Dos Meses, Dos hitos memorables. ( Two months, Two historic Landmarks)

Having arrived in Antofagasta (Chile’s second region, situated in the far north) in late August, I have been fortunate enough to witness two momentous events in Chilean history. The first being “El Bicentenario” celebrated on the 18^th September 2010 which commemorated Chile’s  200^th anniversary as an independent country liberated from Spanish colonial rule. With a four day national holiday, the whole country was in an elated period of festivity. In Antofagasta, we enjoyed plenty of “asados” (barbeques), special stalls were set up in various parts of the city selling traditional Chilean food and drink, for example “Empanadas (sort of like a Cornish pasties but come with a range of fillings) and “Chicha” ( an alcoholic drink made from fermented maize) this is delicious but particularly potent- “tener cuidado” ( be careful!). Dancing is a vital part of the celebrations, the “Cueca”, Chile’s national folkloric dance is enjoyed by all. Chileans, unlike the English aren’t reluctant to get on the dance floor; the difficult part is getting them off! Another popular activity for children is kite flying. If you happened to walk past the coast during this celebratory period, you would see the skies filled with “cometas” (Chilean word for Kite) soaring high above, in a range of beautiful colours and designs.

 That brings me on to my next point- the language! A major shock for me when I first arrived was the amount of Chilean slang used. Although Chileans will understand a particular word or phrase in Spanish they will also have their own Chilean equivalent. For example, “¿Entiendes? In Castilian Spanish means “do you understand?” However in Chile, they would say “¿Cachai?” They both mean the same thing but are just completely different words! For anyone thinking of coming to Chile “¿Cachai?”  is probably one of the most important phrases to learn as it often comes at the end of a sentence and generally means “do you get it?/ do you know what I mean?”. As time has passed I’ve become much more accustomed to “ los chilenismos” ( Chilean slang) and my confidence in speaking Spanish or perhaps “Chilean “ I should say has grown tremendously,  I’ve even stared using a few phrases myself!

The second major event and undoubtedly a major historical landmark was the extraordinary rescue of the “los treinta tres”, the 33 miners stuck underground for 70 days at the San Jose mine in the Atacama Desert. The success of the rescue mission sparked off celebrations around the world, but it of course held special importance for the Chilean people who had worked unremittingly to guarantee the men’s safety. The people of Antofagasta were especially sympathetic, we ourselves live in the Atacama desert and with mining as our main economic industry, everyone in some way is connected to the mines. My very own housemate’s father works in a mine; she told me that she felt particularly emotional about the whole event as it could have been her father trapped underground. Apart from the obvious delight of saving the miners, the story of “los treinta tres” has finally put Chile on the world map, and quite rightly so. Just having been here for two months, the hardworking nature and determination of the Chilean people is clearly visible, as is their ability to come together during times of both national crisis and celebration. I consider myself very lucky to have witnessed these two momentous events.