Matthew Hintsa
I'm a senior at Cornell University, where I study International Agriculture & Rural Development. During the fall semester of 2008, I studied economic development & globalization with SIT Study Abroad in Chile. During my time in the country, I served as one of eight Glimpse student correspondents for the semester. I currently serve as photography editor for The Cornell Daily Sun, Cornell University's independent, daily, student-run newspaper.
Hometown: Westport, CT
School: Cornell University
Abroad Program: School for International Training (SIT)
Where I've Lived Abroad: Santiago, Chile
Stories
Chile
HOW TO: Master The Micro In Santiago
Mention “Transantiago” to any Santiago resident and you likely will elicit looks of frustration and discontent. The city’s recently revamped bus system was implemented in early 2007, with the ... read more
27 Feb 2009
Chile
The Upstanding Citizens Who Rummage Through My Trash
Walking through the center of Santiago one day in October, an American friend of mine drops her empty soda bottle ... read more
09 Apr 2009
Insider Tips
Chile
Don't fret, but also don't yell
In general, Chileans are comfortable with Americans. Never over the course of my nearly four months in the country did I receive any backlash as a result of being American ... read more
06 Feb 2009
Chile
Save money - get the book before you go
I made the mistake of heading down to Chile with one travel guide that was better for its photos than anything else. Taxes on imported books in Chile are prohibitively ... read more
06 Feb 2009
Chile
Bring layers
The hardest thing for me to adjust to was the lack of heat in Chilean residences. I arrived in the country in August, about a month before the start of ... read more
06 Feb 2009
Chile
Boyfriends and girlfriends are part of the family
Boyfriends and girlfriends (pololos and pololas, respectively; not novios and novias as I had learned in the US, because 'novios' are engaged lovers rather than simple boyfriends and girlfriends) tend ... read more
06 Feb 2009
Chile
Greet with a kiss on the cheek
Introductions and greetings between two women and between a man and woman (but not between men unless they're close family/friends) always start out with a kiss on the ... read more
06 Feb 2009
Chile
Keep your shoes on
When entering a home, it's expected that you will keep your shoes on, rather than the typical custom of taking them off upon entry in some US homes. read more
06 Feb 2009
Chile
Be fashionably late for parties, on-time for meetings
Social engagements may be scheduled for a certain time, but it's best to show up 30-90 minutes after the specified time. If you show up on time, there's ... read more
06 Feb 2009
Chile
Jaywalk at your own peril
Chileans almost never jaywalk. There's a reason for this. Don't attempt it unless the coast is really, really clear. read more
06 Feb 2009
Chile
Don't dress like an American
Try to dress in a slightly sophisticated manner. Maybe swap your New Balance sneakers for something a little less American. If you want to blend in, bring a lot of ... read more
06 Feb 2009
Chile
Shorts are OK
Chileans are generally a bit more stylish than the average American, but not by much. I arrived thinking nobody wore shorts in Chile unless they were at a beach. Wrong. read more
06 Feb 2009
Chile
Heavy metal fans welcome
There's a disturbingly high concentration of oversized black t-shirts with the names of bands like Megadeth and Iron Maiden. read more
06 Feb 2009
Chile
Fiestas Patrias - independence day
The week(end) of September 18th is arguably Chile's most important festival / celebration. It goes by the name of 'Fiestas Patrias' and celebrates Chile's independence from Spain. 'Fondas ... read more
06 Feb 2009
Chile
Films to check out
'Machuca' tells the story of two boys from different socioeconomic backgrounds in Santiago who befriend each other during Pinochet's 1973 coup d'etat. The movie gives a good impression ... read more
06 Feb 2009
Chile
Try the local seafood and beef
Chile isn't known worldwide for its food, but I had some impressive meals during my time in the country. You'll definitely want to try some seafood. Congrio a ... read more
06 Feb 2009
Chile
Be wary of the tap water
I didn't experience any health problems while I was in Chile. For prospective travelers, I recommend checking with locals before drinking tap water outside of major cities. For example ... read more
06 Feb 2009
Chile
Pop music is American music
The music scene, as I usually discover in any foreign country, is disappointingly yet understandably dominated by US artists. For example, on the seriously high-tech metro trains on the Metro ... read more
06 Feb 2009
Chile
Climb Cerro San Cristobal for the view
Santiago's Cerro San Cristobal is a large hill in the north-central part of the city where you can get great views of the city and the nearby Andes Mountains ... read more
06 Feb 2009
Chile
18 to party
The nightlife scene is markedly different in that I can actually get into clubs in Chile. Most clubs are 18+, as opposed to 21+ in the US. That said, I ... read more
10 Feb 2009
Chile
Chile hands
I wish I had packed gloves for my numb hands while inside my host family's unheated apartment. read more
10 Feb 2009
Chile
Politics as usual
Chileans are constantly complaining about their political situations and discussing the political situations of the major world players. In the conversations I was a part of, Obama and the promise ... read more
10 Feb 2009
Chile
Catholic but not crusaders
A high percentage of Chileans claim to be Catholic, but those who regularly attend church are much smaller in number. People are generally more religious than I'm accustomed to ... read more
10 Feb 2009
Chile
Th wrst-spkn Spnsh
Chilean Spanish is known throughout the Spanish-speaking world as being the worst-spoken Spanish anywhere. Letters are chopped off of words, countless colloquial expressions are scattered throughout sentences, and other obstacles ... read more
10 Feb 2009
Chile
Don't run from the po
My favorite part of Chilean Spanish is the use of the suffix "-po" at the end of a word or phrase that deserves extra emphasis. Saying "Sípo!" instead of "Sí ... read more
10 Feb 2009
Chile
Soccer, that's it
The most surprising aspect of sports in Chile was that despite the fact that there are university soccer teams, the players on those teams aren't students at that university ... read more
10 Feb 2009
Chile
In a metro, far far away
In Santiago, I usually took the Metro de Santiago, which is South America's most extensive subway network. The line I used most, Line 4, was completed only about four ... read more
10 Feb 2009
Chile
Bed and breakfast on the bus
Between cities, I used the efficient, comfortable, and affordable inter-city bus system. I took a 12.5 hour overnight bus from Santiago to the southern city of Puerto Montt on ... read more
10 Feb 2009
Chile
Ross and Rachel live on
Friends, the universally popular American sitcom, is -- not surprisingly -- popular in Chile. My host brother got HBO on his TV so he was often watching Arrested Development or other similar ... read more
10 Feb 2009
Chile
Get out of Santiago
Leave Santiago. Don't visit Chile and stay in the Región Metropolitana the entire time. Doing so would be a big mistake because Chile is an incredibly diverse country with ... read more
![<p>Pepe and Vicki, I learn, have lived together as unmarried partners for 28 years and have been working as <em>cartoneros</em> for the past six months. Between trips to the local recycling center a couple of times a week, they store their gathered items on their property. Rates for cardboard run around 25 Chilean pesos (4 cents) per pound, newspapers around 20 pesos per pound, white paper 55, and aluminum 200. The couple also sells many of their found items at a <em>ferias libres</em>, or open markets of sorts, that take place a few times a week in different parts of Santiago. “Imagine, if you try to go work for the municipality, they’re going to pay you how much? Maybe 200,000 pesos [per month]... that's not enough!” Pepe tells me. “But sometimes we can make up to 30,000 pesos in a day!” <br />
</p>](http://media.glimpse.org/uploads/mZLUOU/small.png)
![<p>Pepe and Vicki, I learn, have lived together as unmarried partners for 28 years and have been working as <em>cartoneros</em> for the past six months. Between trips to the local recycling center a couple of times a week, they store their gathered items on their property. Rates for cardboard run around 25 Chilean pesos (4 cents) per pound, newspapers around 20 pesos per pound, white paper 55, and aluminum 200. The couple also sells many of their found items at a <em>ferias libres</em>, or open markets of sorts, that take place a few times a week in different parts of Santiago. “Imagine, if you try to go work for the municipality, they’re going to pay you how much? Maybe 200,000 pesos [per month]... that's not enough!” Pepe tells me. “But sometimes we can make up to 30,000 pesos in a day!” <br />
</p>](http://media.glimpse.org/uploads/mZLUOU/large.png)
