Police Brutality? – Pacos ql?

A man stands alone at the top of the terrace steps, behind him the crowd backs en masse downwards. Filtering towards the pitch. The man stands, arms spread wide, belting out his chant of ‘Pacos quliaooooo!’. ‘Motherfudging police’ in other words. The police advance swiftly and menacingly, dressed head to toe in riot gear they give the impression of being a corrupted version of the Ninja Turtles. Batons are raised, and blows come raining down. Ten feet away the noise is still sickening. They target his chest and legs as he is not using violence against them. In the words of a friend ‘He took it like a champion’. He unflinchingly took six or seven heavy hits and for a moment there was hesitation on the part of the police as to what to do. If strength of arms wouldn’t move this man then what would? They experienced a brief moment of fear before he eventually backed down and clambered down the terrace.

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Un hombre se queda solo en la cima de las escaleras, el público retrocede atras. Hacia abajo, hacia la cancha. El hombre se queda solo, los brazos extendidos, gritando ‘Pacos quliaaooo!’. Los pacos avanzan, de manera rapido y amenazando. En sus equipos antidisturbios son muy parecidos a los Tortugas Ninja. Las batutas se levantan, y los golpes vienen lloviendo. Diez pies de de distancia el ruido sigue siendo repugnante. Van dirigidos a su pecho y piernas, ya que no está usando la violencia contra ellos. En las palabras de un amigo ‘lo tomó como un campeón “.  Tomó resueltamente seis o siete golpes pesados ​​y por un momento  hubo vacilación por parte de la policía en cuanto a qué hacer. Si la fuerza de las armas no se movería este hombre, entonces ¿cuál sería? Ellos experimentaron un breve momento de miedo antes de que finalmente se echó atrás y bajó por la terraza. Hay que entender la situación en que los pacos se encuentran para entender ‘la violencia’. Cuando esten en una tribuna con 10000 hinchas y solamente están 20 pacos hay que hacer algo para mantener el orden. En este país me parece que la policia es visto (en algunos círculos) como un enemigo, y usan cualquier excuso para tirar les una piedra o peor. Entonces puede ser que la brutalidad que usan los pacos es proporcionado?

“You have something on your face!”

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This all happened before the game even kicked off. I did not see what happened in the build up to the incident but it left me certain that Chilean police would make great hurlers. It does have to be noted that in many cases the violence used by the police is proportionate and also widely accepted. People (a certain type) will think nothing of getting a few belts, its just part of the fun. At first it seemed to be the height of brutality, armoured police laying into civilians with abandon but that was before the reasoning became apparent. People (again a certain type) will take any opportunity to throw stones and rocks at the police. After matches police, mounted police and the vehicles are pelted with stones and larger rocks. Big enough to kill in many cases which explains the Ninja Turtle inspired fashion. It becomes easier to understand why the police are so brutal when they are faced with such brutality themselves. In Ireland, a gruff ‘Move along there, lads.’ usually suffices but here a more hands on approach is needed. The question to ask is where did the inicial violence come from? The people or the police? With Chiles dictatorial history one tends to think it could be the latter.

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Changing the subject hugely, I’d like to dedicate this small part of the internet to my friend, Richard Browne. The year has passed very quickly since his tragic death. The last time I saw Richie was at a informatory talk in the International Office back in UCD. It was a relating to studying abroad in the next year. Here I am now on the other side of the planet, I do not know how seriously you were considering it but it is indescribably unfair that you never got the chance. It is a mark of the many lives that Richie impacted on that he is being remembered on literally every corner of the world. It shows that he most certainly wont be forgotten.

Superclásicos and Earthquakes

Call me old fashioned but when the ceiling and the walls begin to shake it qualifies as an earthquake. 5.7 on the Richter Scale and it equated to about 30 seconds of shaking with about 2 seconds of quite strong movement. Chileans will tell of course that it was only a tremor and in reality it was. The only reason it moved higher up the scale was the momentary increase in strength. Seatown has thankfully been free from seismic activity for many years now, so naturally it was my first experience. What struck me was the noise; a low roar which went on steadily before ceasing almost instantly. The other thing of note was the brief sensation that the situation was completely out of my control. A rarity when you think of it, if the quake had intensified there is nothing that anyone could do to stop it. Granted this may seem obvious but in this man made world there are few things that we cannot control.

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En mi aviso, cuando el techo y los muros empiezan a mover se califica como un terremoto. 5.7 en la escala de Richter y duró como 30 segundos con dos de movimiento fuerte. Por supuesto los Chilenos dicen que fue solamente un temblor y en realidad eso es lo que fue . La única razón que era mas alto en la escala fue el aumento momentáneo de la fuerza. Naturalmente fue mi primera experiencia de un temblor. Lo que fue interesante fue el ruido, un ruido sordo saliendo de la tierra y también la sensación de una falta de control. Como humanos somos capaces de controlar la mayor parte de lo que sucede en nuestro mundo. Es raro encontrar algo fuera de este control.

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On to the Superclásico, Chile’s biggest derby game. Fought between the country’s two biggest sides; Colo Colo and Universidad de Chile. I was ‘seated’ with the home fans behind the goal for the above game winning strike, it was incredible, absolute pandemonium. Definitely one of the best moments I have witnessed in football or any other sport.  The importance of this game to both sets of fans cannot be understated. The hatred between them is exceptional, obsessionistic and of course dangerous. I would have been to 5 or 6  games in that particular stadium and on Sunday the police presence was tripled from previous engagements. Arriving early is crucial, I have had a few ‘interesting’ experiences when I wasn’t at the stadium at least an hour and a half before kickoff. On Sunday the security operation reached airport levels, xray machines, fingerprint scanners and at least 3 body (thankfully not cavity) searches. Inside the stadium itself  the atmosphere was, to fall in to a cliché, electric. Incessant and abusive chanting throughout the 90 minutes and as much before and afterwards combined with fireworks, flares and huge flags. The game itself wasn’t great, La U had a man sent off early on and were forced to sit back whilst Colo Colo seemed short of ideas for most of the game. The goal itself was an outpouring of the frustration that had built up during the previous 77 minutes and resulted in absolutely ridiculous scenes in the terraces.

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El Superclásico, un partido conocido por todos los Chilenos y yo tuve la suerte de estar en el Estadio Monumental el domingo pasado. Sin embargo en la tribuna Arica (o el galeria sur) al lado de la Garra Blanca. Fue mi quinto o sexto partido en ese estadio pero fue el mejor por lejos. El golazo de Muñoz resultó en pandemonio en las tribunas y fue uno de los mejores momentos deportivos que he experimentado en mi vida. Viendo Colo Colo me da la oportunidad de hablar con gente que normalmente no encuentro en mi vida acá en Santiago. El domingo fue un grupo de hombres desde  la comuna de La Pintana. No son gente que normalmente encuentras en el Campus en San Joaquin. Tengo que decir que fueron de muy buena onda y muy interesados en como ‘Ese weon de Irlanda cacha el Colo, weon!’ Nunca tuve una mala experiencia en el Monumental y ojalá que siga así.

Great view for the goal.

Aside from the Clásico I also managed to take in Chile versus Argentina in the World Cup Qualifiers and another game last Thursday night also squeezing in a few evenings out. All in all a good way to celebrate turning 21. That particular milestone does not seem to have quite the same significance in South America, most Chileans will carry on living at home into their late twenties and turning 21 doesn’t appear to have the same trappings of adulthood that it would bring at home. Needless to say this leads to a complete lack Rock the Boat in the Rugby Club after several helpings chicken curry. Although, there were times when I longed for the sound of a DJ telling everyone to get to the ‘danceflawhr’. Having missed a week of posting with the birthday it was hard to organize my thoughts and find room for everything in one post. Normally seeing Lionel Messi in the flesh would come out on top but such was the intensity of Sunday’s derby that it took precedence. The Colo Colo game raised some interesting thoughts about police heavy handedness and its perception here. Something I hopefully will write about next week. 

Señor Presidente

The world is undeniably quite small. Currently I am 7134.6 miles from my diesel soaked corner of County Louth. However it would be quite possible for me to arrive at my front door before this time tomorrow, if I won the lotto. The fact that President Higgins was in Dundalk a mere four weeks ago where he encountered my sister and became the 512th person to receive a painting from my father makes it even seem even smaller. Over the three days that he was here in Chile I had the opportunity to have  a chat with him twice. To give him credit he did seem to recall his visit to the town,hey.

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El mundo es innegablemente pequeño. Actualmente estoy a 7134.6 de mi esquina- empapada de bencina- de Irlanda. Sin embargo, sería completamente posible llegar a mi puerta mañana por la mañana, si ganara la lotería. El hecho que el Presidente de Irlanda fuera a mi pueblo hace cuatro semanas, se reuniera con mi hermana y recibiera un cuadro de mi padre (¡la 512 persona en recibir uno!) lo hace parecer aún más pequeño. Durante los tres días que estuvo acá en Chile tuve la oportunidad de hablar con él las dos veces, y para darle crédito, él parecía recordar su visita a mi pueblo.

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On a more serious note; Michael D was brilliant. That is a statement that comes from someone who is generally passive on the subject of politicians and extremely so given our current and recent generations of clannish bluffers. Chileans were downright shocked by his level of knowledge on all things South American and all round intellectual ability. He had the respect and ability to speak in Spanish before going on to enunciate on a whole range of topics. I am no economist but it was easy to appreciate his understanding and knowledge on the subject, he even branched off to a reference on theoretical physics to answer a question from the audience. The Chilean president is a George Bush type of figure, infamous for making the same sort of idiotic contradictions and as such is a stark contrast to the Galway man. They were again surprised to find that a man of such knowledge such as Higgins had no real power or say in the day to day running of the country. It does make one think, in a month when Enda Kenny graces the cover of no less a publication than Time, that surely such a mind could be of more use in our current situation. Completely hypothetical of course, and I acknowledge that it takes more than brain power, plus a striking significance to a certain fictional character, to run a country.

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De manera más seria; Michael D estuvo excepcional. Los chilenos se sorprendieron completamente por su nivel de conocimientos sobre todas las cosas de América Latina y toda su capacidad intelectual. Tuvo el respeto y la capacidad de hablar en español antes de pasar a hablar sobre una amplia gama de temas. Yo no soy economista pero era fácil de apreciar su inteligencia y conocimiento sobre el tema. El presidente chileno es un tipo de figura parecida a George Bush, famoso por hacer el mismo tipo de contradicciones idiotas y es un contraste marcado con el hombre de Galway. Se sorprendieron nuevamente al sorprender que un hombre de conocimientos, tal como Higgins no tiene ningún poder real en el día a día del país. Esto se hace pensar cuando Enda Kenny apareció en la portada de una publicación ni más ni menos que en ‘Time’, diciendo que seguramente una mente así puede ser más útil en nuestra situación actual. Por supuesto, completamente hipotético. Reconozco que se necesita más que el poder del cerebro, además de una semejanza llamativa a un personaje de los libros de Harry Potter, para gobernar un país.

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The last day of the Presidents visit was marked by a reception by Santiago’s Irish community. Until that point I hadn’t encountered anyone from our fair isle but on Friday night I found myself surrounded. Prononciation of ‘th’s’ was minimal and it was very enjoyable to be able to have culturally confident conversations of which the highlight was undoubtedly discussing Dundalk’s own Jinx Lennon with a man who hailed from Shelbyville. Needless to say alcohol was the only ‘Irish’ beverage or food on offer and perhaps a discussion on that and how the outside world perceives us would be best left for another day. The overall emotion of the visit as a whole was one of pride. I have only been away from the land of chicken fillet rolls for just over two months, for others it mattered more. I met two nuns who have been doing volunteer work in Puente Alto (a very, very poor suburb of Santiago) for the last 45 years. The last president they saw was a certain Éamon de Valera.

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Pickpockets – Los Ladrones

Naturally before moving to a city on the other side of the world one would read up about the potential dangers of living there. A quick google search on the hazardous side of Santiago will yield various results. The one that rises to the top however is the pickpockets. All the guides mention them at some point and a more determined search provides a large amount of angry accounts from those who have fallen foul. One even portrays Santiago as a kind of  ‘school for pickpockets’ where they learn their trade before heading off to prey on gullible city dwellers around the world. Reading such vitriol definitely coloured my opinion before my arrival. In those first few days everyone was a thief; the woman with the pram, the guy in the football jersey and definitely the guy with the mullet of MacGyver proportions. In the playful chaos of a packed metro or bus its easy to see how your effects could be snatched unbeknownst to you.

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Naturalmente, una persona antes de mudarse a una ciudad al otro lado del mundo leería sobre las amenazas potenciales con las que puede encontrarse en viviendo allá. Una rápida búsqueda en Google acerca del lado peligroso de Santiago va a presentar varios resultados. Sin embargo, el más común son los ladrones. Todas las guías los mencionan en algún momento y una búsqueda más detallada produce cuentas enojadas de los que han sufrido a las manos de los ladrones. Uno incluso describe Santiago como un tipo de “escuela para los carteristas”, donde aprenden su comercio antes de salir a aprovecharse de los ingenuos habitantes de la ciudades en todo el mundo. Leyendo estas historias definitivamente había influenciado un poco mi opinión. En aquellos primeros días, todo el mundo era un ladrón, la mujer con el cochecito, el chico con la camiseta de fútbol y, definitivamente, el tipo con el choco de proporciones MacGyver. En el caos lúdico de un metro o un autobús lleno es fácil ver cómo tus pertenencias podrían ser arrebatadas sin tu conocimiento.

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Personally I have had only had one experience with a pickpocket in just over 2 months. It occurred on a packed bus at about 9 o clock one evening. There was more than the usual amount of jostling, it involved one man in particular, about 50 years old, moving up and down the bus. This required a lot of pushing and shoving. My first impression was that he was a bit of a fruitcake. His hair strongly resisting gravity and he had the general air of not being quite the full packet of crisps. In hindsight I realize that it was all an act. Draped over his arm was a black jacket case, the kind you get from the dry cleaners, as he moved up and down he was obviously searching for a target. Just as we pulled up to a stop he positioned his jacket so I couldn’t see my pockets and I felt a swift tap on my wallet. Luckily the jeans I was wearing would have been respectable attire for a Smiths music video so he was unable to snatch it. I slapped my hands down and he was gone, off the bus and away. What struck me afterwards was that I can’t have been the first person that he laid his pilfering hands on. We were a good 5 minutes between stops and yet nobody said anything, not even a hint of a ‘Get away from me you ya wee bollox ya!’ to be heard. Triple pronombric Dundalkian rhetoric aside, I found it really strange. I asked several Chileans and the general response was that it was safer to stay out of it, that there was no guarantee that other passengers would back you up and that there is always the possibility of a knife being drawn. They described themselves as being very individualistic country, almost to say that if you get robbed then it is your own fault. An interesting way of looking at things but perhaps not the one I’d like to say that I would choose. The question is what would I do if it happened again? Would you call out an obvious thief in a bus full of strangers? Take note that this thief is sporting a quite impressive but impractical dreadlock mullet.

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Personalmente sólo tuve una experiencia con un carterista hace poco más de 2 meses. Ocurrió en una micro llena, alrededor de las 9 de la noche. Había algo más que la cantidad normal de empujones, se trataba de un hombre en particular, alrededor de 50 años, moviéndose harto en el bus. Mi primera impresión fue que era un poco de un pastel de frutas (no se si traduce pero me encanta esa frase en Inglés, se usa para describir un loco) En retrospectiva, me doy cuenta de que todo era un acto. En su brazo tenía una chaqueta negra y mientras se movía de arriba a abajo estaba obviamente buscando un objetivo. Así como llegamos a una parada se coloca su chaqueta para que no pudiera ver mis bolsillos y sentí un golpecito rápido en mi billetera. Por suerte no pudo robarme y se bajó del tren rápidamente. Lo que me sorprendió después fue que no pude haber sido la primera persona que puso sus manos. Estuvimos por lo menos 5 minutos entre las paradas y nadie dijo nada. Pregunté a algunos amigos Chilenos y me dijeron que esto es normal, que puede ser muy peligroso si dices algo y que hay siempre la posibilidad de un cuchillo o algo así. La pregunta es ¿qué haría yo si hubiera sucedido otra vez? ¿Gritaría que hay un ladrón en un autobús lleno de extraños? Tenga en cuenta que este ladrón tiene un cholo y una chaqueta del Colo.

Fútbol

As a lot of you will know, I am obsessed with football. Completely and utterly. The reality is that it was one of the main reasons that I chose Chile for my year abroad. My knowledge of the country was almost solely based on its football. Its teams, players and style of play were the only thing I could be sure of before coming to the Southern Hemisphere. Since I got here, two months on Thursday, going to matches has been my priority. Currently I ‘ve been to three and have my ticket for a game tonight. I would have obviously liked to have gone to more but it can be hard for foreigners to procure tickets. The second game I went to probably provided the most authentic experience of South American football. The team in question was Colo Colo, the peoples team. Vast areas of Santiago are very poor and the majority of Colo Colo’s fans would come from those communities. This results in a very specific demographic attending these games.

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Como mucha gente sabe, estoy obsesionado con el fútbol. La verdad es que el fútbol Chileno fue uno de las razones principales que elegí Chile para mi año de intercambio. Sigo el fútbol Chileno desde 2006, cuando vi un golazo de Matias Fernandez para Colo Colo. Eso explica mi decision de hacerme hincha de el Colo porque desde este momento tuve un gran interes en este equipo. Hasta ahora fui a tres partidos acá, y tengo mi entrada para un partido de esta noche. Tuve una experiencia muy autentico del fútbol sudamericano cuando fui a ver Colo Colo v Huachipato el domingo pasado. Llegamos tarde al estadio con el resultado que eran filas muy largas con mucha gente tratando de entrar. Pasó el tiempo y empezó el partido con muchas personas fuera del estadio. Cuando marcó el Colo, fue un avalancha en la fila y los pacos empezaron a golpear. Esto pasó pocos metros al frente de mi y fue algo que nunca había experimentado en mi vida. Con suerte entramos después de 35 minutos sin daños. Para el proximo partido, fuimos muy temprano y lo pasó sin incidentes.

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We arrived at the stadium quite late, so did everybody else. This resulted in massive queues outside. I’m taking liberties when I say queues, clumps or swathes would be more correct when used to describe the groupings of waiting people. Time passed and the shoving increased, soon a gate was lifted off its hinges and cast aside. There was no real option but to go with the push until we reached the corrals. By now the game was well under way and after about 20 minutes the worst thing possible happened; Colo Colo scored. The roar came from the stadium and spread ripple like through the ‘queue’. What happened next was what they describe in football lingo here as an ‘avalancha’. Everyone surged forward, I was near the top of the line at this stage, perhaps two persons ahead of me was the line of riot police. Riot police over remind me of the Ninja Turtles, dressed in green, heavily padded and armed with a large wooden stick. I am currently unaware of their sentiments on pizza.

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As the crowd pushed on the police began lashing out, the sound was the worst. Wood on bone as the sticks came crashing down on heads. This occurred perhaps two persons infront of me so I had ringside seats. Needless to say it was effective, nothing stops a person like the fear of having a sturdy piece of oak caress their forehead. Eventually we got in safe and sound after about 35 minutes of the game. The stand we were in is where the Barra locates themselves. The Barra is the group of hardcore fans, dangerous but also the creators of an incredible atmosphere. The chants are endless and constant, ranging from the deepest and most romantic professions of love for the club to the more simple decrying of anyone who doesn’t jump up and down as a flamboyant* homosexual. The air is filled with the aroma of the marijuana, almost everyone in the stand partakes. The only security are the riot police who position themselves pitch side and only get involved when they casually swat hopeful climbers of the the fences following a goal. The fans on a personal level I found to be quite friendly, intrigued as to how some white boy knows all about their beloved team. Their behaviour outside the stadium has led to them having a bad reputation. Its understandable, 50 grown men jumping up and down in a Metro carraige, thumping the ceiling and singing at the top of their voice whilst throwing newspaper confetti about will lead to some criticism.

*They didn’t really say flamboyant.

Food – La Comida

Food. I chose to write about this due to the fact that the last few days here were the Fiestas Patrias, the Chilean equivalent to Independence Day except that they last for about 3 days and are generally a bit wilder. From all the fuss I gathered that they must be the most important three days of the year. This, of course, gives rise to the the opportunity for plenty of eating. As some people will know, I have very little time for vegetarians and thankfully they seem to be a bit of a rarity down here. There is an almost pathological obsession with barbeques. In the days running up to the Fiestas the news featured warnings on the dangers of eating too much meat. Thankfully this nonsense was completely ignored. A barbeque here is not just burgers and a few onions, we’re talking about huge slabs of meat, sausages, chicken and basically anything that once drew breath. Everything is piled above the charcoal and left sizzle away. The simplicity of it all is wonderful and it results in a fantastic array of carnivorous goodness. Salad is generally at a premium.

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La comida. Decidí escribir sobre esto porque los últimos días fueron las Fiestas Patrias acá, el equivalente chileno del Día de la Independencia en los Estados Unidos, excepto que duran aproximadamente 3 días. Esto da lugar para comer un montón. Como algunos saben, yo tengo poco tiempo para vegetarianos y gracias a Dios me parece que no hay muchos acá. Hay una obsesión casi patológica con los asados. En los días antes de las Fiestas las noticias ofrecieron advertencias sobre los peligros de comer demasiada carne. Un asado acá no es sólo hamburguesas y cebollas. Estamos hablando de grandes bloques de carne, salchichas, pollo y básicamente cualquier cosa que alguna vez tomó aire. El resultado es una fantástica variedad de carnes, la ensalada viene en segundo lugar.

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Street food is, for me, another bonus. Perhaps its not always the healthiest option, the stalls would be well avoided by food safety inspectors of a weak countenance, but it is delicious and very affordable. A sopapilla for example, Google tells me it translates to a pumpkin fritter, take from that what you will but at 20 cent a go they are too easy to purchase. You could perhaps describe it as a churro squashed flat and into a circle but it has quite a different taste. Most stalls have a range of delicious hot sauces which I completely ignore and for the safety of the ketchup. Other good foods to find on the street are nuts boiled in honey and the famous completos. A completo is a hotdog, but imagine a hotdog submerged in avocado paste and then topped off with a layer of mayonaise as thick as your finger. I am not as big a fan of the latter but they do come cheap. Empanadas are a classic and are very tasty both off the street and from basically any self respecting food shop, choripans or basically chorizo in bread are also hugely popular and feature at most night time events. Its extremely rare to find any sort of a shindig without someone slaving over hot coals. The food here is great, and in addition Peruvian, Uruguayan, Argentinian and, I’m told, Colombian food is always available.

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La comida de la calle es, para mí, otra ventaja. Tal vez no es siempre la opción más saludable, los puestos estarían bien evitado por los inspectores de seguridad alimentaria, pero es delicioso y muy asequible. Una sopapilla por ejemplo, Google me dice que se traduce en una fritura de calabaza. A los $120 son demasiadas fáciles de comprar. La mayoría de los puestos tienen una gama de deliciosas salsas picantes que me ignoran completamente y voy directamente a la ketchup. Otras comidas buenas para encontrar en la calle son los manis confitado y los famosos Completos. Un completo es un hot dog, pero imagínense un hotdog sumergido en la palta y luego rematado con una capa de mayonesa tan grueso como el dedo. Yo no soy muy fanatico del último, pero son baratos. Las empanadas son un clásico y son muy sabrosos, tanto en la calle y desde prácticamente cualquier tienda de comida, choripans o chorizo ​ en pan son también muy popular y se trovan en la mayoría de los eventos nocturnos. Es extremadamente raro encontrar alguna una fiesta o fonda sin alguien esclavizando sobre las brasas. La comida acá es muy rica y además hay la opción de comer comida desde Peru, Uruguay, Argentina y me han dicho Colombia también.

September 11th – 11 de septiembre

In most countries in the world September 11th has only one significance. Everyone knows what happened 11 years ago and in most places you will find reports of commemorations spread across the media. The lack of commemoration for the hundreds of thousands who have died in the aftermath of September 11th is noticeably absent but that is not the topic today. Here in Chile, the date in question has a completely different significance. You will struggle to find any mention of the attacks in New York in yesterdays newspapers and I did not see any coverage on the TV. Here, September 11th is the anniversary of the ‘golpe de estado’ or the military coup in which Augusto Pinochet came to power in 1973. What followed were 17 years of dictatorship in which thousands suffered or were ‘disappeared’. Not being Chilean I cannot hope to comment on the real significance of this date but it was interesting to experience it, knowing that many of the people I meet every day lived during and in many cases knew people who suffered during that era.

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En la mayoridad de los países del mundo el 11 de septiembre tiene solamente una importancia. Todo el mundo sabe lo que pasó hace 11 años y en la mayor parte de lugares se encuentra reportajes de conmemoraciones a través de la media. La falta de conmemoración para los cientos de miles que han muerto como consecuencia de el 11 de septiembre es notablemente ausente, pero ese no es el tema de hoy. Acá en Chile, la fecha en cuestión tiene un significado completamente diferente. Sería difícil de encontrar  cualquier mención de los atentados de Nueva York en los periódicos de ayer y no vi ninguna cobertura en la televisión.Acá, el 11 de septiembre es el aniversario de la ‘golpe de Estado’ o el golpe militar de Augusto Pinochet, en que asumió el poder en 1973. Lo que siguió fueron 17 años de dictadura en la que miles sufren o han “desaparecido”. Yo no soy Chileno, entonces no puedo aspirar a comentar sobre el verdadero significado de esta fecha pero pienso que sea importante que sé lo que pasó. Es importante porque sé que muchas personas que me encuentro cada día vivían, y en muchos casos conocían a personas que sufrieron, durante esa época.

 

The day itself was a bit strange. For starters Chile were playing Colombia in the World Cup qualifiers here in Santiago. Added to that one of the grand figures of Chilean sport and sports reporting, Sergio Livingstone, passed away at the age of 92. It added a bit of  emotional charge to an already tension filled date. During the week all exchange students received an email warning them to stay away from central areas and to return home by 4 o clock. This was due to the many extremist demonstrations that take place. Chilean friends had also warned about being out and about in the evening.  Chile losing 3-1 probably didn’t help things and by 10 o clock the news was full or reports of disturbances and fires across central Santiago. Brief power cuts and sirens were frequent. The night culminated in the death of a police officer, the hospitalisation of 2 others and the arrest of hundreds of ‘demonstrators’. I had been skeptical on how serious the demonstrations could be but judging from what I read and saw I’m glad I stayed at home.

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El propio día fue un poco extraño. Primeramente Chile estaba jugando Colombia en las eliminatorias de la Copa Mundial acá en Santiago. Añadido a esto una de las grandes figuras del deporte chileno, Sergio Livingstone, falleció a la edad de 92 años. Añadió un poco de carga emocional a una fecha ya llenó de tensión. Durante la semana todos los estudiantes de intercambio recibieron un correo electrónico advirtiéndoles que permanecer lejos de las áreas centrales y regresar a su casa a las 16:00. Algunos amigos Chilenos me dijeron lo mismo. Esto se debió a las manifestaciones extremistas que tienen lugar en este día. La derrota de Chile probablemente no ayudó a las cosas. A las diez las noticias estaban llena con informes de disturbios y incendios en todo el centro de Santiago. Breves cortes de energía y las sirenas eran frecuentes. La noche culminó con la muerte de un caribinero, la hospitalización de otros dos y la detención de cientos de ‘manifestantes’. Yo había sido escéptico sobre la gravedad de las manifestaciones. Con lo que he leído y visto, estoy contento de haber estado en casa.

*Hablantes de Español (o Chileno jaja) si hay algún error avisame! Es el mejor modo de aprender!

Buses – Los Micros

So far I have done around 4 full weeks of university. My timetable is reasonable enough except for Mondays and Wednesdays where I have to be in the class for 8:30 in the morning. The punctuality of Chileans is something for another day but lets say I leave the house at around ten to 8 on both those days. This places me right in the middle of rush hour. Rush hour is insane. The main road beside my apartment turns into a one way street at this time, with a constant stream of cars and buses hurtling along.

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Hasta ahora hice casi 4 semanas de clases en la Católica. Mi horario es razonable excepto lunes y miércoles cuando tengo que estar en clase para 8:30 en la mañana. La puntualidad es un sujeto para un otro día pero digamos que dejo la casa a diez para ocho en estos días. Esto me pone en la mitad de la hora punta. Es una locura! En este momento la calle principal al lado de mi casa se ​​convierte en una calle de sentido único y el tráfico es ininterrumpido y va con mucha velocidad.

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Travelling at this hour is firstly; more expensive and secondly; a struggle. The buses are absolutely jammed. Completely full, sardines, tin etc. Keeping an eye on your pockets is necessary of course but it is just as important to watch where you put your hands. Unintentional groping could very easily occur! At this hour there is no difference between sexes, survival of the fittest. Old women are shunted backwards without a second thought but they manage to give as good as they get. Most mornings its possible to get a free ride by hopping on at the back doors. This, however, can have its risks, just yesterday an unfortunate man boarded just as the doors were shutting. The bus was full, the result; his beije chino wearing backside hanging out all the way down Avenue Irarrárazaval.

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Viajando a esta hora es primero; más caro y segundo; una lucha. Los micros son absolutamente llenos. Totalmente abarrotado. Hay que tener cuidado con tus bolsillos pero es tan importante de ver donde pones tus manos. Tanteo involuntario podría ocurrir muy fácilmente! A esta hora no hay diferencia entre los sexos, es la supervivencia del más apto. Las ancianas se desvían hacia atrás sin un segundo pensamiento, pero se las arreglan para dar tan buena como se ponen. Casi todas las mañanas es posible conseguir un viaje gratis por saltar en las puertas traseras. Esto, sin embargo, puede tener sus riesgos, ayer mismo un pobre hombre abordó mientras las puertas se cerraban. El autobús estaba lleno, el resultado;  su posterior, llevando pantalones de chino, colgando hasta el fondo Irarrárazaval.

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Just a short post this week, I think I will keep them this way. Much easier to read! For more up to date linguistic disasters follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Nocalas

Yep, I just did that.

Un post mucho más corto esta semana. Pienso que me voy a mantenerlos así, mucho más fácil a leer. Para más actualizada desastres lingüísticos sígame en Twitter: https://twitter.com/Nocalas

One Month

Last Thursday was the one month anniversary of my arrival in Chile. Only one month but it feels like it could have been a lot longer. Not  in a negative way, merely in the amount of things that I have seen and done in my time here. I am going to divide this post up into smaller pieces because perhaps some paragraphs will be more interesting to some than others.

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El jueves pasado fue el anniversario de mi llegada en este país. Estoy acá hace solo un més pero me parece mucho más. No es una cosa negativa, es solo porque el numero de cosas que hice acá. Las cosas que vi y hecho. Me voy a dividir este post en pedazos más pequeños, porque tal vez algunos será más interesante para algunas personas.

• First Days –  Primeros Días

 Truth be told my first few days couldn’t have gone better. From finding a great friend in the queue for the visa to receiving a free phone from a kindly but flustered American in the hostel. Finding an apartment had been the only thing that I had been concerned about before my arrival but luckily the second apartment that I visited turned out to be perfect. Located only 15 minutes by train and micro from my campus its ideal. I moved in a mere three days after landing in a cold, cold Santiago. Complete with pool and gym the apartment is great, my two room mates are both Chilean and female. Of course this means that Spanish is the only language spoken in the apartment and that it is spoken at 200 miles an hour.

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La verdad es que mis primeros días no podía haber ido mejor. Encontré un gran amigo en la fila para la visa y recibí un teléfono gratis de un americano amable pero aturdida en el hostel. Encontrar un apartamento había sido lo único que me habían preocupado antes de mi llegada, pero por suerte el segundo departamento que visité era perfecto. Situado a sólo 15 minutos en tren y micro desde mi campus es ideal. Me moví en apenas tres días después de aterrizar en un frío, frío Santiago. Completo con piscina y gimnasio es muy bonito. Mis dos compañeras de depto son Chilenas , entonces eso significa que español es la idioma en la casa y que es hablado muy muy rapido!

• The Language

They don’t speak Spanish here. This is not what I learned in the albeit useless Spanish department in UCD. Chilean spanish is, for want of a better word, terrible. That is not to say that I dont love it. Devoid of the lisp and full of different words and sounds it is fascinating. Some intonations, such as ‘po’, have absolutely no significance whatsoever. This ‘po’ can be placed at the end of almost any word or sentence but it still doesn’t mean anything. The other common word is ‘weon’ which basically translates as ‘dude’ but can be found in a hundred bastardized forms with as many meanings. ‘Wea’ is another one, and surprisingly it is the most similar word to ‘craic’ that I have ever come across and is used in many of the same contexts. Overall the language is quite difficult but I’m very content with my current level, of course some persons are more difficult to understand than others. The fútbol fraternity is one such example.

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No hablan español acá. La idioma acá no es la que aprendí en Dublin. El español Chileno es, a falta de una palabra mejor, terrible. Pero no quiero decir que no me gusta. Desprovisto del ceceo y lleno de palabras y sonidos es fascinante. Algunos entonaciones, como ‘po’, no tiene absolutamente ninguna importancia en absoluto. Este ‘po’ puede colocarse al final de cualquier palabra o frase , pero aún así no quiere decir nada. Una otra palabra común es “weon”, que básicamente se traduce como ‘amigo’, pero se puede encontrar en un centenar de formas bastardas de hartos significados. Wea ‘es otra, y, sorprendentemente, es la palabra más similar a’ craic ‘que yo he encontrado y se utiliza en muchos de los mismos contextos. En general, el lenguaje es bastante difícil, pero estoy muy contento con mi nivel actual, por supuesto, algunas personas son más difíciles de entender que otras. La fraternidad de fútbol es uno de esos ejemplos.

• Fútbol

Before coming here I would have considered my football vocabulary to be my perhaps my strongest area of Spanish. Alas it is not so here, I’ve had to re learn most of the terms and am still searching for direct translations of some of our more agricultural terminology. Amazingly I get to play football 3 times a week here for credits, and again it is very different. The positions are much more defined and the pace a lot slower. Still its a great way to get to know more Chileans and speak more Chilean. As far as viewing matches is concerned I’ve only been to one. Various circumstances such as stadium bans and ticket problems have prevented me from going every week. I should be in a position to remedy that this weekend however. The game I did go to was amazing, seeing Neymar and Ganso was worth it but the atmosphere was what it was really about. Its difficult to describe but for 90 minutes the fans didn’t stop chanting, flares were of course very prevalent and I improved my swear word vocabulary hugely over the course of the evening. As far as matches go, I cannot wait to go again and I am already sure that, for me, they will be the best thing about this year.

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Antes de venir aquí me hubiera fijado en mi vocabulario futbolístico a ser tal vez  mayor área de español. Por desgracia no es así acá, he tenido que volver a aprender la mayoría de los términos y todavía estoy en busca de traducciones directas de algunos de nuestros como la terminología agrícola. Sorprendentemente me pongo a jugar fútbol tres veces a la semana aquí para créditos, y de nuevo es muy diferente. Las posiciones son mucho más definido y el ritmo más lento mucho. Aún así es una gran manera de conocer a más chilenos y hablar más ‘Chileno’.  Por lo que se refiere a los partidos vistos solo he estado en uno. Diversas circunstancias como las prohibiciones de acceso y problemas de entradas me han impedido ir todas las semanas. El partido que fui era muy bien, viendo Neymar y Ganso vale la pena pero el ambiente fue increíble. Es difícil de describir, pero durante 90 minutos, los aficionados no dejen de cantar,  las bengalas tenían siempre una presencia! En cuanto a los partidos , no puedo esperar a volver y ya estoy seguro de que, para mí, que los serán los mejores cosa de este año.

• Friends

Again I’ve been lucky in terms of friends, there are over 500 exchange students in Universidad Catolica resulting in a plethora of persons in a similar situation to me. I’ve met people from all over the world and have had plenty of opportunities to practice my French and Italian as well. Santiago is such a big city that there is always something to do, I’ve attended a Gypsy music festival and intend going to a Reggae one this Thursday. I try and stay away from the classic exchange student nights as to improve my Spanish but at other times its nice to relax and speak English. Americans are plentiful and I can count many of them as friends and I also encountered a few English last weekend and despite their obvious failings, they too are a great bunch to talk to. Speaking with French and Italian folk usually results in a hybrid Franish or Spitalian but it is the kind of mental gymnastics that I need to practice for future endeavors.

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Una vez más tuve suerte, esta vez en términos de amigos, hay más de 500 estudiantes de intercambio en la Universidad Católica que resulta en una gran cantidad de personas en una situación similar a mí. Conocí a gente de todo el mundo y tuve un montón de oportunidades para practicar mi francés e italiano. Santiago es una ciudad tan grande que siempre hay algo que hacer, fui a un festival de música gitana y tengo la intención de ir a un festival de Reggae este jueves. Trato de permanecer lejos de las noches estudiantiles, clásicos de intercambio, para mejorar mi español, pero en otras ocasiones es agradable para relajarse y hablar Inglés. Los estadounidenses son abundantes y que puedo contar con muchos de ellos como amigos y encontré also Ingleses en el fin de semana pasado y a pesar de sus evidentes fracasos, ellos también son un gran grupo con quien puedo hablar. Hablando con la gente francesa e italiana por lo general resulta en un híbrido Franish o Spitalian pero es la tipa de gimnasia mental que tengo que practicar para proyectos futuros.

• University

I get the opportunity for more of this in my classes. I made the highly intelligent decision of choosing Quechua as a new language to learn. Giving Irelands current economic climate surely someone who speaks an ancient Andean language will be sought after? In reality it is fascinating. Learning a new linguistic system and how grew with the Inca culture throughout part of Latin America. For those of you struggling to imagine what Quechua sounds like, think Age of Empires II when you chose Aztecs or the film Apocalypto. Quechua is the language of the Incas but you get the idea. Classes last an hour and a half and my professor usually takes a break about an hour in with the class as a whole singing a song. Interesting and actually quite enjoyable. Yes, even for me! Other than I take Italian and a class on Don Quixote, nothing fascinating to report other than my Italian teachers general exasperation at all things South American.

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Tengo la oportunidad de hacer más de esto en mis clases. Tomé la decisión muy inteligente de elegir quechua como nueva idioma de aprender. Dando Irelands actual clima económico seguramente alguien que habla un idioma antiguo andino será buscada? En realidad, es fascinante. Aprender un nuevo sistema lingüístico y de cómo creció con la cultura Inca a lo largo de parte de América Latina. Para aquellos de ustedes luchando para imaginar lo que suena como el quechua, piensa Age of Empires II cuando eligió aztecas o la película Apocalypto. Quechua es el idioma de los incas, pero usted consigue la idea. Las clases duran una hora y media y mi profesor por lo general se toma un descanso donde la clase canto una canción. Interesante y en realidad bastante agradable. Sí, incluso para mí! Aparte de que el italiano y una clase sobre Don Quijote, nada fascinante para informar que no sea exasperación general mi maestro italiano en todas las cosas de América del Sur.

For now, I think that will do. There is so much more to do, but for a start I think this is plenty. Hopefully I will be able to keep this updated regularly enough with upcoming features on the absolutely nuts transport system and more about the general day to day living. To lay on the cheese a bit thicker I must say that it was the best decision I’ve ever made in coming here.

Eso es todo para hoy. Tengo mucho mas que decir pero espero que lo haré tiempo para hacerlo actualizado. El decision que tomé de venir acá era uno de los mejores de mi vida.