Climate: I left America while much of the country was experiencing a record-breaking heat wave. Two days later I was in below freezing temperatures. My body had little time to adjust. There were some common Chilean practices that made adapting somewhat more difficult. The houses here have no central heating. Or in the case of my temporary host family, a house might have heating, but it is overly expensive to use. Instead, some homes use wood burning stoves. Everyone wears jackets inside, and layers upon layers under that. The only real bothersome part of it all is the sinks. Most sinks in public restrooms and even many homes have just one temperature: cold. The home in which I am staying is very nice, and has hot and cold, however, most of the time I am too lazy to go down and turn on the water heater each time I want hot water. I suppose that this is a much more efficient way of living, and that we are pretty wasteful in the United States to constantly have a giant tub of water heating for use at our convenience. Some people might say, “It really makes you glad for everything you have.” For me, it makes me ashamed that we live such wasteful lives in the U.S. and aren’t even aware. As for showers, forget your burning hot, “wake the fuck up“ type of shower. The water gets nice and warm, and that’s really all you need.
People: I’m just going to start out by saying that people are happier here. They live more frugally and have fewer material things, but seem much happier. I have been here more than a week, and literally have not seen anyone get mad a single time. I haven’t seen anyone older than a small child get upset or cry – it’s remarkable. Besides that, people have great sense of humor, and are constantly joking (most of which I don’t understand, but only some of which is at my expense). It is crazy how affectionate people are. You get kisses when you first meet, kisses when you say goodbye, and sometimes in between. Girls who you barely know want to hold your hand or arm while you walk together. Guys even hug each other sometimes and there is no fear of homosexuality that comes along with it. People generally enjoy being much closer in proximity to one another, which is kind of cool. Speaking of which, the clubs here (called discotecas) are slammin like all the time. Chileans love to party. And I don’t just mean on weekends. Actually, it is very popular to go out mid-week, because Chileans enjoy a sort of “mini vacation” to nearby cities, or the coast, or to the mountains each weekend. And the clubs are crazy busy. Most have several bars inside, in different areas of the club. One area is typically for dancing, and then there is plenty of space to eat, drink and ‘conversate’ in other rooms or areas. The girls love to dance, and are amazing dancers. You can go up to any single girl or group of girls and ask if they want to dance, and they are always willing. I guess there is a distinction in Chile between wanting to dance with a girl and wanting to sleep with her. The one difficult thing is that girls expect you to know how to dance, and I don’t mean ‘bump and grind.’ You better know how to spin some girls, and have some moves as well. The one disconcerting thing, which is also kind of cool, is that girls and people in general will make long, unbroken eye contact with you. Staring is not considered to be rude. But on the other hand, don’t take it that just because a girl is staring at you that she is interested in you. This is not necessarily the case.
Safety: I want to make this its own category because I think it is remarkable. Santiago, where I stayed for my first week in Chile, has the least violent crime for any major city in South America. Simultaneously, it has a huge amount of petty theft. But generally speaking, you feel very safe down here. In the streets, everywhere you go. I have never felt so safe. I have not seen a gun or weapon since I have been down here. I have not seen one fight or argument, besides one between a boyfriend and girlfriend. I asked the bouncer at a very popular club how often he has to break up fights. He told me in the year he has worked at the club, he has never seen a fight. It is a completely different feeling, and generally, people feel content and there isn’t the same sense of inadequacy that exists in the US, which I think can often lead to hatred. But who knows.
This town: This town is not a huge one. Rancagua has 200k people, but if you did not know that you might think it had millions. It is always so busy and bustling. There are people who walk to main drag all the time and people break dancing in the street, as well as ridiculously good skateboarders hitting every other big set of stairs. The biggest shocker is the dogs. There are endless amounts of dogs living in the streets. Before you get all sad about homeless dogs, hold on a second. First of all, these dogs are pretty well cared for. People tend to put out food and water, and when they can’t find food, they rout around like raccoons through trash. Also, they are smart. They live all over Chile, in both the rural areas and the big cities. They walk the streets, but stop at crosswalks, crossing only when humans do. If you are walking a direction they want to go, they might follow behind you for a few blocks before turning down an ally or side street. They don’t have dog catchers here. They don’t have pounds or doggie prisons. But Darwin quickly eliminates the unintelligent dogs, the crazy dogs, and the mincey little dogs. This means that many of the dogs walking the streets are German Shepherds and Collies and a few bull breeds – a solid population. Many people cover these dogs with home made coats and sweaters. They all run around saying hello to one another, barking and sniffing. A few days ago, I watched two dogs barking at one another from across a busy street. When people started to cross they ran towards one another, sniffed each other, then ran off together playing. All in all, dogs have a pretty decent chance here. So, before you get overly sad about the homeless dogs, remember that in the US, they would sit around in cages in shelters until they were euthanized. I figure at least the dogs here have free will. Nevertheless, it is still heartbreaking when a dog follows you all the way home after you feed it, and you have to tell it to scram.
Jesus, only I would write the biggest paragraph in my essay on culture shock about dogs.
Anyway, I know there are other things, like the graffiti, the youth, healthcare and other subjects, which I would like to touch on. I’ll be sure to follow up on those ASAP. Also, next Monday will be my first class teaching. I get the textbook on Friday. Hopefully I can prepare a good lesson over the weekend. Last, I found a ridiculously nice apartment. The only problem is that it’s unfurnished. How do I buy furniture with no car? Is there a Chilean craigslist? Fuck.
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