Protestas y Carretes – Protests and Parties
Two of the most interesting cultural experiences for me have always been how other nationalities party and how they protest. As it turns out, Chileans are very good at both. Within the past few weeks, I’ve had the opportunity to see both facets of Chile’s national character. I have tried to say yes to every new experience I can while in Chile, and here is where that led me.
El Jolgorio
The idea behind the Jolgorio (literally “revelry” or “merrymaking”) is one of the most comically pragmatic I have heard. A massive party is organized on the UdeC campus with so many participants that the campus security guards are powerless to stop it.
El Jolgorio, in the campus forum.
I’ve heard conflicting ideas on whether regular Chilean police (carabineros) are allowed to enter campus without permission, but I believe the Chancellor’s office has to give them some sort of permission first. With no police presence and a relatively small contingent of security guards, students drink, dance, and smoke with impunity all across the campus forum.
When I briefly checked the Facebook invitation, something like 8,000 people had RSVPed. Read More…
El Mechoneo – Hazing
El Mechoneo. Photo courtesy deviantart.com
My first day at the university, I saw young students walking around half-dressed, without shoes, and covered in various colors of paint, flour, and other interesting-smelling liquids, so I asked the Chileans in my lab what was going on.
“El mechoneo,” they replied. I didn’t know the word in Spanish, so they explained it to me. Hazing! Read More…
You Won’t Like It Here: Immigration Stories
Buckingham Palace, where the Queen runs the country using a panel of buttons and levers.
When Amanda and I first landed in London in October, I steeled myself to face the notoriously strict UK Border Agency, but even after preparing myself, the experience left me mildly traumatized. The immigration official asked me more probing questions than most job and scholarship interviews I’ve completed, delving into what felt like an inexhaustible list of topics.
The official who inspected Amanda upon our initial arrival wasn’t satisfied Read More…
Author
Mountain Solitaire Author Brent Zundel
MOUNTAIN SOLITAIRE 