On day two in Chile, I accomplished every single personal goal I had in mind when I decided to do this trip.
Yesterday morning Cassandra and I left our apartment and headed for the subway with only a map, umbrella, and sheer nerve. Over the six hours that followed, we:
- Successfully found and used a local bank
- Bought our tickets from an entirely Spanish speaking magazine kiosk
- Haggled at an open park market and talked down the price of a green alpaca sweater to 9000 pesos (about 15$) using entirely gestures
- Adventured around a massive mountain park/market/zoo/hiking conservation area
- Visited both the National Gallery and National Historic museums as well as winding our way through the packed Plaza de Arms square where yet another open market was taking place.
- Bought groceries at a nearby store (also entirely through gesturing and holding a visa), and carted them back to our apartment via bus and walking.
There were, of course, hiccups. I left my debit in the bank after being distracted by a conversion chart on my draw slip (Got it back seconds later from a friendly and very fast local). We also saw a homeless person sleeping near our hiking trail in the mountain. Coming home, we disembarked at a different stop, and had to navigate back to our hotel over about 20 minutes.
And guess what? We handled it! It was fine!
If I had done it with someone more traveled, or more used to the city, it wouldn't have been the same. I wouldn't have needed all the vigilance and processing that the experience demanded, knowing that neither she nor I knew anything more than the other. Making decisions, responding to situations, and being entirely free of guidance is a hugely different burden of responsibility and awareness. Having it turn out successfully (and the accompanying adrenaline) was the not so much a confidence boost as a confidence flood; sweeping out anxiety and the nagging feeling that it'd be easier with someone who was already prepared. I had literally never in my life felt so much real pride in myself, for such a very real, if intangible, reason.
On the bus home, we saw Sarah, Russell, Katherine, and Amanda walking out the window. It was another experience that jerked me back to the reality of literally living in a new city. I was recognizing my neighborhood, and seeing people I knew out and about their business. This is really happening.
So, that's the courage and groceries. The Santiago Shuffle is what happens when people drinking different sorts of interesting local alcohol periodically trade their drinks back and forth with everyone else on an 8th floor balcony they dragged the living room couch onto.
The gang arrived back while Cassandra, Corey, and I were drinking wine and playing a sedate game of crazy 8 countdown after tidying the dinner mess. They had arrived from a bar, local beers in tow, and immediately began whooping it up on the balcony.
The contact buzz was too strong to ignore, especially after my day of worldly confidence. Within a half hour, my iPod speakers were cranked, Russell and Amanda had dragged the couch onto the balcony, and we were all cheersing, dancing, drinking, and talking about we couldn't believe we were actually here, and did we actually have one full month? The girls from Fort Frances joined us, the guys from upstairs joined us, and a night of decompression before our first day of school turned into a multi-floor party fueled by adrenaline and Chilean alcohol.
This was, of course, at the ripe old hour of 8:15pm.
This was also, of course, the day before our first day of school.
That being said, today was a mixed blessing. Yes, school was fantastic. The campus is beautiful, our professor is hilarious, and the day dawned bright and sunny. All of us had a great morning, and all of us are fully committed to learning Spanish, feeling the culture, and generally sucking the marrow out of every single experience here. Also, all but four of us were ranging from mildly dehydrated to full on hungover to the eyeballs.
While I acknowledge that yes, it may be a foolish way to begin our trip as students and representatives of Confederation College... Life happens, and sometimes on a Sunday. While it may have impacted our immediate comfort the morning after, it did not remotely impact our enthusiasm for learning and seeing the campus. There are thousands of ways to experience Santiago, and sitting on a couch on a balcony on a mild night in May with good people, music, and a wine buzz was definitely a good one, and a good bonding experience. There was almost a sense of pride this morning, as we endured the repercussions of our evening. We had EARNED the hangovers. They were badges of a night during which we celebrated travel, school, Spanish, Santiago, music, friendship, and the support of hard working local breweries and wineries.
Hasta Luego, all!
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