Episode 97: We Talk All About Chicago With Special Guest, Matt Gutman

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Ian: Hey everyone, you are listening to "Coffee with Gringos.” I'm Ian Kennedy.

Paige: And I'm Paige Sutherland.

Ian: And today with us we have a very special guest, we have fellow Dynamic English teacher, fellow Gringo, and good friend—Matt Gutman. Matt, welcome to the podcast.

Matt: How's it going, guys? Thanks for having me. I'm happy to be on this podcast with you guys and share a little bit about my experience.

Ian: Great and you're doing okay in quarantine over there? We're all adjusting to this new life on our Zoom calls instead of in person. So, are you hanging in there alright?

Matt: Yeah, I'm hanging in there. You know, kind of the same as everyone. Just trying to get through this and pass the time.

Ian: Very good. Well, like I said, we're really happy to have you so everyone, if you remember, if you get lost go online and check out that audio guide and transcripts. So, Matt, since you're new to our podcast, how about you tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from? How old are you? Why did you decide to come to Chile? Just a little intro.

Matt: Perfect. So yeah, like you said, Ian, my name is Matt Gutman and I am 24 years old. It was actually my birthday last month. I love celebrating in quarantine—always fun. So, I am originally from Chicago, Illinois in the United States and I have been living in Chile for about a year now—just a little over a year. I actually decided to come to Chile because I studied abroad here in 2016. I studied in Viña del Mar and I kind of fell in love with the country of Chile, the people, the culture, everything about this country that made it so fun. And that made me want to come back when I graduated college in 2018. So, I've been living here for a year now. I started with Dynamic [English] just a couple of months ago. Yeah, I've been really enjoying it ever since. It’s been interesting working with my students on Zoom calls and not in-person, but it's still enjoyable having that that connection and being able to interact with students.

Paige: So, you studied abroad here in Chile, so is your Spanish learning mostly Chilean Spanish, or how was that adjustment when you moved?

Matt: So, when I was here in 2016, I picked up a lot of Chilean Spanish—the “pohs”, the “cachays” and all that good stuff—and I actually majored in Spanish when I studied. I went to school in Denver. And so, when I was in college, I also studied Spanish, which, of course, you know, we're not learning Chilean Spanish in a university course. So it's kind of mixed but I'd say, like most people who have spent a lot of time in Chile, their Spanish has kind of become this mix of the Spanish they learned in high school or college combined with all of the kind of “chilenismos” that we've picked up since living here.

Ian: That's awesome. And it's very interesting going from learning in a formal sense—formal Spanish—all the structures, make sure you have everything in the right place, and then you come to a place like Chile and they cut the end off of all their verbs, change the pronunciation, throw in these vocabulary words. And even for other Spanish speakers—native speakers—it seems to be a really hard dialect and accent even to get, at first. So, it's a real culture and language shock even for people who have studied Spanish or have experience with it. So, that's something I definitely felt when I first came here. So, I always think it's funny to ask what everybody's experience or what their perspective is on the language.

Matt: Yeah, of course. You go from having a ton of rules when you're in a university class and coming down here and talking with people to having no rules pretty much in Spanish, you know?

Ian: Exactly.

Paige: For Dynamic, they offer free Spanish classes and when I first arrived, I took them. And they were like, “Okay, this is what they say in Spanish and this is what they say only in Chile and it's not right.” It’s like, what?

Matt: Yeah, I kind of compare Chilean Spanish to Australian English. Though we're speaking the same language, I sometimes have trouble understanding what an Australian is saying. Which, I feel like would be comparable to someone from Spain or other parts of South America hearing a Chilean speak and being like, “What did they just say?”

Ian: That's a really accurate comparison. I like that—Australian English. Yeah, that's really good. One more question, so when studying abroad, you said you were in Viña del Mar, and Viña del Mar is considerably smaller in size and a little bit different in geography to Santiago. In Viña, you have the beach life, it’s a little more manicured, I would say—the city is a little bit nicer. So, what do you prefer between the two cities? Do you like the big, sprawling metropolis of Santiago or do you prefer the more laid-back, Viña del Mar lifestyle?

Matt: Yeah, I mean I think that's a great question. I'll always have love for Viña because living there is such a pleasure. You know, to be able to have the beach, to not have it be as hot in the summer. It really is nice to have it be a bit smaller, and there are definitely times where I miss living in Viña. And of course, then having Valparaiso right next to it. But, at this point in my life, I feel like I really prefer the big city—I really prefer Santiago. I prefer that it's more diverse, you have so many different neighborhoods. And not to say that Viña doesn't have different neighborhoods, but like you said, Santiago is just so big and sprawling that every day you could go to a new place and it never gets old. And I like having the big cities because you meet so many different people, and there's always something going on in a big city, and it just feels like every day is kind of a new adventure.

Paige: Speaking of big cities, you're from Chicago, which is actually one of my favorite cities. Tell us a little bit about Chicago for people who are listening that have never been or don't know about it.

Matt: Yeah, I mean Chicago is a great city. We’re not as fortunate as some places on the West Coast that are really surrounded by nature and we also don't have the proximity of being close to other major cities like if you're on the East Coast. For example, New York being close to Boston or D.C. or Philadelphia where you can get around pretty easily. Chicago, we have being that big city and that's kind of it. So, there's a lot of things I like about Chicago. For example, even though we don't have a lot of nature, we’re right on Lake Michigan. So, we got that in the summer, some nice beaches, great food. So, if you like deep-dish pizza, which if you’re Chilean—odds are you haven’t had it—but deep-dish pizza is delicious. Great nightlife and culture seeing a lot of great theaters, great venues for concerts. Also, what I love about the Midwest is we've got that that Midwestern charm. You know, we're just generally nice people, even though people sometimes say people from big cities are a little bit more self-centered, maybe conceited. Us in the Midwest, we’ll hold the door open for you, we always use our “pleases” and “thank you’s.” Not to say people from other areas don't do that, but you know, in the Midwest that's what we call that “Midwest manners” that we try and hold near and dear to our hearts.

Paige: It’s so true. I'm from Boston and I went to grad school at Northwestern out in Chicago. And Boston is, you know, we're a bunch of assholes. So, when people are holding the door open for me or are saying nice things, I'm like “What do you want? Why are you doing that?”

Matt: Like, if I said “Excuse me” to you, would you be offended? “What are you doing? I'm trying to get through.” You could like kick me in the shin and I'd probably apologize to you.

Paige: I love Midwestern people. They are just genuinely nice where in Boston if you're nice we're like, “What's going on here?”

Ian: Yeah, there’s an ulterior motive for that. Now you make a really good point, Matt. Being from Chicago—I’m not a Chicago guy, but a Midwest guy myself—I'm somewhat familiar just from visiting the city, and it's remarkable for me to notice that for such a big city people are more friendly. They do have that Midwest charm, those Midwest manners that we in the Midwest take a lot of pride in. And it's a little bit surprising and like you say, not everywhere, not every big city has impolite people, but it's noticeable. It's noticeable in other places outside, so it's a strange but nice fusion of big-city culture with kind of small-town manners, I guess you could say.

Paige: And a quick reminder, don't forget if you want to advance your English more, learn more, go online to dynamicenglish.cl where you can take private classes, you can take group classes. You can even now take classes online.

Paige: I do have to ask, I don't know about in Chile, but definitely here in the US, people who haven't been to Chicago are like, “Oh, Chicago. It's too cold, too windy.” What's your reaction to that?

Matt: So, too cold—maybe. I think that I've gotten used to those Chicago winters just because I grew up with them. I do love the snow and so, I mean, the summers are really pleasant. And, fun fact about the too windy: even though Chicago's nickname is called the “Windy City”, it's not actually due to physically being wind. It's not referring to the weather. It's actually being called the Windy City, because of our lack of, I'd say, trustworthy politicians. And the Windy City is referring to the fact that there's been a lot of controversies, a lot of scandals, whether it's with the mayor, the senators, or governors. Chicago politics has always been mired in a lot of controversy. So, there’s a little fun fact for you all.

Paige: No, I like that. I learned that when I moved there too, because it is windy, and everyone was like, “Oh my god, you're going to hate the winter.” But I was like, I’m from New England. I mean, this is not really any different.

Matt: Yeah, it's not too crazy.

Paige: And so, Ian—you want to start off some rapid-fire?

Ian: I was just going to say I think we're ready for rapid-fire questions. So, Matt, this is the first time that we've done this with a guest, but I think we might need to make it something regular in the future. So, what we're going to do is I'm going to ask you a series of questions relating to Chicago. So, you have two choices and you get, let's say, one or two seconds to give me a rapid-fire answer. Okay, so we'll see how you do and we'll get to know you a little bit better as the Chicagoan that you are. Okay, here we go. Three…two…one…Cubs or White Sox?

Matt: Cubs, all day.

Ian: Lou Malnati's or Giordano’s Pizza?

Matt: Lou Malnati’s. Easy.

Ian: Michael Jordan or Scottie Pippen?

Matt: It's got to be Jordan.

Ian: The Doane Observatory or the Shedd Aquarium?

Matt: Shedd Aquarium.

Ian: Winter or Summer? 

Matt: Summer.

Ian: Blackhawks or Bulls game?

Matt: That’s a tough one. Blackhawks just because the bulls aren't very good right now.

Ian: Okay, and last but not least, let's see what do we have here—day at the beach or day at Lollapalooza?

Matt: A day at Lollapalooza. You can go to the beach any day of the summer. Lollapalooza only comes around for three days in the summer.  

Ian: I thought it'd be an obvious one knowing you as a music guy, so.

Matt: Of course. Yeah, very good. So, I'm trying to think, is there any other Chicago-related questions?

Paige: Let me jump in here. What about jazz or blues?

Matt: Blues. Gotta be blues. A lot of great Chicago blues scene great jazz scene, and a lot of great blues bars in the city too.

Paige: Yeah, that's what I love about Chicago is there's always live music playing. Lincoln Park or Wicker Park?

Matt: This age of my life I'm going to say, Lincoln Park, just because more of my friends live there at the moment.

Paige: Southside or Northside?  

Matt: As a Cubs fan, also known as a Cubs fan also noise outside.

Paige: Do you like the Sears Tower better the Hancock?

Matt: It's a good question. It's been a while since I've been to either of them but I'd say Sears Tower.

Paige: I really like the Hancock though. It looks like a something from Batman.

Matt: True. It looks like it came straight out of Batman. I will say though, being a tourist, going to the Sears Tower it's a must. It's just so massive, now it's got the sky deck where you can, literally, you're standing on glass and you see the entire city below you. It's a pretty surreal experience.

Paige: I don't know if this is a comparison people say, but these are just the only schools, I can think of Northwestern or U of Chicago?

Matt: Northwestern. I grew up pretty close to Evanston, where Northwestern is located, so I grew up going to a lot of Northwestern college football games. Yeah. Go Cats.

Ian: So, Matt, I get a lot of students that ask me about cities in the US and when I tell them about the city, oftentimes they say, “Oh, it'd be great to go visit there, but what do I even do when I'm there? What do I see? What is the city about?” So, as a native Chicagoan, if you were to give some recommendations to a tourist, what are some “must-see” places? Some absolute attractions to visit while in the city of Chicago?

Matt: Yeah, it's a great question. You know, Chicago, I think, even though we're a very touristy city, sometimes people don't think that Chicago has a lot to offer. But, in reality, it does. So, for one thing, I would say, I think we've mentioned the Sears Tower—now called the Willis Tower—it’s got the sky deck like we mentioned. That's a pretty surreal experience. It's an awesome time. Going to Millennium Park, we have the famous “Bean”, which is a giant chrome bean which might not sound that interesting, but it is pretty cool. It's very abstract and it’s part of a much larger park that’s got a beautiful amphitheater, some very large and impressive fountains, and it's just all around just like a big, sprawling park that's really nice, right in the heart of the city. Go and have some deep-dish pizza that I mentioned, because, odds are you're not going to find it many other places. And, like I said, I think Lou Malnati’s is going to be your best bet to find some good Chicago deep-dish style pizza. We’ve got a lot of great museums, as well. So, like you had mentioned, the Shedd Aquarium, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Field Museum where we've got, I want to say, I think the Field Museum might have one of the largest full dinosaur skeletons, I think, maybe in the world. And then the Art Institute where you've got so many famous paintings—you've got Seurat’s paintings, you've got Picasso's works there, you've got the famous American Gothic, which is the picture of that couple with the old man holding a pitchfork. So, that's really cool. You know, if it's a nice day, go by the lake. I think that's always a really good option. Try and catch a Cubs game at Wrigley Field, if you can—it's electric. And, maybe Navy Pier, there's a good time, especially if you have kids. A lot of great options for kids over down at Navy Pier which is right on the water. It's beautiful and sometimes it's got big conventions there, as well. And they've got the famous Navy Pier Ferris wheel. So that's a really fun time, as well. So, I think there's a lot to do in Chicago, even though maybe we don't have that many known tourist locations like a place like Los Angeles or New York does.

Ian: Yeah, that's a really good description you put there and I try to tell students, as well. Because, obviously, students will say, “I want to go to Miami or I want to go to New York or I want to go to LA”—these typically very touristy, very big American cities. But there's more than a handful of slightly smaller cities that are really amazing. So, I try to just let students know about these other places that exist that aren't so, I guess, popular in tourism. So, I always talk about Chicago how great it is, so I think you've painted a better picture for our listeners and for us even, as well. So, I really hope people will branch out of those big touristy places and try to explore some other places like Chicago and get a real taste of those nice Midwest manners that we were talking about.

Matt: Exactly, yeah. We don't have Disney but we're still a fun place to visit.

Ian: That's a great phrase right there –I like it. Well, Matt, thank you so much for joining us today. We really appreciate all the knowledge you've given us about Chicago, about yourself, and hope you stay safe and stay sane in quarantine.

Matt: Yeah, thank you, guys. It was awesome to be here and talk with you guys. And, yeah, hopefully, I will come back on sometime, maybe when we're out of quarantine and our lives are a bit more interesting.

Ian: Sounds good.

Paige: Hopefully, soon. Thanks, Matt.

Matt: Hopefully, soon. Thanks, guys.

Ian: Alright, see you, Matt. So, if you guys get lost, remember, go online, check out the audio guide and transcript, and we'll see you next time.

Paige: Thanks for listening.

Paige: “Coffee with Gringos” was brought to you by Dynamic English, where you can learn English simply by using it. If you’re interested in taking classes or just want to learn more, go to our website at dynamicenglish.cl. Thanks for listening.

Key Vocabulary, Phrases & Slang:

 1.     to hang in there (phrasal verb): to survive; to be alright.

a.     We are all trying to hang in there during this long quarantine.

2.     to study abroad (verb): to study in a foreign country.

a.     There are many students who choose to study abroad each year.

3.     to pick up (phrasal verb): to learn something from experience or being surrounded by it.

a.     I picked up some French during my time living in Canada.

4.     to major (verb): to study and graduate with a specific degree in university.

a.     I majored in Business Administration in university.  

5.     chilenismo (noun, slang): a Chilean-specific saying or phrase.

a.     I loved learning the chilenismos when I first moved to Chile.

6.     manicured (adjective): clean, organized, cared for.

a.     The manicured streets of Singapore bring tourists there every year.

7.     sprawling (adjective): spread out over a large area.

a.     São Paulo a big, sprawling city in Brazil.

8. laid-back (adjective): relaxed; easy-going.

a.     The laid-back vibe of the city makes it a great place to spend time.

9.     proximity (noun): the closeness in distance between places.

a.     The proximity between Santiago and Buenos Aires is around 1,200 km.

10.  odds are (idiom): expression used to describe the probability or chances of something.

a.     Odds are that if you’ve never been to Chicago, you’ve never tried deep-dish pizza.  

11.  Midwest (noun): The central region of the United States.

a.     Matt and I come from the Midwest, where being polite is very important.

12.  conceited (adjective): arrogant; vain; too proud of oneself.

a.     Some big-city people can be conceited to tourists.

13.  ulterior motive (noun): a concealed or hidden reason for doing something.

a.     I wasn’t sure if he was just being nice to me or if he had an ulterior motive.

14.  fusion (noun): mixture; a combination of two things joined together.

a.     A fusion of big-city attractions with Midwest manners makes Chicago a great place to visit.  

15.  pleasant (adjective): nice; friendly; likable.

a.     The people of Chicago are generally very pleasant.

16.  mired (adjective): to be negatively affected; to be held back.

a.     Chicago is mired in political controversy.

17.  Lollapalooza (noun): a multi-day music festival, founded in Chicago in 1991.

a.     Lollapalooza is one of the biggest music festivals in the world.

18.  surreal (adjective): unreal; bizarre; strange.

a.     Seeing the wild animals up close in nature was a surreal experience for them.

19.  chrome (adjective): resembling a shiny metallic color.

a.     Her dad bought a chrome motorcycle that shined in the sun.

20.  abstract (adjective): conceptually different; bizarre; strange.

a.     The abstract art in the museum was so interesting to observe.

21.  amphitheater (noun): an open-style theater used for performances such as concerts and musical plays.

a.     The amphitheater is one of the largest in all of North America.

22.  pitchfork (noun): a farm tool with a long handle and sharp metal prongs.

a.     The pitchfork is a common farm tool with many uses.

23.  electric (adjective): exciting; energizing.

a.     Wrigley Park is an electric place to go and see a baseball game.

24.  convention (noun): a large meeting or conference.

a.     There are many large conventions in Chicago that attract tourists to the city every year.

25.  Ferris wheel (noun): an amusement park ride that has a large vertical revolving wheel in which people can sit and ride.

a.     The Ferris wheel at Navy Pier is a well-known tourist destination.

26.  to branch out (phrasal verb): to do something different than what is normal or routine.

a.     I hope people will branch out and decide to visit Chicago instead of only New York and Miami.