Sunday, April 26, 2009

Notes from Chile

1. Chile is so diverse that you can visit everything: the desert, glaciers, valleys with vineyards, volcanoes, mountains, and even the ocean.
2. Chileans eat BREAD for every meal of the day. It is no wonder they are the 2nd greatest consumers of bread!
3. Along with bread, tea is a staple in the Chilean house. They don’t have dinner, but “Once” (or Tecito) instead that consists of bread with a variety of toppings (meat, cheese, avocado, paté. marmalade, etc…) and tea.
4. They do not have central heating like we do in the States, instead they use electric heaters called “estufas”.
5. A lot of people do not own cars and instead use public transportation.
6. The metro here is the cleanest metro I have EVER been on, including the metro station.
7. Ice cream here is really gelato, and the best ever. It is super cheap compared to the gelato in the states. 900$ pesos for a giant scoop=about 1.50$
8. Chileans talk SUPER fast and the lingo is unlike any Spanish you’ll ever learn in a textbook.
9. Chilean slang is called “Chilenismos” (words or phrases they’ve created). *This has made learning Spanish here far more difficult than I expected.
10. They put mayonnaise on everything, although the mayo here tastes different and perhaps, less fattening.
11. You always know when there is a Chilean soccer game on. The yelling and screaming echoes through the neighborhoods.
12. The division of classes is clearly evident, especially between Valparaiso and Viña.
13. Stray dogs outnumber the people on the streets. Sometimes they travel in large packs or try to start fights with other stray dogs. Beware and try not to step in the dog poop.
14. Parties don’t begin before midnight and don’t end until after the sunrises. And Chileans don’t just party on Friday and Saturday nights.
15. American influence can be seen everywhere.
16. Chileans identity themselves as Catholic, but its likely they are non-practicing Catholics.
17. Jumbo is the fancy Wal-mart of Chile, unfortunately.
18. Aside from Jumbo, you must go to special stores to buy all your products. The panadería for bread, carcinería for meat, pastelería for pastries and cakes, La Feria for fresh fruits and vegetables and more.
19. Chileans LOVE television and they watch all of the same television shows. (only another American influence)
20. Refrigeration is not the same concept as it is in the States. Eggs and milk can be found on the dry shelves in the supermarket.
21. Blonde-haired girls are prized here. The men in the streets will let you know. And most times it’s unflattering.
22. You should always tip the bagger at the supermarket. It’s likely they are not receiving a wage and most times its very young boys.
23. There are a lot of young couples with babies, since birth control and condoms are not as readily available as in the States. Abortion is not an option.
24. Rush hour is from 7pm to 8pm here.
25. It’s normal to see couples making out in the streets or parks.
26. The public education here is really bad. It seems as though most of the time the students aren’t even in school due to teachers striking and protesting.
27. Chileans are conscious about preserving water and electricity, but unfortunately could care less about throwing their trash on the ground.
28. In order to get hot water, they must light the “califant” in the house.
29. When out to eat, it’s acceptable to take a long time and you must ask for the bill when you’re ready to pay. This is because eating is a very social event here.
30. Time doesn’t exist here. Everyone’s always “running late”. Expect to wait for everything.

1 Comment:

Hanna Back Pyo said...

LOL!!! your post was hilarious...specially because there are so many things that are true...specially the bread thing, i had a friend who gain 10 kgs in one year eating Marraqueta with avocado...
Would you let me quote you in one of our articles? i write for a travel agency in Chile and i think that your list is really good to explain Chile to foreign people =).
My mail is Hanna.back.p@gmail.com
and my bosses are http://www.letsgochile.com
Regretfully i am not in Chile right now, if so i would of give you a tour through "picadas" in Santiago. =).