I’m in Europe now; how I wish I could have witnessed the event!

The tragic earthquake in Haiti hit at about the same time, so the election was less present in the international news than it could have been. It’s quite a big deal, really. Whilst the European media loved commenting the “leftist wave” sweeping Latin America, Chile is now taking a very different route.

Piñera is a right-wing, billionaire entrepreneur that is often compared to Berlusconi for his steady tan, face-lifted grin, and big businesses. In particular, Piñera owns a chunk of LAN Chile (the country’s main airline company), the TV channel Chilevision and the football club Colo-Colo. As my friend Molly puts it, he’s “quintessentially the new Chilean man”. The epitome of ‘modernity’ and ‘achievement’ – or what many Chileans, enthused by his charisma, fortune, and ‘success’, believe that is.

I dislike and mistrust Piñera. But hey. He’s been elected in a fair, transparent and calm manner – big up for that. 51.6% of voters want him to run their country, and the other candidate (former Christian-democrat president Eduardo Frei) was a bit of an old joke. Too bad for the left; Chileans love Michelle Bachelet, who will hand over to Piñera in March. If she had had the constitutional right to run for a consecutive mandate, she would have stood high chances to be re-elected.

My Chilean beautician (how I miss you Marina!) loved to talk about politics in the midst of leg waxing. She often asked me ‘how things work in Europe’. She guessed the left would fare poorly in the first round, out of boredom after 20 years of the centre-left Concertación – but was convinced that Chileans wouldn’t elect Piñera in the second round. Not a man who befriended a party strongly linked with the Pinochet dictatorship. "The left may not be perfect, but we believe in democracy, and we have been marked by fear, torture and death," she asserted.

Marina was wrong. These were the first presidential elections since Pinochet died in 2006; maybe it is more acceptable to embrace the right now that his ghost stopped hovering. I have always thought of Chilean society as right-wing at heart, despite 20 years of left-ish rule. Looks like it’s just falling into place.

Shot: Sebastián Piñera by Diego Sepúlveda

Or maybe you did, because you're a refined and cultured piola reader, but since I didn't know before flying there, I will assume you didn't either.

1. Easter Island, a.k.a. Rapa Nui, the most remote inhabited island on Earth, is located some 3700 km off the Chilean coast, and belongs to the Chilean Valparaiso region.

2. It's getting cheaper to go. Flights from Santiago cost from 230 euros return.

3. Food prices are understanbly very high on the island. Interestingly though, petrol, cigarettes and alcohol cost about the same as on the continent.

4. July 2010 is an expensive time to go. There will be a solar eclipse on the 11th and most hotels and places are already fully booked by, you know, people who are really really keen on standing in the shadow of the moon for 4 minutes 39 by some beautiful old statues on a Pacific Island. Mind you, if I had lots of thousands of dollars to spare, I'd think that's a very sweet way of spending them. Or I might go to the Tuomotu Archipielago (which will also get a good view) instead. Let's hope those 4 minutes 39 won't be cloudy, eh!

5. The moai (the famous big statues) date back to the XVIth century, they reckon. At the same time in Europe, we were more into Italian painting, flying machines and big castles. It is fascinating to think how distinct our cultures were then, and how (relatively) close they are now.

6. The Rapa Nui language is pretty much the same as the one spoken in Hawaii and Tahiti. "Only the Chilean took Rapa Nui, the Americans took Hawaii, and the French took Tahiti. But we're only one people," explained Jose (holder of a Chilean passport, but not Chilean, he made clear) after a quick skinny dipping session at Anakena beach. Amongst many other useful and beautiful words, I can now teach you: Iorana (hi / bye), Monire (monday) and Ahu (stone platform).

7. Non-Rapa Nui people cannot own land on the Island, whether they be Chilean hippies or greedy Russian hotel builders.

8. It's kind of difficult for Rapa Nui people to marry with another of the 4000-ish islanders, since it's forbidden by law to marry with your third cousin.

9. Kevin Costner produced a movie there in 1993. Two locals who took part in the shooting told me it's "you know, the usual Hollywood romance." Apparently dumbed down the subtleties of Easter Island culture and history for dramatic purposes, and didn't do dramatically much to boost the Island's tourism.

10. Rapa Nui musicians play 8-string flat ukuleles that look like electric guitars, only way cooler and sweeter. Only this one artist and his father make them, and if I behave they'll even make me one. THANK YOU!

Captured on the streets of La Serena a couple of days ago. Sweet, uh?

At night, most (male) taxi drivers in Santiago wait at the door to check that I get into my house alright before driving off. I thought this was a business decision: in case I've forgotten my keys or something, I may need an extra ride. My girlfriends think it's just to make sure I get home safely. Which is sweet. But mostly unnecessary and slightly patronising - I generally manage the key business alright, thank you very much.

Do they do this for guys? Do they do this in Paris or Athens?

The other day, a guitarist transformed my bus journey. He sang this gorgeous Cuban song and all the Chilean passengers were mouthing the words. It was touching and simple; I nearly cried.

La Havana is more than 6000 kms away from Santiago de Chile, but this canción still reaches out throughout the hispanophone world, 40 years after Silvio Rodriguez wrote it.

Is there a timeless song that all the passengers of a European bus could sing along to, from Oslo to Sofia? I mean SING, share and relate to the words - not just hum along to.

Sure, melodies ignore borders and can move any heart, but the European anthem won't really stick with us if it remains a mere La La La. On the other hand, I am obviously all for keeping our rich and diverse cultures and languages thriving and all that - the Eurovision lost about 37% of its charm and interest when the rules change led to pretty much all countries' contestants singing in English.

I'm even prouder to see how far European integration went and goes despite its multilingual hurdle.

My workplace is full of men. Being a girl with two breasts and a generous smile certainly helps me get stuff done quicker. I usually have no problem with it - it is only effective and sustainable because I take my job seriously and get stuff done anyway.

Today I got depressed by a poll commented in the Chilean weekly Qué Pasa. It established that Chilean WOMEN hold deeply machist views. Hence, females are off the job market not only because men and society make it harder for them, but also because women themselves believe they couldn't and SHOULDN'T work and succeed. So if both parents raise their kids to believe Mummy's only right place is at home to cook and groom, we're doomed. (Worryingly, the most educated have the most entrenched conservative opinions, but there's hope - the youngest women surveyed have the most progressive views.)

Am I perpetuating irrelevant and obsolete gender roles by wearing skirts (or picking pink and yellow for my blog template)?
Would my career develop differently if I were more stern?
Should I rule out fondness in the workplace?
Could my attitude harm me and women at large?

Whilst I mull over these questions, I'll share these Chilean blogs (in Spanish). They're girlie fun and hopefully harmless:
Zancada for "all you talk about with your (girl)friends."
Viste La Calle for Chilean street fashion.

Have a look at James Painter's enlightening piece about the impact of climate change on Chile's agriculture and economy. (For some reason the article got stranded in the BBC's "Europe" section.)

• It sucks: "Chile's world-famous wines could be particularly vulnerable to the expected changes in the climate."

So much so that large wine companies are starting to buy land further south of their current vineyards... One more valid tasty reason to roll up our sleeves and unplug the laptop's charger.

• I'd guessed: "Chile is only responsible for a tiny amount of the world's total emissions of greenhouse gases. But when expressed in per capita terms, the country is one of the worst in Latin America."

It's not easy being green here - and it's not hip either. The country's idea of progress and "modernity" seems to lean towards higher buildings, bigger cars and more disposable consumption. On a Sunday, the average family drives to the air-conditioned shopping mall, takes heaps of useless plastic bags home, and does not recycle any of its waste.

• I knew: Chileans worry about their hydroelectric supplies.

I witnessed that last year when travelling in Chiloe, usually one of the rainiest areas of the country, then struck by a severe drought. Whilst the farmers despaired and the drought caused electricity cuts in the South, back in (traditionally) dry Santiago, everybody kept watering their square of lawn a thousand times a day.

• I had no bloody idea: "Critics point out that Chile is currently committed to building coal-fired power plants. (...) coal will account for 25% of Chile's electricity supplies by 2020, and emissions will rise fourfold from the current level of 70 million tonnes a year to 300 million by 2030."

Coal...? I mean, COAL?! Can someone explain?

Image: Explora-CONICYT, 2008.

Chileans often ask me if I miss France. I don't. I miss Europe. I miss big idea(l)s and tiny details. I miss:

• People. You. My nephews and niece who can't read me.

• Places. London's South Bank. The Mediterranean Sea. Vienna's MuseumsQuartier. Brussels' Grand-Place. Copenhagen. Greece. The streets of Lisbon. The River Seine.

• Food. Gorgeous, crunchy, soft bread, especially from Germany or Austria. Organic vegetables. Moroccan tajine. Tasty chinese take-away. Butter chicken from Brick Lane. Falafel from Sababa in der Roternturmstrasse.

• Magazines. So many of them. The Economist. Colors. (French) Cosmopolitan. Courrier International. Neon. Monocle. DAMN°. Plus innumerable thick, photo-rich fashion and arty glossies... SIGH.

• Trains. All trains. ICEs. TGVs. Thalys. Eurostar. Slow trains, too.

• Hassle-free border crossing.

• A (mostly) functional welfare society with a long-term vision. Real public education. A universal healthcare system. Decent pensions.

• Culture aplenty. More exhibitions and gigs than I can see. Decently-priced books.

• A frosty Christmas. Christmas makes little sense if you spend it in flip-flops under a palm tree.

** Thank you Indigo Magazine.

Image from the menu of one of Vienna's best addresses, the cheap and delicious Sababa.

Today is Mother's day in Chile, like in many European countries.

Expectedly, most retail chains launched large advertising campaigns, inspiring their customers to celebrate this day of familial tenderness with discounted cosmetics, handbags and hair-dryers.

One of this ads caught my attention. It's a cute black-and-white photo of a man and his daughter. Catchphrase: "Hoy Mamá eliges tú" (Mummy, today YOU choose).

Read: Dear Mum, tonight you get to pick if we eat pasta or pizza, but tomorrow Daddy will be holding the reins again?

This blog is about life as I see it from the other end of the globe - down in Chile, that narrow strip of land on the Pacific coast. I'll share here what makes me angry, joyful or sad, what surprises me, what makes me pause to think. I hope some meaningful, faithful - if partial - picture of my South American experience will emerge along the way. A personal, necessarily European take on Chilean life; and in turn, a slightly changed perspective on Europe, Europeans and what affects them (us!).

Most of all, I'm hoping to have fun here - throwing words, images and ideas out there, sharing thoughts with you and seeing what happens.

Thank you for embarking on the journey with me.

Image: Americae mappa generalis, August Gottlieb Boehme, 1746, BNF.