My Olympics Post: Maybe they just didn’t know better?

I saw this posted on a friend’s Facebook and immediately had to weigh in: Spanish basketball team poses for offensive picture

I’m struck by how much my sensitivity to matters of race and ethnicity has been dulled in my five months in Chile. The first time that someone did the “slanty eye” gesture at me here, I was absolutely aghast. Having worked at a Chinese American community organization for three years, I knew inside and out the origins and the meanings of words like “chink” and that if someone did that to my kid on the playground, it was not right. I was so attuned to such things that I’m sure that I could have come to blows over it.

Being out of my cultural context, though, I have had opportunity to reconsider the motivations behind these actions. I still think that those things are unacceptable in the US, where race is constantly discussed and debated and where people should “just know better.” However, since coming to Chile, I have met many well educated Chileans who swear that pulling at your eyes to indicate that someone is Asian is entirely well-meaning and without malice and ill-intent. I’ve commented to people who have done to me that it’s very offensive, and they are really, genuinely surprised. I’ve even sat through a Bible study at a church where a little girl pulled at her eyes at me and no one flinched. (ed’s note: I have even surveyed said Chileans to ask whether I personally have “Asian eyes.” They really do take a second look and tell me yes.)

It happens so much that I’m inclined to believe that the Spanish basketball team and their photographer really didn’t think of it as offensive. Now, I don’t know how many more Chinese live in Spain than in Chile, but Chinese Chileans haven’t made much of an effort to educate their countrymen - is it their impetus? I’m not sure.

Back in Santiago

Sorry about the lack of blog postings “from the road” as I’d previously promised. Turns out that they don’t have highspeed internet in the jungle. Who’d have thought?

I’m back in Santiago and am in the middle of sorting through over two gigabytes of photos and video… in the meanwhile, kudos and a shoutout to Sherwin and Meredith T, will miss our commiserating!

 

The three of us in Valle de la Luna, San Pedro de Atacama

Museo de la Nación

Visited two of Lima’s premiere museums today: the publicly funded Museo de la Nación and the private Museo Larco. The thought of private museums might seem somewhat odd - as they are privately held and privately funded for profit institutions - but the Museo Larco has an absolutely spectacular collection that public institutions cannot rival. They also open their collections storage areas up for public viewing: this is more for the effect than for actual educational good, I think, but it is absolutely mind-blowing to stand in a virtual “library” of tens of thousands of pieces of Peruvian Mochica pottery, all categorized by shape and size.

The Museo de la Nación is currently housing the exhibit Yuyanapaq: Para Recordar, one of the most meaningful exhibits that I have seen in a long, long time. It is a product of Peru’s Comisión de la Verdad y Reconciliación, formed after the decades of violence, terrorism, and disappearances wrought by guerilla groups and the Peruvian government from 1980-2000. Through photojournalism, quotes from the commission findings and a good deal of text, it outlines the story of what happened to the 69,000 dead and the countless other disappeared persons. I was shocked to see this kind of comprehensive, unflinching (and often graphic) exhibit in such a large institution. I’d thought that the “Museum of the Nation” would be mostly filled with pre and post Colombian artifacts, with some contemporary art thrown in for good measure, so it was a surprise to spend the majority of my time at this museum immersed in Peru’s more recent (and, in some sense, more relevant) past.

Aprovechando

I hoped that vacation would be a little less hectic than this past semester, but in an attempt to see as much as I could in four weeks time, I planned a grand tour of “all the places within reach that are warmer than Santiago.” I’ll be writing from the road for the next few weeks, in the company of my “uncle” Sherwin (really my mom’s cousin, but it’s easier to call him Uncle Sher) and Meredith T. Here’s what we’ve got up our sleeve…

July 17-18: Valparaíso, Chile
July 20-23: Lima, Peru
July 23-25: Lake Titicaca (Puno, Peru)
July 25-31: Manu National Park, Peru
July 31-August 1: Cusco, Peru*
August 4-8: San Pedro de Atacama, Chile

Initial impressions…

I waited ages to visit Valparaíso - longer than any of the other WorldTeach volunteers, I think - because I’d heard so many comparisons to San Francisco and was apprehensive to really see it and judge for myself. I’m happy to report that Valpo is a marvelous, charming city that is absolutely nothing like my hometown… it’s as if San Francisco was stuck in a bohemian time warp, walloped with color and the sea, turned its right angles on their heads, and sucked clean of gentrification. I don’t think that I could ever live in Valparaíso - San Francisco is more my speed - but I walked around mouth agape for two days straight.

We’ve now been in Lima for two days before heading to Cusco on Wednesday. Went to the Barrio Chino in Lima Centro this afternoon. Oh, how I missed gai may baau.

Photos for all of my travels will be posted upon my return!

* No, not visiting Machu Picchu. It’s a long (well, not long, but laborous) story.

Patriot in a Foreign Land

While you were watching fireworks or enjoying another sunny July day this past Friday, I got my butt out of bed at the unreasonable hour of 7 AM (1 ½ hours before my normal wake-up time these days) and walked to the US Embassy in Santiago. The US Embassy hosts a morning flag-raising ceremony to celebrate the 4th, and this year’s events were sponsored by Starbucks and California Creations, a catering company based in Santiago. Only passport-wielding Americans and their family were allowed to attend.

San Francisco isn’t a warm place in July, but a winter morning in Santiago? Uf. The patriotic-song-singing and remarks by the ambassador and other speakers were mercifully short though unremarkable, and then the crowd hustled itself inside for free coffee and chocolate chip cookies.

Ben and Marisa at the US Embassy on the Fourth of July

I was surprised that a handful of my students wished me a “feliz día de independencia” before taking their final written exams. I would be hard-pressed to name the independence days of other nations. (Chile celebrates its Fiestas Patrias in mid-September, in case you’re wondering… they’re rumored to be a big, big deal.)

Being American in Chile hasn’t been as startling as I expected – but then, I haven’t had the same heated conversations about American foreign policy and our President that other volunteers seem to be dealing with. I chalk it up to having to convince Chileans that I am an American based on appearances alone. Before an oral quiz this week, two of my basic students confided that when they first discovered that I was their English teacher, they doubted my teaching abilities. A Chinese woman teaching English? “Qué raro.” It wasn’t until they overheard me talking with other volunteers in the teacher’s lounge that they believed I was a native speaker.

You might think that these situations are incredibly fomé (lame, stupid) and exasperating, but I have actually become quite tolerant of these conversations and have come to welcome questions like these. Who can blame Chileans for thinking that Americans are all blond and blue-eyed (or that the American inner-city is a complete crime-ridden ghetto) if that’s all they see in movies and television shows? I love seeing that moment of surprise when I tell someone that my family has lived in the States for over a century, that Spanish is way better than my Cantonese will ever be, and that there are many, many Asians in San Francisco. It tweaks their idea of who an American is ever so slightly and gives them a little taste of American diversity, which, in addition to “ethnic”, also comes in flavors like “socioeconomic” and “political opinion”.

Ending this entry on a food-related note, Lise passed along a free cooking magazine from our supermarket, “Sabores del Mundo: Estados Unidos.” The introduction notes, “One of the most important aspects of American cuisine is the fusion of multiple ethnic foods and regional styles.” So, what do Chileans consider American food? The recipes include:

- Shrimps Creole (“Camarones Criollos”)
- Pork Ribs with Barbecue Sauce (“Costillas de cerdo con salsa barbecue”)
- Coleslaw (“Ensalada coleslaw”)
- Onion rings (“Anillos de cebolla”)
- Herb crusted beef roast (“Roast beef a las hierbas”) with baked potatoes
- Pumpkin pie (“Pastel de zapallo”)
- Rocky Road Brownies (“Brownies Con Marshmallows”)
- Waffles with syrup
- Simple New York Cheesecake
- Peanut butter cookies and Chocolate chip cookies

In the words of the WorldTeach volunteers, “America, hell yeah!”

Things I Love (Las Cosas Que Me Fascinan) About Chile

1. Manjar (which I have been told is the same as dulce de leche), spread on just about anything. It’s so good that it makes my morning oatmeal a much-anticipated meal.

2. The cleanliness, availability, and widespread use of multiple forms of public transit: the Metro, TransSantiago busses (las micros), shared collectivo taxis, and regular taxis. None of these are terribly expensive to use, and they reach just about everywhere in Santiago. Granted, TransSantiago can give me a serious headache when its busses come three in a row and then there’s not another for forty minutes. But at least here in Santiago there are other transit options. The twenty minute ride from Santiago Centro (downtown Santiago) to my doorstep costs around $3,500 CDP and is a bargain at 3 AM in the morning when you just want to go home to sleep in your own bed.

And the national, inter-region private busses? A-ma-zing. American air carriers could stand to learn a thing or two about comfort from TurBus. When Lauren and I went to La Serena, I watched our professional, not-creepy bus attendant slip a pillow under Lauren’s head as she dozed off and then tuck her in with a clean fleece blanket.

3. The practice of donating spare pesos at the grocery store. When you pay in cash at major grocery stores, the cashier will ask if you want to round your total up to the nearest ten pesos ($3,987 >> $3,990, for instance) and donate the extra pesos. A single peso ($1 CDP) is currently the equivalent of $0.002 USD, so it’s really not worth your while to carry around single peso coins. Donations go to charities such as Hogar de Cristo, a well-known Catholic children’s and youth advocacy organization in Santiago. It’d be the same as if your grocery receipts were rounded up to the nearest 5-10 cents, with proceeds going to the Red Cross or Second Harvest. Millions of pesos are collected and donated this way every year.

4. Greeting one another with an air kiss on the cheek. Besitos put me at ease with strangers, and it’s a wonderful way to share the peace at church.

5. That everything is made cuter and more affectionate with an “-ito”. “Chau” becomes “Chaito!” (A little good bye?) A té (tea) after lunch or at night is a tecito. It’s not just chico (small), it’s muy chiquito. And when equally little old ladies at church ask about my ailing grandfather? He’s my abuelito.

6. Chile is full of people who love bland, salty food just like me! I went out for Indian food last month in Santiago Centro, and I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to eat anything when the rest of the table ordered our curries with maximum spice. Turns out that “100% spicy” in Chile is quite bearable… and the things that I ordered mild were completely flavorless. Two of the dishes I’ve prepared for my host family – Chinese dumplings and a Japanese curry – had zero spice, yet I still got comments that they were “un pocito picante.” Who’d have thought that I’d ever be considered a daring, fiery eater?

7. Seeing the cordillera (the mountain range) and smelling Santiago after a good rain. I suppose that living in a cloud of pollution makes you all the more grateful for fresh air. 

8. Lingering over almuerzo… “Quieres un cafecito o tecito?” becomes an hour of conversation. My host family’s lingering includes absent-minded fiddling with our crocheted placemats. I knew that I had finally settled into our household when I caught myself smoothing and straightening the lace edges like everyone else.

What happens when you combine four women and a Chilean winter?

I’ve definitely noticed a change in my host family’s eating habits now that winter is settling in. We’re eating heartier meals, and – oh yes – we’re eating more dessert. These past four weekends have been particularly, ridiculously, “write home about it” good. I love living in a household of women (my host mom and two host “sisters”: María Inés is our host mom’s real daughter, and Lise is my housemate from England.) We share a close rapport, strengthened by a mutual love of sweets and chocolate.

In addition to the Chilean dishes that we have been eating, Lise and I have graced the table with some of our own specialties/experiments (more of the latter in my case.) Lise is a solid, confident cook with a repertoire of English recipes. Last weekend, she made lasagna, roasted vegetables, and an apple crumble that we all just about died over. (I intend to smuggle Lise’s apple crumble recipe back to the States in January.) Tonight, we had banana-chocolate chip cookies with our evening onces.

I’ve been trying my hand at making sushi, which has been relatively successful. I found a number of key ingredients at my local supermarket, such as a rolling mat (CDP $900), short grain rice, and frozen imitation crab, and Lorraine sent me our sensei’s sushi vinegar recipes and her tips for making sushi. It took a couple of tries to get it right, but here’s the result:

The same evening that we had sushi night, Lise made thin pancakes that we filled with sweet things. My favorite combination? Bananas and manjar:

Did I mention that I’m gaining back those pounds I’d lost earlier?

The key is not to let them see you smile.

Updated as of June 27, 2008.

WARNING: This entry is, by my standards, rated PG-13.

I have a few students who truly believe that they can get a 7 (an “A”) in my class by finding ways to (1) make me sputter and (2) kiss up to me. Against my better judgment (but hopefully not in violation of a teacher code of ethics) I have decided to make a running list of “thanks for making my year in Chile memorable” comments*:

1. “Miss, I like your pants.”
(Student said this in the middle of class, without provocation and in utmost sincerity. My first reaction was to look down at my pants to see what I’d sat in. Student assured me that he was not kidding and that yes, he really did like my pants.)

2. “Come baby come.”
(Student said this in response to me writing the verb “come” on the board. This merited a “oh no you did NOT” stare after I gathered my wits enough to turn around and look him in the eye.)

3. “Tortuga!”
(Student called this out in response to me drawing a teapot on the board.)

4. “Miss, if we get good grades, can we see your monkey face?”
(Student remembered a passing joke I made weeks ago about being able to do a killer monkey face, and trotted it out before the quiz. Unfortunately, his classmates didn’t do as well as he might have hoped. No monkey face for you!)

5. “I drink milk with whiskey every Sunday at 8 AM.”
(Student constructed this excellent sentence using expressions of time.)

6. “I would be a good exotic dancer because I’m good at dancing in public.”
(Student, during an exercise to practice using gerunds such as “dancing in public”. This particularly good-humored male student weighs maybe 100 kilos and is around 1.8 meters tall.)

7. “Miss! J— is a 47! A 47!! Do you know what that means?! 47!”
(Student, in response to me writing the superlative example “J— is the tallest student in class” on the whiteboard. A 47 refers to a size 13 shoe. Poor J—ito turned bright red.)

8. “I was made with love, by my parents, in a car.”
(Student, during an exercise to practice prepositions of manufacture (things are made WITH a material, BY an inventor or worker, IN a place. I ended class after this one.)

9. “Doghouse!”
(Student, in response to my drawing of a loaf of bread.)

10. “I wear especially nothing.”
(Student in my weekly English class at church, in response to the question “What do you wear to church?” to practice clothing vocabulary.)

* List will be periodically updated as time allows. This list is also consolidated if it needs to be promptly removed from the blog.

This one goes out to the one I love

My dad sent me some back issues of Entertainment Weekly in my birthday package. One of the issues profiled upcoming singer-songwriters like Brett Dennen, Justin Nozuka, and Landon Pigg… oh, Acoustic Sunrise!

I gave some Justin Nozuka songs a spin, and listening to his song “Be Back Soon” (particularly the lyric italicized below) made me chuckle in a wistful way… so here’s an early birthday dedication to my G, who’s currently enjoying the warm weather of the northern hemisphere and purportedly missing me.

Be Back Soon - Justin Nozuka

I’m tired of getting postcards and
Tired of paying long distance bills (baby be back soon)
I’m tired of dreaming of sex and
Tired of not being able to show my skills (baby be back soon)

Over and over I hear you in the halls
Over and over I wake up with my pillows in my arms
Oh baby when you coming home
A day without you is a day without the sun

I’ve been missing out on your love and your shadows
And I can’t wait much longer babe, without you near I’m going crazy
Be back, be back, be back soon

I’m tired of walking alone and
Tired of seeing happy couples walking by (baby be back soon)
I’m tired of making reservations at our favorite restaurant for just momma and me (baby be back soon)

Over and over I hear you in my head
Over and over I wake up with you not in my bed
Oh baby when you coming home
A day without you is a day without the sun

It’s killing me, killing me
How I can’t get no love without our combination
Killing me, killing me how I get so choked up with every conversation
Killing me, killing me how I’m left in the rain, while you are on vacation
Baby please let me know when you’re coming home
And I will meet you at the airport station
Baby when you coming back  

A Night of Fútbol

Even in tranquilo Providencia, the cars driving through the streets are honking their horns in celebration of Chile’s 3-2 victory over Venezuela in the South America World Cup qualifiers.

Three students in my evening basic class were waiting for me when I came up the stairs to our nurses’ lab-cum-classroom tonight. They waited for the right opportunity to approach me: “Miss… hoy día… night… Chile… fútbol… Venezuela?” and looked at me hopefully. “Finish?” Since tonight’s agenda was a review for next Tuesday’s quiz, I bargained them down to getting through our activities efficiently and then leaving fifteen minutes early. Who knew that my students could be so well-behaved? Who knew that they knew their verbs so well? “A-laundromat-is-a-place-where-you-wash-and-dry-your-clothes!” Leave it to Chile’s national soccer team to restore my faith in my ability to teach.

With the rest of the evening on my hands, I invited Lauren to head out and watch the game. We ended up at a bar near DUOC, where we scored some window seats within squinting distance of the lone thirteen inch TV in the corner. One hour, three goals, a plate of chorrillana, one pisco sour, one mango juice, two beers, three cigarettes, and one hug with random stranger later (I’ll let you guess who had what) we spilled into the street shouting Chile’s praises.

I’m going to have to wash the cigarette smoke out of my hair tonight – and ventilate my down jacket – but for once I love that I came home smelling like a cheap bar.

The fútbol madness continues in September, when Chile faces Brazil in Round 7 of the qualifiers. Chile is currently tied for third place in the qualifier standings. The top four teams from South America will play in 2010 in South Africa.

¡Viva Chile!