The Beginning of the End

The Beginning of the End...

Yes, that's right, two days ago I began my LAST semester of college.  Whoa.  That's crazy, right?  Me da mucho miedo. Pues, bueno.  This semester is going to be amazing.  I already love my classes, especially my dance class, where tonight we learned how to merengue.  :)  Although next week, I am finding a "hombre chileno" (Chilean boy) to take with me because there is a shortage of boys... Hey, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do... Anyways, let's get back on subject - school.  La Universidad Andrés Bello is a private university located in Santiago Central in an area where there are many other universidades.  Also, it is located right in the middle of all the action with the protests etc.  So if any more things go down, I'll have a front row seat!!  (Haha, actually our program prefers that we stay as far away as possible for our safety and security.)  Anywhoo, the university is also located just a few blocks from El Palacio de la Moneda, which is where the President of Chile works, but only works because he lives at his normal home in La Providencia.  An interesting note about La Moneda is that, unlike the White House, you can get right up next to it and touch it!  Cars drive 10 feet from it's backdoor... I mean, that would NEVER fly in los Estados Unidos.  Kinda crazy, right?  Today, during my break, I walked up to the Universidad de Chile, which is the "headquarters" for all the protests and mobilization etc.  I'll post pictures later but you'll be able to see what I'm talking about because there are signs and banners all over the front.  It's pretty insane/cool.

Interesting note on food.  So Chileans like to put mayo on EVERYTHING.  Although about 64 people have gotten sick and one man actually died from salmonella poisoning from mayo, so my Mamá told me never to eat the mayo en las calles.  Pues, one of the Chileans' favorite (or most common) foods is called a "completo," which is pretty much a hotdog with diced tomatoes, guacamole, and mayo on it.  (Although there are many different types and varieties, this is the most common - completo italiano.)  So the other day I tried one and I have to say I probably won't get it again.  However, tonight at dinner, my host family told me I went to the worst place to get my "completo" and that they will make me a REAL completo.  Sooo I guess I'll have to get it another shot.  (I'll post pictures later.)  Speaking of homemade cooking, my host mom made empanadas the other night, which are like hot pockets with minced meet, onion, olives, and eggs in them... although they, also, vary.  DELICIOSO!!!!  Mi Mamá also told me that one of the best places to buy empanadas is located very close to our house... So I might be a regular customer, which probably won't be too good for my waist-line... But who am I kidding, you only live in Chile once?  (Or do you? Haha)  Speaking of waist-lines, I did go for an amazing run the other evening.  I had this amazing view of the Andes at sunset to look at while jamming out to some Rihanna, Gaga, and other English-speaking friends.  Could life get any better?  Perhaps not, although I do miss my family and friends, but I am surrounded by good company here in Chile.  I am so blessed to have the host family that I do as well as some Chilean friends already.  God is good and obviously wanted me in Chile for a reason I have yet to figure out.  (More on that later, I'm sure.)

Another interesting note... tonight while walking home from the bus stop with mi Papá, we got to talking about the dictatorship and government etc.  He said many people today would still prefer to have a military government over the "democracy" they have now.  I asked him what he wanted.  The obvious answer would have been "La democracia, por supuesto!!"  ((Us, in the U.S., think everyone wants democracy, eh?))  However, his answer was "better."  He said (pretty much) that all he wants is to have a good job that pays and a house where he can relax, enjoy himself, and spend time with family, whether or not the government is a dictatorship or a democracy doesn't really matter as long as his life is como así, like this.  I think a lot of people think like this, around the world.  They are removed from government as long as they can just live their life en paz.  

¿Qué más?  I really cannot think of anything too noteworthy for you all at this moment.  However, tomorrow I think I might add some more pictures because tomorrow afternoon I am going to go exploring a bit with my friend Amanda.  So stay tuned...

Saludos cariñosos,

Sarah

Cerro Santa Lucía 

(Santa Lucía Hill)

My Chilean Wal-Mart Experience

Okay, so I almost feel bad blogging this much... Almost... But you all could not possibly believe the cross-cultural experience I had yesterday.  It's too good not to blog.  Really.


So yesterday afternoon I met up with my Chilean friend Wen for sushi in the comuna La Florida.  The sushi restaurant was located at an enormous mall.  (The sushi was delicious by the way.)  Anyways, so after sushi we went walking around the mall - a good idea, in theory.  Whoa.  Talk about a shock.  I thought it was insane that JUMBO had Herbal Essence shampoo, but this mall could have been in the United States, seriously.  I think I knew more of the stores than were foreign (maybe that's an exaggeration...)  There was Hush Puppies, Naturalizers, Apple Resellers (Note:  Apple products are at least two times as expensive in Chile as in the US), JanSport, Columbia, Billabong, Roxy... the list goes on.  Plus, there was a lot of ENGLISH words.  Like one store was called "Shoes & Piel" (Piel meaning "skin" or "leather").  As you will see in one picture, a store had written "Chek This Out" on its window (obviously, they didn't have a very good Spanish-English dictionary, or spell-check).  As Wen and I were walking around the mall, she was surprised that I was so surprised by all the similarities in brands etc.  Then she said to me, "Sarah, we're all gringo wanna-be's."  In a sense, I think she was joking but there seemed to be some truth in that statement too.  


Anyways, then we went to the epitome of the U.S. influence in Chile - Líder, which the chain of stores that Wal-Mart owns.  If you can only imagine.... It feels exactly like Wal-Mart when you walk in.  The most shocking thing was probably the all the Great Value things.  They even had peanut butter, which was VERY shocking.  They also had Lays potato chips, Betty Crocker cookie and cake mix, Oreos, and even Chips Ahoy or however you spell it... Of course, most of those things were very expensive, but just the fact that they were available shocked me.  Anyways, when you see the pictures you might not even believe that I am in Santiago, Chile.  Honestly, I don't think I ever want to return to those enormous malls and the super-stores filled with Great Value products... Not really my cup of tea - in the US and especially in Chile.  

Well, that was short, for your sakes and for mine.  I am going to go back to playing Trivial Pursuit with the "fam."  (PS I won the first game even with my language handicap!!)  It's kinda rainy, windy and cold here in Santiago so it's a great day to stay indoors, drink tea, and play games.


Besos,
Sarah

The Key to Life & The Political Scene

Yes, I'm back already.  I know, I know, you all are already overwhelmed because you haven't read my last post yet.  No worries.  But I woke up this morning (to the sound of rain), had this amazing conversation with my host mom (Mamá) over breakfast, and am now in the "blogging" mood, if there is such a thing.


Alright, so breakfast this morning consisted of Nescafé coffee (para mí) and tea (té) for Mamá as well as bread (pan) with this cheese stuff (queso fondido) that is kinda like cream cheese, which we mixed with soy sauce.  It sounds really strange (extraño) but it was actually quite delicioso.  I also had some kiwi and orange slices with a Activia yogur - believe-it-or-not, they have Activia.  Haha.  Anyways, we got to talking about the key to life (la llave de la vida).  Yes, it was kinda deep for a breakfast conversation but it was one that I thoroughly enjoyed.  We both agreed that life is more than tons of money, tons of things, and a really exciting/successful career.  Those things aren't bad in and of themselves but one must appreciate their family, friends, and what they do have before anything else.  She told me that the people who concentrate on what they don't have and what others do have are not very happy and are only angry.  (This conversation was also linked to the one we had last night about politics.  My host mom doesn't care too much for politics.  She'd rather just live her life and not concern herself with the messiness of politics.) I was able to tell Mamá how my time in Spain really gave me perspective about what life is all about.  Before I went to Spain I was dead-set on traveling and living abroad for the rest of my life because I though life in the Midwest was dull and boring (haha).  However, observing and living the life in Spain taught me that friends and family are the bread and butter of life, without which life is not as meaningful, in my opinion.  Thus, I told her that I love to travel and experience new cultures and peoples but eventually I want to settle in the Midwest (surprise, surprise) and be close to "home."  Qué sabiduría, cariño.  I know the whole "settle down in the Midwest" thing surprised my mom (to some extent) but I just don't think I could stand missing out on the important stuff - like when Jared & Gina have kids, which they say will be awhile but they have already added a new addition to their family - a puppy!  It's kinda funny to observe that in the U.S. families often live hundreds of miles away from one another and only see each other on major holidays.  Whereas in Spain and Chile, for the most part, families live in the same town and often the same neighborhood or even the same house!!  Interesting, no?  Anyways, this is getting a little deep so I'll digress but it's just some food for thought, I suppose.


Next Subject:  What is with all these protests and demonstrations you've heard about in Santiago??  Well, during our orientation, we had a presentation on exactly that - the political and social scene of Chile.  We are in a very interesting time in Chile as the first generation removed from Pinochet's dictatorship arise and begin to have their voices heard.  There is a cry right now for education to be considered a right, and not just a freedom as the 1980 Constitution lays out (the 1980 Constitution was ratified under Chile's dictator and is still in existence, which is interesting).  Anyways, there is a lack of investment in education, which has led to a growing student debt.  There is also a growing amount of privatization of education, which has led to education being considered, and even declared by the President (Piñera), as a "consumer good," which is usually for profit.  A Few Facts:  Chile has one of the lowest numbers of public universities in comparison to private universities when compared among OECD countries.  85% of the costs of higher education is paid for by families and 15% by the state.  Federal aid is almost non-existent.  Most of education etc. is funded by Chilean municipalities (instead of the central government), which are usually poor because Chile has such a segregated society.  For student loands, there is a 6% interest rate, which is higher than their mortgages for most....


Enough with the facts, hundreds of thousands of students, children, parents, grandparents - people of all ages - have taken to the streets.  They want a Free and Equal education system, more financial aid, lower interest rates, and greater involvement in state education.  One problem, however, with these goals is that they are very idealistic and there is little room for compromise.  The government, on the other hand, has proposed little and often speaks empty words and promises.  (That sounds familiar, no?)  Anyways, most if not all of the demonstrations take places on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  Most are peaceful, although the media plays up the violent protests.  A few nights ago the small group of more "violent" protesters set fire to a church.  Some of the news footage seems pretty crazy, scary, and chaotic.  One 16-year-old boy was recently killed due to these "explosions" of anger.  Many Chileans participate in cacerolazo, which is a uniquely Latin American phenomenon where people take to the streets banging kitchen utensils on pots and pans.  Many students have barricaded themselves in their universities or took place in short hunger strikes.  


Needless to say, there is a lot of noise being made.  ¡Basta!  Enough!  The cry for social change is huge.  Terremoto Social.  Social Earthquake, more or less.


A few more interesting facts I want to add because I'm a nerd and love this stuff...  Chile is the wealthiest country per capita in Latin America.  The seven richest families in Chile earn more than the entire GDP of Chile (essentially, they earn more than the Chilean government).  President Piñera is included in these seven families and he himself is part of the top 100 richest billionaires in the world.  From about 1989 to 2010, Chile was governed by a center-left coalition and with the election of Piñera about a year and a half ago, there is now a more right-wing government.  Costs:  The minimum wage of Chile is about $350 per month ($4200 per year) whereas college costs about $6000 per year, making it extremely difficult if not impossible to go to college.


Okay, okay, I'm done.  I could continue to ramble on but I have to go get ready for my afternoon out and about in Santiago.  I am going to meet up with Wen, another Chilean contact I have from my friend in Chicago.  We are going to go eat SUSHI for lunch.  These Chileans love sushi, including my host family, who, after finding out that I love sushi, has planned a day to go to the Asian grocery store and make sushi!!  If these aren't people after my own heart, I don't know who is!  Haha.  I hope you all are doing well and I hope you all are enjoying my posts.  If you would like to hear about any other specific facets of life in Santiago, please email me and I'll try to talk about that next time.


Saludos Cariñosos,


Sarah


PS  My Mailing Address, in case you all want to send me a card or something.  Note:  It takes about 3-4 weeks to send stuff.


Sarah Routh
Programa USAC
Universidad Andrés Bello
República 230, Piso 1
Santiago, CHILE - South America