Am I Chilean Yet? - Trying to Assimilate

Girls' night in the city

Emphasis on the word "trying." However, I certainly do feel like I am learning more about the culture of Chile everyday, and as a result, maybe starting to fit in?

**Disclaimer** this post is about to be an unorganized jumble of all sorts of events / observations / stories from the past few weeks that I'm just now getting around to showcasing (got busy, not sorry) so here are the newest highlights from my South American adventure:

La Vega market - 3rd largest in the world, composed of several enormous warehouses offering everything from fruit and vegetables to meat and cheese and exotic spices and random household supplies.

For my Albuquerque friends, they even have sopapillas. These are round, flat, and slightly thicker than what we have in NM, but still incredibly delicious (no honey, though).

Barrio Italia - For my D.C. friends, this is like the Georgetown district of Santiago. Posh boutiques and (real!) coffee shops line the colorful streets - definitely worth the visit (especially for the Nutella espresso, featured below).

Coffee Shops / Food - Coming from D.C., a city filled with great coffee shops, to Santiago, which is sparse in this department (aside from Starbucks / Barrio Italia) has been tough, but we have one good find tucked into a little corner downtown, not too far from the university. We are also trying to take in as much of the local cuisine as possible, but we still have yet to find outstanding Chilean food (aside from empanadas, of course).

                

 

Understanding historical backgrounds - Only a little more than 20 years ago, Chile was governed under a military dictatorship, led by Agusto Pinochet, from 1973-1990. Among other terrors, the dictatorship was known for its blatant disregard for human rights and excessive use of torture. While looking at this time period from an outside perspective makes it easy to see the atrocities that were caused as a result of Pinochet's rule, not everyone here views his regime in this way. Before Pinochet took power in the coup of 1973 (backed by the United States), a socialist named Salvador Allende governed Chile. The more conservative population of Chile viewed Pinochet's rise as entirely beneficial to them, as his policies favored the upper classes (who also tended to have lighter skin and more prestigious occupations). This is a painful simplification of the recent history that has shaped this nation's current social and political environment, but it gives context for (though does not excused) the often blunt racism and admiration for Pinochet that initially caught me off guard.

Don't worry, I'm going to school / sometimes I speak Spanish - Yes, it's true, I'm just now beginning my second week of classes and hopefully starting to settle into more of a routine. I'm taking an assortment of courses, but they are mostly focused on the politics and development of Latin America. The school is really beautiful, comprised of an assortment of buildings spread out over a few blocks of the university district downtown. An observation - Chilean students act very differently in a college classroom setting. Many of them talk to each other the entire class, the professors too accustomed to it to do anything about it (but annoying to those of us whose first language isn't Spanish, as we try to hold on to each and every word that comes out of the professor's mouth). Somehow, though, the students simultaneously still pay attention and bring up incredibly relevant questions in class, while the rest of us international students are just trying to keep up.

University library

That being said, I do feel so much more confident with my Spanish now than just one short month ago when I couldn't remember the words for shower or dinner (both important). I understand a good majority of what the professors say, but only because they use proper Spanish. Talking to other Chilean students is a nightmare - I'm pretty convinced that there are really two Spanish words for every English word, one proper and one slang. I do have some new friends to help, though, because...

I joined the University's soccer (fútbol) team - I really don't know what they are saying most of the time, but I can distinguish when they're yelling at me for good or bad reasons, and the rest I just infer (probably better this way). So far, this has been such a good way to meet Chileans my age and get out and run around (it's certainly whipping me back into soccer shape quickly). It's competitive but fun, and honestly one of the best decisions I've made here.

For those who made it this far, I appreciate you bearing through a long and scrambled post. I hope that this gives you at least a glimpse of the incredible time I am having here and some of the friends I'm making along the way.

Darcy and I enjoying Chilean
"Asado" - BBQ