Daylight saving and its logic

Last weekend we were deprived of an hour's sleep thanks to the early onset of daylight saving time here in Chile. Much as I like the idea of a short winter and a long summer, even I feel as though the logic has been somewhat lacking in bringing forward a summer schedule when one is still in the thick of an albeit at times mild winter. Not only is it too early on in the season to enjoy and make the most of long light evenings, but the absurdity of getting up, having breakfast and leaving the house while darkness is still total must be obvious to the most blinkered bureaucrat. Yesterday morning DD1 was unsurprisingly reluctant to be roused at what seemed like the middle of the night (in reality 7am) while only last week she could at least behold sunrise over the Andes while struggling into her clothes. Arriving at school still in the darkness 45 minutes later, it felt as if she and I were attending some nocturnal event rather than just carrying out the mundane school run. As it happened I had volunteered to read a story to the class that morning though it was far from ideal timing from my point of view as the children were yawning as they fought off their sleep deficit. And I would like to know how much daylight saving is actually being met when lamp-posts and other street lighting were on full blast to illuminate commuters' paths and were clearly consuming megawatts of electricity. Not to mention the fact that it is also colder an hour earlier than usual at that time in the morning...

Today was a slight improvement as DH had the pleasure of the early shift. However even DD2 was difficult to wake at her usual appointed time due to the ongoing lack of light outside... It all seems so unnecessary, especially when it was actually a pleasure to wake up with natural light flooding in through one's windows. But that's life, especially in Chile.

The white stuff

Yesterday the unthinkable happened. It snowed in Santiago, something everyone had assured me would never happen. Oh no, it never snows in Santiago the locals say, somewhat proudly though at the same time sadly, as if they were missing out on some rare and pure form of magic. I for one was glad, totally relishing what until now had seemed like easily the mildest winter I have ever witnessed. Coolish mornings and evenings with often spring-like moments in between...yes, I think I can handle that kind of winter. The occasional grey day, a few showers of rain every now and then, more like autumn than full-blown winter...

Not so yesterday. First of all it was cold and raining during the nursery run, first lightly, then more heavily, so much so that even DD2 tired of carrying an umbrella from here to her nursery (20 minutes increasingly puddle-surrounded walk at her pace). On the way back I couldn't believe how the rain was pelting down ever harder. Not just cats and dogs but cats, stray dogs and more... Halfway through my Spanish lesson my teacher was so enthused (or distracted) that she couldn't help but interrupt, draw herself closer to the window and wonder at the rare sight of huge, white fluffy snowflakes falling towards the ground. I too was awestruck by the scene though perhaps less so than the locals who had suspended talk of anything else and were indeed enjoying the novelty. The news showed images of young and old scraping up meagre clumps of icy snow to throw snowballs and make rather sorrowfully thin snowmen... Meanwhile at school and nursery snow was being drawn and snowflakes artfully sculpted and cut out to adorn our windows. No need really, this morning one could have been forgiven for glancing up and thinking one was in a ski resort for the fresh, glistening snow surrounding one on the omnipresent cordillera. As long as you forget it's August of course...

Civil unrest and its responses

It has not been a great week.
A week ago today DH returned home from work to confess he had been crying. It hadn't been his reluctant, undergraduate students who are in the midst of what has become the longest student strike in Chilean history, nor his belligerent colleagues who seem intent on internal wrangling for power rather than standing together in a difficult time, to reduce him to tears. No, it had been the teargas released by the so-called forces of order, otherwise known as the Carabiñeros, onto the streets and underground of Santiago which had got him in the end. This had been in response to a wholly peaceful march on the part of university and secondary school students protesting against the lack of a free and fair education system here. Yet the government, in their short-sightedness, had not granted permission to the protesters to march, thus stepped in using whichever means of heavy-handed crowd-control they had at their disposal. This being Chile, water cannons and teargas are part of the natural landscape, the use of which hardly raises an eyebrow on either side of the political spectrum. Bizarre to those of us who come from different shores, as was the arrest and rather rough manhandling of almost 900 peaceful protesters out of a total of 5000, many of whom were secondary schoolchildren.
Dear oh dear, we thought, such things would be unimaginable back in the civilised world whence we came. Thank goodness we have that escape route, who knows when we might need it... though of course we were quick to reassure family and friends that things were not as bad as they seemed.
Still slightly disturbed by what we perceived as the infringements on basic human rights, we carried on our business, going into a cold, grey and rather bleak wintry weekend for Santiago, after which for the first time since arriving here we were actually pleased when Monday arrived to resume our normal routine and activities as opposed to being cooped up indoors with little to do.
The events of the past few days in London and other major cities in Britain have provoked much comment, column inches, television coverage and widespread shock. I for one was dumbstruck, appalled, terrified and depressed to hear, read about and watch scenes which I never thought I would see in 2011. But I, like so many others, was wrong... Obviously parallels have been drawn with the unrest in Santiago though there are stark and glaring contrasts too. Here young people have been protesting about their lack of something we Westerners not only have but also take for granted: a free and equal education system. Or at least we had one once... Also, here in Chile as I mentioned the use of force to control and dispel crowds is something most people have grown up with and certainly don't question. The Chileans must think our levels of freedom in the UK are foolish privilege given what the world has recently witnessed. And last but not least, the dichotomy between the haves and the have nots, though more apparently visible and polarised in Chile, is all too present back in the developed world too, yet better hidden.
Amid the gloom however (and it has been grim) there have been a couple of uplifting moments to restore one's faith in humankind. One of these has been the coming together of residents in London's ripped apart communities armed with brooms to clean up and rebuild their high streets. Another came last Thursday evening, after the disastrous march which resulted in around a fifth of its demonstrators behind bars. Slowly at first, then more quickly and more loudly, it sounded as if bells were ringing out in the streets below. It was the "cacerolazo" or pot-bangers, people of every age group and, in theory, political persuasion, banging on upturned saucepans and frying pans with spoons and ladles to show and sound their solidarity with the students. A very Latinamerican moment.

Somewhere over the rainbow

Our trip to Europe over and at the moment none of us wants even to think about boarding a plane, train or automobile for a while. Not that it wasn't wonderful but too much travelling in too short a time. This was because we managed to catch up with both sets of grandparents and extended families in two different European countries all in the space of twelve days. Almost like a Royal tour if it hadn't been for easyJet and the Gatwick Express... and two missing suitcases on the way back due to a very tight connection in Paris. It was of course lovely to see everyone, sample some of the delights of the twenty-first century and have a holiday by the sea even though the weather wasn't as glorious as it can be in Italy but we were treated to the breathtaking spectacle of a rainbow over a choppy Adriatic which was some compensation.
To my surprise it wasn't as hard to leave the Old World for the New as it had been only six months ago. I can't say that I missed Santiago but perhaps I feel less hostile towards it than I did before. The phone-hacking scandal coupled with the recent attacks in Norway, elements which could have been lifted from a novel by Stieg Larsson, certainly help to make one feel more inclined to enjoy living in a remote part of South America. The girls have been delighted to return to their school and nursery respectively and I too was keen to get back to what has now become our home. For now...

The 1980s time warp

Another Storysack meeting this morning at DD1's school and happily Maria-Luz, the aptly-named and truly inspirational teacher was back leading the session with her infectious enthusiasm, this time on how to make a short animated film. I was suitably impressed... and reassured that the school does in fact possess some modern technology and is applying this towards enhancing positive learning. Phew... so we are in the twenty-first century here after all. Often one could be forgiven for thinking travelling this close to the edge of the world involves some kind of time-travel backwards of around thirty years or so, a suspicion which is reinforced by the relentless soundtrack of the early 1980s played in every shop, taxi, hairdresser's, children's party or similar public situation. Especially of the US variety (think Foreigner, Journey, the Bangles, Cyndi Lauper, Hall and Oates etc and you begin to get the idea). Either that or someone has meticulously and rather eerily tried to recreate the 1980s, like a kind of audio version of The Truman Show... Apparently according to some sources this obsession with the music of 1980s is due to what was going on in Chile at the time, ie a slow but determined reaction to the years of repression due to the presence of the military regime and a reawakening or stirring of the senses amongst those who had suffered and put up with so much. Sometimes it is hard to conceive of this happening during our lifetimes as recently as the latter part of the twentieth century, while back in the free Western world some of us were yet to enter adolescence while the same music formed part of the background. But shocking or not it is true and it explains a lot about Chile and its people today...

Talking of time travel, we are about to go back to the future as it were tomorrow as DD1's school breaks up for its two-week-long winter holiday today. Thus we will have a taste of the European summer in July as opposed to snow-based activities on offer in the Andes. Just as we were beginning to get used to the winter too...

The bleak mid-winter?

Well the climax of Wimbledon fortnight coincided with the inauguration of the skiing season here last weekend. In fact a cold wet spell last week had treated us to magnificent vistas of the Andes covered in new, gleaming white snow which turns pink by evening at sundown. Quite something to contemplate and gaze at, even for three-year-olds. The last week or so has seen frosty mornings and even ice in the shade where the lawns and pavements are still painstakingly watered early in the day. So this is winter in Santiago... if so I think I can cope with it. The days without sun are still grim but thankfully remain few and far between on the whole. Having said that every time I marvel at the clement conditions the weather turns cold so I think the less said about it the better.

Last week I attended the latest of a number of meetings at DD1's school aimed at raising awareness of parents regarding literacy and how to encourage your child to read at home. I have been going out of genuine interest and also pure curiosity: a chance to spy on enemy territory and actually get past the impenetrable school gates. So far the meetings have been a mixed bag. The first was chaotic with a high turnout of parents, many of whom talked loudly throughout, subsequently lost interest and have not attended again, thus allowing for a smaller group and more pleasant and constructive meetings. Also the teacher leading most of the meetings has been very warm, welcoming and positively brimming with enthusiasm for how to help, encourage and inspire one's child. I was impressed that the school was at least taking an active interest for once so eagerly signed up for the group whose aim is a Storysack project scheduled for November. I now find myself anxiously scanning patterns for how to knit finger puppets as we now have to create our characters (we are already behind with the scenography). Last week the usual teacher however was absent, only to be replaced by a mumbling, passionless creature who could easily have been invented by Roald Dahl. (We are currently reading "Matilda" as our bedtime story which never ceases to shock, amuse and fascinate DD1 in equal measure. DD2 thankfully is usually out like a light by this point.) Still it has been interesting to observe Chilean attitudes to parenting though it is only a certain kind and probably the ones who already read with their children as a matter of course...

Food glorious food

I think it is fair to say Chile is not a food-lover's first choice of destination unless you happen to be a fast-food-lover in which case Santiago is the place to go. One of the first things you notice are the plethora of hot-dog joints, soda fountains and German-style themed chain restaurants with improbable names such as Doggi's, Domino and Tip y Tap respectively (the latter being one of the better prospects for a filling and wholesome meal when faced with hungry children on a shopping expedition). In general however if you look hard enough you will find something for every taste and budget though the more interesting propositions need to be sought out.

As with all aspects of life in Chile, food can be an enigma and a contradiction. Chile is an immensely fertile country with impressive homegrown fresh produce which is often smothered in bottled mayonnaise (bafflingly the proud occupant of its own aisle in any local supermarket) or served with industrially manufactured and uninspiring cheese. Dairy produce is definitely not its forte: fresh milk is not available thus people make do with UHT cartons or "bricks" which you can conveniently bulk-buy and also take anywhere with you without having to worry about how long they may have been out of the fridge. The downside however is that yoghurts, cheeses and other dairy items are not exactly at the vanguard in their field and thus one has to get used to inferior, additive-laden quality or going without.

Having said that there are some redeeming features which shine like beacons and provide a sharp contrast to the junk elements. One of these is the tradition most restaurants maintain which is to serve with bread a lightly spicy appetiser of chopped fresh tomatoes and onion seasoned in olive oil, salt and coriander while one's order is being prepared. For those who like coriander it is a treat not to be missed. Also the avocado (or more humbly "palta") is probably the single most widespread item on any menu or in any supermarket and is far from the luxury food one associates it with in Europe. It costs next to nothing for the largest, juiciest and most succulent varieties one could ever hope to find and in fact Chileans put it everywhere: in sandwiches, on hot-dogs, in salads, smeared on toast for breakfast, and so on. Meat is also a safe bet on the whole especially grilled as the cuts are good and a "parrillada" is always welcome. Not to mention Chilean wine which is admittedly in a class of its own and difficult to fault. Why then do so many (adult) people order Coca-Cola or Fanta with their meals?