¡Hola a todos!
Yes I am still alive and well here in Santiago, Chile. I
know it has been a very long time since I have written, but the past month here
has been a whirlwind! It’s hard to believe the half way point in my time in
Chile is just days away (May 15th). On one hand I can’t believe how
fast the time is going, on the other hand, the past month, at times, has felt
like years!
As many of you know, Deirdre and I have had our fair share
of housing troubles here. The goal when we came here was to live together with
a host family, or at least other Chileans to get the full cultural experience.
Little did we know that when we arrived in the beginning of March (roughly the
equivalent of the beginning of September for us season-wise, back to school and
all) EVERYONE would be looking to rent apartments. We quickly realized the host
family situation would likely not work out, as there were very few options
available and we needed to be near la línea roja (the red line on the metro) to
get to work everyday, which made looking for an apartment a better option. We
consulted countless CompartoDepto, Craiglist and newspaper ads and sent message
upon messages with no luck. Either there would only be one room available, the pictures
wouldn’t match the actual place, or, surprise, it’s no longer available (take
your darn ad down then!!!!).
Eventually we moved in with a Chilean woman and her daughter
who were renting two rooms, and May 15 will mark me staying here for one month.
However, this day will also mark the day we move into a different apartment.
Many of you know the silly story about why, so I won’t go into detail. Let’s
just say we have a lot of recipes planned for next week!
I’ve also had a bit of personal bad luck within the last
month as well. I got my debit card “eaten” by an ATM here. Ironically, I was
trying to take out a large sum of money for my security deposit for the first
apartment when this happened. Apparently I had gone over my allotted limit that
I could withdraw for the day, and thus when the transaction was completed no
pretty pesos came popping out. I was familiar with the concept of the withdraw
limit, having an ATM in Patagonia tell me very clearly on the screen that I
reached the limit. However, I saw no such message this time, so I kept double
checking to make sure the money wasn’t in the little box (they warned us that
sometimes people manipulate the ATMS to make it “hide” the money) all while the
screen keep telling me to take my card. No I won’t take my card!!! I had
thought the transaction was processed and that my money should still be on its
way and that if I took my card, the transaction would end and leave me without
money. Well, that was the worst possible thing I could do, because, as a security
measure, if you don’t take your card quickly enough, the machine will take it
so someone else can’t come by and swipe it. I knew nothing about this at the
time, so there went my card. I had a slight glimmer of hope as the screen told
me to go to the nearest Santander Bank (I was using a Santander ATM in a gas
station) to get it back. As it was Sunday night, I knew it would have to wait
until tomorrow. I enlisted the help of the Teaching Chile program coordinator,
and she called first to see if it would even be there, but was doubtful as she
has only heard of cards being destroyed immediately when this happens, and
sadly she was right.
But, after some panic, I realized it’s the 21st
century and I’m living in a big urban center- clearly these things happen and
thus there are solutions. I called my bank to make sure money I attempted to
take out wasn’t actually charged on my account, and thankfully it was not. In
hindsight, I don’t remember the ATM asking if it could apply the $3 CLP fee to
process the transaction, so that was a sign that it didn’t go through, even
though I never got the message that the limit was reached- I guess all ATMs are
different. I had them place a hold on the account just in case, and they sent
my parents a new card which they in turn express mailed here, and within a week
and a half I had a new card! However- I still needed money for rent! Like-
right then! So after talking with some friends I realized Western Union was my
best bet. It allows you to wire money internationally. The only slightly
annoying part was that I had to write and sign a letter to my Dad giving him
permission to take the money out of my checking account so he could wire it to
me. Thankfully I was still at the hostel at the time, and they were extremely
helpful with allowing me to use their scanner and fax machine for this, and had
a service to make international calls free via a Skype application on the
landline phone. Within the next day or two, I went to a Western Union location
called Chileexpress and had the money safely in my hands.
I had about a month grace period until, of all nights, the
night of my birthday. I had a great night with some friends eating a taste of
home for dinner from Applebee’s (boneless wings and cheesy chicken penne pasta)
with CHURROS for desert (how funny to
see that on the menu at Applebee’s!). Then we went dancing at one of my
favorite clubs: Club Urban. On the way back though near the crowded Baquedano
metro area, a very clever thief ran by and literally cut my wristlet OFF my wrist.
Thank God he didn’t cut ME by accident and that my house key was attached to
the part that remained on my wrist. It’s my own fault for not having a better
hold on it, but Chile also had one of the highest rates of petty crime in South
America. Nothing violent at all- in terms of actual violence it is by far the
safest country on the continent, but pickpockets and thieves thrive here-
several people from our program have had similar experiences. So that clearly
put a damper on my birthday- I had to cancel my card AGAIN, replace my Chilean
phone, and when I go home I will have to get a new license. But there was
nothing of real value thank goodness- no electronics and no money other than a
few 100 peso coins (worth twenty cents in USD).
But still- all I can do is chalk it up to experience. I have
a much tighter hold on my purses and bags now- who knows, if this didn’t happen
I could still be as lax as I was and someone could have made off with my entire
purse at any time. I learned that my bank is literally available 24/7 and that
if you call via Skype it’s free! (And this is true for calling any 800 number
with Skype, fyi.) I had the experience of finding and purchasing a new Chilean
phone, which was a little awkward with my still developing Spanish but great
practice and a confidence booster once I left with it in my hand. And I never
really liked my license picture anyway.
There are definitely days here when I think why. I could be
in my nice air conditioned car right now cruising along to work with steady
hours and a much fatter paycheck instead of sweating while speedwalking to
class and praying the buses cooperate. I could be coming home, relaxing with my
family and not having to worry about budgeting enough money for food/rent/my
metro card (which I also had to replace, but it cost the equivalent of $2 USD).
I could be using my trusty GPS to guide me to new places instead of the
precarious google maps and transantiago bus guides.
But at home I can’t practice Spanish everyday with actual
Spanish speakers. I don’t have that feeling of excitement when I’m rushing
through crowds of people to get to the metro or bus. I can’t casually go off to
Viña del Mar, Valparaíso or Pucón for the weekened (that blogpost is coming
soon too, I promise) and I certainly can’t take in the breath-taking cites of
the Andes every morning or see the beautiful view of the city lit up in lights
every night.
I know even while I am still here that this trip has had and
will continue to have a profound effect on me. I don’t necessarily “feel”
different now, but I think I’m starting to see things with a greater sense of
clarity. I used to stress so much about every. little. thing. I felt like I had
to do and see and be everything all at once right now, and if there is anything
I’ve learned from Chilean lifestyle, is that it’s okay to SLOW DOWN. You can’t
see the good things right in front of you if you’re always racing towards the
finish line.
I have about a month
and a half like in Santiago, and then Deirdre and I and possibly our friend Amy
are planning on spending our last three weeks traveling. I’m compiling a
“bucket list” about the things I want to do here that is still in the works…but
here are some things I’ve done so far that quite Chilean:
-Experienced a “terremoto”!
This means “earthquake” in Spanish, and is also the name of a rather strong
adult beverage. I quite enjoyed the latter, but as for the actual earthquake…I
slept through it! There has only been one so far since March so I’m hoping to
at least feel another small one (I know- what a thing to wish for). Though I
was aware of it on some level. I woke up because I felt like someone jumped on
my bed but assumed it was just a dream. I went back to sleep and then proceeded
to have two dreams about earthquakes: one where I experienced one and one where
I was back home and lamenting the fact that I didn’t feel one at all here. How
weird is that!
-Went to an “asado”.
It essentially is a BBQ here and most commonly happens on Saturday nights.
Deirdre and I met a woman on our Patagonia trip who invited us to her house the
following weekend. We had delicious carne
and chorizo (steak and sausage), ensalada chilena (tomato and onion-
don’t even get me started on how obsessed I am with onion now), pebre (a salsa like spread), rice, a
typical green salad, and, of course, pisco
sour to drink (a VERY Chilean drink which is made from a type of pisco- a type of liquor that is
technically a brandy and similar to wine and made form grapes- lemon juice and sugar. Some people also use a
raw egg to make it “frothy” but thankfully our generous hosts did not- no salmonella
please!) After dinner we enjoyed a typical Chilean dessert called Mote con
Huesillo. It’s an
interesting drink consisting of a sweet nectar-like liquid from a peach with
the remain of a dried peach in it and husked wheat at the bottom. We
then had dulce de leche ice cream
(very similar to caramel, but made from condensed sweetened milk, hence the
name, though it is also known as “manjar”).
This was much more extravagant than a typical “asado” but it was absolutely
amazing.
-Climbed Cerro San
Cristóbol! At the top is a statue of the Virgin Mary that can be seen from
pretty much anywhere in Providence as she is lit up at night. Consequentially,
you can see all of Providence from the top, and the view is breathtaking.
-Experienced a variety of nights out in Bellavista,
Santiago’s bohemian “barrio”
(neighborhood) that has lots of great nightlife including restaurants, cafes,
bars and “discotecas” if you’re like
me and love to dance!
-gone out for Miércoles
po’. It’s essentially designed for foreigners to go out on a Wednesday
night at different semi-elaborate locations that changes every week. Entrance is
free up until a certain point, but extranerjas
generally can always get in for free. The last one I went to was literally on Cerro San Cristóbal. The view was unbelievable!
-Bought an enormous amount of produce for dirt cheap at La Vega- a giant market just north of
Providencia. Produce markets are one of the things I will miss most about
Chile. The selection is so vast, everything is cheap, and the quality is
amazing. I’ve noticed in particular the grapes are amazing, but then again,
it’s a huge wine capital!
-Eaten lots and lots and lots of empanadas. I’ll do a longer entry on food soon, but they’re
basically similar in nature to a crepe, but with much thicker bread folded
over, and have generally specific fillings (cheese, ham and cheese, pino [shredded beef with onion, part of
a hardboiled egg, and an olive]). They’re super cheap and great for a quick
meal or for comfort food.
Now that life has calmed down a little, I really do want to
try to post more, so be on the look out! Until then-
¡Ciao!
No comments:
Post a Comment