Culture Shock! Chile - A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette

Culture Quiz 247

The best choice is  A quiet dinner in your home is

the perfect way to socialise with any Chilean, and it is an

important part of doing business in Chile. While the reputation

of your company obviously matters, Chileans like to think that

they are doing business with individuals, not just nameless

representatives. It is much better to establish these close

friendships as the Chileans do, in their homes. Of course,

while Chilean businesspeople do occasionally take clients out

to a restaurant, it is preferable to eventually introduce your

business associates to your family in your home.

SITUATION EIGHT

You make friends with a single expatriate woman. While in
Chile she meets a Chilean man and they begin a romantic
relationship. You accompany the new couple to dinner
and a show, and in the course of the evening you discover
that the man is in his mid-30s yet lives at home with his
parents, never worked until finishing his advanced degree
and insists on seeing your woman friend every day. The next
day your friend asks your opinion of her new boyfriend.
What do you think?

 Obviously a wierdo. You tell your friend to run as fast as
she can.
 Seems like a typical Chilean. You wish her happiness in
the relationship.

Comments

While  may be many foreigners’ initial impression, all
of the above behaviours are typical in Chile and in no way
indicate deviant conduct.
 is the appropriate response. It may be hard to believe
that the man is not a total loser, but he is only behaving
as Chilean society would have good sons and male suitors
conduct themselves. In many cultures, a man this age who
lives at home would be considered strange. But in Chile a
single man who has just entered the job market often stays
on at home for the convenience of free food, laundry and
cleaning. He feels no pressure to leave either from his family