It is challenging to put my first impressions of Viña del Mar into words, but I will try! Although it has only been a week, I am beginning to feel at home here in Viña. I am getting to know my way around its cobblestone streets and am noticing my Spanish improving little-by-little. My host family has been incredibly welcoming and kind to me. We have most meals together and have gone on several long walks along the beach.
As it is invierno here in Chile, the sun rises late in the morning and sets around 6:30 in the evening. During the day, when the sun is out, it is fairly warm, around 60-65 degrees fahrenheit. Although the Chilenos continue to tell me how freezing it is, I have been very comfortable.
During my time here thus far, I have found the city to be quite relaxed and laid back. A much slower pace than Boston and other American cities. The exception, however, is the rate at which the Chilean people speak, which isn’t slow at all. Chileans are slightly notorious for their rapid speaking, the dropping of consonants or entire syllables, and their own special words or “chileanisms”. This has been a small challenge and I am finding myself having to ask people to “hablas un poco más despacio por favor”. The bright side, however, is that people say if you can understand Chilean Spanish, you can understand anything. We’ll see if that’s true…
This week, we have had our orientation at the university. It has consisted of several informational meetings detailing homestay information, travel do’s and don’t’s, all the extracurricular activities UVM has to offer, and a taste of Chilean culture. One day, we were able to hear a wonderful performance by a 12-piece Chilean musical group. They performed songs they had composed to Pablo Neruda and Gabriela Mistral’s poetry.
On Wednesday, we took a tour of the neighboring city, Valaparíso. Amazingly colorful and vibrant, Valaparíso, or to the locals, Valpo, is brimming with breathtaking graffiti art. Every corner is more beautiful than the last. A significantly larger city than Viña, Valpo is a major port for imports and exports for the region and a popular tourist and cruise ship destination. I really enjoyed getting a glimpse of the city and am eager to return as there is definitely much more to be explored.
