Exploring: Santiago, Valpo and La Serena; Day 4
Santiago Soirée
Today started late following a good restful morning and some time spent sharpening up my outfit. It was my first time ironing in Chile (there's always a first). Today I was invited to a party at the US Consulate here in Santiago. This was a big motivation for coming north on this trip but we were all sad to learn that Cana and the kids were not invited to attend. Today was my chance to attend a party alone. I figured out where I was headed and struck off in search of the stars and stripes. The consulate is in Providencia, the upscale financial district of the city that is characterized by glass-and-steel high rise buildings and business suits. I knew I was on the right path as I stumbled upon numerous Americana chain restaurants.
The affair at the consulate was a grand event. As I arrived on foot, there was no clear entrance to the party. Everyone else was arriving via limos with blacked out windows or fancy sports cars and driving into a guarded parking lot. I walked around the walled compound looking for a pedestrian entry but ended up having to show my digital invitation (a unique QR-like barcode) to the guy manning the vehicle gate. At a secondary checkpoint, my passport and barcode were not just checked but scanned into the system. I then proceeded to the security checkpoint which required a TSA-style once-over. Security then let to a long, enclosed corridor with beautiful blue fabric walls and theatrical lighting.
The smell of food wafted down the corridor, forced by a warm wind. The corridor exited into the main tent, a large white wedding tent, large enough to hold two to three hundred folks and heated to a toasty 70-80 degrees by a small forest of propane patio heaters. Around the perimeter of the large tent, caterers served platters overflowing with genuine American consumer cuisine. Starbucks coffee, Dunkin' doughnuts, Domino's pizza, etc were free for the taking. It was clear that the international business that are now commonplace in the malls of Chile had donated resources to the afternoon's affair. As I walked around, it was clear that I was out of my league. There were numerous military top brass in full regalia from all branches of both the US and Chilean Armed Forces. Numerous well heeled businessmen and women made up the vast majority of the rest of the invited, strutting about with semi-discrete lapel pins that stated their affiliations with corporations such as Bechtel, Walt Disney or a handfull of mining companies. I had no suit jacket nor slacks and felt clearly under dressed and out of place as an academic. I met a Chilean woman who works in economics and we talked for ~45 minutes entirely in Spanish. This was the longest single conversation I have had in Spanish and it was both exhausting and crushing how little I could really articulate. Oh well. More practice to come. I alternated between playing wall flower and chatting with diplomats from the consulate. I gradually was connected to folks who will be valuable contacts here in Chile regarding science and technology as well as digital spatial data. There were also numerous kind folks who had good ideas regarding kids, schools and trailing spouses. I ended up going inside for the bathroom and was shocked at how large and organized the interior was. Very elegant.
There was a speech by the Ambassador that focused on Chile-American relations and all the recent improvements and advances in our diplomacy. Business ties were emphasized as were scientific partnerships largely centered around telescopes. Here is a short video that I think the embassy made that gives a little flavor of what was going on. No, I don't think I'm in the video.
In the evening, Cana and the kids and I met up with Leo, a photographer from Santiago that befriended our family and invited to his place for an evening snack and some family photos. It was great to hear about his work and history in the city. Plus, now we have some family photos to share!
Today started late following a good restful morning and some time spent sharpening up my outfit. It was my first time ironing in Chile (there's always a first). Today I was invited to a party at the US Consulate here in Santiago. This was a big motivation for coming north on this trip but we were all sad to learn that Cana and the kids were not invited to attend. Today was my chance to attend a party alone. I figured out where I was headed and struck off in search of the stars and stripes. The consulate is in Providencia, the upscale financial district of the city that is characterized by glass-and-steel high rise buildings and business suits. I knew I was on the right path as I stumbled upon numerous Americana chain restaurants.
The affair at the consulate was a grand event. As I arrived on foot, there was no clear entrance to the party. Everyone else was arriving via limos with blacked out windows or fancy sports cars and driving into a guarded parking lot. I walked around the walled compound looking for a pedestrian entry but ended up having to show my digital invitation (a unique QR-like barcode) to the guy manning the vehicle gate. At a secondary checkpoint, my passport and barcode were not just checked but scanned into the system. I then proceeded to the security checkpoint which required a TSA-style once-over. Security then let to a long, enclosed corridor with beautiful blue fabric walls and theatrical lighting.
The smell of food wafted down the corridor, forced by a warm wind. The corridor exited into the main tent, a large white wedding tent, large enough to hold two to three hundred folks and heated to a toasty 70-80 degrees by a small forest of propane patio heaters. Around the perimeter of the large tent, caterers served platters overflowing with genuine American consumer cuisine. Starbucks coffee, Dunkin' doughnuts, Domino's pizza, etc were free for the taking. It was clear that the international business that are now commonplace in the malls of Chile had donated resources to the afternoon's affair. As I walked around, it was clear that I was out of my league. There were numerous military top brass in full regalia from all branches of both the US and Chilean Armed Forces. Numerous well heeled businessmen and women made up the vast majority of the rest of the invited, strutting about with semi-discrete lapel pins that stated their affiliations with corporations such as Bechtel, Walt Disney or a handfull of mining companies. I had no suit jacket nor slacks and felt clearly under dressed and out of place as an academic. I met a Chilean woman who works in economics and we talked for ~45 minutes entirely in Spanish. This was the longest single conversation I have had in Spanish and it was both exhausting and crushing how little I could really articulate. Oh well. More practice to come. I alternated between playing wall flower and chatting with diplomats from the consulate. I gradually was connected to folks who will be valuable contacts here in Chile regarding science and technology as well as digital spatial data. There were also numerous kind folks who had good ideas regarding kids, schools and trailing spouses. I ended up going inside for the bathroom and was shocked at how large and organized the interior was. Very elegant.
There was a speech by the Ambassador that focused on Chile-American relations and all the recent improvements and advances in our diplomacy. Business ties were emphasized as were scientific partnerships largely centered around telescopes. Here is a short video that I think the embassy made that gives a little flavor of what was going on. No, I don't think I'm in the video.
In the evening, Cana and the kids and I met up with Leo, a photographer from Santiago that befriended our family and invited to his place for an evening snack and some family photos. It was great to hear about his work and history in the city. Plus, now we have some family photos to share!
Here is Leo in action!
