Anto-Angeles

During my program's orientation in Santiago, us volunteers were told (perhaps more accurately, "warned") of the warmth of the Chilean people. Women and men greet with a kiss on the right cheek, for instance. The bubble of personal space we observe in the States is much smaller here. It is considered rude if you enter a room and don't greet those in your immediate vicinity with an "Hola" and a "Como estas?" (even if you saw them an hour before, in the same room. The teacher's lounge, for example…) Americans are often perceived as very distant and cold. Stiff. With our handshakes and rapid walking pace. Even our strict sense of time is off-putting. Chileans are often running behind schedule because they consider it rude to cut a conversation short just because of a godforsaken clock. What freaks, Americans! In a hurry all the time! Chasing the dollar! Always checking their clocks!

But this is not the case in Antofagasta.

Antofagasta is a city of 300,000 people. And it's become clear to me over the last couple of weeks that it shares some similarities to Los Angeles. For one, the traffic. There are A LOT of cars in this city. The streets in the mornings and afternoons are jam-packed with cars and micros and colectivos. And the car is definitely a power symbol as I've seen BMWs and Mustangs crawling around as well as BIG trucks and little cars.

But while I was walking around one night recently, near the Center in the late evening, I realized that perhaps the thing that Antofagastans share in common with the Los Angelinos THE MOST is this: City Fatigue. Most everyone hates it here. I mean, yes, it is home and of course they love their home but all the people, all the traffic, and it's so fucking expensive! This love/hate relationship to the city is all too familiar to me. It's exciting at first (there's so much happening! so many people! so much to do!) but wears thin after a while (please, everyone, go away. all I want is a parking space and to sit on my couch, beer in hand.).

So the people in Antofagasta are somewhat lacking in the rumored Chilean warmth department (though I get warmth in spades from my amazing family. And the few 20-somethings Chileans I have met have been ceaselessly kind. So, not all of Antofagasta is lacking). But, no matter. I get it. It sucks living in an overpopulated, expensive, traffic-ridden urban area. I get it, Antofagasta. Let's be friends.

And by "friends" I mean, let me join your tired, huddled masses. It's cold and we could learn a thing or two from penguins. Warmth in numbers. Now please stop staring at me like I'm from outerspace.