photos of our journey driving through the Andes Mountains.