Santiago has been great so far! We’ve been really busy with orientation activities so far (so I haven’t had much time to write), designed to familiarize us with the political, economic and cultural realities of Chile, as seen from many different perspectives. So far, we’ve had talks from 3 historians, a historiagrapher, a professor of literature, an economist, an environmentalist, a famous artist and the daughter of a desparecido. It’s been challenging, but very interesting on the whole.
Getting used to the Chilean accent has been interesting- Chileans drop their ses most of the time, talk super fast and have some really random expressions. While the culture shock hasn’t been too bad yet, every time Chile starts to seem really similar to home, something random and unexpected will happen to liven things up, which I absolutely love.
Since I also enjoy making lists, the following are the top 8 things I’ve found most surprising, different or challenging about Santiago.
1. Must Love Dogs- But seriously, if you are afraid of dogs, Santiago will present problems. Tons of stray dogs roam the streets, which on weekends, when things are empty makes it seem like a ghost town. Tons of mascotas (pets) are around too- people bring them to work if they own small street shops or kiosks. Most of these wear little coats, so it’s pretty easy to tell which ones aren’t feral. Apparently, the Spanish brought 5000 dogs with them when they came to conquer Chile so they wouldn’t be surprised by the Mapuche Indians in the forests. I have no idea if this actually has anything to do with all the dogs today, but it would be cool if it did.
2. The Food - I have mixed reviews on Chilean food. This is mainly because I’ve been eating either the best food Chile has to offer or just regular cheap street food. I’m glad I decided to de-vegetarianize myself because otherwise I would probably have starved by now: meat is in more or less everything here, although there are occasionally vegetarian options. Chilean hotdogs- known as completos- with guacamole, tomato and mayo (nowhere near as gross as American mayo although still not my thing). I’m also a huge fan of the empanadas- bready, savory pastries. They come in two main varieties- cheese which are fried or pino: baked with ground beef, onions, olives, and egg. By now though, I am crazy for vegetables and fruit, which seem oddly absent from the bready and starchy dishes. I act deranged when I see them on the street. I think the situation wouldn’t be so bad if I hadn’t just come here directly from plucking organic, fresh vegetable and fruit goodies directly off the sun-drenched vine back home. There is, however, a ridiculous amount of avocado in everything, which is awesome. Even BurgerKing offers a “Steakhouse Palta”, ie hamburger with avocado. (No, I haven’t been to BurgerKing, they’ve just been advertising it like crazy). One thing I haven’t figured out is how Chileans aren’t all about 20 pounds more overweight. Their food is so meaty, heavy, bready, salty, largely proportioned and they don’t seem to exercise. Another thing I still haven’t figured out is why there are so many Chinese restaurants, despite the fact that I have not yet seen a single person of Asian descent while I’ve been here. There are literally 10 in the area near where our hostel is. The last few days have been AMAZINGLY satisfying cuisine wise- last night we went to a Peruvian restaurant where I had a dish that was a lot like seafood mixed with Chinese style fried rice. Today, we had a fancy famous seafood dish, paila de mariscos for lunch. This is definitely the first time I’ve ever had octopus twice in 2 days. The fish in the dish was mouthwateringly delicious: melt in your mouth soft, buttery and flavorful! I had the best meal ever at a vineyard today, but I’m saving details for a later post.
3. City of Love- I feel bad for young santinguinos. Since pretty much everyone lives with their parents until marriage, most of their, shall we say, amorous displays, take place in parks. Or in the street. Or waiting for trains. Thank God for the invention of the dorm: I can’t imagine America crawling with pololos (couples) the way this city does. Despite the fact that this place was chock full of people in loooove, Cerro (Hill) Santa Lucia is a gorgeous park we visited, right near the center of Santiago, with a great view of the city.
4. Underground- The subway, or metro as it is called, takes some getting used to. It’s way faster, newer and cleaner than Boston or NY’s, which is fantastic, but I got motion sick watching the trains go by, because of their speed. It’s also incredibly crowded during rush hour- people literally pack into cars, so much that you don’t need to hold onto anything because the sheer number of people will hold you up. I think I’m going to become a big fan of taking the buses and/or walking.
5. Baby, It’s Cold (Inside)- Buildings in Santiago don’t have central heating. I’m glad I brought fleece pants for camping - I’ve been wearing them to bed every night which has worked out great.The thing I don’t get is how it is often colder inside buildings than it is outside. But once you get used to the idea that you won’t take off your coat while you’re at a restaurant, it’s less problematic. I secretly like this aspect of Santiago- it must save so much energy! I’m finding it really interesting how some things are really eco friendly- ie heating/public transport and others aren’t, like the number of plastic bags you get while shopping or the use of lots of styrofoam.
6. The Writing on the Wall- Although Santiago can seem like a really bland city at times, especially in the Centro where we’ve had to spend a lot of time, it’s filled with graffiti (artistic and political) and murals, sanctioned or unsanctioned. Combined with the beautiful parks and some really funky architecture, the city has a very artistic feel if you look hard enough.
7. Cigarillos- People here, young and old, smoke a lot, which, along with Asia, explains why tobacco companies are still doing fine despite how relatively few people smoke in the US now. We’ve only been to one club so far, but all the teens & 20 somethings managed to dance WHILE smoking. Despite the obvious fact that this is slowing killing them, it’s oddly admirable for the amount of coordination it must no doubt require. It’s also weird- I haven’t seen a single add for either a cigarette brand or quitting smoking.
8. Lack of Coffee (Sin Piernas)- Nescafe is not doing it for me. Although I recently managed to cut my caffeine intake to one cup a day over the summer, I still reaaaaally like that one cup. Here, at least in the central areas, the main option for finding real coffee is a type of coffee shop known as cafe con piernas (legs). As in, women in skimpy dresses serving you coffee. I’ve been on a big feminism rant of late, so I’m not cool with yet another example of objectification of women. It’s pretty rampant around here. Maxim features completely naked women on every newspaper stand and catcalls, as well as this strange sucking thing Chilean men do are pretty common.(Although less bothersome than I expected- although I haven’t actually walked around alone yet) At least, it could be argued that women have more formal political power- Chile has already had a female president. Today, tired and craving my buzz, I caved. If I ever were to move to Santiago permanently, my first move will be to open a “cafe sin camisas” shop. That’s right, men half naked serving coffee. What woman wouldn’t want hot abs with her hot drink? I think there’s a really under- served market here.
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