Chile: Arrival by Julia van Warmerdam

. I really value connecting with people and forming personal relationships, but throughout my life these are usually formed through communication.

For the first ten days here in Chile, I have felt so welcomed with my host and excited to be in a new country that I think part of me is just starting to realize the difficulties of the language barrier. I really value connecting with people and forming personal relationships, but throughout my life these are usually formed through communication. My host mom is exceptionally patient and also wants to learn English, but there have still been countless moments where I have wanted to get to know my host on a deeper level but have been unable to articulate my thoughts or questions in Spanish. I’m going to be honest – this has definitely been frustrating and I do find myself longing for the day when I can speak Spanish with ease. Being here, my main goal has been to learn Spanish and I didn’t really process how much time and practice that would entail – it definitely doesn’t happen overnight. Furthermore, connecting with my host’s three-year-old daughter has also presented new challenges. I love kids and was so excited when I found out my host had a daughter. However, after meeting her, I realized that trying to understand a fast speaking three-year-old is a whole different kind of tricky when practicing a new language. However, slowly, we are bridging those barriers through simple games, songs and using simple vocabulary that we both understand. Overall, it is an interesting experience trying fill in the pieces of a lot of the communications I have been having and always wondering what I have missed in translation. This feeling of isolation is probably the biggest culture shock and is contributing to a feeling of “difference” I am experiencing here, especially since Chile is not a bilingual country at all. It is super rare to find someone who speaks English. However, this means I am getting so much practice! This barrier has made me even more motivated to learn Spanish in order to form the connections I am hoping for.