chile is a catholic country. though many chileans could tell you less than i could about catholicism, they still get about 10 days off a year due to various catholic saints' days.
religious polemics aside, the culture here presents a very touching side regarding charity and family. i've heard stories of random people holding up and turning over very drunk people so they don't choke on their own pewk. homeless people are well-fed and supplied with ample drink.
and the dogs... the dogs have sweater vests for the winter (even the homeless ones). of course they pee all over them which is kind of gross. but regardless, they're well-fed and you know, supplied with ample... these dogs are really loved too. i've seen packs of dogs that would lay down their lives for the people who care for them: care for them with love, maybe nothing else.
not only that but people are so respectful of the dogs. at least when i'm looking.
when you talk to a chilean about the dogs, they might actually feel bad about their state. they treat them almost as if they have the same right to be there as any other person. i've seen men physically halted, stumped by a dog's dislike of him. like, instead of anger, complete surprise.."huh i wonder why this dog is barking ferociously at me?" and a side note on the dogs, they are so freaking cute (some of them) that it's hard to not touch them. and touch them you shouldn't because the emotional attachment a deprived being can form at the touch of a hat is absolutely incredible- i've seen it. don't touch them unless you want to take them home.
also, i had never seen a dog look across a street and then cross it (when it was safe) before i came to santiago. literally, these stray dogs cross the street like humans would.
i found out long ago that jokes about children being annoying and troublesome don't go over well with really any chilean, young or old. in fact, many examples in english classes have included loving children, wanting to work with children and of course indecisively, asserting they will have children. there isn't even an iota of like, maybe i'll have kids. it's more like when i do...
abortion is illegal in this country. i found out it costs about a million pesos (about $1,900) to obtain illegally which is a ton for someone who low or even middle class. if you get pregnant and you are unmarried, it seems that the family compensates and in most cases supports the single mother (providing room, board and daycare services). informally, the father will even pay child support. in the US, indecent men will quit their jobs so their child support payment gets lowered.
when people see children on the street, men and women alike will stop to gawk and make cutsey comments.
just the other day, scott and i were with our friend silvia. a young child fell off a stool and the chileans nearby were making consoling comments of "awwww." next to us was a group of gringoes. i could hear them saying, as the child continued to cry, "control your child." now this brings up two issues: one being the fact that gringoes (like me) think that no one here can understand english and secondly, young, traveling gringoes aren't necessarily staring parenthood in the face.
i had a student the other day ask me if my family came with me to live in chile! haha so cute.
for a long time i didn't know why chileans in a largish group would force you off a sidewalk if you tried to pass them walking alone... i just didn't understand it. at home, the individual on the sidewalk would get first priority (after all they are taking up the least amount of space). i should have known that the family/group mentality was part of the reason...
it is this idea. "we the group are stronger than the sum of our individual parts... together we are more important than any individual alone... if you find yourself to be alone trying to walk on the sidewalk, you're better off finding a group and doing it that way, cachai?"
there are countless ways that family has influenced culture here. i'll write up a few more when they come to me. it's fascinating, really.
