Enter second phase of culture shock.
You know, the one when you feel like everyone's watching as you wander around buildings--lost--trying to find your classes in rooms that even the professors have never seen before, you make a fool of yourself dancing with a pretty-boy Chilean, you slip in the street on some soapy water because for some reason they literally wash the streets here...
When you feel like your Spanish is seriously inadequate even though people compliment it all the time, you are overwhelmed by the crowded micro where you have to get waaay closer to people physically than you ever wanted in order to extract yourself at the correct stop, the taxi driver is creepy, the dog with the really gross eye goo follows you home, you are sleepy all the time...
You wait in line at the Registro Civil to be a good citizen and register your student visa, only to have someone cut in front of you in line before you can do anything, and then leave with your hands covered in sticky black ink from being fingerprinted and your only consolation is a glob of useless lotion and a few tiny paper towels...
You feel conspicuous, like your body is screaming "I'm a gringa!"against your will and the pallor of your Scots-Irish skin is blinding everyone even in this country infused with English and German heritage and European features, and God forbid you take a photo of something interesting in the street because you will instantly identify yourself as a foreigner...
And even though the maid is cooking all kinds of delicious food, and cleaning your room, and hanging out your clothes to dry, and listening to the comforting strains of Juanes at loud volumes, you just feel kind of like crawling in bed and staying there for a while?
That's the second phase of culture shock. Ick.
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Comprendo el choque perfectamente, m'ija, pero pasará. En relación a lo de resbalarte en la acera, algún día te cuento lo que me pasó cuando me fui a México a los 15 años. No hay nada tan vergonzoso como lo que me pasó.
ReplyDeleteI know how it feels...I finally experienced my first day when I just wanted to go home. On that day, I learned that just because you are on the right bus, doesn't mean it is going in the right direction. And the bus driver will kick you off the bus at the end of the line, even if it is nowhere near where you live and it is raining. When this happens, a 10 minute trips turns into a hour and a half. And when you are lost, no one will be able to speak English. I've thought the exact same thing about feeling like my German is worthless, even though people frequently compliment me on it. I hope things are going better, I've been thinking about you and all of the other Maryville students abroad :-D
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