You Are Where Now?!

Would you believe me if I told you that a 17 year old girl decided about one year ago today to pack up and leave her old life behind from the comfort and serenity of Gilbert, Arizona to a bustling new city 5,334 miles away in South America? Honestly? I wouldn’t. How does one even begin to fathom leaving everything they’ve ever known: family, friends, school, and life behind, and to live abroad for a whole year in a country that doesn’t even really speak English…? You really can’t, but this girl, me, Isabella, I believe it is necessary to experience a life outside of our comfort zone. Sure maybe leaving the continent seems a little extreme, but why not dream big? If I’m going off to make some life alternating decision I might as well go all out.

After a 11 1/2 hour plane ride from Phoenix to Houston to Santiago I finally arrived in the picturesque city of Valparaíso. To the north and west, is the stunning coast of the Pacific, and to the east are the mesmerizing Andes mountain range. My city is a coastal city neighboring Valparaíso, called Viña del Mar. The whole city is always alive with street performers, musicians, artists, and vendors; there is a plethora of things to see and do here!

Since arriving here in Viña (as the locals call it) I’ve ate so many new and amazing foods. Biweekly I was eating out at new cafes, which turned into the same cafe that my exchange student friends and I resort to now because it so perfect. But… I had to cut back on the biweekly outings because it was starting to eat up all the money I had for the month haha. We go there so often that the servers even recognize us now, but it’s nice to have something here that is constant!

In Valparaíso and Viña, my friends and I have been spending our free time exploring and wandering the streets admiring the murals and browsing the ferias (open markets). Everyday is spent practicing Spanish, as well as Chilean Spanish because if I am being honest it is another beast in itself. They have so many distinct words that originate from the native tribes here in Chile that it has evolved into their own unique language. While that has been a challenge, I feel like I am finally starting to become a little more accustomed to speaking and understanding the language here, yet I still have a ways to go before I would say I am totally comfortable XD.

This past month has been a sea of endless questions and deciphering the intricate mannerisms and workings of this country: from school, to buying something, or just conversing with the locals. But for now, all I can really do is just coast on through taking in each and every experience and learning how to move forward from there.