One week from today and a handful of hours I will be in Cedar Rapids boarding a plane for Dallas, Texas from where I will board another (larger) plane for the longer trek to Santiago, Chile. Wow. I really cannot believe I only have a week left. And in all honesty, I am kinda freaking out. This isn't another Euro-trip and this isn't another Spain experience. This is more... real life. When I go down there and after classes are finished, I won't have college to rest on. A little scary... But like I say to myself and others constantly (probably to try to keep myself sane), One Day At A Time. My new life philosophy. (We'll see how well I do at actually staying true to that life philosophy but that's another story.) Anyways, yes, one week. Another reason I have been stressin' is because I have to PACK and actually fit my life (once again) into two 50-lbs. suitcases, which, as all the female readers can attest to, is painfully difficult. Shoes? Everyday clothes? A few nicer outfits? Layers? Sweaters and sweatshirts? Boots? Coat? Don't even get me started on accessories! Luckily, one of my best friends, Ali, is coming into town today and little does she know that she will be helping me go through my wardrobe. :) Hey, what are best friends for if not to help you coordinate outfits?? Furthermore, another reason I've been a little on edge is because everyone has seemingly waited until the last week before I leave to want to see me. I have been bombarded with lunch plans, dinner dates, etc., which is GREAT! Believe me, I want to see everyone too before I take off for... SOUTH AMERICA, but it's just a little overwhelming, as you may be able to imagine. Have no fear, I am dealing. One day at a time, right?
However, I digress... I wanted to spend a little time in this blog post to inform all my faithful followers :) a little about Chile. For those of you who don't already know (or who haven't already Google Mapped it), Chile is the long skinny country on the Western side of South America. It has about 4,000 miles (6,435 km) of coastline and never gets much wider than a little over 100 miles. Chile as a country has about 16-17 million inhabitants and about 5.7 (ish) million live in Santiago, the capital city, which is surrounded by the beautiful Andes mountains and is only a little trek from Valparaíso, probably the most well-known port city to us US citizens. Chile has a Mediterranean climate. One of the world's driest deserts (the Atacama Desert) is located in the North. However, the South is probably the area where you are all most familiar with - Patagonia (which encompasses land in both Chile and Argentina). Patagonia is home to glaciers, volcanos, and penguins!! among much more.
As many of you may remember, Chile has frequently been in the headlines. I'm sure most of you recall the Chilean mining debacle awhile back. (Big industries in Chile are copper and nitrates among other things.) Also, there have been earthquakes... Chile stretches along the Ring of Fire of the Pacific Ocean. There have also been volcano eruptions, which have interrupted air traffic in Argentina and Australia. Similarly, there have been crazy amounts of snow in the Andes, which have isolated many smaller towns and villages. Sound a little crazy and dangerous? Naw... not really. Furthermore, Chile is one of the most economically-developed and politically-stable countries in Latin America (minus the occasional protesting that occurs in the capital and is often followed by tear gas). Another fun fact, although much of the population has indigenous ancestry, there is an abundance of European influence that stretches back to colonialism (obviously). Um... I could spew off more facts from BBC country profile or CIA fact book but I think I'll let you do that research at your convenience and leisure...
However, one thing I definitely want to share is a part of Chile's history that some of you may find interesting. Most times in the United States we speak of September 11th like 9.11.2001 is the only noteworthy September 11th in history. However, September 11, 1973 was and is one of the most memorable moments in Chilean history. In 1970, Salvador Allende took office as the first democratically-elected Marxist in Latin America. Obviously at that time, "we" were deeply involved in a deeply ideological war - aka the Cold War. Anyways, there's no time (right now) to get into the US involvement but on September 11, 1973, the opposition led a "golpe de estado" (coup d'état), which resulted in Allende's suicide (which was recently confirmed after the exhumation of his body) and the rise of the dictator General Augusto Pinochet, who "ruled" from 1973 to 1989. Thousands of leftists and suspected sympathizers were detained, beat, tortured, and executed. Many more went into exile, including Ariel Dorfman and Isabel Allende. (Both are famous Chilean writers. Another famous name is Pablo Neruda, poet.) This all was occurring around the same time as the Argentinean "Dirty Wars" and many other oppressive regimes and gruesome injustices. Anyone interested in history I would highly encourage you to read up on Latin America during the Cold War - the dictators, torture and murders, US involvement (just Google-ing "School of Americas" is a good place to start on that one)... Very interesting and heartbreaking. Looking into a country's and a region's history is a good way to begin to understand each unique perception of the world.
Anyways, there is so much more to share with you but slow and steady is best and patience is a virtue. :) Hope you all enjoy the post and there will be many, many more.
Besos,
Sarah
Santiago, Chile
Map of Chile
Andes Mountains
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