Lessons Learned in Chile.

1. Don't drink the water -- at least not for the first few months. This is not a reflection of the quality of water; it's just that the bacteria is different. This includes drying vegetables and fruits very well before eating and not having ice in anything.

2. English is important. My uber liberal political science education had me believing that teaching English to people in other countries was a form of cultural imperialism. This is not the case. While working in Constitucion I met someone who was a physics major and because translated books are so bad, all the students in his class were forced to read English textbooks -- whether they spoke English or not. Not knowing English in this way can really limit your career and scholastic choices.

3. Layers. I've learned how to dress for the cold -- what combination of leggings, socks, bufandas, and jackets are necessary to stay warm. This (obviously) was never a problem back in LA, but with the freezing nights here, I have learned how to sort of stay warm and I can survive the cold.

4. People from the U.S. are very apathetic and cynical -- about everything. I've known this, but contrasting Chilean culture with the U.S. has really highlighted how cynical we are. People don't protest because they think it won't do anything. No one cares about the World Cup even though it's our country and that makes me very sad. No US pride.

5. I've learned that I really like a good football match.

6. I can live outside the United States and be very happy and comfortable. I love love love the US for a million reasons, pero I can call another country home and love it too.

7. I've learned about one million new Chilean words and modismos (including that one).

My two favorite:

a medio morir saltando -- I'm somewhere between dying and jumping (under the weather).

De Micheal Jackson! -- I don't really get the story behind this, but it means "yeah, sure".

8. Being an immigrant can be extraordinarily difficult. I've had friends who've told me about their own struggles coming to the U.S. but now I personally know how it feels to be unfamiliar with a place, it's laws and customs, and it's dialect (I came here with Spainish/Mexican Spanish). I have even more respect for people who leave their home to live in a new country. And being a newcomer here is nothing compared to the hardships people face when they come to the U.S.

There are tons of other things I've learned here, especially about myself, my relationships with other people that I couldn't fit into a list. Living here has given me more than I can name or put into words. I've loved living here and I definitively know that it's changed me.

-- Lauren