I lived in Chiloé, the Southern island of Chile, for about four months to teach English to the kids of a government school in Castro, the capital of Chiloé. As part of the English Open Doors program(EODP), volunteers from around the world had gone to Chile to teach. We were all placed in different locations throughout the country. 

Luckily (and according to my location priority on the application form), I was sent to the South of Chile, the coldest part of the thin country. I was assigned a school and a host family in Castro, Chiloé. My host family comprised of my host mother Cecilia who ran a word-of-mouth Airbnb, the regular boarders she took in, and us, the EODP volunteers. 

I taught English during the day, and in my evenings, I hung out with Cecilia and other volunteers or read and wrote. But it wasn’t a cakewalk to live on an island where people mostly spoke only Spanish. From the time I woke up in the morning to the time I went to bed, I was practicing the common Spanish words and phrases.

Cecilia would enunciate the words — el pan(bread), queso(cheese), té(tea) — as I had breakfast, and then the other professors at school would tell me how the good morning was said and then the learning with Cecilia would continue as I went back home for lunch. 

Priyanka, with her host family in Chile, while teaching English.

The other volunteers and another Chilean border who spoke good English helped me out a lot by translating English to Spanish and vice-versa. Soon I was shopping groceries on my own and taking collectivos, the shared taxis, without external help. 

After the English Open Doors program ended, I decided to see more places in Chile. I left Chiloé in November(I had been there since August) and made my way to Pucon, the adventure city of Chile. Climbing the Volcano Villarica there, swimming in the Villarica lake, and cooking pasta and curries in the hostel to eat in the treehouse, time passed quickly. From there I made my way to Santiago and then to Puerto Varas, then Osorno, Puerto Montt, and soon I was back at Chiloé, for a summer camp in Castro. 

As part of the camp, we had to do outdoor interactive activities in English with students from three different schools of Chiloé for a week. That was the time of the year when the sun was out, jackets were no longer needed during the afternoon, and we all had a lot of fun. 

It was Christmas before we knew it. First I was stupid enough to plan that I should travel on Christmas Day so that I could be back in Santiago before the new year to start my job hunt. I was planning to extend my stay in Chile (or somewhere else in South America ) as much as I can. 

But my friend and another volunteer Al (from England), who had lived with us but now was back home in England celebrating the holidays with his family, suggested not to leave Chiloé at Christmas. I listened to him over the phone and reluctantly decided to stay for Christmas with my Catholic host mother Cecilia. 

Cecilia always had her daughter’s family and other people over for festivals and special days. I promised her that I would make the homemade Indian samosas for the big day. She placed a beautiful Christmas tree in the hall right beside the wooden staircase that took us to the top floor where we all had rooms and shared one bathroom.

That was my first time seeing Christmas being celebrated from so close. My family is Hindu and they celebrate Diwali and Holi. So the only Christmas I knew of was when I was given a holiday back in school time where most of my teachers were from Kerala, a catholic Indian state. Around the 21st of December every year, we would wish our teachers Merry Christmas as they left for holidays to celebrate Christmas and New year in Kerala. 

I was fascinated by the Christmas tree Ceci had put in the hall. She had adorned the tree with golden and green bells and stars. She placed gifts wrapped in colourful packets and shining green paper under the tree weeks before Christmas. There was golden light shimmering on the tree all day and night long. 

We felt the warm festive vibes and waited for Christmas impatiently. There would be food and wine. Her daughter would come with her family and other boarders would celebrate with us, too. 

But as I was filling out applications, sending emails, and calling people to get some English teaching interviews lined up in Santiago, I couldn’t take out much time to make samosas. As I couldn’t keep my promise, I decided to surprise Ceci and her daughter by wearing a red sari I had carried from India. 

On Christmas Eve, I dressed up in my red sari and a black blouse. First I shied away and messaged Al that I didn’t want to go down. Only when he texted back that I must have been looking good did I go downstairs jiggling my glass bangles. Golden jhumkas sparkled in my ears and my lips matched the colour of my sari. 

Priyanka in Chile – A unique Christmas as a volunteer teaching English. 

Cecilia was so happy when she saw me that she said dressing up in my traditional clothes was the best gift I could ever give her. Her daughter clicked my pictures to show to her colleagues back in the office.

We gathered around the dining table in the hall. We had stuffed chicken, Spanish paella with crab, the famous Chilean bread— marraqueta and sopaipillas with cheese, mashed potatoes, and tres leches cake for dessert. Wine and champagne flowed freely into glasses. The weather was warm and our tiny corner was cosier than it had ever been. 

Everyone was excited to open gifts as we all could see our names on packages, but we didn’t know what was inside. I had also placed a long package for Ceci under the tree only a day ago. We took turns to open the gifts. Someone had gotten a painting, one had a photo frame, and there were clothes and food. I opened mine to find a thick pyjama perfect for wearing in the rough Chilean cold. Ceci was so excited when she saw the wooden wall hanging I had given her that she hugged me tightly.

It was such a joyful and happy night that I felt foolish to have even thought of leaving Chiloé before Christmas when I was already there. A feeling of family far from home, celebrating a family’s big festival like I was a part of their own, sharing their food, exchanging presents as they all did, I was really thankful to be there with Ceci and her family that day. 

Priyanka’s adorable host in Chile- travel makes you meet wonderful people!

Now I flaunt that Christmas photo to people who ask me where have I travelled. It was only much later when my friend said you were like their Santa that day I realized I was wearing the happy colour of Santa. 

If you are travelling anywhere and happen to come across a festival celebration, I would say: Don’t leave the place in a hurry and stick around for a while. Some locals might invite you and even if they don’t, you would find yourself in the middle of a happy and old celebration and that is not something we see every day. 

Author’s Bio: 

Priyanka Gupta is an itinerant writer from India who left her investment banking career to travel the world and write. She focuses on culturally immersive, offbeat travel while relishing local delicacies and never misses a chance to see wildlife. Priyanka always looks out for sustainable and local-community driven experiences. She reads, writes, and blogs full-time. In her free time, she can be found running, cooking, or just daydreaming. You can read Priyanka’s best ideas and travel stories on her personal growth and travel blog On My Canvas. You can also follow her on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to get live updates of her journey.