Mas de Santiago

The Good

Where to start? We've been here almost 3 weeks now and we've had many good experiences. We have moved into our new apartment and I love it. We're on the 20th floor and have a beautiful view of the Andes. Our bedroom windows look down onto a pretty little equestrian park and the Chilean military grounds. Across the street is Parque Arauco, one of the biggest parks in Santiago, and a huge (albeit VERY expensive) mall. We have 4 bedrooms, 3 1/2 bathrooms and a big living room and balcony. I have never lived in a high rise before, so it's been a fun experience. There are a few cracks on the walls from the earthquake, but other than that you can't even tell one took place. Of course we're hoping the 'earthquake every 25 years' trend lasts and we won't experience one while we're here. Chile actually has the best earthquake protected buildings in the world. Their building standards go way above and beyond what you find in the States. Still. I don't really want to test it out.

We have hired a Nana, which has been wonderful. She is very sweet and happens to be a member of the church, although we didn't know that when we hired her. She's great! She cleans for us and watches the kids when we go out. Can you believe what a posh life I'm living? I better not get too used to it since we're only here 4 months. We've been able to go out 3 or 4 times by ourselves and it has been a lot of fun. We've gone to a Cuban restaurant, a Colombian restaurant and we've even started taking Salsa lessons. Being the gringos that we are we still have a lot to learn, but we're having fun doing it!

Jay has started preschool and it is going really well. His teacher is amazing. She thinks he'll pick up Spanish pretty quickly - it's incredible how fast kids can master a new language. The school is about a 10 minute walk from our house and I have definitely been doing a lot of walking. Everyone we've met so far has been very kind and welcoming. We heard that Chileans don't always like foreigners but we haven't seen that at all. The people here have been very good to us.

Mandarin oranges are in season here and they are so yummy. The fresh fruit juices are excellent and being in a big city, there are a plethora of good restaurants to try.


The Bad (or maybe I should say - The Adjustments)

Having to cook without my usual ingredients has been tough. I'm still trying to get the hang of things. While you can find some American products they are very expensive. It's been difficult to adjust my cooking to what I can find. Also, I am so tired of recreating my kitchen every time we move. It takes a while to get everything you need. Think about it - every time you move you have to buy ketchup and mustard and flour and sugar and spices and meat and etc etc etc. I also don't have things I usually do like a good garlic press, good knives, cookie sheets, baking dishes and the like. We've bought some things, but it can be frustrating at times. It has nothing to do with Chile, it's just part of moving. And I can't expect to find the products I normally use in a different country. This isn't America, that's why we're here! But it does take some adjusting.

Living in a big city doesn't really fit my personality. I'm glad we're able to do it for a short period of time, but I would never choose to live like this permanently. I'm just not a big city girl. There's too much traffic, too much smog, too many people, too much busy-ness and too much concrete. Santiago is a beautiful city, but there are 5.5 million people here. No matter where in the world we live that's just too many for me. But like I said, this is temporary so I can enjoy the good things about the city (lots to do, great places to eat, cool things to see) and know that in the end I want to end up somewhere with more of a small town feel. Luckily, Mike feels the same way.

The Ugly

I miss my car!!!! Again, this has nothing to do with Chile itself, but I definitely miss having a car. It's fine walking a lot, I actually enjoy it, but sometimes you just need a car. Take yesterday for example. The wind was blowing, the rain was coming down and I had to walk to pick up Jay from school. I had to take poor tiny Amaya out with me too. I bundled her up and threw a warm blanket over her stroller, but I still felt bad. It wasn't a pleasant experience. Mike asked me, "Why didn't you just take a taxi?" It actually never occurred to me. Maybe next time I'll try that. But still. I miss my car!

So to sum things up, we're doing well here. We're enjoying our experiences and trying to make the best of it all. Remember, if anyone wants to see things down here firsthand you're always welcome!

Here are some pictures of the city and the kids.

Sunset here can be pretty amazing!

Of course the World Cup has been huge down here. Before Chile got out the Chileans were over the top excited. Before and after every game you could hear horns honking nonstop around the city. Everyone had flags, dressed up in the Chilean colors and would randomly break out into the Chilean chant "Chi, Chi, Le, Le, Le! Chi, Chi, Le, Le, Le!" It was pretty remarkable. Everyone watched the games. We found that going grocery shopping during the game was the best time to go. We were the only ones in the supermarket. Here is a picture of our street on a Monday afternoon during the game.

Here it is on a normal day.

Unfortunately, Chile is now out. But it was fun while it lasted!

And here are some pictures of the apartment:

Our bedroom

Jay's room (yup - there's Eva, the world traveler)

Guest room (with My-My on the bed)

Kids bathroom.

Our bathroom.

View from our room.

Military grounds.

Kitchen

Living room