Trip Version 2.0 - The Santiago Experience
Trip Start
Oct 15, 2009
1
9
Trip End
Jul 31, 2010
Santiago, Chile
Monday, February 22, 2010
I arrived in Santiago with a mission. Having spent three months traveling down the spine of the Andes, meeting an assortment of international travelers, and working day-in and day-out on my Spanish, I would (finally) create a bit of a home for myself. Some of you whirling-dervishes out there may cringe at the thought of staying put any longer than absolutely necessary. But for me, it was chance – really for the first time – to prioritize depth over breadth. I had seen so much of South America in such a short period of time, and I was eager to take part in the things I saw going on around me. Several close friends had emphatically endorsed their time in Santiago, and I decided I would try it out for myself.
Before I get to my activities in (and around) Santiago, however, here's a quick primer on the city…
Not So Chilly in Chile
Santiago is a city of approximately 6 million, and arguably the most beautifully set of any South American city – with stunning mountain views to the Northeast. Clouding up that view all too often, however, is a thick layer of smog – which I'm told is even worse in the winter time. Add to that a pervasive summer heat and its close proximity to resorts on the coast, and you might call Santiago the Los Angeles of South America. And yet not quite. It is culturally distinct in so many ways, remarkably safe, and (eat your heart out Los Angeles) has one of the best public transportation systems on the continent. I have relished living in a city where I have never waited more than 2 minutes for the squeaky clean metro. And when I do wait, I do so standing beneath one of the strategically installed ceiling fans that affectionately sprays a watery-mist on my perspiring body. It may be hot as Haydes in Santiago right now, but with a little help from technology and forward-thinking city planners, the Chilenos seem to survive it better than most.
While there are many areas of the city worth exploring, I settled in the barrio of Bellavista. A vibrant community full of restaurants and nightlife, Bellavista was also the home of the late, great Chilean poet Pablo Neruda for some time. Bellavista provided me with great access to the rest of the city, with its central location and proximity to public transport.
During my time in Santiago, I spent my weekdays studying and working, and my weekends exploring nearby coastal areas and mountains. Here are the big highlights…
Uppin’ the Spanish Ante at Escuela Bellavista
Eager to continue pushing my Spanish skills, I enrolled in the Bellavista Spanish School (Escuela Bellavista) after a long and thorough search for language schools. I should note that whenever I look for a Spanish school, my standards – as a former teacher – are quite high. Small, disorganized operations will not do and I look for schools that offer a hub for meeting locals, participating in family stays, and getting a better sense of the regional history and culture. Escuela Bellavista provided all three and then some, and became one of my main networking resources in the month that I took classes there.
All of my Spanish professors were great, but one – Claudia Frez – deserves special recognition. Anyone who knows Claudia will immediately tell you that – in spite of her diminutive stature – she is a boundless source of energy and positivity. In Claudia, I found not only a skilled teacher, but an excellent conversational partner and friend. Claudia’s passion for travel is evident in her fluency in both French and Spanish, and her ongoing desire to meet new people and visit new places. She also has a soft spot for social causes, and thus we bonded quickly.
In addition to having great teachers, I realized something important in the course of my studies at Escuela Bellavista. That is, my once fledgling Spanish (which prevented me from conversing meaningfully with the stewardess on my flight into Lima) has become - dare I say - quite good. Part of me credits the classes I’ve taken in my travels so far, in addition to being surrounded by Spanish speakers every day. And yet the Spanish language is also buried deeply in my verbal DNA. For those who don’t know, I actually spoke Spanish before English as a wee lad. I had a nanny growing up – Gioco – from Costa Rica, and through her influence ended up speaking Spanish in my formative years. In light of the four years of Spanish I took in high-school, I thus view my current studies as a "re-awakening" of the Spanish I’ve spoken on and off for some time. While I’ve still got a ways to go in re-learning grammar and vocabulary, I was flattered that – in the last month and a half – fewer than 1 in 10 Chilenos tagged me as an American. If you’re somewhere out there, Gioco, I thank you for imprinting on me a decidedly Latino accent, and an ability to roll my r’s with the best of 'em.
My time at Escuela Bellavista was capped-off by an impromptu camping trip that nine of us (7 students, 2 teachers) decided to take last weekend to Cajon de Maipo – a beautiful region in the mountains above Santiago. I can’t remember having so much fun in a long weekend. We had asados each night, hiked up to cascading waterfalls, drank good wine, and – as you can see from the attached video – did a bit of zip-lining (nice work, Marcus). A very special shout-out to our second Spanish teacher in residence on the trip, Sebastian, who couldn’t have been a more fun companion and host.
Seba - si estas leyendo esto, continua tus buenos clases con Claudia en la escuela. Eres un gran amigo, y tienes una casa para quedarte, si alguna vez quieres venir a visitarme en Los Ángeles o en Nueva York!
Consultant Wanted? Working with the Enseña Chile Team
In addition to my Spanish studies, I had another great opportunity to practice my Spanish – and learn more about education reform efforts happening here in Latin America. On the advice of a friend, I connected a few months back with Ashley Olinger, a former Teach For America teacher and Program Director. For the last year, Ashley has been working for Teach For All – the international iteration of Teach For America (see www.teachforallnetwork.org) – helping to manage their expansion to several countries in Latin America. For those of you unfamiliar with Teach For All, I highly recommend checking out their website. They’ve established programs in countries from Chile to Lebanon to South Africa, and are continuing to support social entrepreneurs around the world who hope to replicate the Teach For America model in the US.
When I initially approached Ashley about doing some work with Enseña Chile (eCh) , I floated the idea of being a "strategic consultant" (and a free one) to Enseña Chile’s recruitment team. I was lucky to get an enthusiastic response from both her and the eCh staff members. Now heading into their third year, the eCh team was eager to leverage my recruitment knowledge – and I in turn to practice my Spanish and give them as much support as possible while in town.
Far from feeling like “work,” my 5-week consultancy (if you will) was an ideal way for me to build a community in Santiago and add another dimension to my time in the city. I worked approximately 25 hours a week on a series of four projects I had proposed to the team – and all of it in Spanish. I translated documents, drafted proposals, read copious amounts of eCh literature, and shared ideas on a daily basis with their recruitment and selection staff. I take special pride in getting to the point where I could hold meetings with staff members, present my ideas, and engage in meaningful dialogue. Chilean Spanish is particularly infamous for its “modismos” (slang), dropped s’s at the end of words, and rapid-fire pace. But as I said to my friends at eCh on several occasions, if I can understand and speak Spanish in Chile, I’m fairly confident I can do it anywhere :)
A few special shout-outs are in order to my Enseña Chile crew:
Ashley: Really can’t thank you enough for being such a great host (for my time at eCh) and friend. You’re doing some great work on staff, and I’m only sorry we didn’t have more time for Chilean lunches and after work Sushi with el equipo de Difusión. I may bug you soon about connecting with the Enseña Por Argentina folks, as I would love to be an asset to them if I can be.
Maureen: My Spanish class compañera – I’m so glad we had a chance to meet. I trust that you will keep the Spanish fires burning brightly without me at Escuela Bellavista, and will keep the rooftop pool in good use. I will remember our Saturday “gringo-Americana” breakfast fondly, as I think I’m unlikely to get any whole-wheat, Aunt Jemima pancakes until I head back home :)
Mis Amigos de Enseña Chile: (Bárbara, Diego, Cristián, Beatriz, Alejandra, Rodrigo, Camila, Tomás, Cata, María Luisa, Pía, Ángela, y otros):
¿Qué puedo decir? Me siento muy afortunado que tuve la oportunidad se reunieron todos ustedes - y contribuir a eCh mis pensamientos y ideas a la gran labor que están haciendo. Para mí, fue realmente emocionante ver a un grupo tan talentoso de trabajo hacia una visión de la educación de calidad para la juventud Chilena. Creo que como estadounidenses, es importante que recordemos que estamos en este trabajo en común - y una parte de un movimiento global de emprendedores sociales que trabajan por el cambio.
Para Diego: Gracias por ser un gran amigo y me mostró Ceviche de Chile lo cierto es…
Para Bárbara: Estoy tan contenta de que hayamos tenido la oportunidad de trabajar juntos, y no te preocupes, voy a completer la presentación final pronto!
Para Beatriz: Recuerda, si quieras hablar conmigo de algo, me encantaría por Skype. Espero que algunas de las ideas que siempre será útil.
Para Alejandra: Por fin he abierto la puerta de la manera correcta! ¿Estás orgulloso? :)
Para Cristián: En serio, felicidades por su próximo año en Inglaterra. Estoy orgulloso para usted y esperamos para compartir historias, no importa donde empiezo el año próximo.
Para Camila: Gracias una vez más por la recepción tan maravillosa en eCh. Fue un placer tener la oportunidad de trabajar con usted (especialmente la última semana), y estoy empezando ahora 100 Años de Soledad aunque con un diccionario a mi lado :)
Final Thoughts on Santiago
I can truly say that I’ve walked away from Chile (and Santiago) with a community to look back on, a real sense of the politics and culture, and the experience of being directly involved (not just an observer) in the work going on around me. As I head now to Argentina for the next month, I am excited to take this model of engaged travel with me. There’s still work to be done on my Spanish and additional opportunities to be sought out, but as always, I’m excited to tackle the adventures that lie ahead.
Onward and upward,
David
Comments
Thanks so much, Randy - means a lot that you're enjoying the blog, especially from a fellow blogger :) Glad I was able to get my thoughts collected after the hiatus, and hopefully we'll get some inertia going here!
Give Denise a big hug for me -
All Best,
David
Awesome post Dave! Glad you had such an amazing time in my home away from home. Ya tu sabes hermano!
Glad you enjoyed it, amigo - will try to keep them coming!
DS