Whilst we would love to tell you about the many local activities in Chile, the feel of the air, the aesthetically pleasing and sublimely fragrant flowering trees and plants, how much we enjoy living it up ‘Chile Style’ (because summer in the southern hemisphere does feel different), we are instead going to spend some time writing about the emergence of Chile into the World Market.  Since we did our fair share of travelling and researching the world before we decided that Chile would be our new home perhaps you will find some useful information in our humble thoughts and writings.

It is no secret that Chile is poised for tremendous growth and there are opportunities galore for anyone with the brains and background necessary to take this thriving, economically healthy country to the next level in world economic affairs.  The fact that there are corporations around the world who have brought with them an influx of wealth into Chile is also apparent.   But what is a bit of a secret is this:  Chile is like a young adult looking out at its worldwide "audience" from behind the curtains on a stage.  Much like a teenager soon to experience college graduation, Chile has its entire future ahead of it.  The country is the Class Valedictorian, the student voted Most Likely to Succeed and the pupil with the Highest Grade point Average all rolled up into one sweet package. 

Not the seasoned veteran in world economics and lacking some street smarts, Chile nevertheless has all the bases covered.  Textbook and hands-on education are two different animals and the USA has been raising the bar of technology and innovation for many, many years.  During this time, Chile has been watching the world and the USA in particular, as it has quietly been growing and gaining in stature.   Chile has been an apt student and has learned the lessons well.  We think the world is in for a very big surprise.

We gringos from the USA have been in economic warp drive for so many years that we tend to take many things for granted.  The USA has been a world leader in production, per capita GDP and agricultural output for so long that it is now simply taken for granted.  That having been said, the rate of growth experienced in the States, while significant over recent years, pales in comparison to Chile's.

Try to appreciate what has taken place in this South American country in the last 20 years.  Chile has developed a world class infrastructure with excellent transportation, communication and medical provision.  The banking system is stable, consistent and has plenty of capital to lend for worthy projects and home mortgages are commonplace for many citizens.  The ports are modern and efficient.  Chile also has one of the most transparent economies in the world today.

Few, if  any countries can boast the type of accomplishment and advancement that Chile has achieved in such a relatively short period of time.   Diligence and hard work has paid off.  Yet, in the not too distant past, most Chileans accepted dirt roads and ferry rides across the many rivers, just to reach one particular town.  Three decades ago, it was an adventure to travel from Santiago to Pucón!   Now it takes about eight hours and the roads are so nice it is hard to believe it could possibly have ever been any different!  Zapallar, currently less than a two hour zip to the coast, once upon a time was a six hour plus journey.

Take one moment to picture the changes that have taken place around the world over the past 30 years.  Faxes, calculators, desktop computers, hands-free car phones and a TV/DVD player in the car - just to keep the kids occupied during a last minute business briefing;  not to mention remote controls that can be programmed to turn on lights in your home, open up the garage, disable the electronic security system, (if you have one) and even tell your microwave to defrost the frozen dinner and voila, you will arrive home to an instant meal!  There's more though: cell phones, electronic banking, specialized inventory control systems and even real-time tracking of order shipments via satellite positioning.  In addition to all of these changes which most of us have either helped develop or at the very least now utilize, there are literally thousands of industrial advancements and technological improvements.  No one can deny that change has been incredible and widespread and Chile has definitely not been left behind. 

Try to envisage all of these same changes that occurred in the USA, taking place in a country which not too many years before, had trouble supplying something as simple, yet necessary, as bread to its citizens.  Chile was a country with little to no infrastructure.  We recently had lunch with a Chilean-born son of Russian immigrants.  He recounted the above mentioned drive from Santiago to Pucón, now an easy eight hour trip.  Back in his youth, and this was not very long ago, it took three days to accomplish this now effortless journey.  There were ferries needed for crossing the many rivers and the road was dusty, dry gravel nearly the entire way. 

Now, look around your favorite US supermarket as you shop for groceries this winter.  The vegetable department is a good place to start.   As you survey the bounty of beautiful fruits and vegetables available for you to enjoy year round, you may notice a small plastic sticker on the plump, juicy tomatoes, avocados, oranges, peaches, nectarines and more....it will probably say ‘Produce of Chile’.   Remember, while you are up north and enjoying a winter snow, we are enjoying a warm and quite beautiful summer.  This explains those stickers on the produce.  You are looking at fruit and vegetables that were most likely still attached to their respective trees or vines down here in Chile just last week.  It is truly amazing how fast produce can be picked, processed and packed for shipment into the USA and then off it goes to stores all across the world.  This as well as countless other advances have all occurred in a relatively short period of time. 

Take a walk to the freezer section of Costco, if you have one of those warehouse stores nearby. You will most likely find that the frozen salmon you just put in your cart originated in Chile.   Chile is the world's second largest salmon producer, Norway being number one!  Then there are the wood paint stirring sticks you may need from the local Home Depot.  The sticks come from Chile; or, because one third of the world's copper comes from Chile, whenever you flip on a light switch, you can probably thank this country for the copper wiring used throughout your house.   Combine all of this with a stable, democratic society and a progressive economic system, set up by Harvard educated pencil-pushers and you can easily see that Chile is a shining star and has, in many ways accomplished the impossible.   Chile had a National budget surplus last year, sold more goods to foreign countries than it purchased and kept inflation to a low and manageable level of just over 3%.  There is a strong middle class with a high percentage of home ownership along with an excellent education system that now requires English to be taught to all students. 

As we look around the world, we view Chile as a country that has not only paid its dues but it has also formed a solid base that can sustain an avalanche of its own economic growth and prosperity.  We really cannot see this type of preparation for future growth in any other country on Earth.  Europe and the USA are becoming large debtor nations with huge impending Social Security problems.  The primary exports from the USA, besides weapons are technology and knowledge and there is no question that the USA possesses these resources in abundance.  These are all much more difficult to come by in a country which has fairly recently lifted itself from the depths of poverty and are now in high demand in a country hungry to feed its engine of growth and prosperity.