ba, ar

sorry my chilean loved ones, i really like it here in buenos aires. we've been here a week and i've enjoyed the time. i'm struck by how different the two cities (santiago and BA) are. the amount of english here is just incredible. it's like i'm in a city in the US (that might be a bit drastic but if you lived in Stgo you'd know what i mean). the amount of mc donalds, burger kings though are staggering (probably over 300 compared to the 10 i saw my year of being in chile). and it shows! BA has more of that cultural opposite that the USA shares... really fat people and really skinny people. in santiago its like many of the people aren't fat or skinny, they're just somewhere in the middle.

for a country that was closed off to any english media by law (post 1982-ish war with Britain over the Malvinas/Falkland Islands that ended badly), BA stations play an impressive number of english songs on the radio, in stores, cabs, etc. argentines seemingly have a keen familiarity with english as their pronunciation is generally much (dare i say, better...) than what i saw in Stgo.

both cities withstood military dictatorships in the 20th century (in different decades), under different circumstances and with different effects... and where each country has ended up today, economically speaking, has completely shifted during this last century.

people are much more direct in BA than in STGO (obvious for those of you who have lived and travelled down here). argentines want to know, almost immediately, where you are from. fortunately for my comfort level, responses have been pleasant. i'm always a little nervous to say i'm from the US in SA. * "vayanse a la mierda gringos" spray-painted on a tourist plaque in san telmo. after our attempted bribing experience in mendoza, i could understand a little resentment directed towards "the man" as it were...

the architecture is impressive. there are a ton of colonial influences that make each neighborhood unique and fill the city with landmark sites. what's most impressive is how the old is mixed with the new. they really have been able to showcase the city's original structures by building right next to them but otherwise leaving them intact- it really enriches their city. obviously BA is much more suited for gringo tourism as signs in english nearly everywhere help to explain the city's history. Santiago would be difficult to navigate in a sight-seeing way without spanish, unlike BA.

of course this looks like i'm making comparisons to indicate some kind of ranking... that's not my goal, i just can't help but examine these things as i find santiago to be such a distinct place for its lack of connection to the foreign world. everything they have that's north american, BA has 10 of. the interplay between business and language in that way is very intriguing for me. and also, santiago feels like home. i was a little sad leaving chile for the last time (on this particular south american tour of course :)) and i'm always trying to contextualize my experience there with other experiences i have along the way.

-cait

what if I was a bombadier??

Caitlin has been doing a lot of the heavy lifting with keeping the blog up to date while I screw around, trying to catch up on the latest red sox news. I do have to share a recent story though. Let me set the scene...

I've been traveling with a checkered scarf that is blue and black in the style that you always see in Palistine. It's an incredibly popular style here and is frequently seen as a political statement of support for the people of Palistine. I recieved it as a hand-me-down from some friends a few months ago and it has proved to be an amazing travel item to help with the changing climates down here. So, I've got this scarf...

I'm currently reading Three Cups of Tea (which I highly recommend) and interspersed throughout the story are arabic words translated to and written in their english form. These phrases pepper the book and also look very different phonetically than you're used to hearing them spoken in movies and the like.

So, we've boarded the plane and I'm sitting in the middle of a three seat row waiting for take off. Getting bored, I reach into my bag to get my book and settle in for some good reading. I see both men on either side of me look over sharply as I move aside the bright red fuel canister in my bag to get my book. It's of course empty and without a top but still looks pretty flagrant with it's skull and crossbones and flamable warnings in three languages all blaring out in black lettering from the fire-engine-red canister body.

At this point, I kind of chuckle at myself and wonder what it must look like to see a scarved and bearded traveler with a fuel canister sitting next to you on a plane. After a second though, that thought had gone and I was fully engrossed in the story. As I arrived at one of the arabic phrases in the book that I referred to previously, I started to mutter it under my breath. I was trying really hard to get the pronunciation right so I could continue on. In this case, the phrase was Allahu Akbar(god is great).

So now, I'm sitting with my book in my lap, scarf around my neck, deadly looking fuel canister that had been prodded and literally sniffed at by airport security....and now I'm muttering under my breath with my head down...Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar.

It's only at this point that I actually put it all together and looked up to see my fellow seatmates staring at me...not even trying to hide their nervousness. I laughed outloud, pointed to my book, and said something about "difficult words" while my face turned the color of my deadly looking fuel canister. Needless to say I put the book away, stowed my bag, and did some writing for the duration of the flight.

An aside. When we were getting ready to go to the airport an AVIS car rental guy told us that we´d be fine flying with the white gas and that we shouldn´t worry about getting rid of it first. Now I can't get the image of having that bottle full and reaking of gasoline out of the story! Moral of the story...never listen to the AVIS man and watch your words on an airplane

Cheers

lago region

flew into puerto montt from punta arenas today. today marks the last of deadlines and specific obligations for the whole trip until we fly home in april. we are in puerto varas at the moment. contemplating life while admiring the beautiful osorno volcano.

so far we have been majorly lucky, striking up deals with chileans everywhere we went. for example, today by not merely consenting to the first fishing wharf meal we could find, and mentioning we lived in santiago, we got a discount on our lunch promo. we made friends with a chilean lady in punta arenas who let us stay at her hostel after we returned from argentina for half the price (after we had stayed there the week before for a bit). another hostel owner dropped his rates significantly after we explained we weren't really there with earned american dollars. we negotiated a discount price for a tour of the penguin colony (also chilean accent helped there). the lady in punta arenas discounted us on our hostel because she didnt have correct change. we also talked to a guy today who was going to sell us a centolla (king crab) for 10 bucks! which probably is because we are so far south, but it felt like a hookup because those things are practically on the black market anyway.

so yeah, were doing well.

observations about patagonia-

the wind can knock you off cliffs. the wind can destroy one's tent. patagonian argentines don't like giving tourists free water in their restaurants even though their cities contain some of the best agua dulce (fresh potable water) in the world (seriously, a lady tsked at me). trekking poles are a must at torres del paine. pumas are cool. conaf rangers can be your friend if you're smart enough to bring them hot chocolate when it's 10 degrees outside and you need a place to not feel like you're constantly freezing. i have never seen water so blue. tourists can be annoying as hell and can be super cool as well. traveling with a language and cultural grasp can be financially rewarding as well as a self-esteem boost. nothing's a stupid question unless you can't figure out how to ask it. glaciers are fucking awesome and incredibly massive. the ice the calves from the front of arguably the most famous glacier in the southern ice cap (el calafate) is about 500-600 years old. taking cold showers is worse than not showering for a week. staying dry is key. sleeping with a rain jacket keeps the warmth in. penguins are super curious and daring creatures. the flora here makes you realize how south and north americas were connected a time ago. the people who live in the south are a tough bunch.

hi from patagonia

quick post for those of you still checking this.

super glad to be here in patagonia, this type of chile is more my speed. you don't have to be nearly so paranoid about your stuff as you would have to be in santiago. i dropped more than 20 USD on the ground today and somebody called out to me to have me not lose it. would that ever happen in santiago? probably not...

anyway, downfalls are that it is cold and expensive. the wind is insane. we left the torres del paine national park a couple of days ago and scott and i literally had to clutch one another (and the ground) on the shoulder of a valley in order to be assured we wouldn't get swept off. insane! probably around 75 mile an hour winds.

it's damn expensive too. we're trying to do all the important stuff the most economical way possible. tomorrow we're going to el calafate to see perito moreno glacier and then immediately from there going to camp in a neighboring town called el chalten.

santiago is warm though, and it is the land of cheap fruits and vegetables. though those things are fantastic, i wouldn't trade them for the new experience of traveling. finally on the road!

--------------------------------------------------
had a great time over the holidays with k, steve, todd and finn. quite the cast of characters those guys are... we went all over, lived the high life with tio todd, played fun non-verbal hand games under steve's direction, learned new US pop culture things scott and i had missed from k, enjoyed some moments of scooter-box and watched finn going after the ladies in a valient-type way.

scott and i likely will be out of chile by the second week of feb. riding via horseback over the argentine border? sounds pretty sweet. well let you know how it plays out.

laudry list2

what i've learned so far.

family- it's been hard at times to face to face with the reality of family interconnectedness down here. people are far more willing to accept one another for who they really are just because they are family... nada ma'... many gringos have noticed this and commented on it. someone put it pretty aptly... (summarizing) families here just accept individuals for who they really are rather than trying to judge, criticize and control individual members on (what i believe to be) a rather subconscious level.

language- it's been interesting to see that, the more i am invested and aware of the culture and language, the more i can understand my student's comprehension errors. why they say "especial" instead of "special" or when they use "inclusive" when it entirely doesn't make any sense.

sexism- over 60% of women in chile report abuse. there are also skyrocketing numbers of women with std infections/aids due to husbands having sex with other men (msm).

great deals- the pricing/ sale system works according to the chilean system down here. things are priced the best during the season in which the item is popular as contrasted with the system in the US where things are more inexpensive outside of the season. chilean mentality correlates best to in-the-moment thinking and gringos are notorious for planning ahead.

gringo style space- really enjoying the gringo-style space i am able to obtain at starbucks. i know it sounds bad but at least at starbucks you can be guaranteed someone isn't going to find a reason to bump up against you. the furniture is big enough to keep strangers at bay.

walking with chileans- still a problem, i'm not going to lie. i can't stand it. but at least i've found a method for combating the problem. step one, show no fear. at a distance of about 15 feet away, the chilean will look up at you to see if you are going to waiver in your stance. you merely look around, relaxed and composed. step two, DO NOT look to move anywhere but straight ahead. though this is not necessary the chilean will languish with you until the last moment, where you will brush up against one another, in a very unnecessary fashion (yes i know) but at least this will keep you from doing a ridiculous back and forth dance two feet from each other that will make you want to scream. scott's heard they know we're foreign by the way we walk.

more similarities between chile and the us- despite capitalism, there are many similarities between chile and the us. both are isolated countries, limited in their second language abilities. both are rather (on the whole) ignorant of international news/major events/issues. many people in both countries have little desire to leave, on any kind of permanent basis, their home country.

generally speaking chileans are great people. they're honest, helpful, and though not outgoing, they are very friendly. i've really enjoyed my time here, enjoyed the people i've met and the experiences i've had. duoc definitely wasn't my gig but i enjoyed the ability to hold a student visa and not to have to leave the country for a year. i can't wait to travel and i apologize for my lack of blogging as of late. it's been hard to pull together.

hopefully next time you hear from us we'll be in the south of chile, still having access to all these delicious avocados.

fleites- kid killers

i saw this scary ass kid the other day... because i don't have a picture i'll have to draw one... picture this... no more than 14 years old, walking stridently down the avenue with a large plastic bag with goods slung over his shoulder (goods he had stolen). dirty face, he was smoking a cigarette like james dean, he had dirty short fingernails, dark and fearless eyes. as he walked by me, he sent a huge smacking kiss my way (disgusting, sucking, suckling kind of kiss that dudes here tend to think is hot to send towards the lad-ies). anyway, the natural reaction for me is to flip them off (yes folks, even here), but this kid was different. i kind of feared for my life with just the thought of reacting to him. there was something very eerie about it. like he would have whipped out his knife if i had reacted to him at all. there is some sort of ancient, hardened-ness to the kids here who are accustomed to the "ways of the world." in their face is a sort of "try me, i'm not scared of shit, i've seen death."

anyway, 30 seconds later i thought all the better of my decision as i remembered that two weeks earlier two kids got arrested (temporarily) for assaulting and killing a vendor for the equivalent of 8 US dollars. the carabineros arrested him and kept them several hours but then had to release them back in the streets, completely free, as there exist no laws to prosecute them (because of their ages) to the extent of their crimes.

which of course, entices several questions... is every society better off with a juvenile system? does it really reduce recidivism rates?? is the US juvenile system just the first step to inducting young adults into an already enormously large prison population? what do you think?

protests in the us

a while ago i was listening to a broadcast about the protests from the G20 summit in Pittsburgh. if you see the videos/pictures from this thing you will be amazed at the militarized presence that was in attendance there. for the first time the US military used their LRAD (sound cannon) on US soil. this thing emits a sound above 300 decibels and previously had been used in the iraq war. and for what? sure it seems like the protest was chaotic, people everywhere, yelling, screaming but the military presence crushed protesters like they did in the gop/dem nat'l conventions.

i've seen people throw rocks, launch sticks, glass bottles and whatever else down here. every year the public sector strikes, demanding a percentage increase to their wages. and when one person protests, everyone else starts. one day i saw public workers, santa isabel (a grocery store) workers and some other unidentified, yet organized, group (all within a block of each other). point is... the protest spirit is alive and in full-effect here... as it is NOT in the USA.

the carabineros definitely quell protests as they become loud or out of control but i've also seen the police get their asses kicked by fleites. i couldn't imagine what US police would do to someone who was legitimately throwing serious blows in their direction. in chile, people join the protests on their lunch break, informally. others, fully invested and organized go for the whole day. those striking, of course, aren't working at all. is it fair to say protests are open and available to chileans on a scale they aren't to americans?

there are examples from both that disprove my points (US protestors who become violent, carabineros who apply excessive force when it is hardly called for) but the main feeling remains. the culture surrounding protest in chile is much more the in-thing and certainly less-militarized. the fact we have gotten to the point where we're using sound cannons really highlights the fact that not only does the US government STILL subdue the masses but is now literally saying, shut up! we don't want to hear you speak. don't you think?

jazzy jazz

we love nuñoa's jazz club. and in general i have rediscovered that i love jazz. i don't know if it was those louis armstrong tapes from college or what but i really enjoy the beats, the vibes, everything... there's like a 20 minute video that needs to be edited and we don't have time for that now :) so i'll just give you some pics...

mcdonalds drive-thru in chile

scott was walking up to where the cars would be ordering at a drive-thru.

in reality, this was inside next to a mall (but more like in the parking garage)





check out the fries, they are so tiny.

soccer in the park

saturday in the park.... you bring the steak, ill bring the hot dogs.... and we won't eat them.

a couple of people got nailed in the face during pichanga but everyone survived.

it was a fun game. caitlin and i decided to set up a legitimate team photo.