Chapter 2 ~ Chileans Speak Quickly

In which I am explaining the flight over to Chile and the first day of living with Chileans. 

Well I made it to Chile, just like I always knew I would. And wouldn't you know, its a good thing I didn't worry or stress or have ANY anxiety attacks over the last few days because it all turned out great, just like I always knew it would. Except part of that isn't true. I had 10 fairly serious anxiety attacks the two days leading up to my amazing friends taking me to the airport. I was scared and nervous and I almost considered not even coming. But, as always, I was blinded by the fear of change and my friends and family all new best and told me to suck it up, stop worrying and just go. So, after I was forcibly removed from the vehicle at the airport in downtown Minneapolis I knew I was on my own until I made it to Chile. 

Does anyone else ever just sit and watch all of the people in the airport and wonder to themselves, I seriously hope they are not on my flight. I don't. Except if they have kids, that are screaming and crying and running around everywhere. Then I hope that they are on the first flight to anywhere that I am not. But they weren't. That family was all on the same flight as I was, and they were sitting right behind me. It didn't turn out too bad though, it was only the flight from Minneapolis to Chicago. So then my four hour layover started. And then, miraculously, I was bumped to an earlier flight so I 'would have time to make my flight out of Toronto.' So I was given an extra hour which turned into an extra four. So my one hour layover was now a five hour layover and the plane was not going to take off until 2 in the morning. This wouldn't have been so bad if I would have figured out how to get their wireless internet in the airport to work. Or if I could have gotten ahold of ISEP to tell them that the taxi they arranged for me was going to be seriously early. So I got on the flight exhausted and nervous that once I got to Chile, no one would be at the airport waiting for me. 

12 hours later, there I was, the airport in Santiago. I could understand nothing of what was going on over the speakers, I had no idea where to go, and I couldn't read the signs. So, I did what anyone else would have done in this situation, I followed the majority and did what they did. Then I got through customs and made it to my bags (which were literally the last ones off the plane) and then found someone that was holding a sign that read "Samuel Fransen". I figured 'what are the chances he is waiting for someone that is going to Chile with almost the same exact name as me?' So four hours later we pull up to Samuel Fransen's drug lord's house and my adventure in Chile begins. 

Except it wasn't four hours later it was one and a half hours later, and it wasn't a drug lord's house, it was my family's house. They seem nice and I am excited to get to know them. Although, most of the information ISEP sent me about them was wrong. Such as the only two that actually live full time in the house with me are the Mom (Hilda), and the Dad (Jaime). The brother (Felipe) who is 26, I think, lives with one of his sisters down in Chiloe, but I told them I was going to have to go down and stay with them one weekend to see this island. Last night, after Hilda fed me, Felipe and I went on a walk to 'el centro' of Vina. My house is a five minute walk from the beach, which wasn't where Felipe and I were walking, but I thought everyone should know that I live on the beach... Anyway, he showed me around a little bit, taught me a little about his life and the city. I think at one point I agreed to go to a soccer game with him on Sunday, but I may have translated wrong. Which brings us to our title, Chileans speak quickly. 

My family is great with me, about slowing way down and not using so much Chileno (words only they have in Spanish), but if they are talking to anyone else, I literally sit there in silence and laugh when they laugh, or gasp when they gasp. It is going to be interesting. They do know some words in english, the curse words, Harry Potter, The Hangover, Garfield, and when they say them I can't help but to laugh at their impressions of what we sound like. They try to use american accents with those words (except Harry Potter Felipe says with a slightly british accent). But I am sure I sound just as funny to them when I try to speak their spanish. They are telling me some of the Chileno words, I am remembering none of them. But now the fun part is going to see the difference from yesterday (day 1), compared to my last day here. I should be pretty good by then, I hope. 

Well thats really all for now. I guess I should tell everyone that I am on Eastern Time Zone, not Pacific. So I got that wrong, but other than that...

Nos Vemos Pronto

S.R.