chilean family? check
okay folks, this is a long one…
chileans are really good at soccer. i’m fairly certain they pop out of the womb with cleats on. friday night we were challenged to a game of soccer by the employees of the hotel. picture this. eight gringos, mostly girls, five of which have never played soccer before. against a team of chilean soccer gods all wearing matching shirts. needless to say, we did not win. como se dice epic fail? oh gran fracaso.
saturday, before leaving for viña del mar, we went on a hike in the nearby parque nacional de la campana. the park has two distinct climates, one of which is much like arizona, cactus and all. the other is exactly like northern california, i felt like i was hiking through the back portion of upper park.
we had a guide who showed us around the park. the entire time we were hiking i had quotes from a youtube video stuck in my head. he would be talking about the leaves of a tree, and all i would be able to think was “you can tell that it is an aspen tree because of the way it is.” here’s a link to the video for your viewing pleasure. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hm3JodBR-vs
yesterday evening we arrived in viña del mar. i adore my host family. my mamá is trying to fatten me up, as if i need any help. my papá loves to go on walks and show off the town. so far we’ve been to the beach and downtown, and tomorrow we’re scheduled to walk to valparaiso in the afternoon. my sister is really nice, and helps me to understand the slang that goes miles above my head. they told me that they consider me a daughter so i should consider this my home. my mamá just brought me a bottle of nail polish remover and told me my nails look ugly and that i should fix them. so yes, we’re family.
this morning i went to church with a friend from denver who has been studying here for the past six months. it was so great to speak in spanish with someone who doesn’t talk sofastthatallthewordsbecomeone. chileans don’t actually speak spanish. surprise! they took a perfectly good language, turned it up to light speed, chopped of the last syllable of all the words, and tossed in a copious amount of slang. voila! chilean spanish. i only understand around 70% of what is said, considerably less when they start having a conversation amongst themselves. at which point i follow the best i can, but only catch half of each sentence, and usually not the important half. which is all fine and dandy until they turn to me and ask my opinion, and i have no idea what “we” are talking about. in short, a very humbling experience so far.
May I never boast in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Galatians 5:6
i’ve been reading galatians with my roommates from denver this month, and this verse has taken on a whole new meaning. the Lord has been stripping me of my pride. not piece by piece, but entire sheets at a time. the last couple years have been a steep learning curve that my works don’t earn god’s love, that i can’t boast in what i do. but now i can’t even boast in my abilities to communicate at higher than a fifth grade level. adios orgullo! it’s been a painful couple days of coming to terms with the fact that i’m really rather helpless at the moment, and a rude awakening at how prideful i am when i do feel comfortable in my surroundings. i know that my spanish will quickly improve, and soon i’ll be able to communicate with my family sans blank stares from both parties. but i pray that this new found humility isn’t so quick to disappear.
mom, as a reward for your patience, here are some pictures. see, i’m still alive and smiling!
