Once
(Pronounced "ohn-say," as in Spanish for "eleven")Evening/night equivalent to tea time. Coffee, tea, small sandwiches, and a sweet of some kind are usually on the menu. The sandwich isn't so much a sandwich as bakery bread or rolls (hallulla is one variation) with butter and some kind of lunch meat like ham or salami.
The Metro
Firstly, I had never even ridden a metro before today. Vicky made sure I knew the proper protocol - e.g., keeping my bag in front of me, not using headphones, don't talk to strangers, etc. What struck me, though, was the fact that each car had a musician on it. Guitars, djembes, and a mandolin-ish thing were all featured in the span of two rides. I'm not sure if they play for money or not, but doesn't seem too bad a gig.Empaque
When Alice took me out around Viña the first day, she made a stop at a pharmacy to grab a couple things, but the process was a little different. First, she chose her items from behind a counter, then made her way to a different counter where she paid, finally ending up at a third "empaque" station where her items had been bagged and were ready for pick-up.
German Influence
Walking around Viña, it's obvious that there are a lot of German roots, particularly as concerns restaurants and bars. In the way of food, for example, kuchen (pronounced "koo-hem," with some added phlegm for emphasis) is a kind of cake; we've been picking at one over the last few days during once. Also, that castle that I mentioned earlier has German origins. I asked Alice why there's such a prevalent German influence, and she answered with something about a president somewhere and a big group of Germans migrating to colonize South America. That's about all I caught.Lunch
Meals are a little different here than in the States; lunch is the big meal rather than dinner and it's eaten pretty late in the afternoon. There's always a salad, which (at least with Alice) is comprised of shredded lettuce mixed with French dressing, several slices of tomato, a few whole black olives, a slice of avocado, corn/mayo mix, boiled egg... there's variation, of course, but that's the gist of it. The salad is followed by a big dinner-like platter. I had chicken and mashed potatoes one day, roast beef and rice with vegetables another. Coffee or tea usually follows. Oh, which reminds me of the next one....
Coffee
Coffee isn't a thing in Chile. Although coffee is usually available, tea is far more common. It's not even brewed coffee though - it usually comes as an instant powder, so nothing special. Bummer, dude... There are two Starbucks in Viña, though; Alice pointed them out to me for in case I get homesick. Also, one thing that's thrown off pretty much everyone I've encountered is the concept of black coffee. When you go to a restaurant, they'll ask if you if you want cortado or puro. Cortado is coffee with milk; puro is espresso. I've had to settle for cortado...
Micro
A micro is a public bus, pretty cheap, and pretty crazy. The drivers seem awfully reckless and go way faster than I would think necessary, and they're constantly honking at someone or something. However, this all made sense when I found out that they get paid according to how many passengers they carry, and they're on a strict time schedule so they try to beat all the other buses in picking people up and reaching the next stop. Also, once you pay you're given a boleto or ticket. It's like a receipt, and I guess sometimes an inspector may board to make sure that you have your boleto - if not, you'll have to pay for another one.
Coffee Shops
Probably the most average, mundane, unquestioned American pastime is going to a coffee shop with a book, computer, or paperwork to spend a few hours sipping on pricey coffee whilst feigning productivity. Not here. There are cafes, yes - several to a corner, even. But when I mentioned to Antonio that some friends and I were gonna hit a cafe to do homework I got a super weirded out look in return. Chileans don't get coffee to work, they get coffee to socialize. A few cafes do have wifi, but we were usually the only ones with work out.
Diet
Chileans eat a LOT of bread. I mean, there are other fruits and vegetables and whatnot, but bread is a big deal. So much so that it even made the graffiti in Valpo...
Keys
Whereas in the States everyone keeps track of their own hotel key/card, here you leave them at the desk and pick them back up when you get back. Therefore, you should also make an effort to remember your room number........ We learn as we go :)
Agua
When out at restaurants, you will almost always get a complimentary glass of water...soda water. If you want normal water, you have to ask for it "sin gas" (non-carbonated), which is usually bottled and costs money.
Adulthood
Life seems to start a bit later for Chileans. College can take way longer than the typical 5 years if a class is dropped or flunked because class schedules are so tight that they have to wait for another year (rather than semester) to retake it. And this is often the case, so I've been told. Children live with their parents into their 30s or until they get married.
The typical dance and pride of Chilean tradition is the cueca. Antonio told me that it's based on "el gallo coqueteando con la gallina" - that is, a rooster wooing a hen. It's actually really intricate; some friends of mine went to a cueca class and came out a bit dazed haha. There's a lot of special garb that goes with it, but the most important prop is a pañuelo, or handkerchief. I found this random youtube video for whoever actually wants to see it, cause heaven knows I won't be doing it for you anytime soon :)Cueca
An unknown concept here, kind of like timeliness. I've resorted to telling the waiter that we're splitting the check before we order, after we finish, and, if we're using cards, writing out the amount to be charged to each.
Greeting
Kissing on the cheek here is the equivalent of shaking hands. I'm pretty used to this from Central America, but it's gotten to be confusing when you run into other gringos; now it's hard to distinguish who to kiss on the cheek and who's exempt.
Ethnic Diversity
Does not exist. Chile is incredibly homogeneous. Not that I'm condemning it for being that way; immigration is a super recent phenomenon in these parts - within the past ten years, according to one prof.
Mapuche
The Mapuches are the Chilean indigenous population, originating in the South. A lot of names are of Mapuche origin, as well as some scattered vocabulary. Pololo, for example, is the Chilean word (only Chilean, not Spanish as a whole) for "boyfriend" and comes from a Mapuche term meaning "to go around," finding further roots in the Mapuche name for insects that were attracted to and would fly around lights. Kinda geeky, but I think it's cool :)Colectivos
Colectivos are the midway point between micros and taxis. They're privately-owned cars that have an established route and pick up multiple people at a time; a little more convenient than micros but not quite expensive as a taxi. I've yet to brave them, though, cause I still don't understand exactly how the system works...
Family
The concept of family and independence is totally different from in the States. Here, families have a lot of kids, who all tend to stick close to home for a long time. Most adults are still living with or close to their parents until they marry. Moving away for school or work is pretty unheard of; a lot of people commute long distances because moving out doesn't even come to mind. The U.S. mindset has an "independent" flavor that doesn't see family ties as binding; Chileans may take time to study abroad or travel, but they always end up back with their family.
Language Education
I actually really like the Chilean system for teaching foreign language. There are any given number of "colegios," or schools, that are affiliated with some other culture; for example, there's the Italian school, the French school, the British school, the German school, etc. As soon as kids enter school at our kindergarten equivalent, they start learning their respective language. Florencia, Alice's granddaughter, goes to the British school and at five years old is already learning English basics. Marie's host sisters, ages six and eleven, are pretty fluent in French already. By the time they reach high school, they're proficient in their language, and of course they can continue that education in university. That being said, most Chileans that I've met speak pretty good English, if not other European languages. I think that totally beats the U.S. system of starting foreign language in high school and maybe possibly taking another semester or two in university.
Personal Space
This isn't so much an issue with people being physically too close to you; it's more like nobody respects the fact that you or anyone else is present and does whatever they want as loud as they want. E.g., playing music on the bus in the wee hours of the morning or having a lengthy phone conversation in your room as you're clearly asleep. PDA is overt and widespread. Pedestrian traffic is also sketchy; nobody makes any real effort to change their course, so if it looks like you're gonna collide it's safest for you to take action and step aside. Everybody's just in their own little world, so they don't even think to be considerate of time or setting.
Classism
There are obvious differences in the classes here, and everyone is pretty judgmental of anyone outside of their own class. Obviously, the middle class is predominant, and then there's the flaites, or uneducated underclass, who have their own subculture with its own connotations and stereotypes. But aside from huge rifts like that, there's a general lack of respect even between consumer-employee relationships.
Strikes
Strikes and protests are super common for just about anything; healthcare, education... I saw a protest once demanding that a big-name pharmacy pay for a fire that destroyed several buildings in Valparaíso. Also, the high school near me was out on strike for a good month and a half or two months because the students wanted free education. There were broken chairs hanging over the top of the gate encircling the campus, music blasting at all hours, and kids hanging around outside with tin cans asking for donations.
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