Chile

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Tuesday 18 November 2014

Spanish Jokes

Baby Football, Santiago
Baby Football, Santiago

As I was watching my boyfriend play soccer the other night I started to think of some soccer jokes.

How do you get a man to dance gracefully along a painted line, twisting and turning along the way? 
Put a soccer ball between his feet.

How do you start a fight in Chile? 
Forget to bring the ball to a football match.

Then that got me started on other jokes...

How many Chileans does it take to change a light bulb? 
Five. One to change the light bulb, one to bbq the meat, one to play the guitar, and two to go buy enough pisco and coke for the night.

A:Knock knock
B: Who’s there?
A: One.
B: One who?
A: Juan Carlo, Can you let me in? Olvidé mis llaves.

Why didn’t the Chilean girl go to the dance? 
Because she had no Juan to go with.

How many completos italianos does it take ruin a life? 
Trick question. None. They only improve lives.

Why do people hate TranSantiago? 
Because its crowded and unreliable. (psych!)

Then there’s this one based on this Enrique Iglesias song:

¿Qué hace Enrique Iglesias en un campo de trigo? 
Estar con trigo, vivir con trigo, bailar con trigo!

Well, there you go. I don't quite consider myself a comedian so forgive me if none of that amused you. Just a bit of nonsense to start your day! 

Have a good one :)



Monday 10 November 2014

The Right Way

Ice Cream Metaphor

People can experience the same things differently, I get that. I eat an ice cream and I feel happy and satisfied, someone else will eat the exact same ice cream and be confused at the appeal of the cold milky snack and want to throw it in the bin. Maybe I work in an ice cream factory and am sick of eating the left over ice creams, or maybe I have never had an ice cream before and my first try is heavenly. Perspectives on the ice cream differ. Every single person experiences it differently and their experiences are all valuable no matter their background. The ice cream factory worker knows more about ice cream, but that doesn't make the experience of a first time ice cream taster less correct.

I started thinking about this concept of how valuable and authentic one experience is compared to another when I was reflecting on my own experience living in Chile. From travel blogs I have read recently, it seems that my situation is quite unique. Not many foreigners get to live inside another culture like I am right now.

"My Situation":

  • Sharing an apartment with Chileans.
  • Having only Chilean friends and acquaintances.
  • Being immersed in Chilean culture whenever I'm not alone or on Skype.
  • Using Spanish everyday to communicate my thoughts and feelings.

These things have their advantages and disadvantages. Living with locals does give you a different perspective and lets you see things that are way outside the Lonely Planet version of a country. But are they more real and valuable than the three day tour version?

Foreigner Bubble

When I lived in China for a total of about three years I never lived within Chinese culture the way I am living within Chilean culture now. Sure, I ate Chinese food regularly, I practiced my Chinese with locals, I encountered strange and interesting things about the culture, etc. However I was always experiencing these things from the outside. I didn't live with a Chinese family, I didn't have many Chinese friends, so I found parts of my own culture within China to relate to and enjoy. Basically I lived in a foreigner bubble version of China.

I'd like to point out that I had a fabulous time in that bubble. I made amazing friends, experienced new things, and learnt a lot about the world. The foreigner bubble isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it did keep me at an arm's length from the country I was living in.

This realisation of how different my 'foreigner life' in China was compared to my current 'local life' in Chile makes me wonder if my Chinese experience would have been more valuable and authentic if I was immersed in everyday Chinese life. Definitely, my Chinese language skills would be much more advanced. After three months in Chile with no prior Spanish training (except a few months on Memrise) I have conversational Spanish and a basic hold on grammar. Getting to that level in Chinese took me three years. Another difference is that I would have learnt more about Chinese culture from observing those around me 24 hours a day rather than reading about it in a book or hearing another expat's perspective on a certain tradition.

On the other hand I wouldn't have connections all around the world, like I do now, if I lived in a local context, and I probably still wouldn't know that Turkmenistan exists. And maybe, just maybe, I wouldn't have enjoyed myself as much. I wonder whether I would have kept on returning to China after an intense cultural experience? Being all of 14 when I first visited China, I think I would have been quite shocked at the prospect of being put into a completely Chinese environment and that may not have had the best impact on my excitement for China. But who knows.

Living like a Local

The fact is that living as a local, for all its value, is hard. First of all, how do you get into this situation? It's not an easy feat. I remember having a deep desire to connect with locals and share with them in China. I looked for avenues to achieve this goal- hobbies, clubs, language exchanges, etc. It doesn't always work out how you think it will, and it requires a lot of persistence to find a local who:

a) isn't using you for English speaking practice,
b) is cool, and
c) wants to hang out with you.

I guess that's why a lot of people pay good money to do home-stay programs and immersion internships. (My first solo trip to China was through a volunteer organisation, Lattitude Global Volunteering.) My Chilean pathway to living in a local environment was less planned: I fell in love with a Chilean. He has been kind enough to show me his country and I am grateful everyday for his help in understanding his homeland and its people. I know I am very lucky to be able to share this experience with him. Many people don't get the chance to live like a local when they travel overseas and their experiences contain completely different content because of that.

Your Version

Imagine all the different impressions foreigners can have of a single country. Your thoughts on China or New Zealand, for example, are almost certainly going to be different to mine. Some people travel on tours, others with their parents, some backpack without plans. Budgets differ, time frames differ, reasons for travelling differ too. Which version is the best? Which combination produces the most reliable presentation of a country? All of them happen, all are true, yet they result in different experiences, good and bad, and varied images of a place. Local is one way. Foreigner bubble is another way. Tourist another.



Monday 3 November 2014

Cajón Del Maipo - The Perfect Barbecue

If you are looking for a peaceful escape close to Santiago, Chile, Cajón Del Maipo is what you’re looking for. Only an hour outside the city, this beautiful valley has many different picnic areas and riverside retreats for soaking in the natural ambiance. I visited a picnic area called "El Manzano" and I can honestly say out of all the barbecues I have experienced in Chile so far, and believe me there have been a lot, this was my favourite. In four words: quiet, green, fresh, natural.

Buses come out here for tourists and there’s heaps of room for parking cars. There are barbecue areas (without the grill, so you might want to bring your own), tables, chairs, and bathrooms too.

Here are some pictures so you can get a better idea.

Cajon Del Maipo
Amazing Scenery

Barbecue Picnic
Beer, chips, shade. The essentials.

Barbecue Chile
Four person barbecue, cooked with charcoal

Cajon Del Maipo
Lovely (freezing) water cascading down off the mountain tops


Cajon Del Maipo
Up above. See anything?

Barbecues and picnics are great aren't they? Especially in a place like this. All you do is cook, eat, chat, take in some sun and let the good times roll. Looking forward to the Chilean Summer.






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