La Familia

Chilean Host Family (minus the youngest) from Right to Left: Sebastian, Marta, Alejandro, Nacho!
Gringos from Right to Left: Matt, Vanessa, Peter, Heather, Alex

Living with a host family has and will continue to be an interesting experience. Like my real home, there are three boys, a mother and father. Alejandro Nicanor Zuleta Pena is my host-father. Marta Natalia Galvez Gamboa is my host mother. In Chile everyone has two given names and two last names. Given name 1 + Given name 2 + Father’s first last name + Mother’s first last name. For example, my youngest host-brother’s name is Nicanor Enrique Zuleta Galvez. If you refer back to my host-parents names you’ll understand. The middle host-brother’s name is Ignaccio, or Nacho! (I’m pretty sure the exclamation point is part of the name). The oldest is Sebastian. Despite the machismo culture of Chile, women do not drop either of their last names after marriage. They actually do not take the name of their spouse at all. Instead women will add: de + spouse’s father’s last name (first last name).

Did you get that? I have a hard time explaining things…Yet I’m here as a teacher, speaking another language, go figure.

Anyway…My host-dad works in a mine about ten hours North of Taltal called Collahuasi. He is a mechanical engineer and works on the machines throughout the mine. Collahuasi is a mining company that produces copper concentrate, copper cathodes and molybdenum concentrate from three open-pit mineral deposits in the Andean plateau of the far north of Chile. Alejandro leaves at 5am on Wednesday morning and returns the following week on Thursday in the morning. On his time off he fixes things around the house, drinks beer during lunch, takes siestas, prepares asados (barbeques), helps with the construction of the extension to the house, disappears in the late afternoon, explains things to me like I’m a child, drives around honking and waving at people, bothers the gringo, and hosts gringo parties and partakes in the festivities (which includes coming to the disco with us). He is extremely friendly, outgoing, a little intense, and always willing to help. It is actually nice to only see him every other week; I don’t think I could handle him everyday. I think the dinner conversation us gringos had with him pretty much sums up his personality. He polished off enough beer and wine for a wedding, had called me Weon (asshole or idiot, but not in a bad way) at least ten times, explained his passion for beautiful women at least five times, told us the story of his marriage to Marta three months after meeting her, and finished off with something about God and his mother. Remember, he had only known my gringo friends for about three hours. He’s great, but like I said, in doses.

Marta is from the south of Chile. She met Alejandro in the North. I don’t know what she was doing up here, but three months later she was married to the Alejandro. Let’s just say they had a very reason to get married after only three months…Marta is very religious. I am not sure what church she belongs to. She goes to church every Sunday, watches church TV, and listens to church radio. She is the boss of all household things and a master with the iron. She did not receive a high-school level education, so she attends classes five days a week from 7pm to 11pm. By now she probably has the best grade in English because I do, I mean explain, all her homework. I do not understand Marta too well because she speaks in different tones, draws out words, and drops the ending of words. My most interesting conversation with her thus far was over religion. I have a tough time explaining my views in English, just imagine that conversation in Spanish. I’m pretty sure that she thinks all humans are literally descendants of Israel. I have politely declined her invitations to mass numerous times.

Sebastian is the oldest brother and attends University in Antofagasta. He is 18 years old, does not go out much, he enjoys anime and video games. He is home every other weekend. Nacho! is in the middle. He is 16 years old. He and I spend a lot of time at the beach together because he body boards. Body boarding is very popular here because a body board is much less expensive, and more durable, than a surf board. He is a junior in high-school. I have a lot of fun with him explaining the significance of words that one hears in rap and reggae music. Examples include: I’ll woop your head boy, No woman no cry, Youza window shoppa and many other much more vulgar things that I will not write. One of my favorite things to do here is go for a drive with him at night and cruise the empty streets of Taltal listening to music from the eighties. Sometimes I actually feel like I am in 1980, it’s pretty interesting. Nicanor, 11, is hilarious. He skips around the house without a care in the world, playing with his finger-skateboards. Though Marta does order him around like a private in the army. He huffs and puffs and makes funny sounds when she orders him around. My favorite sound is his long sigh he lets out after being force fed and stuffed with food. It’s not a satisfying sigh, rather a more painful one, and I think to myself, I know the feeling kid. The portions at lunch are enough to last me the rest of the day, but leaving food on your plate is rude. They don’t understand the concept of secounds, there’s only firsts here. And you better finish your firsts.

The family has been great. I really have no complaints. After my spanish improves maybe I'll be able to give you more details. It's a bit strange because I have known them for almost two months now, yet only know about a few days worth of information. They treat me like a son and I am extremely greatful.

Here is a picture of the youngest skateboarding: