MARCELA ABADI

Lincoln Elementary

Olympia, Wa.

En mi estadia en Chile, estuve constantemente notando los diferentes modismos usados con el habla del Castellano. Estuve fascinada con palabras como "al tiro" para decir "ahora", "al minuto". Tambien en el uso de la palabra "ubicar" para encontrar no solo un sitio, o lugar, pero tambien para encontrar a una persona. Mi fascinacion fue al mas alla para notar el uso de las palabras dobles. Como por ejemplo, los Chilenos se despiden diciendo "chau" dos veces, "chau chau"; y para describir un lugar pequeno dicen "pichi, pichi". El equipo nacional de futbol se llama "Colo-Colo"; y en el lenguage Mapuche, el saludo es "mari, mari". Sera que estas palabras repetidas vienen de la influencia indigena de los Mapuches? Me entanto notar que varios puntos geograficos tienen palabras dobles, como unos de los rios mas grandes es el "Bio-Bio", un volcan en el sur se llama "Lloa, Lloa", y dos rios en Valdivia se llaman "Cau-Cau" y "Calle-Calle". Tambien el juego de futbol de mesa se llama "taca-taca" y cuando los Chilenos dicen "No" nunca lo dicen una vez, sino varias veces: "no, no no, no". Me encanto oir las varias veces en que esas palabras dobles eran dichas. Me lo llevo como un gran recuerdo. Chau, chau!

Mark Rosenblum

Everett Alternative High School

Everett, WA

There I was, standing almost waist-deep in a tide pool, in freezing cold water. The waves were crashing around me. It looked the same as Washington's coast; it smelled the same, except everything was wonderfully different. This is Chile. The common starfish had ten to twenty arms, not five. The seaweeds were branched, long and tubular. The shore birds complaining about me were different species than those that I knew. Finally, I knew I was south of the equator--I was far from home.

Southwest of Valdivia it happened to me again. It looked like Washington's Olympic Rainforest, but it wasn't. Sure, there was Spanish moss and lichens hanging from the branches, but there were so many different kinds of trees not at all like in Washington state.

Unlike the U.S., there seems to be real pride in Chile's developing nation status.The pride in the success of their economy exudes from everyone--from the taxi cab drivers to the deans of universities. Even though I am still skeptical about the long term success of their economy, you have to admire those "Chicago boys" and their free enterprise system. I think they have had a real impact on the Chilean economy and mentality.