Overall Thoughts

I learned how to navigate through a foreign town while speaking a second language. I learned that Spanish is like a muscle that you need to keep training in order to have it ready to use. I knew a lot of things but it became very evident that I was not as familiar with a lot of words and phrases in Spanish as I had thought. Now don't get me wrong I knew that my Spanish was lacking, but I say that I knew most things but did not have the basic language rules and skills down in order to properly speak Spanish. I also learned that traveling is not as scary as one would think and I am very greatful for that. I often stay home and only stick to the routes that I know because it is very easy for me to get lost due to my forgetfulness. So to be able to walk to my host home and even take a completely different I also learned that anti-blackness is not as rampent as I had originally thought in Latin America, but this could be wrong. 

This leads me to what stood out to me in Chile. I was very surprised to receive the amount of attention I got in general but also to receive 'positive' attention. It was not odd for me to be stared down or a compliment to be said or shouted to me. People would call me "Black princess" or "Black Queen" and other things like this which was very shocking. I was more ready to face some negative comments or looks and not the opposite. I said that I could still be wrong about this because a lot of times people will see Black women, especially, as a sex symbol. It is not uncommon for people to think or say that black women are good for the bed or even prostitutes. I never thought that this was what was happening to me while I was experiencing it, but it could have been the case. 

Another thing that really stood out to me was the food. The food itself was not weird or anything to me but the fact that it lacked, in my opinion, a lot of flavor or spice was new to me. I thought that the food would be very flavorful and even feature some spiciness. But that was rarely the case. A good amount of the food that was cooked at home or even i restaurants was very lacking. The food was still pretty good, and i find myself missing some of the dishes, but overall I was not very impressed or blown away by the foods in Chile. 

This trip helped me to grow by taking away a lot of crutches I would usually rely on. This forced me to step outside of my comfort and engage with people and in situations I would not normally do with great ease. The fact that I was able to comfortably walk the streets and even go on little adventures alone with little to no fear of getting lost or having a bad experience was great! I had to become more aware of myself and my surroundings to successfully navigate through the town on my own when needed.

If I had a similar opportunity in the future I do not think I would do anything drastically different. The only thing that I can think of is that I would go out with people more. I passed up a lot of opportunities to hang out and explore, so if I had the chance in the future I would be sure to take advantage of every thing possible.

Lastly, my impression of Chile did not change but was expanded. I honestly never really gave much thought to Chile or even knew anything significant about the country besides its location. My time in Chile helped me to realize the great geographic diversity it possess and the amount of culture that is embedded there. Chile showed me that people, no matter the language barrier, are nice and willing to help someone in need. It's modern in a lot of respects but also traditional and unique in its own Chilean way. I never really thought of Chile prior to the trip and have sense said that if my Spanish was up to par I could see myself moving to Chile. Chile left a great impression to say the least.

Victor Jara

I love the life and music of Victor Jara. I love that he was not afraid to voice his views and disdain of the Chilean government and the interference of the U.S. government. It is incredible that he was unrelenting in his loyalty to the communist party. You rarely hear of artist that are willing to do the same things or that are supported. It reminded me of Bob Dylan who did not want ti be labeled as a civil rights artist because they were often killed. The drastic difference in the two is what is most shocking to me. The legacy of each artist is so different and I think Victor Jara has the better legacy, especially in his death. I admire his courage to taunt guards through their torture towards him and firmly standing up for his beliefs even in the hardships and face of certain death. He is truly inspiring.  It was very cool and almost eerie when we would listen to certain songs where Victor Jara had predicted events that would eventually come true further down the timeline. For example, when he predicted the death of Che Guevara. That was truly amazing and scary all in the same breath.

The markets

The tour that took us to the markets was very interesting. There were a lot of variety of very fresh and great quality fish, fruit, and veggies. It was great to see how much food yo could get for such reasonable prices. It reminded me of the swap meat markets from back home. They were usually populated by Hispanic people. These were the largest and most extensive markets I had ever seen and walked through. There were a ridiculous amount of people in the markets but that is to be expected in any market.

However, my experience and view of the markets were clouded by all of the unexpected attention I received from the people in the markets. I was stared down and addressed by men and women of all ages. I am not new to being cat called or having this sort of attention but I was not expecting that in Chile for some reason. It obviously added to the experience overall. I am not bothered by it but it definitely dominated the event in and of itself. I was also surprised to see a bunch of restaurants, sit down restaurants in the markets. The markets were literally that huge.

the markets in Vina Del Mar were also very crowded but the holiday was partly to blame. They were very nice though and seemed more relaxed compared to the ones in Santiago.

Interesting and Frustrating

My host mother and I were talking and I was trying to explain to her how I usually celebrate New Years at home. During my explaining I would often pause the conversation to open my phone and search for the missing word I needed  or check to see what the plans were with my friends for that night. I would then continue the conversation with my host mother.

Looking at the entire situation, it could have been viewed as sad or pathetic by my host mom because I needed to rely so much on my phone and the translator in stead of using my host mom or actually knowing more like I should. Also it could be viewed as rude for me to constantly use my phone at the dinner table.

Evaluating the situation based upon what I know of my host mother and her actions throughout the experience, I see how she tried to help through my struggles without passing judgement it seemed. If I was her I would not judge and would also help because I know that effort was being put forward to communicate and that this is a learning experience.