Brb, moving to Lolol
Hello to all my favorite humans! First of all, I promise this every two week blogging schedule will not continue to be a pattern. Last week was midterms so there was a) not a whole lot to blog about and b) I was sick and tired of typing after my three papers. A side note here: if you are an educator that asks your students to type papers please please please do not have them use size 11 font and 1.15 spacing. It is a cruel and unusual punishment that I did not enjoy. The only possible upside is that I am now a self-proclaimed master on the Costanera Center and its relationship to mercantile cities, Santiago's international rebranding goals, and capitalism! As tedious as the writing process was, looking back on it now, I am really fascinated by the new construction happening in the eastern (wealthy) parts of the city, especially in the neighborhoods of Las Condes and Providencia, where not so coincidentally about half of the Jumbos in Chile reside.
Due to a new all glass skyline that is popping up, it has been cleverly nicknamed "Sanhattan." The Costanera Center -- a collection of 4 towers and a 6 story mall -- is one of the newest and most prominent parts of this construction pattern. Completed in 2013, its tallest tower stands at 300m and is the highest skyscraper on the continent of South America. It only falls behind the Q1 Tower in Australia for the title of tallest building in the southern hemisphere. It goes two names: Gran Torre Santiago and SkyCostanera, the second of which is the commercial name that offers $15 dollar views of Santiago from the roof. It is all glass, has the most impressive earthquake safety engineering (not one inch was damaged during the famous 2010 earthquake that hit mid construction), and a full and luxurious international 6 floor mall beneath it. The rain that fell on Wednesday night cleared away the smog buildup offering the perfect opportunity to hike Cerro San Cristobal and be greeted with incredible 360 views of Chile's capital city from its summit. Bryce, Shayna and I discussed our Arte y Espacios Públicos papers from up there which was a beautiful debrief because we could all see the places we wrote about from the top. Bryce wrote about the Cementerio General as a "ciudad sagrada" and Shayna wrote about Patio Bellavista as a "ciudad mercantil" -- look 'em up!. We were ironically missing Matthew who wrote his paper about the very hill we were sitting on top of. I loved having the time to dig into very intellectual topics that we were studying. Made me really miss long dining hall dinner talks about classes. From so high up, I really could get a sense about how dominating the Gran Torre is and how it dictates the view to the east. It was such conscious construction in the sense that it is meant to feel like a mini city in it of itself when inside. The whole Costanera Center has hotels, office spaces, leisure areas, a mall, department stores, and a full movie theater. The stores within the mall are international and high end and everything is bright and clean and white. When inside, you could be in a mall in Paris or London or New York which is 100% the goal. If you are curious and want to see something that I find VERY interesting, humor me with this: http://www.skycostanera.cl/. Go on that website and when prompted for your language choice, pick English (first). Go for it! And then come back to the blog.
Welcome back! I was so interested by that video that immediately starts without you clicking anything and how it paints an innovative and modern image of the building. The light shows, the drown footage, and of course ending with SkyCostanera "Santiago como nunca lo viste" or Santiago like you've never seen it. Ok now, step two. Go back to that original website (http://www.skycostanera.cl/) and click on Español when prompted. Click away and then come right back!
Notice anything different? Good work! There was no video! And if you do the same with Portuguese, there is no video there either. This was one of the most important factoids that came up during my research. The website is so specifically catered to different populations and the message is very different for different visitors. First of all, SkyCostanera has become such an (expensive) tourist stop and their goal is to get international visitors, the target audience of which are non-Spanish speakers. But second of all, it really shows who has access to this building. It's main purpose is for non Chileans. If it wasn't that way, everyone would be shown that advertising video. It represents an image of how Santiago hopes to be thought of by the international community. But it also is located in such an expensive part of the city that such a tiny percentage of the Santiago population and the Chilean population has access to this brand-new-future-of-Chile-architecture. I always find it so odd when tourist attractions aren't actually enjoyed by the native population. Anyway, I could go on about this for a while, but I will stop boring you. If you want to read a 7 page 1.15 font paper (grrrrr) in Spanish to find out more, please don't be afraid to ask. Be prepared for typos.
The big trip from this week was on Saturday when we went on a program trip to the Colchagua Valley, Chile's most famous wine region. We first went to the Colchagua Museum in Santa Cruz which is owned by one of Chile's richest families and has an ABSURD amount of artifacts from Chile's and South America's and honestly the whole world's history. The museum has a little bit of a complex going on and really can't decide what its main theme is. Is it an art museum or a natural history museum or a new-seum? Couldn't tell ya. It just had a little bit, actually quite a lot a bit, of everything. But one of the most famous parts tells the story of the 2010 mine collapse in which 32 chilean miners and 1 bolivian miner were trapped for 69 days, and each one of them survived. It was a historic news story for Chile, and I'm convinced it is the main reason why Sebastian Piñera's political career was able to continue and how he is leading in the polls for this upcoming presidential election. If any one of those men had died in there he might be a tad less of a hero in the eyes of *some*. Anyhoo just some thoughts.
After the museum, we drove to Viña Santa Cruz in the town of Lolol. Let me repeat that. Town name: Lolol. If you live there you are called a "lololino/a." So I might just move there so that I can be a lololina because it's a new dream of mine. Though it was a misty and cold day, it was still so breathtaking. The 100% solar-voltaic powered winery produces some beautiful fermented grape juice. We started with a delightful lunch paired with a nice 2015 cabernet sauvignon - carmenere mix. Bold yet smooth. Fruity tones. Oaky. Shaved toasted nutmeg. Medium pH. Red-violet color. (Go watch Somm and I'll seem like less of weirdo...). The whole time, Claire and I were commenting on how perfect of a location it is for a Bachelor date. Sorry Mom, but it was undeniable.
Following the lunch we took a little trip via gondola up to collection of chilean indigenous peoples museums at the top of the vineyard. This vineyard is owned by the same rich family that owns the museum by the way. Making more sense why there are two museums full of artifacts on the property? Had to have some place for all of the stuff that didn't fit in the other museum. Honestly, it felt a little odd and out of place, and I was confused why we were suddenly in a Mapuche Ruca and looking at Rapa Nui artifacts before we went back down the gondola for our wine tasting. But we met some resident llamas and learned a little more about these indigenous populations. I'm still digesting that one.
The tour was quick due to the gross weather and the size of the vineyard. My favorite part though was when we went down into one of the aging rooms (pictured below) where our guide talked about the different wines that the vineyard produces. What was so interesting is how this room is actually built into the side of the hill where the vineyard resides. It isn't too clear in the picture, but you can just see the light rock to the left. This keeps the temperature and humidity consistent throughout the entire year. All four seasons! How cool is that. Nature rocks. (hehehehehe)
We went on to taste a cabernet sauvignon - syrah combo from 2015 (ewieee sooo dry), a 2015 malbec (DELIGHTFUL), and a youthful 2016 carmenere (yumz). The one thing that is really great about all of these tastings is that I am finally starting to learn about which wines pleasantly tickle the old tastebuds and which ones I would much prefer to stay away from. Ah adulting.
Love to you all,
Olivia/Liv/Boo
Spanish word of the blog: alcaparra = caper
Had puttanesca for dinner tonight. Update: still don't like capers.
Due to a new all glass skyline that is popping up, it has been cleverly nicknamed "Sanhattan." The Costanera Center -- a collection of 4 towers and a 6 story mall -- is one of the newest and most prominent parts of this construction pattern. Completed in 2013, its tallest tower stands at 300m and is the highest skyscraper on the continent of South America. It only falls behind the Q1 Tower in Australia for the title of tallest building in the southern hemisphere. It goes two names: Gran Torre Santiago and SkyCostanera, the second of which is the commercial name that offers $15 dollar views of Santiago from the roof. It is all glass, has the most impressive earthquake safety engineering (not one inch was damaged during the famous 2010 earthquake that hit mid construction), and a full and luxurious international 6 floor mall beneath it. The rain that fell on Wednesday night cleared away the smog buildup offering the perfect opportunity to hike Cerro San Cristobal and be greeted with incredible 360 views of Chile's capital city from its summit. Bryce, Shayna and I discussed our Arte y Espacios Públicos papers from up there which was a beautiful debrief because we could all see the places we wrote about from the top. Bryce wrote about the Cementerio General as a "ciudad sagrada" and Shayna wrote about Patio Bellavista as a "ciudad mercantil" -- look 'em up!. We were ironically missing Matthew who wrote his paper about the very hill we were sitting on top of. I loved having the time to dig into very intellectual topics that we were studying. Made me really miss long dining hall dinner talks about classes. From so high up, I really could get a sense about how dominating the Gran Torre is and how it dictates the view to the east. It was such conscious construction in the sense that it is meant to feel like a mini city in it of itself when inside. The whole Costanera Center has hotels, office spaces, leisure areas, a mall, department stores, and a full movie theater. The stores within the mall are international and high end and everything is bright and clean and white. When inside, you could be in a mall in Paris or London or New York which is 100% the goal. If you are curious and want to see something that I find VERY interesting, humor me with this: http://www.skycostanera.cl/. Go on that website and when prompted for your language choice, pick English (first). Go for it! And then come back to the blog.
Welcome back! I was so interested by that video that immediately starts without you clicking anything and how it paints an innovative and modern image of the building. The light shows, the drown footage, and of course ending with SkyCostanera "Santiago como nunca lo viste" or Santiago like you've never seen it. Ok now, step two. Go back to that original website (http://www.skycostanera.cl/) and click on Español when prompted. Click away and then come right back!
Notice anything different? Good work! There was no video! And if you do the same with Portuguese, there is no video there either. This was one of the most important factoids that came up during my research. The website is so specifically catered to different populations and the message is very different for different visitors. First of all, SkyCostanera has become such an (expensive) tourist stop and their goal is to get international visitors, the target audience of which are non-Spanish speakers. But second of all, it really shows who has access to this building. It's main purpose is for non Chileans. If it wasn't that way, everyone would be shown that advertising video. It represents an image of how Santiago hopes to be thought of by the international community. But it also is located in such an expensive part of the city that such a tiny percentage of the Santiago population and the Chilean population has access to this brand-new-future-of-Chile-architecture. I always find it so odd when tourist attractions aren't actually enjoyed by the native population. Anyway, I could go on about this for a while, but I will stop boring you. If you want to read a 7 page 1.15 font paper (grrrrr) in Spanish to find out more, please don't be afraid to ask. Be prepared for typos.
The big trip from this week was on Saturday when we went on a program trip to the Colchagua Valley, Chile's most famous wine region. We first went to the Colchagua Museum in Santa Cruz which is owned by one of Chile's richest families and has an ABSURD amount of artifacts from Chile's and South America's and honestly the whole world's history. The museum has a little bit of a complex going on and really can't decide what its main theme is. Is it an art museum or a natural history museum or a new-seum? Couldn't tell ya. It just had a little bit, actually quite a lot a bit, of everything. But one of the most famous parts tells the story of the 2010 mine collapse in which 32 chilean miners and 1 bolivian miner were trapped for 69 days, and each one of them survived. It was a historic news story for Chile, and I'm convinced it is the main reason why Sebastian Piñera's political career was able to continue and how he is leading in the polls for this upcoming presidential election. If any one of those men had died in there he might be a tad less of a hero in the eyes of *some*. Anyhoo just some thoughts.
After the museum, we drove to Viña Santa Cruz in the town of Lolol. Let me repeat that. Town name: Lolol. If you live there you are called a "lololino/a." So I might just move there so that I can be a lololina because it's a new dream of mine. Though it was a misty and cold day, it was still so breathtaking. The 100% solar-voltaic powered winery produces some beautiful fermented grape juice. We started with a delightful lunch paired with a nice 2015 cabernet sauvignon - carmenere mix. Bold yet smooth. Fruity tones. Oaky. Shaved toasted nutmeg. Medium pH. Red-violet color. (Go watch Somm and I'll seem like less of weirdo...). The whole time, Claire and I were commenting on how perfect of a location it is for a Bachelor date. Sorry Mom, but it was undeniable.
Will you accept this rose?
WITH ALL OF MY HEART
Following the lunch we took a little trip via gondola up to collection of chilean indigenous peoples museums at the top of the vineyard. This vineyard is owned by the same rich family that owns the museum by the way. Making more sense why there are two museums full of artifacts on the property? Had to have some place for all of the stuff that didn't fit in the other museum. Honestly, it felt a little odd and out of place, and I was confused why we were suddenly in a Mapuche Ruca and looking at Rapa Nui artifacts before we went back down the gondola for our wine tasting. But we met some resident llamas and learned a little more about these indigenous populations. I'm still digesting that one.
The tour was quick due to the gross weather and the size of the vineyard. My favorite part though was when we went down into one of the aging rooms (pictured below) where our guide talked about the different wines that the vineyard produces. What was so interesting is how this room is actually built into the side of the hill where the vineyard resides. It isn't too clear in the picture, but you can just see the light rock to the left. This keeps the temperature and humidity consistent throughout the entire year. All four seasons! How cool is that. Nature rocks. (hehehehehe)
We went on to taste a cabernet sauvignon - syrah combo from 2015 (ewieee sooo dry), a 2015 malbec (DELIGHTFUL), and a youthful 2016 carmenere (yumz). The one thing that is really great about all of these tastings is that I am finally starting to learn about which wines pleasantly tickle the old tastebuds and which ones I would much prefer to stay away from. Ah adulting.
Updates on books and podcasts! Finished The Namesake last week even though I never wanted it to end. Love Jhumpa. Layla Varkey, you are one lucky lady to share an institution with that woman. So on Friday, I started to read The Light We Lost. Finished it on Saturday because it was as if it was written by a 15 year old. It was so bad. So so so bad. My eyes had to be sacrificed for you to have this PSA, so please save yourself. It was on the Skimm reads list for a couple of months this past spring so I thought it had to be good, but that will be the first and last Skimm reads book I will read. Barf. I'm going to start House of Spirits to replenish my love for the written word and because when in Chile, you must read some Allende.
I have been listening to Presidential almost exclusively because I'm between 2 Dope Queens seasons. And I've been on a roll trying to get through the Civil War. I'm learning so many factoids! Franklin Pierce got into a horrible train accident between Andover, MA and Concord, NH in which his 11 year old son was killed before his eyes. His wife never wanted him to get involved in politics, and he refused to put his hand on the Bible when taking the oath of office because he was convinced that God was punishing him being president by taking his son. Queen Victoria said that Millard Fillmore was the most attractive man she had ever met. Ulysses S. Grant wrote unbelievably adorable love letters. William Henry Harrison didn't actually die of pneumonia because he gave too long of an inauguration address in the cold! It wasn't even that cold or rainy! He actually is the first of many presidents/presidential family members to have died from typhoid/cholera/other waterborne illnesses because at the time there was no water treatment process in Washington D.C. nor in the White House. James Buchanan whispered into Lincoln's ear at his first inauguration that "if you are as happy to be entering the presidency as I am to be leaving it, you are the happiest man in the whole world." I just started the Rutherford B. Hayes episode omg so fun.
And that brings me to the end of this long weekend! Last night, we all went over to Carolyn's apartment in the center of Santiago for a fun night of pizza and snuggles and talking about our gringo feelings that might be going through some October homesickness. Carolyn is a beautiful wonderful Tufts in Chile alum who is back in Santiago working! She is the most chilean sounding American I have ever met which gives us all hope, and is honestly all around goals. Here is a tender photo with three people that I love.
And today, some of us went out to Parque Mahuida to cheer on Shayna and Bryce as they competed in the finals of their frisbee tournaments. What superstars they are. Shayna even signed my homemade score card (gotta stay on top of the score during frisbee or else you will be soooo lost)!!! In the presence of greatness.
And with that, I conclude another Chileen in Chile. Thank you for your patience, and as we sneak into the second week of October (!!!!) know that I'm thinking of all of you. In 4 days I will have been in Chile for 3 whole months which I cannot begin to wrap my head around. I'm feeling a wild combination of wanting to hold on to every last memory that I'm making here and take advantage of everything I can while also understanding that before I know it I will be on a plane back home for Boston. I guess that October pizza party was most certainly a necessity.
Love to you all,
Olivia/Liv/Boo
Spanish word of the blog: alcaparra = caper
Had puttanesca for dinner tonight. Update: still don't like capers.
Dear Olivia,
ReplyDeleteAnother GREAT blog !! You share your experiences and pleasures so well. If ever you choose a second profession (other than medicine), maybe you should consider writing for a Boston newspaper or the New Yorker. Your readers will be delighted as we are reading yours from Chile.
Abrazos muy sinceros,
Moo y Papy