the flipside of life / how santiago is always in my heart

Now that I am back in the States, I present to you ..... (drum roll please).......
Random things that make me realize that I have been infected by Santiago living:


- wanting to order agua con gas at a restaurant but then remembering that ordering Perrier makes you look pretentious.

- trying to click the light switch side to side instead up flicking it up or down ... also reaching for the light switch higher than it actually is (all my light switches in chile were up really high... dont know why that was).

- reaching for matches when I want to cook something.... and then remembering that I have an electric stove

- slight confusion over the fact I dont have to light the water heater to take a hot shower (where does the hot water come from?! it's like magic!!)

- wondering where all the mullets are.... and fanny packs... oh wait, I see fanny packs on all the midwest tourists in DC (sorry, Sara! People from your part of the world need fashion lessons)

- saying gracias by accident ALL THE TIME

- getting pissed that people are so loud EVERYWHERE! oh americans...

- being shocked that people actually let the passenger OFF the metro before getting on... and there is no pushing involved.

- standing too close to people while waiting for the crossing light to change and then wondering why they're giving me dirty looks and slowly creeping away. (apparently I have lost my need for personal space now...)

- getting annoyed that I can't smoke inside and that I should be mindful when smoking outside to not get smoke within 5 feet of anyone else or else I WILL get the death stare. (yeah, I know I should just quit... what can I say, it's a vice!)

- feeling short again. People here are taller than me!! and the buildings are bigger! and the cars! and the trees too! And a large soda at fast food restaurants is the size of my head!

- staring at people... all the time. and wondering why they aren't staring back. What is so interesting about the ground people??

- seeing 20-somethings dress like young professionals rather than 80s punk rockers.... (30-somethings also for that matter. hahaha)

- being insanely SHOCKED when someone asks me a question in English.... oh wait, I'm a dummy.. everyone here speaks English.




I'm not really experiencing much reverse culture shock --- I mean like super depressed and completely out of place feeling type reverse culture shock. This is mostly due to the fact that I was in the US recently (in the winter in the US/ summer in Chile). And although I miss things, I'm not sad. I know that I will return to Chile, so it's no biggie (when that will be, I don't know.... but definitely with a stop in central america before !)

My life is about to get REALLY interesting and I can't wait to actually write about it on here. I have to wait though... the timing is not right to divulge the awesomeness of my fabulously twisty-turny life.