mil tambores

In Chilean Universities there is no mid semester break but they make up for this in three day weekends.  It seems that no Chilean actually knows what these national holidays are celebrating but they are always put to great use as the majority of the people take little trips to other parts of Chile. This past weekend I spent with my roommates by the beach in Valparaíso for a carnival called Mil Tambores para Violeta Parra.  Violeta Parra was an important Chilean folk artist during the forties, fifties, and sixties, also known for her political activism.  The carnival Mil Tambores, or a thousand drums, is a free event that has activities all over the city with concerts, parades, parties and drum circles on every corner.  Even at the bus station from Santiago every other person had a drum in hand in preparation for the carnival that takes place over the entire long weekend.

We arrived Saturday afternoon and found it very difficult to find space in a hostel on account of the long weekend in addition to the carnival that had the city full of visitors.  After walking all over town we were successful; we dropped off our things and headed out.  For dinner we went to my roommate Pancho’s favorite restaurant and had a very Chilean meal.  We ate a chorrillana which consists of a huge plate of french fries topped with onions, some sort of meat, and a fried egg on top, washed down with an Escudo, one of Chile’s most popular national beers.  From the restaurant we made our way to the top of one of Valparaíso’s cerros, or hills, to see one of the carnival’s many concerts.          

The concert was in a huge tent, filled with people dancing and enjoying the wide variety of bands.  Along with the live music the show also included many different types of dance performances, theatre, and an acrobat who danced on two colorful silks hanging high above the crowd.  This Chilean concert that was scheduled to go until 10pm of course continued until 2am, when the real party began.  We followed a huge mass of people with drums down the cerro, we did not actually know them or where they were headed but given Pancho’s experiences from Mil Tambores in previous years we had a feeling it would end well.  After a fifteen minute walk we were pleased to see we had ended up at the beach where there were hundreds of people having bonfires, drum circles, and the crazy ones swimming in the freezing cold Pacific.  

The next morning we were determined to eat the free hostel breakfast that was served only until 10am.  So we woke up at 9:45to have breakfast and tea then promptly returned to bed where we stayed until 2pm when the owner of the hostel began banging on our door because we were late to check out.  After leaving the hostel we made our way to yet another beach for the main event of the weekend:   a parade that followed the beautiful Chilean coast line.  Before it began everyone was congregated on the beach, drumming, dancing, and hanging out as we waited for the performers to congregate.  

Parades are done differently in Chile than I am used to in the United States.  The music is better, the performers are racier, and there is nothing to distinguish where the parade ends and the crowd begins.  This lively parade filled with people of all ages twisted its way along the coastline, a perfect backdrop for such a beautiful, colorful event.  In the midst of the dancers, bands, protesters, stilts, and jugglers, I could not resist joining the parade with my hula hoop. 

Click on the photos to see them larger!

me and the roommates! (plus family friend in the middle)

marcha mundial

Yesterday, October 15, Santiago participated in a day of worldwide marches for a global change.  The point of these marches was to unite the global 99% that is taken advantage of by the 1% rich minority and raise awareness about the need to instate a true democracy.  All of Santiago’s repressed were represented:  feministas, humanistas, estudiantes, indigenas, homosexuals, and everyone in between marching with flags, posters, costumes, and musical instruments.  We marched all through the city with countless chants expressing the needs and grievances of this huge group of people, representing those of the world.  There were so many people it was impossible to keep track of those you arrived with, the news estimated close to one hundred thousand individuals!  It was awesome to be able to participate in such a large worldwide movement from Santiago and I hope the rest of the world had an equally successful turnout.  Karl Marx predicted that once capitalism has gone too far, dehumanizing the public and creating an obvious social gap, the people will revolt and the system will be forced to change; I cannot help but wonder if perhaps that revolution has begun.

weird lighting, but a general idea of the huge amount of people

Chilean couple, one wearing the Chilean flag and the other wearing a Mapuche flag (the main indigenous group in Chile)

an important lesson

I went to the grocery store yesterday after being out of town for a few days, so I needed to stock up on a decent amount of items.  It was very busy in the store so I was happy when I found an oddly short line.  After loading my many items onto the belt to be checked out an old Chilean woman began yelling and waving her arms at me.  The Chilean accent is difficult enough to understand as it is, but with this woman’s rage it was impossible to make out her words and next thing I knew she had cut in front of me in line and the checker was scanning her items!  I asked the checker what was going on and she pointed to a sign hanging above the line that said it was reserved for customers in their tercera edad, which literally translates to “third life”.  I was confused about what that meant until I looked at the now long line behind me and saw only senior citizens, all glaring at me.  Apparently tercera edad is the polite way for saying viejos or elderly people.  One by one they proceeded to cut me in line but all my things were already on the belt and I did not want to move it all to another.  After the seventh viejo passed me in line I was finally able to pay for my things and be on my way.  I’ve never had so many old people mad at me in my life!  At least I now know how to politely refer to senior citizens in Spanish.  

The Chilean soccer team is playing a game as I write this blog.  It is not on in my house because I live with the only Chilean male who would rather nap than watch a soccer game (which is perhaps why we get along so well) but it does not matter because every few minutes I hear the reactions of the whole neighborhood from outside my window as Chile scores or makes a bad play.  Based on the excited cheers it sounds like Chile must be having a good game!

three months in chile

What a week!  Had my first essay due in one class and a midterm in another, it was just the academic reality check I needed to get me on track for the semester.  After neglecting weeks of reading I had to make it all up the past week and I do not expect I will do that again as I now understand the time required to read and understand scholarly material written all in Spanish.  As of now my conversational Spanish has improved greatly, but to read dense academic documents is often be very difficult.  That is the last time I put off studying!  This valuable lesson will hopefully stay with me for my remaining time here in Chile.

Yesterday was the three month anniversary of me arriving in Santiago!  Though the three months have gone by quickly I also feel as if I have been living here for much longer.  In just three months I have learned so much and my Spanish has greatly improved, it gets me excited to think about how much more I will know by the time I leave!  

independencia

In Chile the month of September is always a whirlwind.  As spring begins the days become longer and warmer, colorful clothes start to make their appearances along with the frequent smiles on the face of each Chilean.  This is just in time for the independence celebration that continues all month long.  On the 18^th of September, Chile celebrates its independence from Spain that was gained in 1818 (though not officially recognized by Spain until 1840).  Unlike the 4^th of July that is celebrated for that day only, Chileans commemorate all month long and the week of the 18^th parties continue day and night.  During the celebrations there is nobody on the streets, they have all left town to be with family or are barbequing in their homes.  As one Chilean described to me, it is as if the whole nation is celebrating Chile’s birthday.  Chilean flags can be seen billowing from everywhere and the sentiment is reminiscent of 4^th of July…on steroids.     

The entire week of the 18^th I celebrated with as many Chileans as possible, attending barbeques and drinking terremotos (earthquakes) which consist of a white wine that has not finished fermenting, a bitter called Fernet, and a scoop of pineapple ice cream.  On the actual day of the 18^th I was lucky enough to be invited to a Chilean friend’s house to celebrate with his family.  We barbequed and hung out all day and when the sun went down I was taught how to dance the national dance, Cueca, which includes a decent amount of stomping and the constant twirling of a scarf in the right hand.  It might have been the terremotos, but I really won the Chileans over with my Cueca skills and by the end of the night I felt as though I was part of the family.  Since then I have been invited to family events and am getting a deeper look into Chilean life and culture.

The final week of September everyone is so exhausted from the celebrations and behind a few weeks on their studies or work so there is a lot of lost time to be accounted for, which has led to the severe delay in my blogging.  I apologize for this lag, September happened so quickly but I will be sure to update more frequently!        

valparaíso

Since my classes have been sparse the last couple weeks it seemed like a great time to take advantage of the break in the homework for a weekend trip.  Though I am growing to love Santiago it is very grey, the ugly buildings and the winter sky were starting to get to me as I was beginning to feel claustrophobic in this urban setting.  This is my first time living in a big city and while the towering Andes put me in my place this Aquarius needed to be reunited with the Pacific Ocean, where I feel most at home.  Growing up on the California coast sparked my love for the Pacific and when I crossed it in nine days on Semester at Sea my entrancement with the world’s largest, roughest ocean was only heightened.  These factors drew me to Valparaíso this weekend, a city about halfway down Chile’s 4,270 mile coastline.  It only took an hour and a half by bus to get from the base of the Andes in Santiago to Valparaíso; I was curious to see the terrain in between but staying awake during a bus ride proved to be a bit too ambitious for me. 

Upon our arrival my friends and I stumbled upon Hostel Bellavista where we decided to stay because it had a homey feel and was close to downtown as well as the ocean.  We explored a bit and ate at a restaurant recommended to us by Pancho, my Chilean roommate.  It was a local’s spot that seemed to be a place for people to meet up at after work; the tables were full of businessmen winding down on a Friday evening with liters of beer and huge platters of meat.  It was very Chilean and is always nice to be the only gringos in a given place.  Afterwards we experienced the Valparaíso nightlife, which is much more wild than I had anticipated but with the help of some friendly locals we were able to find some fun (and free) places to go.    

       

The next morning was a bit slow.  We enjoyed our free hostel breakfast, which luckily went from 10:30 to noon (they know their clientele), while hanging out with our new Belgian friends who were also staying there and they were able to recommend some things for us to do.  Valparaíso is a very hilly city, each cerro being a different neighborhood.  Valparaíso is also known for their elevators that take you up the side of each cerro, they are a nice alternative to hiking up each hill.  We roamed around until finding Cerro Alegre (happy hill) where I was blown away by the incredible street art and colorful buildings; it was so refreshing after seeing only grey Santiago buildings for the past month and a half, not to mention the backdrop was the beautiful Pacific Ocean!  At the top of another cerro my friends and I enjoyed delicious hot chocolate in the quirky Color Café while enjoying the view and playing a few heated games of Uno.  It was great to see the big blue ocean but seemed a shame that every view was obstructed by a big, poorly placed, building; I tried not to let it get to me.  Because we were still exhausted from the night before it was best to have a mellow night so after some people watching downtown we decided to head back to the hostel for tea and reading. 

After another breakfast with Belgians we packed up our things and headed out for the day.  We ran across another student march (you can’t go far in Chile without finding yourself in the middle of a political demonstration) and then found the local Sunday flea market.  It was so big; people were selling anything you could imagine:  food, clothes, household goods, even all sorts of pets from turtles to bunnies and even ducks!  I picked up The Call of the Wild in Spanish and I’m looking forward to starting it.  From there we found a specific elevator recommended to us by an old Chilean man the day before, Ascensor Polanco, and it took us through a brick tunnel and up to the top of a beautiful cerro overlooking the whole city; it was a great way to end our excursion. 

After walking back down to sea-level I bartered my last 500 pesos for a delicious empanada and we got back onto the bus to Santiago.  I again slept the whole way but when we returned to Santiago and got on the metro headed to the green line I experienced a bizarre sentiment.  It occurred to me that this huge grey city was comforting and when I stepped off the metro at the Parque Bustamante station I felt as though I was home.  While I was looking forward to an escape from this city it was very nice to be back in my neighborhood where the enormous cordillera welcomed me and the familiarity of Santiago made me feel delightfully rooted.  

view from the hostel

beautiful street art

ascensor!

city at sunset

panorama from cerro polanco

en paro

After two weeks of my school being en paro, or on strike, tomorrow I will return to my classes at the Pontifica Universidad Católica de Chile.  It was a big deal that the students at my university voted for this strike in the first place as it is a private university with a wealthier student body; they already have access to a quality education and have therefore been less involved in the fight against the unfair education system.  Students are supposed to vote weekly on whether or not to stay en paro but a letter from the president of my university this week insisted that teachers resume classes or they will lose their jobs.  This is very different from the other universities who have been on strike much longer as the votes of the students are being respected.  It seems quite sad that though the students are trying to help fellow Chileans, the school is not allowing them to do so.  I am actually looking forward to getting back to class, I have way too much free time on my hands which has been great for playing and exploring but I expect once I am in a classroom I will learn even more Spanish and meet even more Chilean friends.  It will be interesting to see how many students actually show up tomorrow!   

a banner at my school, it reads "nobody has ever asked permission to change history"