Culture Shock! Chile

Culture Shock!

by Susan Roraff, Laura Camacho, Laura Comacho

Whether you travel for business, pleasure, or a combination of the two, the ever-popular "Culture Shock!" series belongs in your backpack or briefcase. Get the nuts-and-bolts information you need to survive and thrive wherever you go. "Culture Shock!" country guides are easy-to-read, accurate, and entertaining crash courses in local customs and etiquette. "Culture Shock!" practical guides offer the inside information you need whether you're a student, a parent, a globetrotter, or a working traveler. "Culture Shock!" at your Door guides equip you for daily life in some of the world's most cosmopolitan cities. And "Culture Shock!" Success Secrets guides offer relevant, practical information with the real-life insights and cultural know-how that can make the difference between business success and failure. Each "Culture Shock!" title is written by someone who's lived and worked in the country, and each book is packed with practical, accurate, and enjoyable information to help you find your way and feel at home.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction

227 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1998

Reviews

[Kevin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Though it markets itself as a catch-all guide for expatriates moving to Chile, "Culture Shock" is really for corporate types from wealthy, Western countries who are being transferred to Santiago. And who have a more-than-healthy fear about it.

While the book does do a minimally acceptable job of summarizing the idiosyncrasies of Chilean culture, the authors' dead-on-arrival writing style, aforementioned class bias, and inability to scratch below the surface of Santiago's social elite, make this a highly uneven read. The authors even cite Chile's water as being universally safe to drink - this is true in many parts of the country, though those who are heading north and do not wish to spike the arsenic count in their blood streams should choose to abstain.

If you haven't caught on to the author's class leanings by the time you read that it's never appropriate to use the familiar "tú" form to refer to the "hired help," take the following paragraph:

"The rise in foreign investment has been accompanied by a change in attitude. Foreign capital is now seen as a business partner in the country's development. This is a drastic change from the 1960s when the predominant view was that multinational corporations served only to strip the country of its wealth without stimulating further development."

While infuriating in its own right, it is also factually wrong: many (if not most) Chileans, and that even includes a healthy number of the spoon-fed corporate ladder-climbers whom seem to make up the bulk of the writers' circle of friends, resent the heavy role that foreign corporations - and particularly Spanish ones - play in Chile's economy. Fortunately, few Chileans outside of the Piñera administration actually believe the laughable "partner in the country's development" line.

[Annika · Rating 2 out of 5]

Before travelling to meet my partner’s family for the first time in Chile, I read the edition of this book from 2011. Unfortunately a lot of information was very outdated (“don’t wear jeans when visiting someone’s home “, “always walk single ladies home”, “only artists can be openly gay in Chile”...) and it’s very hard to believe that such information wasn’t outdated already in 2011. The book clearly has a higher-class viewpoint to things, like the activities it recommends for free time, which made me feel quite uncomfortable. Still I did learn many interesting things about customs, food, celebrations etc. that I hadn’t thought of asking my partner.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read through this as I helped my son with a project for Spanish class. We have friends from Chile, and I was surprised to realize that I understand Chilean customs better than I thought, just from being around them.

Things I learned:

It's polite to be late to social events.

There is corn with kernels so large that popcorn is the size of golf balls.

New Year's is in the middle of the summer (duh) so it involves BBQs, the beach and fireworks. Doesn't that sound funner than setting off a brick of firecrackers in the snow in the back yard?

They eat on a rather European schedule: breakfast, lunch, "once" (which literally translates to eleven) at 5 and dinner late at night.

Fruit is eaten with fork and knife.

I'm not sure how much of this guide to take very seriously, as her information on Mormons stated authoritatively that there are "temples in every town," and that they give "full scholarships" for study in the US. He he. Chapels in every town, and opportunity for study abroad is more like it.

Also a whole section on business practices and what to expect if you work there.

[Restokes92 · Rating 5 out of 5]

The main idea of this book is to describe the festivals of Chile. The genre of the book is nonfiction.

I would use this book to teach about the diversity of cultures from around the world. I would focus on how different words or language is across the world and help students to pronounce words like Tangata Manu which is a festival celebrated on Easter Island by Chileans.

The author provided (as the authors in this series always do) a huge amount of detail on the festivals of Chile. Not only were the festivals described, but the history of Chile is also described. Along with illustrations, photographic portraits of the festivals are also provided for visual learners to make up a great description of Chilean festivals.

[Nicola · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, yeah, a bit embarrassed (is there a "bare" "ass" in embarrassed or is my mind in someone´s gutter??) to even have read this book. Never read it in public. Why? Because I hate feeling like a tourist. It´s all about wading past the impersonal, shallow end of the pool filled with children´s urine.... I appreciated this book with its chilenismos and etiquette lessons and historical facts, etc. But, ultimately, it´s about details for me, not generalizations, and it´s also always about living in a place, not reading about it. Felt too much like armchair (or, in my case, stationary bike) reading.

[Blanca Vera · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can't believe how horribly outdated this book is, even when reading the 2011 edition.

"With the exception of artists, gays remain in the closet. It would be rare to meet an openly gay couple." Seriously, was this written in the 80's?

"While the pill is is relatively inexpensive, the cost is still prohibitive for lower income sectors." The pill is given for free!!!!


"VISITING A CHILEAN HOME....Tips on Socialising • Dress nicely, no jeans"

"As recently as a few years ago, women would not venture out to the bars or discos if not in the company of a man, whether as part of a couple or group."

This was written before I was born, I am sure.

[Carly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this book on the airplane to Chile. It was definitely a good intro to the country. It contained some interesting information and I really liked all the info on the political history. It helped us feel better prepared for the cultural differences for sure. Some of their information, like arriving late for parties and such aren't necessarily true according to our Chilean friends, but it seems most of the things they mention are accurate. I'd recommend it if you're planning on traveling to Chile and have no idea about what to expect (like I did).

[Lanelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very good book, if you, like me, will soon be travelling to Chile. It includes popular slang terms, a pronunciation guide for Chilean Spanish, and a lot of great information about the culture. It did include some information that many might not find necessary for a short trip to Chile, like the history of the nation and how it was formed. Though not necessary, I still found this information interesting.

[Karla · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was curious about how Chile would be depicted. There are some things that I never heard about while I lived there. Some things I did. The book is ok if you want a general idea and can read it with a grain of salt.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although the edition that I read was about 16 years old, there were some useful pieces of information in this book. I recently went on a trip to Chile; much of what is written is still valid.