Chilean girls. Beautiful places in Chile

Chile is one of the developed countries in Latin America, where about 13% of the population lives below the poverty line. The country is one of the leaders in productioncopper, although one of the big disadvantages is the excessively frequent earthquakes. There is a widespread patriotic mood in the country and everyone is proud that he was born here.Chileans are avid football fans and love their national team very much. 70 percent of Chileans profess Catholicism. Lives in the countrythe only tribe of Indians Mapuche that no one has been able to conquer.
Chiliek, rightly called South American precious stones and some of the most beautiful representatives of Latin women. Chile is home to a wide variety of women, from European-looking to indigenous.Almost all Chilean women educated, because from childhood parents spend their financial wealth on the education of their children and try not to save on it. IN Chilean families As a rule, there are many children.
Beautiful Chilean women almost ideal in every sense: they are smart, free-thinking, and have a degree of modesty and shyness.In Chile you can find different types of women: from white-skinned and blue-eyed blondes to dark-skinned and sultry brunettes.
IN Top 17 most beautiful Chilean girls famous ones entered Chilean actresses, models, singers and winners of national and world beauty contests,having Chilean roots, living both in Chile and abroad.

17. Belen Montilla / Belen Montilla(born June 24, 1983) - Miss Universe Chile 2006, Miss Latin America Chile 2007 / Reina Hispanoamericana Chile 2007.

16. Vanessa Ceruti / Vanessa Ceruti- Chilean model, actress and Miss Universe Chile 2011. Model competition winner Elite Model Look Chile 2004.

15. Cote de Pablo / Cote de Pablo(born November 12, 1979, Santiago, Chile) is an American actress of Chilean origin. Series:"NCIS: Special Branch", "Trial by Jury", "Memorial Service for Ransom Pride."

14.Kenita Larrain / Kenita Larrain(born October 16, 1973, Santiago) is a Chilean model, TV presenter and socialite.

13. Marie Ann Salas / Marie Ann Salas(born 1985 Santiago de Chile) - Chilean model and Miss International Chile 2007. At the Miss International competition she entered Top 15.

12. Constanza Silva(born 1988) - Chilean model and Miss World Chile 2006.

11. Renata Ruiz / Renata Ruiz(born May 9, 1984) - Chilean model. Model competition winner a Elite Model Look Chile 2001. Later she took part in an international competition, where she became First Vice-Miss. Winner Miss Universe Chile 2005.

10. Jocelyn Osorio / Jocelyn Osorio- Chilean actress and model. TV series: “How I Met Your Mother”, “The Mentalist”, “Cartel War”.

9. Gabriela Pulgar / Gabriela Pulgar(born 1989) - Chilean singer, finalist of the TV Show “We are looking for talents”. WinnerMiss World Chile 2011, at the Miss World 2011 competition entered the Top 20.

8. Celine Reymond / Celine Reymond(born August 11, 1980, Santiago) - Chilean actress, series with her participation: “Mr. Affection”,“First Lady”, “Unique”, etc.

7. Javiera Diaz de Valdés(born June 30, 1981) - Chilean actress. Famous TV series: "Pussies and Nuts", " Luxurious women", "First Lady", etc.

6. Ana Luisa König / Ana Luisa König(born October 5, 1990 Santiago) - Chilean model and Miss Universe Chile 2012. Model competition winner Elite Model Look Chile 2008.

5. Constanza Piccoli(born November 19, 1992, Santiago de Chile) is a Chilean actress and singer. Famous TV series:“The family living next door”, “I am in command here”, “One for two”, etc.

4. Camila Stuardo- Chilean model. Miss Earth Chile 2011, Miss World Chile 2012 (Top 6) And Miss American Continent Chile 2012.

Our girls, who came to Chile from the remote Russian-Ukrainian hinterland, love to compare pools in the complexes and brag about their Chilean husbands, “he’s so caring.” Some people prefer not to work, enjoying all the attributes of life in the luxury style “after all, I deserve it” by their standards in some good area of ​​Santiago like Las Condesa with an important concierge in a beautifully decorated entrance and everyday life organized by a cheap Peruvian housekeeper.
In this sense, the capital of Chile is like a quiet, gentle harbor that welcomes “I’ve worked so hard in my life” women.

Chilean husbands do not drive Slavic beauties to work, understanding with understanding how difficult it is to last years their Russian-speaking wives to find work in a country with a huge influx of emigrants from Colombia, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic and Haiti, which has sharply increased the demand for jobs and created unprecedented competition in the country.
And if the majority of Haitians, due to lack of education, gladly go to all kinds of service, then Venezuelans with excellent, naturally native Spanish, often very good English and a high-quality education quickly find work in the offices of large companies and stores in shopping centers.
Of course, not everyone wants to be a housewife, so there is even a Russian club for women businessmen in Santiago. “Ours” open dance schools, shops, photo studios, beauty salons, conduct excursions, bake cakes, make dumplings, organize master classes, in general, everything is standard, like everywhere else.

Russian girlfriend Michelle Bachelet

My new friend Lena does not fit into the more or less harmonious picture of the female half of the Russian-speaking diaspora in Santiago. Her best friend is Michelle Bachelet, the former president of Chile, and her social circle includes politicians and cool businessmen. She doesn't like to talk about her construction business, hiding under the Chilean name Helen and ignoring social networks. With her appearance as a glamorous Instagram diva, Lena, as they say, “lays softly, but lays hard”: in just three years of living in Chile, she bought herself a penthouse in Santiago, a villa on the coast in the fashionable town of Sapayar and even a small boat “to go to roach,” as she put it.
When asked if she has any Russian friends here, she laughs:
- Discuss where to buy cheap buckwheat and how to grow tea mushroom I’m not interested,” she says. - I have completely different plans for life.
Ona is not enthusiastic about Chilean men, but is dating a famous lawyer.
“My fiancé,” she says with a laugh, “almost got upset when I bought real estate here.” He immediately suspected me of having connections with the Russian mafia,” she giggles. - The whole evening, over a bottle of whiskey, he tortured me, “Where does the money come from, Zin?”
With his straightforward Chilean mind, he cannot figure out how one can “legally” evade taxes, for example, or “get involved” in loans from Chilean banks.
Well, the person didn’t go through the school of life in the Russian 90s,” she sighs.
I hesitate to ask more questions, “the less you know, you sleep more peacefully,” remembering how one of my friends once opened up:
- Lar, well, all sorts of things happened in the nineties, but I swear I never stuck soldering irons anywhere...
About a month ago Lena bought old mansion in the center of Santiago, after its restoration plans to open a fashionable hostel in it in the very center of the city, not far from the Plaza de Armas. Yes, and one of the contemporary art galleries in El Golf, where my husband and I always enjoy going to cocktail parties, is also hers. Lena likes surreal, pop art and theme parties for some reason in the “Gatsby” style.

We are not looking for easy ways

Compared to Lena, with my Chilean background, I look completely unprepossessing: work in an advertising agency, the Peace Corps and a couple of dubious projects on the principle of “why not”.
After my previous experience of PR campaigns, flash mobs, events, etc. in conditions of high creative demands with almost zero budgets, I felt like a hero of one of Remarque’s novels, returning from the war to his school desk.
In Chile, stability and equality “for everyone” are welcomed. The truisms of Chilean marketing: “be like everyone else,” “keep your head down,” and “what people will say.”
The highest aerobatics of outdoor advertising for a large retail company is a billboard with a moth-faded, skinny blonde and the company logo; in other cases, one logo is enough.
My colleague Francisco from an advertising agency, who recently returned from Argentina, agreed with me:
“Unfortunately,” he sighed, “the level of creativity in Chile is close to zero.” But the stability of the economy is high.
But greenhouse conditions are dangerous for our mentality: satiety, the absence of difficult and sometimes impossible tasks are a direct step to depression.
How can we live without struggle, overcoming ourselves, difficulties?

…What is the strength in, brother?

In the Peace Corps, I became friends with Wu, a pretty Chinese-Brazilian woman who introduced me to big circle Expat Girls in Santiago: a friendly international community in which American women happily organize swap-clothes parties, English women enjoy five o’clock tea parties, and Italian women come up with cooking clubs where they teach, of course, how to make Neapolitan pizza and spaghetti Bolognese, for example.
Communicating with them is easy and pleasant; conversations, of course, hardly descend to the philosophical depths of the cognizability of the world; the transcendence of existence does not bother them at all, just like the eternal questions of the Russian intelligentsia: “who is to blame” and “what to do?” But they are extremely generous with compliments to each other and rave reviews about anything.
Russian friends, entering my Chilean “palace”, studying our design ideas, closer to the third floor, thoughtfully say:
- Yes, but you live so far from the center! Almost in the mountains! Far from civilization! I couldn't do that...
“It’s beautiful,” says another, “but isn’t the kitchen too small for such an apartment?”
“This bar on the roof,” the third doubts, “is it really needed?”
And I understand them, for our anxious mentality the idea that “everything is fine” is an immediate challenge to the inquisitive mind to find a clue: well, is there anything wrong? Eternal Russian economic collapses and political crises taught not to trust apparent well-being. Remember the endless broadcast " Swan Lake"on all television channels during the August putsch?...
It's a different matter, expat girls.
- That’s beautiful, Lara! That's amazing! - they exclaim only when they see our complex from afar. - Fantastic view!
Everything else for them is exclusively “cute” or “nice”, and I suspect that if they visited my modest small apartment in Moscow on Petrovsko-Razumovsky, they would experience exactly the same emotions: “That’s awesome!”
And when asked by their brother, “what is the strength,” they probably would not have doubted for a minute that it was in the good old positivity.

No machista, please!

Feminism, one of the hottest trends today, is gaining momentum in Chile. It’s quite strange to imagine (especially after the World Cup) Latin American guys silently averting their eyes from the Slavic beauty on the street instead of the former enthusiastic “beauty, let’s go for a ride” and languid “what do you want to drink with me tonight.” Dale Carnegie would be with him famous advice not skimping on smiles and compliments, even to the weaker sex, would hardly be understood in today’s Chile. For a completely friendly remark in the vegetable department of one of the supermarkets: “Do you need to weigh another kg of carrots? So that’s why you’re so slender!” today you can go to court, like the unfortunate salesman from Haiti, who just gave a compliment “from the heart” to a young Chilean woman.
- No machista! No machista! - students chant at a feminist demonstration in Piazza Italia.
-What are we fighting against? - we ask mine Ukrainian girlfriend Annushka.
- Against violence! - shouts the young revolutionary, sipping beer.
There is a strong smell of marijuana in the air, which the Haitians are briskly selling, and it is obvious that the “joints” are in great demand.
“Do they even know what violence is,” I think, “I hope that only in theory...
- And what is it expressed in, violence against Chilean women? - Anya asks a lively group of teenagers drawing provocative slogans on each other’s T-shirts with felt-tip pens.
- A woman is not a thing! - they chant the memorized slogans together.

Chilean beauty does not require sacrifices

Unlike the Chileans, feminism does not evoke such strong emotions among us Russians: in the former USSR, a hundred years ago, the Bolsheviks formally equalized the rights of men and women. The rights that women have in the US and the West, all last century nibbled off piece by piece with such difficulty in a difficult and unequal struggle, were already spelled out in the Soviet Constitution.
Is it possible to surprise us with a female astronaut or a female engineer? We know that our women are capable of the impossible, just like during the Great Patriotic War...
However, despite the fact that Russia is a country of seemingly formally victorious feminism, deep-seated patriarchal attitudes are still strong in it, for example, the desire of women to please men.
“Of course, he went on the side,” a former colleague writes to me about her husband, “we are now in a financial crisis due to a loan for an apartment, and I’m looking for a job, and I can’t even go for eyebrow correction and manicure yet.” Well, what normal guy would tolerate overgrown eyebrows and a stale manicure?
Only in Russia, probably, can you see very young girls on the icy streets on an early frosty morning? high heels and with bright makeup. I don’t believe that beauty requires such sacrifices.
The priority of Chilean women, fiercely fighting for their rights, does not include “even if it’s crooked, even if it’s inferior, as long as it’s mine.” Chilean women are not as concerned about their appearance as Slavic women, and there is a certain degree of freedom in the absence of the desire to please men with all their might, completely ignoring all fashion trends.
I have long been no longer surprised by the gray hair strands of Chilean women my age, nor by their persistent indifference to Botox. Dresses, handbags, ruffles, heels and lace are also not held in high esteem.
Not long ago, my friend Dasha opened a store in Santiago with very beautiful and feminine dresses famous Ukrainian brand, where Russians, Ukrainians, Brazilians and Venezuelans now happily dress. Chilean women, indifferent to femininity, prefer jeans or leggings to dresses in any weather, not worrying at all about excess weight or imperfect figures, because their men already love them. And to be honest, that’s why I fell in love with Chilean girls.
The demographic situation in Russia has leveled out a long time ago, 1945 has sunk into oblivion, but the myth of “ten girls for nine boys” still persists. I dream that one day real feminism, and not formal, someone will brought to Russia as beautifully and effectively as the torch carried before the start of the Olympic Games. And Russia would cease to be perceived as a country of beautiful, lonely, unhappy and desperate women who are just waiting for Pablo and Sebastian to come to them from the remote Latin American outback, to first invite them to dinner, and then take them to some small dusty town for northern Mexico, where they will happily wash, clean and cook for their entire big family, including five children from a previous marriage.
Although this is exactly what happened to my new friend Vera.

Bless the woman

The long-eyed, broad-shouldered, mustachioed handsome man attracted Vera’s attention immediately; somehow everything about him suddenly seemed to appeal to family and friends: his red shirt tucked into black jeans, and a photograph from some shabby roadside eatery with a huge beer glass on a greasy table touched her. for some reason, just like some nondescript photographs land plots, fences, doghouse in his profile on a dating site.
“The main thing is that the guy doesn’t take selfies,” Tomochka’s colleague approved of her choice at the Bataysky bakery, where they worked together in the accounting department, “And when I see a selfie from the elevator or the toilet, I immediately understand that he’s a narcissistic egoist, it’s not even worth wasting time.”
An avalanche of emoticons hit Verin’s WhatsApp, from the other end of the world hearts, roses, flames, kisses flew to her in huge quantities...
“This is it,” Vera felt, and her heart sank with delight at the sight of each new heart.
Vera's late husband was a military man, not an easy person fate and difficult character, far from ardent passions and other “nonsense”. They had no children, life went on as usual: a dacha, mushrooms, a vegetable garden, raspberries “for the winter,” until one day she was informed that Alexander had a heart attack...
When Pedro invited Vera to “get married” to Chile, she immediately agreed, but then only groaned, having difficulty finding on the map a country at the very end of the world, as it seemed to Vera. Beyond Chile there were only the mystical depths of the Pacific Ocean and the mysterious Antarctica with whales and penguins.
“I live in Los Angeles,” the groom proudly told Vera. - America has its own Los Angeles, and we have our own in Chile!
Inspired, Vera flew to Los Angeles in a dressed-up dress with a suitcase of new dresses and hats in cardboard boxes in her hand luggage.
Los Angeles seemed to Vera a gloomy province, and the groom praised three-story house- made almost from cardboard boxes, from the facade of the “poor guy” it was clear that all the available garbage from the surrounding area was used for construction, and the roof was creatively laid out from different sizes and assorted, possibly, the remains of tiles from neighbors. The yard resembled a Soviet-era Khrushchev balcony, littered with skis, empty three-liter cans and dusty stacks of Rabotnitsa magazines tied with twine.
The sun loungers promised to the loved ones also existed, however, they looked pretty shabby and were associated more with scrap metal than with the elite vacation that the ardent Chilean talked so much about. A pitiful two-meter hole in the foundation behind the house with blooming water claimed the proud title of a swimming pool.
At first, Vera sat down on a suitcase with dresses and cried, but then, after thinking a little, she rolled up her sleeves and, urging Pedro on, got to work. The two of them cleaned the house and hired workers to tidy up the façade. This is where the landscape design courses she completed out of boredom in her previous marriage finally came in handy.
When life had almost gotten better, Pedro’s ex-wife and three over-aged daughters suddenly appeared on the horizon, as if in a vaudeville act. Having sighed, she left the children Pedro with Vera, and went to her parents in northern Chile to support her sick father.
Soon Vera got tired of working like in a laundry and canteen factory, serving Pedro and his lazy daughters, who looked like Cinderella’s careless sisters. On top of everything else, Pedro turned out to be a domestic tyrant, desperately jealous of Vera’s neighbors, friends, relatives, not letting her leave the house alone and tormenting her with stupid nagging and endless suspicions “why did you look at him like that, did you have something?”
Vera packed a suitcase with dusty and matted dresses, found boxes of crumpled hats, and one morning quietly walked away into nowhere.
How she became a famous stylist and influential fashion blogger in Chile is a completely different story; she promised to tell me that too one day over a cup of coffee or a glass of fine Chilean wine at her home in Santiago. Do you want to visit Vera with me?

What kind of work do you need to do in Chile to live happily, is Chilean cuisine really spicy, and why can’t you surprise anyone here with an iPhone? - in an interview with our compatriot Anna Prosyannikova-Mitryanina.

- Anna, tell us how you got to Chile?

- The first time I visited Chile was in 2008 as a tourist with my future husband, whose family moved to this country from the post-Soviet space in 1996. The main purpose of this trip was to make my cherished dream come true - visiting Easter Island.

At that time, we did not even consider Chile as our country permanent residence. In 2009, after a short stay in Belarus, we ended up here. The day of our arrival coincided with Independence Day, which is celebrated on September 18, and now it is a double holiday for us.

- What do you do for a living?

- Being a foreign language teacher by profession - English and German - I work in a completely non-humanitarian field. I've been working for two and a half years at Oracle Chile, one of the world's largest companies dedicated to driving innovation by simplifying IT, where I serve as a senior technical support specialist for Sun systems. Since the company is American, they follow the motto that you can learn anything, of course, if it’s not designing spaceships, and besides, I had experience working in an American company, where, by the way, I met my husband.

- What was the most unusual thing during the adaptation period?

- Definitely earthquakes! Especially after the first acquaintance with this natural phenomenon took place on February 27, 2010, when the strength of the tremors reached 8.8 points on the Richter scale. This earthquake was one of the 6 strongest in the world recorded by seismologists. In the two and a half minutes it lasted, I realized how fragile a person is in the face of the elements.

How long did it take for your body to adapt to life in another hemisphere?

- Almost immediately I had to change my ideas about solar “relationships”. Solar activity here is very high: after all, Santiago is located at an altitude of 520 meters above sea level, so have to use it all the time sunscreens with SPF 30 and above, hide your eyes behind sunglasses, and your hair under a hat so as not to fade or dry out.

There were cases when After one day of relaxing on the beach, the tan became a first-degree burn. An ocean holiday in Chile is not Rio de Janeiro! The scorching sun and the cold open ocean, where the maximum water temperature in summer reaches +15 degrees, so everyone swims in the pools and most do not know how to swim.

It’s still unusual to celebrate the New Year when it’s summer outside.

- How did you cope with the language barrier? How many Chileans speak English fluently?

Upon arrival in Chile, I had a basic knowledge of Spanish, which needed to be improved in order to integrate into society. And my first education helped me a lot with this. I learned Spanish on my own, using all the methods: self-teaching classes, reading periodicals, watching films with subtitles and direct live communication with native speakers, i.e. full immersion. My husband, who speaks Spanish fluently, provided me with great support.

In everyday communication I am accompanied by 3 languages: English when working with clients, I speak Spanish with colleagues and acquaintances, and at home I speak Russian.

But “fluency” in English is a very pressing issue in modern Chilean society. The level of proficiency among graduates of private schools is very good, which graduates of public schools cannot boast of. educational institutions. In order to correct this situation, The Ministry of Education annually allocates tens of thousands of scholarships for everyone who wants to take a language course both in Chile and in English-speaking countries, opportunities are provided for free to take the TOEFEL and receive the corresponding certificate.

In what sector of the economy is the majority of the country's population employed? Which professions are considered prestigious and are the highest paid and which are the opposite?

The market economy makes it possible for approximately 70-80% of the population to be involved in small and medium-sized businesses in almost every economic sector - agriculture, winemaking, timber processing, fishing, all types of transportation, healthcare, education, services, tourism.

All those who work in the mining sector, especially in copper mining, can be called record holders in terms of wages. Their year-end bonuses are calculated in very high amounts. For example, the amount of bonuses in some companies reached $30,000 in 2012. And as an indicative consequence: in the city of Antofogasta, all new cars were sold at local dealers' showrooms within a month.

Specialists in the field of healthcare (doctor, surgeon), education (teachers at universities and private schools), IT (programmers), international relations(export-import), winemaking (emologists).

How much do you need to earn in Chile in order to feel comfortable (not to live in luxury, but not to count every penny)?

I would call Chile a fairly expensive country to live in. The minimum salary is about $450, but the queue of people who want to go to work for this money is not worth it and, no matter how paradoxical it may sound, the unemployment rate in the country is at this moment only 6%. This is easy to explain: it will be quite difficult to live on $450. For comparison: renting a one-room apartment in the center, where students, low, middle class and emigrants from neighboring Latin American countries live, will cost at least the same $450. The Chilean peso itself is a very strong currency and the Central Bank has to restrain its growth, as this stimulates exporters.

The concept of average salary does not exist! Your salary depends on your education, work experience, and knowledge of foreign languages.

But the question of how much you need to earn to live comfortably is quite complex. It all depends on the person himself and how much money he needs for this. A big role is played by the area of ​​residence, location of work, housing (owned, you have to pay rent or interest on the loan (approximately 4% per annum), the number of children.

For example, the cost of gasoline is almost $2 per liter, travel on the metro and public transport is $1.5, and if necessary, you can cross Santiago along toll roads for $13 one way. Approximately for a family of two adults, without children, with their own housing, it is required about 1800$ per month.

Life here is much more comfortable than in the post-Soviet space, but you have to pay for this comfort, so the more you earn, the better, although even if you don’t have enough money for something, but you really want something, the banks are very They will quickly come to your “help” with offers to take out a loan.

Anna, what do you think, if a typical Chilean won a million dollars in the lottery, what would he spend it on first?

A typical Chilean, and not only a typical one, would immediately call all his relatives to celebrate this event somewhere on the ocean shore, with good wine, beer, baking meat and sausages on the grill. Then they would all go together to the stadium to watch a football match of their favorite team.

Chilean cuisine. Is everything really “with pepper”? Please tell us in more detail about what everyone who finds themselves in Chile must try.

It’s so good that you asked me about this and I have the opportunity to dispel this stereotype! Chile is the name of the country, and chili is hot peppers, and there is no connection between them.

According to one version, and there are several, “chile” means “cool, cold.” This name was used by the Indian tribes living in the south of the country to call the cold and strong winds blowing from the ocean to winter period.

In the indigenous Mapuche language, trih or chi is a small bird with yellow spots on its wings that squeaks in a similar manner.

There is also a version that this name was given to the leader of the Cacique tribe, who ruled the Aconcagua Valley before the Incas conquered it, and all this happened much earlier than the arrival of the Spaniards.

And here Chilean cuisine with its national dishes Quite bland for my taste although the food selection here is excellent. You should definitely try seafood (mussels, loco, oysters), different kinds fish. And what kind of fruits are there - chirimoya, tuna, sweet cucumber! A special ode is dedicated to avocado, the preparation of which is numerous: in salads, in the form of pasta with crispbread, with fish, and with meat.

Can the women of Santiago be called fashionistas? How do Chileans generally feel about fashion and brands? Do they consider it important to get the latest iPhone model and “shop around” at the seasonal sales of fashion houses?

Yes, you can! Last year, the largest shopping center in Santiago was opened Latin America- Costanera Center, which serves as a mecca for all shopping lovers, where the doors of stores of leading American and European brands are open to you on 7 floors.

The iPhone and other technological advances such as 3D TVs, tablets, etc. are perceived very naturally by Chileans. For them, this is more a necessity of life than a boast, and on top of that, these things are affordable. The functions of smart things are very actively used here. For example, all bank payments are made over the Internet; using smartphones, you can make purchases from a digital storefront at a metro station (Wi-Fi in the metro is free), which will be delivered when you arrive home; You can get information about traffic jams and which gas station has the cheapest fuel...

At what age do Chileans usually start families? Do young people live with their parents? How many children are there on average in a family, and how strong are family ties in general?

Chilean society is quite liberal (although 70% of the country's population professes Catholicism), and there is no social pressure here - at what age should one learn, get married, have children, etc. and so on. Approximately between 25 and 35 years.

When a young couple creates their own family, then they usually live separately from their parents. The number of children depends on income, as I said earlier.

But strong family connections they can brag. Friends, first of all, are your relatives and friends. The tradition of joint family dinners on Sundays is maintained, all important events are celebrated with the family, and they all go on vacation together.

Are Chilean women emancipated (perhaps this was somehow influenced by the presidency of Michelle Bachelet, who became a brilliant example of success for many women) or do they follow a patriarchal structure in society - wife-housewife, husband-breadwinner?

The Chilean woman is not only emancipated, her rights are very strongly protected by law. The movement for the emancipation of Chilean women was founded in 1935, and in 1949 they received the right to vote in elections.

Economic development country over the past 15 years has given women the opportunity to realize themselves in various fields of activity. Today, women occupy the positions of ministers, senators, heads of mayor's offices, judges, and police officers.

By nature Chilean woman more independent and active compared to Slavic women. She will not sit idly by waiting for a breadwinner with a mammoth, especially when there are children in the family, and will make every effort to ensure that her children do not need anything.

A young middle-class couple will not be able to lead a decent lifestyle (this means having an apartment, a new car, beautiful clothes, meeting friends, entertainment, traveling), adhering to a patriarchal way of life, when the woman does not work, but only takes care of the house.

- What would you classify as the favorite entertainment of Chileans?

Conduct free time shopping at the mall is one of the favorite activities of most families. There you can shop, go ice skating, play slot machines, watch theatrical performance or the next new film release, relax in a restaurant or cafe. During the holiday season, of which there are usually two - winter and summer - they try to go to the ocean or to the mountains. And the male half of the population are ardent football fans.

One of the heroines of our project said that in Venezuela, for example, the height of beauty and the dream of many women is silicone breasts. What is the situation with the canons of beauty in Chile?

I would not compare Chile and Venezuela)))) The canons of beauty in Chile are closer to European ones: natural beauty is valued, bright skin And Brown hair, a slim body. An example is Cecilia Bolocco, who became Miss Universe in 1987.

Regardless of social class, women take care of themselves - hairdressers and beauty salons are not empty.

What would you consider to be the main values ​​of Chilean society? Are they similar to Western ones (money, career, comfort) or do they still have their own specifics?

The main value of Chilean society is maintaining family relationships. They are very sensitive to children and the elderly and try to spend all their free time with their family. On weekends, moms and dads with their kids can be seen riding bikes or playing catch in the many parks and recreation areas.

But overall, I would call Chile “America in miniature,” where money, career and comfort play far from a secondary role.

- Please describe your usual working day and day off.

My day starts at 6.30 am. I have to be at my workplace at 8.30. I am very lucky, because my office is located only 6 km from my house, but it is advisable to leave home 40 minutes in advance, because, firstly, you can get stuck in a traffic jam (the population of Santiago is almost 7 million inhabitants), and secondly, 3 of the 6 km of the route are a mountain track passing through a tunnel. Even with very great desire You can't get there on foot.

I work until 18.30, on Friday until 17.30. Total - 44-hour work week. I do Pilates with a personal trainer twice a week and go jogging twice, so I’m home around 8:30 p.m. After a light dinner I read or watch a movie. Lights out at 23.00.

I try to spend my days off as varied as possible. For example, there is a theater in our area and, being a resident of this area, I can purchase tickets for various cultural events with a big discount. Most recently, we had the pleasure of attending a theatrical performance at the Moscow Theater. Chekhov, taking place as part of the annual theater festival.

We love to go trekking and go to the ocean. Maintaining family traditions, once a month and on holidays we travel out of town to amazing place called Curacavi, where my mother-in-law lives. Knowledgeable people find it similar to Pyatigorsk.

Anna, is there something in any area of ​​the country (politics, economics, society) that you still cannot accept and understand?

This is probably a democratic way of life)))) It is still sometimes unusual for me that people take to the streets to openly express their opinion about this or that problem, organizing demonstrations or marches. No one is afraid of this, and it is not perceived as if there is something unsettled in the country.

- How difficult is it to emigrate to Chile?

It's still easy. Citizenship can be obtained after 5 years of residence in the country, and with a Chilean passport you do not need a visa to 137 countries. But I would recommend everyone to hurry up, because Chile is changing its emigration laws, making them similar to the laws on emigration to Canada and Australia.

- What would you advise or what would you warn against for those who are determined to do this?

I would put ownership first foreign languages. If you do not know Spanish, a good command of English, German or Japanese. Western European and American education is valued.

It should also be remembered that there is a class division in the country, and moving for permanent residence to a country with a capitalist structure is like a litmus test. will show you which class you belong to.

I would also like to add that Chile is a very diverse country, as is its 7 climate zones. In the north you will meet representatives of the Aymara Indian tribes, living according to the traditions of their ancestors, and in the south Apple pie The burgher Klaus, who speaks Spanish with a slight German accent, will sell you. Santiago is sometimes compared to California, and the resort town of Zapallar - to the Cote d'Azur, but everyone who comes here will find a place here that is similar to their homeland. Therefore, when I go on my next vacation to the Chilean south, I find myself in Belarus for a while.

2. There are many options for where the name of the country of Chile comes from. Even the Chileans themselves cannot choose one generally accepted version. According to one theory, the name comes from the language of the Aymara tribe that inhabited the country and means “the place where the earth ends” (which is quite logical). In another way - in the Quechua language - “cold” or “cold”. But certainly not because of its shape - chili pepper - as many people think.
3. In Chile there is nothing wrong with sitting on the ground/floor anywhere.
4. It is also quite normal to enter the house without taking off your shoes, even if there is a storm, thunderstorm and hurricane outside, and your shoes are wet and dirty.


5. Chileans are great patriots. Their main holiday is Homeland Day (Fiestas Patrias), which is celebrated on September 18 and usually lasts for a week. On this day, it is customary to drink young grape wine (chicha) from a bull's horn, eat traditional pies - empanadas, go to stadiums to “admire” rodeos and dance national dance- kueku.
6. September 18 is the only day of the year when the authorities officially allow drinking in public places, which is why it’s better not to appear there.
7. There is another day associated with this day interesting fact. According to the official law, on September 18, all buildings must display the national flag. No flag - pay a fine. Enterprising Chileans hang flags from windows, hang them on cars, and sometimes even decorate their pets with state colors (we’ve seen this happen).
8. The population is very religious, 70% are Catholics. Therefore, there are even more religious holidays than secular ones. And everyone rests on them.
9. On weekends, Chilean cities die out: many shops are closed, even stalls with newspapers and cigarettes.
10. Chile's territory is 24 times smaller than Russia. And the population of this country is approximately equal to the population of Moscow and the region.
11. The favorite food of young and not so Chileans is “Completos” - unique hot dogs of incredible sizes, which, in addition to traditional bread and sausage, include diced tomatoes, avocado sauce and mayonnaise. If desired, you can add mustard. The locals are very proud of their dish, and God forbid I tell you that this is an ordinary hotdog - oh no, this is Completo.
12. In general, avocado (which in the Chilean dialect is not called aguacate, as in other Latin American countries, but palta) is a special guest in their daily diet. There is almost always a small clay glass on the table with grated avocado of a suspiciously green color, and they spread it on everything. To prevent the avocado from losing its color and darkening, a drop of milk is added to it (but this is the secret of Chilean housewives).
13. In Chile, as throughout Latin America, there is an unimaginable cult of meat and football.
14. It must be said that the majority of the population is overweight. This is especially noticeable among people with low incomes. Completos, French fries, and meat in huge quantities certainly cannot be called healthy food. And they usually wash it all down with Coca-Cola or Sprite.

15. Chileans consider themselves the “Country of Poets” and are very offended if their beloved Pablo Neruda, Gabriela Mistral, Nicanor Parra, etc. are not very well known abroad. But this is mainly the older generation.
16. By the way, the Chilean poet and Nobel Prize winner in literature Gabriela Mistral is even depicted on the 5,000-peso bill. This is how they honor their poets.
17. The younger generation hardly reads. And no wonder: books in Chile are very, very expensive (they can charge more than 500 wooden ones for a paperback brochure).
18. In the “Land of Poets” literature is not taught at school. Instead - the subject “Language and Communication”. Also required in high school subjects such as religion, philosophy, art (music or drawing optional). They draw and sing, I must say, right up to graduation.
19. Chilean schools have 12 grades, and you can repeat a year as many times as you like. Therefore, sometimes they finish school at 19–20 years old.


20. The maximum score is 7, and in their analogue of our Unified State Examination in mathematics there are the most banal problems on adding and subtracting fractions (this despite the fact that our graduates have to puff over trigonometry, etc.)
21. Education in Chile is frankly weak and at the same time the most expensive in Latin America. There is no budgetary admission to universities, which constantly provokes student riots. For example, this summer students demonstrated their right to study for free with banners on the streets, which made the government quite worried.
22. Various rallies and protests are commonplace. Today students are on strike, tomorrow workers are on strike, and the day after tomorrow Mapuche Indians will block the city center demanding independence (they have been demanding it for 200 years, and everything is useless).
23. Mapuche Indians (or Araucanians) - the only people Latin America, which was not conquered by either the Incas or the Spaniards.
24. Their language - Mapudungun - has no written language. True, now in souvenir markets you can find improvised “dictionaries” and phrase books from the Indian language into Spanish or English, but hardly anyone buys them.


25. Araucaria is the main tree and symbol of the south of Chile. Araucaria seeds - piñones - are fried and eaten; they taste similar to chestnuts. They also make all sorts of decorations.
26. Chileans generally have a rather poor command of foreign languages. A translator from English is a rare and highly paid profession. “Why learn languages,” they say, “if all the countries around you speak Spanish, and the USA is far away?”
27. Their families are traditionally large. Having 5–6 children in a family is the norm, but an only child is a huge rarity. The advantage of this for the Chileans themselves is that you can travel around the country without spending money on hotels - there are relatives everywhere with whom you can stay.
28. Most Chileans live in houses, not apartments. The houses do not have central heating, and the main thing in winter around which the family gathers is the fireplace.
29. Having a housekeeper and/or nanny in Chile is the lot of not only the rich, but also people of the middle class, and sometimes even below middle class. Big houses There is cleaning to do and five children to look after. Most often, Indian or Peruvian/Bolivian women - local guest workers - go to work as housekeepers.

30. Chile is the only country in Latin America where there are no poisonous snakes. .
31. But penguins live there. Yes, yes, in the south of Chile you can see penguins and fur seals.
32. Chile claims most Antarctica and even considers it his region. The population of the province of Chilean Antarctica in winter is 80 people.
33. Paradoxically, in this small country In addition to the ice of Antarctica, there is also the driest desert in the world - the Atacama.
34. Sometimes the Atacama blooms in the literal sense of the word - after the rarest rains, the desert is covered with flowers and attracts many tourists.


35. However, in normal dry times, the Atacama landscape resembles the lunar one - the world's largest observatory (Las Campanas) is located there, and lunar and Mars rovers are tested.
36. Chile is generally considered a zone of paranormal activity and is one of the ten “most visited countries by aliens” and other unidentified objects.
37. Robinson Crusoe Island really exists - it is part of the Juan Fernandez archipelago and belongs to Chile. It was the story of the Scottish navigator Alexander Selkirk, who lived alone on an island for 4 years and 4 months, that Daniel Defoe took as the basis for his novel Robinson Crusoe.
38. Another famous Chilean island - Easter Island - is considered the most isolated inhabited place on Earth. There is only one airport and one marina for ships.
39. The main income of the Rapa Nui people - the inhabitants of Easter Island - is tourism. True, prices for air tickets, hotels and excursions are, frankly speaking, somewhat exorbitant. But if you have the opportunity, go, you won’t regret it.


40. A unique Chilean delicacy - palm honey. The taste is nothing special, but local residents They are very proud of him. It is made from the sap of the Chilean palm tree.
41. Chile also has amazingly delicious ice cream (I don’t know what this is connected with). Its advantage is a huge number of different tastes and gigantic portions. A common sight in the summer is Chileans sitting in flocks on their lawns eating ice cream.
42. Films in cinemas are shown in their original language with Spanish subtitles. The exception is children's cartoons.
43. They don’t have any stray cats at all, but they have a lot of stray dogs.
44. Many Chileans still believe that there is communism in Russia. They are not at all aware of the stereotype about the “bear walking the streets,” but permafrost and vodka are recognizable features of our Motherland in their eyes.

45. Chileans are also very fond of the so-called “Russian Circus”. A couple of years ago, a Mexican troupe arrived with a couple of gymnasts from former countries Soviet Union The locals were so amazed that people who have absolutely nothing in common with Russians and the circus are touring under the “Russian Circus” trend. It's sad, but everything is underway.
46. ​​Chile has its own “gopniks” - Flaite. But, in my opinion, they are more dangerous and antisocial than ours - so it’s better not to walk alone in the evening (despite the fact that Chile is one of the safest in South America countries).
47. The national alcoholic drink of Chileans is Pisco grape vodka. Although its origin is rather dubious and is attributed to Peru, the Chileans revere it as their national one. And this is another stumbling block between the two countries.
48. Chileans love Chinese cuisine, but Japanese cuisine, on the contrary, is not particularly popular among them.
49. The country is periodically shaken. The Great Chilean earthquake of 1960 was the strongest in the entire history of observations, and what happened in February 2010 shortened the time of the earth's day by microseconds and shifted the earth's axis, which is also not weak.
50. Not all Chileans are typical dark-skinned Latinos. In the south, again, you can meet the descendants of the Germans, British, etc. - blue-eyed, blond-haired Chileans. True, the further north you go, towards the border with Peru and Bolivia, the less chance you have of seeing them.

I moved to Chile, one might say, for love. I met my boyfriend, a Chilean, two and a half years ago in Thailand. First, he followed me to Russia, and then, after visiting him in Santiago and meeting his parents and friends, I decided to move in with him. This, of course, turned out to be a big shock for my family, but they accepted my choice.

My first impression of Santiago was related to the weather: I arrived at the beginning of autumn and discovered that despite the fact that this is Latin America (where it seemed that it should be warm), in the evening the temperature drops very strongly and sharply. During the day it can be 28 degrees, and at night 10. The Chileans made fun of me: they really like to have parties on the street (they generally adore gatherings), and when the local girls stood in light blouses, and I sat wrapped in three warm blankets, everyone laughed and they said: “She’s Russian, why is she cold?”

From the personal archive Our heroine living in Chile

The only thing I knew about Chile was that it was an economically developed country in Latin America. My expectations on this matter were confirmed. However, adapting was not easy. I think it's always difficult to start living in another country. Different culture, different people. There is misunderstanding on both sides. Everything, of course, comes down to the language barrier and unusual manner of communication.

Many things here work completely differently than in Russia. This, of course, does not mean that everything is correct in Russia, but not here (or vice versa).

Now I rather like the climate of Santiago. I don't need to wear boots or a hat, it hardly ever rains here and the sun shines almost all year round. This is probably why people are so relaxed and in no hurry. Everything about them is wonderful, and they themselves are extremely pleasant. Chileans almost never get angry, and even if they don’t like something, they try not to show it. They are almost never outraged by the service in a restaurant or hotel. There is no such thing as “outrage” among them.

All these benefits have a downside. Yes, in Latin America people are very relaxed - and this makes them terribly unpunctual. And they can easily come to a meeting 30 minutes late, and this is almost normal.

Chileans don't know how to say no.

For example, when interviewing for a job, they will never tell you: “You know, you are not suitable for us” or “You are not what we are looking for.”

People will say to you, “This is amazing. You are the one we need. We will definitely call you." And they will never call. According to the Chileans themselves, this is because they are afraid of offending people.

Despite their outward openness, they are actually very closed. Since I moved to Chile, I have a good friend from Russia, an American friend and not a single Chilean friend.

Jose Luis Stephens/Shutterstock Cable car in San Cristobal with panoramic views of Santiago de Chile

It also seems to me that Chileans eat poorly. They eat a lot of bread and drink a lot of sparkling water. At work, on playgrounds for children or on film sets for actors, when you are offered a drink, they almost always hand you a Coke first (although everyone pretends to watch the amount of sugar and gives you a diet one). It's free, but you have to beg for water, often there is none at all.

I, unlike many Russians living in Chile, work in my specialty. My specialty is ballet dancer and choreographer. True, I had to retrain: I’ve been studying Russians all my life folk dances and dances of the peoples of the world, and here I switched to Latin American dances. I have worked in several television projects as a ballet dancer, I star in commercials, most often dance ones, I work as a model in morning show Channel 13, I give dance lessons. For me, this is all a new stage in my career, and I am very pleased with it.

Matyas Rehak/Shutterstock Street market in the Bellavista district of Santiago, Chile

In Russia, I would never become a model with a height of 166 cm, but here it is possible. In Chile, blondes and girls with Slavic appearance are treated very well.

Clothes here are very expensive. In addition, it is difficult to choose. The style is completely not mine - there is very little feminine, and the colors are dark. Everything is like winter, even in summer. Fashionable things here are much more expensive than in Moscow. At the same time, in Santiago for clothes and household appliances Argentines come, and all this is even more expensive for them.

Housing prices are moderate. For example, renting an apartment in the center costs, translated into rubles, 25 thousand; this is a studio apartment with one bedroom of about 32 sq. m. m. For 30-35 thousand you can rent the same apartment in a green, quieter area. Downtown Santiago is not the best location. There is a lot of gas pollution, noise, and a large number of doesn't save the parks.

Medicine is completely paid and very expensive. Monthly medical insurance costs 6 thousand rubles, and it covers 80% of visits to one specialist. That is, we still pay 20%. An appointment with a doctor without an insurance policy costs 3, 4, 5 thousand rubles, depending on the specialist.

Chile has a huge number of visitors from nearest countries, not very wealthy.

Russians are considered Europeans who come to relax.

Shutterstock Street in Santiago de Chile

I know many of our compatriots who managed to open their own businesses here, but many, even with an education, cannot get a job. They have to graduate from a university in Chile to even become a secretary.

Russian girls are treated differently. Chileans not only like them, they adore Russian girls. Residents of Chile are fascinated by blue or green eyes and blond hair. In Chile, girls on the street receive a lot of compliments - but only after you have passed by. A lot of attention is paid to blondes. And in general people here have a good attitude towards Russia, many are interested in Russian history.