Conversations

Yesterday I talked to my math professor for the first time (after a few weeks of classes... oops, haha). After I introduced myself, he said (in English) "Where are you from? The US?" I answered in Spanish, explaining that my study abroad program didn't allow me to speak English. We had a short conversation - he asked if I understood what was going on in class, I said yes but mentioned that the proofs for homework were difficult, etc. It was only after the conversation that I realized he had been asking all of his questions in English, not just the first ones, and I had been responding without realizing it in Spanish. Woohoo!

Later in the day Will and I went to La Recova, the artisan market in the city, since we hadn't been there yet. There were a number of people handing out offers for lunch specials - one such man approached us, but we said we had already eaten. He noticed the accent and asked where we were from. As soon as we said the US, he started talking in English to us, saying that he needed to practice his English. We, as per usual, explained that we weren't supposed to use English while in Chile, but he still used a lot of English in our conversation. He has a girlfriend in La Serena from Arizona, which is how he learned English. We talked for probably around 10 minutes - he told us a bit about his life, asked how we liked La Serena, etc. He was really excited that we were American - he went so far as to invite us to his house for Fiestas Patrias. I'm continually astounded at how welcoming and open everybody is here!

Also, during this conversation two girls approached Will and I and bashfully asked if we would take a picture with them for the "Alianza Americana" (American Alliance) at their school. We obliged, taking pictures in front of their Alianza Americana poster. We're famous.