I think we have progressed from the "overwhelmed" stage of our ex-pat experience into the "aware" stage. Rather than merely trying to survive the day-to-day, we are becoming keenly aware of our surroundings and taking it all in. Jeremy had an "Ah ha" moment the other day which sums it all up:
Chile is a nation of imports. The Chileans essentially shopped around for the best source for all their expertise.
For example, the military was imported from Germany - which was particularly apparent on the 200th Birthday of Chile on Sept. 18 when we witnessed the army goose-stepping to German marching music, in the traditional Prussian uniforms with feathered helmets, just outside our temporary apartment. The navy was imported from England. All practices relating to the navy are inherently British, including the uniforms, drill practices, etc. The police were imported from Italy. The police here are even called the Cabinero and they wear the same brown uniforms.
All this sounds logical and is obvious, but the real revelation for us was when we realized where they imported customer service from - France. Enough said!
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