Okay okay.... maybe I should talk about the culture here a little bit. Any of you that knows me very all, knows that I am a very time & detail oriented person. I always like to know what time I need to be places and what time events start & whose going to be there and what we are going to do. Not that I'm ever on time or it really matters, I just like to know. Yeah... here it's impossible to know any of this stuff. Which makes it rather difficult sometime. Especially when someone is like do you want to go out tonight. Sure, what time? Whenever..... that doesn't make things very easy for me. Or they'll say 11 and won't show up until almost 12.
They eat mayo on EVERYTHING.... which now I do too. It's actually kind of good on a hot dog w/ some ketchup & avocado. Or rice... or corn.... yeah I know sounds gross but it's good
The girls are all pretty and laid back. The guys are cute & love to dance.
Parties don't start until at least 11:30... you don't go to the bar until 1... it stays open until at least 5 or 6 a.m. Drink specials start at 11:30 and end at 2. By one, get one for "happy hour" most of the time.... Pretty nice for those people that don't like to go out early. Adults go out and go dancing until 5 a.m. ANNNDDD they go out during the week sometimes, and stay out late even if they have to work in the morning.
Lunch is the most important meal. Families typically eat together and eat a big lunch. It's normally to take 2 hours off of work for lunch.
THERE ARE DOGS EVERYWHERE. Like homeless dogs... it's actually really sad because noone takes care of them so they are kind of ugly....
PDA is normal. It's normal to see people cuddling and kissing on the beach or in the parks. You greet y our friends with a kiss on the cheek, and you typically greet everyone when you enter a party. (which to me is kind of annoying because i don't know everyone and it's so time consuming)
Empanadas are amazing :)
Most families have at least one nanny to care for the kids and cook. Sometimes two. And other families don't have any.
Every house has high walls or gates over doors and windows because robberies are common. All the houses are extremly bright and colorful. The insides are gorgeous, most everyone has a pool in their yard. Grass is not common because it never rains. There is grass, but it's expensive because it has to be watered ALOT.
They listen to a lot of techno in the club, which i can't stand. Salsa is soooo fun to dance to, but I need practice. And of course my favorite is reggeaton & hip hop. It's really common to hear old American songs from the 80s and 90s. But their the classics so it's fun for me. I can flash back to different eras. I love it when they play American songs because I can sing along. Not very many girls wear heels here.... which sucks for me because i LOVE my heels. It's just so hard to walk here because of the sand and dirt and uneven sidewalks and distances. It's easier to dance in tennis shoes anyway.... hmmm what else.....
Noone knows what the hell a "coach" bag is.... 9 west & Guess are really popular. Sketchers for tennis shoes too, but the sketchers here are actually cute. The tennis shoes here as a whole are really cute. The clothes are more or less cute, some I like others I don't.
EVERYONE watches the Simpsons (it's in Spanish) and everytime I introduce myself the first thing they say is "ooo Staci Malibu" yup... I'm a Barbie here. LOL I'm pretty much the only girl with "blonde" short hair and honey colored eyes. So, I'm normally the center of attention because I'm different. Which is cool sometimes, but sometimes I just want to be normal you know?
I hate being called "la gringa" or a "gringo." I hate it when people try to talk to me super fast and when I don't understand they automatically assume that I can't speak Spanish when the truth is they just don't talk properly. And they ALWAYS want to practice their English. Honestly, if I wanted I probably could never have to speak Spanish. Chileans speak really poor Spanish for the most part, a lot of slang, and they slur their words together. But, when I talk to people who are paciente and can speak properly if they try or if they are from Peru or Colombia or another country I can understand. It's fun for me to talk with people from other countries because I don't feel so bad about my inability to understand everything because they tell me how hard it was for them at first too and Spanish is their native language. :) And they always tell me how good my Spanish is which makes me feel good because sometimes I get so frustrated.
hmmmm that's all I can think of for now.... and I have to get ready to go out dancing... it is my last Friday in Iquique gotta live it up while I can ;)
chau
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