Culture Shock in Chile
Chile is arguably one of the most developed countries in South America, and it follows that most expats will not experience a tremendous degree of culture shock.
Most Chileans are warm, welcoming and friendly. Western brands and food items are readily available for purchase, but prices may be unusually high due to import taxes.
There are a number of small differences that expats in Chile need to familiarise themselves with. Some of these nuances include smoking indoors, the nationwide football fascination, a lack of public rubbish bins, plastic bag packaging of items from jams and condiments to shampoos and spices, and pricing of bread or produce by weight rather than per item. While these are seemingly small difference, some may find that it is often the littlest differences that become the most noticeable.
The easiest way to adopt a Chilean lifestyle and overcome culture shock is to learn the language. Being able to converse in Spanish certainly enriches everyday encounters, not to mention, fluency in Spanish also attracts a greater range of employment opportunities both within Chile and the extending region.
While Chile's transport infrastructure is advanced according to South American standards, using roads requires a working knowledge of Spanish as all signs are in Spanish. It is also important to brush up on Chilean road signs as some are different from those in Europe and North America.
Latinos are often stereotyped as loud, vivacious, passionate and energetic people and there is some truth to this image. Chileans tend to lead very active lifestyles. In a country with kilometres of beaches and extensive ski slopes this is not surprising. Meals are central to forming connections and relations and as such they are quite big social events that last into the early hours of the morning. With the potential for late nights, work tends to start later in the morning and the "lunch hour" usually turns into lunch hours; siestas are vital.
Learning to balance an active social life with a busy work week is key to surviving in Chile as an expat.
In Chile, the pace of life can seem slower than that of many western countries. But Chileans seem to have developed their own sense of time and much of it is focussed on interacting with people and family, rather than making a desk and computer screen the focal point of one’s existence. Many expats moving to Chile find their new lifestyle choice a refreshing and exciting one.
Most Chileans are warm, welcoming and friendly. Western brands and food items are readily available for purchase, but prices may be unusually high due to import taxes.
There are a number of small differences that expats in Chile need to familiarise themselves with. Some of these nuances include smoking indoors, the nationwide football fascination, a lack of public rubbish bins, plastic bag packaging of items from jams and condiments to shampoos and spices, and pricing of bread or produce by weight rather than per item. While these are seemingly small difference, some may find that it is often the littlest differences that become the most noticeable.
The easiest way to adopt a Chilean lifestyle and overcome culture shock is to learn the language. Being able to converse in Spanish certainly enriches everyday encounters, not to mention, fluency in Spanish also attracts a greater range of employment opportunities both within Chile and the extending region.While Chile's transport infrastructure is advanced according to South American standards, using roads requires a working knowledge of Spanish as all signs are in Spanish. It is also important to brush up on Chilean road signs as some are different from those in Europe and North America.
Latinos are often stereotyped as loud, vivacious, passionate and energetic people and there is some truth to this image. Chileans tend to lead very active lifestyles. In a country with kilometres of beaches and extensive ski slopes this is not surprising. Meals are central to forming connections and relations and as such they are quite big social events that last into the early hours of the morning. With the potential for late nights, work tends to start later in the morning and the "lunch hour" usually turns into lunch hours; siestas are vital.
Learning to balance an active social life with a busy work week is key to surviving in Chile as an expat.
In Chile, the pace of life can seem slower than that of many western countries. But Chileans seem to have developed their own sense of time and much of it is focussed on interacting with people and family, rather than making a desk and computer screen the focal point of one’s existence. Many expats moving to Chile find their new lifestyle choice a refreshing and exciting one.
