My faculty (Faculty of Arts, Las Encinas, Universidad de Chile) is not as good, nor as beautiful as it should be. I'm sorry but it's the truth. The best thing is that we have a nice green place here, but I don't know if it will last long.

Now I'm writing from one of the computers of the Faculty, and it doesn't even work good. Internet is as slow as a snail here. Maybe THEY can start with the improving of this system. Of course, I think they should make a better building: the one which is already look horrible, really depressing. The library is very poor too, and it shouldn't be that way. It's small, dull, the computers really suck and most interesting or necessary books aren't there (actually, they're more "useful" books in the Faculty of Philosophy.

Well, many of this is the result of the decline of education because of the dictatorship's policies (after all, it is supposed to be a PUBLIC university, but actually it isn't, you know, we have to pay a lot for this).

I'm not a very proactive man, I really don't know how to improve all this in a viable way, but I can claim or complain, at least. Not all the things are that bad, of course, but they should be better considering that it's about the "main" university of this country. I don't know if it's actually like that. And I don't know how are other institutions in the rest of Latin America. It's a shame, but it's true. I really want this Faculty to work better, and the same goes for all education in Chile.

But the birds still sing nicely out there. And I'm going to drink some beer.

C-H-I-L-E-A-N

Identity is a complex thing. There are different factors involved in it. But, in conclusion, it's basically a matter of Politics and Economy; the configuration of society, from its beginnings, needed to make networks to produce (to satisfy any kind of necessities) and to protect themselves, and later, to keep heritage. And that is, basically, the way it goes. The birth of the identity issue.

In a larger scale, I'm sure that nations (nation-states) don't involve a kind of substance or essence that makes them . We must know that there's not necessarily a common History (what is it?) between a Nation, nor an Heroic past nor anything like that.

The same goes for the case of Chile "my" country. "We" are not all the same; most of us are "of mixed race" (between native and Spanish), but anyway, we're not Spanish, and most mapuche people don't consider themselves as Chileans (and I agree with them: this Country has stolen their culture and lands). We're kind of orphans, maybe that's our identity all along the territory.

Anyway, I think of a specific term: the "Chile profundo" (deep Chile), which refers to the centre of the territory, between the south of Santiago and the Region VII; it's mostly agricultural,

If I have to choose something like a Chilean identity, I'd like to be this: being in an old bar, drinking chilean wine and eating empanadas, or pork sandwiches, or cazuela, listening to 'canto a lo poeta' (typical music of Central Chile); or being in the shore of the sea in a windy cold night, because Chile isn't a tropical country. Or maybe we just have to know Violeta Parra's life and work.

And don't we hate our neighbours.

Santiago City (some things to do in)

Santiago of Chile is a stressing city, but not if you know how to treat it (and if you have enough time). Any foreigner who come to Santiago must know some things, obviously; but I don't like official holiday's packs nor guided tours: the best way to know a city is, I think, touring with a friend or some friendly people who knows it well.





So I think that the places and things a foreigner must visit and do in Santiago aren't necessarily those that appear in touristic guides. I'll write some points about some interesting places and activities in the city, just according to myself.


A nice green area in the center. Cerro Santa Lucía (Saint Lucy Hill) is one of the main places in the City. An historical one. There are trees, grass, fountains, and sculptures. You be careful: sometimes there are thieves.

Rest in peace. I like cementeries. What can I do? Well, you must know the main one in the city (Cementerio General), or you'll never know Santiago. It's very old and large, like a little city. You must know the historical part, with its wonderful graves and mausoleum.

Churchs. I'm atheist, but I like old churchs more than museums. It's culture in context. So you gotta visit the city's Cathedral (at Plaza de Armas), the San Francisco church (the oldest one in the city), the San Agustín Temple, the basilicas of La Merced, Los Sacramentinos and El Salvador, among others.


Where to eat/drink/lunch/ have a dinner. I don't know what kind of meal do you like, so I just can talk about my own taste. I don't like luxury restaurants. So if you want to know the local food and drinks you can go to some typical restaurant or tavern, such as El Hoyo, Monte Rosa or La Tinaja, where you can ask for a "terremoto" (earthquake, a drink made of cheap wine, pineapple ice cream and some liqueur) or a pork sandwich. If you like loin sandwiches, you go to Fuente Alemana in Alameda, it's amazing. For chinese food, Los Chinos Pobres in Plaza Brasil.

Some Fun. I don't know. If you like chic gigs I'm afraid I can't help you. But anyway, I like Bellavista, a kind of bohemian district with a lot of pubs, bars and restaurant. You can also go to Lastarria.

This Public Transport

I don't think I have to describe the Transantiago system. If you don't know what is it about, you can find it on the Net.

One thing is clear: I hate it.

It started to work, I think, about three years ago. Then, THEY said it would be something like "the transportation of the future": faster, cleaner, nicer, more comfortable. They said it would reduce the noise and air pollution. I don't know if it did. Anyway, the previous system (yellow buses) was awful, I think, even when there are people who miss it now. Well, I don't. It was horrific. But Transantiago isn't much better.

In the previous system, depending on the hour and on the route, the minibuses could be completely full or almost empty. In the first case, you couldn't always get in the vehicle, then you could arrive late to your destiny (and, what is the worst, in some cases, people fell out the bus and they got wound or simply died). All this was supposed to change with Transantiago. But actually, it didn't. It didn't then and it didn't yet now. I have to get in a bus (I can hardly do it) full of people almost every morning, all of them sad or angry. It happens even on the large buses ("caterpillars"). It's depressing. What can I say?

Well, the worst mistake with Transantiago, and of this I am sure, is that the organizers, and the goverment, didn't plan it rightly, with time: and they applied it to soon, because they wanted the people to be impressed with it before they left. Then, shit happened. I think they have to improve many things, including the freqcuency of the trips, but the drivers don't use to cooperate. Because most of them ar not interested in a better system, they don't need it. Anyway, I don't know what else those ineffective engineers, performers and shitty companies can do.

I'll say it again: I hate it.

A nice holiday

I'll tell you about the city of Valdivia, which I visited twice in my life. Then it was placed in the 10th region of Chile, known as "Región de los Lagos" (Region of Lakes), but nowadays it's placed in a recently created region: the 15th, called "Región de los Ríos" (Region of Rivers), because Valdivia's population wanted to have their own regional district, and the name's because there are many big rivers. Valdivia itself is a city built around the river Calle-Calle, a very beautiful one.

I went there with my father the two times, and the last one (about six years ago) just before a great trip to Chiloe. Then we did many things: first, we spend a lot of time trying to find a place to stay in. Later, we ate in different places, drank Valdivian beer, walked around the river, bought some things, visited some interesting buildings and, of course, talked a lot about almost everything. By example: we talked about the 1960 earthquake, one of the most severe ever registered, and its consecquences to the city: almost every old building has been destroyed. Anyway, Valdivia is one of the most beautiful places I ever visited. The landscape the river brings is wonderful. I recommend you to go there someday.