Martina Castro: 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. Pero ya estábamos saliendo, entonces solo me dio tiempo de decirle hola y adiós. María Elizabeth Soto: Para mi sorpresa, ¡era Daniel! El fotógrafo y guía turístico. On the last day, as María and her coworkers were leaving the hotel, the owner introduced them to the chef. Martina Castro: 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. María Elizabeth Soto: 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. Martina Castro: María spoke with Daniel for a long time - about Chinese culture, photography, and of course, traveling. Su nombre era Daniel, era de Santiago, la capital, y llevaba tres meses en Beijing. María Elizabeth Soto: Él dijo que sí, y hablamos un poco. She had lost hers with her luggage, so she asked if she could use his instead. Martina Castro: One day, Maria took a stroll near the hotel and saw a tour guide with a nice camera. María Elizabeth Soto: No conocí al chef, pero en ese momento me sentí enamorada de él. Martina Castro: Those seafood and beef empanadas were such a welcomed surprise - making Maria feel instantly at home. En el restaurante, tenían un menú con mi comida chilena favorita: empanadas de mariscos y carne. Tenían muchos productos y decoraciones típicas de Chile. María Elizabeth Soto: El nombre de nuestro hotel era Andes Resort. And when she was done for the day, she found herself in a strangely familiar place. 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. Maria’s job during the trip was to manage communications for a group of Chilean entrepreneurs who were visiting various of cities across China. Martina Castro: And that’s when Maria arrived to Beijing. María Elizabeth Soto: Después de 15 días en China, necesitaba mi cultura chilena: mi lengua, y los olores y sabores familiares de mi país. But of course, very different from what María was used to back home. Martina Castro: So-called squat toilets are traditional throughout much of Asia, and in some areas are still pretty common. Por suerte, yo estaba en buena forma física pero me preguntaba, ¿cómo usan las abuelas el baño en China? María Elizabeth Soto: La taza del baño está abajo en el piso y no es nada práctica. She was struck by the colorful air pollution masks people would use, including the children. Martina Castro: María also remembers being affected by the poor air quality. Además, tenían ingredientes muy extraños para mí, como la lechuga en la sopa o los escorpiones. Era muy diferente a la comida china que venden en Chile. María Elizabeth Soto: La comida fue mi problema más grande. But the culture shock didn’t stop after she left the mall. Martina Castro: She ended up buying clothes at an American store she recognized from Chile. El edificio era de color oro, con letras gigantes doradas. El centro comercial era una construcción enorme y muy ostentosa. María Elizabeth Soto: Tuve que ir a un centro comercial para comprar ropa de trabajo. In China, without a fresh set of clothes, and a full day of work ahead of her, Maria already felt lost. Fortunately, a translator helped her with the claim and he assured her that her luggage would arrive later. Her suitcase had gotten lost, and the paperwork to find it was in Chinese. Martina Castro: Before leaving the airport, María experienced her first setback. Pero cuando llegué a Wuhan, en China, empezaron las sorpresas inesperadas. María Elizabeth Soto: Mi viaje en Air China fue de 11 horas. 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. Martina: Welcome to the Duolingo Spanish podcast, where we bring you true bilingual stories of travels with unexpected turns, plans unraveled, and destinations unknown. Martina Castro: She also never imagined that in her search for familiar experiences in that unfamiliar country, she would change the course of her life. María Elizabeth Soto: El choque cultural que sentí al viajar a China fue muy grande. When her office sent her to China, in 2014, it was her first trip to Asia. Well, this was not the case for Maria Elizabeth Soto. You might go to exotic places but it’s hard to really experience your surroundings. Martina Castro: Work trips can be rather monotonous. Click here for study materials for this episode.
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