I think one of the novelties of being in a foreign country is that I feel twice removed from my Chinese heritage. It is very a surreal and disorienting "out of body" "out of character" "out of comfort" state. It puts into perspective for me what it means to be Chinese. What it means to be the child of immigrant parents. What it means to be the child of Taiwanese-born Chinese parents. What it means to be American-born Chinese. What it means to be an American in a foreign country. A Chinese-American in a foreign country. A tri-lingual Chinese-American in a foreign country. And it makes me wonder how much or how little the people in that place understand this layered identity. How do they process me? All the nuances, the politics, the prejudices, the social constructs, my multi-cultural values, the pieces of my heritage that I choose to wear and the other pieces I've chosen to shed-- They can't they possibly understand any of that, but what do they see instead?

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

I feel the earth move under my feet

Angela: Is something...shaking? Luigi, do you feel it? I think the room is...moving, right?
Luigi: Oh, I thought I was just swaying a little because I had a little wine earlier.
Tisch Center Scholars by the 12th floor hotel pool feeling the quakes of a 5.3-magnitude earthquake in Valparaiso, 45 miles north. And a testimony to Luigi's alcoholism...(kidding!)

In the morning we met with Un Techo Para Mi País, a non-profit NGO which helps to create temporary housing and provides social inclusion programs for people in need. I LOVE their headquarters! It reminds me of a tree house/maze/playground, there are all sorts of levels and half-levels--super interesting use of the space for sure.


We also saw some samples of the houses they build.


Then, we visited ONEMI, Chile's emergency management organization, where we toured their facilities and underwent an earthquake simulation--a little scary!



Stopped for lunch by the hotel. This was just the most unexpectedly beautiful and yummy café con leche...


Last stop, the Grand Hyatt Santiago. This place just completely blew us away. I was literally exasperated at the level of hospitality they provided us. We began with a tour of the property, highly impressed by their crisis management success stories. The tour was followed by cocktails and a vast array of hors d'oeuvres on the terrace near the pool with the Food and Beverage director, the Director of Sales, and the Director of Human Resources. To top it all off, they sent us away with gift bags. It was a beautiful hotel, delicious food, and incredible staff! Definitely an experience I'll never forget.




Most exciting of all: When we returned to the hotel for the evening, a few of the girls went for a dip. I was sitting on the couch nearby, and suddenly I feel the couch shaking just slightly, but very noticeably. The shaking continued for maybe 10 seconds. I look around me and the plants are moving too. At first I wondered, "Is it just me?...or is it?..." Sure enough, we had felt the tremors of an earthquake! Only later that night online did I discover that it was 5.3 magnitude earthquake in Valparaiso (our destination tomorrow!), just 45 miles north of Santiago. How bizarre is that?

Hugs, shakes, and quakes,
Angela
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