Santiago, so far, I must admit it’s been a good one!
Now that I’ve officially been in Santiago for over a month, it’s about time I share a little about what’s been going on!
Sorry, the blogging block has been REAL lately…
Also, life has been nonstop flying by and pretty damn crazy! In the last few weeks, I arrived for my first time in South America, started yet another new job, commenced the apartment hunt, searched, searched and finally found one, moved into said apartment (still in progress) and have been planning weekend trips with visitors and friends! Oh, and not to mention I’m still adjusting to life here on the other side of the equator!
All a whirlwind to say the least!
I’ve barely had time to process it all, let alone write about it here! But I’m done outlining out my excuses. I’ve simply let it drag on toooooo long, without a word. And I’m finally ready to share a quick synopsis of my life in Santiago so far!
So far, in Santiago– I’m Loving
How warm and friendly the people are here! Everyone has been so nice, welcoming and willing to help/answer all of my many questions! I’ve been told many times that compared to other Latin American cultures, Chileans can be rather “cold,” but so far I’ve experienced quite the opposite! If this country’s culture is cold, I’m not sure I’d be able to handle the (quite possibly) overwhelming warmth of the others ….
I’ve already made a few Chilean friends who have welcomed me into their friend groups and their homes (something that took way longer for me in Spain!). So far I’m lovin’ that Chile isn’t living up to this part of it’s reputation!
The Santiago Skyline. If you follow me on Instagram, you already know that I can’t get enough of the Santiago skyline. I mean, can you blame me? It’s stunning. Every which way you look in this city is a captivating scene- the contrast of a bustling South American capital amidst a dramatic mountainous backdrop. It helps that there are tons of rooftop terraces around the city where you can just sit and gaze, undisturbed for hours on end!
Mayo and Hotdogs. Don’t get me wrong, I like a good char-grilled hotdog as much as the next guy, but seriously who could have guessed how much Chileans love their precious processed meat? I always assumed that hotdogs were a gross American thing, but to my surprise (and dismay) I’ve seen more hotdogs eaten in Chile over the course of a month than I have in my entire life in the USA! Chileans even pride themselves on one of their national dishes, the Chilean ‘completo,’ an extra long hot dog topped with chopped tomatoes, avocado and doused in a thick layer of mayonnaise. If you know me AT ALL, I’m not one to bash any kind of food, but ew. I’ll take one completo, hold the mayo …. and the hotdog please.
The Smog. I guess I can’t get too mad about this one, since many warned me about smog beforehand, but the pollution in Santiago is serious. I’ve been getting a lot of headaches, colds and selfishly, I just really don’t like anything blocking my view to Santiago’s breathtaking surroundings. Smog, smog go awayyy …
Americanized Grocery Stores. American multinational retail corporation, Walmart, has acquired one of Chile’s main grocery stores, Lider. I have to admit, I’m still not too sure how I feel about this. What does it mean? Lider is an affordable option for buying groceries and other everyday household goods, so unlike Spain, I don’t have to pay an arm and a leg for my American comfort foods (ahem, peanut butter and Kraft mac and cheese). BUT- the whole reason I like traveling is to immerse myself in a new culture and challenge myself to get by without my everyday American comforts. So for now, I’ll call it a love-hate thing.
Stray Dogs. There are SO MANY stray dogs in Chile! It seriously breaks my heart. Not to mention, these dogs aren’t your run-of-the-mill mixed mutts (not that that would be any better), but they’re good looking purebreds! Sure they’re a little dirty, but it’s seriously shocking to see stray Golden Retrievers, Black Labs and Dachshunds running around! These dogs cost hundreds even thousands of dollars in the US! They’re all also extremely friendly, loving and smart! If I was staying here a little longer, I swear I’d adopt one………or five.
You can’t Flush the Toilet Paper. Talk about shocking. This was a first for me. And a whoops moment at that! Apparently this is a thing alllll over South America, not only Chile. In some newer establishments, this isn’t a problem, but it’s still a norm in most places to ‘throw out’ your toilet paper, rather than flush it! Not a big deal, just something to get used to!
So far in Santiago – I’m Confused
Chilean Spanish. Well, thanks for nothing Spain. My two years soaking up Spanish vocabulary will be put to no good use in Chile!
Spanish in Chile is a language of it’s own, I’m not even sure I’d call it Castilian! Chileans speak extremely quickly and colloquially using “modismos” or as they like to call them “chilenismos.” These are phrases that only a Chilean would understand, seriously, they make no sense otherwise. So far it’s been pretty frustrating, but also really fun to learn all the slang! I’ve had to relearn soooo many words, from boyfriend (pololo) and avocado (palta) to cool (bacan) and traffic (taco). Post on all these new silly words coming soon ….
So, what’s coming up?!
- This past weekend, for Easter, a few friends and I visited Pichilemu, a small surfer/beach town about 3 hours south of Santiago! Post coming on this soon!
- I have two rounds of visitors coming up quick! Who would’ve thought that I’d get people down here so soon! So, so excited to share this experience with them, but also been running around and doing some crazy planning! Hoping everything goes smoothly!
- In two weeks, I’ll be heading to Chile’s infamous desert, San Pedro de Atacama! There are already some tours and plans in the works and after the Sahara last year, I couldn’t be more excited to get back to the wondrous desert!
Have you ever been to Santiago de Chile? What did you think? What did you love, hate or find confusing?
Linkin’ up with Ana, Christy, Diana Elle and Bonnie of for Travel Tuesday today!
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Yay Lauren! Such a fun round up 🙂 You and me both about that skyline, it seriously never gets old and the sunsets are just a totally new level of incredible! 😀
I could definitely get used to staring at this skyline 😀 Can’t wait to explore more with you!!
Lauren, wasn’t aware you moved to Chile. That is great! Been wanting to visit like forever since we have friends there. Stray dogs are a Latin American thing. I have heard Chileans take good care of them (this is not true in other countries). Not being able to flush paper is annoying sometimes. But, I prefer that over super dirty restrooms.
The dogs do seem pretty well taken care of! I’ve actually heard that once it gets cold, you can see some wearing sweaters and boots … I’ll have to post updates 😀 And I agree about the bathrooms! I don’t mind paying a little if it means the bathroom is going to be clean!
Ah!!! I’m so happy to finally hear how everything’s going! It’s great that they’re so welcoming. That’s usually the hardest part about moving to a new place. And let’s just say, I’m wishing for some of that hospitality back here in Chicago right about now. Also–I ran into the no-flushing-toilet-paper-down-the-toilet thing in Nicaragua. I would always forget and I’d feel so bad about it… what if I caused the toilet to clog one day?!
Hahahah I’ve had the same toilet flush regret many a time. It really took me a while to get used to it. We also just didn’t know at first… no one told us! But now in my apartment, the bathroom is renovated, and we can flush the toilet paper, so I’m seriously just always confused. haha
I love this post so much Lauren!! Your thoughts on Santiago echoes exactly what my thoughts are! Those hot dog completos….ewwwwww…. and also major ewww on all that mayo!! I think I actually ate Peruvian food most of the time there because it seems healthier! I’m really impressed that you made local friends so quickly though! I did find the people there to be extremely helpful and friendly but we didn’t make any local friends in the month we were there, except for the food stall ladies because we ate there almost every day!
The blogging block lol! So real. Also, I remember meeting a few Chileans while I was studying Spanish in Peru and I did NOT understand them at allll. Good luck! 🙂 Also, I love reading this post–good job covering the good, bad, and confusing!
I was literally just wondering how you were liking Chile when I saw the Travel Tuesday links up! Love the view from your apartment and that mountainous skyline.
YES, the South American post we’ve all been waiting for! 😀 So, so happy to hear life is going well for you in Santiago! That’s super crazy about Walmart having a foothold down there; I wouldn’t assume that I could get mac n’ cheese in South America! Do they have Wheat Thins??? 😉 Congrats on getting your life set-up, and we can’t wait to hear more! Thanks for sharing with us!
Yep I’ve experienced the blogging overwhelm. Sometimes there’s just too much to write about! I really enjoyed a look into how things are going so far, and the view from your apartment looks incredible. Sounds like things are going really well so far, looking forward to hearing more 🙂
Santiago sounds exciting coming from you, no matter how bad their national food is! I feel you on the smog.. We get haze pollution here in Singapore from time to time and it gives all of us headaches, coughs and everything in between when it happens. That aside, can’t wait to read more about your time in Santiago!
LOL i’m late on all this posts sorry but this was interesting. I had never realised the close link between Lider and Lidl (the german version I believe? Cheap stuff everywhere, I don’t love it but it saves some money). and it’s funny I learnt Chilean spanish all my life and the first time I went to Spain I was almost illerate, it was awful! And I love the stray dogs in Chile, they add to the atmosphere, they are all well behaved and well respected I think, so nothing to feel bad about 🙂
I live in Chile and we definitely can and should flush the toilet paper except when using extremely old facilities (sometimes they tend to clog). The water treatment plants are prepared to handle toilet paper… and much worse xD