Word of the day:
camote (Chile)- sweet potato
ponche- a drink with white wine & chirimoya (a fruit from the North of Chile)
Today featured two very interesting musical panoramas that I wanted to write about.
-During the hubbub of the national paro, featuring a strike by thousands of public servants (including teachers employed by municipalities) a lone violinist played a sad but sweet tune just outside the Baquedano metro station. It seemed fitting, people marching for more rights they will probably never recieve, but keeping the hope and action of seeking alive.
-On a bus I took up the Alameda to Las Condes, a Brazilian drummer got on. In broken Spanish he explained he was going to play some samba. It had been a hot day and although it was joyful music performance lacked luster. Without a band behind, the lone samba drum seemed plaintive and echoing through the bus, where few people watched or listened, everyone plugged into their individualized i-pods and individual dramas. It struck me as terribly sad, a voice far from home, searching for ears and finding none.
I had a very UChile experience today. I went to class expecting to have my final for “Globalization and Copper” but when I arrived the professor (after having sent out a message earlier in the afternoon telling us to come to class even though several of the facultades were on strike) informed us that there had been a problem and that our final examination would now be held next week. I am fairly certain that heads would roll if a professor at Tufts tried to pull that one. Just saying.
Luckily, however, this meant that I could go on time to the Thanksgiving dinner our program directors had planned for us, in the beautiful barrio alto home of our program assistant Loreto’s mother. Dinner was delicious, and possibly the most “American” thanksgiving I’ve ever had: they served sweet potatoes with marshmallows and the jelly kind of cranberry sauce, neither of which I had ever had before. It was also interesting to be eating meat again- last Thanksgiving I hadn’t, breaking the American model of animal protein as central to any meal. There were some very Chilean touches to the meal however- pebre, a delicious spicy sauce, Chilean bread, some exquisite wine (agua rojo as our program director jokingly called it). It was kind of bittersweet to have the whole entire group in one place as we realized it might be the last time that every single one of us would be together again. Ahh gringo pack! We’ve been blessed with some really great group chemistry that has made this semester especially wonderful.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
November 22: Plane Tickets at the Grocery Store?
So luckily for me, one aspect of American culture hasn’t taken off in Chile to quite the same extent as elsewhere: the credit card. It’s still possible to pay for even the most expensive things like your electricity, phone bill, or even plane tickets with cash (not even by check!) at centers known as Servipag, which are located all over the place, especially in grocery stores. All you have to do is either print out a receipt or bring your bill, wait in line for a long time with a ton of other people and then fork over your cash.
In my case, this helped me two ways in purchasing a flight to Patagonia for the end of the semester:
a)since the disappearance of my wallet, I don’t actually have a credit card and
b) LAN airlines, Chile’s main airline (sort of a monopoly actually, much of which is owned by President Piñera) charges foreign credit cards an obscene amount more. ie a flight that was well under $200 magically transformed into a $600+ flight when some of my friends tried to use their credit cards. I’m not entirely sure how/if this is entirely legal, but así es.
This is an example of an irony I’ve found really interesting: sometimes living in a slightly less developed economy is actually more convenient. You don’t need a credit card or bank account to pay for things. Because a lot of people don’t have cars or don’t want to pay for long trips, there are extremely efficient and cheap bus services almost everywhere. In the center of Santiago, you never have to walk into a store to get snacks or a newspaper- you can just grab one at one of the millions of stands that dot the streets. Even clothes, electronics and toys are sold on the streets. Ice cream vendors are constantly climbing onto the buses. You don’t have to pay for a cell phone plan and can just get a rechargeable phone, putting money on it when you have it from phone recharger people who wear gigantic flags and wander around subway stops. I don’t want to say that the informality of the economy is a good thing, merely that it is kind of useful as a student with limited funds and time.
In another interesting occurence, today my econ professor asked me and the other American classmates “O, today is a holiday for you right?” He received several blank looks. “Thursday? Thanksgiving?” Finally a French classmate who seems generally knowledgeable about history helped us out: “Kennedy?” We wanted to explain that no one commemorates Kennedy’s assasination especially, but it seemed sort of unnecessarily defensive after our ignorance about our own history. I think he probably assumed that we would commemorate Kennedy’s death since the death of Chilean President Allende during the coup d’ etat is a really big deal here, especially among certain political sectors. But I guess since Kennedy’s death wasn’t followed by 20 years of dictatorship, it doesn’t warrant too much commemoration. Awkward.
In my case, this helped me two ways in purchasing a flight to Patagonia for the end of the semester:
a)since the disappearance of my wallet, I don’t actually have a credit card and
b) LAN airlines, Chile’s main airline (sort of a monopoly actually, much of which is owned by President Piñera) charges foreign credit cards an obscene amount more. ie a flight that was well under $200 magically transformed into a $600+ flight when some of my friends tried to use their credit cards. I’m not entirely sure how/if this is entirely legal, but así es.
This is an example of an irony I’ve found really interesting: sometimes living in a slightly less developed economy is actually more convenient. You don’t need a credit card or bank account to pay for things. Because a lot of people don’t have cars or don’t want to pay for long trips, there are extremely efficient and cheap bus services almost everywhere. In the center of Santiago, you never have to walk into a store to get snacks or a newspaper- you can just grab one at one of the millions of stands that dot the streets. Even clothes, electronics and toys are sold on the streets. Ice cream vendors are constantly climbing onto the buses. You don’t have to pay for a cell phone plan and can just get a rechargeable phone, putting money on it when you have it from phone recharger people who wear gigantic flags and wander around subway stops. I don’t want to say that the informality of the economy is a good thing, merely that it is kind of useful as a student with limited funds and time.
In another interesting occurence, today my econ professor asked me and the other American classmates “O, today is a holiday for you right?” He received several blank looks. “Thursday? Thanksgiving?” Finally a French classmate who seems generally knowledgeable about history helped us out: “Kennedy?” We wanted to explain that no one commemorates Kennedy’s assasination especially, but it seemed sort of unnecessarily defensive after our ignorance about our own history. I think he probably assumed that we would commemorate Kennedy’s death since the death of Chilean President Allende during the coup d’ etat is a really big deal here, especially among certain political sectors. But I guess since Kennedy’s death wasn’t followed by 20 years of dictatorship, it doesn’t warrant too much commemoration. Awkward.
November 20: Relationships.
I’ve been thinking a lot about relationships today, in the normal two people together way but in a variety of other exchanges too. If anything, these are some of the things that have changed the most for me while I’ve been abroad, or at least the way I think about them.
1. The juicy kind of relationships.
I haven’t had a serious relationship while I’ve been here. I think this is due to several factors such as circumstances, fear of compromising my life to stay here to be with someone, and my only partial ability to translate myself into Spanish. Unless someone is billingual, there is a fairly significant part of my self- expression that they wouldn’t be privy to, which for me would almost be tantamount to keeping a big secret from them. Of course now though, I feel like my “Spanish” personality is a big enough person to that someone who didn’t speak the language wouldn’t be able to know everything about me either. This may either be a problem or something that narrows the field later on.
Chileans are very funny about relationships. Some days, it seems like practically everyone is “going steady” aka “pololeando.” People see nothing wrong with asking you straight up if you have a boyfriend, in a way that I think would be considered too personal back home. And if you say, “No, I don’t have one” they’ll be like “Why not?!?!” as if it was purely a matter of personal choice rather than as I see it, a matter of chance. My host brother was really funny about it for a while- he kept joking that I obviously had a Chilean boyfriend because I had been going out to see a lot of grunge concerts by coincedence and this aspect of my personality probably seemed inconsistent with my home personality which is frankly pretty lame: I usually am either reading for school or knitting while watching TV.
Truth is, I just haven’t ever met anyone who was “the one,” even in a short term sort of way. Maybe I’m too picky or too shy or too nervous, but I like to think that its also a matter of high standards and unwillingness to settle. Usually, I’ll reply that I value my personal independence, which doesn’t always translate well. I told this to my host dad once, and he replied, quite rightly, that in the right kind of relationship you gain more from the other person than you lose in terms of independence. I guess what I had been trying to say was that I have no idea where in the world I will be in the next 5 years or so and I don’t want to have extra factors weighing me down in tough decisions I will have make. It’s difficult enough not to be able to see friends and family, but I can’t imagine how complicated decision making would be with an extra special person. Sometimes I’ll play the studious card too though, for instance the other day when I got asked the question by a 9 year old at my internship. I replied that I’m concentrating on studying for university right now. This is pretty much not true, if anything it might be nice to have a distraction from studying, but it seemed like a good role model type thing to say to a girl living in an area where few people go to college, there’s a lot of familiar violence and there are high rates of teen pregnancy.
So, I’m unapologetically single for the moment, as culturally inappropriate as this may be.
2. Daughter
If anything, I feel like I’ve gained another set of parents this semester, which is wonderful. As for my real parents, its been admittedly a bit challenging to keep up, especially the last few weeks. In a lot of ways though, I think sometimes that space is a wonderful thing in the parent child relationship. I appreciate my parents and (I think) get along with them much better now that we only live together a much shorter amount of time. When you aren’t in physical proximity, you have less time to remember the things that annoy you about the other person and more time to remember the things you love about them.
3. Friendships
Friendships here have been difficult to form for sure. For one thing, everyone lives so spread out across a giant city vs. living on a tiny campus, so that certainly changes things.
Secondly, as my friend Regina put it, would you honestly go out of your way to be friends with someone who speaks your language badly and isn’t going to be around for very long?
In many ways, what I have formed here have been more like acquaintances, hanging out with people here and there, just getting to know a little bit of what they are like and learning how to share yourself on a limited time basis. It’s a wonderful experience and I think it makes me want to be a friendlier person.
In terms of my friendships back at Tufts, I have admittedly been horribly at keeping up with people. But facebook really changes things and a gives you an (somewhat creepy) glimpse of everyone’s lives, even when you aren’t on hand to see people yourself. This is one thing that certainly feels like it is on hold, just waiting to be resumed.
4. Relationship to Nature
I’ve become a nature junkie while I’ve been here. Or at least, I’ve rediscovered this aspect of myself. For whatever reason, living in a city here sometimes makes me long for open fields and country roads and mountains in a way that I never felt when I was in Boston. I think this has to do with a bunch of factors, namely the tantalizing peeks of nature that are everywhere- the ever present Andes, luscious parks and now that everything is coming into full bloom, the gorgeous brightly colored flowers. Probably also the fact that Chile is an amazingly beautiful country and I want to explore every nook and cranny of it. But it’s definitely the sort of experience I now place high value on. Tomorrow, for instance, I am going to Cajon del Maipo, a river valley in the mountains, to hike. I have homework I could and probably should do, sure, but I’ll find a way to get everything done. When else am I going to hike in Chile?
1. The juicy kind of relationships.
I haven’t had a serious relationship while I’ve been here. I think this is due to several factors such as circumstances, fear of compromising my life to stay here to be with someone, and my only partial ability to translate myself into Spanish. Unless someone is billingual, there is a fairly significant part of my self- expression that they wouldn’t be privy to, which for me would almost be tantamount to keeping a big secret from them. Of course now though, I feel like my “Spanish” personality is a big enough person to that someone who didn’t speak the language wouldn’t be able to know everything about me either. This may either be a problem or something that narrows the field later on.
Chileans are very funny about relationships. Some days, it seems like practically everyone is “going steady” aka “pololeando.” People see nothing wrong with asking you straight up if you have a boyfriend, in a way that I think would be considered too personal back home. And if you say, “No, I don’t have one” they’ll be like “Why not?!?!” as if it was purely a matter of personal choice rather than as I see it, a matter of chance. My host brother was really funny about it for a while- he kept joking that I obviously had a Chilean boyfriend because I had been going out to see a lot of grunge concerts by coincedence and this aspect of my personality probably seemed inconsistent with my home personality which is frankly pretty lame: I usually am either reading for school or knitting while watching TV.
Truth is, I just haven’t ever met anyone who was “the one,” even in a short term sort of way. Maybe I’m too picky or too shy or too nervous, but I like to think that its also a matter of high standards and unwillingness to settle. Usually, I’ll reply that I value my personal independence, which doesn’t always translate well. I told this to my host dad once, and he replied, quite rightly, that in the right kind of relationship you gain more from the other person than you lose in terms of independence. I guess what I had been trying to say was that I have no idea where in the world I will be in the next 5 years or so and I don’t want to have extra factors weighing me down in tough decisions I will have make. It’s difficult enough not to be able to see friends and family, but I can’t imagine how complicated decision making would be with an extra special person. Sometimes I’ll play the studious card too though, for instance the other day when I got asked the question by a 9 year old at my internship. I replied that I’m concentrating on studying for university right now. This is pretty much not true, if anything it might be nice to have a distraction from studying, but it seemed like a good role model type thing to say to a girl living in an area where few people go to college, there’s a lot of familiar violence and there are high rates of teen pregnancy.
So, I’m unapologetically single for the moment, as culturally inappropriate as this may be.
2. Daughter
If anything, I feel like I’ve gained another set of parents this semester, which is wonderful. As for my real parents, its been admittedly a bit challenging to keep up, especially the last few weeks. In a lot of ways though, I think sometimes that space is a wonderful thing in the parent child relationship. I appreciate my parents and (I think) get along with them much better now that we only live together a much shorter amount of time. When you aren’t in physical proximity, you have less time to remember the things that annoy you about the other person and more time to remember the things you love about them.
3. Friendships
Friendships here have been difficult to form for sure. For one thing, everyone lives so spread out across a giant city vs. living on a tiny campus, so that certainly changes things.
Secondly, as my friend Regina put it, would you honestly go out of your way to be friends with someone who speaks your language badly and isn’t going to be around for very long?
In many ways, what I have formed here have been more like acquaintances, hanging out with people here and there, just getting to know a little bit of what they are like and learning how to share yourself on a limited time basis. It’s a wonderful experience and I think it makes me want to be a friendlier person.
In terms of my friendships back at Tufts, I have admittedly been horribly at keeping up with people. But facebook really changes things and a gives you an (somewhat creepy) glimpse of everyone’s lives, even when you aren’t on hand to see people yourself. This is one thing that certainly feels like it is on hold, just waiting to be resumed.
4. Relationship to Nature
I’ve become a nature junkie while I’ve been here. Or at least, I’ve rediscovered this aspect of myself. For whatever reason, living in a city here sometimes makes me long for open fields and country roads and mountains in a way that I never felt when I was in Boston. I think this has to do with a bunch of factors, namely the tantalizing peeks of nature that are everywhere- the ever present Andes, luscious parks and now that everything is coming into full bloom, the gorgeous brightly colored flowers. Probably also the fact that Chile is an amazingly beautiful country and I want to explore every nook and cranny of it. But it’s definitely the sort of experience I now place high value on. Tomorrow, for instance, I am going to Cajon del Maipo, a river valley in the mountains, to hike. I have homework I could and probably should do, sure, but I’ll find a way to get everything done. When else am I going to hike in Chile?
Thursday, November 18, 2010
MÚSICA
A few more listens...Guess who doesn't tener ganas to read about import substitution industrialization anymore...A bunch of these guys definitely should have made up here earlier, so we'll call it rectifying a grave error rather than procrastination.
Mostly a "muy tipico chileno" edition.
Los Tetas- Corazon de Sandía
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28WdtLHF2nM
So of like a funkier/rappier Chilean version of the Red Hot Chile Peppers. Also super 80s/90s. In about the same way as as nylon tracksuits.
Chancho en Piedra- Locura Espacial
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4fzdpJ7yl4
Even more like a Chilean version of the Red Hot Chile Peppers.
Matorral- Hasta que cubra el mar
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjk2zFo8xR4
Rock with a bit of a retro twist
Los Jaivas- Todos Juntos (Kind of like an unofficial national anthem)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Me4gBn3sb48
Los Jaivas- La Poderosa Muerte-From a really cool project recorded at Machu Pichu.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExGOc5dVY10
EPIC fail on my part on not putting up anything by them earlier!!! Muy tipico chileno. Funny story with their name- Jaiva= a type of Chilean freshwater crab. But originally they were called hi-bass, as in the bass, jazz and all that. Since the name didn't translate well, they Chilenized it and made it punny. Hi-bass= jaivas...jajaja.
Los Tres-Amor Violento
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4g9jvY_gMGo
Sol y Lluvía-Pudahuel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9BPRwrN_7w
Nano Stern y Chinoy- Para la Pena No
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeaPmfX4rnA&NR=1
So sad, I almost got to see Chinoy when we were in La Serena!!!, but no one wanted to go and it was sort of expensive :(
Javiera Mena- Hasta la Verdad
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Wzp_VT-YkE
Mostly a "muy tipico chileno" edition.
Los Tetas- Corazon de Sandía
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28WdtLHF2nM
So of like a funkier/rappier Chilean version of the Red Hot Chile Peppers. Also super 80s/90s. In about the same way as as nylon tracksuits.
Chancho en Piedra- Locura Espacial
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4fzdpJ7yl4
Even more like a Chilean version of the Red Hot Chile Peppers.
Matorral- Hasta que cubra el mar
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjk2zFo8xR4
Rock with a bit of a retro twist
Los Jaivas- Todos Juntos (Kind of like an unofficial national anthem)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Me4gBn3sb48
Los Jaivas- La Poderosa Muerte-From a really cool project recorded at Machu Pichu.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExGOc5dVY10
EPIC fail on my part on not putting up anything by them earlier!!! Muy tipico chileno. Funny story with their name- Jaiva= a type of Chilean freshwater crab. But originally they were called hi-bass, as in the bass, jazz and all that. Since the name didn't translate well, they Chilenized it and made it punny. Hi-bass= jaivas...jajaja.
Los Tres-Amor Violento
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4g9jvY_gMGo
Sol y Lluvía-Pudahuel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9BPRwrN_7w
Nano Stern y Chinoy- Para la Pena No
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeaPmfX4rnA&NR=1
So sad, I almost got to see Chinoy when we were in La Serena!!!, but no one wanted to go and it was sort of expensive :(
Javiera Mena- Hasta la Verdad
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Wzp_VT-YkE
Quién merece que ser milionario?!?!
Word of the Day: lentejas- lentils
1. My host mom makes the most delicious lentils ever. I asked for the recipe and it was nothing special which makes this even more intriguing.
2. Lentils are apparently a good luck food to be consumed on New Years. Jumping on that bandwagon...
Thank you Tufts in Chile, I can't even watch TV anymore without analyzing class messages.
A couple days back, I watched Chile's version of "Who Wants to be A Millionaire” with my host dad. It was good because I learned a ton of trivia about Chile that I had never heard before but also, realized how little I actually know about Chile. There are so many things you take for granted growing up in a place, or in "Latino" culture.
What interested me most about the show though, was the way it was structured. Basically, famous contestants play on behalf of "worthy" Chileans who are in difficult economic situations, accompanied of course by dramatic or touching stories. In some ways this makes for better TV, because comedians/actresses can make answering questions entertaining, but its also sort of demeaning. There were several instances where the "average" person knew the answer and the person playing on their behalf did not...
Basically, it was fascinating to me because it unites two discourses about in Chile, the idea of solidarity but also the idea that it is the responsability of those with wealth or fame to "save" people from poverty.
1. My host mom makes the most delicious lentils ever. I asked for the recipe and it was nothing special which makes this even more intriguing.
2. Lentils are apparently a good luck food to be consumed on New Years. Jumping on that bandwagon...
Thank you Tufts in Chile, I can't even watch TV anymore without analyzing class messages.
A couple days back, I watched Chile's version of "Who Wants to be A Millionaire” with my host dad. It was good because I learned a ton of trivia about Chile that I had never heard before but also, realized how little I actually know about Chile. There are so many things you take for granted growing up in a place, or in "Latino" culture.
What interested me most about the show though, was the way it was structured. Basically, famous contestants play on behalf of "worthy" Chileans who are in difficult economic situations, accompanied of course by dramatic or touching stories. In some ways this makes for better TV, because comedians/actresses can make answering questions entertaining, but its also sort of demeaning. There were several instances where the "average" person knew the answer and the person playing on their behalf did not...
Basically, it was fascinating to me because it unites two discourses about in Chile, the idea of solidarity but also the idea that it is the responsability of those with wealth or fame to "save" people from poverty.
November 18: The good things in life
Words of the day:
descomunal- enormous, colossal
traba- barrette, derived from the word trabar, meaning to hold something back. Spanish is such a cool language.
malabarismo- juggling
chispa- spark
Sort of a crazy day. Got up super early to go to Maipu for the Anniversary celebration at El Trampolin. Made a ton of food and got to spend time and talk with a lot of people I hadn't previously interacted with very much. All the adorable kids from the center put on little "acts" which were adorable and usually included at least one child who broke down in tears. And then everyone ate a ton of food.
The event was a little bittersweet though to be honest. There were a lot of people who came, albeit late, but apparently nothing compared with past years. A lot of the staff talked a bit about how the "spark" had gone out of the community, in terms of their involvement and willingness to initiate things. There was a whole picture display which showed the evolution of the community and the center. What struck me the most was the way that, as they described it, material progress hadn't exactly translated into a better sense of community or even better lives. Not to romanticize poverty, but the direness of the initial conditions led to a need to fight in a way that isn't entirely consistent with gated houses on square blocks.
I guess this reality is, well, awkward. When you have an non- profit working in an area, there is an expectation, at least internally, that things will improve in a linear fashion. And when they don't?
Regardless, the staff hung out for a while after and I got to join since my class was cancelled which was fun because I got to see another side of their personalities.
After, I had the last (gasp!) class of salsa and headed home, where I danced more, this time a zumba workout video with 3 year old Martina. Which was hilarious. And then I just hung out for a bit with my host parents and Arturo's sister who is visiting. And played with Martina a lot more- school, dolls, legos...Just as its the little things from home that I miss, I'm going to miss daily life here a lot as well.
descomunal- enormous, colossal
traba- barrette, derived from the word trabar, meaning to hold something back. Spanish is such a cool language.
malabarismo- juggling
chispa- spark
Sort of a crazy day. Got up super early to go to Maipu for the Anniversary celebration at El Trampolin. Made a ton of food and got to spend time and talk with a lot of people I hadn't previously interacted with very much. All the adorable kids from the center put on little "acts" which were adorable and usually included at least one child who broke down in tears. And then everyone ate a ton of food.
The event was a little bittersweet though to be honest. There were a lot of people who came, albeit late, but apparently nothing compared with past years. A lot of the staff talked a bit about how the "spark" had gone out of the community, in terms of their involvement and willingness to initiate things. There was a whole picture display which showed the evolution of the community and the center. What struck me the most was the way that, as they described it, material progress hadn't exactly translated into a better sense of community or even better lives. Not to romanticize poverty, but the direness of the initial conditions led to a need to fight in a way that isn't entirely consistent with gated houses on square blocks.
I guess this reality is, well, awkward. When you have an non- profit working in an area, there is an expectation, at least internally, that things will improve in a linear fashion. And when they don't?
Regardless, the staff hung out for a while after and I got to join since my class was cancelled which was fun because I got to see another side of their personalities.
After, I had the last (gasp!) class of salsa and headed home, where I danced more, this time a zumba workout video with 3 year old Martina. Which was hilarious. And then I just hung out for a bit with my host parents and Arturo's sister who is visiting. And played with Martina a lot more- school, dolls, legos...Just as its the little things from home that I miss, I'm going to miss daily life here a lot as well.
November 16: Turning 21 Abroad
Word of the Day: ser harina de otro costal- to be irrelevant, come out of nowhere. Sort of how I feel about my birthday.
Life goes on whether you are there or not. For every amazing moment I’ve had from my study abroad experience, there are so many moments I’m missing. With my family, with my friends at Tufts, with older friends and acquaintances...For everything we gain, we lose a little.
My birthday here was little bittersweet for that reason. I realized today how truly far I am from home. And sometimes, our digital replacements aren’t enough to simulate real togetherness, moreso when internet connections are non-functioning. There is still nothing that can simulate real eye contact, physical presence or touch, the importance of which I’ve come to appreciate more this semester.
My Dad sent me a really beautiful and sweet email this morning, which combined with a few other factors led me to start bawling in the Tufts in Chile office. Thank god the program assistant Loreto was there to comfort me. After a teary attempt at learning about Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in law class, things were finally righted with a run for ice cream from Emporio La Rosa with my friend Regina.
If you’d told me a year or 2 ago I’d be spending my 21st birthday in a Chilean población I probably would have asked what a población is (basically a catch all term for a poor area) and why on earth I would be there on my birthday. But, since this week is the anniversary celebration at El Trampolin, where my internship is, I went in to help decorate the center for a celebration. No reason not to go really. Unfortunately, it took forever to get there after my salsa class so I missed the actual decorating, but arrived in time for the giant gathering of children from the community for music and games. Also unfortunate, I happened to be wearing a white tee shirt, which was good for looking non-descript, but not appropriate for a water balloon fight. (The thermometer reached around 32 C today...) Luckily, I managed to at least keep the front of my shirt from being soaked.
I got to talk and play with a lot of the kids, which was really great on a personal level and eye-opening as to the nature of the challenges of the community on a more academic level.
I finally got home from Maipu 2 hours later and had a frustrated attempt at communicating with my real family via various electronic media. Then, I had a nice dinner and cake with my host family and some friends of theirs who happened to be in town.
After, I met up with fellow Tufts in Chile-ers Molly and Judy and headed to Maestra Vida, an amazingly awesome salsa club in Bellavista, the night district, where Chico Trujillo, an AWESOME cumbia band was playing. It was just a really really good time.
Two things were really great about today, that wouldn’t have been so had I been stateside:
I didn’t recieve any presents. What I did recieve were many hugs and kisses, and beautiful wishes of well-being which were much more wonderful.
I only consumed one alcoholic drink today. Turning 21 in the US has turned into such a ridiculous ritual but since I’ve already been consuming some excellent alcohol over the last few months, there was no need. My host family doesn’t drink, so there was nothing at dinner. Just got a Corona at the bar and that was it, nice and refreshing.
It’s weird to “officially” be an adult though, since my living arrangements are less than independent nor am I financially independent. Not having barriers anymore is sort of scary. I guess I still can’t rent cars or drive stick shift, so that’s a few limits. Thank Goodness.
Life goes on whether you are there or not. For every amazing moment I’ve had from my study abroad experience, there are so many moments I’m missing. With my family, with my friends at Tufts, with older friends and acquaintances...For everything we gain, we lose a little.
My birthday here was little bittersweet for that reason. I realized today how truly far I am from home. And sometimes, our digital replacements aren’t enough to simulate real togetherness, moreso when internet connections are non-functioning. There is still nothing that can simulate real eye contact, physical presence or touch, the importance of which I’ve come to appreciate more this semester.
My Dad sent me a really beautiful and sweet email this morning, which combined with a few other factors led me to start bawling in the Tufts in Chile office. Thank god the program assistant Loreto was there to comfort me. After a teary attempt at learning about Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in law class, things were finally righted with a run for ice cream from Emporio La Rosa with my friend Regina.
If you’d told me a year or 2 ago I’d be spending my 21st birthday in a Chilean población I probably would have asked what a población is (basically a catch all term for a poor area) and why on earth I would be there on my birthday. But, since this week is the anniversary celebration at El Trampolin, where my internship is, I went in to help decorate the center for a celebration. No reason not to go really. Unfortunately, it took forever to get there after my salsa class so I missed the actual decorating, but arrived in time for the giant gathering of children from the community for music and games. Also unfortunate, I happened to be wearing a white tee shirt, which was good for looking non-descript, but not appropriate for a water balloon fight. (The thermometer reached around 32 C today...) Luckily, I managed to at least keep the front of my shirt from being soaked.
I got to talk and play with a lot of the kids, which was really great on a personal level and eye-opening as to the nature of the challenges of the community on a more academic level.
I finally got home from Maipu 2 hours later and had a frustrated attempt at communicating with my real family via various electronic media. Then, I had a nice dinner and cake with my host family and some friends of theirs who happened to be in town.
After, I met up with fellow Tufts in Chile-ers Molly and Judy and headed to Maestra Vida, an amazingly awesome salsa club in Bellavista, the night district, where Chico Trujillo, an AWESOME cumbia band was playing. It was just a really really good time.
Two things were really great about today, that wouldn’t have been so had I been stateside:
I didn’t recieve any presents. What I did recieve were many hugs and kisses, and beautiful wishes of well-being which were much more wonderful.
I only consumed one alcoholic drink today. Turning 21 in the US has turned into such a ridiculous ritual but since I’ve already been consuming some excellent alcohol over the last few months, there was no need. My host family doesn’t drink, so there was nothing at dinner. Just got a Corona at the bar and that was it, nice and refreshing.
It’s weird to “officially” be an adult though, since my living arrangements are less than independent nor am I financially independent. Not having barriers anymore is sort of scary. I guess I still can’t rent cars or drive stick shift, so that’s a few limits. Thank Goodness.
Monday, November 15, 2010
November 15: Back in Santiago
Had another wonderful weekend trip up to La Serena/Valle de Elqui in the Norte Chico (Little North of Chile). Unfortunately, wont be able to write about it for some time since the long awaited homework has arrived. A few hundred pages of econ reading need to be done. Til later!
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Word of the day:
hidrocarburos- hydrocarbons
países en vía de desarrollo- developing countries
pudor- modesty, but a very loaded word that describes a certain type of sexuality for women. Used a lot in older international treaties from the 1940s.
You never learn the most from the things you think you will. Take my Globalization and Copper class. While it may not count for much academically, it has made me think about a variety of issues and I might even go so far as to credit it greatly in my recent decision to change my academic focus within my International Relations major. Anyway, today’s discussion was a meta-look at the idea of the university and its relationship with knowledge, government and development. We talked about how the best knowledge is attained: is it possible to do the best critical or investigative research done when the educational institution is controlled by the state or follows a for profit model? How can universities be innovative and leverage this dynamism into political policy? This was all very interesting because at the same time, there’s much talk in the student community (and class itself ) about the need to make higher education free. Suspending concern over practicality of this, however, would this give the state too much control over the university, disenabling its critical role? Would the state ever finance something that was not directly working for its benefit? Would the greater economic productivity created by better educated workforce outweigh the downsides? Where does the model of the “university” go in an age where there arguably isn’t a unified current of thought anymore (but rather a string of separate realities, typified by the idea of post modernism)?
Another train of thought for today:
There are so many times when ideas aren’t communicated because of the different “languages” used. In my econ class today, we talked about the need to frame poverty and inequality as an economic issue, in the sense that over the long term, the productivity lost by having underperforming sectors can put a brakes on even the most superficially healthy economy. (ie. the US????) It’s a sad reality, but using moral and “human rights” based arguments has failed to create a strong enough impetus for intervention. Similarly, today in my law class we talked about women and political/economic discrimination. I think that again this is one reason feminism has had marginal success internationally is exactly this: it has only recently started to show economically the negative effects of discrimination against women.
As much as its easy to disagree with economics being the focal point of our value system, when arguments are shaped in the same language as an opponent, it’s much easier to show how everyone loses from not promoting “just” policies. Cynical to believe this is the most likely way to achieve change? You bet. But maybe a type of diplomacy that will become a career path?
hidrocarburos- hydrocarbons
países en vía de desarrollo- developing countries
pudor- modesty, but a very loaded word that describes a certain type of sexuality for women. Used a lot in older international treaties from the 1940s.
You never learn the most from the things you think you will. Take my Globalization and Copper class. While it may not count for much academically, it has made me think about a variety of issues and I might even go so far as to credit it greatly in my recent decision to change my academic focus within my International Relations major. Anyway, today’s discussion was a meta-look at the idea of the university and its relationship with knowledge, government and development. We talked about how the best knowledge is attained: is it possible to do the best critical or investigative research done when the educational institution is controlled by the state or follows a for profit model? How can universities be innovative and leverage this dynamism into political policy? This was all very interesting because at the same time, there’s much talk in the student community (and class itself ) about the need to make higher education free. Suspending concern over practicality of this, however, would this give the state too much control over the university, disenabling its critical role? Would the state ever finance something that was not directly working for its benefit? Would the greater economic productivity created by better educated workforce outweigh the downsides? Where does the model of the “university” go in an age where there arguably isn’t a unified current of thought anymore (but rather a string of separate realities, typified by the idea of post modernism)?
Another train of thought for today:
There are so many times when ideas aren’t communicated because of the different “languages” used. In my econ class today, we talked about the need to frame poverty and inequality as an economic issue, in the sense that over the long term, the productivity lost by having underperforming sectors can put a brakes on even the most superficially healthy economy. (ie. the US????) It’s a sad reality, but using moral and “human rights” based arguments has failed to create a strong enough impetus for intervention. Similarly, today in my law class we talked about women and political/economic discrimination. I think that again this is one reason feminism has had marginal success internationally is exactly this: it has only recently started to show economically the negative effects of discrimination against women.
As much as its easy to disagree with economics being the focal point of our value system, when arguments are shaped in the same language as an opponent, it’s much easier to show how everyone loses from not promoting “just” policies. Cynical to believe this is the most likely way to achieve change? You bet. But maybe a type of diplomacy that will become a career path?
November 9: Outskirts
Word of the day: porte- size (Chilenismo?)
bote- touch, as in when you lightly tap the ball in soccer to control it.
Today was a really weird day. I got back to Santiago right before 9, giving me just enough time to make it to my internship. Memories of my weekend of green were quickly assaulted by a lot of harried people and pavement. It made a lot more sense why every single person I talked to in the South expressed their dislike of Santiago.
Being in Villa San Luis kind of depressed me a lot today. Every time I go there, I want there to be a magic cure for poverty, an incredibly simple and fast solution that will bring everyone’s lives up to a standard that by my estimation is liveable. But the truth is, life goes on, beautiful or not. Collectivos and buses come and go, goods are bought and sold in the feria and in the streets, children go to school, babies are born. Redemption is nowhere visible in the big picture, but there’s a glimmer in the small things: the women in the taller becoming friends and planning a barbecue and an exposition, the few hopeful murals that don’t get painted over with graffiti and the children who have a safe place to play and learn in the Trampolin center. For better or worse, life goes on.
I’ve been thinking a lot about physical space again today both as a globalized entity and one that has a sense of place. I tried out a new micro route today, wanting to see more of Maipu, which didn’t really happen, but still gave me a look at another peripheral comuna, Cerrillos. The bus passed by scenery that seemed indistinguishable from run down areas of the US. A busy stream of cars, gas stations, disused factories and other vacant buildings, graffiti. At one point I even saw “All cops are bastards” written in English, which really threw me for a loop. I’ve already written about the imposition of neoliberal policies has lead to a convergence of the way elite areas appear(see any of my frequent rants about Las Condes/Parque Arauco), but are the places neglected by these models also converging?
Another thing I felt really cognizcant of today was the de-marcation of space. Much of the farmland in the South is marked with light fences but small farm houses are open to the road, which in some of the more remote areas of Chiloé were spaces in which animals simply wandered. This is in the complete opposite of Santiago where everything is gated, iron- fenced, put in place. I couldn’t help thinking on the psychological effect this must create. While gates may protect against crime, doesn’t also a culture of sharing and knowing your neighbor? How can you casually greet iron bars?
Realizing I only have a month or so left is terrifying, absolutely terrifying. Having declined the option of extending for a whole year, I’m wondering if I made the right choice. Will what I will gain intellectually from being back at Tufts be on par with what I would gain personally and linguistically from staying in Chile? Have I changed as a person as much as I wanted to, and in the right ways? I’m trying to not see this as an end point. You never can know where you will end up in life and I want to keep all of my options wide open. While I often wonder if my ability to not get attached to things is damaging, it may be useful in the long run. If anything, I’ve realized how adaptable I am this semester. Apart from people and decent coffee, I don’t really miss much from back home. My friends joke about how I’m supposedly a “bad american” since I’m often ignorant of music, movies, tv and don’t have much of a nostalgia for the foods or fashion of home. While in some ways I’m starting to see this as an element of elitism that I need to exise, I think I am well equiped to absorb other ways of being. Not to compare myself to a whiteboard by any means though: if anything, this experience has shown me how deep seated my prejudices and habits are, whether for fault of my nationality or not: my impatience, desire for instant results, directness, independent working style, etc, etc.
bote- touch, as in when you lightly tap the ball in soccer to control it.
Today was a really weird day. I got back to Santiago right before 9, giving me just enough time to make it to my internship. Memories of my weekend of green were quickly assaulted by a lot of harried people and pavement. It made a lot more sense why every single person I talked to in the South expressed their dislike of Santiago.
Being in Villa San Luis kind of depressed me a lot today. Every time I go there, I want there to be a magic cure for poverty, an incredibly simple and fast solution that will bring everyone’s lives up to a standard that by my estimation is liveable. But the truth is, life goes on, beautiful or not. Collectivos and buses come and go, goods are bought and sold in the feria and in the streets, children go to school, babies are born. Redemption is nowhere visible in the big picture, but there’s a glimmer in the small things: the women in the taller becoming friends and planning a barbecue and an exposition, the few hopeful murals that don’t get painted over with graffiti and the children who have a safe place to play and learn in the Trampolin center. For better or worse, life goes on.
I’ve been thinking a lot about physical space again today both as a globalized entity and one that has a sense of place. I tried out a new micro route today, wanting to see more of Maipu, which didn’t really happen, but still gave me a look at another peripheral comuna, Cerrillos. The bus passed by scenery that seemed indistinguishable from run down areas of the US. A busy stream of cars, gas stations, disused factories and other vacant buildings, graffiti. At one point I even saw “All cops are bastards” written in English, which really threw me for a loop. I’ve already written about the imposition of neoliberal policies has lead to a convergence of the way elite areas appear(see any of my frequent rants about Las Condes/Parque Arauco), but are the places neglected by these models also converging?
Another thing I felt really cognizcant of today was the de-marcation of space. Much of the farmland in the South is marked with light fences but small farm houses are open to the road, which in some of the more remote areas of Chiloé were spaces in which animals simply wandered. This is in the complete opposite of Santiago where everything is gated, iron- fenced, put in place. I couldn’t help thinking on the psychological effect this must create. While gates may protect against crime, doesn’t also a culture of sharing and knowing your neighbor? How can you casually greet iron bars?
Realizing I only have a month or so left is terrifying, absolutely terrifying. Having declined the option of extending for a whole year, I’m wondering if I made the right choice. Will what I will gain intellectually from being back at Tufts be on par with what I would gain personally and linguistically from staying in Chile? Have I changed as a person as much as I wanted to, and in the right ways? I’m trying to not see this as an end point. You never can know where you will end up in life and I want to keep all of my options wide open. While I often wonder if my ability to not get attached to things is damaging, it may be useful in the long run. If anything, I’ve realized how adaptable I am this semester. Apart from people and decent coffee, I don’t really miss much from back home. My friends joke about how I’m supposedly a “bad american” since I’m often ignorant of music, movies, tv and don’t have much of a nostalgia for the foods or fashion of home. While in some ways I’m starting to see this as an element of elitism that I need to exise, I think I am well equiped to absorb other ways of being. Not to compare myself to a whiteboard by any means though: if anything, this experience has shown me how deep seated my prejudices and habits are, whether for fault of my nationality or not: my impatience, desire for instant results, directness, independent working style, etc, etc.
Final Reflections on my mini-trip prompted by my impending “Globalization and Copper” monografía....
So what can an obscure, rural, rain soaked, geo-politically non-important island tell us about the processes of globalization?
For one thing, in such a context, it’s easy to see which flows have been excepted and grafted onto a once isolated lifestyle. From what was visible, this is mainly the internet, TV, video games, but also the department store, the supermarket and in a historical context, Christianity.
When we consider the concept of a “traditional lifestyle,” however, what are we really looking at? A fight for preservation or a lack of opportunity to “superar,” rise above?
How can you enable economic development without losing the critical elements?
Chiloé is a unique place for tourism in that it is mainly daily lives that are on display, which in a way may breed distrust or suspicion because to the one living it, your actions seem unremarkable. Ironically, it may be tourism itself that enables the “culture” to hold on, but does that mean that the culture is the same or merely a reflection of what we want to see?
For one thing, in such a context, it’s easy to see which flows have been excepted and grafted onto a once isolated lifestyle. From what was visible, this is mainly the internet, TV, video games, but also the department store, the supermarket and in a historical context, Christianity.
When we consider the concept of a “traditional lifestyle,” however, what are we really looking at? A fight for preservation or a lack of opportunity to “superar,” rise above?
How can you enable economic development without losing the critical elements?
Chiloé is a unique place for tourism in that it is mainly daily lives that are on display, which in a way may breed distrust or suspicion because to the one living it, your actions seem unremarkable. Ironically, it may be tourism itself that enables the “culture” to hold on, but does that mean that the culture is the same or merely a reflection of what we want to see?
Monday, November 8: A New Level of Southern Hospitality
Words of the day:
archipiélago- archipelago, group of islands
milcao- local food, sold in the street everywhere. Made from fat, potato and bits of meat...It was kind of gross although warmed you up, I guess. Another food to add to the “How are Chileans skinny?” list.
Today we headed out to another island close to the big one, known as Quinchao. We went to the biggest city, Achao, no more than a little town really, but quite charming. The ferry ride and the bus ride were very beautiful with views of the ocean from many different angles, the roadsides were lined with giant yellow-flowered buses and there were many sheep filled farms with beautiful old houses. We went down to the beach and wandered a bit, checking out fishing boats beached with the tide, a giant rock formation off the coast which is a hang out spot for sea lions (this one live!) and cliffs lined with vegetation. After a funeral had departed , we checked out one of the oldest and most famous of the wooden churches of Chiloe, this one dating back to the 18th century and with a beautiful all wood interior. It’s so interesting to think about the contrast between the heavy presence of Christianity on an island that originated a very unique paganistic mythology. We grabbed some delicious empanadas from a nearby mini-mart, beef surrounded by potato and then lightly fried. Quite possibly the best empanada I’ve had in my time here, and I’ve had my fair share...
While trying to find where the buses back to the main island departed from, we had a very interesting experience with a “local.” We asked a woman with a baby for directions and she replied that since she had only lived here for a year, she didn’t know exactly the name of the streets to tell us where to go, but could bring us there herself. Not wanting to bother her, we replied that we would just find it. But she replied that she didn’t have anything to do at present and before we knew it though, Thomas had been handed her baby, we were packing into her car, and Eric was sitting on top of the baby’s car seat. She told us she was originally from Easter Island and had lived in Santiago before that and as something of an outsider herself, liked to help foreigners out. She offered to let us use her bathroom and completely seriously said she would have given us oysters if she had only run into us earlier. This is what I mean when I say people in the south of Chile are ridiculously nice.
Then sadly, after a bit of time in Dalcahue, a small ocean side town with lots of fishing, a beautiful church and an artisanal fair that is especially famed on Sundays, when artesans from all over the area come with their wares, we made our way back to the mainland by bus and ferry combo. Just as we were about to leave the island, up by the city of Ancud, it got sunny, really sunny, with the ocean turning a beautiful shade that was practically turquoise. Tricky Chiloé, Tricky.
I got a little taste of Puerto Montt today while we were waiting for a bus connection. All the tour guides describe it as nothing really special. It’s grown quite large in recent years, meaning that it doesn’t have a lot of character, with American style housing developments packing the outskirts, and a few high rises going up. It definitely was interesting to see a southern city that wasn’t especially touristy though. It was very bustling and kind of grating, in a sort of off-color port way, although there was a reasonably nice park area right by the waterfront, with a beautiful view. There were tons of homeless people wandering around, which kind of surprised me. I guess they ended up there because it’s the biggest city in the area, but it must be a horrible climate for them to live in, with all the rain and cold. Curious if there’s some other factor involved.
Basically, the streets were just crowded with people, ethnically showing the dual Mapuche and German influence of the region, fruit vendors outside of grocery stores, even more stray dogs than usual, buses and collectivos, a lot of construction work and diner style restaurants. The bus station was even more crowded and random, filled with dogs, a random clown, families traveling in groups or wishing off their loved ones, African nuns, and the usual food sellers hawking their wares.
Found a bus back for even cheaper, $17, and for a nice semi-cama. Going to miss this aspect of traveling in Chile a lot.
archipiélago- archipelago, group of islands
milcao- local food, sold in the street everywhere. Made from fat, potato and bits of meat...It was kind of gross although warmed you up, I guess. Another food to add to the “How are Chileans skinny?” list.
Today we headed out to another island close to the big one, known as Quinchao. We went to the biggest city, Achao, no more than a little town really, but quite charming. The ferry ride and the bus ride were very beautiful with views of the ocean from many different angles, the roadsides were lined with giant yellow-flowered buses and there were many sheep filled farms with beautiful old houses. We went down to the beach and wandered a bit, checking out fishing boats beached with the tide, a giant rock formation off the coast which is a hang out spot for sea lions (this one live!) and cliffs lined with vegetation. After a funeral had departed , we checked out one of the oldest and most famous of the wooden churches of Chiloe, this one dating back to the 18th century and with a beautiful all wood interior. It’s so interesting to think about the contrast between the heavy presence of Christianity on an island that originated a very unique paganistic mythology. We grabbed some delicious empanadas from a nearby mini-mart, beef surrounded by potato and then lightly fried. Quite possibly the best empanada I’ve had in my time here, and I’ve had my fair share...
While trying to find where the buses back to the main island departed from, we had a very interesting experience with a “local.” We asked a woman with a baby for directions and she replied that since she had only lived here for a year, she didn’t know exactly the name of the streets to tell us where to go, but could bring us there herself. Not wanting to bother her, we replied that we would just find it. But she replied that she didn’t have anything to do at present and before we knew it though, Thomas had been handed her baby, we were packing into her car, and Eric was sitting on top of the baby’s car seat. She told us she was originally from Easter Island and had lived in Santiago before that and as something of an outsider herself, liked to help foreigners out. She offered to let us use her bathroom and completely seriously said she would have given us oysters if she had only run into us earlier. This is what I mean when I say people in the south of Chile are ridiculously nice.
Then sadly, after a bit of time in Dalcahue, a small ocean side town with lots of fishing, a beautiful church and an artisanal fair that is especially famed on Sundays, when artesans from all over the area come with their wares, we made our way back to the mainland by bus and ferry combo. Just as we were about to leave the island, up by the city of Ancud, it got sunny, really sunny, with the ocean turning a beautiful shade that was practically turquoise. Tricky Chiloé, Tricky.
I got a little taste of Puerto Montt today while we were waiting for a bus connection. All the tour guides describe it as nothing really special. It’s grown quite large in recent years, meaning that it doesn’t have a lot of character, with American style housing developments packing the outskirts, and a few high rises going up. It definitely was interesting to see a southern city that wasn’t especially touristy though. It was very bustling and kind of grating, in a sort of off-color port way, although there was a reasonably nice park area right by the waterfront, with a beautiful view. There were tons of homeless people wandering around, which kind of surprised me. I guess they ended up there because it’s the biggest city in the area, but it must be a horrible climate for them to live in, with all the rain and cold. Curious if there’s some other factor involved.
Basically, the streets were just crowded with people, ethnically showing the dual Mapuche and German influence of the region, fruit vendors outside of grocery stores, even more stray dogs than usual, buses and collectivos, a lot of construction work and diner style restaurants. The bus station was even more crowded and random, filled with dogs, a random clown, families traveling in groups or wishing off their loved ones, African nuns, and the usual food sellers hawking their wares.
Found a bus back for even cheaper, $17, and for a nice semi-cama. Going to miss this aspect of traveling in Chile a lot.
Sunday, November 7: In to the Wild
Words of the day:
púdu- a Chilean deer, which supposedly inhabit the national park. Didn’t see any though.
Today, since we had a full day which promised reasonable weather by Chilote standards (some rain instead of exclusively rain) so we figured it would be great to see the national park, on the side of the island furthest away from the mainland. It was a beautiful ride, very rural for the most part, but more forested than the other side of the island, and past two large lakes as well. Everyone seemed to know each other. The bus driver acted almost like a mail carrier- people would hand him packages to give to friends along the way. The park was one of the most beautiful, deserted and weird landscapes I’ve ever seen. Wild horses blocked the path. We had an entire beach to ourselves, minus a dead sea lion, once we finally found it due to unclearly demarcated paths. Rain clouds swooped in and out. Giant nalca, a plant looking similar to rhubarb (perhaps related) sprouted everywhere, giving everything a pre-historic feel. Birds were everywhere, from sandpipers to parakeets. As with many of the best experiences of this trip, words don’t really describe it well. So, I leave you with pictures.
Saturday, November 6: Fields, Boats and Rainbows
Words of the day:
Chilote- of or relating to Chiloe and its people
curanto- a delicious collection of sea creatures and land creatures assembled in a way that somewhat resembles a soup. see above image.
palafito- houses on stilts
We arrived in Castro around 3, by the time we took the bus between Puerto Varas and Puerto Montt and then another bus on a ferry across the bay, to the mainland where we drove to the “city” of Castro. The owner of the hostel where we were staying was very friendly as well, and as a sign of welcome, gave us shots of licor de oro, a local liquour made from milk, lemons and some other things that was surprisingly good, as well as hard ring- shaped biscuits. After another warming lunch (it was still raining), we went for a long walk, heading out of town a ways, passing some palafitos and winding up by a pasture and a beach. We climbed up a hill and got a great view back over the little town and the surrounding fields. However, by far the best was the gigantic rainbow that came out across the sky, a full arc and very bright. Sadly, my dying camera didn’t capture it, but it was undoubtedly the best one I had ever seen and welcome too since it stopped raining for a bit. We had a late dinner at a nice restaurant on the water. Had an excellent curanto, probably the best sea food I had ever had, and there has certainly been competition...
Chilote- of or relating to Chiloe and its people
curanto- a delicious collection of sea creatures and land creatures assembled in a way that somewhat resembles a soup. see above image.
palafito- houses on stilts
We arrived in Castro around 3, by the time we took the bus between Puerto Varas and Puerto Montt and then another bus on a ferry across the bay, to the mainland where we drove to the “city” of Castro. The owner of the hostel where we were staying was very friendly as well, and as a sign of welcome, gave us shots of licor de oro, a local liquour made from milk, lemons and some other things that was surprisingly good, as well as hard ring- shaped biscuits. After another warming lunch (it was still raining), we went for a long walk, heading out of town a ways, passing some palafitos and winding up by a pasture and a beach. We climbed up a hill and got a great view back over the little town and the surrounding fields. However, by far the best was the gigantic rainbow that came out across the sky, a full arc and very bright. Sadly, my dying camera didn’t capture it, but it was undoubtedly the best one I had ever seen and welcome too since it stopped raining for a bit. We had a late dinner at a nice restaurant on the water. Had an excellent curanto, probably the best sea food I had ever had, and there has certainly been competition...
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
November 5: Southern Hospitality
Word of the Day:
kuchen- German for cake, it is pretty much just that. but with tons of delicious variations involving different fruit, crumbles, and creams. The Germans have given Chile a lot of really nice things by my estimation...
I awoke around 6: 30 which was absurdly early given that I had arguing with seatmate Jon about politics until about 1 in the morning. Luckily, it was beautiful when I awoke. Pastoral countryside, green, lush, trees and forests, rivers and gigantic azaleas and rhodedrehons.
We arrived in Puerto Montt around 9 am, to a lot of rain. It was sort of cold and reminded me of the Adirondacks, maybe a Saranac Lake crossed with a bunch of German immigrants and a vague Hamptony touch. Unfortunately, our original plan of kayaking around Lake Llanquihue with the Volcano Osorno reflected in the water seemed unlikely to happen. It was downpouring, but more importantly, the volcano was absolutely nowhere to be seen with the heavy fog blocking it and remained invisible for the rest of the time we were there. We wandered to our hostel, perfectly adequate and as the oldest hostel in the town, full of interesting quirks such a floors and stairs that were completely slanted and woodstoves. After, we went exploring for a bit, checking out the Church of the Sacred Heart, a beautiful and very Germanic castle looking national landmark. Then it started to sleet! Deciding there was not much we could do about the weather, we wandered a bit more looking for the historical neighborhood with Germanic style architecture for which the town is famed. This sort of failed as we ended up in a random neighborhood for a bit that was purely residential and not notably historical. We called it quits for a bit and searched for lunch, stopping into a little hole in the wall for some delicious cazuela, soup with beef, part of a corn cobb and a potato, which warmed my freezing bones. Since it was still raining after, we figured a little kuchen and coffee couldn’t possibly hurt, especially after questionable amounts of sleep the night before.
Afterwards, we finally found the Barrio Historico, which was quaint and pretty. We ran to a small verdulería get some vegetables for dinner and ended up having a half-hour long discussion with its Costa-Rican owner. People in the south love to talk, and since its rude to rush away, we found that this meant that it was wise to pad the amount of time planned to accomplish activities by a least half an hour. It was nice though, and certainly great for getting language practice :)
Afterwards, we climbed up into Parque Philipi, a beautiful vegetation laden hill with some nice views out towards the towns.
We went back to the hostal where I cooked dinner, which was wonderful as I hadn’t cooked anything since I’d been up in the desert. The cooking process was interrupted for a good 45 minutes though, when I ran into the hostal owner in the kitchen and became part of an extensive chat about everything from employment and crime in the south of Chile, president Piñera, experiences with the earthquake and the woes of Haiti. Eventually, I got back to cooking, and the hostal owner gave us some homemade ají, let us dry our clothes by the woodstove, offered coffee, all very "acogedora": welcoming. We had a lovely dinner and after a bit of hanging out listening to music we crashed hard.
Thursday, November 4: On the Road Again
Today was a just a real feel good day. The morning was admittedly stressful as I had to finish a somewhat challenging law exam outlining the links between democracy and human rights in international law. Challenging since a) they are pretty much related in every way b) explaining this in only 2500 words in spanish was an added twist and c) I had no internet at my house so I couldn’t rely on word reference to look up words I didn’t know, such as “treatise” or “jus-cogens”. There’s an adorable café near by house that I went to though, and I got in a groove and felt excited and accomplished to be completing real school work and actually learning non-language related material. Since I didn’t have to go to class, I got to eat lunch with my host family, which rarely happens on weekdays since I usually have class at times that coincide with Chilean lunchtime (anywhere from 1-3 in our house).
I really like my host family. Everyone is just “buena onda,” to use a Chilenismo, just good people, “good vibes.” My host dad always tries to trick me, jokingly, which he is often able to pull off due to his straight face and my incredible gullibleness. Today’s instance:
“Did you hear what happened to Chiloe?” Me: “No, what?!?” Arturo: “It sank.”
I made it by bus across the scorching hot city to salsa class (the crowded metro is insufferable in the summery weather), only to find that there were about 10 more women than men. It ended up not be a total waste though- my friend Molly came to class and was dancing with a guy who invited us for drinks with another Chilean friend and a German exchange student. It was one of those really random and unexpectedly fun afternoons- we ended up hanging out with them for 3 hours or so, making random comparisons between our respective countries, learning Chilean slang and poking fun at the way different Spanish speakers talk in different countries. I ran to get the bus in Los Heroes and made in just in time for the 12 hour ride south. Buses here are ridiculously cheap which is one thing that makes traveling reasonably priced, at least for extranjeros. In this case, we found a bus for around $22 US, not semi cama, but we figured we would rough it out for a night. I can barely even get to NYC from my house in Jersey for that much anymore!
Our group this round included the first man dominated travel ratio in Tufts in Chile 2010 history: since the other female who had planned to go on the trip couldn’t make it, it was just me and the boys, Jon, Eric and Thomas.
I really like my host family. Everyone is just “buena onda,” to use a Chilenismo, just good people, “good vibes.” My host dad always tries to trick me, jokingly, which he is often able to pull off due to his straight face and my incredible gullibleness. Today’s instance:
“Did you hear what happened to Chiloe?” Me: “No, what?!?” Arturo: “It sank.”
I made it by bus across the scorching hot city to salsa class (the crowded metro is insufferable in the summery weather), only to find that there were about 10 more women than men. It ended up not be a total waste though- my friend Molly came to class and was dancing with a guy who invited us for drinks with another Chilean friend and a German exchange student. It was one of those really random and unexpectedly fun afternoons- we ended up hanging out with them for 3 hours or so, making random comparisons between our respective countries, learning Chilean slang and poking fun at the way different Spanish speakers talk in different countries. I ran to get the bus in Los Heroes and made in just in time for the 12 hour ride south. Buses here are ridiculously cheap which is one thing that makes traveling reasonably priced, at least for extranjeros. In this case, we found a bus for around $22 US, not semi cama, but we figured we would rough it out for a night. I can barely even get to NYC from my house in Jersey for that much anymore!
Our group this round included the first man dominated travel ratio in Tufts in Chile 2010 history: since the other female who had planned to go on the trip couldn’t make it, it was just me and the boys, Jon, Eric and Thomas.
The Catch Up Game
Haven’t written in way too long, thanks to school work and lack of internet. Time to catch you all up on my newly blossomed love affair with the south of Chile! Went down to Puerto Varas and South America’s 2nd largest island, Chiloé, for a few days...
Monday, November 1, 2010
October 30: A spot of "mala pata"
Words of the day:
Dejar una constancia- doesn't translate exactly, but basically means to make an informal complaint- let the police know you lost something
Hacer una denuncia- Make a formal complaint. As a student, this is something you should NEVER do for missing objects because it means they could refuse to let you out of the country because you are needed for an ongoing investigation.
Cartera/billetera- wallet
carnet/cédula- identity document in Chile, like a driver's license but much more important.
So I lost/may have had my wallet pickpocketed. ¡Qué lata! Luckily, I realized this the day after, but inconviently the one place where I may have left it is closed for the long weekend. At any rate, I had to go to the police station to report my national identity card as missing. It was kind of weird- I just walked into the station, where all the police cars were sitting around- thought there would be a lot more security. I was kind of expected someone in armadillo suit riot gear to jump out and tackle me. It was also funny for me to try and explain how to spell my name... Didn't lose hardly any money, just my debit card but could have been worse. Unfortunately, because of all the running around I missed a talk by Rigoberta Menchu. O well, sometimes life is less than peachy keen. Watcha gonna do?
Dejar una constancia- doesn't translate exactly, but basically means to make an informal complaint- let the police know you lost something
Hacer una denuncia- Make a formal complaint. As a student, this is something you should NEVER do for missing objects because it means they could refuse to let you out of the country because you are needed for an ongoing investigation.
Cartera/billetera- wallet
carnet/cédula- identity document in Chile, like a driver's license but much more important.
So I lost/may have had my wallet pickpocketed. ¡Qué lata! Luckily, I realized this the day after, but inconviently the one place where I may have left it is closed for the long weekend. At any rate, I had to go to the police station to report my national identity card as missing. It was kind of weird- I just walked into the station, where all the police cars were sitting around- thought there would be a lot more security. I was kind of expected someone in armadillo suit riot gear to jump out and tackle me. It was also funny for me to try and explain how to spell my name... Didn't lose hardly any money, just my debit card but could have been worse. Unfortunately, because of all the running around I missed a talk by Rigoberta Menchu. O well, sometimes life is less than peachy keen. Watcha gonna do?
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