Books

Save money - get the book before you go

Matthew Hintsa

06 Feb 2009

Chile

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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 high, so if you thought that Lonely Planet book was expensive in the US, don't even think of stepping into a bookstore in Chile. Have a comprehensive guide with you before you arrive. While it's not a book, I find that browsing photos on flickr can give you a good idea of the vibe a country before you even set foot on its soil.

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Getting Around

In a metro, far far away

Matthew Hintsa

10 Feb 2009

Chile

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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 years ago, so everything was very high-tech. The metro stations looked like Star Wars sets, and platforms and individual metro cars were equipped with flat-screen TVs that displayed news clips, soccer highlights, weather forecasts, currency exchange rates, bloopers clips, and much more. I also used Santiago's public bus system, TranSantiago, occasionally. While Chileans will not stop complaining about its inefficiencies, I found it to be relatively efficient and easy to navigate compared to systems in other cities.

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Festivals & Events

Fiestas Patrias - independence day

Matthew Hintsa

06 Feb 2009

Chile

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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' are big parties that take place all over the country that week, featuring lots of dancing (the Cueca is the national dance of Chile and is a big part of Fiestas Patrias), food (all kinds of grilled meat), and drink (notably, chicha, a drink made from fermented apples or grapes). Families get together for big celebrations that week, with many Santiaguinos (residents of Santiago) leaving the city for spots on the coast or in the country.

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Must Do

Get out of Santiago

Matthew Hintsa

10 Feb 2009

Chile

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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 the world's driest desert in the north and fjords and Patagonia in the south, with lots to see in between. Traveling between cities is simple and affordable, so there's no reason not to do it.

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Etiquette

Keep your shoes on

Matthew Hintsa

06 Feb 2009

Chile

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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.

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Food

Try the local seafood and beef

Matthew Hintsa

06 Feb 2009

Chile

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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 la Plancha (Grilled Conger) is a personal favorite. If you happen to be in Puerto Montt in the south of Chile, stop by the fishing port of Angelmó and step into a 'concinería', a small, often family-owned restaurant with only a few tables at most. I visited Local 21C a couple of times when I was down there and loved it. Beef was also a big hit. All of the beef I ate in restaurants was spectacular and available for a fraction of the price it would cost in the US. Most likely, it's also grass-fed.

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Film

Films to check out

Matthew Hintsa

06 Feb 2009

Chile

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'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 of life during that turbulent area, especially regarding the impact of the dictatorship on the education system. As a primer to Latin America as a whole, I love 'The Motorcycle Diaries', about the life of Che Guevara. Some sections of the movie take place in Chile.

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Packing

Bring layers

Matthew Hintsa

06 Feb 2009

Chile

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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 spring, so Santiago was still chilly. At night, when temperatures got down to the high 30s and low 40s, my host family's apartment would be in the 50s at best. What helped me adjust? Lots of layers of clothes. Gloves would've been a good addition to the wardrobe, especially for typing on my laptop. I used almost everything that I packed, which was a broad range of clothes, from a coat and tie to hiking boots and a gore-tex jacket.

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Religion

Catholic but not crusaders

Matthew Hintsa

10 Feb 2009

Chile

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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 in the United States, but I don't live in a very religious part of the United States (suburban Connecticut). I did not attend a religious service while abroad.

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Politics

Politics as usual

Matthew Hintsa

10 Feb 2009

Chile

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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 of change in the US was always a topic. Domestic political issues ranging from healthcare to pension plans to public transportation funding are always making headlines and thereby fueling conversations. There are no major political struggles that directly impact the well-being of visiting foreigners, although during my visit, all public sector workers stopped working for a period of four days, which caused some disruptions.

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Music

Pop music is American music

Matthew Hintsa

06 Feb 2009

Chile

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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 de Santiago's Line 4, the flat-screen TVs on board often show music videos. Having to watch the music video for "I kissed a girl" multiple times a day on public transportation is slightly awkward (from the viewpoint of being an American and realizing what Chileans must think of our culture) and annoying. Rock and metal tend to be popular, and much to my dismay, I never found a Chilean who shared my interest in electronic music (specifically trance). I actually discovered more Chilean artists via the iTunes Music Store and music-geared web 2.0 site last.fm (www.last.fm) than I did from my experience in Chile. If that doesn't say something about the globalization of music, I don't know what does.

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Sports

Soccer, that's it

Matthew Hintsa

10 Feb 2009

Chile

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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; they're professionals. I was also surprised and slightly put off by the absolute domination of soccer in the world of sports in Chile. I know it's popular, but basically no other type of sport was ever covered on the news.

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TV

Ross and Rachel live on

Matthew Hintsa

10 Feb 2009

Chile

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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 shows that I don't even get at home in the US. I didn't watch too much Chilean television because almost all of it (even weather reports on the evening news, with seriously fake-tanned and fake-blonde women) would be categorized in the 'trashy' category, in my book. I couldn't stand to ever finish even a half-hour telenovela (soap opera).

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Fashion

Heavy metal fans welcome

Matthew Hintsa

06 Feb 2009

Chile

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There's a disturbingly high concentration of oversized black t-shirts with the names of bands like Megadeth and Iron Maiden.

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Dating

Boyfriends and girlfriends are part of the family

Matthew Hintsa

06 Feb 2009

Chile

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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 to be much more integrated into family life than is the norm in the US. On multiple occasions, my host family would have a long afternoon of meals on a Saturday or Sunday, and my host cousins would be accompanied by their boyfriends and girlfriends at my host family's apartment. At one point, I was even crammed into a five-person car with five other people (making six): my host uncle, his wife, their two sons (ages 8 and 21), and the older son's girlfriend. The whole situation seemed like social suicide in a US context, but it was perfectly acceptable in Chile.

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Health

Be wary of the tap water

Matthew Hintsa

06 Feb 2009

Chile

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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, northern Chile has some groundwater contamination issues that are the result of copper mining. Take precautions with food that you would take in any developing country; don't eat fruits you haven't peeled yourself, etc. Do some research about the area you're in before consuming raw seafood due to possible red tide contamination.

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Slang

Th wrst-spkn Spnsh

Matthew Hintsa

10 Feb 2009

Chile

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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 provide for a linguistic adventure that can prove to be frustrating at times (or quite often).

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Nightlife

18 to party

Matthew Hintsa

10 Feb 2009

Chile

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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 wasn't very impressed with any of the clubs I went to. Reggae and reggaeton tend to dominate the club music scene, and only for about five minutes at one club did I hear any electronic music. Since I judge clubs based on their amount of actually good dance music, I wouldn't really consider the clubbing scene that great in Chile. Additionally, barrio Bellavista, where most of Santiago's nightlife is centered, is sketchy come sundown, to say the least. Stay with a friend or two at all times.

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Being an American

Don't fret, but also don't yell

Matthew Hintsa

06 Feb 2009

Chile

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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. Occasionally, Chileans would criticize US government actions in conversation, but all that I conversed with understood the distinction between the beliefs of an individual and the beliefs of that person's government. Following Barack Obama's election, I was personally congratulated multiple times by Chileans (including random ones on the street). To be well-received, the most obvious suggestion I have is to not speak in the infamous loud English that American tourists tend to speak in when abroad (or at home). Keep your voice at a reasonable level like everyone else on the street, and you'll reduce the chance of attracting any unwanted attention (the little that there is).

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