Things that surprised me about Chile:
1. They don’t use heat!
It is not nearly as cold in Antofagasta as it was in Mendoza, praise the Lord but it still reaches low 50s upper 40s at night time and people don’t have hearters in their homes. Even during the day people drive around with their windows down. I am trying to figure out if the US are weak when it comes to the cold or if warmth is simply just not a priority in the winter? They certainly prioritize hot drinks to help with that though and I am all about it! (Side note: It was really funny to hear one of the sweet little old ladies we visited talk about the Christmas party she has at her house in the summertime. It took us a second to wrap our heads around that one.)
2. Chileans don’t eat dinner, but they LOVE their pizza
In the week that we have been in Chile, we have had pizza 5 times. That’s more than I had in Italy. One of the men at the church makes it homemade with zucchini on top and it is the BEST. As far as other dinners go though, sometimes they have light, ham and cheese sandwiches, but mostly it consists of desserts. Dolce de leche swirl cake, donuts, rolls, or Sopaipillas (essentially pumpkin flatbreads with molasses drizzled on top.) The big meal of the day is eaten between 1 and 3, typically. Another Chilean delicacy is the Guacamole Hot Dog. They put avacado on Everything and I can’t say we are mad about it.
3. NESCAFE
We asked the teenagers our first night where we could get local coffee around town? Their answer…Nescafe. Yes, to them local coffee means Instant. Our pizza guy reminded us that Chile doesn’t produce coffee because of the terrain so most people drink instant; unfortunately just like the rest of the world. Nescafe coffee has been the staple in every country we have been to. No place we’ve stayed has even had a coffee pot. It was month 5 (Malayasia) before I found normal drip coffee. Peru, I am still holding out hope!
4. The dirt
I have never seen so much dirt in my entire life! The mountains look like giant dirt piles. When we drove from Santiago to Antofogasta, there was five hours of per desert looking terrain. Not desert like cactuses, tumble weeds, the occasional brush/tree, but flat, dirt covered land. No buildings, no people, just mountains. Then all of a sudden there is a huge city around the corner.
5. Communication
Honestly, when there is a group of local together it sounds like a typical Frayser Thanksgiving. Everyone talking at ones, getting louder the more excited they get and taking 10 mins to say goodbye because you want to talk with everyone. This is probably the closest to American culture I’ve seen as far as people wanting to be heard and the way in which they present what they have to say; certainly a more direct than others.
6. A Thai Restaurant
We spent a whole month in Thailand and ate local food everyday. I have to admit, before we left, I was tired of it. But as we were walking the other day, we passed a Thai Restaurant in town and we were all unanimous in our vote to make that our adventure day dinner. It’s funny how when you have 11 homes in a year, you miss certain things about each one of them.
7. I bought a flannel
I am not a trend follower and typically if I do something that does follow a trend, I am months or even years behind in doing it. Before we left on the World Race everyone recommended bringing a flannel. I of course didn’t have a flannel and thought it silly to bring one for such a hot route. Well folks, I am now a proud owner of a flannel. Not only does it break up having to wear the same pink jacket everyday, but it feels homey too.
8. Language
I know a little bit of Spanish, but not enough to have a conversation by any means. I understood quite a bit when I was in High School, but since being in South America, I’ve realized just how much I have forgotten. South America is the continent that I’ve waited for the most because I already felt connected being that my most experience with missions was in Central America growing up. But in getting here communication has become more difficult rather than easier. The frustration of understanding bits and pieces of sentences or knowing you can say one or two words of the sentence you want to communicate but not enough to be understood is something that I did not anticipate.
Increased communication and decreased levels of frustration with it would be a huge prayer request right now.
9. Youth Ministry
I love the kiddos that are between the ages of 7 – 12. Over that, I’ve intentionally kind of stayed away because I don’t know what to do with them or how to relate. This month a big part of our ministry has been working with the youth group for 12-21 year olds. At first I was thinking “Oh my goodness!” but they have been the best kids and one of the easiest ministries to naturally be granted into. We’ve gotten to be apart of their youth group, give an evangelism class for the teens, be apart of the conglomerate local Bible Bowl, and partner with them and the church in a local outreach. We’ve also convinced them that ice cream should be eaten as often as possible and they think they are ready for the US now that they know how to dip fries in their ice cream. They have been such a wonderful part of what was a difficult transition into the month. (Pictured below)
Also enjoy these beautiful views of Chile and my first time at the Pacific Ocean!
