Again, here’s a bit of Isabel Allende, because she describes Chile so darn well: “I grew up with jokes about Galicians, Jews, and Turks. Our humor is black. We never let an opportunity pass to make fun of other people, whoever they may be: deaf mutes, the retarded, epileptics, people of color, homosexuals, priests, and the homeless. We have jokes about all religions and races. The first time I heard the expression “politically correct” I was forty-five years old, and I have never been able to explain to friends or relatives in Chile what that means.”
And thus has been my experience so far. In the same sentence my host mom managed to say that she’s not racist, that she thinks Asian men are ugly, and referred to Barack Obama as “negrecito,” which basically means “little black man,” all without thinking twice about this so-called “political correctness.” Interesting, to say the least. Allende notes that “Chileans don’t talk in terms of ‘racism’ but, rather, of ‘the class system’ (they love euphemisms), but there is little difference between them. Not only do racism and/or class consciousness exist, they are as deeply rooted as molars. Whoever maintains that racism is a thing of the past is dead wrong.” To illustrate: walking through the center of Santiago today, my host mom said that she can determine one’s social class by the color of their skin. She’s probably correct about 95% of the time. But “así es la vida.”
All this is to say that I’m starting to get a feel for Chile (Make no mistake: it's absolutely beautiful, and I LOVE it!). Orientation was a few days of paradise in a town on the beach called Algorrobo. Our group arrived in Santiago yesterday afternoon; now we have the entire weekend to spend with our host families. My family consists of just me and my host mom, who is 38 and one of the strongest and most interesting women I have ever met. She teaches Chilean history to middle school and high school students, so, needless to say, I’ve already received a few history lessons myself. She’ll be a great resource for me when classes start. We live in a cute little apartment just a 6-minute metro ride to the city center.
The SIT group consists of 15 people from all over the United States (and one from Quito, Ecuador). We are a super diverse group in terms of beliefs, ethnicity, Spanish level, home States, personality, you name it, and so far we’re getting along very well.
On Monday we will take a Spanish placement exam and begin classes soon after, along with the rest of the Chilean students, who are returning from summer break. And then the program officially begins!
In other news, the fannypack is back in style. Maybe you didn't get the memo.
And thus has been my experience so far. In the same sentence my host mom managed to say that she’s not racist, that she thinks Asian men are ugly, and referred to Barack Obama as “negrecito,” which basically means “little black man,” all without thinking twice about this so-called “political correctness.” Interesting, to say the least. Allende notes that “Chileans don’t talk in terms of ‘racism’ but, rather, of ‘the class system’ (they love euphemisms), but there is little difference between them. Not only do racism and/or class consciousness exist, they are as deeply rooted as molars. Whoever maintains that racism is a thing of the past is dead wrong.” To illustrate: walking through the center of Santiago today, my host mom said that she can determine one’s social class by the color of their skin. She’s probably correct about 95% of the time. But “así es la vida.”
All this is to say that I’m starting to get a feel for Chile (Make no mistake: it's absolutely beautiful, and I LOVE it!). Orientation was a few days of paradise in a town on the beach called Algorrobo. Our group arrived in Santiago yesterday afternoon; now we have the entire weekend to spend with our host families. My family consists of just me and my host mom, who is 38 and one of the strongest and most interesting women I have ever met. She teaches Chilean history to middle school and high school students, so, needless to say, I’ve already received a few history lessons myself. She’ll be a great resource for me when classes start. We live in a cute little apartment just a 6-minute metro ride to the city center.
The SIT group consists of 15 people from all over the United States (and one from Quito, Ecuador). We are a super diverse group in terms of beliefs, ethnicity, Spanish level, home States, personality, you name it, and so far we’re getting along very well.
On Monday we will take a Spanish placement exam and begin classes soon after, along with the rest of the Chilean students, who are returning from summer break. And then the program officially begins!
In other news, the fannypack is back in style. Maybe you didn't get the memo.
And now I'll leave you with a few pictures...
The view from our hotel rooms in Algarrobo, the orientation site.
Will, Lauren, and Byron.
Lauren, Me, Kaia, Leland, Rachel, Maya, and Ali.
My new home.
Minette, our cat. This one is for you, Miss Nagel.
The view of Santiago from our balcony.
Cuidense!
Jenna
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