Some awkward moments

Okay, so it was bound to happen. Navigating a new country and culture in another language is bound to produce some awkward moments. It´s best to laugh, even though sometimes crying feels like the more automatic response.

My first meal with my parents: our orientation leaders told us that one cultural difference is that you don´t have to wait until everyone is seated and served before eating. So when my parents asked me to sit and help myself to food, I did both. I grabbed the salad bowl in front of me and proceeded to pile stuff on it -- avocadoes, tomatoes, etc. -- and dig in. I ate happily until I was half-way and saw that my mom had brought out another bowl of lettuce and that they were putting it on their sandwiches along with -- you guessed it -- avocados, tomatoes, etc. I felt mortified and burst into flustered laughter. It wasn´t my salad after all!

On Saturday, I went with my parents to my aunt´s house. There were about six Chileans and me, the gringa. It was difficult to follow any of the multiple conversations that were flying around, and every once in a while the room would fall silent and everyone would look at me expenctantly. Only then would I realize that they´d asked me a question. I would smile and shrug, someone would say, "Oh! She didn´t understand!", and the conversation would pick back up at break-neck speed. I just kept reminding myself that it was Day 2 with my host family and that in a few months, I won´t feel so out of place.