The Norm

First of all I would like to apologise for having not written in quite a while.   The main reason is that nothing significant has occurred since I last wrote, especially in comparison to when I was travelling.  The only things that I have to write about are my personal experiences which makes my life in Chile more memorable.  My time has been filled with moments of clarity, wonder and appreciation of being one of the luckiest girls to have the opportunity to meet these people and to encounter this way of life.  I will not lie to you it can be very hard, the language barrier for one and not having my friends here.  But times like this are rare most of the time my cheeks ache from smiling too much, so all can`t be bad.

Now that I feel more settled I would like to share with you the norms of my life here in Chile.  Being a family orientated country where practically everyone will go out of their way to help you, it is easy for you to be welcomed into their world.  The strange thing is that it isn`t just Felipe`s family that has made me feel part of the Chilean family, it is also my students, Eliana (the cleaning lady), the women at the counter of my frequently visited shop.  It is those who work within walking distance of my house, whom you see nearly every day that make you fit in as a member of the community.  I don`t know exactly why it is, obviously they recognise my face, but it is not like I have a conversation with them or that I can have a conversation with them, yet they always smile in that particular way, recognition and that they are generally pleased to see you.

Our relationship has gone from strength to strength; every Wednesday she cooks me lunch and we sit and have a chat, without my dictionary I might add

Let me tell you about some of the people in my life, people that I don`t necessarily know but who make me feel at home.  I have already told you about my lovely Internet man, who lets me use the internet for free, charge’s a very little amount when I print and gives me a sweet every time I go.  He always says hello when I am walking past, which is a lovely feeling when somebody makes the effort to greet you even though you haven`t shared more than a couple of words.  When I went in the other day he asked me if I could help out another gentlemen who had some problems with the programme excel.  Well as you well know I am not computer literate (something that I will have to remedy) but the thought that he asked me to help made me think that I should at least try.  I pressed a few buttons and apologised profusely because I couldn`t solve the problem.

Another norm in my life at the moment is work, where I have met extremely kind people, my students.  Of course I am going to be bias towards them but they are lovely.  I have learnt so much about the culture, politics and economic situation in Chile and South America in general which is probably the best way to understand and get the feeling of the country, to talk to the locals.  Every time I mention travelling and when I am going to leave they come up with reasons why I shouldn't leave.  My students and the Chilean people in general seem to generally want to know about you and are interested so much that I have to be quite forceful to get them to focus back on their English lesson.  But it is not just my students that allow my work to be so enjoyable, even the receptionists at the companies I work at show sincere kindness towards me.  At Endesa, before I have even got to the desk they will have my excess card already ready with a 'Buenos Dias Sophie'.  This may seem business practice to use ones name, but if you think about it all the people that come in and out of this building of an international Energy Company, the chances of them remembering your name is slim.  I don't know maybe it’s just me.  In transelec, the other company that I am predominantly working it the receptionists are just as welcoming, trying to speak English and bringing me a coffee between my classes.   Even the people the cafe near my work, where I go if I have an hour to spare between classes know what I want and have it ready for me.  One of the chefs has even started to talk to me, obviously very slowly so that I can understand.  I am not saying that you cannot get this kindness back home, but it is different and a little rarer.

So these are the people I see everyday who make me feel a little more like a Chilean.  And how could I forget about letting you know how Eliana is getting on.  Our relationship has gone from strength to strength; every Wednesday she cooks me lunch and we sit and have a chat, without my dictionary I might add.  Sometimes if I don't have classes I will sit with her while she does the ironing and practise my Spanish.   She will point to things and I will have to tell her the name.  She has even decided to teach me how to cook, well I have doubts about that, but it will be an experience anyway.

So really my life is much the same but with moments when the rain stops and I look out of the window of my work on the 14th floor and see the mountains clear as day, absolutely amazing.  At this moment I have to take a deep breath because otherwise I would forget to breathe, just because of the sheer beauty of my life.