Riding a bus in Bolivia. Everything you'd expect to happen. Fortunately, the bus driver was well-prepared and had an extra tire. Unfortunately, that tire was flat as well. However, if all passengers help out, it is possible to pump up the tire with a bicycle pump (as I said, a well prepared bus driver) in only one hour.
All good times come to an end. It's my last night in Santiago.
As I write these lines, vivid memories flow through my mind. My first steps in Santiago, the enormous amount of asados and the laughter.
But most of all, and as always, I am grateful for the people I was allowed to meet and the valuable friendships established. I will leave a part of me here, and will also take a part of it with me.
A mis amigos que conocí en Santiago: Les echaré de menos.
By the way, I took this picture of this beautiful sunrise a few weeks ago from the laundry room of my apartment building. It was around 7am, I looked looked out the window and saw the sky in crazy colors. So I grabbed my camera, and walked up the the 16th floor (in my pyjama's) to take that picture.
A big city, surrounded by an even bigger and breath-taking landscape.
Encounters in Chile - a series about interesting, inspiring and special people that I ran into. Today: Samantha Snabes, 32, former NASA employee, today entrepreneur in Chile.
For some reason, travelling allows you to create the best ideas. The German poet and writer Goethe travelled to Italy in 1786 and when he came back two years later with a bunch of cool new ideas, he he kicked off the classicism epoch.
Shift.
As Samantha Snabes, 32, a NASA contractor from the US, was travelling Central America and Africa, she also developed a cool idea. During her trips to remote villages, she encountered the lack of clean toilet facilities and thought it would be cool if local people could create their own toilets. And that's when she and her friends thought that 3D printing may provide a solution. 3D printing could actually address these fundamental and important social needs and "print" a toilet. Sounds funny. But the idea behind is to provide people in poverty access to plastic composting toilets that could be easily maintained.
A few years later, in early 2013, Samantha left her job at NASA and came to Chile. She had majored in Biology, so the first question on my mind when I met her was: "What in the world made you quit what all engineers consider a dream job?"
The answer: Her dream to improve the world by teaching others to 3D print and inspire local solutions to local problems.
Together with a team of five friends from academia, finance and the aerospace industry, Samantha is working to make 3D printing affordable for everyone. And they founded their company re:3D. In search for some seed capital, Samantha came to Chile to participate in the StartUp Chile program.
"We wanted to solve two main issues that inhibit 3D printing from a widespread use: Cost and Size", Samantha explains. "Up until recently, 3D printing was expensive and you could only print small things."
To solve the size problem, re:3D Chief Hacker Matthew Fiedler created Gigabot. "With Gigabot, you can print large objects such as architecture models or a chair. Or a toilet. Literally everyone can own a factory in his garage." She captivatingly explains why she believes in her idea. "We are just beginning to explore the challenges that 3D printing solves."
Back to the toilet. With a second machine re:3D is collaborating on to take trash to make the plastic the robot consumes, people in poor areas could recycle plastic materials from local garbage. And Gigabot consumes very little energy (less than the amount needed for two lightbulbs).
Her endeavor started this year. Today, not even half a year later, her company has sold over 70 Gigabots on six continents.
I am an engineering illiterate. But even for me, Samantha explains her idea in an understandable easy-to-grasp way that actually gets me interested in engineering. And fascinated by Gigabot.
The printer heats PLA plastic to up to 205 degrees (thus melting it, obviously), and prints an object by putting layer over layer. The robot moves according to the digital model on the X,Y,Y axis. And some minutes (or hours) later, a new object has been created.
There are four ways to print an object. You take a picture, introduce it to a program, it creates a digital model, sends it to the printer, you hit print. Or you use a 3D scanner to create a digital model. Or, you design your own model via Sketchup (a cool, free program) and print it out. Or you just go online and search for an object that has already been designed.
Samantha's team has never been in a single room. "We weren't able to take a team photo yet" Samantha explains. "We're constantly on Skype calls and Google+ Hangouts to make decisions." Different time-zones, the fact that her co-founders and co-workers have regular jobs, and Samantha being in Santiago doesn't make things easier. But it seems to work well. She recently hired Morgan and Sebastian who help out on the Sales side of Gigabot.
"My dream..." Samantha thinks out loud when I ask her what her current dream is. "Well, I have been fortunate to realize my dream early in life (to support NASA). Now I want to help people pursue theirs." As for Gigabot, she envisages a future where five years from now, "every garage, every school, every science department, even every library has its own 3D printer.
"The only limit to 3D printing" she adds in Steve Jobs like manner, "is our imagination." And the passion with which she promotes Gigabot, makes me believe that she might - just like as the German poet Goethe - kick off a new epoch. An epoch where technological innovations help people all over the world meet their basic needs.
After living in Chile for a few month, I couldn't help but wondering about words I never heard before. The so called chilenismos, words that are used in Chile only, may cause confusion. A small overview of the chilenismos I encountered most frequently.
pololo, polola. boyfriend, girlfriend
pololear. yes, it is a verb. It means "to date"
luca. used to express one or more thousand of units of money. Tres luca, three thousand
bakan. may be best described as cool.
al tiro. right away, immediately.
cachai? literally, it means: do you understand? Just throw it randomly at the end of some sentences, and you'll almost sound like a real Chilean. If someone says this word at the end of all of his phrases and you're exposed to this constant need for supposed confirmation, do not worry. You're not expected to actually react. Just nod slightly, and keep on listening to whatever your interlocutor tells you.
po. Probably the weirdest, funniest, most awkward word (or should I say syllable?). You may use it anytime, but I found it's used most often when you confirm something (si-po) or when you deny something (no-po). Some Chileans told me it was derived from the Spanish "pues". But even then it remains a highly suspicious yet entertaining little word.
I know, I know. There are many many more chilenismos. But those were the ones I stumbled upon most often.
Only a short, 10-hours bus ride from Santiago away lies Valdivia. It's a cute little town, with a river running through it and located 15 km away from the Pacific.
Valdivia has the charm of a fishermen's village, the laid-back character of people from the country side and a hectic fish-market with ever-yelling vendors.
It was the center of the world's strongest earthquake (in 1960, with a magnitude of 9.5) and has a very diverse history. Mapuche, Spaniards, Germans, they all lived in Valdivia.
This is why the nationwide beer brand "Kunstmann" has its head quarters in Valdivia.
For me personally, one of the best things of Valdivia is its proximity to the beach. I spent an entire afternoon walking the coast, almost by myself, allowing my thoughts to wander off and reflect on life.
I had the privilege and the honor to stay with an elderly couple and their family. They welcomed me, showed me Chilean hospitality and even took me to places nearby. And while they served me tons of amazing food they shared their valuable life lessons with me.
Valdivia is a quiet place, a place to hang out, a welcome variation of Santiago's high-paced life. I met up with the remarkable Youth Orchestra CIFAN. And I realized that the few days in Southern Chile had the effect of a week-long vacation on me.
Encounters in Chile - a series about interesting, inspiring and special people that I ran into. Today: Teens of the Youth Orchestra CIFAN in Valdivia, Chile.
"Alright, focus", Pablo Matamala says with a firm voice and slams a baton at a music stand. The room is suddenly covered in tense silence. The baton whirls through the air, "One, two three, and" he whispers softly, and the room is evenly filled with the smooth sound of string instruments.
And my jaw drops to the floor.
Sitting right in front of me is a group of Chilean teenagers from one of the poorer districts of Valdivia, Chile who form part of an orchestra. A special orchestra. An orchestra who is set out to help kids and teenagers from difficult family backgrounds through music.
Ten years ago, together with María Elena Saavedra (CIFAN Foundation Director) and Osvaldo Urrutia (music professor at Universidad Austral de Chile), Pablo Matamala had this idea. As music professor he wanted to share his understanding of music not only with privileged college students, but also with children and teens who didn't know how to read music. So they initiated a project.
Their idea worked.
Today, 106 teens and children benefit from the youth orchestra CIFAN. Every year, the orchestra hosts 50 concerts in different ensembles, in 2009 they were invited to play in front of the Pope. Hundreds of kids and teens from the surrounding school go through a screening process to participate in the Children orchestra and Youth orchestra. The instruments come from donations and recently a children choir (comprising 90 kids) was set up to accompany the orchestra.
Pablo sees music an an element to teach children and teens self-esteem, the art of listening, self-control, values, and teamwork. And the kids and teens he works with seem to like it.
"Music fills me", says Abaigail, 18, without hesitation when I ask her why she plays the violin. Her friend Natalia, 16, plays cello. "I want to become a musician" she adds. Through the orchestra she learns the fundamentals of music - but most of all she learns to believe in her dream.
During the rehearsal, Pablo Matamala is set on encouraging the young musicians to give their best. "I know you can do it", he motivates a girl who struggles with a harder sequence of the piece. "Play bravely, play with confidence." Words that help. "Let's try it again!" Pablo says excitedly and slams the baton at the music stand. And this time it works. As she masters the sequence, both, she and the conductor smile.
"I have a dream." Pablo Matamala says with a serious face during a break. "And my dream is that one day, all musicians may bring their pencils to our rehearsal." This seems to be an international phenomenon of musicians (I am guilty of this as well), just as the reaction of the teenagers. They roll their eyes upon the expected exhortation. But Pablo does not complain. Instead, he asks them a question: "Do you know why it's important to have dreams?" The room remains silent for some moments. "You need to have dreams" he says and pauses. "Because your dreams will create hope. That is why you should never loose your dreams."
I can only estimate how these words shape and build up the teens. Powerful testimonies are the outcome. One boy who plays the violin describes how he used to be very shy and how music allowed him to gain self-confidence.
Not all teenagers, however, want to become musicians. Abigail wants to study Management at a university in Santiago. "But music will always remain my hobby." And as she walks out, she says to Pablo: "I'm looking forward to next week!"
The passion with which she says these words makes me believe that she wished for another rehearsal on the next morning.
The main goal of the orchestra is to allow kids and teenagers to overcome situations of social risk through a participation in the Youth orchestra CIFAN. The CIFAN depends on donations. Each year, the orchestra needs US-$ 100.000 to maintain instruments, finance concert tours and ensure administrative work. Anyone interested in supporting this amazing project, may most certainly do so: Get in touch with Lavinia Armasu, Marketing director of the CIFAN Foundation.
Next week are the final exams of my master's studies. Two years of hard work and lots of fun in Madrid, Paris and Chile come to an end.
And I could not resist to map what awaits me in the months to come.
To leave on a journey for several months without knowing what I'll experience, whom I'll meet on the way and what I learn along the way. But one thing is sure: I'll be realizing that the amount of work of the past couple of years was absolutely worth it and allowed me to become a richer person.
The goal is to reach Colombia's Caribbean coast, without it being an obligation.
Throughout the next week, I'll go through the part I like the least of a vagabond lifestyle: Saying goodbye to dear people that I have met in Santiago.
But that is what travelling is about: Sharing life with people you meet on the way, enjoy it to the max and make your treasure of beautiful memories grow.
CO2 poured out by the armada of of cars, buses and plants is trapped over the city by the nearby Andes. Thus covering the city in what a friend called the "café-color". That fog-like unclearness in the air is smog.
When it rains, though, Santiago shines in a different light. All the sudden, the air turns clear, allowing a spectacular view.
This is what happened two months into my stay in Santiago. That's right. After two months I experienced rain for the first time. Almost forgot how it feels like.
When seeing the pictures, I start to fall in love with precipitation. Not only does it cover the Andes in snow. It also allows a needed smog-relief. At least for a few hours.
It takes only one and a half hours by bus. And I experienced a whole different Chile. Away from the hectic, smoggy atmosphere of an emerging market nations capital, right into a laid-back, fishermen's village at the Pacific coast.
A weekendtrip to Valparaíso.
So what do you do in Valparaíso, a coastal city of approximately 280,000 inhabitants?
Walk Avenida Alemania. You'll get a nice overview of the city and we did not spot any tourists.
Valparaíso is full of street-art. Beautiful street-art, one must add. Random walls, restaurants, small supermarkets. Many are covered by the works of creative minds.
I'm not so much of a car person. Some cars, however, were quite cool. As I passed them, they left me in this dazzling state between reality and daydream, as I imagined myself and a group of friends travelling South America's most beautiful spots in one of these cars. Such a trip would most likely have the potential to turn me into a car person.
Back at our temporary home, another surprise was waiting for us. A cat family. I could not resist and took some pictures of the kitten, who were rather interested in than afraid by the constant clicking of my camera. I may not be a car person, but I sure am a cat person.
Another cool thing about Valparaíso is its proximity to Viña del Mar. Getting to "Viña" is easy. You just need to survive the life-threatening, ridiculously-cheap, rollercoaster-like bus ride. But courage is rewarded:
On a side note, I may have found proof that humans and dogs are alike. Somewhat. Somehow. Both species seem to be fascinated by and stand in awe of food.
Chile is the longest country in the world. 4300km. At the same time it's very narrow. It measures only 350km at its widest point from East to West.
In the West you have the Pacific ocean (with some marvelous beaches) and in the East there are the majestic Andes. At their highest point, they reach 5993 m (Polleras).
16.5 million people live here. 6 million of them live in Chile's capital - Santiago.
There is a bunch of chilenismos, Spanish words that are exclusively used here. Cachay (get it?), compadre (good male friend), fome (boring, lame) are some. So if you thought you knew Spanish, come to Chile first. I'll collect the most common ones and will create a glossary.
Chile has two Nobel Prize winners, both for literature. Gabriela Mistral and Pablo Neruda.
Chile is considered an emerging market, and has one of the most open economies in the world. One third of the world's copper is produced here. And tons of good wine (5th largest producer in the world).
There is a large German influence in Chile. This becomes obvious when most people I talk to know at least some phrases in German. And a considerable amount of people is able to hold a conversation with me in German.
Chile has been ranked the most peaceful country in Latin America. I feel very safe when I walk the streets. Something that wasn't always the case in, say, Mexico.
Not only is there a bunch of chilenismos circulating around, but also highly innovative ways to conjugate verbs. Mostly for anything that is related to you (singular). Instead of saying for example: Si tienes tiempo, salimos juntos (which means: If you have time, we can go out), people use this: Si tenís tiempo, salimos juntos. First I thought it was awkward, then funny, and then I realized I started using it myself. Talking about improving my Spanish skills...
Ok, I love soccer. So no way that this list will end without mentioning this crucial element of a country's culture. There are 18 teams in the Primera División del Fútbol Profesional Chileno. Six of these teams come from Santiago. Respecting my new Chilean friends' feelings I will not state which team I prefer. Only this much: The most important teams are considered to be Colo-Colo (sounds like the name of a funny mascot, but it's not. It's the team's name), Universidad de Chile and Universidad Católica.
Travelling is exciting. It fulfills, satisfies, challenges.
But like everything in life, there are two sides to same coin.
I stumbled upon a story a few days ago and thought that this well-written piece is worth sharing. It ponders on nostalgic feelings that you'll automatically develop as you engage with new people at new places and allow yourself be shaped by experiences you gather abroad.
Do you sometimes feel the same?
"'The more places you see, the more things you see that appeal to you, but no one place has them all. In fact, each place has a smaller and smaller percentage of the things you love, the more things you see. It drives you, even subconsciously, to keep looking, for a place not that’s perfect (we all know there’s no Shangri-La), but just for a place that’s ‘just right for you.’ But the curse is that the odds of finding ‘just right’ get smaller, not larger, the more you experience. So you keep looking even more, but it always gets worse the more you see. This is Part A of the Curse.
Part B is relationships. The more you travel, the more numerous and profoundly varied the relationships you will have. But the more people you meet, the more diffused your time is with any of them. Since all these people can’t travel with you, it becomes more and more difficult to cultivate long term relationships the more you travel. Yet you keep traveling, and keep meeting amazing people, so it feels fulfilling, but eventually, you miss them all, and many have all but forgotten who you are. And then you make up for it by staying put somewhere long enough to develop roots and cultivate stronger relationships, but these people will never know what you know or see what you’ve seen, and you will always feel a tinge of loneliness, and you will want to tell your stories just a little bit more than they will want to hear them. The reason this is part of the Curse is that it gets worse the more you travel, yet travel seems to be a cure for a while.'
None of this is to suggest that one should ever reduce travel. It’s just a warning to young Travelers, to expect, as part of the price, a rich life tinged with a bit of sadness and loneliness, and angst that’s like the same nostalgia everyone feels for special parts of their past, except multiplied by a thousand."
That's what my class break looks like in #Chile. Every day. (Not covered in the picture there's also a bunch of sandwiches, drinks, coffee, tea). So far it has been one of the most exciting and interesting semesters. Not because of the culinary class breaks, but more because of its academic side.
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