Submitted by Giselle Babiarz on the 2015 winter session program in Chile sponsored by the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures…
My first week in Santiago, Chile has been very slow-moving. I suppose this is due in part to exhaustion from traveling, but I believe I’ve also been experiencing a bit of culture shock. This is my second trip to South America (Cusco, Peru was my first), but my first time living in a city as large as Santiago. Admittedly, I expected things to be similar to my previous experience, but Cusco was far more antiquated and tranquil than Santiago. Santiago is massive and modern. With all the hustle and bustle in the city, I thought I would feel as though I were never alone. However, it is quite the opposite, especially with cultural differences and a language barrier. It’s been surprising to feel isolated with so much going on around me. Things have been improving as I’ve gotten closer with my host family, and I have started comfortably navigating public transportation as I use it more and more. As for the language, immersion in Chile is quite different than it was in Peru due to their heavy accent and rapid speaking. However, I’ve started becoming comfortable with their speed and inflection, and I know this will only improve. I had to take my time in the beginning with Santiago’s culture, but I’m looking forward to settling in.
This weekend, my group visited Vicuña in Valle de Elqui, the birthplace of Gabriela Mistral. Gabriela Mistral was an extremely famous Chilean poet, and the first Latin American to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature. We are currently studying her work in our literature course. It was very interesting to visit the place that provided the inspiration for so many of her poems. At the museum dedicated to her life, we were able to read verses that spoke of the mountains and vegetation that surrounded us. Unlike the United States, poetry permeates Chilean culture. One could pick a person off the street, and that person would most likely be able to recite Gabriela Mistral’s most famous lines, word-for-word. Consequently, being able to study poetry here has been extremely valuable in understanding Chilean culture. A large part of our immersion would be missing without the opportunity to learn about such important cultural figures such as Gabriela Mistral. 