I have had the chance to live abroad many times, and recently, I started to reflect on my past experiences and what I’ve learned from other cultures. From 2018 to 2022, I lived in Santiago de Chile. During that time, I paid attention to observing the Chilean people’s culture, personalities, and conduct— especially that of the girls because, well, I am a girl. As I was in my twenties back then, I hung out with and learned from girls of my age or similar.
This brings me to today’s topic: how Chilean girls are and what we can learn from them. I think that adopting the best traits from other cultures is a good practice for everyone. It can open new perspectives, teach you new values, and make you a (more) global citizen.
But there is also a downside: learning from other cultures can also unlock past traumas and point at your flaws. I must say, living in Chile was a 65% hard time for me because I wasn’t quite extroverted (far from how I am today), and it pushed me out of my comfort zone. Regardless, I tried as best as I could to fit into the culture and be a bit like a Chilean girl without losing my culture and identity. And I am so thankful for it! Because what we initially see as a downside eventually becomes a gift from life.
Here are a few things that I love about Chilean girls and picked up from them.
Build a sisterhood
Of all the countries I lived in – and oh my, I lived in many – Chile is the one that struck me the most regarding sisterhood. The strongest girl power I ever found was there.
Chilean girls embody all the sisterhood traits. They are supportive of each other, caring, protective, and always there for each other’s big life events.
In my circle of girls with whom I met regularly, such a strong bond comes from the fact that they grew up together, spending their summers in a lovely community (whose name shall remain a secret) by the ocean. They have done it since they were kids and have preserved this tradition until the present day. So their closeness is natural. They are, in fact, sisters – hence the term “sisterhood” that comes to my mind.
As sisters, they don’t let in their group just anyone. I could sense some closure towards outsiders like me, despite they were friendly with me. However, deep inside I always respected that wish to preserve their roots and community.
While that community is in many ways different from the rest of the country, I found in my workplace and other connections a similar warmth and support from fellow sisters. They encourage, cheer, and protect each other and are usually super friendly with people outside of their friend group as well.
Overall, I found that the spirit of sisterhood is anchored in the Chilean culture. I think we should learn from that – try to build communities, be more open, and make time for each other.
Make many friendships
Chilean girls (but boys too) taught me that there is no such thing as too many friends. Naturally, we all have a best friend or just someone we connect a bit more with. But in my experience while living in Chile, having multiple close friends IS possible. Chilean girls tend to have many friends, and the amazing thing is that they have (or seem to have) time and deep affection for everyone. Seeing big groups of Chilean girls regularly hanging out (at least in my circle) and talking non-stop was beautiful and inspiring.
I used to be a bit of an introvert (a social introvert) but after living in Chile—despite not forming many close friendships (!)—observing the Chilean sense of community cracked me open. Today, I am happy to call myself a social extrovert (the redundancy is voluntary), and I look forward to meeting people most of the time.
People like to say that less is more, and it’s better to have a few quality friends than many so-so friends. And I totally agree with that; we shouldn’t have meaningless connections in our lives. That being said, I think that if we tried hanging less on the title of “introvert” and pushed ourselves a bit more outside of our shells, we could develop more quality connections. And by saying this, I don’t mean becoming a party person (Gosh, I left these days behind me :D), treating any recently met person like a best friend, always doing outdoor activities, or any other primitive thinking of what being extroverted means. In my philosophy, it simply means reaching out more, being more curious about people, showing initiative, and not being afraid of opening your soul a bit more.
Compliment your girlfriends
Chilean girls are very generous with compliments (and the whole culture but here I focus again on the girls)— whether you are a friend or a stranger—which immediately puts you at ease. Whether it’s complimenting each other’s outfit at a party or leaving a warm comment under an Instagram post, like “AMOOO” (I love it) or “Preciosa!!!” (Beautiful), I like how they speak their mind and say nice things to each other. They highlight the best side in the other person and make each other feel beautiful. It’s empowering, it boosts confidence and opens you to other people. We should see more of that. And not wait for our boyfriends and husbands to remind us how great we are but compliment our fellow girlfriends (and ourselves ) spontaneously.
Always wear a scrunchie on your wrist
The last one for the end is a fashion tip 😉 Although I find the Chilean style too casual and laidback for my taste, I fell in love with their accessorizing, especially with scrunchies. This is actually the cutest fashion detail I’ve seen, although it’s just a scrunchie. The funny thing is—most of the time, Chilean girls use a scrunchie like a bracelet and don’t always tie their hair up.
I adopted this Chilean trend and still religiously wear my scrunchies every day. I find silky scrunchies the most elegant and have them in many colors: white, beige, red, emerald, and mauve.
I hope you found this post fun and inspiring. Sending love to all the Chilean gals out there. You are cool! Never stop smiling 🙂
Leave a Reply