The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly: 3 Month Checkin
It is hard to believe that March 1st will be three full months that I have been in Santiago. In some ways, it feels much longer when I look at the friendships I have developed. In other ways, it feels much shorter when I look at all I have seen here. This past week I took a look back at my bullet journal to remember all the experiences I have had since landing here. Below is my list of the good, the bad, and the ugly in Santiago from my three-month perspective.
The Good
The People
The people living here in Santiago are next-level helpful and nice. Every single person I have met here has introduced me to someone else and my network continues to increase. This sentiment applies to even the people working at the supermarkets. Since I have started back up with my Russian tutoring, I have had more than one occasion where I have switched words around in my response to someone here, and every time I profusely apologize. Without exception, everyone assures me that my Spanish is really good and not to worry about it. That type of caring and laid-back mentality truly is the mood of the city.
Environmentalism
Chile as a whole is extremely active in its efforts to save the planet. From constantly pushing eco-tourism to becoming the first country in Latin America to adopt a Recycling and Extended Producer Liability Law. (The legislation focuses on reducing the amount of waste produced and sent to landfills, notably by making producers and importers responsible for the disposal of their products at the end of their product life). It’s not strange to see an outdoor store - think North Face - next to Gucci. Here in Chile exploring the wild is a luxury that everyone has access to. I particularly love how active the recycling program is even here in my building. The local level of the country’s environmental efforts definitely reflects the same feeling throughout Chile.
Safety
Santiago is just like any large city in the USA or any European country. There are areas that are super safe and areas that as Mufasa said to Simba in the Lion King, “That's beyond our borders. You must never go there”. My area (Las Condes/Providencia/Vitacura) is very safe and I have walked home at night on more than one occasion due to the 10 PM curfew feeling secure. As for the rest of the city, just be careful. As long as you do the basic city stuff - don’t flash designer labels, don’t put your bag on the back of a chair, etc. - you’ll be fine. I also have to note under safety that I have not been catcalled once since being here and as a female that is great! Santiago is a great place to travel alone as a woman or as part of a group.
The Bad
Covid-19 Restrictions
I think this one actually goes without mentioning but Chile has been incredibly strict with Covid-19 restrictions. While this has curbed the spread it has not been implemented with the same level of severity across the board. In some cases, it’s taken to the extreme. For example, visitors to the national art museum are limited to three groups per day with a maximum of 25 per group, and everyone is limited to only one hour because the cleaning staff comes in right after each group and deep cleans the areas. It may seem like a great concept on the surface but if you contrast it with the fact that there is no limit on how many people can be on a city bus then it seems a bit overdone.
Shipping
I never thought I would say I miss Amazon but I do. Shipping items to Chile takes an extremely long time and is very expensive. The same is true on the other side. When I originally flew down I came with my really nice coffee maker and a Vitamix. Both of these shorted the house and after two uses were put back in a bag. I would love to be able to ship them home but I’m not paying $200 for it. Those items will have to stay in the cabinet for now.
Earthquakes
Before arriving I knew that earthquakes in this region are common but I didn’t realize how common. During the past 30 days, the Santiago area was shaken by three quakes of magnitude 4.0 or above, 17 quakes between 3.0 and 4.0, and 29 quakes between 2.0 and 3.0. While they may not be particularly strong or devastating, Chile leads the world in earthquake engineering and structural dynamics, it does take time to get used to. Especially when they wake you up in the middle of the night - so scary.
Language
I am constantly convinced my friends are messing with me when it comes to Chilean Spanish. Chileans have their own take on everything. When I first arrived I felt really secure in my Spanish and while it has improved since being here, I do find myself doubting words since I know that there is an alternative word in Chile. Words for everything from how to ask, “Do you understand?” to describing people’s appearances are unique here in Chile. It has been a lot to learn.
The Ugly
Racism
I only want to touch upon this briefly since it has come up in many of my conversations. There are all races here in Santiago. If you have a moment the Wikipedia page on Chileans really is fascinating. Since the earthquake in Haiti in 2010, the Chilean government has opened its borders to immigrants from the country which has highlighted an already strong racial tension. The majority of the black population here is either from Brazil - i.e. Portuguese speaking - or from Haiti - i.e. French-speaking. The linguistic differences have increased the gap and it can be felt throughout the city.
Protests
What started in 2019 in response to an increase in the metro fare in Santiago has grown to encompass so much more - including the recent vote to rewrite the dictatorship-era constitution. The ongoing clash between protestors occurs in all cities in the country and can happen at any time. Last Friday I found myself closer to downtown in the late afternoon. When I turned a corner I was met with armored police tanks and police officers in full gear walking the streets. It really took me back. I later learned that it was something the police have started doing every weekend, now that the weekend quarantine is lifted, to keep protestors at bay. It seems that only time will tell if the intimidation tactics really will slow the protestors.
Overall this country is amazing. Santiago has been so much fun to live in and I can not wait to see the adventures that await me in the next three months. As Ernest Hemingway said, “In order to write about life first you must live it.” Amen to that!
