What It’s Really Like To Be An Expat

Before you become an expat you have a million thoughts. What will it be like? Will I make friends? Will it be safe? You might even think it will be amazing (much better than where you currently live), that you will master a second language in a day and quickly fill your Facebook feed with photos of you surrounded by exotic friends, each photo filled with outrageous smiles. You hear that it is very easy to live in Chile, so you arm yourself with a TEFL and think “yup, I’m good to go.” Then you head off into the sunset amidst family who think your an equal mixture of crazy and brave, especially when you tell them “See you but I won’t be back for a while!”

Moving back to Chile … with everything I own!

Until you’re on the plane and you realize that Spanish spoken in real time is a lot different from those one-on-one classes you’d taken before you left. And then you get off and realize you have no clue what the signs are saying let alone what the customs official is bleating on about. And when you finally meet those hilarious, exotic friends you find that singing a few hundred Shakira or Daddy Yankee tunes won’t actually help the conversation progress very far.

Lets face reality: moving to any new country can feel like a slap in the gonads (or so I can imagine). The euphoria quickly depletes until all your left with is a suitcase filled with all the wrong things and an inability to use even the supermarket correctly (“I have to weigh the veges BEFORE I get to the checkout? I have to pay the packer? But what do I DO with all these plastic bags?!!”). You find that the amazing job you’d envisioned is actually quite demanding and filled with long commutes, rush hour rides and students that never do their homework. The shops are filled with things way to expensive to buy and only God can help you if you don’t want salt on your food.

Me: having a bad day outside Registro Civil (jokes!)

There’s a cycle that all expats follow that can make you appear alot like you are in need of medication to friends and relatives who’ve never travelled. Your emotions will change like the wind, racing from overwhelming happiness to the worst depression known to mankind. One minute you will be skipping along, marvelling at mountains that they don’t make quite the same anywhere else, and the next you will be crying in the middle of Lider holding three different types of warm, boxed milk that you don’t quite understand the difference between but it must surely be important to warrant taking up a whole aisle!

The language will also take you on a rollercoaster ride. You may find that one day you speak perfectly only to discover that on the next you can’t even process greetings properly. New acquaintances will test you on your ability by speaking really fast nonsense to try catch you out in order to grandly state: “a ha! Chilean Spanish is SO [insert adjectives here]”.  But you will master the Spanish in Chile,  until the day you decide to visit the rest of Latin America and find they speak funny.

No matter how bleak it all seems to get, trust me you will not always be stuck watching How I Met Your Mother reruns accompanied by chocolate biscuits. That’s not to say that there won’t be things that will drive you absolutely bonkers (such as every single time you need to deal with beauracracy in Chile) but you will eventually settle into your new life comfortably, thinking less and less about all the things you miss until eventually they will be only an occasional thought. Through the good stuff and the bad, reach out to the expat community because they are going, or have gone, through the same.  English-speakers can join The Chile Experience while mums can use English Speaking Mums in Chile. Both have been invaluable to me during my several years here, especially the latter because there is nothing harder than being a first-time mother in a foreign culture. All the playdates for Emilio or friendships with expats that I have made, are via this amazing network.  While not everyone has the same experiences, there is an overwhelming sense of comraderie and support that can be especially helpful when you are struggling, whether with homesickness or with health.

ESM playdate

It’s not always a picnic when you move to a new country, but it is a banquet! A delicious, diverse, overwhelming and (at times) scary feast that works all five senses like no other.  Travel is the best education but also the best medicine, just sometimes it has to get a little worse in order to get better.  You can do it!!

Valparaiso

Family Fun Day

Selva Viva, Parque Araucano (Metro Manquehue)

Honestly? I freaked at paying almost 10,000 per adult to take Emilio to see some wildlife at Selva Viva … but thank goodness I did! It’s actually well worth the price, considering that the costs required to heat the place up (jungles are humid) would not be small. When you enter you watch a brief video and remove your layers (because you will sweat), and then you head out into the selva. There’s a canopy of trees, birds flying overhead, and turtles plodding over the path. Within moments the guide is explaining everything you never knew about snakes while draping a colossal python across your shoulders. This is why the place is worth the coin: you can hold and touch everything instead of having to fork out extra. So you can let a rainbow lorikeet scamper up your shoulders, stroke a toucan, hold a hermit crab and even enjoy the delightful clinging of a blue and gold macaw as it settles down on your head (!). The place is big and you can learn alot about the world’s jungles and conservation, especially for young ones with mind’s like sponges. I highly recommend a trip particularly for those who have children at that age where they constantly ask “why?” but we took at Emilio at 1.5 and he loved it (particularly the crabs but definately not the snake!)

Granja Aventura, La Reina (colectivos run from the metro into the park, car parking is at extra cost).

We went to this farm on the same day that a fellow English-Speaking Mum shared her dreadful experience there. Basically her husband had his leg broken by an escaping horse, and not only were the park ill-equipped during such an event, they actually offered little compassion and assistence! Regardless, we still took Emilio as a present for his 2nd birthday because when you live in one of Santiago’s busier suburbs you start to crave nature like nicotine. So off we trotted and I have to say that we all really enjoyed ourselves. There are some fantastic playgrounds carved out of trees with things like tree huts and flying foxes, but all are aimed at much bigger children. We brought a picnic which we ate in one of the picnic areas admist the smell of animal poop, but it was actually really pleasant. There were lots of animals there and lots of staff cleaning out cages and preparing new spaces. In all, I didn’t have an issue with the price and thought it was a great place to visit for a few hours, especially having a child who has only ever seen a real cow several times. BUT I would advise caution around the animals (most of the areas are unattended) and around the playgrounds, which are very ambitious.

My World, La Reina

We took Emilio here as it is a place constantly mentioned on FB by other mums, and because an indoor playarea sounds like a great place to visit during the winter months to burn up some energy (so that Mummy and Daddy can rest better). I do not recommend visiting at the end of a birthday party because … holy smokes! Emilio had fun but it was difficult for him trying to play amongst such a mix of big and small kids. The toys were mostly broken and dirty considering it was so costly to enter, but the thought was good. All in all worthwhile if you live in the area but not worth a special trip.

 

Parque Bicentenario, Vitacura

I love this park! It’s immaculately maintained and in summr they put out deckchairs so that you can lounge beneath umbrellas in the scorching sun. You can feed giant carp, black swans, flamingoes and ducks at the lake, an area which attracts a whole host of other birdlife that I can’t name. There’s water fountains, a cafe, a giant chess set, a horticultural centre, climbing frames and playgrounds. The restaurant, Mestizo, is one of Santiago’s best in my opinion. It’s in a great setting, service is good, you can let your kids play in the grass (if you sit outside) and the food is delicious. It is a little pricey but well worth it – I recommend choosing the octopus starter and the chocolate volcano for dessert!

Aerodromo de Planes, Vitacura

Ok so I know that you have to be a member to visit, but every year this Glider’s Club opens its doors for free to the public. We went this year and it was AWESOME – especially if you have a child that loves things that move. There was a show by robot planes, alongside flying helicopters/planes/gliders. There was a playground, food trucks, music and also grounded helicopters that you could enter and play around in. Highly worth a visit for Family Fun Day (what we call it in our house!) plus its NOT loud so you don’t need to stress about earmuffs etc.

Museo Ferroviario

See my blog here.  Also details our visit to Museo Artequin

Museo de los Carabineros

This is an excellent museum located off of Bilbao, right next door to the Police training school. I had never heard of it before and was pleasantly surprised because it is filled to the brim with engaging displays. Basically, this museum traces the history of organized crimewatching in Santiago, all the way to the start of Spanish colonization.  Alot of effort has been put into making this place interesting and relevant and, while it is definately not for young children, small effort has been made to keep them entertained with games and interactive displays.

Universidad de Santiago Planetarium

Visit the website for more information about current showings.

Parque de la Infancia, Recoleta (Metro Cerro Blanco/Cementerios)

Follow the link to the blog – it is so good it gets it’s own blog!