Good coffee is nearly impossible to find in Chile. I still have no proof that it exists. For the most part, everyone drinks NesCafe. At home, it's instant coffee that you add to hot water. Anywhere else, it comes from a machine that dispenses the same stuff, but also offers it in latte, cappuccino, or mokachino form. Each just as bad as the last. This seems to be for a variety of reasons. One is that Chileans just aren't crazy about coffee like we are. There is no gourmet café/Starbucks culture pushing for better coffee. For the most part, they drink tea and coffee when the mood strikes.
But this also appears to be symptom of a much bigger problem: a lack of competition for many companies. Nestle not only dominates the coffee market, but seems to be the most popular choice, if not only for lots of other foods. The most popular candy bar Super 8, which is terrible and will show up in a later post, is made by Nestle as well. The same thing exists with Coca-Cola. They have Pepsi in Chile, but you won't see it anywhere. When you're making your piscola, it's always with Coke. Coke advertising is everywhere too, but seems pointless because there really is no competition.
Cristal, the Chilean equivalent of Budweiser (mass-produced, cheap, bad beer), sponsors at least three soccer clubs. It doesn't have the same Coors-Bud-Miller rivalry, if you're looking for beer of this quality and price-range, it's your only choice.
I'm not sure how this affects the Chilean economy, but it can't be good. The companies have virtual monopolies on business and, what is probably worse, are all foreign (with the exception of Cristal, but beer doesn't seem to quite as big of a business here as in the US). It's a symptom of what many consider a major economic problem in Latin America, which is dependency on foreign companies not only for goods, but work as well. These companies are just a few examples I've noticed or that friends have pointed out, but I'm sure there are more. I'll be on the lookout for more and can hopefully learn a little more about how the whole thing works so I can explain it better later.
Friday, August 24, 2007
Monday, August 20, 2007
Football on TV? This calls for a post.
So I was minding my own business, eating dinner after going to a movie from the Santiago Film Festival, when I turned on the TV to find the Monday Night Football game on ESPN. Even though it's the fourth quarter of a preseason game and the announcers are speaking Spanish, I was inspired to write. (I think I'd take these guys over whoever they have announcing in the US anyway. Imagine if Dennis Miller had been speaking Spanish and you could have just tuned him out whenever he opened his mouth. The world would be a better place).
But, unfortunately, this is going to be a recap post, because there was such a long break between my last two posts I had to leave a lot out. That means it's not going to be filled with observations as much as telling what's been going on in my life for the past few weeks.
First, I broke a long streak without any illness any worse than a mild cold. I fell victim to what can only be described as Montezuma's Revenge. A weekend spent between my bed and the bathroom. Luckily, I got sick on Friday and was better in time for class on Monday, so all I missed was the first weekend of parties at my new school. Qué suerte! The only problem is that I can't figure out what caused it.
Theory 1: The water.
Unlikely. The water here is considered clean and safe for everyone, including foreigners. None of my fellow gringos fell ill, so it's unlikely that I would be the only one affected.
Theory 2: Choripan. (The night before was a party for foreigners called a Choripanada. It was basically a barbecue with chorizo and pan (bread). And piscola, lots of piscola. But more on that later.)
Unlikely again. My host family is convinced that cheap chorizo is the culprit, but again, no one else got sick. The chorizo was cooked well, sliced in half, and cooked well again. I really doubt that its the culprit.
Theory 3: Adjusting to a new environment.
Explains an upset stomach, diarrhea, etc., but not being sick for the whole weekend. This was proposed by a Chilean student in the medical program, and sounds the best, but really doesn't explain it perfectly.
It's more than likely a combination of things (minus the water), but I'd be happy to hear if anyone else has any theories of their own.
Just two weeks ago, it snowed in the city. While this might not sound very exciting since you can go into the snow-filled mountains in about an hour's drive, it was huge in Santiago. Depending on who you asked, it hadn't snowed in Santiago in anywhere from 5-9 years. On the bus, middle-aged men were giddy with excitement about the snow, and it was what everyone was talking about the next day. One professor said it was the most snow she had seen in the city in her life. In total it was about 3 inches, and probably wouldn't have even been enough for a two-hour delay at home since it didn't stick because it wasn't cold enough long enough for the ground to freeze. It was the top story on the news the next day, but for more than just the excitement of snow. The snow was actually a result of an onda polar (the opposite of a heat wave) and caused a lot of problems in other parts of the country. Destroyed crops, livestock frozen to death, and people trapped in towns that aren't equipped to deal with snow.
That's it for now, I think I'm caught up on the things worth noting that have happened to me over the past couple weeks. This weekend I'm going to Valparaíso, a famous town on the beach just an hour and a half away, and have some pictures from my ski trip last weekend that I will upload as soon as I can. Also, there are a few things I've been meaning to write about, so check back because I should have a couple more posts this week.
But, unfortunately, this is going to be a recap post, because there was such a long break between my last two posts I had to leave a lot out. That means it's not going to be filled with observations as much as telling what's been going on in my life for the past few weeks.
First, I broke a long streak without any illness any worse than a mild cold. I fell victim to what can only be described as Montezuma's Revenge. A weekend spent between my bed and the bathroom. Luckily, I got sick on Friday and was better in time for class on Monday, so all I missed was the first weekend of parties at my new school. Qué suerte! The only problem is that I can't figure out what caused it.
Theory 1: The water.
Unlikely. The water here is considered clean and safe for everyone, including foreigners. None of my fellow gringos fell ill, so it's unlikely that I would be the only one affected.
Theory 2: Choripan. (The night before was a party for foreigners called a Choripanada. It was basically a barbecue with chorizo and pan (bread). And piscola, lots of piscola. But more on that later.)
Unlikely again. My host family is convinced that cheap chorizo is the culprit, but again, no one else got sick. The chorizo was cooked well, sliced in half, and cooked well again. I really doubt that its the culprit.
Theory 3: Adjusting to a new environment.
Explains an upset stomach, diarrhea, etc., but not being sick for the whole weekend. This was proposed by a Chilean student in the medical program, and sounds the best, but really doesn't explain it perfectly.
It's more than likely a combination of things (minus the water), but I'd be happy to hear if anyone else has any theories of their own.
Just two weeks ago, it snowed in the city. While this might not sound very exciting since you can go into the snow-filled mountains in about an hour's drive, it was huge in Santiago. Depending on who you asked, it hadn't snowed in Santiago in anywhere from 5-9 years. On the bus, middle-aged men were giddy with excitement about the snow, and it was what everyone was talking about the next day. One professor said it was the most snow she had seen in the city in her life. In total it was about 3 inches, and probably wouldn't have even been enough for a two-hour delay at home since it didn't stick because it wasn't cold enough long enough for the ground to freeze. It was the top story on the news the next day, but for more than just the excitement of snow. The snow was actually a result of an onda polar (the opposite of a heat wave) and caused a lot of problems in other parts of the country. Destroyed crops, livestock frozen to death, and people trapped in towns that aren't equipped to deal with snow.
That's it for now, I think I'm caught up on the things worth noting that have happened to me over the past couple weeks. This weekend I'm going to Valparaíso, a famous town on the beach just an hour and a half away, and have some pictures from my ski trip last weekend that I will upload as soon as I can. Also, there are a few things I've been meaning to write about, so check back because I should have a couple more posts this week.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Contradictions
From afar, Santiago looks like a big cloud of reddish-brown smog. While skiing, we had an amazing view of the city in the morning, with what appeared to be a little bit of morning fog covering it. But I knew better. By the end of the day, the city wasn't visible at all. The valley was filled with dark smog that made it impossible to see that there was even a city in the mess. This is in contrast to a city that, for the most part, is impeccably clean. The metro trains and stations are clean and free of any sort of trash. There are no street corners that always smell of garbage, and relatively few homeless people begging for money and sleeping on street corners.
It's a city full of paradoxes. The people can be some of the nicest in the world. My family makes me feel at home. Students are more than patient with foreign students who struggle with their Spanish (luckily, I don't fall into this category, but more on that later) and are more than welcoming. Just today a kid from my soccer class invited me to play with his intramural team and then out for a drink afterwards. But on the streets of Santiago, things are much different. This may have a great deal to do with the transportation system. The Transantiago buses (las micros) and metro are overwhelmed with people during rush hour. But the micros are infrequent at best, I've waited 20 minutes for a bus only to have three come at once, which still weren't enough to pick up all the people waiting for them on the way to the metro station. Metros are packed during rush hour, so much so that even packed so tightly that you can't move, people often still have to let trains pass before they get on. As a result, people are pushy (literally) and impatient. Getting on and off trains often becomes a pushing match, and often people don't follow the instructions "dejan bajar antes de subir" (let others off before boarding). So one must fight the inflow while getting on. People will often start sneaking towards the door and expect you to let go of poles before the train comes to a stop. If you don't get off fast enough, expect them to push you in the back. Boarding is also a skill that must be honed. The best place to be when the door opens is just to the side of it so you can sneak on first after everyone gets off. If you're directly in front of the door, forget about it. You have to dodge your way away from the people getting off, while everyone else is jockeying for position to get on. It's really a mess you have to experience to understand.
My Spanish continues to improve. I've gotten a lot of compliments from native speakers about how well I speak, and at some points it flows almost as well as English. But from time to time, depending on my energy level, mood, or amount of communication in a day, I find myself struggling to ask someone's name. There are always plenty of Chileans around to humble me as well. Today while playing soccer I could barely understand a word of what my teammates were saying around me. Chilean really should be classified as another language it's so difficult to understand.
One strange thing about the foreign students here is the way people from different countries. Or more specifically, the way Americans interact with everyone else. People from the same country or people who speak the same language tend to be drawn to one another, but none more strongly than my fellow gringos. I really haven't made many friends with Americans and tend to hang out in a mixed group that includes people from Germany, France, Austria, Australia, and Brazil. But it's easy to pick out the groups of Americans because they're always speaking English and struggle when someone from another country tries to speak Spanish to them.
Unfortunately, this just adds to the stereotypes that are thrust upon us by many other foreign students. Being from the U.S. certainly carries a stigma around the world. It was a fun night when I tried to explain why my country is the way it is in Spanish to two German-speakers. I've also felt at times that telling people I'm from the U.S. is an obstacle I have to overcome in order to earn their respect (most of all when it comes to French students).
But other than my few complaints and rants everything is going well here. Thanks to everyone who sent me an e-mail, it's always nice to hear from home.
It's a city full of paradoxes. The people can be some of the nicest in the world. My family makes me feel at home. Students are more than patient with foreign students who struggle with their Spanish (luckily, I don't fall into this category, but more on that later) and are more than welcoming. Just today a kid from my soccer class invited me to play with his intramural team and then out for a drink afterwards. But on the streets of Santiago, things are much different. This may have a great deal to do with the transportation system. The Transantiago buses (las micros) and metro are overwhelmed with people during rush hour. But the micros are infrequent at best, I've waited 20 minutes for a bus only to have three come at once, which still weren't enough to pick up all the people waiting for them on the way to the metro station. Metros are packed during rush hour, so much so that even packed so tightly that you can't move, people often still have to let trains pass before they get on. As a result, people are pushy (literally) and impatient. Getting on and off trains often becomes a pushing match, and often people don't follow the instructions "dejan bajar antes de subir" (let others off before boarding). So one must fight the inflow while getting on. People will often start sneaking towards the door and expect you to let go of poles before the train comes to a stop. If you don't get off fast enough, expect them to push you in the back. Boarding is also a skill that must be honed. The best place to be when the door opens is just to the side of it so you can sneak on first after everyone gets off. If you're directly in front of the door, forget about it. You have to dodge your way away from the people getting off, while everyone else is jockeying for position to get on. It's really a mess you have to experience to understand.
My Spanish continues to improve. I've gotten a lot of compliments from native speakers about how well I speak, and at some points it flows almost as well as English. But from time to time, depending on my energy level, mood, or amount of communication in a day, I find myself struggling to ask someone's name. There are always plenty of Chileans around to humble me as well. Today while playing soccer I could barely understand a word of what my teammates were saying around me. Chilean really should be classified as another language it's so difficult to understand.
One strange thing about the foreign students here is the way people from different countries. Or more specifically, the way Americans interact with everyone else. People from the same country or people who speak the same language tend to be drawn to one another, but none more strongly than my fellow gringos. I really haven't made many friends with Americans and tend to hang out in a mixed group that includes people from Germany, France, Austria, Australia, and Brazil. But it's easy to pick out the groups of Americans because they're always speaking English and struggle when someone from another country tries to speak Spanish to them.
Unfortunately, this just adds to the stereotypes that are thrust upon us by many other foreign students. Being from the U.S. certainly carries a stigma around the world. It was a fun night when I tried to explain why my country is the way it is in Spanish to two German-speakers. I've also felt at times that telling people I'm from the U.S. is an obstacle I have to overcome in order to earn their respect (most of all when it comes to French students).
But other than my few complaints and rants everything is going well here. Thanks to everyone who sent me an e-mail, it's always nice to hear from home.
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