DiaRios Diarios (or Daily River Diaries): February 2004

Sunday, February 29, 2004

The Move

Yesterday, I helped Adrien move into her apartment. She is living downtown with one of the profesors from Bridge-Linguatec. They will be sharing an apartment in the same building that he was already living in, but they have a place with two bedrooms and two bathrooms.

We moved her stuff from Las Condes, an area of Santiago, to the centro and we used a Radio Taxi, which is different than a normal taxi that you pick up on the street because you call for them to arrive. We had no idea how much it was going to cost since we were picked up in a Towncar and the ride took about half an hour. In a normal taxi, this would be anywhere from 15,0000- 25,000 pesos, which converts into about $25-$43. We were very surprised when it only cost 6,000. I will definitely use a Radio Taxi when I move.

When Will I Move?

That´s a good question that I don´t have the answer to yet. My friend Omar backed out of moving into an apartment with me, so I have to look around some more. I don´t want to live by myself because I want to be around Spanish speakers as much as possible, although since I really don´t have any Chilean friends, that might easier said than done. On Tueday, I have an orientation on campus (which has been closed for the past three months for summer vacation) and I have heard of a board that people post up info about apartments as well as students looking for roomates. Hopefully I will know by the end of the week and can move somewhere next weekend.

Saturday, February 28, 2004

Taking Care of Business

Ok, the partying has been great and all (hey it is summer time down here- what else am I supposed to do?), but it is getting down to that time for me to take care of business and do what I am here to do...

I went to my first Rotary meeting on Wednesday. It was the Vitacura club in Santiago- it is an all-mens club who also happen to be ex-Pinochet army men. Very interesting. The first thing I was shown when I walked into the Military Club (a building that was built to be Pinochet´s house but never was because he got booted out of power) was a huge painting of the man himself. (Pinochet vs. Allende is a huge topic here and no one is hush-hush about their opinion...but that is another blog entirely.) Of course, he was topic of conversion at some point in the night...

But back to the meeting- it wasn´t really a real meeting, it was more of a Welcome Dinner. Decent food, great dessert, nice men, but the best part about it was the view from the Military Club. The night was surprisingly clear and all of Santiago was visible. It was breathtaking. Too bad I didn´t have my camara. Too bad I haven´t used it once because I haven´t read the manual yet.... I know, I know. I work on that this weekend.

Anyways, there was supposed to be an exchange of Rotary club flags, but there wasn´t really since I didn´t bring mine (I didn´t know I was supposed to). So I just got a flag. (This is a Rotary traditional- when there is a visitor from another Rotary club, they exchange the club flag as a momento of who came or where a person went.) I am sure that by the end of the year I will have many.

Next week, I will go to the big celebration of the 99th birthday of Rotary. I am sure it will be a pretty good night...I´ll let you know.

Short Blurb About the Culture

Chileans have a habit of saying they will do something (because they really do want to do it) but then not telling you that they really can´t (because they really don´t want to not do it). They are actually a very diplomatic culture- they don´t ever really say no straight up. It´s interesting.

Monday, February 23, 2004

Menus that Lie

For some reason, all the restaraunts that we go to hardly have anything in house that is on the menu. This has happened like five times and it is starting to get pretty old. This past weekend, in particular, I was highly disappointed when the restaraunt on the pier at the beach didn´t have a single empanada that they were advertising on their sign outside. I really wanted one with cheese and shrimp or shellfish, but no. I think that this tactic is used just to trick people and geth them to come into the restaurant. Obviously it works.

The Festival

Out of control. There were sooo many people at this festival, it was amazing. And once again, we were the obvious gringos, just like at the soccer game. Although, it was even more obvious this time around because on Saturday night, my friends bought party hats and masks for my birthday (even though it wasn´t my birthday anymore) and we wore them everywhere we went. It was really funny- everyone was singing the Happy Birthday song in broken English. At midnight, the party turned into one for Fabian, a student at Bridge Linguatec from Switzerland, because it was his birthday. We sang him happy birthday and the crowd joined in with us. It was a Kodak moment. Some guy even bought him a beer.

We had hoped that the party hats would bring us good luck when we went out to a club that night, but the bouncers didn´t care at all. By that time, the string on my hat had broken, so I ditched it once I got inside. But this club was amazing. It was right on the beach with two huge patios overlooking the crashing waves on the rocks beneath. We definitely stayed until the club closed, right before sunrise.

Bus Rides

We always seem to have awesome busrides. We are a very obvious group when we travel in a herd and people always talk with us and help us since we are usually lost. On the way home on Saturday, we met this group of high school kids. I ended up talking to them until about 9 am about being a Chilean teenager. It was very interesting.

The Best Moment.

My friend Mike from Canada jumped out of the window of the restaurant on the pier. It wasn´t planned, he just stood up and said he was going to jump. We didn´t really believe him until he stood up and took off his shirt and shoes and jumped. The crowd in the restaurant thought it was great- some people starting chanting "Otra! Otra!" (another! another!). The manager didn´t agree...he was a little upset.

Final Thought

Being at the beach was a great experience. It was a lot of fun, but I will have to return since I didn´t really get to know the city of Vina Del Mar or Valparaiso, which have a huge history and heritage. I was too busy with other things...

The very best part of the weekend though was swimming in the ocean. I haven´t done that in forever. The waves were huge and kicked my butt, but it was great. When I was done, it was an enlightening moment when I realized that I was swimming in the same Pacific Ocean as the one in California. I am so far away, yet still so close...

Saturday, February 21, 2004

Closing Time

Last nigjt, myself and Megan were picked up by Marcelo and we went to ¨buy a bottle of wine¨with him at the store- we walked out of that store with sixteen bottles. I´m not joking. But we didn´t drink them all last night- probably only about six. ;-)

Marcelo´s son in law and his kids were there, as well as Sebastian, Megan, and the newest Rotary scholar. Her name is Amy and she is from San Juan Capistrano. She will be going to la Catolica with me for school and studying a bit of everything, just like me.

It was a good night, we snacked on cheese and crackers, then pizza and a cake. Marcelo´s wife gave me a picture frame- it´s the only decoration I have right now for the apartment that I still don´t have.

I will be leaving in a few hours to go to Vina Del Mar to meet up with my friends and go to the music festival. Another long weekend....

Friday, February 20, 2004

It´s My Birthday and I´m Gonna Party Like It´s My Birthday!

Today is my 21st birthday and we started celebrating yesterday. After school, we went dowtown and ate pizza for lunch and then had a pool party at the apartment building of one of the professors (his name is Rene- Adrien is going to share an apartment with him this year, starting in March). We hung out until about 8:00 and then went home for dinner and a shower.

At about 10:30, we were picked up by Pablo, the son of Marcelo, a Rotarian that has been helping us a lot, and his friend. We went to his apartment and hung out for a while. He made me a very traditional Chilean drink- it´s called a Piscola- pisco with coke. Pisco is the liquor- it is kind of like tequila but not as bad tasting, but still just as strong.

At about 11:30, we all (myself, Adrien, Pablo and his friend Noel, Sean (a professor from school), Sebastian (the Argentinian), the three other Rotary scholars Peter, Kat, and Megan, Mike (a student), and Pedro (the boyfriend of a former student)) met up at a bar called Barabu. At midnight, they sang happy birthday to me and provided me with plenty more Piscola.

Gettin goin at Barabu

By 1, we were all ready to go out, so we went to a club.

At the club

We definitely stayed out a little late- especially for a school night. I got home at 5:30 this morning. It was very hard to get up for school at 9:30.

After school, most of the students at my language school left to go to Vina Del Mar where there is a huge festival. I opted to stay here in order to have a more tranquil day. I walked around after school and ate lunch- nothing fancy. But I bought myself a sunflower and tried to get a pedicure, but everywhere I went was busy or didn´t do pedicures. I will probably treat myself to one next week.

Now I have to go take a nap because at 8:30, Marcelo is going to pick me up and we are going to celebrate my birthday with a dinner at his house. Also, another Rotary scholar arrived yesterday and they will be there too. There will be eight of us in Santiago this year- much more than I expected.

So my 21st has gone well so far and I still have a few hours left to celebrate...

Tuesday, February 17, 2004

Know Before You Go
So I got royally screwed by someone at the airport, and I just found out today. Before leaving, I knew that every person who enters Chile has to pay $100 (US) reciprocity fee, because that is what the US charges a Chilean to enter. In everything I read, it said that I had to have this fee in cash and pay it at the airport. So I followed these directions and paid the fee.

What I didn´t know, and what no one told me, was that the visa application fee that I paid counted as the reciprocity fee. None of the other scholars paid this fee a second time in the airport. Only me. But someone told them.

Even more, the person that I paid it to would have had to know that I wasn´t supposed to pay it since they saw my visa at the airport, thereby signifying that I had already paid this fee. When I gave them the money, they didn´t staple anything in my passport like I had thought they might, but I just figured that this was how they did things and no one passed through customs without paying.

No, what I later discovered it that when tourists pay this fee, something IS stapled to their passport, but since I had a student visa, I wouldn´t need proof of paying the fee since my visa was proof enough.

So basically, the person in the airport probably pocketed my money and now I am out of $100.

Lessons Learned:
1. People are quick to take advantage when they know that others are at a disadvantage.

2. I realize now that this is a country of receipts. It is illegal to leave a store without a receipt. You can´t throw it away while you are inside. You get a receipt for everything. And everything official has to be stamped like five million times.

En final- Know before you go.

Monday, February 16, 2004

Ten Hour Lunch

Yesterday, Adrien and I were invited over to the house of a Rotarian (his name is Marcelo) for lunch. He said he would pick us up at 11:00, but he showed up early with another scholar from Boston, whose name is Peter. We went oustide of the city and arrived to Marcelo´s place a little before 11:30.

We sat and talked for a while about finding an apartment and he gave us all some advice. He gave us a tour of his beautiful house and gave us a newspaper to look at the classifieds. While drinking some Heinekin, we had some good laughs and generally got to know each other.

A little after noon, we started with some appetizers of Fritos and a trail mix. Next came more beer and some empanadas (breaded food filled with things, very traditional Chilean) filled with cheese and another with meat and onions. By this time, Marcelo´s son in law and grandson arrived with a friend of the family´s (also an employee) and joined in the festivities, along with Marcelo´s wife Monica.

Marcelo began the BBQ while everyone finished the empanadas and had more beer. Then lunch really started. We had some good chicken with a fresh green salad and fried potatoes in a sphere, like the size of gumballs. It was accompanied by some great Chilean wine as well as sangria. And for desert, canteloupe and a hybrid pear and apple (which was really good).

After lunch came the coffee or tea. Coffee here is different- they use instant coffee like Nescafe. When it is brewed, like normal coffee, it is called "cafe cafe" instead of just "cafe". And after that came the fine brandy and scotch.

By this time (about four), everyone was in the mood to dance, especially becuase the friend of the family (Sebastian) is a tango instructor. So I had my first tango lesson. I am a natural, I am told. :-)

After about an hour of dancing, it was time for "onces" (eleven) or what can also be called tea time (this was about six o´clock). There was a dessert, kind of like cheesecake, with raspberries and bread with cheese and chicken. Plus more tea and coffee, and at the end, irish cremes. Two hours later, we started more dancing, and then about 9:30 we called it a night.

Apparently, most Sundays are like this with the family. Marcelo´s son, who showed up in time for onces) took us home, and promised to call us tonight for a small fiesta. It made me wonder- was yesterday a fiesta or was it just a Sunday? I don´t know still, but maybe I will find out what a real fiesta is like since this Friday is my birthday....

Saturday, February 14, 2004

WILD on E!- Chile

So apparently, the tv station E! did a special on Chile that was completely fabricated. It wasn´t a lie, it just wasn´t really the truth. Let me explain...

In Chile, there are places called "Cafe Con Piernas" (or Coffee with Legs). They are coffee shops with black windows and usually have some sort of tropical name, like Cafe Copacabana or soemthing like that. They aren´t strip clubs- they are coffee shops with waitresses in tiny bikinis. Obviously they cater to a largely male clientele.

Well, the Wild On E! story covered one of these Cafes and the girls that worked inside. My teacher told me that this particular club doesn´t even exist, although it did about ten years ago. She said that any Chilean that saw that special would get mad because they would know that that club didn´t exist anymore and that it was a big lie.

But it really isn´t that much of a lie because there are plenty of clubs just like it downtown. During the lunch hour (which here is more like two hours), they are jam packed, I have been told. Along with all the hotels that can be rented out by the hour....

Friday, February 13, 2004

Doble Estandard (in Spanglish but "Double Standard" in English)

So before coming down here, I read that Chile was a very religious country, (over 80% Catholic). Today, I learned that there is a double standard because harldly anyone goes to church, but everyone claims they are Catholic. Furthermore, half the people marraiges are having affairs in a country where divorce is illegal. The way they get around this one is by saying that something was wrong with their wedding, therefore making their marraige illegitimate and allowing them to seperate.

That´s a little different, isn´t it? But what did I expect by coming to a different country... everything to be the same?

Rules
I went to to International Police a few edays ago to register my visa. Everything was cool with mine, but my friend Mike from Canada had to go get different pictures . When we returned to the Policia, I stayed outside with a book that I had just bought while he went inside and took care of his stuff.

I sat down on the cement block that the Chilean flag was in and began to read. After about thirty seconds, one of the guards came up to me and said that I was sitting at the stoop of the national flag and I would have to get up because I wasn´t allowed to do that.

Lesson Learned: If you ever go to Chile, you can´t sit at the stoop of the flag- it´s against the rules.

Tuesday, February 10, 2004

Mullets Gone Wild
Wow. That says it all in one word- WOW. I have never been so impressed by such a plethora of mullets as I am in Santiago. Who would´ve thought that this would be the mullet capital of the world? Words cannot do justice to what I am seeing here, but I will try.

I think that 30% of the male population here has a mullet. Some are long, some are short, some have curly hair, some are straight. One of the best ones that was spotted was with dredlocks. Yes, a dredlock mullet. And today, there was this kid (about my age) and up front, it was about two inches long, in the back about four or five inches, and in the middle of it was a braid about six inches. Oh, and that isn´t all- the braid had bells in it. Yes, bells. You know- the kind that make noise when they jingle. His hair jingled.

I have seen some mullets with color, too. Bleach blonde and bright red are the most popular. Braids are common, yet so are long, curly curls.
But greasiness is a must-have.

I think I will have to spend a whole day taking pictures of mullets and post them online just to show you that I am not making this up.

Monday, February 09, 2004

In the Eye of a Hurricane
Yesterday, I went to a soccer game between the University of Chile and Colo-Colo (professional teams). My host brother Diego told me that it was going to be crazy and that I shouldn´t wear any colors of either team in order to stary safe. He advised Adriana some things that I really wasn´t paying attention to and then we left.

Before the game, we met up with some other gringos in a restaurant and we all went to the game together. Upon arrival, we were told that once we entered the game, we could not leave. Furthermore, the security guards wouldn´t let us into the first gate that we entered. We had to walk around the entire stadium in order to get in, which didn´t help the fact that we were already very late for the game.

While walking around the stadium, I noticed that there were police in full riot gear- and not only a few...there were a lot. And I also realized that there was a whole lot of screaming and chanting from inside the stadium. One of the other students asked a guard which gate we should enter and they told us between 14-16. So we did, not really knowing what to expect.

Upon entrance, I realized very quickly that about 94% of the crowd were Chilean guys without their shirts, screaming and chanting for la U (Univer. of Chile). This is called a "barra", or a group of fans that are in the same area of the stadium, who chant and go wild for their team.

We all walked down together and of course everyone took notice since we were a big group of gringos walking into the game very late. Let me tell you- I have never been in such a state. These people were so crazy- jumping up and down, chanting the same song, etc. And they did not stop until halftime.

Once it was halftime, myself, Adriana, and one of the guys we were with, decided to go to the bathroom. In order to get there, we had to go up the stairs. Since nothing was happening on the field, everyone noticed us leaving and starting shouting "piropos" (come-ons) at Adriana and I, whistling, and making obscene gestures. And I am talking about all fifteen hundred of them that were in the immediate area. ALL of them. I felt like Britney Spears. Yes, this is the Latin culture.

But back to them game- after a goal, the crowd went even more wild. We were down towards the front and when la U scored, half of the people came rushing down the stadium to right where we were. I nearly ended up in the mosh pit that started right in front of me (and on the benches, too!). Yeah, it was a little scary.

La U won, 4-0, which we found out was to our advantage because apparently, when a team loses, their barra goes nuts. The barra for Colo-Colo was all the way on the other side of the stadium, yet from our seats we could see the fires that were started in the middle of the crowd, as well as people using flares. The riot police had to use a hose to calm down the people.

At this time, some of the people around us advised us that we might want to go because it could get ugly. We tried, but the riot police wouldn´t let us out. Apparently, they have to let the losing team out half an hour early so that riots won´t ensue. So we had to wait, with the rest of the barra of la U, in order to go.

Once we got home (after getting lost yet again), our brother told us that where we sat was right where he told us not to sit. And today in class, my teacher told me that she wouldn´t go to a soccer game between la U and Colo-Colo (who I now know are HUGE rivals) even if someone paid her. And another person told us that going to that game and sitting where we sat was quite possibly the most dangerous thing we could do in Santiago.

But I am alive, because I am writing this, right?

Sunday, February 08, 2004

A Birthday Party
Last night, I went to the first birthday party for the nephew of Omar (he was an exchange student in Reno from Santiago last year and lived with me and my roomates for a month or two). He lives in the neighborhood of Renca, which is on the outskirts of Santiago. The party was such a coincidence because Skyler, my niece, is turning one and her birthday party was the same day, I believe. Anyways, the party was the same but different- it was a celebration with only family (partly because their family is already so big) and us foreigners (me and Adriana, the other scholar that I lived with).

His family got a kick out of our accents and also made fun of their own Spanish because they speak so rapidly and drop the "s" off of many words. We ate a white cake with caramel and peach slices and the kids had yogurt with theirs instead of ice cream. It reminded me a lot of Gasca get-togethers back in the day because the cousins all played together. It was so satisfying seeing them play together and laugh continuously, even though their only toys were the balloons for the party, a broom, and a couch outside.

Later
We went out to a club in Suecia and danced until about 3:30, which is very early in Chilean time. Before I left for Chile, I bought a guide book and read about this international neighborhood and it´s bars and club. What is so exciting is that now I am actually in the place that before were only words and an idea of a place. Now it is real.

Saturday, February 07, 2004

My Brother Diego and Friday Night

Well, both of my parents left- my host mom went to the beach for a week and my dad to visit a cousin who is flying in from Texas, so last night Adriana (the other scholar), Diego (my host brother) and I hung out at home.

I haven´t said much about mi hermano- he is a character. Smart kid- he studies marine biology in Valparaiso, a city at the beach. He is a total hippie- he has big long dreds and doesn´t shave. He is a strong vegetarian, which good because that means that we eat a lot of vegetables. Last night, he was teaching me how to play the didgeridoo (is that how it is spelled?) and a sanpona- it is an instrument from Peru. And he invited the cute neighbors over too.

We had a bottle of wine that Andrea bought from the store- it was from the Cousino vineyard, a cabernet´98 reserve and one of the neighbors freaked out that it cost 6,000 pesos (about $10). I guess it served to remind me the differences because although my family lives in a good neighborhood and is middle class here (there is a fairly large middle class), people I guess don´t go around spending that much on a bottle of wine. But Diego did make the point that "expensive" is relative. But it all was good- we celebrated out first week here.

What I Promised In the Last Entry
So about thoughs cultural idiosyncrasies- I was told that I shouldn´t talk to men with white shoes because they couldn´t be trusted. After asking many question, I figured out that what my teacher meant was men with white dress shoes because it was very strange and rare. Men in Chile just don´t wear white shoes and therefore they are not strange. Soemthing to that effect. Although the next day, I was on an excursion to the Museo Bellas Artes and a guy wearing white dress shoes came up to the four of us and asked us if we were lost and needed directions. We said no. I asked the profesora about his white shoes and she had no idea what I was talking about. She said that she hadn´t heard that saying before and usually men in Venezuela wear white dress shoes, but that doesn´t mean they can´t be trusted. So I guess I learned that I have to take everything I hear here with a grain of salt.

And about those Citibank employees and earings- we were talking about how Chileans are quick to make judgements about other people. If a doctor were to have an earring, no one would like that doctor because they would question his abilities. But when I thought about it, I only know a few people who wouldn´t discriminate a lawyer with tattoos on their neck. When you think about it, it doesn´t really make sense because a physical marking has no bearing on a person´s talents, yet we are quick to assume.

In Citibank, all the men dress the same but not because there is a dress code-it is just an unwritten law- dockers, Polo or Nautica shirts, and loafers. If you get a job and wear something else, everyone will think you are strange. Conformity is a distinct key. But women who work for Citibank get to wear whatever.

Speaking of the way women dress- they alweays are very presentable. It´s kind of like Japan- they wear skirts, sandals, and accesorize. I fit in without trying. I didn´t really expect to though. Is that conformity on a different level? I don´t know....maybe that will be another blog....It will be interesting to see how students dress in college though, because up until the university, they wear uniforms. College is their time for freedom and expression and I am sure that they go wild. But I´ll let you know when I know.

Wednesday, February 04, 2004

My Arrival
The flight to Santiago was fine- hardly and turbulence and I was fed edible food. Once I got off the plane, I changed out of my pajamas and had to wait in line about half an hour to pay the reciprocity fee of $100 in order to enter Chile.

Helpless
Once I went through customs, no one was waiting for me to give me a ride to my family's house. So I ended up wandering around the the same area in the airport for about two hours, trying to avoid all of the taxi drivers accosting me for a ride and trying to find someone holding a sign with my name on it. After being helped by a young guy, misplacing my passport, and buying a phone card that didn't work, a lady at the phone station connected me with my host family. My host mom told me to go to the TransVIP station where someone should've been waiting for me. I went there and saw my name displayed in the very back corner of the booth in tiny letters. It was no wonder I had no idea to go there.

Going Home
During the bus ride to Las Condes (where I am staying with a famiy), I noticed many similarities to San Bernardino- there is a ton of smog which prevents and view of the mountains and there are a lot of low lying hills. I fell asleep though, so I didn't see much else.

The Fam
My family is very nice- a mother and father who are very funny, smiley people and three brothers- one is married and lives with his wife, the other is a bohemian dude with long curly hair and just went on vacation with his girlfriend in Argentia, and the other one goes to school in Valparaiso (I haven't me him). Another Rotary Scholar is living with us- she is from Alaska and is getting her Master's here.

Santiago
Since being here, I have managed to get lost two times while trying to come home after school- Santiago is ENORMOUS and the drivers are crazy. It's a good thing that I will be taking public transportation because everyone knows how much I hate to drive.

The most interesting thing thus far has been that I don't stick out like a sore thumb- I look just as Chilean as the next person. There are blonde-haired, blue-eyed people speaking perfect Spanish, and as long as I don't open my mouth, no one would ever know that I am from the US.

I have mostly been going around with my roomate which is only bad in the respect that we speak English with each other. Also, we have gone out to eat with a few other Spanish students and they are all English speakers.

FOOD!!
Speaking of eating, the food in home has been great. I will come home with some awesome recipes. I ate a horrible sandwich today at lunch (chicken, corn, mayo, and I don't even remember what else- but it was not good). But the juice is amazing- it is fresh and made directly from fresh fruit. I will never want to return to bottled juices.

Not Knowing Where You Are Going Isn't Always Horrible
I tried to register my student visa today, but didn't have any passport pictures with me, so I have to go back. But on the way home, I found myself in the middle of Plaza de Armas, the downtown plaza, and it was so neat. There were some artists painting and an open air market on the street. I ate some good ice cream and people-watched. I will definitely return.

I am learning a lot of cultural things about white shoes, long hair, citi bank employees, and other things one would never know unless they were able to speak with a Chilean, but I will explain more next time.

Chau!

DiaRios Diarios (or Daily River Diaries)