The one where Chile and I reconciled ...

So Santiago querido and I had our ups and downs.

But now sitting in a far-away country (in fact, about as far away as you can get), and looking back on the place like past relationship, I'm feeling a little sorry that I harped on about its bad points, badmouthing it to all and sundry. Because just like a past relationship, once you get some distance (about 10,000 km seems to do the trick), you can actually revisit those good moments and see them for what they were - unique and intense and character building.

And in actual fact, I think I realised this while I was still there, it just took a minor breakdown and escape from the city for me to do so.

It came after nearly six months of wedded bliss putting up with each other, by which stage it was apparent that Santiago and I had some serious differences of opinion on all the things that I thought mattered - personal space, openness, tolerance, and appropriate waiting times in a bank. And as our anniversary approached and it became clear that neither of us were going to change our minds on these matters, our options seemed to be either going straight into couples counselling or taking some time apart.

I opted for the latter. Which you could envisage as a-slinking-away-tail-between-legs departure, but which I prefer to consider a braveheart style run-for-the-hills with our Mel in a skirt screaming freedom beside me.

Now every Chilean I've ever met has told me that if there's one place guaranteed to (re-)kindle your love affair with Chile, its the South. Apparently the South is where people are the most friendly, the scenery is the most magnificent, the food most delicious.
So, ever determined to do the opposite, I headed north.

I went as far north as you can without actually leaving Chile - to the Parque Nacional Lauca in the top right hand corner of the country, jammed up against the borders of Peru and Bolivia, and very very high. It is Chile at its most extreme - highest, driest, furtherest away. It was brilliant.

For a place that seems completely off the radar its surprisingly accessible. We actually arrived via La Paz - I had met up with a friend there and we had plans to travel in the area immediately bordering Chile on the Bolivian side as well as in Lauca, a sort of borderlands expedition. Even from La Paz getting to Lauca is easy - the park has the dubious distinction of having a long distance truck route cutting straight through the middle (you know, the one that gives Bolivia its access to a sea port, ahem) and the road is built to Chilean standards - making it the smoothest road in the whole of Bolivia. All buses between Arica and La Paz pass right through so there's plenty of transport, although they don't make a scheduled stop, so its up to you to tell your driver where you want to get off, and of course, pay the full fare all the way between Arica and La Paz.

Aside from its ease of access, however, Lauca is an isolated place. The bus set us down at a refugio on the shore of Lago Chungara - over 4500 meters above sea level and one of the world's highest lakes. Other than the refugio and its caretaker, there is nothing there. You, the lake, the volcanoes, the road, and the occasional semi-trailer barreling past in the thin air. Its a strange kind of isolation.

View from the refugio over Lago Chungara and Volcan Parinacota.

The caretaker of the refugio was kind of surprised to see us turning up on his door but let us stay the night in the bunkroom. I was glad not to be there on my own, as the refugio is also where he lives, so there was a slightly awkward vibe of crashing someone's house.

We sat out on the porch watching the sunset over the lake. And of course even out there, Chile is Chile: every 5 minutes a truck would cut through the picture, reminding us that even this amazing landscape was a place for progress of the industrial kind. They had built a wonderful road, but the refugio's caretaker appeared to have no food to eat other than a (seen better days) joint of meat and tea made from a garden herb.
A strange kind of isolation - perhaps that's my motto for Chile.

The next day we walked through the foothills looking for a village that never materialised, drank all our water, tried to hitchhike back to the refugio, discovered that Chileans do not like to pick up hitch-hikers, got altitude sickness/dehydration, slept it off in the tiny bunkroom in the freezing night, tried again to hitch-hike back to the border, remembered previous day's experience and cursed Chilean cautiousness, and finally persuaded the driver of a tour bus from Arica to take us up the road to the border, which he very kindly agreed to do even though it wasn't where he was headed.

We even saw what's got to be one of the world's stranger animals - the viscacha. Looks like a rabbit, but with a long curly tail. Apparently they make good eating.. or so our friend the caretaker said.

So what's my point with this rambling and almost forgotten relationship analogy?  I guess it is seeing the bigger picture. Overlooking the club foot for the whole package. Santiago and I still don't see eye to eye and may never do so, but Chile and I are back on track. Thanks North.

Kicking goals in slovakian.. and other useful world cup languages

Useful futbol phrases for all those overseas right now!

disLocation in Portugal

Quick update - disLocation to screen at FEST in Portugal at the end of this month... now, any donations so I can accompany it?

Blast from the past..

I should be working but I'm not because I feel guilty about neglecting this blog for so long. And there is nothing like a dose of melancholy to fuel your procrastination. 
I've had this video sitting here for so long that I can't remember where I found it. Suffice to say it's full of incredible archival footage that anyone interested in Santiago should watch, if only for a glimpse of what the city was like before it got 80s-ified! Behold the heyday, 1937, of the endearingly titled land of charm!

Internet Enemies

It's just been the World Day Against Cyber Censorship. Rather appropriately, I'm celebrating this fact by blogging about it, glad to live in parts of the planet where this act is unlikely to land me in prison. Go the free world.

In Chile, I'm always a little surprised by how far integrated new media is with everyday life and, especially, business interactions. If I'm booking a hotel or organising a trip, I don't pick up the phone, I simply jump on MSN and chat with the receptionist. For news and activism, Twitter and Facebook have been among the main ways in which news of the earthquake and reconstruction efforts has been spread in recent weeks, and in the south of Chile Mapuche (one of the country's indigenous groups) commentators are using Twitter to voice their concerns about how they feel the earthquake has deepened their disenfranchisement, a fact that's made the international news. I read about the guy in Santiago who was trapped in the rubble of his house after the quake, and who tweeted (successfully) for a rescue. Later this year Santiago will play host to the international conference Global Voices Online Citizen Media Summit on May 6-7 (sign up here). Social and citizen media is everywhere.

Its a little different in Australia. Sure, we all walk around with the latest iPhones and Blackberries glued to our hands, but what are we doing with them? Mostly watching crazy soviet era videos we've dredged up on YouTube, it seems. We consume, rather than produce. Perhaps we've got nothing to say.

To celebrate the World Day Against Cyber Censorship, Reporters Without Borders handed out prizes named and shamed 2010's biggest infringers of internet freedom. Inside the envelope were: Saudi Arabia, Burma, China, North Korea, Cuba, Egypt, Iran, Uzbekistan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, and Vietnam. Just like the Academy Awards, not a whole lot of surprises there.
Its when you got down to the forgotten-about categories, which I like to think of as the 'Best Short Film' of the censorship world, that things started to get interesting. In this category for the wannabe Big Brothers, which RSF calls 'Under Surveillance', we find: Turkey, Russia, South Korea... and Australia. Yep. My own hometown.
Clearly I've been away too long, and in my absence K-Rudd has been very busy hammering out an iron curtain and buying up time-share with Turkmenistan and Iran at the International Pariahs' Retirement Resort.

Shocking? Perhaps. But judging from the amount of people talking about this over the weekend (precisely zero), I'd have to say that no-one really cares.

Why I think I may need to go live in Russia...

One reason: this video. Possibly the funniest thing I have ever seen. Ever.



Sweet Lord! What the hell is going on here? And more to the point, what the hell was going on in the brainstorming session where those musical geniuses cooked the whole thing up? I'm both seduced by this craziness and utterly utterly confused.. So. Many. Questions... 
What drugs has that man taken?
Was it drugs that caused him to lose his eyebrows?
Why is he walking in such a jaunty fashion? (Again.. drugs?)
Is that his real hair? (I say improbable, given already discussed lack of eyebrows)
When was an all-brown colour scheme considered a good look for TV?
Is that an oversized coat rack in the background?
And I know I don't speak Russian.. but it seems pretty apparent even to me that this song contains no actual words... which may make it unique in the history of music videos.
I really cannot describe how this clip makes me feel. A little scared, admittedly, but also intrigued, very intrigued..

Como ayudar?

Text below from facebook event 'Donde dejar tu ayuda en Santiago' - join here for updates.

ÚLTIMA ACTUALIZACIÓN
Lunes 01 a las 19:27

Revisa constantemente el evento!
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CHILE PAÍS SOLIDARIO!

Las donaciones PRIORITARIAS son: Carpas, Toldos, Art de Aseo y DINERO, AGUA, pañales y comida.

1.- REENVIAR A SUS CONTACTOS, IMPORTANTE LA DIFUSIÓN
2.- SI TIENES ALGUNA OTRA INFORMACIÓN MAIL A dondeayudar@gmail.com
3.- LEER GUÍA ONEMI SOLIDARIA http://www.onemi.cl/images/onemi/archivos/cadenaayudasolidaria.pdf
4.- JUNTAR DONACIONES, INTENTAR CLASIFICAR Y LLEVARLA PRONTO

OJO: TODO LO POSTEADO ES UNA RECOPILACIÓN DE INFORMACIÓN RECOGIDA EN DIFERENTES REDES SOCIALES DE INTERNET, SI TIENEN INFORMACION PARA COMPLETAR LO QUE ESTA PUBLICADO, DEJENLA EN EL MURO

NO SOMOS LOS QUE ORGANIZAMOS LAS DISTINTAS ACTIVIDADES
SOLO UN MEDIO DE INFORMACIÓN, POR LO TANTO ALGUNAS DE SUS DUDAS NO SE PUEDEN RESPONDER, INTENTAR COMUNICARSE DIRECTAMENTE CON CADA INSTITUCIÓN

LA INFORMACIÓN ES ACTUALIZADA CONSTANTEMENTE

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►►AYUDA EN DINERO
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Cuentas Corrientes habilitadas:
En Chile:

Banco Estado
Cuenta corriente Nº 362883
Cruz Roja Chilena
Rut: 70.512.100-1
e-mail: finanzas@cruzroja.cl

Extranjero:
Citibank
Cuenta corriente Nº 9941973331
Código ABA:021000089

Dirección: 153 east 53 Rd. Street 4th floor. New York, Ny 10022
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Rol de Caritas Chile
Caritas Chile pone su cuenta corriente a disposición de la ciudadanía para recibir aportes que permitan paliar el dolor de las víctimas del terremoto sufrido en la madrugada del 27 de febrero de 2010.

Titular : Caritas Chile
Banco Santander
Cuenta Nº 0-082-18-00080-1
R.U.T. de CARITAS CHILE es 70.020.800-1
Email: culloa@caritaschile.org
Más Info: http://www.caritaschile.org
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U.S.A: Donaciones por mensaje de texto. Por favor difundir! Enviar un SMS con texto “CHILE” al 20222 o al 25383 para donar US 10 a Habitat for Humanity o a World Vision.
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UN TECHO PARA CHILE
1) Donaciones por transferencia electrónica:
Cuenta 399409-0 del Banco Santander a nombre de
Fundación Un Techo para Chile, Rut: 65.533.130-1
(2) Donaciones por teléfono:
Llamando al 188 600 600 2010
(3) Donaciones en la cuenta 2010 del Banco Santander

EXTRANJERO
Para Donaciones en Dólares:
FUNDACION UN TECHO PARA CHILE
Cuenta 0-051-000-8500-5
Banco Santander Chile
RUT: 65.533.130-1
SWIFT: BSCHCLRM
Dirección: Bandera 140
Santiago, Chile

Información Banco Intermediario
Cuenta: 2000192290409
WACHOVIA BANK N.A. (N. YORK)
SWIFT: PNBPUS3NNYC
ABA: 026005092

Para transferencias desde Europa:
Banco Intermediario
Banco Santander Central Hispano S.A. (MADRID)
SWIFT: BSCHESMM
IBAN: ES 4200 495494852910148818
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►► DONACIONES Y VOLUNTARIADO
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UN TECHO PARA CHILE

MAÑANA MARTES
Solo los contactados van a las construcciones de Melipilla; al resto los esperamos en el Colegio San Ignacio de Alonso Ovalle, Santiago 8:00 am. Excelente trabajo el de hoy, Chile lo agradece todo tipo de ayuda es útil, se armaran cuadrillas para pedir donaciones en distintos puntos de la capital.
llegar lo mas temprano posible, recoger escombros, etc.

INSCRIPCIONES VOLUNTARIOS
http://www.untechoparachile.cl/

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CRUZ ROJA
Donaciones de alimentos, ropa y frazadas
Pueden ir a dejar donaciones a Calle Seminario 973 o en Independencia 339, Cruz Roja Chilena Lo que más se necesita son agua, pañales y comida.

PRONTO
La cruz roja está próximamente estará necesitando VOLUNTARIOS, para ir a distintas zonas del país. Para los menores de 26 años enviar un correo a juventud@cruzroja.cl Para los mayores de 26 a desarrollo@cruzroja.cl -Indicar nombre, teléfono de contacto, mail, ocupación y SECTOR DONDE PUEDEN AYUDAR (en RM o en otro sector de Chile).

SOLO ENVIAR INFORMACIÓN NO ESTÁN PIDIENDO A LOS VOLUNTARIOS PARA EL DÍA LUNES
http://twitter.com/CruzRojainforma
http://www.cruzroja.cl/
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HOGAR DE CRISTO

HOGAR DE CRISTO Y ONEMI INICIAN RECOLECCIÓN DE AYUDAS: Desde mañana lunes 1º a las 12:00 hrs., se reciben frazadas, pañales, leche en polvo y alimentos no perecibles para ayudar a las víctimas del terremoto. Puntos de recolección: todas las sedes del Hogar de Cristo a lo largo del país, y en Santiago el Colegio San Ignacio El Bosque (Pocuro 2801, Providencia) y el Hogar de Cristo ubicado en Gral. Velásquez.
http://www.jesuitas.cl/paginas/noticias/noticias.php

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UC

PUC está recolectando víveres y diferentes especias en campus San joaquín y Lo Contador, desde hoy a las 20:00hrs. Ayudemos a Chile!

La Federación de Estudiantes de la PUC recibirá alimentos no perecibles, productos de higiene y pañales, ropa, y agua potable envasada en sus campus de San Joaquín y Lo Contador desde el 1 de Marzo a las 9 am. También la Cruz Roja recibe alimentos no perecibles, agua, pañales y ropa en su bodega en Seminario 973, Ñuñoa.

La oficina del CEPS (en san joaquin) estará disponible para recibir todas sus donaciones en los siguientes horarios:

domingo 28 de febrero de 19:00 a 22:00
de lunes 1 a viernes 5 de marzo: de 10:00 a 17:00

Lo que necesitamos es lo siguiente:
Alimentos :
- Arroz
- Tallarines
- Aceite
- Café
- Azúcar
- Leche en polvo
- Te
- Legumbres
Higiene
- Pañales
- Toallas higiénicas
- Jabón
- Pasta de dientes
- Cepillos de dientes
Ropa
- Ropa interior todas las edades (nueva)
- Ropa de abrigo
- Ropa todas las edades en buen estado
Urgente
- Agua potable embasada
Otros
- Frazadas
- Sacos de dormir

Campus San Joaquin y Lo Contador
Camino la fuente 1627, Las Condes (99916640)
Francisco Bulnes Correa 1781, Las Condes (84184505)
Jorge VI 266, Las Condes (95516666)
Isabel la Catolica 5435, Las Condes (99596677)
Torres del Paine 7233, Las Condes (92384572)
Camino Las Pircas 4299, Peñalolen (81593205)
El Relámpago 13907, Lo Barnechea
Luis Batlle 2421, Vitacura (81297157)
San Pablo 5619 block 48 dpto A32, Lo Prado
Ramon Subercaseaux 1549 Depto. B, San Miguel (77587668)
Americo Vespucio 7550 (Bar 89), La Florida
Camino el Cerro 1973, Providencia (90894525)
Juan XXIII 3931, Macul (76184741)
Victor Tevah 3642, Puente Alto
Pasaje Pajaritos 32B (Pajaritos con las Torres), Maipu (92645818)
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UCHILE

La sede FECh ubicada en Periodista José Carrasco Tapia N°9 (Vicuña Mackenna, pasos de Plaza Italia) está recepcionando ayudas para los damnificados por el terremoto. La lista de elementos que estamos recibiendo es: Alimentos, Vestuario personal, Calzado de invierno, Artículos de aseo, Ropa de Cama: Colchones.

Cualquier consulta llamar a 9770911 9770910.

Alimentos: Leche en polvo, colados para guaguas, conservas, legumbres, azúcar, té , café, harina, pastas, arroz, aceite y sal.
Vestuario: (En lo posible nueva y sobre todo limpia y clasificada por cantidad, sexo y edad) Calzado de invierno, Parkas, chalecos y pantalones de invierno, Ropa interior y calcetas

Artículos de aseo: Jabón, toalla, pasta dental, cepillo dental, shampoo (Normal y Antipediculosis), peineta, cloro, papel higienico y pañales desechables.
Ropa de Cama: Colchones, frazadas, sábanas y sacos de dormir

Materiales de reconstrucción de viviendas:
Zinc, Plástico reforzado.
Listones: 2×2
Tablas: Timglado y piso
Canaletas, Planchas Aislantes (Poliestireno expandido)
Clavos, Alambres, Tornillos
Herramientas: Martillos, Destornilladores, Serruchos, Palas y Chuzos
Calefacción: Estufas (a gas y parafina), Parafina y Bidones (10 o 20 Lts) Cilindros de gas licuado (11 o 15 Kg)

Otros:
CAJAS PARA TRANSPORTAR LOS ALIMENTOS, VESTUARIO Y MATERIALES, Bidones para agua.


http://webfech.blogspot.com/
inscripciones http://spreadsheets.google.com/embeddedform?formkey=dENlYmhvVlkyLUxrTFVuemoteHFRNFE6MA
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UDD

Colecta de ropa, frazadas, calzado y comida no perecibles en la UNIVERSIDAD DEL DESARROLLO de San Carlos de Apoquindo ubicado en Avenida La Plaza 680, Las Condes., desde las 10 am hasta las 8 pm, hasta el 5 de marzo. Traten de juntar lo mas posible y llevarlo. Todo sirve. Toda ayuda voluntaria se acepta.

En la sede de Las Condes de la UDD tambien se estan recibiendo donaciones en especial pañales, agua y leche para llevar a localidades cercanas a Curico. Claramente cualquier otra donacion de ropa o alimentos es bienvenida.
La direccion es Av. Las Condes 12438, Lo Barnechea.
Se recibiran cosas hasta el Viernes en principio y desde las 10 am a las 6 pm.

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UDP

Centros de Recolección UNIVERSIDAD DIEGO PORTALES
- A partir de las 9.00 de mañana Lunes 1 de marzo.
Manuel Rodríguez 343, Santiago Centro

La lista de las cosas que se puede llevar son:
Alimentos: Arroz, Tallarines, Aceite, Café, Azúcar, Leche en Polvo, Té, Legumbres
Higiene: Pañales, Toallas Higiénicas, Jabón, Cepillo y Pasta de Dientes.
Ropa: Ropa Interior para todas las edades (nueva), Ropa de Abrigo, Ropa de todas las edades en buen estado.
URGENTE! Agua potable envasada
Otros Frazadas y Saco de dormir.
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UNIVERSIDAD FINIS TERRAE

LA UNIVERSIDAD FINIS TERRAE TAMBIEN ESTA PIRMITIENDO DONACIONES
SE RECIBE COMIDA, ROPA Y FRASADAS!

ASUFINIS es el programa de accion social de la Universidad Finis Terrae, en la cual canalizamos todos los esfuerzos y los diferentes proyectos sociales de la universidad, en esta oportunidad prestar ayuda a los afectados por el terremoto que sufrió nuestro país.

LUGARES DONDE PUEDEN DEJAR LAS DONACIONES:

Providencia:
1509 Pedro de Valdivia (Universidad Finis Terrae)

Las Condes:
7342 Garcia Pica (Casa Seba Barros 9-5399764)

Quinchamali:
13762 Avenida el Monte Sur (Casa Tomás y Javi Barros 9-4513001)

San Carlos de Apoquindo:
Cerro Abanico 12276 (Casa Pancho Zalaquett 9-9782968)

Huechuraba:
Avenida Rinconada el salto 955 (Casa Jose Castellon 9-5520816)

Lo Barnechea:
El Huinganal 3578 El Mañio 101 (Casa Cristobal Lutz 9-2336722)

Mails de contacto: tomas.barros@uft.edu, asufinis@gmail.com
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UNIVERSIDAD DE LOS ANDES

VOLUNTARIOS:
El martes 2 de marzo invitamos a los alumnos de la UNIVERSIDAD DE LOS ANDES a reunirse en el Faro del Apumanque a las 9.00 hrs para dirigirse a la comuna de Cerro Navia con el fin de ayudar a los damnificados.
PD: Deben venir con POLERA ROJA para facilitar la organización.

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UNIVERSIDAD CENTRAL

A raíz de los terribles acontecimientos ocurridos en nuestro país el pasado viernes, tenemos el deber de comunicarles a todos los estudiantes de la Universidad Central y otras universidades del país. La federación de estudiantes Ucen hacen un llamado público a todos los alumnos a que NOS REUNAMOS A LAS 13:00 DEL MARTES 02 DE MARZO EN EL AULA A DE LA ESCUELA DE DERECHO DE LA UNIVERSIDAD CENTRAL, ubicada en Lord Cochrane #417.
La convocatoria también se extiende a traer alimentos no perecibles y ropa que sera destinada a los damnificados y afectados por el terremoto .

TE ESPERAMOS MAÑANA, SE RUEGA ASISTENCIA Y PUNTUALIDAD.

ESTE PAIS ES CONSTRUIDO POR NOSOTROS, ES RESPONSABILIDAD DE NOSOTROS LEVANTARLO.

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USACH

USACH
Recepcion de alimentos, ropa y frasadas en la feusach para enviarlas a la 7º y 8º region.
Patio de los naranjos, EAO
Ecuador Nº 3412
Estacion Central

FUNDACION GESTA
Recepcion de alimentos, ropa y frasadas en la feusach. Coordinacion de voluntarios para la entrega de ayuda.Mandar mail a gestaenterremoto2010@gmail.com con sus datos persolanes (nombre, mail, telefono,etc..)
Grajales 2176, metro republica

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UNIVERSIDAD MAYOR

http://www.diariomayor.cl/v2/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=841 declaracion oficial de la universidad mayor con la campaña La Mayor ayuda a Chile

Los Campus de Recolección por Facultades son los siguientes:

Campus Manuel Montt:
Edificio Nuevo Sala 1-1, 1-2 y 2-1: Facultades de de Medicina y Ciencias Silvoagropecuarias, Instituto de Biotecnología, Instituto de Comunicaciones y Nuevas Tecnologías, Instituto de Arte y Tecnología Audiovisual y Centro Mayor de Diseño E Innovación.
Edificio Antiguo Salas 1-6, 1-7, 1-10: Facultades de Educación, Ingeniería y Ciencias Económicas y Empresariales

Campus Del Claustro: Facultad de Arquitectura

Campus Vespucio: Alumnos de Intercambio

Campus Alameda: Facultad de Odontología

Campus Santo Domingo: Facultad de Arte

Chile de Pie, ayudar es emprender” que será destinada a la localidad de Llico, Comuna de Vichuquén, VII Región. ahi esta la informacion oficial para los de UMAYOR!!!!!!
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VOLUNTARIADO MINISTERIO DE SALUD

INSCRIBETE ACA PARA SER VOLUNTARIO DEL MINISTERIO DE SALUD (SOLO PROFESIONALES Y TECNICOS DE SALUD)
INGRESA TUS DATOS PARA SER CONTACTADO CUANDO APENAS ESTEN DISPONIBLES LAS CONDICIONES PARA VIAJAR A LAS ZONAS AFECTADAS SERAS CONTACTADO.
http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dE0xY096ZnhUaGtTM3RFTG5VMDR1b0E6MA
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SAGRADOS CORAZONES DE ALAMEDA

Lugares de recepción de ayuda estarán abiertos a partir de este lunes 1 de marzo a las 12:00 horas. - Gimnasio Colegio Sagrados Corazones de Alameda, Alameda Bernardo O'Higgins 2062, Santiago. Sólo se recibirán los siguientes alimentos no perecibles: arroz, leche en polvo,fideos y aceite. No se recibirá vestuario, medicamentos y alimentos perecibles.
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COLEGIO SEMINARIO PONTIFICIO

desde lunes 1, en el colegio seminario pontificio menor ubicado en padre errazuriz 7001, las condes, se recibira comida no perecible en favor de la víctimas del terremoto. Por favor publica este aviso en el muro para darlo a conocer a todos! Por tu colaboración muchas gracias!
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COLEGIO ISABEL LA CATOLICA

A partir de mañana en el Colegio Isabel la Católica (Ricardo Lyon Nº 2855) se recibe arroz, leche en polvo,fideos y aceite, desde las 9:00 am
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SAN JUAN EVANGELISTA

Se estara recibiendo ayuda hasta el día Martes 2 de Marzo en el colegio San Juan Evangelista ubicado en Martin de Zamora 6395, Las Condes. Esta ayuda será recibida por el conserje y organizada y derivada por el grupo scout del colegio a la bodega de la Cruz Roja.

Las necesidades más importantes son:
- Frazadas
- Colchones y Colchonetas
- Ropa de abrigo
- Alimentos no perecibles
- Agua embotellada
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SAINT GEORGE

COLEGIO SAINT GEORGE , RECIBE ROPA , COMIDA NO PERECIBLE Y FRAZADAS , CARPAS , ETCC.. DESDE LAS 8 DE LA MAÑANA , TODO ESO IRÁ A CONCEPCION PORFAVOR LOS QUE PUEDAN AYUDEN!
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COLEGIO SAN AGUSTIN

ATENCIÓN GENTE DE SANTIAGO DE CHILE: A todos aquellos que puedan cooperar con pañales, frazadas y útiles de aseo, por favor hacerlas llegar al Colegio San Agustin de Santiago. Dublé Almeyda 4950, Ñuñoa, Santiago y se está solicitando la ayuda en el LIDER de EDUARDO CASTILLO VELASCO
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LUGARES DONDE SE RECIBE AYUDA

http://maps.google.cl/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=es&t=h&msa=0&msid=103299390633192373139.000480b13b34617d3d1dc&ll=-37.055177,-70.97168&spn=19.218665,39.506836&z=5
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AYUDA DE ARRIBA CHILE!!!

Partimos a Curicó a ayudar a los damnificados con alimentos, agua, construcción, limpieza de escombros y otros, por favor unirse quienes realmente van a ir para poder organizar bien al grupo

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=355053078071&index=1
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MUNICIPALIDAD DE VITACURA

¡Atención Vitacura! Municipalidad está recibiendo aportes. Av. Bicentenario 3800
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DOMICILIOS PARTICULARES

Recuerden que estamos reuniendo elementos de primera necesidad para las familias de la región del maule que lo han perdido todo, les coloco un listado de las cosas que nos pueden traer y que ellos necesitan:

ALIMENTOS: Arroz, Tallarines, Aceite, Café, Azúcar, Leche en polvo, Te, Legumbres
HIGIENE: Pañales, Toallas higiénicas, Jabón, Pasta de dientes, Cepillos de dientes
ROPA: Ropa interior todas las edades (nueva), Ropa de abrigo, Ropa todas las edades en buen estado
URGENTE: Agua potable envasada
OTROS: Frazadas, Sacos de dormir

Viajamos al miércoles, y para facilitar la entrega de sus donaciones, tenemos los siguientes puntos de acopio en diversas comunas:

Quepe 397, Campanario con Paul Harris. Las Condes (97696874 David)
Manuel Montt 2699, dpto. 703 . Ñuñoa (81389131 Jorge)
pasaje las nieves poniente 2629 Condominio el Olmo. Peñalolen (88388485 Ma. José)
Primera Avenida 1127, Departamental con gran avenida. San Miguel (68363427 Carla)
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PARROQUIAS DE BARRIOS

en Mega señalaron recolección coordinada de productos a saber entregada en:

TODAS LAS IGLESIAS: Alimentos no perecibles, SOLO: arroz, azúcar, aceite, fideos y leche en polvo.

EN CRUZ ROJA: Sólo ARTÍCULOS DE HIGIENE ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬


►► DONACIÓN DE SANGRE
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El lunes a partir de las 9 y hasta las 17 hrs. estarán habilitados el Ex Hospital Militar ( Av. Vitacura a dos cuadras del metro Tobalaba)y la Posta Central (Portugal #125, metro católica) para la recolección de sangre.

Si tienes dudas sobre poder donar sangre puedes revisar la siguiente página: http://www.bsburgos.org/donacion_de_sangre.htm
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El ministerio de Salud (Minsal) ha realizado un llamado a las personas que puedan donar sangre, para hacer frente a la gran cantidad de personas heridas.
-Valparaíso: Centro de Sangre de Valparaíso
-San Fernando: Banco de Sangre Hospital de San Fernando, en Negrete 1401
-Talca: Centro de Diagnóstico Terapéutico, ubicado al Costado del hospital Regional de Talca
-Puerto Montt: Escuela Nº 6 de Puerto Montt
-Región Metropolitana, Centro de Sangre Metropolitano, Avda. Vitacura (Ex Hospital Militar) y en la Posta Central
Para quienes quieran donar sangre estos puntos atenderán de 09:00 a 17:00 Hrs. En otras ciudades del país se puede donar el los bancos de sangre de los hospitales.
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ARRIBA CHILE 2010

toda la información en www.arribachile2010.tk
Como respuesta al terremoto que afectó a nuestro país el pasado sábado, un grupo de jóvenes ha formado un equipo de trabajo llamado Arriba Chile, el cual busca entregar ayuda en forma directa a los más damnificados del terremoto.
Por el momento, la agrupación se ha enfocado en la recolección de alimentos, ropa y medicamentos, los cuales serán llevados a sectores necesitados. La idea es coordinar con los canales oficiales y desarrollar un proyecto a largo plazo.
¿Cómo Ayudar?
En este momento la mejor manera de ayudar es llevar alimentos no perecibles, ropa, pañales y medicamentos a las siguientes sedes:
1. Campanario 341, Las Condes (Casa tres campanas).
2. Colegio Monte Tabor. Paseo Pie Andino5894, Lo Barnechea
Los horarios de recepción son de 9:00 a 20:00 hrs a partir del martes 2 de Marzo
Contactos
Sede campanario: 2475846 - 09-0897297 (casa tres campanas)
Sede Monte Tabor: 08-2885266 - 7500900
arribachile2010@gmail.com
Grupos que participan hasta el momento
- Universitarios de Schoenstatt
- Ex alumnos colegio Monte Tabor y Nazaret
- Pioneros de Schoenstatt
- Alumnos colegio Monte Tabor y Nazaret
- FM Box
- Independientes varios
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►► OTROS
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SMS GRATIS

Sin duda la falta de comunicación con los seres queridos es uno de los problemas principales. Por medio de http://evaphone.com/ se pueden hacer dos llamadas vía IP gratis para todo Chile. Otro dato es http://www.smsflick.com/ en donde se pueden mandar mensajes a celulares de manera gratuita.
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ABRIR REDES WIFI

la conectividad en estos momentos es indispensable, ABRAN sus redes hasta que todo vuelva a la normalidad
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BUSCADOR DE PERSONAS GOOGLE

ingresa si sabes algo de alguien, o si buscas a alguien
IDEAL seria que alguien de los sectores afectados se acerque a los albergues, se hagan listas de la gente e ingresarlas al sitio
http://chilepersonfinder.appspot.com/
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CORTES DE CARRETERAS

http://maps.google.cl/maps/ms?hl=es&gl=cl&ie=UTF8&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=101583086025908752159.000480adeb622070a2cd4
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►► SITIOS DE INTERES
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http://chilepersonfinder.appspot.com/ BUSCADOR DE PERSONAS
http://w2.chileayuda.com/
http://www.onemi.cl/
http://www.cruzroja.cl/
http://www.untechoparachile.cl/
http://www.minsal.cl/
http://www.defensa.cl/
http://www.fayerwayer.com/2010/03/resumen-como-ayudar-comunicarse-e-informarse-del-terremoto/
http://todosporunmundomejor.wordpress.com/2010/03/01/terremoto-en-chile-aprende-como-puedes-ayudar-tu/

The not-knowing...

Being away from people you care about when something like this happens is awful. And yes, I know that in a situation like this there exist many varieties and degrees of awful, from losing your life to losing people to losing your home; this is just one type of awful amongst many.

I wrote yesterday that in some ways I'd prefer to have been there. Santiago friends told me I was well out of it.. They are right and of course you shouldn't wish yourself into misfortune. But O was there. 

The news here is painting a very bleak picture. Looting and frustration in Concepcion (and Santiago?); the death toll poised to rise and rise; no light or water or food in many parts of the country including the capital. That's what the news says anyway.

I have no real idea what people there are going through. Even those in Santiago.

I hope that, for the people I know, the situation is closer to that described here by another Chile blogger. Life going on, not as usual by any means, but as best it can.

So this is what happens when I take my eye off you Chile..

Too soon? Perhaps.

I hate earthquakes. Just like I don't like swimming in really deep ocean (ergh.. dangling with all that space underneath you...) I don't like it when the ground moves. I'm not afraid to admit that I act like a wuss when it happens, although to my blessed relief I've slept through or been otherwise unaware of all the temblors I've been told we've had since I arrived in Chile (with the exception of the one about a month ago when I woke up and demanded to know why O was moving the bed in the middle of the night).

Nonetheless, since I've been in Chile people have been telling me that the 'big one' is overdue and I have subsequently been crapping myself that it will happen while I'm there. Turns out that in the end it waited till I was just out of the country..

In the end I'm not sure if I would have preferred to have been there in the terrifying midst of it or here not knowing what had happened - I spent hours trying to get through to O on non-existent phone lines, skype, checking Chilean news sites to see if they were working (they weren't) and reading twitter to try and get news. Eventually I found a webcam broadcasting from Providencia which showed my apartment building, so at least I knew it was still standing. Now I've spoken to O and seen more pictures, so I know that the damage in my part of the city was minimal.

Some might say that I spend a fair bit of time on the blog bitching about constructively criticizing aspects of Santiago city design. So I'd like to take this opportunity to officially eat my own whiny words - Santiago, you mostly didn't fall down, and I applaud that. You may not have worked out how to get customers in and out of a bank in under two hours, but at least we can be safe in the knowledge that the bank will not collapse on our heads while we're waiting in line.

Sadly this wasn't the case everywhere - people elsewhere in the city and country did suffer damage and tragically there have been a number of lives lost. (EDIT: this number has taken a huge jump on day two after the quake as they reach the more isolated areas - it now looks like while Santiago had a lucky escape this is not reflective of the rest of the country.)
But a huge shout out to Chile in general for being as prepared for this as a country can be, for having good anti-seismic structures and action plans that will help to prevent a greater loss of life, and most of all to the people, who've taken this all in an unbelievably calm manner. Hell, O was even joking as he described how our 15th floor apartment was, and I quote, 'rocking like jelly'. Ugh. My hat sincerely off to you all.

Thanks to everyone who emailed to check if everyone we know is safe and well - they are.

Following Margaret from Cachando Chile's lead, there is a series of photos of the quake here which show some of the devastation around the country.

EDIT: buscador de desaparecidos aqui. favor difundir.

the dark side of llamas

Today, in lieu of anything more comprehensive I hereby bring to you the scariest llama related animation ever made. Had I seen this before my trip I might never have gone. Enjoy.

Voted off the island..

... fortunately, there's plenty of places to escape to in these parts.

Funnily enough, amongst the llamas and alpaca herders, internet wasn't a priority here. So I haven't been ignoring you all, I've just been ... away.
More soon when I've washed the travel out of my hair, burned my clothes and regained my breath.

I like big b***s and I cannot lie...

What on earth are they advertising in this photo? No, not giant Italian asses (sadly for those who arrived at this site because they googled that particular phrase). In fact, these are sandwiches. Which may of course give you a giant ass if you eat enough of them, although I doubt they'll be able to turn your tush Italian.

Things Chileans Like 2: Bad Customer Service

Actually, that's a little unfair. I don't know if Chileans actually like bad customer service, but its certainly a possibility given its prevalence here.

Lets take the dinner I had last night as an example.

We're in a nice restaurant in Bellavista that serves the most awesome sandwiches which, amazingly, are not of the completo style, but rather of the pan-American gourmet style - think sandwich of aji de gallina with salad or lomo saltado complete with tiny potato crispies. Ok, it might sound a little weird but take it from me, these sandwiches are the real deal. As in, delicious, and not at all like a completo.

We sit down (after being told that the table we wanted was for six people and us only being four made us ineligible for it..). So we sit down at a crappier table, for four people. Menus arrive. There are lots of drinks in a big long list headed 'tragos', which oddly enough, means 'drinks'.
O turns to waitress and points to one of the drinks.
O: 'Que es esto?' (what's this one?)
Waitress: "Uh.. Son tragos.' Waitress turns, and walks off.
In case you didn't get that, her response to his question was "They are drinks". That was it. Then she left.
Well, thank you for that. I think that counts as Strike One.

Food arrives. O wants another drink. He asks the price of the beer.
Waitress: 'I don't know'.
Long pause. Waitress stands there.
O: "you don't know the prices?'
Waitress: 'Well, they've just changed them.'
Another long silence. O eventually asks for the menu. Strike Two.

Finally, I order a beer from the tap. It arrives two thirds full.
Me: 'Sorry, but this beer isn't full.'
Waitress: 'Well that's because the foam has gone down.'
Me: 'Erm... well can I have a full one then?'
Waitress makes face and tomps off with the beer. It comes back full. Probably with saliva.
Definitely Strike Three for Chilean Customer Service.

And you know, that interaction wasn't even that unusual.

Oh, and the table we originally wanted and weren't allowed to sit at because we didn't have six people? Yeah, it ended up hosting an enormous party of ... two.

and THIS, my friends, is how you celebrate winning an election...

That's right. Difference between winning an election and winning a football match? Absolutely none.

New Year in Santiago...

... this year alternatively known as Fuegos Artificiales vs Fuegos de Verdad.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that New Years celebrations always bite. So why every year am I surprised?
Call me an eternal optimist, but I'm always ready to have the time of my life on New Year's Eve. And with a few notable exceptions (I'm looking at you Edinburgh and you Buenos Aires) my New Year's have been emotionally traumatic let-downs that I may never get over. In fact, in my experience, New Year's can reliably be expected to involve at least one of the following: fights with one's significant other; excessive amounts of tequila; remaining depressingly sober even after excessive amounts of tequila, tears; getting pulled over by the police; getting lectured by police because while you are depressingly sober the amount of heinously drunk people you have in your car is alarming; overcrowded beach bars; bogans; Melbourne's fireworks getting canceled due to strong winds/thunder/heat/Robert Doyle/bogans; and things never, never, never going the way they were planned.

So no surprises then, that O and my plans to get away from Santiago for the weekend were considered by the gods of New Year to be rather ambitious. Which was disappointing, but really, I guess I should have expected it.

In preparation for the weekend away I had in fact spent the morning body slamming Chilean nannas in the supermarket in the insanity that is trying to buy provisions on New Years Eve. If you're ever in the position where you are considering visiting a Chilean supermarket on New Years', I heartily do not recommend it. Not if you like your sanity. Or full limb functionality, those nannas can be vicious.

Of course, even at the best of times (and for those who don't know, the best of times is precisely 10-10.15am on a Tuesday), Chilean supermarkets appear to have been created by some shady secret service to elicit confessions to international hate crimes. Or perhaps to provoke the same (see Gauntanamo). They only thing they're missing is a bit of waterboarding in the cold storage room. I'm sure one of the seven levels of hell is a Chilean supermarket. They're crowded, which would be ok except that the aisles are tiny, shelf stackers lounge around stack shelves at the most inappropriate times, and people seem to sprout blinkers from their temples upon entering them and thus have no qualms about parking their trolley/fat ass precisely in the middle of the aisle while all the other timid Chileans wait patiently behind for them to move. As people here have precisely zero awareness of anyone else, this can take a while. Doing a lap of the supermarket requires about 40 minutes of your precious life that, let me be clear, you will never get back. 
Now take this usual shopping experience and multiply it by a hell-factor of, say..  a billion, and you'll get supermarkets on NYE. The whole experience consisted largely of an hour or so of me vaulting over dithering groups of nannas while screaming 'permiso' and lunging blindly at various shelves in order to grab whatever my hand happened to land on. Close enough is good enough, I say. I also say 'never again ask me to do this if you value my presence in your life.'

Naturally, after this I was more than regularly keen to get the bejeebus out of Santiago. And while everyone in the fifth region was planning on heading to Valpo/Vina where they claim the display is the 'third biggest in the world' (which, call me a horrible cynic, I have to say I'm slightly dubious about), we decided to go somewhere a bit more .. peaceful. Also, the normal 2 hour drive to Valpo is said to take upwards of 5hours on NYE, leaving a lot of people to bring in the new year in their car, in the middle of a traffic jam. Which doesn't sound terribly appealing.

So bags packed and barbecue foods at the ready, I was waiting for O to make it home. Which he did .. eventually. Or at least his body made an appearance, his mind, unfortunately, remained at work. Given that the place he works is about to inaugurate a rather important state cultural project that will be the legacy of the Bachillet government, and given that said project is in an entirely predictable state of disarray that, unfortunately, seems to have been predicted only by me, he was rather stressed out. So when I asked him whether we should take the expensive bottle of red that we have in the wine cellar cupboard or the one he got given as a Kris Kringle and his eyes nearly bulged out of his head at the prospect of making yet another decision, I sadly realised that we weren't going anywhere...

Vengeful Gods of New Years 1: Katy 0

So ever adaptable, and not really keen to insist O get behind the wheel of a car, we cracked open the supplies I'd fought so hard for earlier and saw in 2010 from the roof of our apartment building. Which fortunately has a wonderful view of the city at night:

We parked ourselves at the front, looking towards the Entel tower (approximately where the brightest lights are in this pic) and settled in to enjoy the view.
Of course, this being Chile, about 15 seconds before midnight the Sheraton across the river decided that to hell with the countdown and started its own display. Cheaters. (Although nice advertising technique - everyone in Santiago was looking their way for a good ten seconds, that's got to be worth something doesn't it.). I suspect this is the first and only time I'll ever see something begin not just on time, but actually early, in Chile so I savoured the moment.

Then, after much hugging ...  

.
..clouds of billowing smoke.

That's right. The fuegos artificiales ('artificial fires' i.e fireworks) had been superseeded by fair dinkum, real, lots of smoke style fuegos. Artificial fires are so 2009. Apparently.

So again,

Vengeful Gods of New Years - 5 billion and 1 : everyone else - 0

Did I mention that New Years always bites?

 **Article about the fire here. It doesn't seem that anyone was hurt.

disLocation to go to Oslo...

... as part of the official selection for the Oslo Screen Festival 2010