Chile Forum

j. Ro wrote:But is it not true that the US has no official language at the National level. Yes, the majority speak English, and it is the de facto National language but there is nothing in the constitution or any law passed by the congress that says English must be spoken.

Laura55llc wrote:And as someone who, unfortunately never learned Spanish, but knows something of the history of the US, parts of which were settled by the Spanish.

Laura55llc wrote:Their ancestors continue to prefer Spanish to this day.

Laura55llc wrote:I remember an "English Only" proposition in Colorado years ago that would have required the change of many streets, counties, rivers...the list goes on and on. Colorado itself is a Spanish name.

Laura55llc wrote:Personally, I find it nice that Chileans are kind to immigrants with poor Spanish skills.

Chuck J 3.0 wrote:Sad to say I did knock a couple people on their asses in Valpo.

otravers wrote:This is a reflection of shared cultural traits among many countries, where things from planning to respecting shared space are not ingrained as in Anglo and Germanic cultures. Latin cultures don't project themselves much into the future and have little sense of "ordered flow." It's aggravating if you're thinking in terms of how easily it could be optimized, and then you realize they just don't think that way. These things can change (e.g. lines in France are not as messy as they used to) but usually that takes time. You'll get an ulcer before such behavior changes materially (if ever) so you'd better get used to it in the meantime! It's funny how many Europeans for instance would claim Americans are self-centered individualists, when in fact many behaviors in the US are community-centered (from high private charity spending to church attendance to ordered lines).

There's also a flip side to everything. Where you see order and cleanliness, others might see an oppressive police state where everything is codified and doesn't let you room to breathe. Switzerland is not to everyone's taste! Mess is not my personal taste but I recognize some people see ordered coordination as a hassle. I like to walk quickly and not have people standing idly in the way, nonetheless I still feel rushed in NYC where you gotta keep moving.

I've stated it in other threads but I want to insist that many things that puzzle Americans here in Chile are not really "US vs. Chile" as opposed to "US vs. Latin world" or even "US vs. World." If anything, what you'll be surprised by here in Chile is a watered down, relatively palatable version of what you'd get elsewhere. In other words, you're often discovering your own country's idiosyncrasies rather than Chile's. Sports is an easy example: the US stands pretty much alone (or very close to) in its love for baseball, American football, Nascar, or Indy Racing, while pretty much the whole rest of the planet follows soccer and Formula 1. It's not them, it's you

eeuunikkeiexpat wrote:Also the problem even when generally moving in the same direction of blocking the entire passageway moving 2 mph slower than you or completely stopping to converse, stare at the store window, whatever.

A nation needs a single, uniting public language

Haven't we had this discussion before? Or am I experiencing imagined deja vu?

Trust me, with Chilean crowds, it's all about dodging and weaving. The only problem is sometimes I lose my boyfriend