Reflections on My Chilean Arrival!

Hello all! Sorry I am getting such a late start with this blog! To make up for lost time I plan on blogging as often as possible to share on my amazing journey and experiences so far. Today I will be giving a small update on my first day here and then in the subsequent days I will be talking about all the exciting and fun opportunities that I have enjoyed in beautiful Santiago, Chile!

When I first got to Chile, I was pretty confident through my Spanish minor and travels in Spain I would easily be able to pick up the language and speak like a true local. Boy was I wrong! In reality, I was way over my head. I got off the plane and couldn't understand anybody. They rarely, if ever, enunciate their words and the amount of Chilean slang was very overwhelming. I didn't know how I was going to get out of the airport and to my apartment and that nervous feeling deep in my stomach was growing. Luckily I was helped out by a local who was on my flight, who split a cab with me and took me to my apartment. He was such a nice guy, and I have since had coffee with him several times since being down here. I'm proud to say that my Spanish and ability to converse with the locals has improved immensely. Unfortunately, I think I will always be sounding like an American, or as they call me, "gringo"!

As I got to my apartment, I realized how lucky I was to have such a great opportunity to work in another country and experience the culture. The apartment that Intrax set me up in was in a great area of the city called Lastarria! We were located right next to a lot of very trendy and hip restaurants and bars, definitely enough places to sneak of for a good late-night beer! Also, I was going to be able to gain some great experience working with Banco Penta in their investment banking research department. Besides the small problems I had at the airport, I knew I was ready to have the most exciting two months in my life! In the next couple of days, I will blog about my various travels in the city, my trip skiing, and the very Chilean 4th of July and nightlife. Chaoo amigos!