So much of what I write these days is about Lorenzo, and that has felt necessary in the most profound way these past 15 months. It will continue to be necessary.

Santiago skyline.

But because my everyday life is here in Santiago, I forget how foreign this city really is to many of you back home. Even after chronicling these “Notes from the Southern Hemisphere” for over two years, friends still ask: What is it really like there? I’ve heard it’s similar to L.A.? Aren’t you close to the coast? Is everything dirt cheap?

It’s clear they are still a little mystified, just as I was when I first arrived. Now, it’s home, well, home for now (our next locale or time frame is still up in the air). I thought I’d attempt to clear up some of the fog in honor of the upcoming Dieciocho—September 18 marks Chilean independence from Spain over 200 years ago and is truly bigger than Christmas here. This year, it falls on a five-day weekend of fondas (big parties in big public parks), cueca dancing, asados (bbqs), and military parades.

Getting our fonda on for Dieciocho, 2011.

Two years ago, I wrote all about our first “Fiestas Patrias.” Last year, Lorenzo’s due date, September 20, was too close to all that boisterous celebration for comfort. So, Ryan and I flew north to Perú to find a little peace by the Pacific. Literary Mama recently published that story. This year, we’re staying home again. We’ll try to find a “low-key fonda” though that is something of an oxymoron. Ruby will be with us this time, and since she is 100% Chilena, that feels right.

Ruby at Parque Bicentenario, her home away from home.

Now (or, as they say in Chile, Entonces…), to answer your questions:

What is it really like there? 
I’m still figuring that out. What I know so far mostly concerns Santiago, a city of 6-million (or, a third of the country’s overall population) situated at the base of the Andes Mountains. Santiago is very different from the rest of Chile. I just watched a stunning trailer promoting an upcoming documentary, Wild Expectations. It shows you more of Chile at large than I will ever be able to, and I highly encourage you to take a few minutes to watch it and escape. It reminds me that much of the country is indeed wild, pristine, and full of creatures that exemplify the diverse landscape, which is skinny and stretches from the world’s driest desert in the north, the Great Atacama, to the ice fjords of the south that penguins call home, to an isolated island way out west in the middle of the Pacific.

Easter Island/Rapa Nui/Isla de Pascua, 2013.

As for Santiago, we live in an area commonly called an “expat bubble.” That means it’s clean, there are four (soon-to-be five) Starbucks within walking distance of our apartment, and cranes dot the skyline due to the new skyscrapers and glass office buildings sprouting up. It means you have to make an effort to find the poverty and the dirt roads and the struggle (the average monthly salary here is the equivalent of $800), though it is all relatively close. It’s like any city that way. It’s like some cities in that when you’re out there on the road or on the sidewalk, it’s everyone for themselves. Doors aren’t often held open. Red lights are frequently run. I am extra cautious whenever Ruby and I cross the street. It isn’t like many cities in that crime is often petty. Gun control seems to work. I never, ever, ever read about a mass shooting. I feel safe.

Development.

I’ve heard it’s similar to L.A.? Is that true?
Yes and no. Yes, in terms of overall climate and population size and the proximity to the mountains and how much sheer ground this city covers. We also get an intense level of smog. (I believe Santiago recently ranked third in the world for worst air quality, behind Beijing and New Delhi.) No, in terms of culture. Chile in general is conservative. The country is 90% catholic. Abortion is illegal without exception. Appearance and first impressions matter. It’s family focused. Most striking and most unlike L.A., it’s a 90-minute drive to the coast.

Punta de Lobos, technically more like a three-hour drive from Santiago.

Aren’t you close to the coast?
See above 🙂

Is everything dirt cheap? 
Again, yes and no. If you do your shopping at La Vega, the giant farmers’ market downtown, yes. I don’t have a car or the time to dedicate, so I often resort to the nearby supermarkets, which are not at all cheap. A lot of things are imported, which drives up cost (ditto for electronics!). I rarely walk out without having dropped $100 for a few days’ worth of food, which makes me feel right at home. Gas prices are also comparable to California’s. Dining out is about the same. Right now, rents in our neighborhood are pretty high as well because as I often hear, “Chile is booming.” Ryan moved down here shortly after 2010’s big earthquake, so we got a relatively good deal for what is technically a three-bedroom apartment (though the third bedroom is only large enough to function as Ryan’s closet 🙂 Taxis! Now, those are cheap.

Peonies and tulips for about 10 bucks each.

I’ll also offer a few clarifications:

Our time change is not your time change. 
We “fell back” back at the end of April. We actually just “sprung forward” this past weekend, meaning we are four hours later than the West Coast and one hour later then the East Coast. When you all have your time change, it will move to five and two, respectively. And Emily always has to remind me what time it is in Texas!

Make a wish. I always do.

Winter is ending here. 
Yes, our seasons are opposite. This winter was relatively mild. We didn’t get very much rain in the city or therefore snow in the mountains. Now, flowers are blooming and birds are chirping, but the air is still crisp, especially in the mornings and evenings. When summer comes around in November, we’ll be talking 90-degree days, that smog, and not a cloud in the sky for months on end. Very few things are air-conditioned aside from the enormous malls (there are 15 in Santiago alone!) and those tall glass buildings. I melted my first year, but I’m getting used to it. Thankfully, it’s a dry heat.

Our 9/11 means something else.
Forty years ago on September 11, General Augusto Pinochet took over power from President Salvador Allende in a military coup. A socialist country became a dictatorship, and Pinochet held that power for 17 years. Depending on who you talk to and how old they are, you’ll get varying accounts on what this really meant for Chile. If you’re interested, here’s some in-depth reading about it: The Other September 11; 40 Years After Chile Coup.

Ruby and a hidden heart.

I’ve lived here for over two years now; Ryan, over three. During that time, our lives have changed in ways that have nothing really to do with Chile. But we were here when we learned about Lorenzo’s heart, here when we lost another baby. We may be here yet when we do finally bring home a child of our own. We found Ruby here, and she’s helped me find hundreds of hearts.

At the end of the day, that is mostly what Chile is really like for us.