Chile Forum

Please keep your comments objective. Personal attacks will be cut.

Charles,
How goes it down in Temuco? Are you flooded out yet? Hopefully you are safe and high and dry.

Wondering, now that I have lived here for 2 mths. and visited here twice b/4 moving here...why do Chileans throw garbage out everywhere? This is such a beautiful country...but the trash everywhere really detracts from the beauty. Any ideas/solutions/etc.? I realize that the huge stray dog population adds to this problem as they all tend to dig through the trash and tear things up and leave a mess behind. But besides that...people just seem to throw all kinds of trash, yard debris, etc. wherever they like. Any laws on this yet? Are there landfills available to all so that this problem could be worked on? This reminds me to some extent of the litter problems in the States in the 60's that ignited the nationwide litter campaign that still exists today and exacts stiff fines for those who litter.

Jill

Charles...on another note/question/concern. My husband was discussing a nuisance dog with his mother. We are living in his mother's little cabana near the sea. The neighbor next door, who comes on wkends only generally...has a dog that barks continually. Whenever he is out and we are out in the yard he barks angrily at us. It is driving us both batty. When he asked his mother what could be done, she basically said nothing. She said 'don't do anything to the dog or you will go to jail'. Now I am not proposing harm to animals...but really...what do we have here? are the dogs the 'sacred cows' of Chile. Are there not noise/nuisance ordinances anywhere? What I mean to ask specifically is...is there indeed a law on the books protecting dogs?

Jill

NOTICE that this thread is TWO YEARS OLD!!

The burden is on the resurrector to give a reason for bringing it up to the front.

STORKLADY53, you may want to re-post these questions in: 'Living in Chile'. Though, the question "why Chilean dogs throw out their garbage everywhere and if there are any laws on this" must go to: 'Legal Issues'.

Oooops. My bad as the kids say in the US. I did not see the date that Charles started this. Will pose the question on the other boards as suggested.

J.

Storklady, don't get me wrong, I really love dogs but.... there comes a time when the dog needs to shut up. We had a job in a ritzy gated community a while ago where the neighbour's dog (a big shepherd) was scaring the cr@p out of my labourers and trying to get through the chain link fence. I tried to talk to the owner but he just blew me off. The guys were afraid to work along the fence line.
Ultimately I went to a local outdoorsman store (like Cabela's) and bought Grizzly repellent spray. This 10% OC spray comes in a large can with a fire extinguisher type valve on the top. The dog went after me and I nailed him. After that, there was at most desultory barking and usually a hasty retreat.
I throw this out there in an effort to head off the possibility that your husband might do something rash.

One of the problems that gringos often experience in Chile is our lack of rules and community spirit as in America or Europe. It is not common here that people welcome a new neighbor with a cake or sort of that, people here is very individualistic and tend to keep their noses out of their neighbors lives. We are also very tolerant with annoying noises from childs, dogs barking, loud music, etc. we think that we have not the right to rule our neighbors lives even in they annoy us. This is not an aggressive behavior, not intentionally at least, but claim or try to rule others lifestyle is often interpreted as arrogant or agressive.

No way to solve this problem, you may try bringing a lady dog, maybe this way the dog will find better things to do instead bark

One of the problems that gringos often experience in Chile is our lack of rules and community spirit as in America or Europe. It is not common here that people welcome a new neighbor with a cake or sort of that, people here is very individualistic and tend to keep their noses out of their neighbors lives. We are also very tolerant with annoying noises from childs, dogs barking, loud music, etc. we think that we have not the right to rule our neighbors lives even in they annoy us.

That's very true. The one huge thing I miss from back home (apart from family, friends, cider and fish and chips) is the complete and utter lack of a community spirit. Having said that, I live in Santiago Centro! But even on spending a lot of time in other barrios and towns and places like Maipú, Providencia, Quinta Normal, La Dehesa, etc, all I generally see and sense is a slight distrust of one's neighbours and the family of one's neighbours and in-laws of one's neighnbours etc. etc. etc. No trust and zero respect.

In reality, no-one in my city back home (in the UK) would bring around a cake, biscuits or anything of the sort (like what happens in the movies!). But they would say hello, welcome you, get to know you, smile and stop you and chat in the street. People like to know about people - which can also be interpreted as nosiness. But I'd much prefer it that way than the gates, spiked walls, vicious dogs and casual mistrust i've experienced so far...

I have been living here for a year so far and each day I see or learn something about Chilean society that baffles me or outrages me.

An as for the noises, I couldn't even begin to list my grievances on here.... and Xmas is coming.

I may add that friendship here tends to be more deep and people more solidary than other countries outside Latin America, despite this lack of respect with formalities. It is hard to me to explain, but I have seen huge levels of good manners and superficial friendship outside Latin America, but when you are in a real problem is very odd than your neigbors or even close friends get involved to help you.

In Latin America is contrary sense, people seems not interested nobody apart themselves but when you are in problem or you got a friend you will see how often they give their kidney if needed. I love the good manners abroad and would love we chileans have it, but not at the price of a superficial cordiality instead the deep involvement used between friends here.

In regards to departamentos, respect for your neighbors varies on the environment and class origin factors.

In the departamento like my pareja's in lower class, crime ridden Lo Espejo ... well

When I first moved into the departamento in Santiago Centro over seven years ago, it was very quiet and you would even hear neighbors and visitors quieting their kids when in the hallway. This changed within the next five years as subsidio purchasers (I speculate) "moving up" so to speak from lower social classes populated the structure. Noisy kids without restraint, partying joven neighbors, defacing vadalism (repairs paid for by gastos comunes), theft of car mirrors in the below ground parking lot (again paid for by gastos comunes), and even a molestation of a child in the stairwell subsequently occurred.

In the departemento I now live in, the norm is quietness and self-imposed restraint. Those who actually live and work here year round are definitely in the upper strata for this area and the rest are Santiaguinos or other weekenders or vacationers who are rich enough to afford a coastal retreat with a view. If you are doing something out of line, the conserges will definitely let you know.

JMEs and JMOs.