Today was the first day of orientation, and I am super pumped for the semester! We had our intro exams to see where we should be placed in the spanish classes. They just wanted to see our skills. Just from the first two days, my speaking is much better than my writing. But I have been spoiled by my host family and guides who know how to talk slow... When I am in the city, I have NO idea what the people are trying to say to me. Chileans talk fast! Like... RAPIDO! I thought normal spanish was fast. Nope, that's cake compared to the speed at which Chileans talk. Even Chileans know this. It's the first thing they all warn me and my fellow students about. That is going to take some getting used to. However, there is hope, cause I feel like I am getting the hang of it. A little. Ok, maybe a bit.
The nice part is that I have 4 months to get a hang of talking faster and understanding what everyone is saying. My goal is to avoid hanging out with "gringos" too much. For those of you that don't know, foreigners are called "gringos" here. It comes from the idea that if you don't have your Green Card, you have to go (aka leave the country). So it's "Green GO" aka "gringo." You learn something new everyday! I want to avoid gringos for completely different reasons than the locals though! I want to immerse more into the Chilean culture, and I really want to meet Chilean students that can show me more of Chile than you can get from the tourist aspect. That's my hope, so I now I need to make it happen. Well actually I need to take a nap...then I will make it happen. Happy Siesta!
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