Argentine Tango and Chilean Spanish

We had to renew our tourist visas, so had no choice but to go to Buenos Aires for a week. Our hostel was next door to the Confiteria Ideal, a historic cafe and dance hall, so we really had no choice but to get some tango shoes and hit the dance floor. On any other trip to Buenos Aires, I might have simply taken some tango lessons. On this trip, because it was the first break I took from studying Spanish in Chile in a few months, the tango lessons and dances were metaphors.

Tango is like Spanish

The first steps are easy, and you have to enjoy them in order to want move on. It is easy to learn the first eight steps they teach in tango just as it is easy to learn some beginner phrases in Spanish. For me, it was really fun to dance the basic eight steps and then the next few turns (ocho adelante) just as it was really fun to have basic conversations in Spanish with patrons at the library or with other travelers when we first arrived in Chile a few months ago. Enjoyable experiences are necessary, because when it gets difficult it helps to have something to remind you why you are even bothering to learn or to practice. 

The first steps are easy, but it takes time and practice to internalize. Although it is easy to learn where to put your feet within a short amount of time, it takes longer to learn how and when to shift your weight and how to take cues from your dance partner. (After our third lesson we went to a dance hall and each "tangoed" with a few people. I put "tango" in quotes for my part, because at that point I really had not internalized my center of gravity or ability to interpret what he was telling me to do). Although it is easy to learn the basic phrases in Spanish, it takes a lot of practice to know when something sounds wrong to a Spanish-speaking ear. 

There is a structure, but no one way to do it correctly. There are steps and moves in tango, but it is largely based on improvisation. For example, although the man makes the decisions of where to turn and how quickly to move, the woman can take her time with a turn, and each partner has to know how to listen to the other's body and know how to respond to the cues. Likewise, conversations in Spanish do not follow a script. You have to know the structure, the vocabulary, etc., in order to have a genuine conversation.

Remember to practice with a variety of people as a way to improve. At the milonga, we were seated next to a woman whose husband was sitting across the hall. They intentionally sat separately so that they could dance with other people as a way to improve their dancing. It seems obvious, but it can be very easy for me to forget to go out of my way to talk with a variety to people as a way to learn Spanish accents, words, etc. 

I could go on, but it would start to feel a bit too Doogie Howser's Journal. 

One of the main differences is that I had to slow waaaayyyyyyyy down in tango, and I have to speed waaayyyyyyy up in Spanish.

Cambio?

More than one person told me that the first word that came to their mind when they thought of Chile in relation to South America was "stable." I had forgotten that economic stability was on the "pro" list for Chile until I got to Buenos Aires a few weeks ago. Although we saw quite a few signs of economic instability, and experienced it in more ways than one, the attitude toward cash and/or credit was an aspect of the Argentine economy that I encountered on a daily basis.   

Argentine Pesos. Really pretty. Not exactly stable.

Avenida Florida is a long pedestrian shopping strip in the heart of downtown Buenos Aires. We passed by our first night in town, and started to notice various people lined up and down the avenue asking us and others "cambio?" They wanted to change their Argentine pesos for American dollars, Chilean pesos, Brasilian reals -- any currency that was more stable than their own. (They were actually masters at being subtle and persistent. They had wads of cash that they didn't necessarily want to advertise, but also had wads of cash that they wanted to change).

It wasn't just the hecklers on Avenida Florida that showed a preference for foreign currencies. Restaurants, for example, showed their preference by giving a slightly better exchange to those who paid in dollars or real. 


In other cases the preference was for Argentine pesos, though, as opposed to credit. Credit or debit cards were accepted in larger/chain stores and restaurants, but several of the smaller or independent businesses would only accept cash. Sometimes it had to do with the costs and fees that Visa or MasterCard (or whoever) charge, but more often than not it had to do with complete lack of trust in the banks.

I noticed this most with tango-related businesses. I could only pay with cash for the shoes, the shows, the lessons, the milonga cover charge...

La Chascona

Our visit to La Chascona meant that we achieved the Pablo Neruda hat trick, and visited all three of his houses while in Chile. Go, team.

Situated near the San Cristobal hill in the trendy Bellavista neighborhood of Santiago, this house does not disappoint. The house consisted of three or four buildings (connected by winding staircases, and surrounded by beautiful garden spaces), each with intentional design. Pablo loved the sea, so built in a bar with a wavy counter top that mimics the ocean waves. He enjoyed small details (especially when it came to being playful or entertaining) so much that he kept salt and pepper shakers labeled "morphine" and "marijuana" to tease his guests. This house has my favorite feature of all his houses, though, which is a sweet secret passage through the built-in hutch to the bedrooms upstairs. Totally dreamy.

Speaking of details, he incorporated
his and Matilde's initials into the design of each house

Speaking of Matilde, this is the house that Pablo built in 1953 for his then-lover Matilde Urrutia. (Chascona (woman with unruly hair) was one of his nicknames for her). Since building a house is a lot less subtle than meeting in a motel, I started to think that their relationship was not that secret. However, Pablo's friend, Diego Rivera, painted a portrait of Matilde during their courtship depicting her two faces (public life and secret love) so maybe they were trying to keep the relationship secret to an extent. It was a few years before Pablo was able to (as the audio tour guide put it) "change wives," but he and Matilde married in the mid-1950s and were together until his death in 1973.

Portrait by Diego Rivera
Notice Pablo´s profile anywhere?

Speaking of his death, La Chascona was also the site of Pablo's funeral, which turned out to be the first public protest against the Pinochet regime. 

Winding staircases
Funeral procession started here

The coup happened on the morning of September 11, 1973. Not only had Pablo been a friend and vocal supporter of then President Salvador Allende and a beloved public figure, he was also an honored diplomat with political connections and influential friends throughout the world. For these reasons, Pablo was seen as a threat to the military regime. Before Pablo fell ill, this house was sacked the soldiers in the inital days of the takeover. Pablo had been in La Isla Negra during the time, but was able to be transported to Santiago when he fell ill. He died on September 23. 

Mourners came out for the funeral procession, and -as Isabel Allende recalls- there was a bit of a standstill between the soldiers who were instructed to control the situation and the mourners who were not only mourning the loss of their Pablo but also the loss of their freedom. 

Pablo's got his eye on...a tree.
In the background you can see the mural that
Pablo's friend designed for La Chascona

Don't cry for me Argentina, and all that

I knew that Eva Perón was loved. I knew that she was controversial. I didn't know that she was so hated that her detractors celebrated her death in 1952 by writing "hurray, cancer!" in the streets, or that she was so loathed and feared by the anti-Peronist government that they would go to such lengths as stealing her remains and shipping them off to Italy.

When, in 1955, Juan Perón's government was overthrown by a military dictatorship, images of the Peronist era were seen as a threat to the new regime and systematically removed. Perón himself was sent into exile, their private home in the Recoleta neighborhood was razed (it's now the site of the public library) and Evita's beautifully preserved and iconic body was relocated so that it could not be used to rally support against them. 

The site where Eva actually died is now a public library

...with a cat

The same officers who helped overthrow the Peronist government stole Evita's remains, kept them in the offices of Military Intelligence for about a year, until (with help from the Vatican) they were buried in Milan under a decoy name. Fast forward about 15 years to another military coup. That dictator got Juan Perón, then living in Spain, to support the new government by (among other things) giving Evita back to him. Her body was with him in Spain for a few more years until he was re-elected to the presidency in Argentina. When he died, his third wife (president Isabel Perón) brought the body back to Argentina to help boost the image of her presidency. 

Images of Evita are allowed again

It didn't work. Another military coup happened in 1976, and Evita was finally buried 26 years after her death. She is in the Duarte family mausoleum at the beautiful Recoleta Cemetery.

Evita´s grave

The ironic part there is that some of the most wealthy families of Buenos Aires (read: Evita haters) are buried there as well. They say that she is buried among some of the people who hated her most.

Memorial to las Malvinas

Look at any world map from Argentina and you will not be able to find the Falkland Islands. You will find the Malvinas. 

La Guerra de las Malvinas was a 10-week war initiated by a military dictatorship to reclaim the islands for Argentina. The dictators were banking on Great Britain not responding with military action. They guessed wrong, and the islands are still British territory.  

There is a memorial to the young, ill-equipped conscripts who were killed during the war in the Retiro neighborhood of Buenos Aires. 

Monumento a los Caídos en Malvinas

Given that the war was just a little over 30 years ago, reference to Great Britain can bring out some strong emotions among some of the older generations of Argentines. So it is ironic that when you turn around to leave the monument to the fallen soldiers, this is what you see across the street:

Hiding behind trees, that´s a replica of Big Ben.
The clocks chime  na na na na boo boo.

21 de mayo: un feriado en Chile

A note for those who employ people who are new to the country: provide a written list of holidays in which your place of business is closed. Holidays in which everything shuts down are not automatically known by non-natives. But, yay! Day off! 

21 de mayo

I might have guessed that today would be a major holiday, though, as a) every city we have visited has had a major street named 21 de Mayo, and b) the date commemorates a pretty significant naval battle in Chilean history. A country that has defended 4,000 miles of coastline throughout its history takes its naval history and heroes very seriously. 

The Battle of Iquique was an early battle in the Guerra del Pacífico - a war fought in the late 1800s between Chile and Bolivia/Peru over taxes and saltpeter mines. Chile's strategy had been to control the seas first, and then move into the land battles. 

The Chilean wooden corvette
was no match for the modern Peruvian ironclad

But here's the thing: Chile lost this battle to Peru. Arturo Prat (we live on a street named after him) was defeated and killed within four hours of battle. It was this that inspired a renewed sense of patriotism (read: young men volunteered to join the military in large numbers after this defeat) and over time Arturo Prat has become a celebrated figure in naval history. 

Monument to Arturo Prat in Valpo
a symbol of Pratriotism

We talk about the importance of celebrating losses and failures, but rarely do it. Way to go big, Chile!

Street vending

What can you do with ear muffs, glow in the dark star decals, and clothespins? Sell them!

The selection of items that vendors choose to sell on the sidewalks is pretty remarkable. One guy might lay out fleece neckwarmers and pencil cases on his rug. Another guy might peddle nail polish remover, sunglasses, and leggings on his bicycle stand. One guy might set up a tent with belts, compact mirrors, and slippers on a folding table, and in the tent next door you might find notebooks, toilet paper, and underwear.

It's not exactly clear how they decide to sell what they do. (Do they have (or know someone who has) access to individual packets of Vitamin C tablets in bulk? Have they figured out that people are always going to suddenly need a fingernail file or bottle opener? Is there a time of year that leggings* are in high demand?), but the wares sold in the more permanent  librerias and "old mall" storefronts generally consist of the same type of (random) selection of goods: pens, barrettes, wrapping paper, and mittens. 

Someone asked me recently if I was able to bargain with people. I saw bargaining happen all the time in Mexico, and it was something I was never really comfortable about. I haven't seen anyone bargain for a better price in Chile - not even in Cerro Alegre, which is where the cruise ships dock for the day in Valparaíso. So, no. No bargaining. No heckling. I like it. 

*Well, yes. There is a time of year when leggings are in high demand. I saw them everywhere when I first arrived, but now that I need them they are nowhere to be seen. I might have to go to the mall. Excuse me, el mall. 

Stand in line like you mean it

Before I left, someone told me that this kind of extended travel I'm doing would be a great exercise in "being present." (True). It surprised me to realize that I had to learn to be intentional about standing in line, though.

In Chile, if you look through a magazine at the checkout line in a grocery store, chances are high that someone will jump ahead of you. If you take out your cell phone to double check what chirimoya means while waiting in line for gelato (custard apple? it is delicious, by the way), chances are high that someone will jump ahead of you. If you stop to think about what you're going to say when you reach the ticket counter at the terminal de buses, chances are high that someone will jump ahead of you.

Several businesses (pharmacies, carnecerias, electronics stores, take-out counters at the grocery store, etc.) operate on the number system. You know, get a number from the dispenser and wait for it to be called in order to check out. My first week here, someone jumped in when my number was called at the pharmacy. I assumed it was because I stood out as an easy, non-Spanish speaking target, but I have since seen locals have to defend their number like it was a winning lottery ticket at the counter, too. 

Seriously. Gotta stand in line like you mean it. 

Hace frío, hace color

I did not have a clear vision of what the autumn weather in Viña del Mar would be like as I was packing for this excursion. I was in the midst of an extreme "eyeballs freeze within minutes of stepping outside" cold Minnesota winter, so couldn't really think much beyond "Layers. Autumn means layers." (For some reason it's easier to think about 70s, 80s, and 90s in the middle of extreme cold than it is to remember 40s and 50s). 

One would think that a native of Duluth, Minnesota (where the lake effect can mean a twenty degree difference in temperature between the bottom and top of the hill) would have comprehensive knowledge of what wearing multiple layers means, and yet layering has taken on a new meaning for me in Chile. I've always considered the outer layer (of two) to be the removable one, but I've come to think of the inner and outer layers (of three) as needing to be removable at a moment's notice, while the middle layer is constant. 

It is partly to do with ocean climate. A chilly-yet-humid morning followed by a hot-yet-mild afternoon requires a long sleeve shirt, short sleeve shirt, light scarf, sweater and fleece jacket. It's a good idea to wear leggings with your pants, and smart wool socks are required at all times. I knew that it would be cool in the shade and warm in the sun, but I do not remember a place I've been where my nose was too cold and my shoulders too warm because my back was to the sun.



Temperatures can swing up to thirty degrees each day, so it is also a good idea to get an accurate app for local weather. The apps I had been using the first few weeks said they were pulling temps from Viña, but were actually pulling from Santiago. Big difference, especially when it comes to getting dressed for potential temperature swings.

It is partly to do with Chile. The buildings (houses, workplaces, restaurants, businesses, museums, whatever) are not temperature-controlled, so one never really warms up when it's cold or cools down when it's hot (especially when it's humid). As much as I've cursed and thanked the heavens for them, I have definitely taken the furnaces and air-conditioners in my life for granted, especially as I had to readjust how to dress without them.

Side note: One of the first friends I met in Chile happens to be in the oil industry, and he pointed out that the heating and cooling of buildings in the US winters affects the global gas prices greatly throughout the year. At least, I think that's what he said. We were only speaking in Spanish, and I have learned to assume that I misunderstand a nuance here and there. 

When "together" projects get creepy

In the movie The Island, there was a massive contamination that rendered the earth uninhabitable, save one underground compound and one tropical island that was somehow unaffected. The island can only take so many additional inhabitants at a time, so the guardians of the compound hold a lottery for the chance to go to the island. The island is what motivates people to get up in the morning, find meaning in their daily routines. The island is what gives the residents of the compound enough hope to maintain their will to live.

Spoiler alert. There wasn't a contamination, and the lottery winners don't go to an island. 

Oh, the island is simultaneously a brilliant and evil campaign, complete with a deliciously creepy commercial that plays throughout the compound. 

You know who actually deserves to have good campaigns? Public transit systems. 

The campaign to promote safety on the trains in Melbourne, Australia (Dumb Ways to Die) is an example of excellent marketing. The campaign to promote courtesy via constant announcements on the light rain in Minneapolis ("Please, do not put your feet on the seats") is an example of annoying marketing.  The campaign to promote usage of Metro Valparaíso is just plain creepy. Every time I hear "contigo somos más" (with you, we are more) I hear "your time is come. you're moving out...to the island."

Shudder.

To be fair, though, Metro Valparaíso's campaign to promote courtesy is adorable.

Preferential seating

Progress (with Spanish) can look like...

When we moved into our house, I said to Alicia, in all sincerity, "I wonder when the Cafe Recreo opens on Saturdays...I'm going to walk up and see what their hours are."

And when I realized what I had said, I had to chuckle. 

Business hours are not posted anywhere. It's not possible to walk by a closed store (or cafe, or restaurant, or pharmacy, or bank, or post office, or you name it) and find out when they will be open next. (Unless it's Starbucks).  Most chains seem to keep regular open business hours (so regular that major department stores didn't even close on Easter Sunday morning), but the smaller businesses seem to open when they're ready, and close when they're ready. One of my regular cafes, for example, closes "a las 9:00 o 9:30, más o menos." My neighborhood botillería might be open one Sunday afternoon, but closed the following Sunday afternoon. Chile doesn't officially siesta, but my neighborhood fruterias do. They seem to close for the afternoon and re-open sometime...at night...after I get home from work. 

So, when I went in search of a bike to rent, I decided to simply show up outside the rental office I had spotted the previous weekend and see if they were open. They weren't, and no hours were posted.

Hours? No.
Phone number? Yes.

I dialed the number, and it wasn't until the phone was ringing that I thought "huh. I should probably think about what I'm going to say," and it wasn't until well after I hung up that I realized it was the first time I didn't hesitate to talk to someone over the phone in Spanish. 

Day 61: Progress can look like not being afraid of the phone. 

No puedo oír

I often think that if the situation was reversed, that if I were a native Spanish speaker doing a temporary stint in an English speaking country to improve English fluency, an equivalent scenario could be my having taken formal education with North American teachers (and their accents) and a North American English curriculum, and then moving to Australia to practice my "advanced beginner" English. I might have a difficult time understanding my "teacha" at first, I would quickly learn to love a good flat white, and I would have no idea if the rest of the English speaking world ate capsicums or not. 

So, there's plenty about the Spanish-speaking world that I don't know (and am not actually worrying about right now), but I do know that I've had to work pretty hard to understand the Chilean accent in a way that I don't have to when I'm speaking with the Columbians or Ecuadorians I've met in Chile. I overcame the first round of challenges -- finally gave in to dropping my Ss (mas o menos becomes mah o menoh, Francisca becomes Francica, etc), changed my Bs to Vs that pretend to be Bs (Esteban becomes Estevan, but with a hint of "ban") and I can hear the difference between Pía and Tía now. 

Now I'm in the second round of challenges with vowel sounds and emphasis. 

Me: Ariel

Ariel: Ariel

Me: Ariel

Ariel: No, Ariel

Me: Ariel

Francisca: No, Ariel

Me: I'm saying Ariel
Ariel: No, Ariel.

I'm realizing that it goes both ways, though. My coworkers and housemates have a hard time with my name, for example. My coworkers said (and spelled) Katss for the first month, and my Chilean housemother called me Carmen for the first few days, Katee for the next few weeks, before finally settling on Gatita. When I say Minnesota (without using the Spanish pronunciation guide), people hear Venezuela. 

I would speak much better Spanish if I were from Venezuela. I would hope.

Camine como un peatón

Good pedestrian habits to develop for getting around Viña del Mar or Valparaíso without a car:

1. Look down occasionally, as the terrain can change suddenly.

You never know when the
sidewalk will end

Sidewalks are mostly in good repair, but you never know when a chunk may be missing, a section may have crumbled a bit, a dog may be taking a nap, a car may pull up, or the sidewalk will simply end. 

Some sidewalks are high than street level...

...and other sidewalks are lower
than street level

Don´t like the way I drive?
Get off the sidewalk!

Given the sheer number of stray dogs, you'd think that there would be more caca on the sidewalks. There's not as much as you'd expect, but it's there. Watch your step. 

2. Give up any jaywalking tendencies you may have.

While Chilean drivers have developed good defensive driving habits out of necessity, and seem to be prepared for anything from other drivers, buses, pedestrians, etc., it is best to use the crosswalks.

Use the crosswalks...

...even if it means crossing the street three times
to get from one corner to the next

...even if it means following creative pedestrian paths

Follow the traffic lights. Running Man is there to help you know how long you have to cross.

...but take a moment to watch
the stoplight performers

3. Take an ascensor when attempting to ascend the hills of Valparaíso. 

Catching a lift up the hill makes a difference...

...when they are open

4. Take a micro for longer distances, but sit near a window when possible. 

Un micro

The bus rides can be pretty terrifying, especially when climbing the windy hills. It was explained to us that the faster they drive, the more passengers they pick up. The more passengers they pick up, the more money they earn. Fair enough, but the way this plays out is that the drivers do not always come to a complete stop when picking up or dropping off a passenger, and often the doors are kept open as they approach and depart from the stops. And sometimes when they are making the sharp turns to climb the hills.

4. Better yet, take the metro and walk the rest of the way.

5. Get to know the colectivo routes -- somehow. 

Shared taxis are brilliant. A colectivo is a taxi that follows a specific route, and can accommodate up to five people at a time. It is easy to hop in and out as needed, provided that your stop is along the route and that you know what the route is. This mode of transportation works for me, because I had someone point out the Recreo route (the neighborhood we live in) to us when we first arrived. I haven´t figured out any other routes on my own, and there isn´t exactly printed information about the colectivos anywhere that I have found.

Sometimes I think having a car might mean being able to do get somewhere quickly, or to leave town, but really -- I would not want to drive (or park) here. The public transportation is very affordable (approximately $.60 per metro ride, $.70 per bus ride, and $1.25 per shared taxi ride), and I never know what I am going to encounter on my long walks. 

All in all, a fairly pedestrian-friendly area. 

La casa de Starbucks

There are two Starbucks in Viña that I am aware of. One is a storefront in el mall, and looks and feels like any Starbucks. The other is a two-story house near a beach, and looks and feels like a Starbucks in Viña. 

La Casa de Starbucks

Three things came to mind when I first encountered La Casa De Starbucks.

1. It is nice to see a company with a distinct brand blend in. Or, at least make the effort.

It is very common to see residential houses converted into places of business (especially for language schools, daycares and preschools, and jewelry stores). In fact, in some of the more residential areas of Viña it's not always immediately obvious if a house is a residence or a small business. 

Travel agency or family home?

Early on, someone referred me to a travel agency that turned out to be in a house that...may or may not have been the travel agency? I definitely didn't have the language skills to ask anyone. Anyway, the only thing about the Starbucks House that screamed "Starbucks!" were the green umbrellas on the patio (and that was more of a gentle calling). 

I don't know how zoning laws work in Viña, but it does seem like foreign companies have a choice about whether to follow local practices or do their own thing. I don't know what motivated Starbucks to do the Chilean thing and buy a house (maybe it was cheaper to buy a house that was already engineered to withstand earthquakes? maybe they were trying to meet the expectations of tourists? maybe there wasn't any other land available?) but I appreciate that Starbucks went for local flavor - whether it was a gesture or not. 

Other foreign companies do not always
opt to go for local flavor

2. It can be interesting to see how a company adapts (or doesn't) to local custom. 

First, Starbucks posts its opens ours on the door. This is not done in Chile. 

Bizarre Notion

Second, Starbucks sells coffee beans. Since brewing coffee at home is not the way of coffee consumption in Chile (it's all instant all the time) they added pictures of various coffee makers (french press, expresso, etc) to their bean grinder to make it easier for the patrons and baristas to know what setting to use for grinding whole beans.

3. I am happy to report that the quality of their product is just as good in Chile as they are in the states, and that you can count on Starbucks for a good latte every time around the world.