What is the most important thing you have learned studying abroad?
1) When life goes nuts!, go nuts 7 nuts! or splurge on peanut butter.
a. With the advent of TranSantiago, a plethora of nut stands have sprung up around metro stops, encouraging you to take it one step further than Nuts4Nuts! Nuts5Nuts! And Nuts7Nuts! have also been discovered. There have also been rumors of a Nuts11Nuts! sighting.
b. There is peanut butter in Santiago!!! It’s just really exspensive and they hate it. They think it makes them fat, but with the abundance of helado in this place and the amount of sugar they pour in their coffee, it’s amazing they don’t also dive right in to the mani mantequilla. Somethings I will never understand.
2) Almuerzo is not just a meal.
a. Almuerzo is a lifestyle. It’s an all day affair, it’s a whole family event, with your host mom dreaming about Pisco Sours and your host sisters returning after advertising a car dealership, spicy salsa, more meat than you dreamed of along with some of the freshest veggies ever, right in the middle of the hottest part of the day, and you’re inside with air conditioning and Metallica playing in the background and Chileans inviting you on weekend trips with them left and right (¡que rico!). And after you actually eat almuerzo your expected to lie around on the couch and do absolutely nothing, for at least a half-an-hour.
3) Saint Patrick is not important in Chile.
a. And I thought they were a Catholic country. In any case, we ended up celebrating Saint Patrick’s day in a German restaurant drinking Chilean beer (mmm Kunstmann), because the only Irish pub in Santaigo had a line. This was after we spent the entire afternoon in Ameri-land designing the most amazing coat of arms ever! rather than studying for our poli sci final, the night after dancing like crazy people on the edge of Santiago and eating in a rotating restaurant.
4) If you are blond, you are not from Santiago and you probably speak English.
a. This is common knowledge. Sadly, if you are blond and trying to blend in, you are a lost cause. This is also true of most Asian people (except for the speaking English part). This is actually true of anyone who does not look Chilean, but then again, that’s pretty self-explanatory.
OMG!!! So pumped for Torres and life right now! That is all. And off I go!