Chilean Time

Final papers and exams are starting creep up on me which means I'm spending quite a bit of time procrastinating. Tonight my method of choice was going through some of my old blog posts. Narcissistic? Maybe. Whatevs. Anyway, when I read this one from roughly 3 months ago, I couldn't help but notice a marked change in my behavior. I don't plan to be one of those sappy students who lives in a country for five months and comes back "a new person" and "totally changed" although I definitely think I've grown as a person here, but looking at what I'd written about adjusting to the Chilean schedule (or lack thereof) made me laugh.

In my previous post, I talked about being really compulsive about always knowing what time it is and always being ridiculously early to things. So much so that many of my friends from home have something called "Megan Cutter time" (Example: "So, if I want to be at the airport on Megan Cutter time, I need to leave what? An hour earlier than I normally would?)

Now, a little more than three months into my abroad experience I can confidently say that no one would think of "Megan Cutter time" as anything special or different. Why? Because the equivalent of pigs flying has occurred: I am late. Consistently. Actually, I have a really hard time being on time. Ever. Sorry Mom, please don't feel that you've failed me.

About 3 weeks ago I broke my watch and the (few) remaining concerns I had about being timely went out the window. I get to the metro when I get there and I get to class when I get to class. Usually on time. Usually before the professor. I'm definitely slightly more concerned about my internship, but I still roll up exactly on time which would have stressed the former time-conscious Megan out. A lot. 

I'm not sure if this will continue back home (I sort of doubt it) but it's kind of nice not to be so stressed about time. What's the point of spending my metro ride freaking out that I'm five minutes late? It's not going to make the metro faster. 

On another note, in the blog post I linked to earlier, I complained that Chileans walk too slow. This is still my most common complaint and probably the one thing I will not fondly miss when I head home in 2 months. WHY DO YOU WALK SO SLOW CHILEANS? The other day, this woman was keeping pace with me and I thought, "Wow, either this person is a foreigner or the only normal-speed walking Chilean on the planet." I turned to look at her and she was EXERCISING. LIKE WEARING A SWEATSUIT AND POWER WALKING.

That's my reflection for the day, hope you enjoyed it! I'm having a great week despite the stress of impending exams. One of my best friends had a birthday the other day at this amazing club with karaoke, I taught more Chileans how to make mimosas, I ate gringo brunch, I finished translating a huge scholarly article at my internship, and this weekend my Aunt Lynnie is coming to visit! Yay great things!