Sunday, May 3, 2009
Monday, October 29, 2007
Bellavista
This weekend I tried to take care of some of the things I needed to do before leaving Santiago. One of these was to visit Pablo Neruda's house there, called La Chascona. "Chascona", I'm pretty sure, is a word used to describe a woman with messy hair, and what Neruda called his mistress at the time he was building the house. He actually built it as a refuge to hide this secret relationship from the public and his wife.
The house, like anything related to Neruda, is quirky. He was in love with the ocean, and because the house is so far away from the water he wanted it to be built like a boat. Because of this, most of the rooms are small, with low ceilings, and use a lot of wood. In one room he actually went so far as to have the floor built at an angle to further the impression of being in a boat. It also has a balcony built on the top floor which is supposed to represent the deck and gives an amazing view of Santiago with the Andes as a backdrop.
But the most impressive thing about the day was wandering around the neighborhood where the house is located, Bellavista. The neighborhood is best known for its nightlife; it's filled with popular clubs and bars and parking spots are hard to come by on Friday and Saturday nights. During the day, however, it has a vibe similar to the East Village. Filled with trendy restaurants, boutiques, and cafes, it has a very relaxed atmosphere on a Saturday afternoon. The brownstones are replaced with brightly-colored buildings and even the apartment complexes have a bohemian vibe to them with large gardens and unique architecture. Unfortunately, the neighborhood isn't perfect, it is known for being a dangerous place at night despite everything else it has going for it. But it's interesting to see an area like this in a city that sometimes feels so culturally lacking.
The house, like anything related to Neruda, is quirky. He was in love with the ocean, and because the house is so far away from the water he wanted it to be built like a boat. Because of this, most of the rooms are small, with low ceilings, and use a lot of wood. In one room he actually went so far as to have the floor built at an angle to further the impression of being in a boat. It also has a balcony built on the top floor which is supposed to represent the deck and gives an amazing view of Santiago with the Andes as a backdrop.
But the most impressive thing about the day was wandering around the neighborhood where the house is located, Bellavista. The neighborhood is best known for its nightlife; it's filled with popular clubs and bars and parking spots are hard to come by on Friday and Saturday nights. During the day, however, it has a vibe similar to the East Village. Filled with trendy restaurants, boutiques, and cafes, it has a very relaxed atmosphere on a Saturday afternoon. The brownstones are replaced with brightly-colored buildings and even the apartment complexes have a bohemian vibe to them with large gardens and unique architecture. Unfortunately, the neighborhood isn't perfect, it is known for being a dangerous place at night despite everything else it has going for it. But it's interesting to see an area like this in a city that sometimes feels so culturally lacking.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Español
A veces tengo ganas de escribir algo en español. Aquí no hay muchas oportunidades de escribir a partir de pruebas. No escriben ensayos largos donde se puede explorar un tema y practicar escribir prosa inteligente y interesante. El foco es más en ser eficaz y repetir mecánicamente la información que le da el profesor o un texto. Mi estilo de escribir en inglés viene de años de practicar y escribir para el gozo de escribir. Sin embargo, este estilo no traduce fácilmente al español. Tengo que practicar para dominar este idioma de la misma manera. Sin embargo, no tengo las oportunidades como el periódico en NYU donde puedo escribir tonterías para ver si alguien le gusta. Ni tengo ensayos abiertos donde puedo explicar y desarrollar un tema. Por eso, estoy escribiendo en español en mi blog en español, solamente para practicar. Es decir, tengo tarea ahora que no quiero hacer, y estoy gastando tiempo procrastinando.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
El Pisco es Chileno?
So the post everyone's been waiting for, what is pisco? Oddly enough that's a difficult and politically charged question to ask. As with almost any political problem here, it's between Chile and Peru, who are like two brothers who will fight over anything they possibly can. Pisco is very popular in both countries and both claim it as their national drink.
In Chile, pisco is essentially distilled wine. The type of grapes and the way they are grown makes them high in sugar and therefore high in alcohol when fermented. Because this doesn't make good wine, it is then distilled to make aguardiente, or grain alcohol. This is then aged in barrels and then distilled water is added to lower the alcoholic content.
In Peru, the story is a little different, but I've never been there so I can't speak for it. The problem is that pisco was invented in Peru under Spanish control. Chile, during the War of the Pacific took part of Peru (as well as Bolivia's only outlet to the sea) and stole the recipe for pisco. Now Chile takes credit for popularizing it around the world and claims that their version is better. They even went as far as renaming a town in the 30's Pisco Elqui to strengthen their claim. Peru, who is always like the little brother who ends up losing just because he's smaller, did the same and have the law on their side, but is essentially fighting a losing battle.
All of this is neither here nor there. In Chile, pisco is the party drink. A Chilean once told me "No tomar pisco en una fiesta en Chile es un pecado." (Not drinking pisco at a party in Chile is a sin). In liquor stores there are three sections: pisco, wine, and everything else. Most of the time it's mixed with Coke to make a piscola, but can also be mixed with sprite or sometimes juice. And it's cheap too. A bottle of Capel, the most popular and cheapest pisco, and a bottle of Coke costs about 5 dollars at most stores. It's not uncommon for everyone to show up with the same thing at a party. Unfortunately, the mix cheap alcohol and sugar doesn't bode well for the next morning.
In Chile, pisco is essentially distilled wine. The type of grapes and the way they are grown makes them high in sugar and therefore high in alcohol when fermented. Because this doesn't make good wine, it is then distilled to make aguardiente, or grain alcohol. This is then aged in barrels and then distilled water is added to lower the alcoholic content.
In Peru, the story is a little different, but I've never been there so I can't speak for it. The problem is that pisco was invented in Peru under Spanish control. Chile, during the War of the Pacific took part of Peru (as well as Bolivia's only outlet to the sea) and stole the recipe for pisco. Now Chile takes credit for popularizing it around the world and claims that their version is better. They even went as far as renaming a town in the 30's Pisco Elqui to strengthen their claim. Peru, who is always like the little brother who ends up losing just because he's smaller, did the same and have the law on their side, but is essentially fighting a losing battle.
All of this is neither here nor there. In Chile, pisco is the party drink. A Chilean once told me "No tomar pisco en una fiesta en Chile es un pecado." (Not drinking pisco at a party in Chile is a sin). In liquor stores there are three sections: pisco, wine, and everything else. Most of the time it's mixed with Coke to make a piscola, but can also be mixed with sprite or sometimes juice. And it's cheap too. A bottle of Capel, the most popular and cheapest pisco, and a bottle of Coke costs about 5 dollars at most stores. It's not uncommon for everyone to show up with the same thing at a party. Unfortunately, the mix cheap alcohol and sugar doesn't bode well for the next morning.
Monday, October 15, 2007
School
I can't believe it's been more than two weeks since my last post; time has really gone by quickly here.
Now seems like the best time to explain exactly why I'm so busy all the time here. Other than traveling and going out, school here really keeps me busy. But not in the way that I've been accustomed to over the past 14 years of school.
Here, what happens in class really doesn't matter much in your grades. Most of what your grade comes from is your ability to read several texts and regurgitate what they say on a test. These readings may be talked about in class, but for the most part they aren't. In fact, it isn't always necessary that they have anything to do with what is discussed in class. Well then, why go to class, you ask? The professors take attendance, because there really is no other reason to go to class.
It really is a frustrating system that has all the foreigners confused and angry. Grades are based not on a midterm and final, but on a series of tests on readings and a paper or two. That means that instead of a predictable schedule of paper-writing and test-taking, they fall at random depending on the schedule of the professor. These schedules are rarely hard and fast, meaning that they always fall behind and push things back, right on top of something else that you never planned on conflicting with it.
This results in a lack of incentives for keeping up with a constantly morphing schedule (because readings don't coincide with classes, they're only necessary for tests).
I've yet to find another foreigner who enjoys school here or doesn't find it frustrating. Others who had planned to stay for a year have said that the difficulty of classes here has made them reconsider.
Aside from the frustration this causes, it really isn't conducive to any sort of intellectual exchange. In only one class do I have a professor that actually tries to engage the students and stimulate discussion. In my poetry class there is never any open discussion in the classroom, the professor lectures everyone to sleep during class. The school seems to lack a real intellectual community, something that is choked back by a poorly designed system of education.
Now seems like the best time to explain exactly why I'm so busy all the time here. Other than traveling and going out, school here really keeps me busy. But not in the way that I've been accustomed to over the past 14 years of school.
Here, what happens in class really doesn't matter much in your grades. Most of what your grade comes from is your ability to read several texts and regurgitate what they say on a test. These readings may be talked about in class, but for the most part they aren't. In fact, it isn't always necessary that they have anything to do with what is discussed in class. Well then, why go to class, you ask? The professors take attendance, because there really is no other reason to go to class.
It really is a frustrating system that has all the foreigners confused and angry. Grades are based not on a midterm and final, but on a series of tests on readings and a paper or two. That means that instead of a predictable schedule of paper-writing and test-taking, they fall at random depending on the schedule of the professor. These schedules are rarely hard and fast, meaning that they always fall behind and push things back, right on top of something else that you never planned on conflicting with it.
This results in a lack of incentives for keeping up with a constantly morphing schedule (because readings don't coincide with classes, they're only necessary for tests).
I've yet to find another foreigner who enjoys school here or doesn't find it frustrating. Others who had planned to stay for a year have said that the difficulty of classes here has made them reconsider.
Aside from the frustration this causes, it really isn't conducive to any sort of intellectual exchange. In only one class do I have a professor that actually tries to engage the students and stimulate discussion. In my poetry class there is never any open discussion in the classroom, the professor lectures everyone to sleep during class. The school seems to lack a real intellectual community, something that is choked back by a poorly designed system of education.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Valparaiso and Isla Negra
Because of the time I missed blogging there's too much to cover in one post, so I'm going to break this up into a couple separate posts and hope I cover everything.
Valparaiso is a port city about an hour and a half from Santiago. It's popular because it's a pretty city on the ocean that has a sort of bohemian vibe to it. There are lots of little hills that you take acensores (kind of like elevators) up to go to little restaurants and shops. The houses are all vibrant colors and from any of the hills you can get a really good view of the rest of the city. And that's more or less it. There are a few museums, but they aren't really the draw of the city. The oceanfront is completely ruined by a massive port right in front of the city, so it's not as nice as it sounds. It's a popular place for tourists, and a fun place to wander around, but I think I misunderstood the draw of the place and left disappointed. It reminded me of San Francisco, without all the fun things there are to do there.
Well, not quite. Valparaiso is also known for its nightlife. I went with a group from my university, and someone who had been there before took us all to a club there called El Huevo. Four floors with different music, and a live band later that showed up in the middle of the night, plus the fact that it doesn't close until 5 a.m. makes for a fun night.
The next day, still recovering from the night before, we went to Isla Negra where Pablo Neruda's house is. Neruda is one of the most influential Latin American poets and was also a politician and world traveler. This house is oceanfront and filled with his souvenirs from all over the world. Surprisingly, the house is pretty simple, but still incredible.
Overall, the trip was a bit disappointing, but was a look at another side of Chilean culture. Chile has this great bohemian subculture that resembles something you could find in Greenwich Village. The difficult part is that it can be hard to find at times. Chilean culture at times seems to be bland, but, like any other place, people who take their time and search around are rewarded for their effort.
Valparaiso is a port city about an hour and a half from Santiago. It's popular because it's a pretty city on the ocean that has a sort of bohemian vibe to it. There are lots of little hills that you take acensores (kind of like elevators) up to go to little restaurants and shops. The houses are all vibrant colors and from any of the hills you can get a really good view of the rest of the city. And that's more or less it. There are a few museums, but they aren't really the draw of the city. The oceanfront is completely ruined by a massive port right in front of the city, so it's not as nice as it sounds. It's a popular place for tourists, and a fun place to wander around, but I think I misunderstood the draw of the place and left disappointed. It reminded me of San Francisco, without all the fun things there are to do there.
Well, not quite. Valparaiso is also known for its nightlife. I went with a group from my university, and someone who had been there before took us all to a club there called El Huevo. Four floors with different music, and a live band later that showed up in the middle of the night, plus the fact that it doesn't close until 5 a.m. makes for a fun night.
The next day, still recovering from the night before, we went to Isla Negra where Pablo Neruda's house is. Neruda is one of the most influential Latin American poets and was also a politician and world traveler. This house is oceanfront and filled with his souvenirs from all over the world. Surprisingly, the house is pretty simple, but still incredible.
Overall, the trip was a bit disappointing, but was a look at another side of Chilean culture. Chile has this great bohemian subculture that resembles something you could find in Greenwich Village. The difficult part is that it can be hard to find at times. Chilean culture at times seems to be bland, but, like any other place, people who take their time and search around are rewarded for their effort.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Apologies
For various reasons (homework, tests, traveling, and pure laziness) I haven't posted in a while, and for this I would like to apologize. I hope that you haven't given up on me yet, and I promise that I will return to keeping up on this blog shortly. I just returned from a 9-day trip through the North of Chile, and have some tests to study for this week. But if you check back this weekend I will set to work recounting my (mis)adventures and revelations of the past month or so.
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