Katie has previously written about mall culture being alive and well in Chile. We’re now living the Christmas mall miracle. The malls are the center of commercial activity in Santiago. The Christmas decorations are out, inventories are piled high, and people frantically rush through parking lots and stores. It’s such a nostalgic experience. It’s remarkable […]

I adore the holiday season. Christmas carols in November, fresh cut Christmas trees, and driving to look at Christmas lights bring me such happiness. A fire in the fire place with just the glow from the Christmas lights is my ultimate happy place. Chile doesn’t do real trees, and I wasn’t going to buy a […]

Katie would tell you I despise waiting in line. I don’t cut lines. I avoid them. When it comes to lines, I often decide I can live without whatever consumer-oriented gratification awaits at the end (e.g. the latest restaurant, a freebie, a game, a celebrity autograph, etc.). I can do without it. In this context, […]

While we were downtown in Santiago, we visited the popular Alice’s tea room, and cafe themed in line with the tale. It was a great experience, with delicious coffee, sandwiches, and treats. I felt I had been there before, as it bore a striking resemblance to Alice’s Teacup in NYC, a cafe with the same […]

Before we left for Chile, I searched many expat forums looking for suggestions on what to bring from abroad. The number one suggestion was any over the counter medication that we might take. So I purchased, Tylenol, Vicks vapor rub, Benadryl, NyQuil, and the kids equivalents and hoped we wouldn’t need them. They have some […]

We finally made the trip to the Santiago city center to explore Santa Lucia Hill and Plaza de Armas. It reminded us of the true size and density of Santiago, and we enjoyed exploring a part of the city that felt different and more vibrant than our corner of the city in Vitacura.

This kids now have choir practice in a new location, one that is about a ten minute walk from our home, in a direction we don’t normally walk. Between our home and practice, a McDonald’s. I could smell it while I waited for practice to adjourn. I decided to surprise the kids with a pitstop […]

At least twice a week I vacuum, dust, and wet mop the floors of our rental house in Santiago. We have a strict “no shoes in the house” policy mostly due to the dog poop everywhere in the city but also because of the black dust. This black dust, dirt, pollution, (?) is everywhere. I […]

On Wednesday afternoons, Wilson has skateboard class for two hours at the park. Jane and I walk him down to the park, make sure class gets underway, and then go for a run/rollerblade/jog together. Sometimes we listen to a podcast, sharing the ear pods. We both love “How I built this.” Mostly we just talk. […]