February 24, 2016

We have had a really amusing time with Chilean Spanish, especially the complete disregard for the “s” sound. The first time we recognized it was when we were on the bus from northern Chile to less-northern Chile (a 17-hour ride), and a fellow passenger assured the person he was talking to on the phone that, despite a few obstacles, he had indeed made it onto the “bu”. Yesterday our guide was telling us about a phenomenon when the sun sets behind a particular mountain range in this desert. When there are clouds over the mountains, it lights the clouds and it looks as though the sky is on fire. This doesn’t happen all the time, but “cuando es, es.” (when it is, it is). What we heard, however, is “cuando ay, ay”.