8 Comments on Chile

Well, I keep getting pressured to post more frequently coughEmilyandDadcough. I’ve been waiting to write about all of the amazing food I have had here, because I want some pictures to go with that. So, for now, my random thoughts (in no particular order) as a way to procrastinate from reading 80 pages on the economy of Latin America from 1950-1990 (in Spanish).

1. Gringa status comes in handy sometimes. Last night I did not have enough money on my tarjeta BIP to take the bus home. For the first time, I was called out on it. But instead of getting off of the bus, I said, “Disculpe, no entiendo. Más lento, por favor?” (sorry, I don’t understand. Slower please?). The driver laughed at me and waved me on. He even told me to have a goodnight when got off the bus at my stop.

2. My host mom is a saint. She does my laundry, cleans my bathroom, cooks for me at least once a day, and is the sweetest, most patient woman. She ironed my jeans (so unnecessary) and made me plum kuchen (pie) yesterday. She also makes the most wonderful jam I use on my peanut butter sandwiches every day. Yes, she bought me the peanut butter.

3. Naps are acceptable on any day of the week, for whatever reason. I take full advantage of this.

4. There are some wonderful Happy Hour deals in bars across Santiago.

5. They should fix the street dogs. They won’t because of the culture of Catholicism. It’s hard for me to understand.

6. Don’t be surprised if you’re waiting at a stop light and someone puts on a performance for you—gymnastics, juggling, and dancing are common.

7. My first week of classes is done and I was pleasantly surprised by my ability to understand the professors.

8. Life continues. I live in Chile. It’s amazing.

¡Viva La Mujer!

Yesterday I went to a march! And no, I’m not suddenly back in DC. In honor of El Día Internacional de las Mujeres, santiaguinos (and quite a few gringos) went out on the streets and marched for women’s rights.

It was a great experience to see the way another country expresses their voices. What I enjoyed the most about this march was how many MEN were out in the streets! When I’m out supporting women’s rights in the United States I tend to feel like I’m in a pool of lesbians—not the case in Chile (though there were plenty of gay women fighting for their rights too!)! Allison has a theory that it’s because Chilean men love their mothers—and I think her point is valid. While there is still “machismo,” and Catholicism isn’t exactly female friendly, mothers are glorified, and young adults tend to live with their mothers all the way up to 30! While Chile obviously has a long way to go as far as women’s rights, my very limited knowledge leads me to think that when the women fight, their sons will stand with them.

Women’s rights in Chile are such an enigma to me, and it was awesome to get a taste of how some Chileans feel. Abortion is completely illegal here—even in cases of incest, rape, and the mother’s health. As with any country, if you have the money you will find a way around the laws, and the injustice of it disgusts me. While this infuriates me, remembering that Chile was the first Latin American country to elect a woman president is exciting and makes me wonder why the USA is so far behind! I guess just like any country, there is the good and the bad, and we can only strive for the good.

Overall though, I must say that Chile’s level of respect for women has impressed me, and is much better than I expected. I still don’t like being hollered at by every man on the streets here, but I’m happy it’s okay to be an independent and strong woman in Chile!

Contraception to avoid abortion. Legal abortion to avoid death.

No more violence against women

Women let's organize! For all of our rights, for all of our rights now

Abortion is what I want

Bureaucracy: It's Everywhere

This morning Chile proved to me that it has mastered the art of making people take the longest route possible and wait in lines for hours. Worst bureaucratic experience of my life. 

It all began at the Santiago Airport, February 5^th. I thought I had taken care of everything (visa wise), and was annoyed to discover that I still needed to “register my visa” at the address of Morandé 672. Skip a few to Day 1 of orientation. I had already been in Santiago for 16 days and the clock was ticking as far as my visa was concerned. Paola (program director) said we would go as a group within the following two weeks. I was nervous because she didn’t give us an actual date, but she reassured me personally that we would go before March 7, my deadline.

Naturally, it was announced yesterday that we would be going March 8. Oh, the communication skills of those in charge of this program. So although I had an abundance of time last week and I could have gone then, I was forced to skip a guided tour of the city today to get this visa nonsense taken care of. Let me take you through the three government offices I went to, and the eight lines I waited in.

Fila 1 (Line 1): San Antonio 580, Jefatura de Extranjería y Policia Internacional

            This is the address Paola gave me. After 15 minutes in line here I was informed I was in the wrong place.

Fila 2: Morandé 672, the real Jefatura de Extranjería y Policia Internacional

            I waited in line to pay 800 pesos. I still don’t know why.

Fila 3: The same

            I waited in a much longer line to receive a piece of paper with a crappy picture of myself.

Fila 4: A place to make photocopies

            Made a copy of my new official document. 100 pesos. Jumbo charges 40. Rip off.

Fila 5: Huérfanos 1570, Servicio Registro Civil y Identificación

            Waited 10 minutes to find out I needed another photocopy.

Fila 6: Same photocopy store

            Got laughed at while I got ripped off again for another piece of paper.

Fila 7: Huérfanos 1570

            By far the worst line. Waited an hour. Got to pay more money.

Fila 8: The same

            The last and the most infuriating. It should have never been a line; I was first! The woman working stared me down while she made a 20 minute personal phone call. If she knew how much Spanish I actually understand, she’d be embarrassed.

El fin—almost.

Tired and defeated, I sought out something familiar. Dunkin Donuts on Paseo Huérfanos had no line, and the cajero offered me 2 donuts for the price of 1. He didn’t have to ask twice.

Life in Chile is good once again.

Oh, but did I mention I have to return in two weeks to wait in another line to receive my ID card?

 Disclaimer: I don’t think today has shown me that Chile’s government offices are any worse than the United States. In fact, I fully believe most of today’s frustrations stemmed from the fact that I am foreign. Ah, us gringas, we have it so hard.

Tourist to Resident? The Real Beginning

So, after a week, I think I owe this blog an update. Where to even begin?

Friday afternoon I moved in with my host mom, Cecilia. She is super sweet and understanding of how difficult it is for me to communicate in Spanish. Since I’ve been here, I ask myself everyday why I am majoring in Spanish. Then I learn a new phrase or word and think, “Oh yeah, I love Spanish.”

On Saturday I returned to Lastarria to spend the day with my dad. We had lunch together and sat in Parque Forestral talking and enjoying his last moments in Santiago. He left Santiago that night and is now safely back in the United States where I am sure he is experiencing a new appreciation for the English language.

When I returned to Cecilia’s house, I went next door where another AU student, Allison, lives. She was there with Emily and Elin and it was so nice to sit around speaking English. Allison’s host mom gave us cookies and soda—Chilean host moms are super-simpáticas. Later we went to Budapest, a nearby bar, where we also met up with Eleni. Together we shared “un grifo.” If you want to know what that is, please ask, I would love to tell you but I’m not going into detail here because of the younger generation following this blog. Chilean nights are too late, but we were home by 2.

Yesterday was a bit crazier. Cecilia’s family came over for almuerzo—3 sons, 2 of them married, 6 grandchildren and another one is on the way. It was very overwhelming but also so much fun to meet everyone. Two of the sons live nearby and I will see them from time to time, but one of them lives in Peru with his family. I know that makes Cecilia sad so it was great to see her having such a great time with the grandchildren she rarely gets to see. Just when my brain was going to explode from the constant Spanish, Cecilia saved the day and demanded that I napped. I had a glorious 20 minutes of rest before Ignacia (one of the grandchildren, age 6) jumped in my bed to talk. It was, however, a wonderful way to wake up because she was adorable, and extremely patient for a 6 year old when it came to my inability to understand what she was trying to say.

This weekend was a wonderful introduction to the next 5 months. Vacationing here was one thing, but everything is different now that I am living with my madre chilena. I love it. The house is nice, Cecilia is muy simpática (and a good cook!), and the other AU students that I have gotten to know so far are so much fun. I feel comfortable here—wow.

completos with my dad

Ignacia, Lupe, and Magdalena!

Cascada de las Animas, San Alfonso, Cajón del Maipo

Yesterday we had yet another adventure outside of Santiago, perhaps my favorite thus far! After a spur of the moment decision, we headed out in the morning all the way to the Las Mercedes metro station, and from there we took a colectivo (1400 pesos each) to Cascada de las Animas! Cascada de las Animas (Waterfall of the Spirits) is owned by this family that I believe used to own the entire town of San Alfonso. They may not own the town now, but they sure do own a TON of land! This place has camping grounds, a hostel, and cabins. They offer hiking (well, they call it “trekking”), zip lining, rafting, horseback rides, and even more. Kind of a cool getaway, and turned out to be so nice for a day trip.

We decided to take the “La Meseta” trek, and they insisted we get a guide. So that’s when we met Martín. He looked like many of the adventurous rock climbers and hardcore hikers that I’ve met in my own hometown, and he acted so American (as in the US). In the end, I decided he must be a Californian with a Chilean accent. Actually though, he’s from Santiago, and moved to Cajón del Maipo because he hates cities.

Anyway, Martín proceeded to take us on the most difficult 3 hour hike of my life! He told us the first 45 minutes would be “a little uphill.” Really though, that was probably the steepest trail I have climbed in my life! Worn out and defeated, nearly wanting to turn back, I discovered that my struggles were completely worth it after an hour. We reached this beautiful little pool, where snow melt off from the mountains made a tiny waterfall run in to the perfect swimming spot. The water was FREEZING! I felt the shock of having gone from almost having a heat stroke to suddenly fearing that I would get hypothermia. I couldn’t breathe.

Luckily, my body quickly got used to the water, and I enjoyed the most refreshing experience that I have ever had. I thought I was going to die on that trail, and suddenly I was alive and well again! After our break, the trail was much more enjoyable, though I got a little scared on a steep downhill section I nearly slid down the entire way. On the plateau (there was a plateau, that is what la meseta means!), there was a farm and we walked around to see the goats, horses, sheep, and wild hogs. Why were there wild hogs? I really don’t know. Cascada de las Animas is also a wildlife rehabilitation center so they have lots of wild animals, including a puma, that I unfortunately did not see because it was too hot for him to be in the sunny part of his cage.

So after all the adventuring, we sat down in their restaurant and had a delicious meal. Or maybe it just tasted delicious because I was so tired. I figured 3 hour hike, no biggie, I do that all the time. 3 hours with the heat, dust, and steep trail was a bit different than I expected. Totally worth it and totally fun. Plus, I can officially say that I have trekked in the Andes Mountains!

P.S. Did I mention the part where we got lost for days and had to eat Martín to survive?

 The beginning-a rickety bridge over the river

 Rehabilitated(ing?) eagle

 Me in Martin's stylish hat

 That bridge I mentioned

 after the pool--meaning this does not nearly represent the steep parts of the trail

 horsie!

 beautiful views

 fresh, cold water!