Life in Santiago de Chile

Santiago de Chile. A bustling capital of one of Latin America´s most prosperous nations. Its diversity and economic stability has brought interest from foreign tourists, becoming a favorite destination for the traveler eager to make their way through South America. Its Spanish is distinct beyond any other variation of the dialect, and its history and architecture are full of surprises and are truly gorgeous to admire. If Buenos Aires is the Paris of Latin America, I would say that Santiago, would be the Latin American New York. But not all is prosperity and growth in my city.

There is a tendency for neglecting the rest of the country when it comes to us, the Chileans, in terms of development of other cities. All the work and major industry is focused in Santiago. From there, the slightly obnoxious but nevertheless true saying, ´Santiago is Chile´comes to mind. And the classism existent is nothing short of racism, the lower classes looked down upon for their social status, are mostly all of indigenous features, all of whom are usually forgotten and  discriminated by society. My people praise the growth we have had since the Pinochet days, students today cannot even believe the extreme conditions their parents had to live through when they were their age, myself included. Though there are many things that are wrong and unjust about the great metropolitan area of ´El gran Santiago´ none other has had social relevance in the recent years than the educational crisis. 

The federation of students of Chile, led by optimistic young leaders, inspired generations upon generations of Chileans for a change in the educational system. Reform. A time of social and cultural revolution ocurred, where the government knew nothing more but to opress, beat, incarcerate and tear gas any young student that fell in their way. Needless to say,the same men and women who have controlled the wealth and industry of my people, the same who own the news channels, decided it was more convenient to film the handful of criminals who would rather begin violence then film the tens of thousands of Chileans protesting through song, dance, and music.

 And the federation of students of Chile, now led by the young Gabriel Boric, promise the same strength, perseverance and endurance for the protests this year. Santiago is a place where you can find anything, from far right fascists   without a penny to their names, to rich lefties who´s hippie mentality borders on communism, it truly is a colorful place. With the tallest tower of South America being built here, the rising tensions due to the recent earthquakes and armed conflicts in the far south of Chile, my country has become stage for some of the most tense situations and events in the recent years. Santiago de Chile, a city of growth, a city of bounty, a city of diverse cultures and political ideologies. A city that struggles to forget the past, and find its future. My city. My home.