Workation in Chile? Yes, Chile!
Our colleague Vaidas recently had a chance to spend three months working remotely from Chile. This workation brought a lot of unforgettable memories. As Vaidas said: “This was probably the trip of a lifetime, at least for now.”
We asked Vaidas to tell us a little more about his experience in a country with a different culture and more than 13500 km away. Here are some questions answered:
What challenges have you faced when working remotely?
I had previous experience working remotely, so I didn’t face any significant challenges, just minor annoyances. Before the trip, I had some concerns about the time difference of 6 hours, but it wasn’t a big deal after all. We had to reschedule some meetings and rely on asynchronous communication, but other than that, everything went smoothly.
What would you do differently the next time you go to workation?
Nothing, it was really well planned.
How did you manage to stay motivated for work?
Same as here. Appreciate what you have, get proper sleep, exercise, and eat well.
What cultural differences were most surprising/remarkable?
They love making fun of kids. I saw a clown hitting a child with his dirty sock on the head, and everyone in the park just found it hilarious.
In general, people in Chile are more warm and friendly, but at the same time, a lot of people are inconsiderate of others. One good example of that is playing loud music during the night. They just don’t seem to care about their neighbors’ sleep. Another example – cleaning after your dog in the street.
I found surprising a huge difference between lower, middle, and higher-class people. They differ in how they talk, dress, and act in public, what they eat, or even what public services they get based on the neighborhood they are living in.
Also, They hug and kiss when meeting people, which I never really got used to. It’s always a bit uncomfortable for me to hug every person at the party or every person I know on the street.
From the gatherings and celebrations I had a chance to participate in, I created a view that people in Chile like to sing and dance a lot. Their traditional dances can be done easily so everyone can do them in a way that resembles a real thing, even me, a non-dancing, tall, Lithuanian man.
