Things I love about Chile

There are days when I go through my daily routine: wake up, eat breakfast, go on the metro, go to class, eat again, work, metro, eat and sleep...and repeat, without feeling entirely present. I am in a Spanish speaking country, but some days my thoughts and my complete interior are in English.

At times though, something breaks my Spanish functioning exterior into my English functioning interior and reminds me that I am not in Pennsylvania anymore.

I am in South America. I am in Chile. I am in Santiago. These are facts. These are affirmations, but sometimes it takes seeing these realities to believe them.

Some of my "Wow I'm here and I love it" things

1. The street dogs.

This is a hot topic, because there are stray dogs amuck in Santiago. They aren't neutered. Sometimes, they breed near/in front of you which can be annoying, and sometimes they form packs which can be disturbing. They also aren't very clean. But they are so nice! They don't bark (except, oddly, at the wheels of taxis), they are relatively healthy and disease free, and sometimes they let you pet them (I use my shoe).

As a person who has not had a dog as a pet, I regard street dogs as collective pets. They are outdoor dogs that everyone can share. It's like having a pet without the responsibility of training them.

I had the experience of seeing the most adorable puppy on the San Joaquin campus of La Catolica. I pet it because it was so adorable. However, because I felt that it was dirty, I went to the bathroom to wash my hands. The puppy, however, did not know I was leaving it, and followed me into the bathroom. And because it could fit through opening in the bottom of the stalls, it surprised a few girls who were using the toilets...

I also love the positions the dogs take when they bask in the sun to rest. 2 common positions are...

A) The dead dog pose

B) The "my head is too heavy for me" pose

2. The street stands

I live in Santiago Centro which means I live among the ruckus. While some people may think that it is too shady and too loud (it's not that shady and not that loud, I live in Philly man!), I love living here because it is really convenient. All the buses pass through here, and when the Metro closes at 11pm, I am lucky to have many micros I can board.

The centro is also full of people and full of stands with food for when you are hungry! Since I can be a girl driven by her stomach at times, I love having so much street food here. I love the nut stands; I love the newspaper stands full of treats; I love the sopaipilla/empanda stands full of fresh delicious fried bread. It is a rush of joy when I step off the metro to the quietly darkening sky, and to Santiago full of lights and people, to the aroma of honey and salt from the nut stands, and am able to eat a freshly made sopaipilla covered in mouth-pricking pebre.

3. The cheek kisses

Some Americans have told me that when someone is introduced to them and that person pops the 'personal bubble' to give exchange a cheek kiss that they feel a little uncomfortable. They think, "Woah there". I think Chileans tend to understand that reserved American sentiment and thus find it odd when they see me so willing to accept the cheek kiss.

I am unique because I've had training in random cheek kisses. While meeting new Filipino friends of my Filipino friends in the U.S, I tend to fool those people into thinking I am Filipina as well. Therefore, they lean in and kiss me too. At first, I was startled, but it has happened so often in the U.S. that by this point, I am happy just knowing that everyone is going to greet me with a kiss instead of being surprised by a sporadic smooch.

In general, I adore being able to receive kisses. I feel so loved and appreciated when someone acknowledges my presence by kissing me on the cheek. When you enter a small party, you kiss everyone on the cheek whether you know them or not. My host mother kisses me goodbye every day. I think it is so sweet and fabulous that I want to keep it for the States.

4. People who call you "Linda"

Who can resist the tingle of happiness when someone calls you "pretty"? I certainly can't. Being in South America tends to inflate your ego. I feel 5x more gorgeous here than in the States. They also call you, "Mi amor" and things that end in the diminuitive "--ita". I received some "Chinita"s which means "little chinese girl" which I've come to embrace since this address usually comes from affection.

5. The Andes


Sometimes, I forget these mountains are here, and then when I look up from my walk or through the window of the metro, I see them and it is a revelation.