Chileen in Chile

Hello my dear fam! Welcome to the last blog of October (!?!??) following a beautiful week of warm Santiago spring weather. I have to preface this blog saying that it won't be very long or full of adventures because this week was very low key and beautiful and I spent most of it trying to spend as much time as I could meandering around with the people I love and doing not a whole lot. But I did meet 5 kittens, explore Santiago's most incredible farmer's market, went to the Hollywood Hills of Chile, and confronted Pedro Pablo about stealing my hidden cereal collection. So maybe this week was crazier than I thought!  1) Adding a new kind of baby to my Chilean life Carina's host cat had five little beebs a little over month ago, and after finally leaving the bedroom closet they were closed up in and exploring the world a couple of feet away from their mother, we were allowed to visit and cuddle them. Goodness me oh my were my expectations more than met. I just want t...

What!? It's Sunday and Olivia has actually posted a blog on time! Wow, let us rejoice.  This week has flown by! I know that tends to be a reoccurring sentiment, but it surely doesn't make it any less true. This week was full of enjoying spring that has finally made its way to Santiago. Today was in the mid 80s and this coming week is looking to be just as cozy. That means it's time for my June era toenail polish to bid farewell as the Chacos and Birks move to the front of my closet. Trufa (my cafe of choice) removed the tent sides from their outdoor dining area allowing the warm air to sneak in as I sat with friends for 3 hours on Wednesday. And everything about that afternoon was made better by the sandwich I had! Baguette. Serrano ham (about which we had a long discussion, and in fact not all Serrano ham is from the Real Deal Iberian Pig ™  fed with acorns. Do your research before purchasing). Watercress covered with a dijon mustard and olive oil dressing that remind...

I cannot believe that we are already halfway through October. Halfway through October means more than three months into my time in Chile, and as of yesterday, only two months of our program remains. That may sound like a lot, but I only learned how to get discounts at the supermarket using my RUT (Chilean ID number) a couple of weeks ago! And after this past week, I just fell even more in love with my time in Chile and in South America more in general. This place is nestling into my heart quite comfortably. The week started with two tricky moments. Hey always better to get the bad news out of the way first. Last Tuesday I experienced what can only be called the Milk Explosion of 2017. During my internship (hey remember about that ole thing?) I was hanging out with a little three year old nugget whose name I will keep to myself because #HIPAA (I'm not a doctor, I'm not in the US, and I took no oaths before working at CONIN, but humor me). Anyway, for the first time since I sta...

Hello to all my favorite humans! First of all, I promise this every two week blogging schedule will not continue to be a pattern. Last week was midterms so there was a) not a whole lot to blog about and b) I was sick and tired of typing after my three papers. A side note here: if you are an educator that asks your students to type papers please please please do not have them use size 11 font and 1.15 spacing. It is a cruel and unusual punishment that I did not enjoy. The only possible upside is that I am now a self-proclaimed master on the Costanera Center and its relationship to mercantile cities, Santiago's international rebranding goals, and capitalism! As tedious as the writing process was, looking back on it now, I am really fascinated by the new construction happening in the eastern (wealthy) parts of the city, especially in the neighborhoods of Las Condes and Providencia, where not so coincidentally about half of the Jumbos in Chile reside. Due to a new all glass skyline t...