The new apartment.

I was thrilled when I finally found an apartment I liked. I had searched through every website possible to find a cool place in Santiago near my office and other hot spots, full furnished, with nice gal roomeys, and within my price range...almost like finding a needle in a haystack!

Reflecting on the shoddy apartments I had visited (or had almost visited) before I found my dream home makes me laugh. I found places that were specifically seeking a pretty female roommate (or girlfriend?), an english speaking roommate (or tutor?), or just someone else to share the bills. Two of the apartments I visited were horrid and gave me an awful feeling in the pit of my stomach. Dude, you gotta trust your instinct in making important decisions like this!!! I think one of the apartments looked like a crackhouse...dark, dirty, and barren, with no closets and puny rooms. Another apartment had this crazy old lady in a "glass house" with bizarre dusty collections and stale air. I just couldnt find a reasonable fit.

I did find one promising place but it was on the expensive side. The girl renting out the place ended up being really awesome though, so I was fortunate to make a new Chilean friend out of the encounter. We have already gone out for a beer. So even though i wont be renting out her room, i will most likely be over there often enough. And she was happy to hear of my *jewel of a find* apartment.

So I guess you gotta taste what's bad to know what's good. My new apartment sparkles compared to the other visits. The living room opens with a huge balcony to Santiago's best kept secret: Lastarria, one of the hippest new streets in Santiago. I'm actually LIVING on the cutting edge! haha.

I really prefer antique buildings, like my apt., even if the painting is chipped away or you have small faucet leaks. I love the intricate designs, bright colors, and innate character that comes along with an aged home. Its definitely more my style.

I havent met my roommates yet, but we'll work it out. One of them is coming in from Cali on March 1 to study spanish at a university here in Santiago and the other is a Chilean journalist who is currenly away on vacation. So for now, i am able to take my time settling into my new place..and possibly throw a small party for my office mates before my other roommates return.

But hopefully i get paid soon. I have a running list of people I need to pay back, now including 2 separate rent payments and a deposit. I can finally "descansar tranquila" once i have my life back in order. It's one thing to have small problems like moving and being broke in your home country, but its a whole 'nother story when you are living abroad.

Encontré un depto!

When things go wrong, i sing along.

i found out last week that my roommate would prefer to live alone (because i will be staying in Chile longer than we orignally discussed, honestly its nothing personal against me), thus i am now looking for a new apartment that is full furnished, in cool neighborhood, walking distance to work, and gringo-friendly (y se habla español por fa). But not to worry, i am searching like a "hipster digging through heaps of dirty clothes in a vintage store" so that i may find that hidden pearl...i can soon call home.

wish me luck. hugs and kisses yall.

A Tribute to my Gringos

As a matter of fact, i do have a few english speaking friends in Santiago. Even though I am eager to meet new chileans and practice spanish, it is always a relief to be able to express myself in my native language. I still feel very limited with my spanish when it comes to humor, telling stories, or expressing myself on a deep level.

Because I am working for a program with the Ministry of Education that supports English education, we obviously have English speakers in the office. So there´s Samantha from NYC and Jimmy from New Zealand, who were Chilean English Volunteers this past year on Easter Island (im so envious...and i thought Curico was cool....) and we have Todd from Missouri, a newbee to the program that will be teaching in Valpariaso beginning this March. We all definitely bring some energy (and sass) to the office.

This weekend was gringo weekend! On Saturday, I met up with Todd and we decided to get creative and make our own pizza, including the pizza dough (thanks todd!) Of course, to make the evening even more fancy, we turned a $2 boxed white wine into an impressive sangria.

..and somehow, the boxed-wine lasted us all night. We walked to bellavista (a hippie, bohemian side of town) to meet up with yet another gringa named Sarah, a fellow volunteer who taught in Punta Arenas (close to Antarctica) and is now living and working in a gringo-infuzed hostel. I love this girl...

This is my first summer to be stuck indoors. I am not accustomed to working 40 hrs a week when there is beautiful weather and things to be explored, so my nights and my weekends tend to be bursting with activities. I have spent the past two weekends at the beach and my weeknights going out to cultural events. On Sunday, I was invited to meet up with Jimmy and his fiancee in Valpariaso along with Todd and Samantha. We had a pleasant day, even though we werent blessed with an ounce of sunlight until 5 oclock. Todd, Samantha, and I decided to explore a (one of many) Pablo Neruda house. Neruda is a famous Chilean poet who left behind amazing homes which have been converted into a prized relics/museums and display his quirky collections.

From there, we met up with Jimmy and his financee to eat lunch in Concon, a beach slightly north of Valpo/Viña del mar. I ate the best empanadas of my life! (*photo not available because we were famished and forced to wait for 30 min. so we ate them within seconds. There was not sufficient time to snap a picture) And the sun peaked out, briefly, to allow us a nap in the sand...a perfect ending to the weekend.

And now back to our week indoors...

Chile is not only a place to learn Spanish, visit exciting places, and meet wonderful Chileans...but you can also cross paths with other interesting gringos or internationals that can join in your adventures abroad. Even though our summer vacation is squeezed into 2 days a week, we are definitely making the most of it.