KATHRYN IN CHILE, POST #1

Hi everyone! Chile is very warm and sunny. It's a little overwhelming sometimes. I keep thinking how much easier this trip is than my trip to Nicaragua. There's hot running and drinkable water, and lots of buildings and paved roads and wireless access. There are also self-appointed parking attendants who hang out near markets and stuff and they help you park. You then tip them on your way out. I wonder how people would react if I appointed myself a parking attendant and asked for a tip in Oberlin.

Yesterday I was on my own for the midday, and I had lunch at this little cafe. I ordered a quiche, and the waitress paused and looked at me and said "Es brasilena?" I still have trouble intuiting subjects when they are left out, and I thought she was asking if the quiche was Brazilian. I said, "Ummm...si." Then later she asked me which part of Brazil I was from, and I got all confused and realized that she had thought I was Brazilian. I explained to her that I had misunderstood; I thought she asked if my food was Brazilian, and when I don't understand a question properly I say "Yes" instead of "Huh?" She probably thought I was crazy.