Comments on: Gringas in Chile http://www.kylehepp.com/2008/02/gringas-in-chile/ Latin America Destination Wedding Photographer and Blogger Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:22:26 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: socióblogo http://www.kylehepp.com/2008/02/gringas-in-chile/comment-page-1/#comment-1165 socióblogo Wed, 07 May 2008 16:22:00 +0000 http://www.kylehepp.com/gringas-in-chile/#comment-1165 I think you are so right about how we glorify suffering. It's probably one of the things I dislike the most about this country (I am chilean). People not only will brag about not using the A.C. when it's 36C° degrees. They will also brag about how many hours a day they work (usually more than 9) and how that makes them so great, not realizing that if we work that much it's probably not because we're excellent workers, but because we need hours to complete tasks that should be done in minutes (in fact, we have one of the lowest productivity levels in the world).<br/><br/>About the experiencie of living in this City, I think it can be defined by two these two factors: <br/><br/>1. Place (comuna) of the city that you live in. This is heavily determined by income, but not only by that; people who were born in Maipú will probably live there all of their lifes, even if they could afford Vitacura. There's not too much geographic mobility.<br/><br/>2. Social networks of friends and family that you belong to. Networks and groups of friends can be *really* closed. Strangers are not always welcome. This might be a consequence of the fact (statistically proven by international studies and polls)that in Chile we have one of the lowest levels of interpersonal trust *in the world*. <br/><br/>There are certainly more factors involved, but these 2 have the power of defining the identities of people and also defining which country they get to know and experience, because, yes, there's a lot of different Chiles in Chile.<br/><br/>Nice post and nice blog, I will visit again. Sorry for my broken english and sorry for getting all sociologist (¿boring?) in this comment. I think you are so right about how we glorify suffering. It’s probably one of the things I dislike the most about this country (I am chilean). People not only will brag about not using the A.C. when it’s 36C° degrees. They will also brag about how many hours a day they work (usually more than 9) and how that makes them so great, not realizing that if we work that much it’s probably not because we’re excellent workers, but because we need hours to complete tasks that should be done in minutes (in fact, we have one of the lowest productivity levels in the world).

About the experiencie of living in this City, I think it can be defined by two these two factors:

1. Place (comuna) of the city that you live in. This is heavily determined by income, but not only by that; people who were born in Maipú will probably live there all of their lifes, even if they could afford Vitacura. There’s not too much geographic mobility.

2. Social networks of friends and family that you belong to. Networks and groups of friends can be *really* closed. Strangers are not always welcome. This might be a consequence of the fact (statistically proven by international studies and polls)that in Chile we have one of the lowest levels of interpersonal trust *in the world*.

There are certainly more factors involved, but these 2 have the power of defining the identities of people and also defining which country they get to know and experience, because, yes, there’s a lot of different Chiles in Chile.

Nice post and nice blog, I will visit again. Sorry for my broken english and sorry for getting all sociologist (¿boring?) in this comment.

]]> By: Mamacita Chilena http://www.kylehepp.com/2008/02/gringas-in-chile/comment-page-1/#comment-983 Mamacita Chilena Wed, 19 Mar 2008 21:07:00 +0000 http://www.kylehepp.com/gringas-in-chile/#comment-983 anonymous, sounds like a rough experience. Living with the in-laws is always hell no matter what country you're in, but Chilean inlaws just have that special something about them, don't they???<br/><br/>And crazy ex-girlfriends...oh yes, let's not even start talking about that subject!<br/><br/>Sorry to hear all that :( anonymous, sounds like a rough experience. Living with the in-laws is always hell no matter what country you’re in, but Chilean inlaws just have that special something about them, don’t they???

And crazy ex-girlfriends…oh yes, let’s not even start talking about that subject!

Sorry to hear all that :(

]]> By: Anonymous http://www.kylehepp.com/2008/02/gringas-in-chile/comment-page-1/#comment-982 Anonymous Wed, 19 Mar 2008 20:09:00 +0000 http://www.kylehepp.com/gringas-in-chile/#comment-982 I just read your post on this and I have to tell you the day you posted it I was flying back from Chile. I had gave up everything in the US and relocated me and my kid to be with my husband who is chilean and because of immigration problems could not stay here. Anyway, my first 3 days in Chile were awesome then reality kicked in and my husband had to got to work in in another city Coquimbo to be exact which was 6 hours away and I was left with the in-laws to wait for him to get settled and that way we could all be together-and that's when it happened I had baby mama drama from the old high school girlfriend whom has a child , the chick actually came and tried to break in in the middle of the night and everything from there went down hill. I had read your blog for months before I went and I was inspired and thought I could do it as well but when I got down there and reality kicked in and had to keep hearing about how difficult it was to be there and how I won't be having my hair done or nails done like in the US and how wasteful I was for eating out I had my feel and booked the next flight out. I give it to you for being able to stick out there and now I understand totally what you are talking about when you tell us the ups and downs to chile. I just read your post on this and I have to tell you the day you posted it I was flying back from Chile. I had gave up everything in the US and relocated me and my kid to be with my husband who is chilean and because of immigration problems could not stay here. Anyway, my first 3 days in Chile were awesome then reality kicked in and my husband had to got to work in in another city Coquimbo to be exact which was 6 hours away and I was left with the in-laws to wait for him to get settled and that way we could all be together-and that’s when it happened I had baby mama drama from the old high school girlfriend whom has a child , the chick actually came and tried to break in in the middle of the night and everything from there went down hill. I had read your blog for months before I went and I was inspired and thought I could do it as well but when I got down there and reality kicked in and had to keep hearing about how difficult it was to be there and how I won’t be having my hair done or nails done like in the US and how wasteful I was for eating out I had my feel and booked the next flight out. I give it to you for being able to stick out there and now I understand totally what you are talking about when you tell us the ups and downs to chile.

]]> By: Carlos http://www.kylehepp.com/2008/02/gringas-in-chile/comment-page-1/#comment-973 Carlos Thu, 13 Mar 2008 03:32:00 +0000 http://www.kylehepp.com/gringas-in-chile/#comment-973 Fned, muticulturalism is good. But only if Chileans were more concerned about minding their own business and stopped being so judgemental, close-minded, nosey and not honest, it'd help.<br/><br/>I don't want to go on and on but there's the stereotype that "gringas are easy" which obviosuly makes the native girls act a bit odd.<br/><br/>(and about your French husband, I understand him in a way... the sudden screaming over minor things, the cronic bad mood, etc, but the cooking oh la la ;-) Fned, muticulturalism is good. But only if Chileans were more concerned about minding their own business and stopped being so judgemental, close-minded, nosey and not honest, it’d help.

I don’t want to go on and on but there’s the stereotype that “gringas are easy” which obviosuly makes the native girls act a bit odd.

(and about your French husband, I understand him in a way… the sudden screaming over minor things, the cronic bad mood, etc, but the cooking oh la la ;-)

]]> By: Fned http://www.kylehepp.com/2008/02/gringas-in-chile/comment-page-1/#comment-957 Fned Tue, 11 Mar 2008 06:06:00 +0000 http://www.kylehepp.com/gringas-in-chile/#comment-957 Carlos,<br/><br/>Apologies for interrupting the debate here, and of course I feel your pain getting all frustrated when you have to do any official tramites in your country and realize how totally f*cked up the system can be compared to other countries (I wrote about a similar experience at the Mexican Embassy a few months ago in my blog) <br/><br/>However, I'm married to a french guy who says that all french girls are "chiantes"..... (that's why he married a mexican, *wink*). I guess you're willing to accept the annoying stuff in French girls that drive French guys nuts the same way gringos accept the annoying stuff in Chilean girls that Chilean guys simply can't tolerate. Isn't Multiculturism just so cool??? ;-)<br/><br/>I think it all comes down to the way we're willing to accept the "quirckiness" of the country you are in, which is obviously the point Mamacita was trying to make in her post. This of course applies to expats living abroad.... but equally like in our case, to citizens returning to the home land. <br/><br/>Peace out. <br/>Fned. Carlos,

Apologies for interrupting the debate here, and of course I feel your pain getting all frustrated when you have to do any official tramites in your country and realize how totally f*cked up the system can be compared to other countries (I wrote about a similar experience at the Mexican Embassy a few months ago in my blog)

However, I’m married to a french guy who says that all french girls are “chiantes”….. (that’s why he married a mexican, *wink*). I guess you’re willing to accept the annoying stuff in French girls that drive French guys nuts the same way gringos accept the annoying stuff in Chilean girls that Chilean guys simply can’t tolerate. Isn’t Multiculturism just so cool??? ;-)

I think it all comes down to the way we’re willing to accept the “quirckiness” of the country you are in, which is obviously the point Mamacita was trying to make in her post. This of course applies to expats living abroad…. but equally like in our case, to citizens returning to the home land.

Peace out.
Fned.

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