My gringo husband, my children and I have been in Chile for the last two weeks visiting my family. My daughter Carolina, who is 18, has been doing wonderfully here. When I've asked her about the main differences between teens' lives here in Chile when compared to the United States she has said, "I love how everyone here greets you with hugs and kisses. Even when you meet a person for the first time she hugs and kisses on the cheek."
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Now that she's an adult she understands why it bothers me when her friends do not greet me or say goodbye when they come to our house. The other difference, to me, that hit me a lot since I moved to the United States, is the role music and dance play in everyday life.
I love that people here will go dancing to clubs all the time and even when we meet at someone's house, there is always music and dancing. My daughter has also noticed this and says that's what she will miss most when we go back home.
The third difference is the way in which both young men and women dress. "All the girls are very well dressed, even when they're dressed casually with denim shorts and a blouse. They always look great and fashionable," says Carolina.
What has called her attention is that although they are very concerned with their body image and are usually very thin, they are not so concerned with being fit and eating healthy. My daughter worries about her weight and ensures she has a balanced diet and exercise constantly. She has realized that smoking is also a big problem among teenagers here, and it has surprised her that they "all smoke and start at an early age."
Another one of the difference she has brought up is what she calls "confidence" she said she does not know how to explain it, but she feels that here boys are more daring and expressive. The American friends she has back in the U.S. are more like my gringo than me. Not that she is shy, but she is less "demonstrative" that my family and I, so this difference is even more evident for her.
Finally, she has also noticed that the boys here are gentlemen. She told me "They open the door for me, give me their jackets when I'm cold and take care of me when we go out together." On the other hand , it is also noticeable how late nightlife starts here, they get together in a house, what they call "la previa", which means they meet early and then go out dancing or they have dinner at home and go out after 11 or 12 midnight. As you can imagine, ever since we got here, I hasn't been possible for me to sleep peacefully as I worry until the time she gets back home.
Image via Lucía Ballas-Traynor
