As many of you know, I have returned to Santiago, Chile to teach and work until December. I am teaching English at 2 companies: One called Bridge that is based out of Denver and another called Training Solutions. These companies offer English classes to international businesses. Therefore, the class sizes are between 1-5 students and the students for the most part are motivated to learn and speak because they know English is crucial for their jobs. I am also working as the Program Coordinator for an Intercultural Exchange program called Integra Limitada that sends Chilean students to the US to study/work. I will be recruiting students, testing their English, helping them with their resumés/CVs, and working with the US Embassy in Santiago to help the Chilean students get their visas. I am very excited to be working at such an international company. After living in Chile for a year, and then going back to the United States, and then coming back to Chile, I have decided to compare and contrast the 2 countries/cultures.
PROS:
A) For the most part, it is much easier to find a job in Chile. I have had 3 job offers from companies and have had 2 requests to teach private classes. And I know of more potential jobs if needed. The need for native English teachers here is crucial. As Chile is breaking into the international economy, the businesses realize the essential need for their employees to speak English. Back in the States, it is not as easy to find a job. I enjoy working at restaurants and it is good money but that is not what I want to do for the rest of my life.
B) I already know people and the city. I met a lot of people last year, whether it be students, Chilean friends, or American friends, and a lot of them are still here. So that made my decision a lot easier to come back. I also know the city, how the metro works, where the good restaurants and bars are, and how to get around. I am also accustomed to the culture which was very hard to get used to last year, so culture shock won't be as intense as it was last year.
C) The metro and buses are VERY efficient. There are 5 different lines that run through the majority of the city. And it is very quick during peak times. I can get from my apartment to my workplace in 15 minutes just by using the metro. Also, if I am going someplace for less than 2 hours, I can take the metro one way and then take a Micro (a bus) another way and won't get charged (so I only get charged for one way which is fabulous. However I am still not used to the Micro system so I need to learn how to use that). While the metro can get very crowded and hot, the main line now has air conditioning on some of the trains which makes it so much more bearable. I also like how I don't have to worry about driving. When I was in the States over Christmas, I realized how many more "photo tickets" there are just at local traffic lights. Thankfully, I don't have to worry about those here. The inter-regional buses are also very convenient and cheap. I can go to Viña del Mar/Valparaíso for less than $10 round trip. I took a bus to Pucón which is about 8 hours south of Santiago and paid about $50 round trip. Some of the airfare is even cheap, too. Also, when you fly anywhere within or outside of Chile, you almost always get a meal or a decent snack, whereas in the States you now have to PAY to get any sort of food.
D) The fruits and vegetables and wine are DELICIOUS and CHEAP. I can go to the Feria (the local market) or La Vega (the big central market) and buy a kilo of avocados for $2. The wine here is exquisite and abundant. You can buy a high quality bottle of wine for about $6. There is also a grape called the carménere that is only grown in Chile that makes delicious wine.
E) My Spanish is and will continue to improve tremendously. I am much more confident than I was last year (although I still don't understand a lot of things but I have made a complete 180 compared to this time last year). While I speak English for my teaching jobs, I mostly speak Spanish at Integra. Although I will be speaking English to the companies in the US and helping the students with their English, my day-to-day work will mostly be in Spanish. I am also living with a Chilean roommate and a lot of my friends are Chilean so I am constantly speaking Spanish with them.
CONS:
A) Opposite seasons: I left the United States last year in February during winter and arrived in Chile at the END of their summer. Then I lived through the brutal Chilean winter and then left Chile at the beginning of their summer in December and arrived in Denver in winter. I left Denver at the end of winter in March and arrived my second time around at the end of the Chilean summer. It is ALREADY starting to get cold here which means it's only going to get colder. So basically I have lived through 4 winters in 2 years. I am ready for summer and heat. It is also extremely difficult when it is FREEZING in the morning and at night and then it gets hot during the day in the sun. And in the morning when I am walking to the metro it is freezing, but then I get on the metro and there are SO many people that it is HOT. So my body is always confused as to whether its hot or cold. And most of the buildings don't have central heat so you can't escape the cold when you enter the buildings. It is almost colder inside the buildings than it is outside. But luckily my apartment this year receives more sunlight during the day so I think that will help make it warmer than my apartment last year.
B) Lack of efficiency: I'm not trying to say that Chile is INEFFICIENT, but I am just saying that the United States is SO MUCH MORE efficient in a lot of ways. For example, even though the metro is EFFICIENT, the people in the metro are not. People do not understand that in order to GET ON the metro, you have to LET PEOPLE OFF first. It's as simple as that. But it does not work that way. You literally have to PUSH to get on/off the metro. And when your are on the metro, people don't move to the middle of the metro to make more room for other people. They literally just stand by the door and don't move so you constantly have to say PERMISO so you can get by them and get to the middle. Also, people don't tend to understand that you treat walkways/stairs/escalators like a road where you stay on the right side so the flow of traffic makes sense. And if you do walk on the right side and someone is coming towards you, they do not move out of the way or make room for you. You pretty much have to jump to one side or run into them so they get the idea. Also, people walk EXTREMELY slow so it is very difficult to get places quickly when walking. There is no sense of urgency to get places.
C) Lack of Customer Service: This is probably what makes me the most irritated. Fast food is NOT fast food here. You go to Burger King and have to wait 20 minutes just to order and then you go up and order and they don't have what you want. For example, every time I went to Subway last year, they didn't have something that I wanted. They didn't have the bread I wanted, no jalapeños, no hot sauce, and they ran out of Tuna on Tuna Tuesday! Yesterday, I went to Applebee's with one of my friends from high school and her boyfriend and we had to wait 50 minutes for our food. We complained and luckily got a free dessert. But, still. 50 minutes for a SANDWICH that I paid $18 for is not okay. Also, a lot of times, especially at bars, you have wait in line to order and pay for your drink FIRST and then they give you a ticket and you have to wait in another line to get your drink. It is very confusing. When I arrived in Denver in December for the first time in 10 months, the FIRST place I went was Chipotle. The lady was wrapping my burrito but she ripped my tortilla. She immediately apologized and asked if I wanted a new burrito. My jaw literally dropped to the floor because I was so happy and I was not expecting her to say that.
D) Lack of planning/punctuality: Planning rarely exists here. I had training for my Bridge teaching job TWO WEEKS ago and I STILL don't have a class because the Chilean companies haven't signed up for classes yet. I don't even have an official schedule which is really irritating because I would love to plan to do other things. Last time I was here, I tried to plan my going away party in December to start at 9 because we had to be out of the place at midnight, and I explained that to everyone, and mos people showed up at 11. I was leaving for the beach for Independence weekend and I didn't find out what time I was leaving until less than 10 hours the night before. If a Chilean friend says "voy en camino" (I am coming now) it means 2 hours later. My students (both at the University last year and my business professionals) are notorious for arriving at least 20 minutes late to class. My work schedule is going to be very hectic and I try to make plans in advance to see people, but the plans very often change or don't follow through. Luckily, I still have some good "gringo" friends here who appreciate planning so we enjoy planning things in advance. For example, my friend Holly and I planned earlier this week to have a taco night this weekend for Easter. We planned when and where and what we needed to buy. I am thankful that I can still plan, but I am also more aware and trying to be a little bit more relaxed when it comes to punctuality. I know that I don't HAVE to be as stressed whereas in the States timing is CRUCIAL. So the Chilean culture has helped me relax in some senses even though I still love to plan.
So OVERALL I would say there are more PROS than CONS and I am happy to be back in Chile. I have more job opportunities. I can get around very easily. I can enjoy delicious fruits and veggies nad wine for cheap. Even though the Cons can be very stressful (such as lack of planning and not having a schedule), I appreciate them and understand them way more this year than I did last year. I am expecting them instead of being completely culturally shocked. I will try to keep my blog updated once a month. I know I forgot about it at the end last time but I will try very hard to fill everyone in on MI AVENTURA CHILENA :)
Happy Reading!
