When I met my boyfriend, (my pololo, as they say here in Chile), he always expressed his wish to go and live in Chile, the country of his origins where a good part of his family lives. The decision was made quickly. We talked about going to visit his family and visiting the country, and then as a click we realized that it was time to move in instead of going back and forth. This is a risky bet since I had never been there before and what's more, I don't speak a word of Spanish.
My boyfriend accumulating the small jobs having nothing to do with his field of study, it was time for him to try his luck elsewhere. For my part, last September I completed my master's degree in multimedia with a graphic design option. Thus, we have set a date that will allow us to prepare our trip with complete peace of mind. To return the keys of our apartment in Strasbourg, to obtain a Working Holiday visa for my part and to begin the process of Chilean nationality (his father being Chilean, the law of blood prime) at the Chilean Consulate in Paris. Saying goodbye to our loved ones, finding a trustworthy person to keep our baby chat the time we set up, sorting out, organizing an apartment vacuum, packing (two big and two small), taking away only what is necessary, terminating mutual health, internet, electricity and others.
And then, fly to Santiago on October 19th for a landing on October 20th at 9am.
We arrived in the family home where the grandmother, the aunt and her daughter and uncle live. We were going to graft on it and be totally immersed, explore Santiago and its landscapes, learn the language and custom (do not throw the toilet paper in the toilets, surprising), but also discover Chilean food.
Initially, we visited the monuments of Santiago, the Moneda, Santa Lucia, the Plaza de Armas, the Cathedral, Mount San Cristobal, and several museums such as Fine Arts, Pre-Columbian Arts, Visual Arts and Violetta Parra.
But we soon realized that the cost of living was equal to that of France, even more expensive in supermarkets. Priority should be given to markets where the kilo of cherry is 1,000 pesos (1€50).
What is at stake in Chile is junk food, at every corner of the street, passers-by can eat, in deplorable hygienic conditions. Popaipillas (pumpkin wheat flour cake) stands are fried in an oil that is at least 4 days old. Just the smell, we Europeans will die on the spot. That's certainly why obesity is very important here.
At the same time, vegetarian / vegan dishes or healthy eating are very present, it is very easy to find small restaurants with a menu of the day for 5.70€ with natural juice, starter, main course, dessert. Concerning desserts they are very fond of German pastries, besides they translate cakes by "kuchen", we also find cupcakes, brownie, cookies.
Here, every day is different, you never know what tomorrow will be like, everything surprises you, sometimes it's funny and hilarious or annoying, but it's a wonderful adventure.
Wow dear awesome post..thanks for sharing us @rosemary1986