Duolingo Spanish Podcast - Episode 4: Una chilena en China

Work trips can be rather monotonous. You might go to exotic places but it’s hard to really experience your surroundings. Well, this was not the case for Maria Elizabeth Soto. When her office sent her to China, in 2014, it was her first trip to Asia. El choque cultural que sentí al viajar a China fue muy grande. She also never imagined that in her search for familiar experiences in that unfamiliar country, she would change the course of her life. Welcome to the Duolingo Spanish podcast, where we bring you true bilingual stories of travels with unexpected turns, plans unraveled, and destinations unknown. The Spanish in this story is for intermediate level learners, but if you get lost, don’t worry, we’ll be chiming in throughout the story. Here’s Maria. Mi viaje en Air China fue de 11 horas. Yo estaba feliz y tranquila. Pero cuando llegué a Wuhan, en China, empezaron las sorpresas inesperadas. Before leaving the airport, María experienced her first setback. Her suitcase had gotten lost, and the paperwork to find it was in Chinese. Fortunately, a translator helped her with the claim and he assured her that her luggage would arrive later. In China, without a fresh set of clothes, and a full day of work ahead of her, Maria already felt lost. Tuve que ir a un centro comercial para comprar ropa de trabajo. El centro comercial era una construcción enorme y muy ostentosa. El edificio era de color oro, con letras gigantes doradas. Todo me parecía excesivo. She ended up buying clothes at an American store she recognized from Chile. But the culture shock didn’t stop after she left the mall. La comida fue mi problema más grande. Era muy diferente a la comida china que venden en Chile. Además, tenían ingredientes muy extraños para mí, como la lechuga en la sopa o los escorpiones. María also remembers being affected by the poor air quality. She was struck by the colorful air pollution masks people would use, including the children. And then there were the bathrooms. La taza del baño está abajo en el piso y no es nada práctica. Por suerte, yo estaba en buena forma física pero me preguntaba, ¿cómo usan las abuelas el baño en China? So-called squat toilets are traditional throughout much of Asia, and in some areas are still pretty common. But of course, very different from what María was used to back home. Después de 15 días en China, necesitaba mi cultura chilena: mi lengua, y los olores y sabores familiares de mi país. And that’s when Maria arrived to Beijing. Maria’s job during the trip was to manage communications for a group of Chilean entrepreneurs who were visiting various of cities across China. But this time, instead of visiting the modern part of town, she opted to explore some ancient sites and this was a refreshing departure from what she had seen up until then. And when she was done for the day, she found herself in a strangely familiar place. El nombre de nuestro hotel era Andes Resort. Tenían muchos productos y decoraciones típicas de Chile. En el restaurante, tenían un menú con mi comida chilena favorita: empanadas de mariscos y carne. Those seafood and beef empanadas were such a welcomed surprise — making Maria feel instantly at home. No conocí al chef, pero en ese momento me sentí enamorada de él. Obviamente, era chileno. One day, Maria took a stroll near the hotel and saw a tour guide with a nice camera. She had lost hers with her luggage, so she asked if she could use his instead. Él dijo que sí, y hablamos un poco. Sorprendentemente, también era de Chile. Su nombre era Daniel, era de Santiago, la capital, y llevaba tres meses en Beijing. María spoke with Daniel for a long time — about Chinese culture, photography, and of course, traveling. Le pregunté a Daniel si me podía enviar las fotos que habíamos tomado por email, pero él me dijo que el Internet en China funcionaba mal, y que era mejor comunicarnos por teléfono móvil. Le di mi número y me despedí. María’s days in the Andes Resort really marked a change in her trip — walking around taking photos with Daniel, the delicious Chilean food, even the typical decorations she recognized from home, all gave her a sense of comfort that she clearly needed at the time. On the last day, as María and her coworkers were leaving the hotel, the owner introduced them to the chef. Para mi sorpresa, ¡era Daniel! El fotógrafo y guía turístico. Pero ya estábamos saliendo, entonces solo me dio tiempo de decirle hola y adiós. In that brief moment, María recognized that the chef was Daniel, the photographer from the other day… but as she realized he was the one who had made that delicious Chilean food, her coworkers were already walking away. So she quickly said goodbye and left. After Beijing, Maria and her group moved on with the rest of their trip. The modern and cosmopolitan city of Shanghai was their last stop. That’s where María finally received her suitcase from the airline. Las diferencias entre Chile y China empezaban a parecer menos difíciles. ¡Qué maravilla de ciudad era Shanghai! Era casi navidad y las calles estaban decoradas con muchas luces y nieve artificial. María walked and walked through Shanghai in wonder. Just as she was starting to enjoy her trip, it was coming to an end. She remembers stopping on a bridge as it started to rain, and tears of joy sprang to her eyes. Lloré porque era el final de un viaje inolvidable. A few days after she was back in her office in Chile, and returning to her routine, her phone started to buzz. The Great Wall, the Spring Palace, Tiananmen Square… The photos kept streaming in from Daniel, the chilean chef. Daniel me escribía: María Elizabeth, acá están las fotos de tu viaje — espero que estés bien. Sorprendida, respondí: ¡Oh, súper, gracias! Daniel then wrote back. He told her it was his birthday, and that friends were sending him good wishes from afar… he told her about his work… about the the book he was reading. He also confessed how lonely he felt after living three months in China without anyone to talk to in his own language. Nos escribimos mensajes por horas y horas, día tras día. Él por la mañana, yo por la noche. A month of countless texts went by, and with each one, it became obvious they were slowly falling in love. Yo pensaba en los mensajes con Daniel por WhatsApp, en su perfecta ortografía… Trataba de recordar su cara, su voz… Even though María’s feelings for Daniel were growing, she couldn’t help but be conscious of the fact that an ocean separated them. María was willing to date long distance, but China? It was just so far away. She couldn’t imagine moving her whole life there. Until one day, out of the blue, Daniel told her that he was returning to Chile. Cuando él llegó a Santiago, decidí viajar a visitarlo. Yo vivía en una ciudad a seis horas de ahí. Me fui en bus. Cuando llegué, Daniel me dijo que había una fiesta en su casa. Yo fui y hablamos toda la noche. There, surrounded by his friends and loved ones, María realized she wanted to be one of them. In other words, she wanted to be with him. The next day, on her bus ride back to her home in Concepción, she couldn’t stop thinking about this. And that’s when, without even looking for it, María got a great opportunity — a job offer in Santiago. En un mes organicé el cambio de casa, de trabajo y de vida. Los dos estábamos sorprendidos de lo rápido y fácil que fue todo. Buscamos un departamento y construimos un hogar juntos. Since they met, Daniel and María have created many memories together. They’ve traveled across Chile, Perú and Bolivia. Soon, they’ll have one more travel companion: María is awaiting the birth of their first child. Aquel viaje a China cambió mi vida. Queremos regresar algún día, pero esta vez todos juntos. The music and sound effects used in this episode include compositions by Creo, Jahzzar, Nctrnm, kunze and arturobat under the CC Attribution License from FreeMusicArchive.org and FreeSound.org.