Francesca has arrived, which means the party can begin!! The flight into Chile was quite a long experience – I woke up every couple of hours which couldn’t have been great for me. After an airplane breakfast (which we all know is nothing to marvel over) I filled out my paperwork and headed off to customs. After standing in a huge line for what seemed like forever but was probably around 30 minutes, I reached the man at the front to enter Chile and was promptly rejected. Huh? Turns out I needed to purchase a $140 entrance visa waaaaay back before the beginning of the line in a little hidden away corner. He promised I wouldn’t have to wait in line again, so I scampered over to the corner, bought my visa, and headed back to him. I tried to explain in my broken Spanish and mixed pantomime to the guards that I was told to cut the line and head straight back to the guy in customs. That failed, and I cut the line anyways and hoped no one would make a big deal about it.
Now it was time for luggage collection. Oh, boy. I brought two huge duffel bags on wheels with me, both of which were completely stuffed with clothing. Much of which I would later realize would be way too warm for June in Chile, which is basically a chilly winter. But I made it through and met my driver who was sent by the people in charge of my next work experience. For all of you who don’t know, I was set to start work on Wednesday at Banco de Chile! And yes, I barely speak any Spanish. Congratulations Francesca, nice one! Hey, I’m down for any challenge. We arrived at the bed-and-breakfast where I’d be spending the next couple of months and I met my roommate Kelly, and another companion, Sul. They had both arrived a few days before me, so they were already rested up. I, on the other hand, was exhausted and set to start a Santiago-orientation in just under an hour! Go me!
Kelly and I quickly realized that we would need more closet space with the amount of stuff I had brought with me, and we put in a request for another closet (they were movable, on wheels, so that wasn’t too big a deal) after Marcela and Macarena arrived to collect us. They brought us over to the office (which was above a really cute but expensive shoe store!) where we were given a run-down on our work, along with Subway directions and all the information we would need to arrive at our jobs on-time. We all then went out to lunch at Bricca where we ordered lunch in Spanish for the first time. I could manage “bagel de salmon” quite fine. Next we headed to the mall; also know as “Parque Arauco” where we were bought tickets for the “Hop On- Hop Off” bus that runs all around the city of Santiago. I picked up a whole bunch of brochures here listing pretty much every other tour within an hour of the city. I wanted to do everything! But of course, only as time and funds permit.
We had a couple minutes to go explore a bookstore that had Lonely Planet guides. Yes! But unfortunately, they were all in Spanish. And they didn’t even have one on Chile. I decided to search the mall for one on another day, and we headed back to the bus so we wouldn’t miss it. After taking a couple pictures outside, we jumped on the bus and made our way to the rooftop. The first stop was the Alonso de Cordova -- where we had just been (where the office was) so we decided to skip getting off there. We just took a few pictures of the great shopping from the bus. According to Turistik’s website: “The history of this part of the city dates back to the Incas’ arrival, when some of them settled on the eastern bank of the Mapocho River; one of their most important leaders, summoned by Pedro de Valdivia, Santiago’s founder, was Vitacura, whose name means Big Rock.” The next stop we passed was the Hotel Sheraton. This one wasn’t too interesting to us so we held back and decided the third stop would be our first jump off.
We jumped off at the Barrio Bellavista (Patio Bellavista) stop also known as (to me) the “Funicular” stop, where you could take a tram all the way up the hill in the park for some amazing views of the city. We had limited time, so we planned to come back on another day to take the tram up and then walk down through the park. Perhaps on Saturday, we thought! After taking a few pictures, we spoke to a guy who suggested we walk around the area before the bus came back and pointed us in the right direction. We took him up on his word and walked a giant square around the area down Constitución Street, taking in the amazing graffiti that covered much of the walls. We got back right in time to grab the next bus which took us past the Museo Nacional De Bellas Artes, or the National Fine Arts Museum. According to Turistik, the museum has, “3000 pieces of art which include paintings, sculptures, and drawings which extend from the colonial period up to present.” Again, we didn’t have time to actually stop, but I made a mental note to hit it up on a future date.
Our next stop was dead in the center of Santiago: Plaza de Armas. Established by the Spaniards, this square holds quite a few great attractions. We headed inside the Metropolitan Cathedral and took a ton of pictures of the amazing architecture we encountered. This Cathedral has been repaired numerous times do to earthquakes, but thankfully, is still standing in relatively one piece! Once outside again we got a few images of the “Correo Central” or the Central Post Office. Walking to the corner of the Plaza de Armas, we passed by artists at work with their stunning paintings of the mountains around the city, and people playing chess outside intensely concentrating on their next move. Next was the “Mercado Central” or the Central Market. I was super excited to see inside, but that would wait for the next day. Let me try some of that amazing Chilean street food, please!
The next stop we actually did get off at was Plaza de la Constitucion aka Constitution Square. Here we found a palace! Actually, the building itself was quite amazing to look at. So impressive! The Moneda Palace which served at the seat of the Chilean government and its’ President before the 1960’s. Turistik: “In 1846 President Manuel Bulnes used an area of the building as the Presidents’ residence, being the first president to live there; and later, President Carlos Ibáñez del campo, the last one there in 1958.” We tried to get inside the Palace, but it was apparently closed for some type of renovation. Alright, another day! Back on the bus we passed Santa Lucia and the hill that resided at the stop. It was getting a bit later in the day now, so we decided not to stop at the next couple of stops, but instead get a great view from the bus! “The hill’s (here I’ll show a picture from the Turistik website along with my own since I was too busy looking to get a good one!) monumental neoclassical entrance was completed in 1902, and harmonizes around a sculpture of the god Neptune an architectonic unit with curved stairways, fountains, and a spacious terrace with a triumphant arch crowned by a dome. This unit constitutes a good image of the lifestyle of Santiago’s high society of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.”
Providencia, the next stop, was filled with really cool, modern stores but we didn’t get off here. And the following two stops, El Golf, and Isidora Goyenechea, were interesting, but not amazing. The former is known as “Sanhattan” – yes, that is Santiago and Manhattan combined. It is pretty much a bunch of office and finance-related buildings. Really cool looking, but not worth the stop. The latter, Isidora Goyenechea, is named after a nearby golf club. Again, some really cool architecture and some neat looking shops, but not worth our time at the moment. There we were, finished with the Hop On, Hop Off tour and filled with new respect for the city of Santiago. That night we went out to Liguria, a neat little bar/restaurant with eclectic décor and an even more varied menu of treats! Sul got an amazing-looking lamb dish and I tried the spicy fish sandwich, while Kelly was satisfied with her pesto ravioli. The waiter helped us all order in Spanish, so we left him a nice tip!
liguara pic here
The next day we got a bit of a late start, as we were waiting for the Internet connection to be fixed in our building. Once that was set, we grabbed a taxi and headed to the office again. We were given a bit of a “cultural orientation” and discussed what culture meant to all of us. The discussion ended with the arrival of sushi! Yumm… there was actually really decent sushi delivery in Santiago. Chile is know for its’ seafood. But still! Oh! A great tip if you ever head out this way. There are these delicious (and deliciously-smelling) bakeries named “Castano” all around the city. We actually have one right on the way home to the bed-and-breakfast. The smell of fresh breads and empanadas is just intoxicating… you simply can’t resist it!
We arrived back home and then got ready for our dry-run: we were going to go to each of our offices to make sure we could work the Subway system the next morning! The first was Sul’s “Banco de Chile” stop which was at a different office than mine. While he worked in El Golf, or the financial center, I was working in the central office, which we would visit later that day. After finding his place and checking it out, we headed for Kelly’s place. She was going to be working at a neat marketing company called ProCorp, located in a cute little suburban area just a few stops down. Finally we headed towards my stop in the middle of Santiago, the headquarters of Banco de Chile. Our stop: Universidad de Chile. Woot! My turn! After passing this giant blue art sculpture (which I would come to be very familiar with passing it every day in the future) we hit the main square in the area.
Wow! What an incredible place to work! Filled with tons of things to see and do, we passed by store after store of amazingness… we passed a church, turned the corner, and walked onto Agustinas. Here it was! 975 Agustinas! My new home… on the way back from my work, Sul and I spotted Café Haiti and remembered an episode we saw on the food network before arriving in Santiago. Coffee with legs! YES! Here, kinda like a Chilean version of Hooters, you come for the legs and stay for the coffee. The patrons drink their coffee standing up, served by waitresses in short little dresses. With legs in full view! Hehehe…
Kelly decided to head back to the hostel while Sul and I wanted to remain out and about. The two of us hung out, walking all around the square. We even ducked into the Central Market were we dined on (my first time!) oysters! Not half bad, but I did cover them completely in salsa and lemon and ate them with bread after every bite. Oh well, at least I stomached them! While at the restaurant (named after the owner) we met the owner, Augusto, who came up to us to say hello! His family moved from Palestine back some 50 years ago, so he feels he is quite Chilean now. On the way back to our new home I decided to buy a long coat and some gloves since I realized it was absolutely freezing in Chile at night. The temperature fluctuates quite a lot throughout the day – sometimes you need a coat desperately, sometimes you could wear light clothes and be perfectly fine. Who knows!? We peeked quickly into the church we passed earlier, and then took the metro home. I led the way! Better know how to get to work in the morning! That evening we had some pizza at a local pizzeria just a few minutes from the B&B. We didn’t want to go too far, as we had to get up early the next morning! Work time!
I arrived bright and early (a little too early, the office wasn’t even open yet) to work the next morning. I was met downstairs by the secretary, who led me upstairs to the 4th floor – office 441 would be my home for now. I was shown to my desk area and computer station and made myself comfortable there. She then led me all around the office where I received about 1,384 cheek-kisses from people! Wow, Chileans are quite friendly. My little bit of Spanish was not really sufficient for true communication, but luckily, there were enough people in the office who could speak English that I didn’t feel too isolated. A few hours later I met with my boss, Ruben, who could speak English (thank God) and gave me my assignment for the next couple of months. He instructed me: Spend two weeks researching the local market for mobile applications, spend two weeks researching the global market for mobile applications, then spend four weeks coming up with ideas for our latest mobile application and its’ marketing scheme. Talk about pressure! The first day and I’m already in charge of an entire section of the business.
I got to work immediately and e-mailed multiple contacts, hoping they would respond to me by the following day, so that I could begin to open a communication with them on the current market in Chile for mobile applications. I began research on the global market and various marketing ideas regarding apps, found articles and information on what other countries are implementing world-wide regarding apps, such as in Uganda and the Philippines. Printed out and organized documents into categories of 1) Local research, 2) Global research, and 3) Creativity ideas/marketing potential. At lunch (which was in the cafeteria in the building called the “casino”) I was able to speak with some of my colleagues about their experiences in the company (thankfully, in English!) and what they suggested I do while in Santiago. By the end of the day I had 150 pages of research printed out to go over the following day. I returned home and just laid on the bed absolutely exhausted… I’d have to do it all again the next morning!
On Thursday I researched local data on Entel/BdC’s application, found the application’s website and how to operate the basic application. I contacted multiple sources including Mr. Jorge Bravo from Georgetown University who wrote multiple research papers on Chile’s mobile phone market. I then found information on the competitors of Banco de Chile and applications they are developing. I finished the day after lunch by researching GasCo and Costanera Norte and how the application works to complete payments to them. Wrote an extensive e-mail to Juan Pablo detailing questions I had regarding the Banco de Chile application, its’ current status and use, the logistics of app payment, what the current expectations for the app will be, and what exactly the current function of the app covers. I noted in my report to Ruben that I was awaiting Juan Pablo’s reply scheduled for the next week. (Note to self: Really? NEXT week?) I ended up getting off a little early since there was a riot in the street regarding education in Chile… That evening Sul and I grabbed some delicious and quick empanadas near the Subway station while waiting for Kelly to return home from work – brought her back a couple of empanadas as well.
Friday’s work consisted of completed writing a survey to be distributed to the target market in Santiago, with the survey covering possible ideas for options to make payments via cell phone text message. I had spelling and translation checked over in-house. Read through approx 150 pages of researched information including 1) The current status of the Banco de Chile application, 2) The current status of using mobile applications for payments world-wide. After lunch I met with Juan Pablo briefly (I can’t wait for next week, sorry!) and saw the app in action on his cell phone, and the potential for new ideas for app payments. I discussed with him some of the questions I had about the application and he proposed that I await his answers to my e-mail this coming week. I finished the day by researching an additional 3 highways in Chile via their websites and writing Monday’s report, which I decided Ruben would get every Monday morning so that he could keep tabs on my work.
Friday I also realized that I couldn’t find my wallet anywhere. I’m not sure if it got stolen on the Subway or if I misplaced it somewhere but I was a bit frustrated I couldn’t find it that evening. I immediately started canceling credit cards and having them re-issued for the following week. Hopefully I’ll get them soon! I had gotten off early from work (5:00 pm is getting off early, normally I work until 6:00 pm) and grabbed a little sandwich snack. Good thinking, because by the time Kelly got back and we got to eat it was nearly 10:00 pm! We had decided to eat at a little kind-of sports bar. I got some delicious mini-burgers, but there were so many of them I couldn’t finish them all! Yum, though!
Saturday morning! Bright and early I was up (for some reason, I simply can’t sleep in on a non-work day… if it’s work I could sleep in forever!) and headed to the mall. That’s right, Parque Arauco again. I needed to get my hands on a Lonely Planet, and I was determined to do it even if I had to do everything myself and in Spanish. I took a taxi to the mall: “Tengo que ir aquí, por favor.” After I consulted with the information desk, I found the bookstore and was delighted to flip open an English Lonely Planet. I bought it, and then headed back to the front desk where I learned the word for “hair salon” in Spanish. Peluquería! Ahh… a few “Dónde está’s” later I was buying some Redkin conditioner I had run out of. I finished my adventure by finding a money exchanger in the mall and ordering a Pizza pretzel (thank God THAT is in English) to snack on. I passed Kelly on her way into the mall to buy a gift for her friend… and I headed out into the rain to get to a museum or two!
Turns out I could pack three museums into the afternoon because, well, that’s what I do. The first was on 1000 years of the history of Santiago. There were a bunch of old paintings of colonists and Spanairds who made their way stomping into the city hundreds of years ago. I saw military collections that were “transformed into symbols of victory” years later, which included pieces from Captain Arturo Prat Chacon. Captain Arturo Prat was a Chilean naval officer who, according to the Wiki: “…completed a large number of sea voyages, both inside and outside his country, including voyages to the Juan Fernández Islands, Easter Island (on the corvette "Esmeralda" under Policarpo Toro's command), Magallanes and Peru. During the latter trip in 1868, he was responsible for transporting aid to those affected by that year's earthquake, and he later brought back the remains of Bernardo O'Higgins, at the orders of Manuel Blanco Encalada.” The captions for most of the pieces – no, all of the pieces – were in Spanish so I tried to make the best I could of it. There apparently was an English audio guide but unfortunately the guy in charge of the guides had gone out to lunch. Oh, man! Oh, well. Most of the items spoke for themselves such as the amazing headdresses and huge Polynesian sculptures and revolutionary posters.
Next I hit up the Museo Chileno De Arte Precolombino or the Pre-Columbian art museum. Here was a bunch of Mayan, Inca, old pre-European Chilean, Argentinean, and Peruvian artifacts, etc. One of the first pieces I encountered was entitled “The Guard” from the period of 500 BC to AD 500. I learned that statues such as this one accompanied powerful people to their tombs in Mexico at this time as “guardians” for the dead. Tombs in Mexico were known as “shaft-and-chamber” tombs which were: (according to the signs I read) “… dug in hard volcanic ash or clay soil. In some cases they are up to 18 meters deep and connect one to five different mortuary chambers. After placing the body inside… the pit was filled with loose and fine earth so it could be reopened when needed to bury another person.” Yikes!
I then stumbled upon a piece of Mayan art which reinforced societal class division. Take a look! Notice the leader with the incredible decorations whereas the captive is stripped nude. Another deity I’ll show you here is the “Sun Lord” or “Kin Ahau” which goes through a day to night cycle according to legends: “…During the night, the sun had to journey through Xibalba, or land of the dead and overcome the dangerous gods of death that ruled over it. As he traveled through this underground world he would change into a jaguar or a person with feline ears, big eyes, aquiline nose and a “T” shaped incisor.”
Next came some art from Ecuador from the Chorrera, Tolita, Jama-Coaque, and Bahia cultures. These ceramic pieces were derived from molds which helped to keep people in an “artistic line” of sorts. I’ll also show you here a large stela from the lowlands of the Yucatan. From the display: “The triumphant figure grasps a shield decorated with the image of one of the war patrons, the Jaguar God of the Underworld. The two prisoners with their feet tired have been stripped of their ornaments.” Finally, the strangest here is of a young girl who has all the marks of noble lineage, including carved teeth, a deformed cranium, and rings.
Finally the museum got to some Chilean art! This is what I was really looking forward to. I came across these absolutely crazy-looking mummies! Take a look for yourself, and read the following description of what exactly is going on here: “Seven thousands years ago, a group of simple fishermen from the coast of Arica, Chile, developed a surprising funerary technology. They preserved their dead using a complex surgical procedure by which they replaced the body’s soft parts with branches, plants, and mud. This artificial mummification of the Chinchorro culture is 2000 years older than the Egyptian technique.” I also encountered some southern Chilean stonework such as pipes and axes. I learned that the first Spaniards to arrive saw the war chiefs, known as toki, wearing the axes around their necks covered in blood.
The Inka had an interesting recording system which perhaps you’ve heard of before. It is called a quipucamayoc, involving making knots in yarn, and as the empire ruled from Ecuador down to central Chile, they early Chileans used this accounting system as well. There were also some examples of early Chilean clothing, headdresses, etc. These headdresses represented important significance in the Andes – they displayed someone’s class and thus place in the local society. One collection of musical instruments later, I came across some Peruvian, Wari, and Tiwanaku pottery. These groups of people residing in the Andes also weaved like decorated maniacs… and note these wooden spatulas; they were used in rituals to purge the stomach in order for shamans to receive hallucinogens. Yes, they used them to make themselves vomit in order to get high. Ick!
The final museum (the Academia de Bellas Artes) I headed to was a quaint little art museum (actually, it was gigantic, but since they were doing construction on most of it there was little on display at the time) where I encountered some rather modern, well extremely modern… well, OK let’s just let the art speak for itself.
Saturday evening, Kelly and I headed to a dinner show that I was really looking forward to. We watched Chilean dancing (including Polynesian dancing from Easter Island!) and dined on seafood appetizers, delicious ice-cream and fruit trays, chicken or fish or beef entrees. I got pulled in to dance on-stage, and you better bet I accepted! Check out the results…
pics of me dancing
Check out the chicks’ bathroom:
Sunday was a day at the mall. Kelly needed to pick up some things, and since it was another rainy day I decided to accompany her. We found her a bunch of stuff: boots, tights, and a few other things. I really wanted to get a pair of boots (that is all they wear here and I’m stuck in uncomfortable heels!) but since I had just lost my wallet, I thought I shouldn’t splurge on extras, even if I needed them. *le sigh* That evening was a simple grocery run and some PB&J’s back at the house.
Now it is Monday morning again! Worktime!! See ya!
Francesca
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