Santiago center observations
Published: 2007-04-24
Category: Life and stuff
Tags: people, santiago, chile
Language: [English]
page views: 518

When walking around the center of Santiago today, I couldn't notice how different the population there is from the more affluent areas of the City I'm normally at.


Only two days after spending my last day at AM, I started at my new job with MS (not the big North-American software company). We went to their "production center". To get there, some new coligues and me crossed the center of Santiago. It's really amazing how different the people look there. Different from the people in say, Providencia, Las Condes, Vitacura or even Ñuñoa.

Maybe it would be more correct to say that those comunas are the exception to all the rest of the country. It's just all in the point of view.

Anyway, on of the striking differences is that the "center people" are on average 5 to 10 cm shorter then what is the norm in the richer neighbourhoods. That's really amazing. Well, ofcourse the people all look much more warn out. Compared to that, the place where CR works looks like a real-life fashion show. I guess life is really hard for many ordinary people.

What was hopeful was that there was much commerce going on. Normally Santiago's center is quite busy, but this time, I hadn't walked there for quite a while, I almost didn't see a closed shop. That's a good sign. Many new, higher, buildings are being constructed there as well.

The latest influx of Peruvian and Bolivian immigrants can be noticed quite well, with many of them opening new eating houses. Of course, the one where we went to eat, the service was really awful. I guess we won't be returning there anytime soon, even when the food itself wasn't all that bad. But then again, there are many many to chose from there.