Welcome to Chile........pronounced Chee lay NOT Chee lee!
Culture, Anecdotes, and Musings About My Life in Chile
What did you say????????
I arrived in Chile knowing only a little Spanish! I had studied Castellano when I was about 15 but never had used it and after more than 40 years, I remembered almost nothing. I had been studying and writing emails back and forth with the help of a translator that I had in my lap top so I was not completely lost but Chilenos have a habit of speaking so rapidly that even practiced bilinguals have difficulty following a conversation.
More about language (idioma in Spanish) later.
But I don't have any pesos!
No problem (no problema) said the customs agent. Alla, puedes hacer el cambio! (Over there, you can change it.) And thank God he pointed me in the right direction. I converted the cash I had into pesos and paid my entry fee. ($50.000 pesos).
But I have so much!
Sigeme! (follow me) said an airport attendant. And wisely, I did. He passed me through customs inspection without any delay. The agents did not bother to look at anything and I arrived with 10 suitcases and 2 large boxes! ( I tipped him 5.000 pesos…$10 US and exited the customs area.)
I smell coffee!
In front of me was a small cafeteria and there was an open table so I sat down and immediately ordered a cup of coffee. (Thank God the waiter could speak English.)
How did I want it? Solo (black), Con azucar (sugar), con leche (milk) and I asked…do you have artificial sweetener? He replied that he did not understand, so I ordered black coffee and he brought me 2 packets of sugar and 2 packet of sweetener. (That is pretty much standard with black coffee here because the vast majority of Chilenos use a lot of sugar.)
I thought that this was not a bad start and I drank my coffee, ordered another and waited for my friend to arrive to take me into Santiago. We then went to the area where we could get transportation. I opted for a taxi but was quickly told that taxis were too expensive and it was much better to take the airport bus to the main bus terminal where I had a room reservation for one night. Not a bad start for the first night of the rest of my life here.
Another long trip!?
The next morning we bought tickets for the six hour trip to Coquimbo. I decided, after more than 20 hours of travel the day before, to pay extra and travel by Salon Cama (first class seats that make out into a comfortable bed. It is like sleeping in a big recliner in the USA.)
I had decided to live here because my ministry partner had a summer home here and he assured me there was no better place to live in Chile. After 6 years, I agree with him.
I need a house!
Because the area is so popular, housing is always in short supply, especially furnished homes that can be rented for the entire year. Coquimbo is a resort area and the permanent residents rent their homes to tourists during the summer and those property owners who have others homes to rent rarely rent them for the year. They can make more in two months than they can renting for the year. They rent the homes for 10 months so they can rent them for the vacation season for much more.
Fortunately, I was provided a short list of available homes so I was not completely at the mercy of the owners. In spite of that, I had to pay a year in advance to rent a furnished house year round. I lived in that house for three years. The house was, by Chilean standards, a palace. It was huge, with an American styled kitchen, two and ˝ bathrooms and three gigantic bedrooms and beautifully furnished! The cost was about $320.00 US a month ($160.000 pesos).
After unpacking and buying groceries (that is another story), I was finally ready to start settling in and meeting some neighbors.
Culture, Anecdotes, and Musings About My Life in Chile
What did you say????????
I arrived in Chile knowing only a little Spanish! I had studied Castellano when I was about 15 but never had used it and after more than 40 years, I remembered almost nothing. I had been studying and writing emails back and forth with the help of a translator that I had in my lap top so I was not completely lost but Chilenos have a habit of speaking so rapidly that even practiced bilinguals have difficulty following a conversation.
More about language (idioma in Spanish) later.
But I don't have any pesos!
No problem (no problema) said the customs agent. Alla, puedes hacer el cambio! (Over there, you can change it.) And thank God he pointed me in the right direction. I converted the cash I had into pesos and paid my entry fee. ($50.000 pesos).
But I have so much!
Sigeme! (follow me) said an airport attendant. And wisely, I did. He passed me through customs inspection without any delay. The agents did not bother to look at anything and I arrived with 10 suitcases and 2 large boxes! ( I tipped him 5.000 pesos…$10 US and exited the customs area.)
I smell coffee!
In front of me was a small cafeteria and there was an open table so I sat down and immediately ordered a cup of coffee. (Thank God the waiter could speak English.)
How did I want it? Solo (black), Con azucar (sugar), con leche (milk) and I asked…do you have artificial sweetener? He replied that he did not understand, so I ordered black coffee and he brought me 2 packets of sugar and 2 packet of sweetener. (That is pretty much standard with black coffee here because the vast majority of Chilenos use a lot of sugar.)
I thought that this was not a bad start and I drank my coffee, ordered another and waited for my friend to arrive to take me into Santiago. We then went to the area where we could get transportation. I opted for a taxi but was quickly told that taxis were too expensive and it was much better to take the airport bus to the main bus terminal where I had a room reservation for one night. Not a bad start for the first night of the rest of my life here.
Another long trip!?
The next morning we bought tickets for the six hour trip to Coquimbo. I decided, after more than 20 hours of travel the day before, to pay extra and travel by Salon Cama (first class seats that make out into a comfortable bed. It is like sleeping in a big recliner in the USA.)
I had decided to live here because my ministry partner had a summer home here and he assured me there was no better place to live in Chile. After 6 years, I agree with him.
I need a house!
Because the area is so popular, housing is always in short supply, especially furnished homes that can be rented for the entire year. Coquimbo is a resort area and the permanent residents rent their homes to tourists during the summer and those property owners who have others homes to rent rarely rent them for the year. They can make more in two months than they can renting for the year. They rent the homes for 10 months so they can rent them for the vacation season for much more.
Fortunately, I was provided a short list of available homes so I was not completely at the mercy of the owners. In spite of that, I had to pay a year in advance to rent a furnished house year round. I lived in that house for three years. The house was, by Chilean standards, a palace. It was huge, with an American styled kitchen, two and ˝ bathrooms and three gigantic bedrooms and beautifully furnished! The cost was about $320.00 US a month ($160.000 pesos).
After unpacking and buying groceries (that is another story), I was finally ready to start settling in and meeting some neighbors.
The Site is in Design and Construction.
Sunset Over the Pacific
My First House
The Area Where I Live
Street Vendors in Coqimbo
Bay of Coquimbo
Residential Hotel where I stayed upon Arrival in Coquimbo
Residential street in downtown Coquimbo
A long distance bus parked .