Up until this point, I have known absolutely nothing about the Chilean family with whom I will be living. This afternoon we were all given sheets of paper with the addresses of our families, plus the names of the mothers. I found it ironic that only the mothers' names were given to us and not the fathers'. The idea of the domestic and public sphere of the Chilean family seems to be very conservative, and the general rule is that the mother will care more about looking after the children than the father will.
Most of the other kids' families live in the rich eastern suburbs of the city, in places like Providencia or Las Condes. My family lives in the center of Santiago. I think one distinct advantage to this is that I will not have to worry about long commutes to get to class. (Especially now that the implementation of the Transantiago scheme has had severe impact on the punctuality of the city's mass transit system.) Another guy in the program needed to go collect a suitcase from a hostel he had been staying at prior to the orientation, and he invited me to come along with him after we found out that his hostel was close to the address of my family.
The address was an apartment building, and it looks like any other apartment building in Santiago. Someone made a mean joke about me having to sleep on the balcony. Nearby is the Club Hipico, which is Santiago's main horse-racing track. It was something that immediately made me feel at home.
This evening I led a group of people I have met during the orientation to the restaurant where I ate my first dinner in Chile two weeks ago. It is a small place with a lot of atmosphere, and I had decided to try to go there on my last night in Santiago, but unfortunately the couple who runs it are moving to Slovenia next month.
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2 comments:
Matt,
I'm sure the family's living situation will be more positive that you're thinking it will be. It'll really give you a chance to experience the real Chile. And I'm betting they're just as wealthy as the rest of the host families solely because they participate in a program like this.
Enjoy the warmth while we suffer seven degree temperatures here in Kentucky!
On an aside, I've never been more glad that I was unable to hire you than I am today. See why here: http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/16711322.htm
-Jake
I would like to respectfully disagree with Jake in assuming anything about the family based upon their desire to host an American. There are many kinds of families who choose to host foreigners for a variety of reasons.
And the "real" Chile is whatever Chile you experience. There is no positive or negative about a family situation (unless it puts you in danger or makes you miserable). It is what it is. Es lo que es. Punto.
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