Get Real

Tara...hoy te vi en el diario "las ultimas noticias" y de inmediato quise ver tu blog.

Siempre me ha interesado como el extranjero ve a nuestro pa's...y en especial una chica tan atractiva como tu.

Te invito a mi facebook para que conversemos y quizás me des la oportunidad de mostrarte mas de esta linda regi--n.

Espero estés muy bien en valpara'so, viña del mar, quilpué, villa alemana, limache, quillota, etc.

saludos...

Hey, I've been reading your blog since you went to chile... my friend, nicolas (he's chilean, met him in sweden), told me to take a look at it and now I know why!

Let me explain myself... right now, you sound just like what you're, a tourist in a foreign country. Santiago and Valparaiso isn't Chile, far from there actually... those 2 cities "do not" represent the whole reality of the aforementioned country. What I realize when I was there is that you see only what you expect to see. Homeless dogs for example, is kind of shocking when you see it for the first time, but if you try to think like a chilean citizen you'll realize that people there love those animals... that's why you will always see the same dog on an specific street, because the people that lives there feed them and in some way take care of them. So in the end, stray animals aren't such a big problem to chilean people (and they don't throw them in a hole just to kill them a few months later as many "modern" countries do it).

Now, you said before that chile isn't a third world country because "Every home has a computer, every teenager has a cellphone, and all the newest movies are in theatre". Gosh, girl! have you seen how many hours they work per day?! it's amazing, of course, they're not as productive as european people, yet that doesn't really matters, cause at the end of the day the work has been done properly. Politicians aren't corrupt... they also got an incredible high and firm economy. I think that chile isn't a third world country because they know their situation compared to other south american countries, they like that and work their ***** off to keep it that way and improve it if its possible. That's why some people get angry at you I think. Chilean people love their country to death, so to them your analisys may sound "superficial", and to be honest, I think that's true in some way. Obviously, some people take it too seriously.

If you want to see how chile is, try to see beyond what you think is fine or wrong with you. It seems that you are in a burble right now, of course there are poor people living there... I've been in the states before (in LA) and I saw lots of helpless and poor people... the difference is that being you an american, you know where you can and where you can't go while you take a walk. I didn't, and after I read your articles, I feel like I met a part of your country that you seem to know that exist only because TV shows it... So, don't worry about things that most chilean people take for granted. Don't expect to see anything, just live the day and you will realize how cool the country is.

I remember the south of chile, so beautiful I felt I was back in my town in germany while I was there. In santiago there is some kind of neighborhood filled with universities that is also really cool and is plenty of interesting people (and most of them speak english)... so that's my advice, If you want to enjoy and learn from the people, don't care about random things, it's a diferent culture, accept that and you will be fine.

Hi!!! Nice to meet you, I'm from Chile, but I live in Twin Falls, IDAHO!!! HAHAHA, I saw you today in the news paper ( Las Ultimas Noticias, I'm always reading it from internet) haha, and It called my attention that you are from where i live, and I'm from where you are living, hahaha.

I love Chile!!! I miss my language hahaha, I know you are going to have so much fun learning all those words that only Chilean and people who loves Chile can understand. I hope you are learning a lot, I think you are.

Maybe when you come back we can meet. my husband and I live in Twin. We are LDS.

Cuidate y que lo pases chancho!!!

Cuidado con los flaites y cumas. ( I don't like flaites)

Chao!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh, yeah! you need to go to another places, I think... from what i'm reading in your blog (or wherever it's called) haha, you are in like a shock, haha, it's funny the same happened to me when i came to USA and then when i went back to Chile and then again when a came back to USA. haha. it's really different but i love it.

I invite you to see much farder, too see the thing like a Chilean. Oh, in my mom's home, in CHile, i can put toilet paper in the WC. so it's good if you don't generalized. My husband when he went to Chile for the first time, he thought was different about the "calefont" and the dogs and the people selling stuff in the streets, but. hahaha I love all that, it's so ... diferent than here in US. I think people here in the States are in a burble, and i'm happy for you, because you have the opportunity to see other things, another reality of the world. Good for you.

Take care.

Hola de nuevo tara, tu nuevo articulo habla de que eres una persona educada y que realmente no te percataste que muchos de nosotros somos asiduos cibernautas y que nos atrevemos a dar nuestra opinion, Te felicito por tu nuevo post, y como lo hice anteriormente, aun debes recorrer un poco mas de nuestro Pa's, te invito a que conozcas el sur de Chile... un abrazo y espero que tu opinion cambie y si no lo hace discutamos algunos puntos.... perdon de nuevo por escribir en español.

Tara:

I'd read about you from a chilean newspaper and I'm very interesting on your comments about our idiosincrasy and culture.

Keeping on conociendonos mas, amiga!!

Bye

Tara, Perhaps if people new more about the rural area you are from, they wouldn't be so apt to miss judge your intent. Some are assuming you are from a big city. Some of your comments have a whole different meaning to a city dweller than to a country dweller.

Hector Bravo....leyendo tu post por favor, enviame las coordenadas de el pais que vives tupara comprar un pasaje altiro, da la impresion que con un par de cifras Chile tiene mejor nivel de vida en promedio que los EEUU!!! realmente insolito tu correo.

hello Tara,

Very nice to read your blog about Chile.keep on writing more!

greetings from The Netherlands,

Paul and Veronica

HI Tara:

Here's a link to get a "gringo's vision" of Chile.

This site is so COOL and it will HELP YOU with "Chilean Slang" and "Chilean Spanish".

www.joeskitchen.com/chile/culture/slang.htm

He is LDS member like me, but that's just a detail.

I live in Viña del Mar, I enjoy EVERYDAY taking a hot water shower, our WC works perfectly, my bedroom has enough space for a BIG bed, a closet, a desk, a big TV and others stuffs,

I have a 2007's car and I'm NOT rich, even more I'm already unemployed...Hahaha.

I have good "North american" friends: If you want you can email back.

Chao!!

Hello Tara,

I know how you feel, I was student in Valparaiso, long time ago, later I went to work there for five years and also was teacher in the university you are studying now.

Valparaiso is a town lost in time, affect your mod, most probably will give a wrong perspective of the country ... believe you will be better in Vina del Mar. In winter is a great town (Vina) to stay (for students). Great to walk in San Martin street, great go out with friends, great to workout there also.

Also, suggest, whenever you can .. visit south of Chile (Temuco, Puerto Varas, Valdivia). The food, the people, look different down there, ... after a fantastic dinner in Puerto Montt ... looking to the end of the world, no fears of anything .. sure you will consider different that part of the world.

Regards,

ps.

Now I'm living in US ...

Hi Tara, I was a pleasantly surprised to read on one of the Chilean papers online of your "visit" to our country. I must tell you I am a little bit concerned about the impression that you are having about Chile.

I realize you've only been in this country for very short period of time and your first impressions are not too favorable. You have to be a little more realistic about the way you are describing your early experience here, especially when you are trying to learn the field of reporting (I guess your major is Communications?)

Obviously you are not being objective enough, you are obviously in a bad situation where you are living now and you are letting yourself be taken by first impressions.

I happen to know the area where you are writing from and I tell you, in no way, shape or form it represents your typical Chilean life (especially in Vina del Mar).

You talk about not having a dryer or hot water or some of the basic necessities that you take for granted in the states; well, if you went and visit some other states in the United States you would also find yourself missing all those necessities that we all too often take for granted back home. I understand you are very young and perhaps haven't been to too many places in the States but I assure you that the same conditions that you describe in your piece can be found in the States in a lot of the poorest cities and neighborhoods throughout the country. I know this because I am a Chilean who has lived and still do, in the United States for 38 years, with 2 kids your age (my youngest is the same age as you).

My 19 year-old visited Chile for the first time last year after graduating from High School, we live in a beautiful state here in the U.S. (as I'm sure you do); he doesn't speak any spanish at all (I'm sure you do more than him) and stayed in Vina near where you are now (that's why I know you are in the wrong neighborhood and also the wrong season, specially in Vina) and his opinion of this country, as opposed to yours, is way different. He can't wait to go back in December for an extended period of time (planning to do a semester at one of the many universities in Vina).

I guess what I'm trying to tell you is not to judge a book by its cover, wait a little bit until you have an educated opinion of this city (by the way, this is only "one" city you are visiting not the entire "country"), you need to move out of that area and go to a better situation, meet people, go places like malls, attend events, universities, where you can talk to people your own age and perhaps also meet some exchange students (you'll be surprised how many American students there are in Vina) and then perhaps you'll give a more fair description and opinion about this beautiful country you are in.

Think about it and make this a great experience. You shouldn't be depriving yourself of the simple things in Chile because they are there, try to find the comforts you have at home, it's not difficult to do this, Chile is a very up-to-date country, I am sure you'll find this out if you have patience and give it a little bit of time.

Good Luck!

Hi Tara,

I have read your posts and some of the responses as well. I am chilean, live in Boise Idaho since 2003. I moved here when I was 27. I can see where you come from with your comments, my husband is from Boise and I have showed him a lot of Chile including Santiago, Vina del Mar, Valparaiso, the south and a little town in the north called Combarbala.

He had and has still a lot of ideas from Chile that are hard to remove... the first time I took him downtown in Santiago he still decided to eat at burger king. He wondered what people do in Combarbala for entertainment since there is "absolutely nothing to do there". We did have our car broken-in three times in the last 2 visits, which of course does not happen very often in Boise...

But again, I dont go around saying I know the USA cause I have lived in Idaho. I am from Santiago from a family that belongs to the 90% richest people and my nanny was NOT my servant. Servants or slaves is something the USA had not too long ago. We do have a big gap between richest and poorest but we are a growing country. Here in the US there are also rich families with nannies and maids, and nobody refers to them as "servants".

I would say that as that other guy from Germany wrote before you need to see the country with fresh eyes.

Take care and have fun...

Ana

I think the title of this post pretty much sums up what my fellow Chileans should do: get real. You don't have to apologize about anything, Tara. You have every right to state your opinions about our country. Sometimes it's just harder for people to understand things from the eyes of an outsider. Ironically enough, that seems to be the only way to really see things the way they really are. People who were born and raised here can be biased, and you seem to understand that, so thank you for taking it into consideration.

I hope you enjoy your time here in Chile and that you can take valuable lessons back home with you.