Monday, February 1, 2010

Cerro San Cristobal!

So, yesterday my friends and I went to Cerro San Cristobal (St. Christopher Hill), one of the most famous parts of Santiago. The hill is huge and has 2 pools, a gym, a huge picnic area, a botanical garden, restaurants, a club, a church...so a ton of stuff:) At first, we went to see a concert by one of my friends host moms about half way up the hill. After it was over, we decided to climb to the top, which, according to a Chilean friend who was with us, was "15 minutes away." We were starving and it was about 90 degrees but we decided that since it was only fifteen minutes, why not?

Well, it definitely was not 15 minutes. It took us about an hour and a half to make it to the top, so we were all starving, dehydrated, and I was wearing jeans so I looked like I had just gotten out of the shower.

We finally made it to the top, which, I have to admit, was totally worth it. Santiago isn't the most gorgeous city from an overhead view, but it was one of the few places I've gotten a good view of the Andes because the city is normally so smoggy. Also, at the very peak of Cerro San Cristobal is a huge statue of Virgin Mary, and the idea is that she looks out over Santiago so she can watch over the city and answer people's prayers. So, all in all, I think I found my new favorite part of Santiago, and if you ever come here, it is totally a must-see:)
Tuesday, January 26, 2010

El pasado de Chile

So today in my Spanish class we watched a documentary called "La Ciudad de Lo Fotografos" (The City of Photographers). Typically and honestly, I dread Spanish class and I thought that this movie would be just another excuse for me to catch up on sleep. However, the movie was the story of a group of journalists who took pictures to document the police terrorism during the reign of Pinochet, a controversial dictator in the 70s and 80s. This year especially is a historic year of Chile because it is their bicentennial along with a recent election, where Sebastian Piñera, an old friend of Pinochet, was the first conservative elected president in 20 years. The history of Chile is actually super interesting, so, as boring as it may be to the rest of you, I just thought I'd inform you of what I know:)

So, in the early 70s, the president of Chile was Salvador Allende, who I know little about, but is regarded many times as one of their best leaders. Allende was in office during the takeover by Pinochet. On September 11, 1973 (yes, the same day as the twin tower crash about 20 years earlier), the Chilean military, with Pinochet as their leader and supposed help from the US CIA, took over La Moneda, the Chilean version of the White House. As this coup was occurring, Allende allegedly commited suicide, however no one is quite sure how legitimate that is.

Pinochet then ruled the country from 73-90, where he peacefully let the country return to democracy. He is one of the most controversial dictators of modern times, with many people believing he was a great leader, while others see him as a monster. With respect to the people here, I know I cannot give an educated opinion as to whether or not he was a hero or a villain. However, from the little I do know, I have come to realize that both sides are credible. Pinochet created a strong economic model for Chile and led them to some of the greatest economic growth they have ever seen. However, he also was responsible for about 3000 disappearances (now widely considered murders), and about 30,000 people being tortured. Most of the terror reign was directed at Marxists, people who sided with Allende, and others at the far left. Many of the photographs pictured in the movie I saw today showed people getting sprayed with tear gas, getting beaten with clubs, and the mass hidden graves of the disappeared. There was especially powerful images of two young photographers, who typically sided with the left, getting burned alive and of a boy getting his eye beaten out of his head. But, as I said before, many Chileans today still support Pinochet. Its very similar to Iraqis and Hussein or Cubans and Castro, or basically any dictator. Pinochet recently died in 2006.

After Pinochet, the left ruled Chile. The president for the past few years has become one of my personal heroes. Her name is Michelle Bachelet, the first female president of Chile, who is a Socialist, a divorced single mother, and a pediatrician. She did so much for the country, from creating an entirely revamped bussing system out of a system that barely existed, helped reduce the gap between Chile's rich and poor (which has been one of the largest in the world), helped make birth control more widespread and readily available, and created the first free trade agreement with China in a Latin American country. She did experience some scandal and low approval ratings, but she just left office with almost 80% approval.

That brings me to today. Just last week, Chile had a controversial election for president. Now first, a few things about the political parties here. They do not match up with the US, and are shifted very far to the left. Someone summed it up for me with this hypothetical: if Obama and McCain ran in Chile, Obama would be a pretty Conservative candidate, and McCain would have been off the charts.

The two candidates were conservative Sebastian Piñera, a billionaire and friend of Pinochet, who lost to Bachelet in 2006; the other being leftest Eduardo Frei, a former president who was in office in the 90s, and apparently did very little besides exploit the copper region. It is weird to think this way as Americans, but after 20 years of left rulers, Piñera campaigned with the slogan "Súmate al Cambio" (summate change), similar to how Obama campaigned for change in the US. Frei, despite the widespread belief that he was a pretty lame president with few accomplishments, had similar youth movements to those for Obama in the US and was largely a candidate for the youth. When Piñera won, there was, as to be expected, riots in certain parts of the city, but, on the flipside, a lot of people excited for the new change. I heard various expressions of fear because of his former connections to Pinochet, but also saw a lot of happiness over the end of the leftist reign. We'll have to wait and see how Chile's first conservative president in 20 years changes this country.

Monday, January 25, 2010

¡Hola!

Soo... my goal to have a blog has failed miserably so far, but I feel the need to dedicate myself to this now, especially so my parents can stop worrying and so I can keep in touch with my Phi Sigs and other great people:)

So, so far, as anyone who has talked to me knows, I have been having the best time of my life here. Chile is an absolute gem of a place because of the people, the things to do, and the general medio ambiente (environment).

The first few days were, admittedly, some of the worst days of my life. After a cancelled flight, two lost suitcases, and a tearful call to my dad telling him "I had to go back to Loyola," I was very leery of my decision to pack up and leave for seven months. However, as soon as I saw my gorgeous host mother, Orietta, I knew I had made the right choice. Although our car ride was an awkward combination of exaggerated hand gestures and me saying the only word I could remember at the time ("¡Sí!"), I knew I had gotten the perfect family. Aside from my host mother, I also have three hermanos who definitely keep me on my toes, make me feel like I live in a frat house, and have quickly become three of my best friends.

Aside from my family, the other people in my program are great as well. They have quickly become some of my best partners in crime and some of the best "gringos" ( a typically derogatory word for an American) I have met.

Right now, my days are consumed with my intensive Spanish class and super long naps, but the nights have been wonderful. The clubs here are crazy, drinks are cheap (drinking age is 18:))) ), and the people are super fun. We quickly discovered the national brandy, Pisco, and how well-paired it is with Coke, along with dirt-cheap lager Escudo. But don't worry Mom and Dad, I'm responsible:) I have been to some of the Chilean hotspots for going out, the best being Bellavista, an area filled with bars with a somewhat shady reputation but always a good time:)

I have also taken time to be the typical tourist and have visited some of the typical tourist sites such as the mall/ train station Estación Central, La Vega Mercado, a house of Pablo Neruda, La Moneda (where I caught a glimpse of Chile's recently elected president, Sebastian Piñera), and the Plaza del Armas, which is a sort of downtown square with little shops, government buildings, and the most gorgeous Cathedral I've ever seen. Also, my class took a trip to a home for sick and homeless called Hogar de Cristo. This sobering trip was an eye opener for the foreign students, as most of us never see the poor population in our comfortable homes and apartments.

This past Saturday, my class took a trip to Valparaiso, a port city about 2 hours away from Santiago. At first, I was very put off as we left sunny 90 degree Santiago and looked up to see clouds, rain, and about 60 degree weather. However, I quickly fell in love with this little town, especially when we went to their annual cultural festival, which was filled with little vendors, a ton of greasy food, and a line up of South American bands that sang until about 1:30.

That's all for now! Hasta Luego...
 
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