If the 50 degree decline didn’t kill my immune system, the surge of caffeine intake and lack of sleep that has come along with the restart of the semester just might. Good news/Bad news, the plants are alive but only by a thread. However, this isn’t what you’re wanting to read about.
Coming back to Columbus after fully immersing myself into the Chilean culture has been disorienting to say the least. If I thought switching between English and Spanish during our trip was bad, switching back to one full language has been even weirder. Between forgetting words for things, trying to pay for Starbucks in Chileans, or simply realizing I need to drive places, has made me miss the wonderful city of Santiago the last couple days.
It isn’t just about missing the cool sights we saw but missing the relaxing, Chilean culture. It was nice to be randomly stopped by a local and having a chat either in the metro or cafe. They would ask about the US and even ask questions that are considered social faux-pas! Being thrown back into Columbus feels chillier because the social interactions experienced abroad were so genuine and random! Here i’d be lucky to get hello out of my Michael’s clerk. As much as the trip was about learning the city, I find myself missing more the culture I grew fond of the people quickly and I felt like I could’ve enjoyed at least one more day of the city. I wanna tell the piper on Guardia Vieja to go away one more time or be annoyed by the fifty-fifth “Helado-Hel-Hel-Helado” salesman!
Main point is, it’s been weird readjusting to Columbus after fully loving Santiago and it’s wonderful people. Sergio, if you’re reading this, I graduate this year! Tell your people to hire me!
#noshame