Jeez, this is really becoming the Aneya blog, isn't it? No need to fret, Lauren returns tomorrow (yay!) and I will take a little break myself (don't worry, just a small one).
As we've mentioned before, Chile is a very conservative country. And as I'm sure you've noticed I, myself, am not conservative. I'm liberal in probably every sense of the word. My politics, my beliefs, my values. I'd say they're all pretty left leaning. I really didn't think Chile's conservative nature would affect my stay in any way. Well, I was wrong.
I mean, Chile was the last country in the Western Hemisphere to legalize divorce (in 2004!) That's really hard to imagine. That right there tells you just how conservative and Christian the country is. The Constitutional Court outlawed the morning after pill in 2008, the gay community have absolutely no rights here (and are in hiding, quite frankly) and women themselves are devoid of many basic rights, especially in the work force.
Now, how does all this affect me? I've come to realize that it's not just the government that feels this way, every day Chileans also come from a deeply conservative background, and the difference, even in every day situations, continues to surprise me. Take drinking, for instance. Lauren and I talked about our experiences with men here. They all seemed very taken aback by our assertiveness, our attitude, our playful nature.
Oh, and our consumption of alcohol. Someone told me that 3 beers is the limit for women. If a woman drinks any more than that she's considered a trashy girl. 3 beers? Are you kidding me? Who are we drinking with? The Pope? For some, being drunk is a rarity, and something to be ashamed of. So to see a woman drunk is like seeing a unicorn.....is it real? It couldn't be! Oh, but it is. I can't change who I am to become what people here call a "lady". I am a lady. And I drink. And I don't think those two are mutually exclusive. And I don't like being judged for it.
Oh and to think- if only Chileans knew the half of it! Go to any State school in the U.S. and you'll see more drunk girls simultaneously puking and trying to hook up with a guy than you can count. And while that's certainly not "lady like" it's the reality of it. And no one's ashamed of it, no, they're proud. Girls boast about their one night stands, about their binge drinking. People here would truly be appalled. Which is why it's so amusing that people here think Lauren and I are "bad girls". The two of us? Really? If only Chileans knew what really goes on in U.S. universities....
It's apparent that female liberation has yet to hit Chile. They haven't had their post feminist, Sex and the City moment, the moment when women started realizing they can do anything a man can do (and probably better). They can have sex like a man, drink like a man, and work in a corporate setting, earning just as much as a man. That obviously hasn't happened in Chile yet, and I understand why. But let's get moving, people! Please, don't wait until it's too late, and all the amazing, smart females have left, for a country with a higher regard for women.
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