Family

Family defines life in Chile to a very large extent, and I am no exception here. Things are going well, though I am looking forward to a "fun break" in Buenos Aires next week. Approximately 90% of my conversations occur with family members: father, brother, sister, sister-in-law, nephew, niece, and sister-in-law's family. Say hello to some of them below.

Family is about reproduction in Chile. A recent newspaper article on the rise of the birth rate (it dipped 2004-2006 and is now back to its 1999 level), tells us it is good for the birth rate to rise, but does not say why. According to a sociologist "it is still very important for people to have children because they give stability when things are difficult at work and you don't know how long your partner will be around". Children make up for the deficiencies in your professional and love life. The article goes on to say that, unfortunately, the increase in natality isn't observed in women aged 20 to 34 but in "high risk groups": teenagers and women of "advanced age". The only women I know in Chile who have had children over age 35 are having their 3rd or 4th. On the other hand, another recent article in the same paper was entitled: "16 and Pregnant: the MTV show that is uncomfortably close to Chilean reality". It is well known that the teenage pregnancy rate has risen steadily and terribly over the past 20 years, due to the combination of increased political and economic freedom with sustained levels of Church-led social control.

No one talks about what comes after birth: how these fearsome mothers stressed by the instability of work and love can raise their little dolls. Compound the problem with the low, low quality of schools (more on this some other day). A friend (with no children) said to us that, during a recent trip to Argentina, he was amazed by how much Argentine parents love their kids, because that is not the case in Chile (he is Chilean). On a recent bus ride I encountered three anecdotes that provide some evidence of this. A 10-year old boy told his mother, at the bus stop, that he made the winning goal during their soccer match. The little kids beat the big kids. The mother said nothing: no bravo, no hug, not even a smile. A father, in his suit, pulls his 10-year old with him to the front of the bus line, cutting in front of everyone else. I complained, everyone else was mute. Finally, another 10-year old rolls up his sleeves as high as possible because it was hot on the bus. His care-taker (his uncle I think) tells him: you look like a nerd if you do that. When you roll your sleeves they can only go 3/4 of the way up, thats the cool way.

One more story, picked up in my first two weeks here. You've seen that I've been going biking and hiking in the nearby countryside and mountains. Through that I met a friend of a friend; he is in his early 30s and has full custody of his 6-year old daughter. The mother seems to not be very interested (who knows the truth). He loves to talk about her and he also loves to spend the weekend on his mountain bike and hiking. A few months ago he sent her to live with his mother because, he told me, it was too hard to meet his work commitments and her time-table. But he doesn't even spend the weekend with her. Frankly, bullshit, it was too hard to take her mountain biking.

Meanwhile neoliberal public policies - on health, education, you name it - assume a stable and cooperative family where both parents work and pay the bills. No statistics exist on this, but I bet that a conservative estimate is that 45% of Chilean families are "broken": ie., the father left long ago, the grandparents care for the kids, the mother had a child with each one of her 3 or 4 different partners, the maid is the primary care-giver, etc. In this context its good for the birth rate to increase? I think every priest, bishop and pope should go live with a Chilean family and pay the bills before they express any further opinions (chastity belts included please).

Diego (nephew), at the end of his first afternoon with me. (hahaha) 

Ricky and Lola, my sister's cats, in our apartment. She said: You don't understand, they are like your children.

Sara (niece), she is "mi gorda exquisita", I just can't resist her!!! She laughs ALL the time. Look at those legs!

Father, brother and kids in the stroller I got them in Oakland, on a Sunday stroll together. This building was built in 265 days to be ready for a big UN meeting in 1972, under Allende. Pinochet turned it into a military headquarters. It burnt a few years ago, and was just reconverted into a cultural center. Its very nice actually.