Winter has Arrived

by Debbie

The street vendors have put away the summer wares and are now selling sweaters, hats, gloves, and umbrellas. The rain seems to induce confusion here in Santiago and invite new excuses to avoid work. After the first big rain, some of the surrounding areas flooded and had “impassable” roads. We arrived to campus the next day with blue skies and sunshine despite notices of city wide school cancellations. Once there, we were told that attendance was optional, absences wouldn’t be held against students who couldn’t attend, and we weren’t to conduct any quizzes or presentations, due to the rain the previous night. The temperatures are in the mid 50’s, but that doesn’t stop people from bundling up in all possible layers. The news ran a special a couple mornings ago giving tips to people on how to deal with the cold, explaining how to bundle up and wear warm clothing. Many students have expressed concern for me when I wear a lightweight jacket to work, “Profe, you’re too cold, you will get sick.” Chileans still buy into the myth that you can catch a cold if you are cold. I had a student tell me she had to leave my class because her feet were cold, when I told her she would be absent, she gave me the most pitiful puppy dog eyes she could muster and said she didn’t feel good. *insert pathetic cough*
A mere drizzle causes a flurry of umbrellas to unfold on the city streets; this adds a whole new level of chaos to the already bustling streets of Santiago. People still rush from Point A to Point B without regard for others on the street, only now they do so with sharp umbrellas at eye gouging level. One must use extra caution when navigating even short distances, lesson learned the hard way. Those unfortunate enough not to own umbrellas (which is surprising with how much Chileans love them and the ability to buy them every two feet on the street) huddle under awnings if they can fit among the stray perros and homeless. We have been warned by numerous people of how cold it gets here in the winter. While it is significantly colder now than 2 months ago, I’m not buying into the “freezing” weather just yet, I think Chileans are just a little sensitive when the weather drops below 85 degrees. However, when the smog lifts and the rain lets up, we are left with splendid views of the snowcapped Andes, which are a faithful reminder that we’re actually here in South America and to enjoy it as much as we can while it lasts.