Group Post: Why I came to Chile? When or will I Leave?

Here's another group post, we have had a long time in between these, but we are back! Kyle has the list of all the others who are posting so check her blog and everyone elses!!

Why did this Minnesota country girl move to one of the largest Spanish speaking cities in the world?
LOVE. The best movie quote ever from the best movie ever, "The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is to love and be loved in return!"
My journey of love brought me to Chile. If I had never met Rodrigo, I would never ever have come to Chile. Never. It wasn't even on my dream list of places to go in this big world of ours. When I met Rodrigo in Montana in January of 2007, I had no idea I would end up here. I told myself over and over again, I fought the thoughts in mind, and as much as I didn't want to fall in love with this guy because of the chance that when he left the US I would never see him again, I did. I now look back in my journal and see the fight with myself that I wrote down and laugh. First of all I laugh that I spelled Chile with an "i"....Chili, like the soup. After dating Rodrigo for a few months, if you can call it that I call it spending every single day and night together, but we never really went on "dates," Rodrigo had to go back to Chile. He changed his flight to a later date in March so that he could stay with me longer, but he couldn't stay forever. I knew this, this was the biggest thing my mind fought over. The day came. March 29th I drove Rodrigo to the airport. I brought him in, I sat on the bench with him and I bawled my eyes out when I had to say goodbye to him. It hurt so much. My mind was fighting back in forth with the idea of him never coming back and with the idea of me going to Chile to be with him. Well, obviously my mind didn't go to the darkside. I left Montana the next day. I packed everything I had into my car. I even took apart Rodrigo's bike and brought that with me. When I left Bozeman, I was sad. Sad that I was leaving my friends and this little city that just had a perfect way of life. I moved back in with my parents and worked. I worked overnights at Shopko and then worked an evening shift at McDonalds. I worked and worked. In fact the only memory that I really have from April to July in 07 is the day my best friend in Bozeman died and I had to go to Montana again. This of course threw me back a bit on the money to get to Chile, but I just had to leave a month later than I wanted. I talked to Rodrigo almost every single day on messenger. We talked on the phone maybe once a month. And then I bought my ticket. My very very first plane ticket ever. At 18 the first time I ever left the country was to go all the way to Chile. In case you would like to know how much it costed, it was exactly $870.90. Exactly. So I was off to Chile on July 10th. Rodrigo and a couple friends picked me up at the airport. I met his family that day, his dad's side was at the house when we got there with lots of snacks and hugs and kisses on the cheek. We took a nap because I was beat. Rodrigo was also tired because he didn't sleep at all the night before I left. So we napped and then went to meet his mom's side of the family. I spent 3 months in Chile. We didn't do a whole lot besides spend as much time together as we possibly could. I didn't work and Ro just had a few classes a week that he went to. I left Chile in October with the hopes that Rodrigo would come to the US and visit me. That never happened, he couldn't get the visa. So I was off to Chile again. This time a more permanent move. I came back down here in January of 2008 and have been living here ever since. We bought our first puppy together and this time I had a job. I went to Minnesota for a little visit in July, just 10 days. We were married on September 2nd. I went to the US for a month over Christmas and now I am here.

When will I leave?? Will I leave??
Well the technical answer is yeah, I will leave. On June 1st I will leave Chile to go to Minnesota for MY summer and hopefully if my husband gets his little ass moving, he will be going with me. But this isn't a permanent leave. I will be back in Chile at the end of September. Right now I know that I don't want to stay in Chile forever. I can't do it. I want to have children, but I do not at all want to raise them here in Chile. So, after Rodrigo finishes college, hopefully we will be able to move to the US so we can start a family. There is only so much I can handle about this country. If we stay here, there is no way we will ever really be above, we may always just make it paycheck to paycheck, which means, I can't have the 5 children that I want, and we wouldn't be able to afford going to the US to visit, ever. The when is the only question that needs to be answered. And with that we aren't sure at all.

Ramdom this and that update!

First I would like to start off with a little bit of this weeks group post, my story is not that complicated. Rodrigo and I speak in English almost all the time. The times where that doesn't happen is when Ro is sleeping and wakes up to tell me something. Then he will usually speak in Spanish then repeat in English. Our dog on the other hand Rodrigo speaks to in both Spanish and English and mostly everything comes out Spanglish. One day I hope we will be able to communicate in both languages. We both get really impatient when speaking Spanish that right now we are just speaking English.

Second! A comparison! Valley Fair compared to Fantasilandia. I went to Fantasilandia today, and yeah ok it was fun, but shit! I went on like 6 or 7 rides and waited in line the rest of the time. I was disappointed though, I thought there would be at least one real roller coaster! but nope! They had something that looked amazing but sadly it won't be finished until January! Now for those who don't know, Valley Fair is in Minnesota and I have to say that I enjoy it a lot! I would like to compare The Extreme Fall here to the Power Tower in MN. Extreme Fall, go to the top don't wait, just drop before your heart and stomach are in your mouth, stop abruptly. About one second of a fall. BORING! Power Tower! This would be the red tower. Go to the top, sit there, sit there, start panicking because you don't know when it's going to fall! Start talking to your friend while admiring the view. Suddenly drop mid sentence and make a grunting noise when being cut off from talking. Fall fall fall. By this time you can't breath, laugh, scream in my case. Come back up a bit and bounce sort of up and down and land gradually. About 5 second or so of a fall! FUNNN!!!

Third!! I have received a paper in the mail telling me to go to the extranjeria to get my visa put into my passport!!! :D :D :D :D :D :D!!!!!!!! If you don't remember in a previous post I said they said it would take about 3 months before I got this paper. And I was looking at January 10th! And it came here on November 8th!!! Which means I may be in MN with the man in February!!! A little happy?? UMMMM YESSSSS!!! We are going to the extranjeria on Monday then hopefully getting ALL paperwork and then going to the US Embassy to file my petition for the spouse visa into the United States for my hubby! This process says that it takes about 2 months so I am going to count on it taking the full 2 months! If it is accepted we will set up an interview at the Embassy then off to that and if he gets the visa off to the States!! Am I a little happy???? UMMM YES!!!!

Group Blogging Post 3: How Chileans Perceive Gring@s

This is a little late because I couldn't think of anything to write. But, last night I was talking to a friend and Rodrigo about the differences they see in people from the US and Chileans. I of course disagree to a point about a one thing they said, but the other I guess makes sense. I only got 3 things out of these two guys so here goes.

1. Gringos aren't as worried about material things because Chileans have to work harder to get nice things, and Gringos already have a lot of money so it isn't as hard.
You can very well guess that this I completely do not agree with. When I asked what they meant by being materialistic they explained it to me like this. Gringos don´t care about hiding Ipods, PSPs, expensive cell phones, and laptops because if they were stolen it isn't that hard for them to buy a new one. Of course after getting that out of them or him rather, (my husband has a better hold on what is and isn't difficult in the US because he at least has been there and seen me struggle a bit) I let him have it. Of course I worked hard to get the things that I want!! I dreamed about getting my Ipod for two years before I actually got it! And Ipods are cheaper in the US! Of course I wanted to put in a snotty comment saying that if Chileans would actually get a job when they are younger it wouldn't be so hard. I think it would be hard to save money that your parents give you EVERYDAY until you have enough for an Ipod, but that's not hardWORK, that's just fighting temptation to spned the money elsewhere!

2. Gringos are more trusting with their belongings.
They didn't quite know why this was so I gave them my theory on it. I think Gringos are more trusting because we use respect (I had to use the song to spell that, how sad!!) more in everyday life. I of course would not get into Kyle´s car when she ran into the gas station because, I would never want anyone to do that to me, not to mention the fact that I am not skilled in grand theft auto! I of course leave my car unlocked, in the US, while I am at work overnight, because I feel safe enough to do so. He in Chile I get the feeling that people just don´t feel safe.

3. Lastly, Gringos don´t have as much problems except in bigger cities with violence because we have a better education.
This was explained that in the US we are taught by our parents and teachers, here a lot of the time the kids have a nanny and the main people they learn about life from is their teachers and they just don´t teach as good. Gringos are taught to use words, this is rarely taught here in Chile so when kids get angry they have no words to use to handle the situation, (I was always taught to use "When you... I feel... because, that lamest thing ever when being taught) I guess in the end it teaches a kid how to handle things without getting physical. Here in Chile they have no words to say and go straight to a fight. I guess I can see the truth in this.
And that's all I have hopefully you all don't think it's too pathetic!