16 Oct 2010
TEACHERS DAY
Teacher’s day over here is celebrated in style. The senior students of the last year go to school, for the rest of the students it is a holiday. The teachers are sat in the front row of the assembly and the students make presentations and give awards. A rock band played, some students sang a song to their teacher. Apple awards were given for all sorts of things ranging from the teacher with the cutest ass (both female and male), the most knowledgeable, the kindest, the teacher with the students who had the most red marks (too many of these and the students will repeat the year level) etc. The teachers then choose teams, had a tug of war and rushed to sing Karaoke to the school for points. It was a real laugh and good fun. At the end the teachers were taken out of town to a house where we were served lunch and some dinner. We played on the trampoline, ping pong and danced the night away – It was great!!!!
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Monday, October 11, 2010
11th October 2010
Día de la Raza. (COLUMBUS DAY)
Didn’t do much today, although it is a national holiday. Only seems to be celebrated in style in Santiago by the Mapechu people. Included a few articles for you info here:
Holidays and Observances:
1 Jan New Year's Day
1 Apr Maundy Thursday
2 Apr Good Friday
4 Apr Easter Day
1 May Labor Day / May Day
21 May Navy Day
28 Jun Saint Peter and Saint Paul
16 Jul Our Lady of Mount Carmel
15 Aug Assumption of Mary
18 Sep National holiday
19 Sep Army Day
11 Oct Columbus Day
1 Nov All Saints
8 Dec Feast of the Immaculate Conception
25 Dec Christmas Day
31 Dec New Year's Eve
October 12 (or the nearest Monday to it) is traditionally celebrated throughout the Americas as the day Christopher Columbus arrived in 1492. In English speaking countries, the day is celebrated as Columbus Day or Native American Day. In Spanish speaking countries and communities, is is known as Día de la Raza, the Day of the Race.
Día de la Raza is the celebration of the Hispanic heritage of Latin America and brings into it all the ethnic and cultural influences making it distinctive. It is celebrated on October 12 in Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, Mexico, Uruguay and Venezuela.
A few historical facts behind the holiday:
• Cristóbal Colón, born Cristoforo Colombo, following the newly accepted theory that the world was round and not flat, sailed west from Spain to find a new route to China or the East Indies. He wanted also to prove his calculations of the earth's circumference.
• He was off on his calculations and he didn't find a new spice route. Instead, on October 12, 1492, he and his small fleet of three ships, the Niña, the Pinta and the Santa Maria, landed on one of the islands now known as the Bahamas. The exact island is a matter of debate and conjecture, but from there, he went on to Cuba and Hispaniola, now the Dominican Republic and Haiti, and went back to Spain to recount his adventures.
• With royal approval and funding, he set forth in 1493 with a fleet of 17 ships and retraced his earlier voyage. This time he explored Puerto Rico and the Leeward Islands, founded a colony on Hispaniola. He did not find any spices, nor gold in great quantities, but returned again to Spain. He made his third journey to the New World in 1498, where he explored the coast of Venezuela and was awed by the sweet water of the Orinoco where it flowed into the Atlantic.
• For his efforts, Columbus was made admiral and Governor General of the new colonies until he was sent back to Spain in disgrace in 1500. He overcame that humiliation sufficiently to make a fourth and final voyage in 1502, landing in Costa Rica. When he died in 1506, Columbus was dishonored and all but forgotten. Whether he should be celebrated as the man who opened Central and South America to exploration and colonization, or excoriated for the same thing is a continuing debate.
• Christopher Columbus and Columbus Day are reviled in places because he is blamed for bringing the evils of slavery, the encomienda system and the diseases of Europe to Latin America. He was avaricious, cruel and paved the way for the conquista.
Now, 500 plus years later, we recall his deeds and celebrate not Columbus the man, but the actions and influences of all the people who came after him, who melded their European culture with the indigenous cultures and, with difficulty, blood and years of battle, misunderstandings and treachery, have created the multi-cultural, multi-ethnic society we now celebrate with the Día de la Raza.
http://gosouthamerica.about.com/cs/southamerica/a/CulDiaRaza.htm
Chile's Mapuche people parade through the streets of Santiago wearing colourful traditional dress on Columbus Day, El Dia de la Raza. The music and dance commemorates Christopher Columbus' arrival in the New World on 12 October 1492.
The fiesta was first recognised in Chile in 1923, and is also a celebration of mestije, or the mingling of races, which gave birth to the population of today.
http://www.whatsonwhen.com/sisp/index.htm?fx=event&event_id=158954
Día de la Raza. (COLUMBUS DAY)
Didn’t do much today, although it is a national holiday. Only seems to be celebrated in style in Santiago by the Mapechu people. Included a few articles for you info here:
Holidays and Observances:
1 Jan New Year's Day
1 Apr Maundy Thursday
2 Apr Good Friday
4 Apr Easter Day
1 May Labor Day / May Day
21 May Navy Day
28 Jun Saint Peter and Saint Paul
16 Jul Our Lady of Mount Carmel
15 Aug Assumption of Mary
18 Sep National holiday
19 Sep Army Day
11 Oct Columbus Day
1 Nov All Saints
8 Dec Feast of the Immaculate Conception
25 Dec Christmas Day
31 Dec New Year's Eve
October 12 (or the nearest Monday to it) is traditionally celebrated throughout the Americas as the day Christopher Columbus arrived in 1492. In English speaking countries, the day is celebrated as Columbus Day or Native American Day. In Spanish speaking countries and communities, is is known as Día de la Raza, the Day of the Race.
Día de la Raza is the celebration of the Hispanic heritage of Latin America and brings into it all the ethnic and cultural influences making it distinctive. It is celebrated on October 12 in Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, Mexico, Uruguay and Venezuela.
A few historical facts behind the holiday:
• Cristóbal Colón, born Cristoforo Colombo, following the newly accepted theory that the world was round and not flat, sailed west from Spain to find a new route to China or the East Indies. He wanted also to prove his calculations of the earth's circumference.
• He was off on his calculations and he didn't find a new spice route. Instead, on October 12, 1492, he and his small fleet of three ships, the Niña, the Pinta and the Santa Maria, landed on one of the islands now known as the Bahamas. The exact island is a matter of debate and conjecture, but from there, he went on to Cuba and Hispaniola, now the Dominican Republic and Haiti, and went back to Spain to recount his adventures.
• With royal approval and funding, he set forth in 1493 with a fleet of 17 ships and retraced his earlier voyage. This time he explored Puerto Rico and the Leeward Islands, founded a colony on Hispaniola. He did not find any spices, nor gold in great quantities, but returned again to Spain. He made his third journey to the New World in 1498, where he explored the coast of Venezuela and was awed by the sweet water of the Orinoco where it flowed into the Atlantic.
• For his efforts, Columbus was made admiral and Governor General of the new colonies until he was sent back to Spain in disgrace in 1500. He overcame that humiliation sufficiently to make a fourth and final voyage in 1502, landing in Costa Rica. When he died in 1506, Columbus was dishonored and all but forgotten. Whether he should be celebrated as the man who opened Central and South America to exploration and colonization, or excoriated for the same thing is a continuing debate.
• Christopher Columbus and Columbus Day are reviled in places because he is blamed for bringing the evils of slavery, the encomienda system and the diseases of Europe to Latin America. He was avaricious, cruel and paved the way for the conquista.
Now, 500 plus years later, we recall his deeds and celebrate not Columbus the man, but the actions and influences of all the people who came after him, who melded their European culture with the indigenous cultures and, with difficulty, blood and years of battle, misunderstandings and treachery, have created the multi-cultural, multi-ethnic society we now celebrate with the Día de la Raza.
http://gosouthamerica.about.com/cs/southamerica/a/CulDiaRaza.htm
Chile's Mapuche people parade through the streets of Santiago wearing colourful traditional dress on Columbus Day, El Dia de la Raza. The music and dance commemorates Christopher Columbus' arrival in the New World on 12 October 1492.
The fiesta was first recognised in Chile in 1923, and is also a celebration of mestije, or the mingling of races, which gave birth to the population of today.
http://www.whatsonwhen.com/sisp/index.htm?fx=event&event_id=158954
Friday, October 8, 2010
6 October 2010
One of the flashest restaurants I have ever been to, they even had a Lucama sorbet between the entre and the main dish to change the palate! I would like to know the cost of the meal but Alejandro paid so I am not sure and I don’t know if it is rude to ask the price or not. I know that they were charging on average 10,000 pesos for the wine and 1,800 per raspberry juice. The mains cost anywhere between 9,800 pesos and 15,000 I think….
What an experience!
One of the flashest restaurants I have ever been to, they even had a Lucama sorbet between the entre and the main dish to change the palate! I would like to know the cost of the meal but Alejandro paid so I am not sure and I don’t know if it is rude to ask the price or not. I know that they were charging on average 10,000 pesos for the wine and 1,800 per raspberry juice. The mains cost anywhere between 9,800 pesos and 15,000 I think….
What an experience!
Sunday, October 3, 2010
3rd October 2010
MIL TAMBORES
This is a direct translation of a web page as translated by the web so don’t expect it to be completely correct, however you'll get the general idea:
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=http://www.terra.cl/entretencion/index.cfm%3Fid_reg%3D1506652%26id_cat%3D1160%26titulo_url%3DCarnaval_%25B4Mil_Tambores%25B4_prendera_Valparaiso_los_primeros_dias_de_octubre&ei=UfqoTJi3FY-osAP16rmdDQ&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=1&sqi=2&ved=0CBcQ7gEwAA&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dorigen%2Bof%2Bmil%2Btambores%26hl%3Den%26site%3Dwebhp%26prmd%3Div
CARNIVAL 'MIL DRUM' VALPARAISO turn ON FIRST DAY OF OCTOBER
Ya está listo el programa oficial del carnaval Mil Tambores de Valparaíso. And ready is the official program of carnival drums Valparaiso Mil. El evento se realizará los días 1, 2 y 3 de octubre . The event will be held on days 1, 2 and 3 October. Por lo mismo destaca el lanzamiento de la campaña “Yo vivo Mil Tambores Yo cuido Valparaíso”, campaña que la misma organización del carnaval ha promocionado entre los participantes para evitar las malas prácticas de este tipo de eventos masivos. It also highlights the launch of the "I live a thousand drums I take care of Valparaiso" campaign that it has promoted the carnival organization among participants to avoid bad practices such massive events.
Esta es la undécima versión del carnaval ciudadano Mil Tambores, y se observan bastantes cambios en su parrilla programática 2010. This is the eleventh version of the carnival city Thousand Drums, and observed many changes in its program grid 2010. Todo parte en el cerro, el pasacalle inicial será por la Av. Alemania partiendo en la Plazuela San Luis (Cerro Alegre) y finalizando en el Auditorium Osmán Pérez Freire (Cerro Florida). Every part on the hill, the parade will start on Av Germany starting in the Plaza San Luis (Cerro Alegre) and ending at the Auditorium Osman Perez Freire (Cerro Florida). La tradicional actividad de los cuerpos pintados será realizada bajo la modalidad de concurso, así como también se premiará la mejor fotografía carnavalera, la mejor comparsa y la mejor alegoría. The traditional activity of painted bodies will be made in the form of competition, and also the best picture award carnival, the best carnival and the best allegory.
Jóvenes de todo Chile se reunirán en el velódromo de Playa Ancha lugar destinada a la acreditación de las delegaciones a partir del jueves 30 de septiembre. Youth from all over Chile will meet at the velodrome Playa Ancha place intended for the accreditation of delegations from Thursday 30 September. Un centenar agrupaciones carnavaleras ya están preparando su visita a Valparaíso de Arica a Puerto Montt incluso de Argentina han confirmado su asistencia al carnaval, cabe destacar la gestión propia de estos grupos, cientos de jóvenes, quienes han estado organizando diversas actividades para garantizar su participación en este importante evento nacional. One hundred Carnaval groups are already preparing a visit to Valparaiso Arica to Puerto Montt even Argentina have confirmed their attendance at the carnival include the actual management of these groups, hundreds of young people who have been organizing various activities to ensure their participation in this important national event.
A nivel internacional, Mil Tambores ha logrado posicionar a Valparaíso como una “ciudad de carnaval” dentro del circuito Iberoamericano de carnavales potenciando, de paso, la industria turística en la región. Internationally, Thousand Drums Valparaiso has positioned as a "city carnival" in the Latin American carnival circuit promoting, by the way, the tourism industry in the region. Prueba de ello es que la actividad inaugural del carnaval es la exposición fotográfica de Kiki Hernández “Tipos de Cuidao” que retrata las vestimentas y personajes del famoso carnaval de Cádiz, España esta actividad es auspiciada por el municipio de dicha ciudad. Proof of this is that the inaugural event of the carnival is a photographic exhibition by Kiki Hernandez "Types of Cuidao" which portrays the costumes and characters from the famous carnival of Cadiz, Spain this activity is sponsored by the municipality of that city. La exposición estará abierta desde el día 30 de septiembre en los pasillos del Consejo Nacional de la Cultura y las Artes y luego participar de una gira por la región en el Marco del Forum de las Culturas. The exhibition will run from September 30 in the corridors of the National Council for Culture and the Arts and then participate in a tour of the region in the framework of the Forum of Cultures.
Diálogos Ciudadanos Citizen Dialogues
En este carnaval existe una fuerte preocupación por abordar temáticas medioambientales por ser una instancia masiva donde la ciudadanía se encuentra en el espacio público, para ellos se han organizado 5 mesas de diálogos ciudadanos para incentivar la reflexión en los cerros del puerto, todo ello bajo el motivo de la defensa de los derechos de la Madre Tierra. In this carnival there is a strong concern to address environmental issues because it is a massive instance where citizenship is in the public space, for they have organized 5 tables citizen dialogues to encourage reflection on the port hills, all under the reason for the rights of Mother Earth.
En lo concreto existen 5 mesas que abordarán temáticas como: los conflictos medioambientales en chile, el derecho al agua, las resoluciones de la cumbre medioambiental de Cochabamba, uso de Energías Renovable, entre otros temas. In particular there are 5 tables on several subjects such as environmental conflicts in Chile, water rights, the resolutions of the environmental summit in Cochabamba, use of renewable energy, among other topics. Dentro de los invitados confirmados están los representantes diplomáticos de Bolivia, Ecuador y Venezuela, representantes de la cámara de diputados, organizaciones sociales, comunidades en conflictos y expertos en la materia. Among the confirmed guests are diplomatic representatives of Bolivia, Ecuador and Venezuela, representatives of the Chamber of Deputies, social organizations, communities and conflict experts.
Mil Tambores vuelve a los cerros, a su lugar de origen. Thousand Drums back into the hills, to their place of origin. El carnaval tomará a Valparaíso por la cintura para seguir recuperando espacios públicos para el arte y promoviendo una cultura de paz, justicia y dignidad para los pueblos. The carnival will take on Valparaiso at the waist to continue recovering public spaces for art and promoting a culture of peace, justice and dignity for the people.
Más información, en el Facebook "Mil Tambores". More information on Facebook "Thousand Drums".
Derechos Reservados Terra Networks Chile SA Copyright Terra Networks Chile SA
Start of the parade
Dancers
Drummers and unicyclists
MIL TAMBORES
This is a direct translation of a web page as translated by the web so don’t expect it to be completely correct, however you'll get the general idea:
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=http://www.terra.cl/entretencion/index.cfm%3Fid_reg%3D1506652%26id_cat%3D1160%26titulo_url%3DCarnaval_%25B4Mil_Tambores%25B4_prendera_Valparaiso_los_primeros_dias_de_octubre&ei=UfqoTJi3FY-osAP16rmdDQ&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=1&sqi=2&ved=0CBcQ7gEwAA&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dorigen%2Bof%2Bmil%2Btambores%26hl%3Den%26site%3Dwebhp%26prmd%3Div
CARNIVAL 'MIL DRUM' VALPARAISO turn ON FIRST DAY OF OCTOBER
Ya está listo el programa oficial del carnaval Mil Tambores de Valparaíso. And ready is the official program of carnival drums Valparaiso Mil. El evento se realizará los días 1, 2 y 3 de octubre . The event will be held on days 1, 2 and 3 October. Por lo mismo destaca el lanzamiento de la campaña “Yo vivo Mil Tambores Yo cuido Valparaíso”, campaña que la misma organización del carnaval ha promocionado entre los participantes para evitar las malas prácticas de este tipo de eventos masivos. It also highlights the launch of the "I live a thousand drums I take care of Valparaiso" campaign that it has promoted the carnival organization among participants to avoid bad practices such massive events.
Esta es la undécima versión del carnaval ciudadano Mil Tambores, y se observan bastantes cambios en su parrilla programática 2010. This is the eleventh version of the carnival city Thousand Drums, and observed many changes in its program grid 2010. Todo parte en el cerro, el pasacalle inicial será por la Av. Alemania partiendo en la Plazuela San Luis (Cerro Alegre) y finalizando en el Auditorium Osmán Pérez Freire (Cerro Florida). Every part on the hill, the parade will start on Av Germany starting in the Plaza San Luis (Cerro Alegre) and ending at the Auditorium Osman Perez Freire (Cerro Florida). La tradicional actividad de los cuerpos pintados será realizada bajo la modalidad de concurso, así como también se premiará la mejor fotografía carnavalera, la mejor comparsa y la mejor alegoría. The traditional activity of painted bodies will be made in the form of competition, and also the best picture award carnival, the best carnival and the best allegory.
Jóvenes de todo Chile se reunirán en el velódromo de Playa Ancha lugar destinada a la acreditación de las delegaciones a partir del jueves 30 de septiembre. Youth from all over Chile will meet at the velodrome Playa Ancha place intended for the accreditation of delegations from Thursday 30 September. Un centenar agrupaciones carnavaleras ya están preparando su visita a Valparaíso de Arica a Puerto Montt incluso de Argentina han confirmado su asistencia al carnaval, cabe destacar la gestión propia de estos grupos, cientos de jóvenes, quienes han estado organizando diversas actividades para garantizar su participación en este importante evento nacional. One hundred Carnaval groups are already preparing a visit to Valparaiso Arica to Puerto Montt even Argentina have confirmed their attendance at the carnival include the actual management of these groups, hundreds of young people who have been organizing various activities to ensure their participation in this important national event.
A nivel internacional, Mil Tambores ha logrado posicionar a Valparaíso como una “ciudad de carnaval” dentro del circuito Iberoamericano de carnavales potenciando, de paso, la industria turística en la región. Internationally, Thousand Drums Valparaiso has positioned as a "city carnival" in the Latin American carnival circuit promoting, by the way, the tourism industry in the region. Prueba de ello es que la actividad inaugural del carnaval es la exposición fotográfica de Kiki Hernández “Tipos de Cuidao” que retrata las vestimentas y personajes del famoso carnaval de Cádiz, España esta actividad es auspiciada por el municipio de dicha ciudad. Proof of this is that the inaugural event of the carnival is a photographic exhibition by Kiki Hernandez "Types of Cuidao" which portrays the costumes and characters from the famous carnival of Cadiz, Spain this activity is sponsored by the municipality of that city. La exposición estará abierta desde el día 30 de septiembre en los pasillos del Consejo Nacional de la Cultura y las Artes y luego participar de una gira por la región en el Marco del Forum de las Culturas. The exhibition will run from September 30 in the corridors of the National Council for Culture and the Arts and then participate in a tour of the region in the framework of the Forum of Cultures.
Diálogos Ciudadanos Citizen Dialogues
En este carnaval existe una fuerte preocupación por abordar temáticas medioambientales por ser una instancia masiva donde la ciudadanía se encuentra en el espacio público, para ellos se han organizado 5 mesas de diálogos ciudadanos para incentivar la reflexión en los cerros del puerto, todo ello bajo el motivo de la defensa de los derechos de la Madre Tierra. In this carnival there is a strong concern to address environmental issues because it is a massive instance where citizenship is in the public space, for they have organized 5 tables citizen dialogues to encourage reflection on the port hills, all under the reason for the rights of Mother Earth.
En lo concreto existen 5 mesas que abordarán temáticas como: los conflictos medioambientales en chile, el derecho al agua, las resoluciones de la cumbre medioambiental de Cochabamba, uso de Energías Renovable, entre otros temas. In particular there are 5 tables on several subjects such as environmental conflicts in Chile, water rights, the resolutions of the environmental summit in Cochabamba, use of renewable energy, among other topics. Dentro de los invitados confirmados están los representantes diplomáticos de Bolivia, Ecuador y Venezuela, representantes de la cámara de diputados, organizaciones sociales, comunidades en conflictos y expertos en la materia. Among the confirmed guests are diplomatic representatives of Bolivia, Ecuador and Venezuela, representatives of the Chamber of Deputies, social organizations, communities and conflict experts.
Mil Tambores vuelve a los cerros, a su lugar de origen. Thousand Drums back into the hills, to their place of origin. El carnaval tomará a Valparaíso por la cintura para seguir recuperando espacios públicos para el arte y promoviendo una cultura de paz, justicia y dignidad para los pueblos. The carnival will take on Valparaiso at the waist to continue recovering public spaces for art and promoting a culture of peace, justice and dignity for the people.
Más información, en el Facebook "Mil Tambores". More information on Facebook "Thousand Drums".
Derechos Reservados Terra Networks Chile SA Copyright Terra Networks Chile SA
Start of the parade
Dancers
Drummers and unicyclists
Saturday, October 2, 2010
1st October 2010
CLOTHING / FASHION / SHOPPING
It is my host brother’s birthday on Monday so I went to the mall after classes. It is really huge! It starts on one side of the street and has a walkway that goes across to the other mall on the other side. Well I went a bit snap happy and took photos of clothes, fashion accessories and other shopping items. I tried to get photos with prices as much as I could – some are good others not. If you want to know the price of items in NZD then divide the price in pesos by 350 e.g. 10000 Pesos / 350 = $35NZD. The photo ‘Punto Urbano’ which shows a lot of coloured squares and prices is the cost of a haircut. I am not brave enough to get a hair cut in Chile – so my hair is getting longer, however it is only 3 months worth. I tried to get both men and women’s clothing, so you’ll see kids wear and night wear too. Over here they have a Zara shop especially for women and a separate especially for men. The attendant at the Zara mens store would not allow me to take photos of the models in the window. I’m told shoes over here a cheap but haven’t needed to buy any yet. I love the way they display jeans in the shop. Inside the store they sometimes have one pant leg hanging down and the other bunched up on one side – I’m sorry but I couldn’t get a photo of this either.
LANGUAGE ‘GIFT CARD’
I bought a ‘gift card’ for my host brother as I don’t know what kind of music he likes only that he likes music. This was real difficult because the previous day I had been chatting to Ana and she didn’t know what a voucher was. So I went into the music store armed with my dictionary and explained to the attendant that I wanted a voucher to buy music or a CD or DVD etc. He said ‘huh’ so I explained that I pay him money and get a piece of paper that I give to my host brother…. The attendant looked at me and said ‘Oh you mean a ‘gift card’’ It is so frustrating when you expect a word to be in Spanish and they use the English language to describe it! I got to say though that at least I can explain myself now – it may not be accurate but people generally get the idea.
30th September 2010
CAREER DAY
The last year of High School had a university careers day today. I really enjoyed it. Once we were out of the classroom the students would only speak Spanish to me which was really great for me but a little embarrassing because they now know what my true level is… but I have to practice sometime. The career day was held in the old passenger boat terminal so you will see the photos I took around the outside show sea lions, boats etc. The sea lions were really impressive because they had to jump so high up to get on the platform and they were such big creatures. I was surprised that they were there because I thought that it would be too hot for them. People keep telling me that the water is ice cold so they must be right. Inside the passenger boat terminal they had lots of displays of universities in Valparaiso and Vina del Mar. One of the universities was for PE and medicine etc – they had the skeletons outside their display. Others varied and were universities for hospitality - they had made cakes. One university was for airplane pilots / aviation in general.
27th September 2010
CINEMA
Went to the Cinema on Sunday night, purely because I wanted to know what it was like. There were films mostly in English with subtitles. I watched the movie ‘Son como niños’ with Adam Sandler and Penelope Cruz. It was a real good laugh. The first lot of photos I took were out of focus so I have mixed my photos with the other cinema in the mall.
SALSA
I have been to four Salsa lessons now. I haven’t been for a few days though because my foot was sore from all the walking I did on the tour around Valparaiso. The style of teaching over here reminds me of the film Karate kid. I take lessons in Salsa Cubano and it is for two hours and we learn two movements per class. The theory I think is behind this is the teacher wants us to be able to ‘feel’ the music, let it come naturally rather than counting the music either in our heads or out loud. I have to say that most people over here seem to be able to really dance so this method of teaching is working well. It was really frustrating at first though because when I attend Salsa lessons in Whangarei we learn lots of moves in one lesson and all styles of the dance. Over here you have separate classes for different dances from other regions e.g. classes for Salsa Cubano, Salsa Los Angeles, Merengue, Bachacha etc. In NZ we class these as ‘Salsa’ an all encompassing umbrella of the dance form. I thought I had written about this previously but can’t find it so will rewrite. It took me awhile to get to Salsa classes. The reason for this is that the first day I went I had the day and the time wrong, the second time I went the teacher was sick. The third time I went I actually got it right so I was stoked The other thing that I find hard is the sense of time here. It is not unusual for the teacher to be late 10 – 30 minutes for the lesson. The teacher has been sick and went into hospital on Thursday so not sure when classes will be resuming.
CLOTHING / FASHION / SHOPPING
It is my host brother’s birthday on Monday so I went to the mall after classes. It is really huge! It starts on one side of the street and has a walkway that goes across to the other mall on the other side. Well I went a bit snap happy and took photos of clothes, fashion accessories and other shopping items. I tried to get photos with prices as much as I could – some are good others not. If you want to know the price of items in NZD then divide the price in pesos by 350 e.g. 10000 Pesos / 350 = $35NZD. The photo ‘Punto Urbano’ which shows a lot of coloured squares and prices is the cost of a haircut. I am not brave enough to get a hair cut in Chile – so my hair is getting longer, however it is only 3 months worth. I tried to get both men and women’s clothing, so you’ll see kids wear and night wear too. Over here they have a Zara shop especially for women and a separate especially for men. The attendant at the Zara mens store would not allow me to take photos of the models in the window. I’m told shoes over here a cheap but haven’t needed to buy any yet. I love the way they display jeans in the shop. Inside the store they sometimes have one pant leg hanging down and the other bunched up on one side – I’m sorry but I couldn’t get a photo of this either.
LANGUAGE ‘GIFT CARD’
I bought a ‘gift card’ for my host brother as I don’t know what kind of music he likes only that he likes music. This was real difficult because the previous day I had been chatting to Ana and she didn’t know what a voucher was. So I went into the music store armed with my dictionary and explained to the attendant that I wanted a voucher to buy music or a CD or DVD etc. He said ‘huh’ so I explained that I pay him money and get a piece of paper that I give to my host brother…. The attendant looked at me and said ‘Oh you mean a ‘gift card’’ It is so frustrating when you expect a word to be in Spanish and they use the English language to describe it! I got to say though that at least I can explain myself now – it may not be accurate but people generally get the idea.
30th September 2010
CAREER DAY
The last year of High School had a university careers day today. I really enjoyed it. Once we were out of the classroom the students would only speak Spanish to me which was really great for me but a little embarrassing because they now know what my true level is… but I have to practice sometime. The career day was held in the old passenger boat terminal so you will see the photos I took around the outside show sea lions, boats etc. The sea lions were really impressive because they had to jump so high up to get on the platform and they were such big creatures. I was surprised that they were there because I thought that it would be too hot for them. People keep telling me that the water is ice cold so they must be right. Inside the passenger boat terminal they had lots of displays of universities in Valparaiso and Vina del Mar. One of the universities was for PE and medicine etc – they had the skeletons outside their display. Others varied and were universities for hospitality - they had made cakes. One university was for airplane pilots / aviation in general.
27th September 2010
CINEMA
Went to the Cinema on Sunday night, purely because I wanted to know what it was like. There were films mostly in English with subtitles. I watched the movie ‘Son como niños’ with Adam Sandler and Penelope Cruz. It was a real good laugh. The first lot of photos I took were out of focus so I have mixed my photos with the other cinema in the mall.
SALSA
I have been to four Salsa lessons now. I haven’t been for a few days though because my foot was sore from all the walking I did on the tour around Valparaiso. The style of teaching over here reminds me of the film Karate kid. I take lessons in Salsa Cubano and it is for two hours and we learn two movements per class. The theory I think is behind this is the teacher wants us to be able to ‘feel’ the music, let it come naturally rather than counting the music either in our heads or out loud. I have to say that most people over here seem to be able to really dance so this method of teaching is working well. It was really frustrating at first though because when I attend Salsa lessons in Whangarei we learn lots of moves in one lesson and all styles of the dance. Over here you have separate classes for different dances from other regions e.g. classes for Salsa Cubano, Salsa Los Angeles, Merengue, Bachacha etc. In NZ we class these as ‘Salsa’ an all encompassing umbrella of the dance form. I thought I had written about this previously but can’t find it so will rewrite. It took me awhile to get to Salsa classes. The reason for this is that the first day I went I had the day and the time wrong, the second time I went the teacher was sick. The third time I went I actually got it right so I was stoked The other thing that I find hard is the sense of time here. It is not unusual for the teacher to be late 10 – 30 minutes for the lesson. The teacher has been sick and went into hospital on Thursday so not sure when classes will be resuming.
Monday, September 27, 2010
26th September 2010
I haven’t written in my blog for awhile because I had a real nasty worm eating files in my computer. I had to have it taken to a shop, backup files made, computer reformatted and then my files reinstated. Bit of a mess and expensive but it needed to be done which it has now. Thank god for Diego and Alejandro because I couldn’t do this by myself.
24th September 2010
LETTERS / PEN PALS
I gave the letters of our NZ students to a class at San Ignacio. It is a catholic school but the students experience more of 'life' than some of ours would. They are outgoing and in the third year of high school (2nd Media A).They are 15 - 16 years old. They are happy to write to us in English and for us to reply in Spanish. I have a photo of the class which I will post later as I don't know all their names yet.
I regularly attend this class and the students are quite good. They have been studying English for 10 years of schooling but there are still some errors in what they have written as I asked the teacher not to correct their English so students could see their true level. There were more students in this class than ours so some of our students may have more than one letter each. Some students may not have a name that they have replied to, but would like a pen friend. I also asked the students to add email addresses and some have also added face book contacts if they are interested.
The topics they wrote about were similar to what we had. I asked them to ask questions of our students - What did they want to know about NZ and also any festivals that we have just had here in Chile i.e. the Bicentennial celebrations. I have posted the letters today 24 Sep 2010. It should take 10 days to arrive to NZ but other mail of mine has taken over a month to arrive here in Chile.
The letters my year 9 Spanish class wrote are having replies written this week coming. So they will be on their way soon.
23rd September 2010
PRIMARY SCHOOL
A lot of High Schools over here have primary schools attached to them or just down the road. This is fantastic for foreign students or teachers like me. The schools have now arranged for me to join junior Spanish classes at the Primary schools. I am attending classes with Segundo basic. The students are 7 or 8 years old. When I sit on the chair and they stand next to me I am still taller than them. They are really cute and interested in me. I had a look at their text books and their level of Spanish is higher than mine. They use a lot of verb conjugations that I recognize but am unable to make myself accurately without help or grammar books. They are also a lot more reliant on vocabulary that I don’t yet know. However in saying this they have 6 or 7 years of Spanish more than I do. I was really interested in the classroom signs so have included some shots for you.
22nd September 2010
WALK AROUND VALPARAISO
Went for a walk around Valparaiso today for about four hours. I thought that I would follow the tourist trail and search for the Ascensors – most were closed. I started at the Ex- Intendencia (Blue building) and found my way to Ascensor ‘3’ It was short but had very steep steps going up the side of it. On most of the platforms was a concrete bench seat for people to use. I then tried to walk to Ascenor ‘4’ but it was closed so I walked back down the hill. On my way I took photos of the café I saw as well as some of the street art. I then turned up the wrong side street but found a really old broken down house that I took a photo of. So I turned around and at the base of the hill was a cultural museum. Because it was the weekend of the bicentennial they had a display of kites that people had made. I think the one with the dog and the people summed up Valparaiso very well. I had to walk past the court to access the side street back up the hill again as I couldn’t find the beginning of Ascenor ‘5’ so I walked up the stairs. One of the side streets had a Museum ‘Lord Cochrane’ that I couldn’t resist visiting. It had some really cool photographs of Valparaiso and a viewing platform. I could see down into one of the main the town squares and across to the Palacio Baburiza (green building). I continued my walk up the hill and discovered Ascensor ‘5’ at the summit, how ironic lol. There was a pink house near Palacio Baburiza that was being repaired so I took photos of this and then made my way to Casa Crucero (White). I walked back down the hill and found Reloj Turin which is a big clock tower but again couldn’t locate Ascensor ‘6’. I had very sore calf muscles for about 4 days afterward all this walking. So much so that I haven’t attended Salsa classes since the weekend
20th September 2010
LANGUAGE
Has my pronunciation improved?
No. Your pronunciation is pretty good with a few small errors.
How well can you understand what I say?
Good enough. Generally we understand what you say but there are still times when we don’t
Is my use of the language idiomatic? (use of formulaic expressions) etc
Starting to make my own sentences. Need to learn set phrases to build a base of your language
Do you have any other comments about my use of Spanish?
Your level is about a 3 or 4 year olds. Talk more – formulate questions. Read more newspapers front pages – make summaries of them. Watch movies TV in general.
TOILET PAPER
It was late in the evening and I needed toilet paper. I didn’t know how to say toilet paper in Spanish so I said to Alejandro ‘baño papel’ Both him and Ana were amazed that I could communicate my needs very clearly in just two words. They constantly say to me that English is a very concise language where the way words are put together gives an instant image or idea of what we mean or our intentions are. They say that in Spanish you are unable to get these ‘crisp’ meanings and that you need a lot of vocabulary to explain concepts. Alejandro and Diego went to a conference in New York called ‘Design Thinking’. This means a ‘structure of thinking, or concepts’. You cannot translate this directly into Spanish - ‘thinking about design’ as it does not have the same impact as the English version. What I should have said to Alejandro was ‘Necesito papel hygenico por favor’
DON”T LIKE - DON’T EAT!
For various reasons now I have made two meals that have been inedible for my host family. Ana sat at the table and tried to be polite and eat it because I had made her and Francesca dinner. In the end I turned to Ana and said Don’t like - Don’t eat ‘No te gusta, no comer’ Now in English this is rude to say this to someone in this way and I felt pretty bad saying it but my level of Spanish is not good enough to be polite yet. What I wanted to say was ‘if you don’t like it you don’t have to eat it’ I should have said ‘No te gusta, no lo come’
PEUMO CONTRYSIDE
I took these photos on the trip back from Peumo to Santiago. I love the way the sky looked that day. One of my favourite photos is the white flowers of the orchard in the foreground and the white snow of the mountains in the background. On the highways you are allowed to go 120kmph.
19th September 2010
MY BICENTENNIAL CELEBRATIONS
I had the privilege of going to Daniela’s Aunts Farm to celebrate the Bicentennial. On the way there we saw many wooden waterwheels and I was fascinated by the way they worked. It is one of the few times that I have had my photo taken in Chile. I also took a photo of Daniela’s parents next to them as well. As you entered the farm you crossed over an irrigation system by bridge and alongside this were beautiful cacti and the remains of an old wooden umbrella. They have orchards of lemons and oranges and grow crops as well. However what kind of crops they grew is unknown. We went to the outhouses on the farm. Inside the floor was inlaid with rounds of trees of differing sizes. We made and baked empañadas. I of course made some vegetarian ones and put a ‘v’ on the outside. ‘V’ for vedura (vegetables) or vegeteriana which ever way you want to look at it. The family drank Pisco (a type of rum) and danced Cueca.
17th September 2010
FONDA
A Fonda is usually an enclosed area or inside a building where you dance Cueca.
A Ramada is usually an outside area were you dance Cueca. Later when I was talking to one of the teachers at school she said that a lot of people don’t know the difference between a Ramada and a Fonda and often the two ideas get mixed up.
Daniela and Diego and I went to a Fonda which was outside and was like a gala or fete day. They had lots of little enclosed areas where BBQ’s were being cooked. Usually they sold meat of some kind, empañadas or other kinds of traditional foods and drinks. One drink that I wanted to try was called the teremoto (earthquake) but they weren’t selling it in this area so I missed out on that. The following night we did have an earthquake in Peumo but it was only small and I didn’t feel it.
In one area they had a band playing and I took a photo of the people in the kitchen dancing away to the music. Around the sides were lots of stalls selling products such as sunglasses, jewellery, sweets and ponchos for dancing Cueca. They even had a tent setup for fuzeball. Some of the other games were to throw darts to pop balloons and earn a prize, fish for a prize within a time limit using the rods given, throw rings over pegs to earn prizes and spin a wheel to earn a prize.
9th September
SAN DOMINIC BICENTENNIAL CELEBRATIONS
I seem to have the dates all wrong for this. The week before the bicentennial holiday (18th September) the school had their own anniversary celebrations. Then, last week San Dominic were on holiday as part of the national holiday plus one week. Not all schools have the same holidays at the same time it depends on the school, so I still attended San Ignacio.
On the Thursday before the school closed they had a ‘movie night’ I thought this would be showing movies in Spanish, so I was really surprised when I turned up to learn that the students had chosen a movie and made a short musical clip about it. Once all the houses had presented the students then moved onto the next theme of the night – this was music videos. The students had practiced the dance moves of a music video and were miming the words. Both the primary school and the secondary school were involved in this so it was really interesting. Sorry but I have to bring these clips back to show you as I can’t you tube them all.
I haven’t written in my blog for awhile because I had a real nasty worm eating files in my computer. I had to have it taken to a shop, backup files made, computer reformatted and then my files reinstated. Bit of a mess and expensive but it needed to be done which it has now. Thank god for Diego and Alejandro because I couldn’t do this by myself.
24th September 2010
LETTERS / PEN PALS
I gave the letters of our NZ students to a class at San Ignacio. It is a catholic school but the students experience more of 'life' than some of ours would. They are outgoing and in the third year of high school (2nd Media A).They are 15 - 16 years old. They are happy to write to us in English and for us to reply in Spanish. I have a photo of the class which I will post later as I don't know all their names yet.
I regularly attend this class and the students are quite good. They have been studying English for 10 years of schooling but there are still some errors in what they have written as I asked the teacher not to correct their English so students could see their true level. There were more students in this class than ours so some of our students may have more than one letter each. Some students may not have a name that they have replied to, but would like a pen friend. I also asked the students to add email addresses and some have also added face book contacts if they are interested.
The topics they wrote about were similar to what we had. I asked them to ask questions of our students - What did they want to know about NZ and also any festivals that we have just had here in Chile i.e. the Bicentennial celebrations. I have posted the letters today 24 Sep 2010. It should take 10 days to arrive to NZ but other mail of mine has taken over a month to arrive here in Chile.
The letters my year 9 Spanish class wrote are having replies written this week coming. So they will be on their way soon.
23rd September 2010
PRIMARY SCHOOL
A lot of High Schools over here have primary schools attached to them or just down the road. This is fantastic for foreign students or teachers like me. The schools have now arranged for me to join junior Spanish classes at the Primary schools. I am attending classes with Segundo basic. The students are 7 or 8 years old. When I sit on the chair and they stand next to me I am still taller than them. They are really cute and interested in me. I had a look at their text books and their level of Spanish is higher than mine. They use a lot of verb conjugations that I recognize but am unable to make myself accurately without help or grammar books. They are also a lot more reliant on vocabulary that I don’t yet know. However in saying this they have 6 or 7 years of Spanish more than I do. I was really interested in the classroom signs so have included some shots for you.
22nd September 2010
WALK AROUND VALPARAISO
Went for a walk around Valparaiso today for about four hours. I thought that I would follow the tourist trail and search for the Ascensors – most were closed. I started at the Ex- Intendencia (Blue building) and found my way to Ascensor ‘3’ It was short but had very steep steps going up the side of it. On most of the platforms was a concrete bench seat for people to use. I then tried to walk to Ascenor ‘4’ but it was closed so I walked back down the hill. On my way I took photos of the café I saw as well as some of the street art. I then turned up the wrong side street but found a really old broken down house that I took a photo of. So I turned around and at the base of the hill was a cultural museum. Because it was the weekend of the bicentennial they had a display of kites that people had made. I think the one with the dog and the people summed up Valparaiso very well. I had to walk past the court to access the side street back up the hill again as I couldn’t find the beginning of Ascenor ‘5’ so I walked up the stairs. One of the side streets had a Museum ‘Lord Cochrane’ that I couldn’t resist visiting. It had some really cool photographs of Valparaiso and a viewing platform. I could see down into one of the main the town squares and across to the Palacio Baburiza (green building). I continued my walk up the hill and discovered Ascensor ‘5’ at the summit, how ironic lol. There was a pink house near Palacio Baburiza that was being repaired so I took photos of this and then made my way to Casa Crucero (White). I walked back down the hill and found Reloj Turin which is a big clock tower but again couldn’t locate Ascensor ‘6’. I had very sore calf muscles for about 4 days afterward all this walking. So much so that I haven’t attended Salsa classes since the weekend
20th September 2010
LANGUAGE
Has my pronunciation improved?
No. Your pronunciation is pretty good with a few small errors.
How well can you understand what I say?
Good enough. Generally we understand what you say but there are still times when we don’t
Is my use of the language idiomatic? (use of formulaic expressions) etc
Starting to make my own sentences. Need to learn set phrases to build a base of your language
Do you have any other comments about my use of Spanish?
Your level is about a 3 or 4 year olds. Talk more – formulate questions. Read more newspapers front pages – make summaries of them. Watch movies TV in general.
TOILET PAPER
It was late in the evening and I needed toilet paper. I didn’t know how to say toilet paper in Spanish so I said to Alejandro ‘baño papel’ Both him and Ana were amazed that I could communicate my needs very clearly in just two words. They constantly say to me that English is a very concise language where the way words are put together gives an instant image or idea of what we mean or our intentions are. They say that in Spanish you are unable to get these ‘crisp’ meanings and that you need a lot of vocabulary to explain concepts. Alejandro and Diego went to a conference in New York called ‘Design Thinking’. This means a ‘structure of thinking, or concepts’. You cannot translate this directly into Spanish - ‘thinking about design’ as it does not have the same impact as the English version. What I should have said to Alejandro was ‘Necesito papel hygenico por favor’
DON”T LIKE - DON’T EAT!
For various reasons now I have made two meals that have been inedible for my host family. Ana sat at the table and tried to be polite and eat it because I had made her and Francesca dinner. In the end I turned to Ana and said Don’t like - Don’t eat ‘No te gusta, no comer’ Now in English this is rude to say this to someone in this way and I felt pretty bad saying it but my level of Spanish is not good enough to be polite yet. What I wanted to say was ‘if you don’t like it you don’t have to eat it’ I should have said ‘No te gusta, no lo come’
PEUMO CONTRYSIDE
I took these photos on the trip back from Peumo to Santiago. I love the way the sky looked that day. One of my favourite photos is the white flowers of the orchard in the foreground and the white snow of the mountains in the background. On the highways you are allowed to go 120kmph.
19th September 2010
MY BICENTENNIAL CELEBRATIONS
I had the privilege of going to Daniela’s Aunts Farm to celebrate the Bicentennial. On the way there we saw many wooden waterwheels and I was fascinated by the way they worked. It is one of the few times that I have had my photo taken in Chile. I also took a photo of Daniela’s parents next to them as well. As you entered the farm you crossed over an irrigation system by bridge and alongside this were beautiful cacti and the remains of an old wooden umbrella. They have orchards of lemons and oranges and grow crops as well. However what kind of crops they grew is unknown. We went to the outhouses on the farm. Inside the floor was inlaid with rounds of trees of differing sizes. We made and baked empañadas. I of course made some vegetarian ones and put a ‘v’ on the outside. ‘V’ for vedura (vegetables) or vegeteriana which ever way you want to look at it. The family drank Pisco (a type of rum) and danced Cueca.
17th September 2010
FONDA
A Fonda is usually an enclosed area or inside a building where you dance Cueca.
A Ramada is usually an outside area were you dance Cueca. Later when I was talking to one of the teachers at school she said that a lot of people don’t know the difference between a Ramada and a Fonda and often the two ideas get mixed up.
Daniela and Diego and I went to a Fonda which was outside and was like a gala or fete day. They had lots of little enclosed areas where BBQ’s were being cooked. Usually they sold meat of some kind, empañadas or other kinds of traditional foods and drinks. One drink that I wanted to try was called the teremoto (earthquake) but they weren’t selling it in this area so I missed out on that. The following night we did have an earthquake in Peumo but it was only small and I didn’t feel it.
In one area they had a band playing and I took a photo of the people in the kitchen dancing away to the music. Around the sides were lots of stalls selling products such as sunglasses, jewellery, sweets and ponchos for dancing Cueca. They even had a tent setup for fuzeball. Some of the other games were to throw darts to pop balloons and earn a prize, fish for a prize within a time limit using the rods given, throw rings over pegs to earn prizes and spin a wheel to earn a prize.
9th September
SAN DOMINIC BICENTENNIAL CELEBRATIONS
I seem to have the dates all wrong for this. The week before the bicentennial holiday (18th September) the school had their own anniversary celebrations. Then, last week San Dominic were on holiday as part of the national holiday plus one week. Not all schools have the same holidays at the same time it depends on the school, so I still attended San Ignacio.
On the Thursday before the school closed they had a ‘movie night’ I thought this would be showing movies in Spanish, so I was really surprised when I turned up to learn that the students had chosen a movie and made a short musical clip about it. Once all the houses had presented the students then moved onto the next theme of the night – this was music videos. The students had practiced the dance moves of a music video and were miming the words. Both the primary school and the secondary school were involved in this so it was really interesting. Sorry but I have to bring these clips back to show you as I can’t you tube them all.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
The classes at San Ignacio are doing a Unit on correspondence at the end of September. I have told the teacher that I have a whole bunch of letters waiting for responses to set up pen pals. She thinks it's a great idea so I will give those to her to look over next Tuesday.
Comments: why are you a vegetarian?
Because I went to England not long after Mad Cow disease and I didn't want to catch it from infected meat. I liked the taste of veg food and have now been a veg for about 10 years.
Questions from Year 10 Spanish:
- Is zumba popular?
Not really, not as much as I thought. I went to a YMCA gym the other day to check out the kinds of classes they have. Here are the titles of the classes:
Artes Marciales:Taekwondo, Quay combat, ninjutsu, Quay armony, Kendo, Jiu Jitsu, localizada, Quay Full, Latin Power, Quay pilates,
Dance: Salsa estilo cubano, Salsa estilo Los Angeles, Pre ballet - 3 a 6 anos, Ballet Clasico 7 a 15 anos, Ballet Moderno 12 a 18 anos, Danza Arabe, Bailoterapia
Aerobics: Quay Aeroobic, Aerobica Basico, Quay Cardiac, Quay Gap, Spinning, Aerobox, Step intermedio, Step Avanzada, Step, Juvenil, Step Basico
Sports: Gimn Basqutebol
- What fast food restaurants do they have?
All the same international ones that we have, mainly American like KFC, McDonalds, Subway, Dunkin Doughnuts, Starbucks, even some of the same restaurant chains. One type of food that we don't have is called 'completas' this is like a hotdog. It would be classed as a foot long subway and comes out on its own stand. I'll try and get a foto of one or two for you
- Boy, is it cold in Chile or what from Chad?
It's the same as Whangarei minus the rain. It has only rained 3 times in the month and one week I have been here. Silly but it's something I miss because it's what I'm used to hearing when I go to bed it puts me to sleep. We have had the 'estufa' going on the occasional night. From the apartment window of my host brother in Santiago I can see the Andes Mountains. It is colder in Santiago at night. I went to Llay Llay with the AFS exchange students and camped the night last weekend. That was freezing. I woke up at 5 and couldn't feel my feet so I went for a walk till I got back my circulation. I woke up again at 8am and decided to start the campfire because I had had enough by then.
- What songs are popular?
Chocolate ( I have yet to find out the singer or where I can download this) Alexandro. Most students listen to American music so unless you want to listen to folk songs it can be hard at times to hear Spanish songs. This weekend is an AFS meeting and I have asked one of the students to bring his cable for his IPod so I can download songs that kids his age listed to. Will keep you informed on this
- What do they consider to be exotic food?
That's a really good question. I'll have to follow that one up because I don't know
- Do they like Justin Bieber?
The girls love him. The boys think he is gay (I think the boys are just jealous lol)
- What’s their popular network websites?
Face book, twitter
- Are there any hot guys in the highschool. Please post photos.
The same as in NZ yes but not all. You'll have to check out the blog because my opinion of hot and your opinion of hot may be different
- Do they have beaches?
Yes I live on the coast line in Valparaiso. It is a huge naval port. I attend schools in Vina del Mar which is a tourist beach town. The waterfront has some really nice cafes where you can sit and observe life.
- From a teacher point of view what are the students like compared to us.
I think the students are really good in English. However national statistics state that only 2% of the population are able to speak English. I have recorded some scenarios that I'm unable to upload because of the size but can show when I return.
ALL classes that I have attended are taught in the target language i.e. all explanations, questions, instructions are given in English
- Do they surf much?
Yes they have a very good break at Vina del Mar. This I am told is packed in summer, you can't see the sand only bodies and you have to be in early to reserve a spot.
- Do they play rugby/netball?
They don't know what netball is. At San Ignacio I have come across only 1 boy who plays rugby
- Are the empanadas nice?
Yes but they take ages to make and very labour intensive. I love queso empanadas but the traditional ones have meat
- Are there any really good looking girls, please send photos.
The same as in NZ yes but not all. You'll have to check out the blog because my opinion of hot and your opinion of hot may be different
Hope this answers your questions. Any more feel free to ask
Comments: why are you a vegetarian?
Because I went to England not long after Mad Cow disease and I didn't want to catch it from infected meat. I liked the taste of veg food and have now been a veg for about 10 years.
Questions from Year 10 Spanish:
- Is zumba popular?
Not really, not as much as I thought. I went to a YMCA gym the other day to check out the kinds of classes they have. Here are the titles of the classes:
Artes Marciales:Taekwondo, Quay combat, ninjutsu, Quay armony, Kendo, Jiu Jitsu, localizada, Quay Full, Latin Power, Quay pilates,
Dance: Salsa estilo cubano, Salsa estilo Los Angeles, Pre ballet - 3 a 6 anos, Ballet Clasico 7 a 15 anos, Ballet Moderno 12 a 18 anos, Danza Arabe, Bailoterapia
Aerobics: Quay Aeroobic, Aerobica Basico, Quay Cardiac, Quay Gap, Spinning, Aerobox, Step intermedio, Step Avanzada, Step, Juvenil, Step Basico
Sports: Gimn Basqutebol
- What fast food restaurants do they have?
All the same international ones that we have, mainly American like KFC, McDonalds, Subway, Dunkin Doughnuts, Starbucks, even some of the same restaurant chains. One type of food that we don't have is called 'completas' this is like a hotdog. It would be classed as a foot long subway and comes out on its own stand. I'll try and get a foto of one or two for you
- Boy, is it cold in Chile or what from Chad?
It's the same as Whangarei minus the rain. It has only rained 3 times in the month and one week I have been here. Silly but it's something I miss because it's what I'm used to hearing when I go to bed it puts me to sleep. We have had the 'estufa' going on the occasional night. From the apartment window of my host brother in Santiago I can see the Andes Mountains. It is colder in Santiago at night. I went to Llay Llay with the AFS exchange students and camped the night last weekend. That was freezing. I woke up at 5 and couldn't feel my feet so I went for a walk till I got back my circulation. I woke up again at 8am and decided to start the campfire because I had had enough by then.
- What songs are popular?
Chocolate ( I have yet to find out the singer or where I can download this) Alexandro. Most students listen to American music so unless you want to listen to folk songs it can be hard at times to hear Spanish songs. This weekend is an AFS meeting and I have asked one of the students to bring his cable for his IPod so I can download songs that kids his age listed to. Will keep you informed on this
- What do they consider to be exotic food?
That's a really good question. I'll have to follow that one up because I don't know
- Do they like Justin Bieber?
The girls love him. The boys think he is gay (I think the boys are just jealous lol)
- What’s their popular network websites?
Face book, twitter
- Are there any hot guys in the highschool. Please post photos.
The same as in NZ yes but not all. You'll have to check out the blog because my opinion of hot and your opinion of hot may be different
- Do they have beaches?
Yes I live on the coast line in Valparaiso. It is a huge naval port. I attend schools in Vina del Mar which is a tourist beach town. The waterfront has some really nice cafes where you can sit and observe life.
- From a teacher point of view what are the students like compared to us.
I think the students are really good in English. However national statistics state that only 2% of the population are able to speak English. I have recorded some scenarios that I'm unable to upload because of the size but can show when I return.
ALL classes that I have attended are taught in the target language i.e. all explanations, questions, instructions are given in English
- Do they surf much?
Yes they have a very good break at Vina del Mar. This I am told is packed in summer, you can't see the sand only bodies and you have to be in early to reserve a spot.
- Do they play rugby/netball?
They don't know what netball is. At San Ignacio I have come across only 1 boy who plays rugby
- Are the empanadas nice?
Yes but they take ages to make and very labour intensive. I love queso empanadas but the traditional ones have meat
- Are there any really good looking girls, please send photos.
The same as in NZ yes but not all. You'll have to check out the blog because my opinion of hot and your opinion of hot may be different
Hope this answers your questions. Any more feel free to ask
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
8th September 2010
HOSPITAL
Yes I went to hospital today. I feel rather embarrassed about this as I was sick in the train station. My stomach began to clench a few stops before my get off point and when I left the train I broke into a hot and cold sweat. I had to sit down on the bench and then I was sick at the station. The train attendant came up and asked if I was all right to which I replied “I’m sick”. She called a medic, who called a doctor, who called an ambulance which resulted in me being sent to hospital. I expected to just sit it out and get on my way not to end up in hospital for just being sick. At least I know the system works well for the train; I was taken very good care of by all involved. Near San Ignacio a person was lying on the street next to the bus stop, he had a head wound and people were just walking past him. I was taken to a private hospital by ambulance. During this ride I tried to call school to tell them I wasn’t coming. They called the President of the Chapter who came to the hospital to be with me which was really nice. I also called my host father who believe it or not was leaving for Mexico today, and my host mother was also sick in bed for the second day with fever and vomiting too. What a mess! The doctor at the hospital asked me if I spoke Spanish I said a little, I asked if he spoke English and he said a little. In truth, his English was much better than my Spanish. The doctor said that what he knows of English is from watching TV – I found that really interesting. He said that he only knows attacking words from action movies. He still made himself clear in English. The nurse had kids that went to the school so that was a little embarrassing as well. We got through the examination ok between my Spanish and his English. This made me realize that one of the things that I want to do when I get back to NZ classes is teach practical skills. I know that the different curriculum levels for languages focus on survival etc but I didn’t have enough to cope with this situation except to say that my stomach hurt in Spanish. I was given medication and drops to take. The best thing about all of this is that I didn’t have to pay anything even though I was taken to a private hospital! The train has insurance and an agreement with this hospital that covers sick passengers. WOW! I then had to ask about the buses and unfortunately they only have accident cover. So, if you are ever sick in Chile make sure you are using the train - no only kidding lol it’s not nice to be sick at all.
DRIVING
In Chile you must carry ID with you at all times. If you are a resident for example and the police stop you and ask for ID and you are unable to present this, your car is confiscated and you are fined.
Other rules for driving include:
You are not allowed to smoke while driving
You are not allowed to answer a cell phone while driving
If it is a new car, you must wear seatbelts at all times both in the back and front. If it is an old car then you don’t have to wear seatbelts in the back. The driver is responsible in private transport to make sure passengers wear seatbelts.
If you are in a colectivo and you as the passenger do not wear a seatbelt, you the passenger are fined not the driver.
7th September 2010
SAN DOMINIC BICENTENNIAL
Last night I went to the Bicentennial celebrations of San Dominic. It is a combined co – educational Primary and Secondary School. This schools facilities include a concrete area for students to play and pool and gymnasium. The school is divided into colours, black, and white, blue, red.
The night started off with traditional dancers doing cueca and other styles I couldn’t name. I would love to show you all this but it was too long to download to YouTube so I will have to show you when I get back.
The big thing at this school is cheerleading. Students had to plan their own choreography and music. I didn’t see any boys getting involved with this, only girls. It was divided into two parts. The first part of the cheerleading was for the Primary school students and they had to perform tricks and do a chant. The black team won.
The next part of the cheerleading was for the High school students who had to base their cheers on a theme. The White team won and some of the tricks they did were very impressive!
The last part of the show was the students had to perform a play and dance about something that was significant in their lives and at the end explain the reasons why they had chosen to perform this particular play. Both girls and boys participated in this. I don’t know who the winner of this was but I liked the ‘Grinch steals independence day’. I can’t say however that I understood the reason for all the superhereos except that maybe they were trying to help. I have included it here for all to see.
BUSES
The other thing that I learnt from this night is that the buses go all night, they don’t stop the only difference is that the time between buses may be longer. I found it interesting to note that I caught the bus at 11 at night and it was full enough to have people standing in the aisles. This was more packed than I had seen it during the day
6th September 2010
Llay Llay (This is a mapuche name that means wind, wind)
It was really interesting in Llay Llay talking with the AFS there. Most houses had flags either flying in the compounds of the house or from cars. When I asked about it they said that they have to fly the flag over the days of the National Holiday – this year that is a weekend Friday – Sunday. The police come around and check that each house is flying a flag. If they are not, they are fined. They couldn’t tell me the cost of the fine, except that it is expensive. The government is not a dictatorship like it used to be years ago, but they still like to control the nationalistic patriotism of the country.
LANGUAGE
I need to take the questionnaire with my family again.
I spent the weekend with a group of exchange students, 3 of whom had been here for one month. Granted one of them has 4 years of schooling, learning Spanish and is very good, but the others have had very little Spanish training before arriving. Compared to them, my Spanish is not as good. I find this disappointing, however they are in an environment that is solely Spanish e.g. they attend Spanish classes everyday and they have tutoring through the school for about an hour every week. I have contacted the President of the Chapter today here in Valparaiso to try to get into Spanish classes with juniors at the primary school. I have asked the schools but nothing has happened yet. Hopefully something will come of this
Some of the comparisons that I can make are: The exchange students were able to complete a conversation with their host family on the bus explaining when they were going to arrive at their destination and where to be picked up. I started the conversation in Spanish but couldn’t finish it. I had to tell my host father in English not to meet me because I knew how to catch the bus home.
HOSPITAL
Yes I went to hospital today. I feel rather embarrassed about this as I was sick in the train station. My stomach began to clench a few stops before my get off point and when I left the train I broke into a hot and cold sweat. I had to sit down on the bench and then I was sick at the station. The train attendant came up and asked if I was all right to which I replied “I’m sick”. She called a medic, who called a doctor, who called an ambulance which resulted in me being sent to hospital. I expected to just sit it out and get on my way not to end up in hospital for just being sick. At least I know the system works well for the train; I was taken very good care of by all involved. Near San Ignacio a person was lying on the street next to the bus stop, he had a head wound and people were just walking past him. I was taken to a private hospital by ambulance. During this ride I tried to call school to tell them I wasn’t coming. They called the President of the Chapter who came to the hospital to be with me which was really nice. I also called my host father who believe it or not was leaving for Mexico today, and my host mother was also sick in bed for the second day with fever and vomiting too. What a mess! The doctor at the hospital asked me if I spoke Spanish I said a little, I asked if he spoke English and he said a little. In truth, his English was much better than my Spanish. The doctor said that what he knows of English is from watching TV – I found that really interesting. He said that he only knows attacking words from action movies. He still made himself clear in English. The nurse had kids that went to the school so that was a little embarrassing as well. We got through the examination ok between my Spanish and his English. This made me realize that one of the things that I want to do when I get back to NZ classes is teach practical skills. I know that the different curriculum levels for languages focus on survival etc but I didn’t have enough to cope with this situation except to say that my stomach hurt in Spanish. I was given medication and drops to take. The best thing about all of this is that I didn’t have to pay anything even though I was taken to a private hospital! The train has insurance and an agreement with this hospital that covers sick passengers. WOW! I then had to ask about the buses and unfortunately they only have accident cover. So, if you are ever sick in Chile make sure you are using the train - no only kidding lol it’s not nice to be sick at all.
DRIVING
In Chile you must carry ID with you at all times. If you are a resident for example and the police stop you and ask for ID and you are unable to present this, your car is confiscated and you are fined.
Other rules for driving include:
You are not allowed to smoke while driving
You are not allowed to answer a cell phone while driving
If it is a new car, you must wear seatbelts at all times both in the back and front. If it is an old car then you don’t have to wear seatbelts in the back. The driver is responsible in private transport to make sure passengers wear seatbelts.
If you are in a colectivo and you as the passenger do not wear a seatbelt, you the passenger are fined not the driver.
7th September 2010
SAN DOMINIC BICENTENNIAL
Last night I went to the Bicentennial celebrations of San Dominic. It is a combined co – educational Primary and Secondary School. This schools facilities include a concrete area for students to play and pool and gymnasium. The school is divided into colours, black, and white, blue, red.
The night started off with traditional dancers doing cueca and other styles I couldn’t name. I would love to show you all this but it was too long to download to YouTube so I will have to show you when I get back.
The big thing at this school is cheerleading. Students had to plan their own choreography and music. I didn’t see any boys getting involved with this, only girls. It was divided into two parts. The first part of the cheerleading was for the Primary school students and they had to perform tricks and do a chant. The black team won.
The next part of the cheerleading was for the High school students who had to base their cheers on a theme. The White team won and some of the tricks they did were very impressive!
The last part of the show was the students had to perform a play and dance about something that was significant in their lives and at the end explain the reasons why they had chosen to perform this particular play. Both girls and boys participated in this. I don’t know who the winner of this was but I liked the ‘Grinch steals independence day’. I can’t say however that I understood the reason for all the superhereos except that maybe they were trying to help. I have included it here for all to see.
BUSES
The other thing that I learnt from this night is that the buses go all night, they don’t stop the only difference is that the time between buses may be longer. I found it interesting to note that I caught the bus at 11 at night and it was full enough to have people standing in the aisles. This was more packed than I had seen it during the day
6th September 2010
Llay Llay (This is a mapuche name that means wind, wind)
It was really interesting in Llay Llay talking with the AFS there. Most houses had flags either flying in the compounds of the house or from cars. When I asked about it they said that they have to fly the flag over the days of the National Holiday – this year that is a weekend Friday – Sunday. The police come around and check that each house is flying a flag. If they are not, they are fined. They couldn’t tell me the cost of the fine, except that it is expensive. The government is not a dictatorship like it used to be years ago, but they still like to control the nationalistic patriotism of the country.
LANGUAGE
I need to take the questionnaire with my family again.
I spent the weekend with a group of exchange students, 3 of whom had been here for one month. Granted one of them has 4 years of schooling, learning Spanish and is very good, but the others have had very little Spanish training before arriving. Compared to them, my Spanish is not as good. I find this disappointing, however they are in an environment that is solely Spanish e.g. they attend Spanish classes everyday and they have tutoring through the school for about an hour every week. I have contacted the President of the Chapter today here in Valparaiso to try to get into Spanish classes with juniors at the primary school. I have asked the schools but nothing has happened yet. Hopefully something will come of this
Some of the comparisons that I can make are: The exchange students were able to complete a conversation with their host family on the bus explaining when they were going to arrive at their destination and where to be picked up. I started the conversation in Spanish but couldn’t finish it. I had to tell my host father in English not to meet me because I knew how to catch the bus home.
Monday, September 6, 2010
4th September 2010
Travelled to Llay Llay (said Jai Jai) today by bus with 3 other exchange students. AFS Llay Llay had arranged a Chilean education for us all.
EMPANADAS
The first thing that needs to be done when making empanadas is to make the dough. This is usually done the night before as it takes awhile for the yeast to rise. The night before was also prepared meat with onions and a sauce to add into the mix. Eggs are boiled the night before as well. When we arrived the preparation that we did was to peel the eggs and cut the onions. Most of the cutting was done in our hands, no cutting boards were used. Chileans like to make a crisscross pattern in the onion and then slice it. This has a dicing effect. The balls of dough are rolled into circles with rolling pins; a saucepan lid is placed over the top and is used as a pattern to make a circle. The trays are greased. Soon there was a pile of round pastries. People took one each, added some mince to the centre, and other ingredients such as raisins and olives, and quarter of a boiled egg. The pastry was folded in half and the edges pushed down and then rolled over the top to stop the sauce from leaking out. They were then transferred to the trays and basted with a mix of butter and something else I can’t remember. Two vents were made so the pastry did not explode. They were then baked in an earth oven for approximately 15 minutes. They are similar to our mince pies back home and yet they remind me of making wontons in the method of putting the ingredients in the centre and folding it over at the edges.
CUECA
Later in the afternoon we watched cueca being dances. This is the traditional dance of Chile. The girl and boy broke us into sides of women and men and taught us how to do this dance. Some with more success than others. I can’t claim to say that I have mastered this.
I apologise for this video. It orientates itself after a few seconds when I turn the camera around lol.
In the evening we went camping at one of the AFS volunteer’s farm. We had a huge bonfire and sang songs and some Italian games. I can’t say that I learnt any Chilean songs sorry however it was really great talking to the exchange students and hearing the type of music that students listen to at school. I am hoping to download some of this when I met with them next week at our local chapter president’s house.
LLAY LLAY
Today (5th Sep) we were taken on a tour of Llay Llay. They explained a few legends but unfortunately my Spanish is not good enough to understand what they are saying yet. The area around LLay is very volcanic. There were huge hills with boulders that had obviously rolled down a long time ago. Two people were practicing rock climbing on these. Scattered amongst the rocks were cacti. It reminded me a lot of films I had seen of the Wild West, or Mexico. I have never been to these two places but the hills were brown and dusty, wild horses or maybe even donkeys were scattered around eating whatever little grass they could. I am kicking myself for not bringing my camera on this trip. I was so cold during the night we were in tents and I didn’t sleep much, so can’t say fully functioning this morning. I wish I wa able to find a map but no luck sorry. If you are interested you can google earth this.
1st September (1st official day of spring in NZ)
BANKS
I learnt today that banks close at 2pm. They are only open Monday to Friday and not in the weekends yet they use these hours. I went up to the bank door and it was locked but there were people inside who told me they were closed. I would like to know how people who work manage to do their banking? It is something that I will have to ask someone at school. In Valparaiso they have a whole street of banks only. It is a really long street and it’s quite amazing how many banks or exchanges are on it.
People go on their lunch break at about 1pm, or use internet banking or ATM machines. The bank may be closed but the bank tellers etc still work the same hours as a business eg the may finish at 7pm.
TRIP TO MUSEUM
In English class they were set the task of talking about a display in a museum in English. Today they went to the museum and I was lucky enough to be invited to join them. These are some of the things that I saw.
30th August 2010 (I have now been here a month – gosh it has gone fast!)
Interviewed a class at san Ignacio today regarding some of the question on the wall wisher site
1. What do their names sound like?
Common names for boys are: Juan, Pedro, Alejandro, Sebastian, Andrés, Nicholas
Common names for girls are: Camila, Valentina, Javiera, Rosa
2. How many people live in Chile?
17 million approximately
3. Are they allowed to walk around with guns?
The general public; No, however all Policeman have guns.
4. Is there heaps of racism? (Answers from the students were:)
Yes. Most of the racism is aimed towards the Mapuche and Peruvians from Chileans – because lots come here for work. Most of these people live in poor situations and do low paid jobs - some nannies are thieves. The Peruvians have a lot of restaurants and make very good food.
5. PLACES TO VISIT IN CHILE (30/8/10)
South
Go to Chiloe they are very polite. South of Chile is known for its food. They serve lots of food and you must eat it or they will be offended. Visit Frutillar, Puerto Varas, Pucon. You can see volcanoes in Villarrica. Puerto Montt is a bay which has lots of handicraft fairs and restaurants of typical Chilean food.
North
Atacama dessert is the driest dessert in the world. Desierto de Atacama is in the third region. Valle del Elqui – many astrologists go there to watch the stars. You can see the stars up close because there are not a lot of artificial lights from the city.
6. I also asked about movies and TV programmes to students at San Dominic
Good Chilean Movies:Mitos y leyendas – this about magic cards which used to be popular
Popular TV programmes: Telethon – this is to raise money for handicapped children
Buenos dias a todos – this is a morning programme that housewives usually watch
Calle 7 / Yingo– this is competitions / games for teenagers
Alfombra Roja – this show talks about celebrities
La ley de la selva – Animal Rescue
Fiebre de Baile – Dancing competition
Ultimo Pasajero – this is a competition for schools and they win a trip
International students watch: News, Mexican Soap Operas with grandmother
Travelled to Llay Llay (said Jai Jai) today by bus with 3 other exchange students. AFS Llay Llay had arranged a Chilean education for us all.
EMPANADAS
The first thing that needs to be done when making empanadas is to make the dough. This is usually done the night before as it takes awhile for the yeast to rise. The night before was also prepared meat with onions and a sauce to add into the mix. Eggs are boiled the night before as well. When we arrived the preparation that we did was to peel the eggs and cut the onions. Most of the cutting was done in our hands, no cutting boards were used. Chileans like to make a crisscross pattern in the onion and then slice it. This has a dicing effect. The balls of dough are rolled into circles with rolling pins; a saucepan lid is placed over the top and is used as a pattern to make a circle. The trays are greased. Soon there was a pile of round pastries. People took one each, added some mince to the centre, and other ingredients such as raisins and olives, and quarter of a boiled egg. The pastry was folded in half and the edges pushed down and then rolled over the top to stop the sauce from leaking out. They were then transferred to the trays and basted with a mix of butter and something else I can’t remember. Two vents were made so the pastry did not explode. They were then baked in an earth oven for approximately 15 minutes. They are similar to our mince pies back home and yet they remind me of making wontons in the method of putting the ingredients in the centre and folding it over at the edges.
CUECA
Later in the afternoon we watched cueca being dances. This is the traditional dance of Chile. The girl and boy broke us into sides of women and men and taught us how to do this dance. Some with more success than others. I can’t claim to say that I have mastered this.
I apologise for this video. It orientates itself after a few seconds when I turn the camera around lol.
In the evening we went camping at one of the AFS volunteer’s farm. We had a huge bonfire and sang songs and some Italian games. I can’t say that I learnt any Chilean songs sorry however it was really great talking to the exchange students and hearing the type of music that students listen to at school. I am hoping to download some of this when I met with them next week at our local chapter president’s house.
LLAY LLAY
Today (5th Sep) we were taken on a tour of Llay Llay. They explained a few legends but unfortunately my Spanish is not good enough to understand what they are saying yet. The area around LLay is very volcanic. There were huge hills with boulders that had obviously rolled down a long time ago. Two people were practicing rock climbing on these. Scattered amongst the rocks were cacti. It reminded me a lot of films I had seen of the Wild West, or Mexico. I have never been to these two places but the hills were brown and dusty, wild horses or maybe even donkeys were scattered around eating whatever little grass they could. I am kicking myself for not bringing my camera on this trip. I was so cold during the night we were in tents and I didn’t sleep much, so can’t say fully functioning this morning. I wish I wa able to find a map but no luck sorry. If you are interested you can google earth this.
1st September (1st official day of spring in NZ)
BANKS
I learnt today that banks close at 2pm. They are only open Monday to Friday and not in the weekends yet they use these hours. I went up to the bank door and it was locked but there were people inside who told me they were closed. I would like to know how people who work manage to do their banking? It is something that I will have to ask someone at school. In Valparaiso they have a whole street of banks only. It is a really long street and it’s quite amazing how many banks or exchanges are on it.
People go on their lunch break at about 1pm, or use internet banking or ATM machines. The bank may be closed but the bank tellers etc still work the same hours as a business eg the may finish at 7pm.
TRIP TO MUSEUM
In English class they were set the task of talking about a display in a museum in English. Today they went to the museum and I was lucky enough to be invited to join them. These are some of the things that I saw.
30th August 2010 (I have now been here a month – gosh it has gone fast!)
Interviewed a class at san Ignacio today regarding some of the question on the wall wisher site
1. What do their names sound like?
Common names for boys are: Juan, Pedro, Alejandro, Sebastian, Andrés, Nicholas
Common names for girls are: Camila, Valentina, Javiera, Rosa
2. How many people live in Chile?
17 million approximately
3. Are they allowed to walk around with guns?
The general public; No, however all Policeman have guns.
4. Is there heaps of racism? (Answers from the students were:)
Yes. Most of the racism is aimed towards the Mapuche and Peruvians from Chileans – because lots come here for work. Most of these people live in poor situations and do low paid jobs - some nannies are thieves. The Peruvians have a lot of restaurants and make very good food.
5. PLACES TO VISIT IN CHILE (30/8/10)
South
Go to Chiloe they are very polite. South of Chile is known for its food. They serve lots of food and you must eat it or they will be offended. Visit Frutillar, Puerto Varas, Pucon. You can see volcanoes in Villarrica. Puerto Montt is a bay which has lots of handicraft fairs and restaurants of typical Chilean food.
North
Atacama dessert is the driest dessert in the world. Desierto de Atacama is in the third region. Valle del Elqui – many astrologists go there to watch the stars. You can see the stars up close because there are not a lot of artificial lights from the city.
6. I also asked about movies and TV programmes to students at San Dominic
Good Chilean Movies:Mitos y leyendas – this about magic cards which used to be popular
Popular TV programmes: Telethon – this is to raise money for handicapped children
Buenos dias a todos – this is a morning programme that housewives usually watch
Calle 7 / Yingo– this is competitions / games for teenagers
Alfombra Roja – this show talks about celebrities
La ley de la selva – Animal Rescue
Fiebre de Baile – Dancing competition
Ultimo Pasajero – this is a competition for schools and they win a trip
International students watch: News, Mexican Soap Operas with grandmother
Sunday, August 29, 2010
29th August
Spent this weekend with Diego and Daniela in SANTIAGO.
Daniela likes to run and keep fit so she ran / walked to a place called CERRO SAN CRISTBOL. Diego and I took the car. This is a hill that is kind of like Mt Eden / One Tree Point or even Parihaka at home. It has lots of walks going up and down the hill. There are a few exceptions to what we know. At the bottom you enter in through a gate. Pedestrians, cyclists are free, cars have to pay entry. Near the top is a church as well as an open air church. The hillside has seating and a covered in altar. If you were attending mass you would look down on the altar and out across Santiago. As you reach the summit there is an area that has candles. Here people make prayers to Mary and burn candles to send their prayers to the heaven. Once a prayer is answered, people will return and write thank you notes for their miracle and post them on the walls behind the candle burning area. At the top of this hill is a huge statue of Mary Mother of God labeled the immaculate conception.
We spent lunch at a place called BELLA VISTA. This is an area with lots of shops and eateries. It is quite touristy. At night they have live bands playing and it is always packed regardless of the night of the week. I saw some artwork that I liked and have taken some photos. They are made from a combination of stone and steel or iron welded together. I have also taken a photo of the menu we ate from.
When we returned from eating at Bella Vista we had to pay for our parking ticket and I couldn’t resist this Spanish talking car park ticket dispenser
Spent this weekend with Diego and Daniela in SANTIAGO.
Daniela likes to run and keep fit so she ran / walked to a place called CERRO SAN CRISTBOL. Diego and I took the car. This is a hill that is kind of like Mt Eden / One Tree Point or even Parihaka at home. It has lots of walks going up and down the hill. There are a few exceptions to what we know. At the bottom you enter in through a gate. Pedestrians, cyclists are free, cars have to pay entry. Near the top is a church as well as an open air church. The hillside has seating and a covered in altar. If you were attending mass you would look down on the altar and out across Santiago. As you reach the summit there is an area that has candles. Here people make prayers to Mary and burn candles to send their prayers to the heaven. Once a prayer is answered, people will return and write thank you notes for their miracle and post them on the walls behind the candle burning area. At the top of this hill is a huge statue of Mary Mother of God labeled the immaculate conception.
We spent lunch at a place called BELLA VISTA. This is an area with lots of shops and eateries. It is quite touristy. At night they have live bands playing and it is always packed regardless of the night of the week. I saw some artwork that I liked and have taken some photos. They are made from a combination of stone and steel or iron welded together. I have also taken a photo of the menu we ate from.
When we returned from eating at Bella Vista we had to pay for our parking ticket and I couldn’t resist this Spanish talking car park ticket dispenser
27th August
I went to school today and interviewed students about some of the wallwisher questions. Here are their answers.
DAILY ROUTINE
1. What is a typical day like in Chilean culture? (San Ignacio)
School starts at 8am and goes till 4:15pm. School lunch is from 2 – 3pm. Students bring their own school lunch. Some play sports afterwards. At this school they play basketball. Some go to a school after school which prepares them for exams. This ‘exam school’ goes from 5 – 8pm. This is for extra help in a chosen subject(s). When students arrive home, they study for the next day because they have a lot of tests. Students at San Ignacio are tested every 15 days in every subject. They must study 12 subjects and most are compulsory. It is not typical to eat dinner, however they do have onces (a small meal about 5pm). Most students go to bed about 11pm or 12pm. They spend time watching television, on the computer or study.
FREE TIME ACTIVITIES
1. How do they spend their free time?
Computing, parties, hanging out / going out with friends, dancing - the most popular dance is reggaton (half the class dance this way), watching movies, listening to music,.
The most popular music is Reggaton. A famous singer now is ‘Daddy Yankee’
Other styles of music that are popular are Rock Pop, Latin urban music mostly from Puerto Rico
Movies currently on at Chilean theatres are – Twilight Series, Inception – Science Fiction, Toy Story 3, Shrek
2. Do kids have gaming stations like PS3 or X Box 360?
Some, 11 out of 17 students asked did have some kind of gaming station.
SPORTS
1. What sports do they play in Chile?
Soccer, Tennis, basketball is popular at San Ignacio. They have a basketball court as their only playground.
The Mapuche play a sport like hockey Chueca.
CHUECA OR PALIN
The CHUECA is a Mapuche game. There is a ritual celebration accompanied by prayers, dances and feasting meant to fortify both individual and communal relationships. It can be played between two friendly communities or sometimes to settle differences between antagonistic tribes, thus avoiding the armed conflict. It is played between two teams with odd number of players per side up, this can be between 20 – 30 players. The goal of each team is to carry the ball, placed in the middle of a hole., to their own team until they take it out from the line, marked on both sides.... They get a point when the ball goes through the line on their side. The game is over after six or four lines, and they can play a whole afternoon. The ball may be carried or hit with the crooked or Palin [sic ] in any direction. Both genders play this game. After the game, they sit down to drink chicha. Sometimes during these meetings, they come to agreements for uprising, because they call for other Indiands from the whole Earth, and at night, they talk and agree on rebelions. Thus governors sometimes forbid this game and these meetings for the damages experienced. In its history , it has suffered ups and downs, has been banned by governments and the Church in 1626 , 1648 , 1688 , 1744 and 1763 with severe punishment for offenders (9). but yet it still remains.
In the nineteenth century Chueca was recognized as the national game of Chile ( 7). It was next to the language and religion of the three pillars of the Mapuche culture and this is why it has lasted until today. It was and is the most important sports game of the Mapuche culture and at the same time the most important game of South Indian.
http://www.bariloche.com.ar/museo/MAPUING.HTM
http://www.deportesmapuches.cl/
2. How much do things cost?
Sports are offered in schools as part of Physical Education only. Students cannot play a sport and represent the school because the schools don’t have teams. Students must join a club to play a sport and travel to get there. Some sports are expensive such as tennis.
3. Do they play field hockey?
Yes. Not that popular.
I went to school today and interviewed students about some of the wallwisher questions. Here are their answers.
DAILY ROUTINE
1. What is a typical day like in Chilean culture? (San Ignacio)
School starts at 8am and goes till 4:15pm. School lunch is from 2 – 3pm. Students bring their own school lunch. Some play sports afterwards. At this school they play basketball. Some go to a school after school which prepares them for exams. This ‘exam school’ goes from 5 – 8pm. This is for extra help in a chosen subject(s). When students arrive home, they study for the next day because they have a lot of tests. Students at San Ignacio are tested every 15 days in every subject. They must study 12 subjects and most are compulsory. It is not typical to eat dinner, however they do have onces (a small meal about 5pm). Most students go to bed about 11pm or 12pm. They spend time watching television, on the computer or study.
FREE TIME ACTIVITIES
1. How do they spend their free time?
Computing, parties, hanging out / going out with friends, dancing - the most popular dance is reggaton (half the class dance this way), watching movies, listening to music,.
The most popular music is Reggaton. A famous singer now is ‘Daddy Yankee’
Other styles of music that are popular are Rock Pop, Latin urban music mostly from Puerto Rico
Movies currently on at Chilean theatres are – Twilight Series, Inception – Science Fiction, Toy Story 3, Shrek
2. Do kids have gaming stations like PS3 or X Box 360?
Some, 11 out of 17 students asked did have some kind of gaming station.
SPORTS
1. What sports do they play in Chile?
Soccer, Tennis, basketball is popular at San Ignacio. They have a basketball court as their only playground.
The Mapuche play a sport like hockey Chueca.
CHUECA OR PALIN
The CHUECA is a Mapuche game. There is a ritual celebration accompanied by prayers, dances and feasting meant to fortify both individual and communal relationships. It can be played between two friendly communities or sometimes to settle differences between antagonistic tribes, thus avoiding the armed conflict. It is played between two teams with odd number of players per side up, this can be between 20 – 30 players. The goal of each team is to carry the ball, placed in the middle of a hole., to their own team until they take it out from the line, marked on both sides.... They get a point when the ball goes through the line on their side. The game is over after six or four lines, and they can play a whole afternoon. The ball may be carried or hit with the crooked or Palin [sic ] in any direction. Both genders play this game. After the game, they sit down to drink chicha. Sometimes during these meetings, they come to agreements for uprising, because they call for other Indiands from the whole Earth, and at night, they talk and agree on rebelions. Thus governors sometimes forbid this game and these meetings for the damages experienced. In its history , it has suffered ups and downs, has been banned by governments and the Church in 1626 , 1648 , 1688 , 1744 and 1763 with severe punishment for offenders (9). but yet it still remains.
In the nineteenth century Chueca was recognized as the national game of Chile ( 7). It was next to the language and religion of the three pillars of the Mapuche culture and this is why it has lasted until today. It was and is the most important sports game of the Mapuche culture and at the same time the most important game of South Indian.
http://www.bariloche.com.ar/museo/MAPUING.HTM
http://www.deportesmapuches.cl/
2. How much do things cost?
Sports are offered in schools as part of Physical Education only. Students cannot play a sport and represent the school because the schools don’t have teams. Students must join a club to play a sport and travel to get there. Some sports are expensive such as tennis.
3. Do they play field hockey?
Yes. Not that popular.
26th August 2010
LANGUAGE
I feel good today. I got asked by two different sets of native Chileans (complete strangers to me) questions that I understood and could answer.
I think the first asked me if this train went to Vina del Mar. Yes it did.
The second definitely asked me if it was this train or that train that was going to Vina Del Mar and I was able to say this one! Yeah! I know that this is basic but I did it
CULTURE / THINGS I AM GETTING USED TO
I am at the point now when I get on a train I sit on the passenger’s side without having to make a conscious effort to do this. I now also naturally walk on the right side of the pavement. Before I was an inconvience to everyone, it was a bit like a fish swimming upstream against the flow of traffic.
SAN IGNACIO / UNIFORM
When I first came to this school, in some classes I saw boys wearing blazers – I thought they were prefects. I just had a discussion with the students and they said they have the choice of what uniform they want to wear. 3 boys in the class have a blazer. Some have a PE uniform. They are not doing PE today, but they like it, so they wear it. Some have a red jacket, some blazers, some a grey jersey. Some have dress pants other sweatpants. Some have sneakers others black shoes.
SCHOOL / TEACHERS / TESTING
The teachers at schools here seem to be a lot more relaxed. However in terms of testing it is definitely more frequent than NZ. At San Ignacio it is school policy to test students every 15 days. This is a huge workload for the teachers and the students – especially if it is in every subject.
FOOD
I am told ConCon is well known for seafood.
Yesterday I had a meal that I would never have eaten before and it was great! Both my host parents are great cooks and very creative with food. We ate rolled pancakes and inside were spinach, garlic, onion and cream. Draped over the top was white sauce. As a side dish we had potatoes. It is making my mouth water just thinking of this.
I have also tried cheese empandas. The closest I could explain this is like a samosa. It is a pastry circle that has cheese inside. It is then folded in half and the edges folded over and pressed down. Most empanadas have meat but I am vegetarian so not willing to try this for myself. I have gone back and posted photos of a bread shop and amongst these slides you can see empanadas. (7th August)
LANGUAGE
I feel good today. I got asked by two different sets of native Chileans (complete strangers to me) questions that I understood and could answer.
I think the first asked me if this train went to Vina del Mar. Yes it did.
The second definitely asked me if it was this train or that train that was going to Vina Del Mar and I was able to say this one! Yeah! I know that this is basic but I did it
CULTURE / THINGS I AM GETTING USED TO
I am at the point now when I get on a train I sit on the passenger’s side without having to make a conscious effort to do this. I now also naturally walk on the right side of the pavement. Before I was an inconvience to everyone, it was a bit like a fish swimming upstream against the flow of traffic.
SAN IGNACIO / UNIFORM
When I first came to this school, in some classes I saw boys wearing blazers – I thought they were prefects. I just had a discussion with the students and they said they have the choice of what uniform they want to wear. 3 boys in the class have a blazer. Some have a PE uniform. They are not doing PE today, but they like it, so they wear it. Some have a red jacket, some blazers, some a grey jersey. Some have dress pants other sweatpants. Some have sneakers others black shoes.
SCHOOL / TEACHERS / TESTING
The teachers at schools here seem to be a lot more relaxed. However in terms of testing it is definitely more frequent than NZ. At San Ignacio it is school policy to test students every 15 days. This is a huge workload for the teachers and the students – especially if it is in every subject.
FOOD
I am told ConCon is well known for seafood.
Yesterday I had a meal that I would never have eaten before and it was great! Both my host parents are great cooks and very creative with food. We ate rolled pancakes and inside were spinach, garlic, onion and cream. Draped over the top was white sauce. As a side dish we had potatoes. It is making my mouth water just thinking of this.
I have also tried cheese empandas. The closest I could explain this is like a samosa. It is a pastry circle that has cheese inside. It is then folded in half and the edges folded over and pressed down. Most empanadas have meat but I am vegetarian so not willing to try this for myself. I have gone back and posted photos of a bread shop and amongst these slides you can see empanadas. (7th August)
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
24th August 2010
Answering some more questions from the wall wisher site:
1. Who discovered Chile?
2. When was Chile discovered?
Prior to arrival of the Spanish in the 16th century, northern Chile was under Inca rule while the indigenous Mapuche inhabited central and southern Chile.
Spanish conquest and colony
The first European to sight Chilean territory was Ferdinand Magellan, who crossed the Strait of Magellan on November 1, 1520. However, the title of discoverer of Chile is usually assigned to Diego de Almagro. Almagro was Francisco Pizarro’s partner, and he received the Southern area.(Nueva Toledo). He organized an expedition that brought him to central Chile in 1537, but he found little of value to compare with the gold and silver of the Incas in Peru. Left with the impression that the inhabitants of the area were poor, he returned to Peru, later to die in a Civil War.
After this initial excursion there was little interest from colonial authorities in further exploring modern-day Chile. However, Pedro de Valdivia, captain of the army, realizing the potential for expanding the Spanish empire southward, asked Pizarro's permission to invade and conquer the southern lands. With a couple of hundred men, he subdued the local inhabitants and founded the city of Santiago de Nueva Extremadura, now Santiago de Chile, on February 12, 1541[9]
Although Valdivia found little gold in Chile he could see the agricultural richness of the land. He continued his explorations of the region west of the Andes and founded over a dozen towns and established the first encomiendas. The greatest resistance to Spanish rule came from the Mapuche culture, who opposed European conquest and colonization until the 1880s; this resistance is known as the Arauco War. Valdivia died at the Battle of Tucapel, defeated by Lautaro, a young Mapuche toqui (war chief), but the European conquest was well underway. The Spaniards never subjugated the Mapuche territories; various attempts at conquest, both by military and peaceful means, failed. The Great Uprising of 1598 swept all Spanish presence south of the Bío-Bío River except Chiloé (and Valdivia which was decades later reestablished as a fort), and the great river became the frontier line between Mapuche lands and the Spanish realm. North of that line cities grew up slowly, and Chilean lands eventually became an important source of food for the Viceroyalty of Peru.
Valdivia became the first governor of the Captaincy General of Chile. In that post, he obeyed the viceroy of Peru and, through him, the King of Spain and his bureaucracy. Responsible to the governor, town councils known as Cabildo administered local municipalities, the most important of which was Santiago, which was the seat of a Royal Appeals Court (Spanish: Real Audiencia) from 1609 until the end of colonial rule.
Chile was the least wealthy realm of the Spanish Crown for most of its colonial history. Only in the 18th century did a steady economic and demographic growth begin, an effect of the reforms by Spain's Bourbon dynasty and a more stable situation along the frontier.
Chile declared its independence from Spain on February 12, 1818. In the War of the Pacific (1879–83), Chile defeated Peru and Bolivia and won its current northern territory. It was not until the 1880s that the Mapuche were completely subjugated.[6] Although relatively free of the coups and arbitrary governments that blighted South America, Chile endured a 17-year military dictatorship (1973–1990) that left more than 3,000 people dead or missing.[7]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chile
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Chile
Timeline of Chilean history
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
15th - 16th - 17th - 18th - 19th - 20th - 21st
[edit] 15th century
Year Date Event
The Inca Emperor Túpac Yupanqui reached Itata River, where he met Mapuche resistance in the Battle of the Maule. All of Chile north of Maule River remains under the Inca Empire.
1492
Christopher Columbus discovers America, and claims it to the Kingdom of Castile.
[edit] 16th century
Year Date Event
1510
Vasco Ñúñez de Balboa founds Santa María la Antigua del Darién in Panamá, the first Spanish settlement in South America.
1513
Ñuñez de Balboa discovers the Southern Sea (Pacific Ocean).
1520
Ferdinand Magellan is passing through the Straits of Magellan, and becomes the first European to describe Patagonia.
1532
Francisco Pizarro arrives to Peru from Panamá. He begins the Conquest of the Inca Empire and captures and kills Emperor Atahualpa during the Battle of Cajamarca.
1536
Diego de Almagro arrives to Chile from Peru, passing over the Andes to the valley of Copiapó, and explores the central region of Chile as far as what will later become Santiago de Chile. An expedition sent southwards ends in the Battle of Reynogüelén with native Mapuches, which is considered to be the first battle of the Arauco War.
1541
Pedro de Valdivia founds Santiago de Chile. In the following years, he (and others sent by him) founded La Serena and Concepción.
1546
Uprising of Michimalonco, Mapuche chief: Santiago destroyed. Mapuche military leader Lautaro is captured by the Spanish.
1552
Founding of Valdivia. Lautaro, after six years of imprisonment by the Spanish, escape and teaches his people military strategy, including riding horses.
1553
Mapuche uprising under Lautaro. Pedro de Valdivia is killed in the Disaster of Tucapel.
1557
Death of Lautaro, Caupolicán assumes as toqui (wartime chief).
1558
Caupolicán is captured and executed by impalement.
1564
Concepción is unsuccessfully sieged by native Mapuches.
1565
A Real Audiencia is established in Concepción. The Audiencia is abolished in 1575.
1567
Chiloé Archipelago is claimed by Spain. Castro is founded on the main island and becomes the southernmost European settlement by the time of founding.
1574
Spanish captain Juan Fernández discovers the Juan Fernández Islands.
1575
The 1575 Valdivia earthquake occurs. As in the 1960 Valdivia earthquake the Riñihue Lake dams.
1578
Francis Drake attacks the coasts of Chile, La Serena and other cities are plundered.
1583
Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa founds the settlement Rey Don Felipe in the Strait of Magellan. In 1587 the settlement is in ruins.
1598
"Disaster of Curalaba". Governor Martín García Óñez de Loyola killed in a Mapuche ambush.
1599
The Real Situado, an annual payment from Potosí to Chile, is established.
[edit] 17th century
Year Date Event
1602
General uprising of the Mapuches under Pelantaro. All cities south of the Bío-Bío River are demolished, in what is now called Destruction of the Seven Cities.
1604
A fort established in 1602 at the ruins of Valdivia is abandoned.
1608
Jesuits arrive to Chiloé.
1612
Beginning of the Defensive War phase (promoted by Luis de Valdivia) in the Arauco War.
1619
A second smallpox epidemy affects the indigenous population of Chile. The epidemy last until 1623.
1639
The alcabala is reestablished after it had been suspended since the Disaster of Curalaba in 1598.
1643
Dutch occupation of Valdivia.
1645
Repopulation of Valdivia and construction of the Valdivian Fort System, Valdivia becomes part of Viceroyalty of Peru.
1647
Santiago is struck by an earthquake.
1655
A general insurrection moves for some years the frontier between the Spaniards and the mapuches from the Bío-Bío River north to the Maule River.
1664
The Viceroalty of Peru estimates 30,000 to 42,000 Spaniards to have died in Chile of witch the halft would have died by the direct consequences of the Arauco War.
1667
Governor Francisco de Meneses is destituted after accusations of immorality against him.
1672
The jesuits established in Chiloé Island founds a mission in the Nahuel Huapi Lake that last until 1717.
1680
Bartholomew Sharp destroy and pillages La Serena .
1681
By royal decree, the Atacama desert is declared to be the border between the Captain-Generalship of Chile and the Viceroyalty of Peru.
1687
Chilean wheat exports to Peru increase since Peru is affected by a major earthquake and plague.
[edit] 18th century
Year Date Event
1709
Alexander Selkirk, the inspiration for Defoe's Robinson Crusoe, is rescued from the Robinson Crusoe Island in the Juan Fernández Archipelago.
1712
A Huilliche rebellion occurs in Chiloé Archipelago.
1722 April 5,1722
On 5 April that year Rapa Nui (Easter Island) is discovered by Dutch navigator Jacob Roggeveen.
1723
After 30 years of peace the War of Arauco continues with a mapuche uprising.
1740
Valdivia is reincorpored to the Captaincy General of Chile.
1749
A fort and prison is established in Robinson Crusoe Island of Juan Fernández Archipelago.[1]
1751
1751 Concepción earthquake affects all of Chile between Concepción and Talca.
1767
The Spanish empire exiles all Jesuits. Ancud is founded. Chiloé becomes part of the Viceroyalty of Peru.
1770
A expedition from Perú claims Easter Island for Spain.
1771
The Fransiscan order assumes the religious functions of the Jesuits in Chiloé.
1776
The territories of Tucumán, previously governed as part of Chile, become part of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. (See History of Argentina.)
1778
Direct commerce between Chile and Spain is allowed.
1789
Start of the French Revolution, which affected Europe and the Americas with its ideals.
1792
A Huilliche rebellion occurs in the surroundings of Río Bueno.
1793
The parliaments of Negrete and Las Canoas between Spanish and native Mapuche and Huilliche are celebrated. The native chiefs accepts the Spanish king as their de jure king, but their own independence is also confirmed.
1796
Osorno is officially re-populated after that works begun in 1792. The city had previously been destroyed by the indigenous mapuche in 1602.
[edit] 19th century
Year Date Event
1808
Francisco Antonio García Carrasco, unpopular Governor of Chile. Spanish king Ferdinand VII is imprisoned by Napoleon during his invasion of Spain.
1810
Imitating the juntista movement of the rest of Latin America, the criollos (people of Spanish ancestry, but not born in Spain) of Santiago de Chile proclaim a governing Junta.
1811
Tired of being circumvented by political intrigues, José Miguel Carrera takes power by military means and initiates a dictatorship.
1812
Hostilities begin between the moderados, led by Bernardo O'Higgins, and the exaltados, led by Carrera. Carrera institutes the first Chilean national symbols (flag, coat of arms, and national anthem), and Fray Camilo Henríquez begins to publish the Aurora de Chile, the first Chilean newspaper. The Chilean Constitution of 1812 comes into effect. Founding of the Logia Lautaro.
1813
The Spanish send military expeditions (under Antonio Pareja and Gabino Gaínza) from the Viceroyalty of Peru. In the ensuing battles O'Higgins rises to be seen as a figure of great stature, overshadowing the continually less popular Carrera, who ultimately resigns. Francisco de la Lastra becomes Supreme Director.
1814
The "Disaster of Rancagua". Mariano Osorio, in command of a third Spanish expedition, defeats O'Higgins (October 1 – 2). Osorio reconquers Santiago for Spain. Exodus of Chilean patriots to Mendoza, Argentina, where they receive the support of José de San Martín. Those patriots who remain in Chile are captured by the Spaniards are deported to the Juan Fernandez Islands. Osorio is confirmed Governor of Chile by the Viceroy Fernando de Abascal of Peru. The talaveras, under the command of San Bruno, install a regime of terror extending to those merely suspected of sympathy for the Chilean cause.
1815
Guerrilla resistance against the Spanish begins, led by Manuel Rodríguez Erdoiza, and other spies such as Justo Estay. Increasing enmity between Osorio and Abascal leads Abascal to replace Osorio with Casimiro Marcó del Pont.
1817
Battle of Chacabuco. O'Higgins defeats Rafael Maroto, reconquering Santiago. Captain San Bruno, hated chief of the talaveras, is captured and — less than 24 hours later — executed by firing squad. O'Higgins becomes dictator.
1818
O'Higgins signs the Chilean Declaration of Independence (February 12). Shortly afterwards, in the Battle of Maipú, a new military expedition led by Mariano Osorio is defeated, and Chile definitively obtains independence (April 5). The rivalry between O'Higgins and Manuel Rodríguez ends with the ambush and assassination of the latter in Tiltil. The brothers Juan José and Luis Carrera are shot in Argentina, probably on the orders of O'Higgins or the Logia Lautaro.
1820
Valdivia is captured by Lord Thomas Cochrane who commands the chilean navy.
1821
José Miguel Carrera arrested as a montonero (mounted rebel/bandit) in Argentina, and executed in Mendoza.
1822
Military expedition to Peru. San Martín undertakes a prudent military campaign, enters Lima, but sees the impossibility of crushing the last Spanish redoubts, a job that is left for Simón Bolívar and Antonio José de Sucre.
The Chilean Constitution of 1822 comes into effect.
1823
Ramón Freire leads a military expedition from Concepción to Santiago and forces O'Higgins to resign. He goes into exile in Peru, where he dies in 1842. Freire assumes power.
1825
Taking advantage of the unsurveyed border, and ignoring the royal decree of 1681 and the principal uti possidetis, Simón Bolívar grants the port of Cobija to Bolivia. This gives Bolivia an outlet to the sea between Chile and Peru, which it will retain until the War of the Pacific.
1826
Freire incorporates Chiloé, the last area under Spanish control, into Chile. Later he resigns, initiating an interregnum know as The Anarchy. First attempt in Chile of federal (as against centralized) government, led by the first president of Chile Manuel Blanco Encalada, and the federalist José Miguel Infante.
1828
Francisco Antonio Pinto assumes power after the resignation of Encalada and his predecessors. Chilean Constitution of 1828.
1829
Chilean Civil War of 1829. After several battles, Joaquín Prieto defeats Ramón Freire in the Battle of Lircay.
1830
Diego Portales begins to remodel Chilean institutionality, converting it into an authoritarian republic.
1831
José Joaquín Prieto becomes president of Chile. He will serve two consecutive five-year terms. With him, the so-called decenios (decade-long reigns) begin, which continue until 1871. This 30-year Conservative Party hegemony is sometimes referred to as the Authoritarian Republic.
1832
Discovery of mineral deposits in Chañarcillo, and the beginning of the rise of silver in what was then el Norte Chico and now constitutes the Atacama and Coquimbo regions of Chile). The mining fortunes constitute an important source of power in the following decades.
1833
Chilean Constitution of 1833. "Portalian" — that is, inspired by Diego Portales — definitively fixed Chilean institutions.
1835
On February 20, southern Chile was affected by the worst earthquake in the area in several decades, event witnessed by Charles Darwin.[2]
1836
Mariano Egaña declares the war on the Peruvian-Bolivian Confederation.
1837
Diego Portales is assassinated by mutinous soldiers in Quillota. A Chilean military expedition debarks in Perú, beginning the War of the Confederation.
1839
Battle of Yungay and defeat of the Confederation.
1840
The Vatican acknowledges the Independence of Chile
1841
Manuel Bulnes, victorious marshal of the Battle of Yungay, elected president of Chile.
1842
Important intellectual movement registered this year. A great number of teachers, thinkers, professors, and wise men arrive to the country and establish societies.
1843
University of Chile founded. It will become on of the country's two most prestigious university. along with the Catholic University of Chile, which was founded years later. Fort Bulnes established, the first Chilean presence on the Strait of Magellan.
1844
Spain recognizes the Independence of Chile
1848
Founding of Punta Arenas in the Strait of Magellan
1851
José María de la Cruz revolts in the southern provinces of Chile. Bulnes crushes the revolutionary attempt and signs the treaty of Purapel with the revolutionaries. Manuel Montt becomes the third of the decenal presidents.
1856
The Dispute of Sacristán ("Cuestión del Sacristán"). An apparently trivial question of ecclesiastical discipline divides the Conservative Party into secular and ultra-Catholic factions, which lays the ground for their political defeat in the elections of 1861.
1857
The Civil Code of Chile comes into effect; it will become a model for Latin American legal codes down to the present day.
1859
Chilean Revolution of 1859. Pedro León Gallo, radical revolutionary of Copiapó, and others are defeated by the government forces. However, as a consequence, Antonio Varas renounces to his candidature.
1861
José Joaquín Pérez of the Liberal Party elected president. His party will retain power until the Chilean Revolution of 1891.
1863
A French adventurer proclaims himself Orélie Antoine I, King of Araucanía. After a short time he is arrested by the Chileans and deported, but the incident meant the end of the Chilean preoccupation with occupying the remaining Mapuche, before some other power could do so and divide Chile in two. This intensification of activity is known as the Pacification of Araucanía.
1866
Chile, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia at war with Spain. The port of Valparaíso is bombed by the Spanish. A treaty of limits (borders) of 1866 is signed with Bolivia.
1871
A constitutional reform prohibits re-election, resulting in the end of the decenios. Governments of five years duration persist until 1925, except for the premature death of Pedro Montt in 1910.
1874
Another treaty of limits is signed with Bolivia due to political tensions.
1879
In defense of the interests of the Chilean industrial oligarchy, Chilean soldiers occupy the Bolivian port of Antofagasta, precipitating the War of the Pacific against Peru and Bolivia. The Chilean cause is adopted by the general populace after the death of Captain Arturo Prat in the Naval battle of Iquique. The same day, May 21, Captain Carlos Condell sinks the powerful Independencia, which together with the capture of the Huáscar in the Naval battle of Angamos, eliminates Peruvian sea power and permits the Chileans to land troops at will along the coast throughout the military theater of operations.
1881
Chilean troops occupy and sack Lima, capital of Peru. The war will continue another three years, with the Peruvians retreating to the Sierra and successfully defending their mountainous redoubts. Argentina takes advantage of the military situation to impose upon Chile a settlement of their border disputes, granting all of oriental Patagonia to Argentina. The Mapuches also take advantage, with an armed rising against the increasing Chilean occupation of their territories, but are finally and definitively defeated for the first time in three centuries of combat.
1883
Law of Civil Matrimony adopted. This secularization was fiercely resisted by the Roman Catholic Church. The Treaty of Ancón is signed with Perú to end the war. The "Pacification of Araucanía" is considered finished, and with that according to some historians also the War of Arauco.
1884
War of the Pacific ends, allowing mining of saltpeter in the regions conquered from Peru and Bolivia, leading to great national prosperity for Chile. Treaty called "Pacto de Tregua".
1888
Policarpo Toro leads a naval expedition to annex Easter Island. The Catholic University of Chile is privately founded.
1890
The Malleco Viaduct is opened and railway traffic expands further south during the next decades.
1891
Chilean Revolution of 1891. The constitutional president José Manuel Balmaceda is overthrown by troops favorable to the National Congress. The beginning of "Parliamentarism" under which the Chilean oligarchy governed on its own behalf.
1895
Easter Island is rented to Compañía Explotadora de Isla de Pascua.
[edit] 20th century
Year Date Event
1904
"Meat" Massacre in Santiago. The workers revolt against the central government due to an increase in the price of meat and the general soaring costs of living. The government responds sending the army. Two days of riots continue, where hundreds of civilians are killed on street fighting.
1907
Massacre of the Escuela Santa María de Iquique; soldiers fire on saltpeter workers and their unarmed associates. It will be years before the workers, terrorized by the brutal repression, resume the struggle for their rights.
1910
The centenary of independence is darkened by the death of President Pedro Montt, the only president between 1831 and 1925 who failed to complete his term of office.
1914
1 November 1914 Britain is defeated by Germany at the Battle of Coronel, off the coast of Chile
1920
Arturo Alessandri Palma elected president, indicating a rise to power by the Chilean middle class.
1924
Chile's first income tax levied.
1925
After intense political agitation the Chilean Constitution of 1925 is adopted, only slightly less authoritarian than that of 1833. The Impuesto Global Complementario, a graduated income tax, is introduced.
1927
Amidst great political instability, and by way of a bloodless coup, Carlos Ibáñez del Campo takes the presidency. He will govern as dictator, taking Benito Mussolini as his model, until 1931. Also in 1927, the corps of carabineros — militarized police — is founded.
1929
The economic crash of 1929 strikes Chile with more force than any other country on earth.
1931
The deep economic crisis obliges Ibáñez del Campo to step down. A series of civilian governments and military juntas follows, some of which last no more than a few days.
1932
The period of political anarchy ends with the return to power of Arturo Alessandri Palma.
1938
Massacre of Seguro Obrero.
1939
The Radical Party gains power, which they will keep until 1952.
1940
Pedro Aguirre Cerda, president of the nation, establishes internationally the first Chilean claims in Antarctica.
1945
Gabriela Mistral receives the Nobel Prize for Literature.
1946
Gabriel González Videla becomes president, backed by a broad alliance of parties, including the Radicals and Communists. Once in power, he acceded to pressure from the United States and promulgates the Law of Defense of Democracy, also known as the Ley Maldita ("accursed law"), which outlawed his former allies the Communists, some of whom were placed in concentration camps in Pisagua. Poet Pablo Neruda hounded into exile.
1952
Carlos Ibáñez del Campo returns to the presidency, this time via the ballot box, ending the era of the Radical Party. His emblem is the broom, with which he proposed (fruitlessly) to sweep away the Radicals' legacy of corruption.
1958
Argentine forces destroy a Chilean Lighthouse during the Snipe incident
1960
The Great Chilean Earthquake, with its epicenter near Valdivia, is the most intense earthquake ever recorded, rating a 9.5
1964
Christian Democrat Eduardo Frei Montalva becomes president, proclaiming the so-called "Revolution in Liberty".
1970
Salvador Allende elected president; his leftist orientation greatly displeases the government of the United States. See 1970 Chilean presidential election.
1971
Poet Pablo Neruda receives Nobel Prize for Literature.
1973
The Armed Forces, carabineros, and others stage a coup, overthrowing Allende, who dies in the course of the coup. Augusto Pinochet establishes himself as the head of a military junta. The subsequent repression of leftists and other opponents of the military regime results in approximately 130,000 arrests and at least 3,000 dead or "disappeared" over the next three years. See Chilean coup of 1973.
1976
The machinations of the United States oblige President Ferdinand Marcos, to cancel a scheduled visit by President Pinochet to the Philippines.
1977
Beagle conflict: The binding Beagle Channel Arbitration award the Picton, Nueva and Lennox islands to Chile
1978
Beagle conflict: Argentine began to challenge the Chilean commitment to defend the territory and started the Operation Soberania
1980
The military government promulgates the Chilean Constitution of 1980, which is adopted by plebiscite. Economic policy begins to be significantly influenced by the ideas of the Chicago School and of Neoliberalism.
1982
Support for British Forces in the Falkland War
1984
Beagle conflict: Treaty of Peace and Friendship of 1984 between Chile and Argentina signed
1988
Pinochet loses the plebiscite foreseen by the constitution, which brings about, by agreement of all, elections the following year.
1990
Patricio Aylwin takes office as President. Transition to democracy begins.
1991
Mount Hudson erupts.
1994
Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle is elected President.
1998
During a visit to London for medical reasons, Augusto Pinochet is arrested in accord with the orders of Spanish judge Baltasar Garzón, beginning an international struggle between his supporters and detractors. He returns to Chile the following year, and the charges against him are later thrown out on the basis of his ostensibly deteriorated mental state. Chile suffers greatly from the world economic crisis, resulting in years of inflation and unemployment.
2000
In the second round of voting, in a tight contest with right wing candidate Joaquín Lavín, Ricardo Lagos Escobar is elected President.
[edit] 21st century
Year Date Event
2002
A general census is performed all over the country.
2004
The Chilean Supreme Court declares that Pinochet is mentally competent to stand trial.
2005
The Pinochet trial continues. The presidential election of December 11 puts Michelle Bachelet and Sebastián Piñera into a second round.
2006
In the second round of the presidential election the socialist leader Michelle Bachelet emerges the winner. 790,000 students adhere to the 2006 student protests in Chile. Death of Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte (10 December 2006)
2007
Los Ríos Region and Arica-Parinacota Region are created.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Chilean_history
Answering some more questions from the wall wisher site:
1. Who discovered Chile?
2. When was Chile discovered?
Prior to arrival of the Spanish in the 16th century, northern Chile was under Inca rule while the indigenous Mapuche inhabited central and southern Chile.
Spanish conquest and colony
The first European to sight Chilean territory was Ferdinand Magellan, who crossed the Strait of Magellan on November 1, 1520. However, the title of discoverer of Chile is usually assigned to Diego de Almagro. Almagro was Francisco Pizarro’s partner, and he received the Southern area.(Nueva Toledo). He organized an expedition that brought him to central Chile in 1537, but he found little of value to compare with the gold and silver of the Incas in Peru. Left with the impression that the inhabitants of the area were poor, he returned to Peru, later to die in a Civil War.
After this initial excursion there was little interest from colonial authorities in further exploring modern-day Chile. However, Pedro de Valdivia, captain of the army, realizing the potential for expanding the Spanish empire southward, asked Pizarro's permission to invade and conquer the southern lands. With a couple of hundred men, he subdued the local inhabitants and founded the city of Santiago de Nueva Extremadura, now Santiago de Chile, on February 12, 1541[9]
Although Valdivia found little gold in Chile he could see the agricultural richness of the land. He continued his explorations of the region west of the Andes and founded over a dozen towns and established the first encomiendas. The greatest resistance to Spanish rule came from the Mapuche culture, who opposed European conquest and colonization until the 1880s; this resistance is known as the Arauco War. Valdivia died at the Battle of Tucapel, defeated by Lautaro, a young Mapuche toqui (war chief), but the European conquest was well underway. The Spaniards never subjugated the Mapuche territories; various attempts at conquest, both by military and peaceful means, failed. The Great Uprising of 1598 swept all Spanish presence south of the Bío-Bío River except Chiloé (and Valdivia which was decades later reestablished as a fort), and the great river became the frontier line between Mapuche lands and the Spanish realm. North of that line cities grew up slowly, and Chilean lands eventually became an important source of food for the Viceroyalty of Peru.
Valdivia became the first governor of the Captaincy General of Chile. In that post, he obeyed the viceroy of Peru and, through him, the King of Spain and his bureaucracy. Responsible to the governor, town councils known as Cabildo administered local municipalities, the most important of which was Santiago, which was the seat of a Royal Appeals Court (Spanish: Real Audiencia) from 1609 until the end of colonial rule.
Chile was the least wealthy realm of the Spanish Crown for most of its colonial history. Only in the 18th century did a steady economic and demographic growth begin, an effect of the reforms by Spain's Bourbon dynasty and a more stable situation along the frontier.
Chile declared its independence from Spain on February 12, 1818. In the War of the Pacific (1879–83), Chile defeated Peru and Bolivia and won its current northern territory. It was not until the 1880s that the Mapuche were completely subjugated.[6] Although relatively free of the coups and arbitrary governments that blighted South America, Chile endured a 17-year military dictatorship (1973–1990) that left more than 3,000 people dead or missing.[7]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chile
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Chile
Timeline of Chilean history
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
15th - 16th - 17th - 18th - 19th - 20th - 21st
[edit] 15th century
Year Date Event
The Inca Emperor Túpac Yupanqui reached Itata River, where he met Mapuche resistance in the Battle of the Maule. All of Chile north of Maule River remains under the Inca Empire.
1492
Christopher Columbus discovers America, and claims it to the Kingdom of Castile.
[edit] 16th century
Year Date Event
1510
Vasco Ñúñez de Balboa founds Santa María la Antigua del Darién in Panamá, the first Spanish settlement in South America.
1513
Ñuñez de Balboa discovers the Southern Sea (Pacific Ocean).
1520
Ferdinand Magellan is passing through the Straits of Magellan, and becomes the first European to describe Patagonia.
1532
Francisco Pizarro arrives to Peru from Panamá. He begins the Conquest of the Inca Empire and captures and kills Emperor Atahualpa during the Battle of Cajamarca.
1536
Diego de Almagro arrives to Chile from Peru, passing over the Andes to the valley of Copiapó, and explores the central region of Chile as far as what will later become Santiago de Chile. An expedition sent southwards ends in the Battle of Reynogüelén with native Mapuches, which is considered to be the first battle of the Arauco War.
1541
Pedro de Valdivia founds Santiago de Chile. In the following years, he (and others sent by him) founded La Serena and Concepción.
1546
Uprising of Michimalonco, Mapuche chief: Santiago destroyed. Mapuche military leader Lautaro is captured by the Spanish.
1552
Founding of Valdivia. Lautaro, after six years of imprisonment by the Spanish, escape and teaches his people military strategy, including riding horses.
1553
Mapuche uprising under Lautaro. Pedro de Valdivia is killed in the Disaster of Tucapel.
1557
Death of Lautaro, Caupolicán assumes as toqui (wartime chief).
1558
Caupolicán is captured and executed by impalement.
1564
Concepción is unsuccessfully sieged by native Mapuches.
1565
A Real Audiencia is established in Concepción. The Audiencia is abolished in 1575.
1567
Chiloé Archipelago is claimed by Spain. Castro is founded on the main island and becomes the southernmost European settlement by the time of founding.
1574
Spanish captain Juan Fernández discovers the Juan Fernández Islands.
1575
The 1575 Valdivia earthquake occurs. As in the 1960 Valdivia earthquake the Riñihue Lake dams.
1578
Francis Drake attacks the coasts of Chile, La Serena and other cities are plundered.
1583
Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa founds the settlement Rey Don Felipe in the Strait of Magellan. In 1587 the settlement is in ruins.
1598
"Disaster of Curalaba". Governor Martín García Óñez de Loyola killed in a Mapuche ambush.
1599
The Real Situado, an annual payment from Potosí to Chile, is established.
[edit] 17th century
Year Date Event
1602
General uprising of the Mapuches under Pelantaro. All cities south of the Bío-Bío River are demolished, in what is now called Destruction of the Seven Cities.
1604
A fort established in 1602 at the ruins of Valdivia is abandoned.
1608
Jesuits arrive to Chiloé.
1612
Beginning of the Defensive War phase (promoted by Luis de Valdivia) in the Arauco War.
1619
A second smallpox epidemy affects the indigenous population of Chile. The epidemy last until 1623.
1639
The alcabala is reestablished after it had been suspended since the Disaster of Curalaba in 1598.
1643
Dutch occupation of Valdivia.
1645
Repopulation of Valdivia and construction of the Valdivian Fort System, Valdivia becomes part of Viceroyalty of Peru.
1647
Santiago is struck by an earthquake.
1655
A general insurrection moves for some years the frontier between the Spaniards and the mapuches from the Bío-Bío River north to the Maule River.
1664
The Viceroalty of Peru estimates 30,000 to 42,000 Spaniards to have died in Chile of witch the halft would have died by the direct consequences of the Arauco War.
1667
Governor Francisco de Meneses is destituted after accusations of immorality against him.
1672
The jesuits established in Chiloé Island founds a mission in the Nahuel Huapi Lake that last until 1717.
1680
Bartholomew Sharp destroy and pillages La Serena .
1681
By royal decree, the Atacama desert is declared to be the border between the Captain-Generalship of Chile and the Viceroyalty of Peru.
1687
Chilean wheat exports to Peru increase since Peru is affected by a major earthquake and plague.
[edit] 18th century
Year Date Event
1709
Alexander Selkirk, the inspiration for Defoe's Robinson Crusoe, is rescued from the Robinson Crusoe Island in the Juan Fernández Archipelago.
1712
A Huilliche rebellion occurs in Chiloé Archipelago.
1722 April 5,1722
On 5 April that year Rapa Nui (Easter Island) is discovered by Dutch navigator Jacob Roggeveen.
1723
After 30 years of peace the War of Arauco continues with a mapuche uprising.
1740
Valdivia is reincorpored to the Captaincy General of Chile.
1749
A fort and prison is established in Robinson Crusoe Island of Juan Fernández Archipelago.[1]
1751
1751 Concepción earthquake affects all of Chile between Concepción and Talca.
1767
The Spanish empire exiles all Jesuits. Ancud is founded. Chiloé becomes part of the Viceroyalty of Peru.
1770
A expedition from Perú claims Easter Island for Spain.
1771
The Fransiscan order assumes the religious functions of the Jesuits in Chiloé.
1776
The territories of Tucumán, previously governed as part of Chile, become part of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. (See History of Argentina.)
1778
Direct commerce between Chile and Spain is allowed.
1789
Start of the French Revolution, which affected Europe and the Americas with its ideals.
1792
A Huilliche rebellion occurs in the surroundings of Río Bueno.
1793
The parliaments of Negrete and Las Canoas between Spanish and native Mapuche and Huilliche are celebrated. The native chiefs accepts the Spanish king as their de jure king, but their own independence is also confirmed.
1796
Osorno is officially re-populated after that works begun in 1792. The city had previously been destroyed by the indigenous mapuche in 1602.
[edit] 19th century
Year Date Event
1808
Francisco Antonio García Carrasco, unpopular Governor of Chile. Spanish king Ferdinand VII is imprisoned by Napoleon during his invasion of Spain.
1810
Imitating the juntista movement of the rest of Latin America, the criollos (people of Spanish ancestry, but not born in Spain) of Santiago de Chile proclaim a governing Junta.
1811
Tired of being circumvented by political intrigues, José Miguel Carrera takes power by military means and initiates a dictatorship.
1812
Hostilities begin between the moderados, led by Bernardo O'Higgins, and the exaltados, led by Carrera. Carrera institutes the first Chilean national symbols (flag, coat of arms, and national anthem), and Fray Camilo Henríquez begins to publish the Aurora de Chile, the first Chilean newspaper. The Chilean Constitution of 1812 comes into effect. Founding of the Logia Lautaro.
1813
The Spanish send military expeditions (under Antonio Pareja and Gabino Gaínza) from the Viceroyalty of Peru. In the ensuing battles O'Higgins rises to be seen as a figure of great stature, overshadowing the continually less popular Carrera, who ultimately resigns. Francisco de la Lastra becomes Supreme Director.
1814
The "Disaster of Rancagua". Mariano Osorio, in command of a third Spanish expedition, defeats O'Higgins (October 1 – 2). Osorio reconquers Santiago for Spain. Exodus of Chilean patriots to Mendoza, Argentina, where they receive the support of José de San Martín. Those patriots who remain in Chile are captured by the Spaniards are deported to the Juan Fernandez Islands. Osorio is confirmed Governor of Chile by the Viceroy Fernando de Abascal of Peru. The talaveras, under the command of San Bruno, install a regime of terror extending to those merely suspected of sympathy for the Chilean cause.
1815
Guerrilla resistance against the Spanish begins, led by Manuel Rodríguez Erdoiza, and other spies such as Justo Estay. Increasing enmity between Osorio and Abascal leads Abascal to replace Osorio with Casimiro Marcó del Pont.
1817
Battle of Chacabuco. O'Higgins defeats Rafael Maroto, reconquering Santiago. Captain San Bruno, hated chief of the talaveras, is captured and — less than 24 hours later — executed by firing squad. O'Higgins becomes dictator.
1818
O'Higgins signs the Chilean Declaration of Independence (February 12). Shortly afterwards, in the Battle of Maipú, a new military expedition led by Mariano Osorio is defeated, and Chile definitively obtains independence (April 5). The rivalry between O'Higgins and Manuel Rodríguez ends with the ambush and assassination of the latter in Tiltil. The brothers Juan José and Luis Carrera are shot in Argentina, probably on the orders of O'Higgins or the Logia Lautaro.
1820
Valdivia is captured by Lord Thomas Cochrane who commands the chilean navy.
1821
José Miguel Carrera arrested as a montonero (mounted rebel/bandit) in Argentina, and executed in Mendoza.
1822
Military expedition to Peru. San Martín undertakes a prudent military campaign, enters Lima, but sees the impossibility of crushing the last Spanish redoubts, a job that is left for Simón Bolívar and Antonio José de Sucre.
The Chilean Constitution of 1822 comes into effect.
1823
Ramón Freire leads a military expedition from Concepción to Santiago and forces O'Higgins to resign. He goes into exile in Peru, where he dies in 1842. Freire assumes power.
1825
Taking advantage of the unsurveyed border, and ignoring the royal decree of 1681 and the principal uti possidetis, Simón Bolívar grants the port of Cobija to Bolivia. This gives Bolivia an outlet to the sea between Chile and Peru, which it will retain until the War of the Pacific.
1826
Freire incorporates Chiloé, the last area under Spanish control, into Chile. Later he resigns, initiating an interregnum know as The Anarchy. First attempt in Chile of federal (as against centralized) government, led by the first president of Chile Manuel Blanco Encalada, and the federalist José Miguel Infante.
1828
Francisco Antonio Pinto assumes power after the resignation of Encalada and his predecessors. Chilean Constitution of 1828.
1829
Chilean Civil War of 1829. After several battles, Joaquín Prieto defeats Ramón Freire in the Battle of Lircay.
1830
Diego Portales begins to remodel Chilean institutionality, converting it into an authoritarian republic.
1831
José Joaquín Prieto becomes president of Chile. He will serve two consecutive five-year terms. With him, the so-called decenios (decade-long reigns) begin, which continue until 1871. This 30-year Conservative Party hegemony is sometimes referred to as the Authoritarian Republic.
1832
Discovery of mineral deposits in Chañarcillo, and the beginning of the rise of silver in what was then el Norte Chico and now constitutes the Atacama and Coquimbo regions of Chile). The mining fortunes constitute an important source of power in the following decades.
1833
Chilean Constitution of 1833. "Portalian" — that is, inspired by Diego Portales — definitively fixed Chilean institutions.
1835
On February 20, southern Chile was affected by the worst earthquake in the area in several decades, event witnessed by Charles Darwin.[2]
1836
Mariano Egaña declares the war on the Peruvian-Bolivian Confederation.
1837
Diego Portales is assassinated by mutinous soldiers in Quillota. A Chilean military expedition debarks in Perú, beginning the War of the Confederation.
1839
Battle of Yungay and defeat of the Confederation.
1840
The Vatican acknowledges the Independence of Chile
1841
Manuel Bulnes, victorious marshal of the Battle of Yungay, elected president of Chile.
1842
Important intellectual movement registered this year. A great number of teachers, thinkers, professors, and wise men arrive to the country and establish societies.
1843
University of Chile founded. It will become on of the country's two most prestigious university. along with the Catholic University of Chile, which was founded years later. Fort Bulnes established, the first Chilean presence on the Strait of Magellan.
1844
Spain recognizes the Independence of Chile
1848
Founding of Punta Arenas in the Strait of Magellan
1851
José María de la Cruz revolts in the southern provinces of Chile. Bulnes crushes the revolutionary attempt and signs the treaty of Purapel with the revolutionaries. Manuel Montt becomes the third of the decenal presidents.
1856
The Dispute of Sacristán ("Cuestión del Sacristán"). An apparently trivial question of ecclesiastical discipline divides the Conservative Party into secular and ultra-Catholic factions, which lays the ground for their political defeat in the elections of 1861.
1857
The Civil Code of Chile comes into effect; it will become a model for Latin American legal codes down to the present day.
1859
Chilean Revolution of 1859. Pedro León Gallo, radical revolutionary of Copiapó, and others are defeated by the government forces. However, as a consequence, Antonio Varas renounces to his candidature.
1861
José Joaquín Pérez of the Liberal Party elected president. His party will retain power until the Chilean Revolution of 1891.
1863
A French adventurer proclaims himself Orélie Antoine I, King of Araucanía. After a short time he is arrested by the Chileans and deported, but the incident meant the end of the Chilean preoccupation with occupying the remaining Mapuche, before some other power could do so and divide Chile in two. This intensification of activity is known as the Pacification of Araucanía.
1866
Chile, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia at war with Spain. The port of Valparaíso is bombed by the Spanish. A treaty of limits (borders) of 1866 is signed with Bolivia.
1871
A constitutional reform prohibits re-election, resulting in the end of the decenios. Governments of five years duration persist until 1925, except for the premature death of Pedro Montt in 1910.
1874
Another treaty of limits is signed with Bolivia due to political tensions.
1879
In defense of the interests of the Chilean industrial oligarchy, Chilean soldiers occupy the Bolivian port of Antofagasta, precipitating the War of the Pacific against Peru and Bolivia. The Chilean cause is adopted by the general populace after the death of Captain Arturo Prat in the Naval battle of Iquique. The same day, May 21, Captain Carlos Condell sinks the powerful Independencia, which together with the capture of the Huáscar in the Naval battle of Angamos, eliminates Peruvian sea power and permits the Chileans to land troops at will along the coast throughout the military theater of operations.
1881
Chilean troops occupy and sack Lima, capital of Peru. The war will continue another three years, with the Peruvians retreating to the Sierra and successfully defending their mountainous redoubts. Argentina takes advantage of the military situation to impose upon Chile a settlement of their border disputes, granting all of oriental Patagonia to Argentina. The Mapuches also take advantage, with an armed rising against the increasing Chilean occupation of their territories, but are finally and definitively defeated for the first time in three centuries of combat.
1883
Law of Civil Matrimony adopted. This secularization was fiercely resisted by the Roman Catholic Church. The Treaty of Ancón is signed with Perú to end the war. The "Pacification of Araucanía" is considered finished, and with that according to some historians also the War of Arauco.
1884
War of the Pacific ends, allowing mining of saltpeter in the regions conquered from Peru and Bolivia, leading to great national prosperity for Chile. Treaty called "Pacto de Tregua".
1888
Policarpo Toro leads a naval expedition to annex Easter Island. The Catholic University of Chile is privately founded.
1890
The Malleco Viaduct is opened and railway traffic expands further south during the next decades.
1891
Chilean Revolution of 1891. The constitutional president José Manuel Balmaceda is overthrown by troops favorable to the National Congress. The beginning of "Parliamentarism" under which the Chilean oligarchy governed on its own behalf.
1895
Easter Island is rented to Compañía Explotadora de Isla de Pascua.
[edit] 20th century
Year Date Event
1904
"Meat" Massacre in Santiago. The workers revolt against the central government due to an increase in the price of meat and the general soaring costs of living. The government responds sending the army. Two days of riots continue, where hundreds of civilians are killed on street fighting.
1907
Massacre of the Escuela Santa María de Iquique; soldiers fire on saltpeter workers and their unarmed associates. It will be years before the workers, terrorized by the brutal repression, resume the struggle for their rights.
1910
The centenary of independence is darkened by the death of President Pedro Montt, the only president between 1831 and 1925 who failed to complete his term of office.
1914
1 November 1914 Britain is defeated by Germany at the Battle of Coronel, off the coast of Chile
1920
Arturo Alessandri Palma elected president, indicating a rise to power by the Chilean middle class.
1924
Chile's first income tax levied.
1925
After intense political agitation the Chilean Constitution of 1925 is adopted, only slightly less authoritarian than that of 1833. The Impuesto Global Complementario, a graduated income tax, is introduced.
1927
Amidst great political instability, and by way of a bloodless coup, Carlos Ibáñez del Campo takes the presidency. He will govern as dictator, taking Benito Mussolini as his model, until 1931. Also in 1927, the corps of carabineros — militarized police — is founded.
1929
The economic crash of 1929 strikes Chile with more force than any other country on earth.
1931
The deep economic crisis obliges Ibáñez del Campo to step down. A series of civilian governments and military juntas follows, some of which last no more than a few days.
1932
The period of political anarchy ends with the return to power of Arturo Alessandri Palma.
1938
Massacre of Seguro Obrero.
1939
The Radical Party gains power, which they will keep until 1952.
1940
Pedro Aguirre Cerda, president of the nation, establishes internationally the first Chilean claims in Antarctica.
1945
Gabriela Mistral receives the Nobel Prize for Literature.
1946
Gabriel González Videla becomes president, backed by a broad alliance of parties, including the Radicals and Communists. Once in power, he acceded to pressure from the United States and promulgates the Law of Defense of Democracy, also known as the Ley Maldita ("accursed law"), which outlawed his former allies the Communists, some of whom were placed in concentration camps in Pisagua. Poet Pablo Neruda hounded into exile.
1952
Carlos Ibáñez del Campo returns to the presidency, this time via the ballot box, ending the era of the Radical Party. His emblem is the broom, with which he proposed (fruitlessly) to sweep away the Radicals' legacy of corruption.
1958
Argentine forces destroy a Chilean Lighthouse during the Snipe incident
1960
The Great Chilean Earthquake, with its epicenter near Valdivia, is the most intense earthquake ever recorded, rating a 9.5
1964
Christian Democrat Eduardo Frei Montalva becomes president, proclaiming the so-called "Revolution in Liberty".
1970
Salvador Allende elected president; his leftist orientation greatly displeases the government of the United States. See 1970 Chilean presidential election.
1971
Poet Pablo Neruda receives Nobel Prize for Literature.
1973
The Armed Forces, carabineros, and others stage a coup, overthrowing Allende, who dies in the course of the coup. Augusto Pinochet establishes himself as the head of a military junta. The subsequent repression of leftists and other opponents of the military regime results in approximately 130,000 arrests and at least 3,000 dead or "disappeared" over the next three years. See Chilean coup of 1973.
1976
The machinations of the United States oblige President Ferdinand Marcos, to cancel a scheduled visit by President Pinochet to the Philippines.
1977
Beagle conflict: The binding Beagle Channel Arbitration award the Picton, Nueva and Lennox islands to Chile
1978
Beagle conflict: Argentine began to challenge the Chilean commitment to defend the territory and started the Operation Soberania
1980
The military government promulgates the Chilean Constitution of 1980, which is adopted by plebiscite. Economic policy begins to be significantly influenced by the ideas of the Chicago School and of Neoliberalism.
1982
Support for British Forces in the Falkland War
1984
Beagle conflict: Treaty of Peace and Friendship of 1984 between Chile and Argentina signed
1988
Pinochet loses the plebiscite foreseen by the constitution, which brings about, by agreement of all, elections the following year.
1990
Patricio Aylwin takes office as President. Transition to democracy begins.
1991
Mount Hudson erupts.
1994
Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle is elected President.
1998
During a visit to London for medical reasons, Augusto Pinochet is arrested in accord with the orders of Spanish judge Baltasar Garzón, beginning an international struggle between his supporters and detractors. He returns to Chile the following year, and the charges against him are later thrown out on the basis of his ostensibly deteriorated mental state. Chile suffers greatly from the world economic crisis, resulting in years of inflation and unemployment.
2000
In the second round of voting, in a tight contest with right wing candidate Joaquín Lavín, Ricardo Lagos Escobar is elected President.
[edit] 21st century
Year Date Event
2002
A general census is performed all over the country.
2004
The Chilean Supreme Court declares that Pinochet is mentally competent to stand trial.
2005
The Pinochet trial continues. The presidential election of December 11 puts Michelle Bachelet and Sebastián Piñera into a second round.
2006
In the second round of the presidential election the socialist leader Michelle Bachelet emerges the winner. 790,000 students adhere to the 2006 student protests in Chile. Death of Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte (10 December 2006)
2007
Los Ríos Region and Arica-Parinacota Region are created.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Chilean_history
Monday, August 23, 2010
23rd August 2010
WEATHER
Some people on my wallwisher site wanted to know these questions about the weather:
WEATHER
1. How hot is it over there?
2. What is the highest temperature Chile can reach in the summer?
3. Is it more hot than cold?
I hope that this answers your questions
The climate of Chile is made up of a wide range of weather conditions across a large geographic scale, extending across 38 degrees in latitude, making generalisations difficult. Chile within its borders hosts at least seven major climatic subtypes, ranging from desert in the north, to alpine tundra and glaciers in the east and southeast, humid subtropical in Easter Island, Oceanic in the south and mediterranean climate in central Chile. There are four seasons in most of the country: summer (December to February), autumn (March to May), winter (June to August), and spring (September to November).
Mediterranean
The climate of Central Chile is of temperate Mediterranean type, with the amount of rainfall increasing considerably and progressively from north to south. In the Santiago area, the average monthly temperatures are about 19.5 °C in the summer months of January and February and 7.5 °C in the winter months of June and July. The average monthly rainfall is no more than a trace in January and February and 69.7 millimeters in June and July. By contrast, in Concepción the average monthly temperatures are somewhat lower in the summer at 17.6 °C but higher in the winter at 9.3 °C, and the amount of rain is much greater. In the summer, Concepción receives an average of twenty millimeters of rain per month; in June and July, the city is pounded by an average of 253 millimeters per month. The numerous rivers greatly increase their flow as a result of the winter rains and the spring melting of the Andean snows, and they contract considerably in the summer. The combination of abundant snow in the Andes and relatively moderate winter temperatures creates excellent conditions for Alpine skiing. Areas around of Bío-Bío River, historically called La Frontera corresponds to southern limit of the mediterranean climate, with typical mediterranean fruits such as avocado, citrus, olives and grapes being cultivated north of it and oat, wheat, apples and potatoes to the south.
Temperate oceanic
The maritime influence of some southern Andean valleys makes them prone to snow falls in winter such as in Curarrehue in the picture.
In Zona Sur and the northern part of Zona Austral the climate is Temperate oceanic. Here the Andean Cordillera intercepts moist westerly winds along the Pacific coast during winter and summer months; these winds cool as they ascend the mountains, creating heavy rainfall on the mountains' west-facing slopes. The northward-flowing oceanic Humboldt Current creates humid and foggy conditions near the coast. The tree line is at about 2,400 m in the northern part of the ecoregion (35° S), and descends to 1,000 m in the south of the Valdivian region. In the summer average temperature can climb to 16.5°C (62°F), while during winter the temperature can drop below 7°C (45°F).[6]
Subpolar oceanic
The seasonal temperature in Zona Austral is greatly moderated by its proximity to the ocean and is known for stable constant temperatures, only small variability with season. The heaviest rainfalls goes between April and May and snow season goes all through Chilean winter (June till September), although the average temperature does not descend below the 1°C in coastal areas[7].
Pan de Azúcar National Park in Atacama Desert
The Atacama Desert is the driest non-Arctic place on Earth, and is virtually sterile because it is blocked from moisture on both sides by the Andes mountains and by the Chilean Coast Range. The average rainfall in the Chilean region of Antofagasta is just 1 mm per year. Some weather stations in the Atacama have never received rain. Evidence suggests that the Atacama may not have had any significant rainfall from 1570 to 1971.[4] It is so arid that mountains that reach as high as 6,885 metres (22,590 feet) are completely free of glaciers. Studies by a group of British scientists have suggested that some river beds have been dry for 120,000 years.
Some locations in the Atacama do receive a marine fog known locally as the Camanchaca, providing sufficient moisture for hypolithic algae, lichens and even some cacti. But in the region that is in the "fog shadow" of the high coastal crest-line, which averages 3,000 m height for about 100 km south of Antofagasta, the soil has been compared to that of Mars.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_Chile
In Valparaiso where I live, It hardly rains. I have been here for three weeks now and it has only rained once or twice at most. In the mornings when I wake it is foggy sometimes but this clears by mid morning and it can turn out to be a very beautiful day. Sometimes the nights are cold enough to turn on the heater ‘estufa’
Valparaiso, Chile
Elevation: 40 meters Latitude: 33 01S Longitude: 071 39W
Average Temperature Years on Record: 30
YEAR Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec.
°C 14 17 17 16 15 13 11 11 12 12 14 15 16
Average High Temperature Years on Record: 30
YEAR Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec.
°C 18 22 22 21 19 17 15 15 16 16 18 20 21
Average Low Temperature Years on Record: 30
YEAR Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec.
°C 10 13 13 12 11 10 8 8 8 8 10 11 12
Highest Recorded Temperature Years on Record: 31
YEAR Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec.
°C 34 32 34 31 30 27 24 27 27 28 32 32 32
Lowest Recorded Temperature Years on Record: 27
YEAR Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec.
°C --- 7 6 7 3 3 --- 2 3 2 2 6 7
Average Rainfall (Precipitation) Years on Record: 41
YEAR Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec.
cm 50 --- --- --- 1 10 14 9 7 3 1 --- ---
Average Number of Rainy Days Years on Record: 41
YEAR Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec.
Days 38 --- --- 1 1 6 10 6 5 2 1 --- 1
http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=85558&refer=&units=metric
WEATHER
Some people on my wallwisher site wanted to know these questions about the weather:
WEATHER
1. How hot is it over there?
2. What is the highest temperature Chile can reach in the summer?
3. Is it more hot than cold?
I hope that this answers your questions
The climate of Chile is made up of a wide range of weather conditions across a large geographic scale, extending across 38 degrees in latitude, making generalisations difficult. Chile within its borders hosts at least seven major climatic subtypes, ranging from desert in the north, to alpine tundra and glaciers in the east and southeast, humid subtropical in Easter Island, Oceanic in the south and mediterranean climate in central Chile. There are four seasons in most of the country: summer (December to February), autumn (March to May), winter (June to August), and spring (September to November).
Mediterranean
The climate of Central Chile is of temperate Mediterranean type, with the amount of rainfall increasing considerably and progressively from north to south. In the Santiago area, the average monthly temperatures are about 19.5 °C in the summer months of January and February and 7.5 °C in the winter months of June and July. The average monthly rainfall is no more than a trace in January and February and 69.7 millimeters in June and July. By contrast, in Concepción the average monthly temperatures are somewhat lower in the summer at 17.6 °C but higher in the winter at 9.3 °C, and the amount of rain is much greater. In the summer, Concepción receives an average of twenty millimeters of rain per month; in June and July, the city is pounded by an average of 253 millimeters per month. The numerous rivers greatly increase their flow as a result of the winter rains and the spring melting of the Andean snows, and they contract considerably in the summer. The combination of abundant snow in the Andes and relatively moderate winter temperatures creates excellent conditions for Alpine skiing. Areas around of Bío-Bío River, historically called La Frontera corresponds to southern limit of the mediterranean climate, with typical mediterranean fruits such as avocado, citrus, olives and grapes being cultivated north of it and oat, wheat, apples and potatoes to the south.
Temperate oceanic
The maritime influence of some southern Andean valleys makes them prone to snow falls in winter such as in Curarrehue in the picture.
In Zona Sur and the northern part of Zona Austral the climate is Temperate oceanic. Here the Andean Cordillera intercepts moist westerly winds along the Pacific coast during winter and summer months; these winds cool as they ascend the mountains, creating heavy rainfall on the mountains' west-facing slopes. The northward-flowing oceanic Humboldt Current creates humid and foggy conditions near the coast. The tree line is at about 2,400 m in the northern part of the ecoregion (35° S), and descends to 1,000 m in the south of the Valdivian region. In the summer average temperature can climb to 16.5°C (62°F), while during winter the temperature can drop below 7°C (45°F).[6]
Subpolar oceanic
The seasonal temperature in Zona Austral is greatly moderated by its proximity to the ocean and is known for stable constant temperatures, only small variability with season. The heaviest rainfalls goes between April and May and snow season goes all through Chilean winter (June till September), although the average temperature does not descend below the 1°C in coastal areas[7].
Pan de Azúcar National Park in Atacama Desert
The Atacama Desert is the driest non-Arctic place on Earth, and is virtually sterile because it is blocked from moisture on both sides by the Andes mountains and by the Chilean Coast Range. The average rainfall in the Chilean region of Antofagasta is just 1 mm per year. Some weather stations in the Atacama have never received rain. Evidence suggests that the Atacama may not have had any significant rainfall from 1570 to 1971.[4] It is so arid that mountains that reach as high as 6,885 metres (22,590 feet) are completely free of glaciers. Studies by a group of British scientists have suggested that some river beds have been dry for 120,000 years.
Some locations in the Atacama do receive a marine fog known locally as the Camanchaca, providing sufficient moisture for hypolithic algae, lichens and even some cacti. But in the region that is in the "fog shadow" of the high coastal crest-line, which averages 3,000 m height for about 100 km south of Antofagasta, the soil has been compared to that of Mars.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_Chile
In Valparaiso where I live, It hardly rains. I have been here for three weeks now and it has only rained once or twice at most. In the mornings when I wake it is foggy sometimes but this clears by mid morning and it can turn out to be a very beautiful day. Sometimes the nights are cold enough to turn on the heater ‘estufa’
Valparaiso, Chile
Elevation: 40 meters Latitude: 33 01S Longitude: 071 39W
Average Temperature Years on Record: 30
YEAR Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec.
°C 14 17 17 16 15 13 11 11 12 12 14 15 16
Average High Temperature Years on Record: 30
YEAR Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec.
°C 18 22 22 21 19 17 15 15 16 16 18 20 21
Average Low Temperature Years on Record: 30
YEAR Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec.
°C 10 13 13 12 11 10 8 8 8 8 10 11 12
Highest Recorded Temperature Years on Record: 31
YEAR Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec.
°C 34 32 34 31 30 27 24 27 27 28 32 32 32
Lowest Recorded Temperature Years on Record: 27
YEAR Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec.
°C --- 7 6 7 3 3 --- 2 3 2 2 6 7
Average Rainfall (Precipitation) Years on Record: 41
YEAR Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec.
cm 50 --- --- --- 1 10 14 9 7 3 1 --- ---
Average Number of Rainy Days Years on Record: 41
YEAR Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec.
Days 38 --- --- 1 1 6 10 6 5 2 1 --- 1
http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=85558&refer=&units=metric
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