South American Stereotyping
Before coming to South America, I was met with a lot of questions. Most people in the United States have never visited South America, and so the only time they learn about it is through tv, movies, and occasionally actual news. Due to this we gringos believe a lot of stereotypes about South America, and today I'm ready to bust some myths.
*Disclaimer: These are based in my experiences in Concepción, Chile, and so they do not always apply to 100% of South America.
Transportation
Myth: South Americans travel everywhere by brightly colored, crowded buses, (occasionally with livestock).
Reality: While many people do use city buses, they're not the buses you might think. In a big city like Santiago, large city buses are used, and they're very rarely packed as long as you aren't travelling around rush hour. In Concepción, which is much smaller than Santiago but still a city, we travel by "Micros" which is short for a Micro-bus. They are basically just slightly smaller buses composed of almost only seats, and then if the seats all become full the aisle way becomes where people stand. These buses can get packed a little quicker because they are smaller, but there's only problems when it's around rush hour. No one has ever brought chickens on the bus, but I saw some people bring their pug on the bus in Santiago. Most people have cars here, too, even if it's just one car per household. The difference is that in the USA, we usually need a car to get around, because unless you live in a major city, the public transportation won't be good enough to get you everywhere you need to go. Here, on the other hand, it's possible to travel almost everywhere in the city and surrounding areas by bus without an issue.
Food
Myth: Latin America is known for it's spicy food and use of peppers. I mean, Chile even looks like a pepper!
Reality: There are all sorts of flavors here but depending on the country, there may be no spice! In Chile, the spiciest thing on all menus is merken, which is a dried, ground up pepper mixture. It's similar to chili powder, just a little spicy and smoky. It's pretty mild and has never caused any tears or desperate attempts to find water. South Americans are also especially bad at imitating Mexican food. I knew they wouldn't make tacos like Mexico does, but I was not prepared for the plain chicken, iceberg lettuce, and tomatoes that make up a taco here. No salsa added. I even tried to buy tortilla chips and a medium salsa, but the salsa was so bland that I had to add some hot sauce to it.
Safety
Myth: South America is an unsafe place to travel. The police are corrupt. Don't go out after dark!
Reality: I have almost never felt unsafe while living here in Chile. The only times I have felt even somewhat unsafe were when waiting for buses extremely early in the morning or late at night when not many people are around, and those instances are very rare. However, waiting at the bus stop early in the morning or late at night feels unsafe in the good old USA, too!
One thing I had heard before travelling here is that police in South America are corrupt. While some police in other areas are known for their bribe taking, Chilean police (Carabineros) are very professional, and bribing is no allowed. My friend recently had to call the police to check on her house because she was home alone for the week and heard strange noises from outside her door, and while she had some trouble reaching the police, once she finally got through to them they came quickly to her house. They determined that no one was outside and then told her that they would stop by later that night to make sure she was safe, and gave her the local number of the police so that she wouldn't have to go back through the national line.
Finally, before coming to Chile, people always told me "Don't go out alone after dark!" while this can be good, well-meaning advice, it gets a little difficult not to go out after dark in the winter when it gets dark at 5:30. Once I got over my initial fears, I realized I did not have to confine myself to my house all evening because it's dark. Now, if my friends and I decide we want to go see a movie or get dinner together, we can! It's so liberating!
Technology
Myth: All of the technology is old, wifi is hard to find, and it will be so hard to use your smartphone!
Reality: Technology is all over the place, whether you like it or not. Here in Chile, everyone has a smart phone, everyone has computers, and there's plenty of wifi to go around. Sometimes public wifi doesn't work the best, such as the wifi at my university, but the wifi I have at home works great. Plus, they have the absolute best system when it comes to cell phone plans, which for me (and for many others) is a pay-as-you-go system. I paid $15 for a microchip for an iphone, then I paid $30 for my whole semester here. I can use that money to buy different "bags" of minutes and data, and 500 mb for a month costs me $7. I don't use data as often here as I did in the US, usually because I'm worried about saving it, but when I reload money onto my account I also get free social media use on my cell phone for 15 days, so I've recently ended up with more data than I know what to do with. Thank you, technology!
I'm no professional myth buster, but I hope I busted at least one or two myths today. If you get the chance, feel free to come on down to South America to experience day-to-day life in a new continent! You might be surprised!
*Disclaimer: These are based in my experiences in Concepción, Chile, and so they do not always apply to 100% of South America.
Transportation
Myth: South Americans travel everywhere by brightly colored, crowded buses, (occasionally with livestock).
Reality: While many people do use city buses, they're not the buses you might think. In a big city like Santiago, large city buses are used, and they're very rarely packed as long as you aren't travelling around rush hour. In Concepción, which is much smaller than Santiago but still a city, we travel by "Micros" which is short for a Micro-bus. They are basically just slightly smaller buses composed of almost only seats, and then if the seats all become full the aisle way becomes where people stand. These buses can get packed a little quicker because they are smaller, but there's only problems when it's around rush hour. No one has ever brought chickens on the bus, but I saw some people bring their pug on the bus in Santiago. Most people have cars here, too, even if it's just one car per household. The difference is that in the USA, we usually need a car to get around, because unless you live in a major city, the public transportation won't be good enough to get you everywhere you need to go. Here, on the other hand, it's possible to travel almost everywhere in the city and surrounding areas by bus without an issue.
Food
Myth: Latin America is known for it's spicy food and use of peppers. I mean, Chile even looks like a pepper!
Reality: There are all sorts of flavors here but depending on the country, there may be no spice! In Chile, the spiciest thing on all menus is merken, which is a dried, ground up pepper mixture. It's similar to chili powder, just a little spicy and smoky. It's pretty mild and has never caused any tears or desperate attempts to find water. South Americans are also especially bad at imitating Mexican food. I knew they wouldn't make tacos like Mexico does, but I was not prepared for the plain chicken, iceberg lettuce, and tomatoes that make up a taco here. No salsa added. I even tried to buy tortilla chips and a medium salsa, but the salsa was so bland that I had to add some hot sauce to it.
Safety
Myth: South America is an unsafe place to travel. The police are corrupt. Don't go out after dark!
Reality: I have almost never felt unsafe while living here in Chile. The only times I have felt even somewhat unsafe were when waiting for buses extremely early in the morning or late at night when not many people are around, and those instances are very rare. However, waiting at the bus stop early in the morning or late at night feels unsafe in the good old USA, too!
One thing I had heard before travelling here is that police in South America are corrupt. While some police in other areas are known for their bribe taking, Chilean police (Carabineros) are very professional, and bribing is no allowed. My friend recently had to call the police to check on her house because she was home alone for the week and heard strange noises from outside her door, and while she had some trouble reaching the police, once she finally got through to them they came quickly to her house. They determined that no one was outside and then told her that they would stop by later that night to make sure she was safe, and gave her the local number of the police so that she wouldn't have to go back through the national line.
Finally, before coming to Chile, people always told me "Don't go out alone after dark!" while this can be good, well-meaning advice, it gets a little difficult not to go out after dark in the winter when it gets dark at 5:30. Once I got over my initial fears, I realized I did not have to confine myself to my house all evening because it's dark. Now, if my friends and I decide we want to go see a movie or get dinner together, we can! It's so liberating!
Technology
Myth: All of the technology is old, wifi is hard to find, and it will be so hard to use your smartphone!
Reality: Technology is all over the place, whether you like it or not. Here in Chile, everyone has a smart phone, everyone has computers, and there's plenty of wifi to go around. Sometimes public wifi doesn't work the best, such as the wifi at my university, but the wifi I have at home works great. Plus, they have the absolute best system when it comes to cell phone plans, which for me (and for many others) is a pay-as-you-go system. I paid $15 for a microchip for an iphone, then I paid $30 for my whole semester here. I can use that money to buy different "bags" of minutes and data, and 500 mb for a month costs me $7. I don't use data as often here as I did in the US, usually because I'm worried about saving it, but when I reload money onto my account I also get free social media use on my cell phone for 15 days, so I've recently ended up with more data than I know what to do with. Thank you, technology!
I'm no professional myth buster, but I hope I busted at least one or two myths today. If you get the chance, feel free to come on down to South America to experience day-to-day life in a new continent! You might be surprised!
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