Most Chileans are confused by why I am here.

Phili · Aug 15, 2013

[h=1]Chile at Ten Weeks[/h] Posted on February 2, 2011 | 10 Comments
Ive been in Santiago, Chile for about two and a half months now and have gotten pretty used to living here. I really like it here. The people are nice, the weather is amazing (especially if you compare it to the snowpocalypse in Wisconsin this week) and Im making great friends in the Startup Chile program. I had always wanted to live in another country, but couldnt study abroad because of my previous business. Ive been meaning to write more about my experiences here, but nothing has been worthy of a full blog post. Jesse wrote up a grab bag of his reflections on life in Chile and inspired me to stop being lazy and write it all down.
Why are you here and do you like it?
Most Chileans are confused by why I am here. They always ask the question almost disbelievingly, especially when I meet them for the first time. I feel dumb when I answer by saying, we were working on our startup for about a year and a half an we saw the article in forbes and tech crunch and decided to apply. its really cold in Wisconsin and we wanted to avoid the winter and we wanted to live in another country and the money was the push we needed.
And yes, I honestly do like it here. Many Chileans dont seem to believe me and they ask what I like. I say that the people are nice, the mountains are beautiful, I live being close to the beach and not being in winter, but again, I feel like they expect more. Its especially bad when Im doing this in Spanish because I think people think Im saying basic things because I dont speak much, but in reality I say the same things in English.
Food and Wine

Restaurant food is expensive and most doesnt seem to be a great value for money. I am used to spicy, flavorful meals with lots of salad and veggies, but the typical Chilean lunch is meat and potatoes, with hardly any spices, if any. Peruvian restaurants are a better deal because the food is better and spicier. Chileans make great sandwiches though and if you like to cook, youre in luck. Produce is incredibly cheap, fresh and good.
Im not sure why Chilean food is bland, but its clear that most Chileans dont like spicy food. Ive heard speculation that its because Chile is very strict about food imports, so they dont get all of the spices, but if youre thinking spicy food, youre not gonna find much.
On the other hand, wine is great here. If you spend $10, youll get something really good. If you spend $20, which is hard to do, youll get something exceptional. Ill miss cheap, good wine in the US.
Cost of Living
The general rule is that services cost way less than the US and goods cost more, sometimes way more. Taxis are cheap, electronics expensive. Peoples time costs less here, but imports seem expensive. Housing is about on par with Madison, which is cheap by US big city standards, but not overall cheap.
Physical Interaction
When you meet a woman you kiss her on the cheek, no matter if its a business situation. I kiss my banker on the cheek when we have a meeting the same as one of my friends. I do the same when I leave. Men who are friends do a handshake/hug type thing. It was hard to get used to and its still weird when you meet another American, because its hard to decide whether to do the kiss on the cheek/hug or just shake hands like we were in the US. Its a nice change from the states.
Walking in Crowds
The area around our office is really busy. Theres lots of people walking fast on pedestrian only streets. In the US, you walk on the right and if someone is walking toward you, youll both go right. In the UK, its the opposite, you go left. Here, theres no rule. You just walk forward and play a game of chicken. Theres no rhyme or reason. I think they should send athletes here to practice their quick cuts.
Santiago is an Orderly City
After walking around the centro with no rhyme or reason, its strange that the rest of life in Santiago is extremely orderly. Its completely normal to see 50-100 people waiting in a perfectly calm line to get on the bus at rush hour. During rush hour, the metro is hot and crowded, but you never see any pushing and shoving. People seem to go the extra mile to be courteous.
Classism
Chileans of different classes dont mix much. The rich live in Vitacura, Las Condes and Providencia, with the middle in the surrounding areas and the poor to the south and to the west. It seems to me that people in the upper classes are generally more worried about image, whereas the middle class seems more open. Its sort of like the LA mentality vs. the Chicago mentality. Many seem to look down on those lower than themselves.
There is a Chilean word flaite which basically means white trash. It can mean anything from low class, to dangerous, to criminal or just crappy. Ive heard Chileans of all social classes that Ive met describe someone or some location as flaite, but its all in the eye of the beholder. Heres an example.
When we first got here, we didnt know anything, so we just went out and had fun. Ill call it Club A. After meeting Chileans who were our age, they told us that Club A was flaite and they recommended new places (Club B). We tried Club B and had fun. Then we met some more Chileans in a higher social class and they told us Club B was flaite and that we should go to Club C. We tried Club C, had fun and then and the same thing happened, where we maxed out at Club D, which was only ok.
What Im trying to say is that flaite is in the eye of the beholder and the higher the social class, the more isolated they become because they think more and more is trashy and not worthy of their presence. Ive seen the same in the rich in LA and NYC, but it seems to be more prevalent here, or were just exposed to the upper class more here than Im used to. As Americans/Europeans, we basically can do what we want and move between classes, but regular Chileans either cant or wont.
Another quick example: I told a Chilean that I buy food from street food stands. He looked at me like I was crazy. Another time I was talking to a young professional guy my age and someone in the higher social said be careful of him to mean be careful, hes lower class. Its been a fairly common theme.
Credit Cards
Theres a monopoly on credit card processing and bank transfers called Redbank. All banks have to be a part of it. It makes accepting credit cards easy and I can transfer money to anyone in the country free of charge. Theres no need for paypal here. The downside is that the rates for everything else is super high. Interest on credit cards can be as high as 45% and theres financing available for just about everything. I can even pay my grocery bill in payments if I use my credit card. Credit card processing rates can be as high as 5%, compared with 1-2% in the US.
I wonder if Chile will suffer a crash once all of this credit with high interest comes due?
Another interesting fact: when I got my bank account, I got fingerprinted. I bet this stops identity theft.
RUT is Public Info
The RUT is Chiles national id number, sort of like our social security numbers. The biggest difference is that you give it out everywhere. Nobody hides it. Instead of scanning a card at the grocery store to get discounts, you give them your RUT, out loud, in line. Your RUT is on your ID card and you give it to your friends/business associates if they want to send you a bank transfer. Im guessing the fingerprinting prevents ID theft.
Prepaid Mobile Phones
The vast majority of phones are prepaid. You can recharge everywhere; from girls in the metro or in the street, at kiosks, the ATM, online, everywhere. Text messages are really expensive at about $.20 per message. Its cheaper to have a 2 minute conversation than send a text.
Air Travel is a Huge Deal
At the airport, entire families come to see the traveler through security. Flash bulbs are popping from the time they are getting in line to get their ticket to the last time they leave view as they walk through customs. Its a reminder that air travel is still an incredible luxury for most of the people in the world, even in a well developed country like Chile.
There you have it, some random observations from living in Chile so far. I really enjoy it and am glad I am here. If I had to choose again, I would 100% make the same decision.
Click to expand...

http://www.nathanlustig.com/2011/02/02/chile-at-ten-weeks/

Es una entrevista muy interesante. Opino como ella, me pregunto siempre porque sorprendre tanto a los chilenos que estoy aqui.

monkey · Aug 15, 2013

Sorry buddy but most people here dont speak in english, besides is a long interview and produces me paja read it
greetings

notengonombre · Aug 15, 2013

I'm very pajero to read that :c

chicodelportico · Aug 15, 2013

En los países subdesarrollados y en especial Chile el tema es el desarrollo y crecimiento, en el 1er mundo el tema es viajar a través de las junglas con machete en mano y la mochila ad hoc a dora la exploradora.
Es eso, enfoques distintos.

ds-yayo · Aug 15, 2013

Chile is a great country, but chileans doesn't know. we don´t grow up, because we classist. I'ts nice read the opinion about a outsider.

FUSIL · Aug 16, 2013

chile es una mierda phili, pronto estallara toda esta mierda y habra una revolucion

Phili · Aug 16, 2013

chicodelportico said: ↑

En los países subdesarrollados y en especial Chile el tema es el desarrollo y crecimiento, en el 1er mundo el tema es viajar a través de las junglas con machete en mano y la mochila ad hoc a dora la exploradora.
Es eso, enfoques distintos.
Click to expand...

Es muy caricatural lo que dices, tambien en los paises desarrollados la gente quiere modernidad, y en Chile hay gente que le gusta practicar el camping, explorar la naturaleza, etc...

Esa persona vino a Chile para crear una start-up, no para jugar a dora la exploradora

Darko · Aug 16, 2013

Siempre he tenido la duda de que son y para que son esos avatar pixeleados que tienen la mayoria

chicodelportico · Aug 16, 2013

Phili said: ↑

Es muy caricatural lo que dices, tambien en los paises desarrollados la gente quiere modernidad, y en Chile hay gente que le gusta practicar el camping, explorar la naturaleza, etc...

Esa persona vino a Chile para crear una start-up, no para jugar a dora la exploradora
Click to expand...

DIjo que quería vivir en otro país (por clima y ambiente humano) el tema del start up es lo que lo hizo decidirse.

El Fin · Aug 18, 2013

Geníal la escritura del compadre, intenten leerlo con un traductor, vale la pena.

Saludos.

maldito217 · Aug 18, 2013

pico si crees que gastaré neuronas en traducir esa wea, no leo ni español lo haré en ingles.

callateinsecto · Aug 18, 2013

Mínimo si quieres dar a conocer algo, a una sociedad especifica es que se lo escribas en su idioma, y no pretender que todos aquí hablan el ingles por cuestión de la globalizacion.

Most Chileans are confused by why I am here.

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