A story about moving to chile and impressions of life in Santiago. Pros and Cons of Living in Chile

How comfortable will you feel in this country as a resident? Can you get used to the new culture, people's habits, traditions? These doubts are universal when moving to any country in the world and nothing changes from the choice of destination: Santiago, Cape Town or Hong Kong, you have to look for answers to these questions.

Ideal if you are in love with the country where you are going. But then how lucky. My relationship with Chile can be characterized by the deep sympathy and affection that appears when you start looking at another objectively, with all its shortcomings and advantages. I look at Chile soberly, I have never had a romantic blinding of a newcomer, when everything seems velvet and pink.

Chile Views

As a rule, they don’t know anything about Chile. All representations are very stereotypical and vague. Chile seemed to me a country of prairies and gaucho, like that of Borges, and vineyards. The view was vague but positive. Later I realized that I imagined the northern Argentine Patagonia. But it coincided with the vineyards.

Chile has nothing to do with the jungle, coconut trees, anacondas and Caribbean beaches. The north of Chile is a dry pre-desert zone, and the farther south of the capital, the colder it becomes, but greener; in the south, volcanoes, lakes, forests and fjords rule the ball. The country stretched along the coast, but the ocean is almost everywhere icy due to strong currents.

The universal scale plus life in Santiago is the proximity to the mountains and the ocean.

Moscow-Santiago

Chile is a small country with a rather conservative lifestyle. Like life in Russia, I can seriously judge only by my life in Moscow, the same thing with Chile - I live in Santiago, and I have exclusively metropolitan criteria by which I can assess the country.

In Santiago, after Moscow, I lack the active pace of life in the city and its inhabitants. Of course, this city is much smaller in size and in terms of number of inhabitants (7 million). On Sundays, almost all cafes and restaurants are closed; even Starbucks is closed in the business part of the city.

Weekend and empty city

Sunday is considered a day that must be spent in the family circle or do nothing. There is even a proverb “domingo –fomingo” that plays up the words Sunday and boredom.

Diversity

Somehow we were looking for yarn from the wool of alpaca, the native inhabitant of the Andes. It seemed quite natural that in Chile there should be an abundance of such yarn, if not local, then at least Peruvian production. But no. The choice is limited to five colors of poorly processed material. Although there are a lot of shops with yarn, but the bulk of the product is acrylic. I had to buy in Moscow, in an online store with a huge selection and amazing quality, Peruvian, by the way, production.

Climatic features of Chile

The number of sunny days per year is pleasing; most of them are on the calendar. Even in winter and autumn. But there is a fly in the ointment - strong temperature drops (up to 20 degrees), it is impossible to go out in the same clothes in the early morning, to hold out in it day and night.

Heating

Central heating in Santiago is only theoretically, but it is too expensive, so few include it. They are saved by a variety of heaters: gas, paraffin, electric. It is difficult to understand the essence of the problem until you feel it yourself.

Climate features

It would seem colder in Moscow. But imagine winter plus 10 in the city-basin, surrounded on all sides by mountains, on which precipitation from the ocean also settles. I compare by clothes: what I went to in Moscow with a slight minus, here I wear at +10. And in the late evening I still feel cold. In addition, you always know that even in the cold you can reach your home, office, car or metro. In Santiago, the same temperature is often the same on the street and indoors.

Smog

In winter, Santiago's geographic location - a city in the ring of mountains - leads to smog. Last year, the city was suffocated for several weeks in a veil of smog. Often restrictions are imposed on the circulation of cars in the city by numbers (on Monday cars with numbers 2 do not leave, on Wednesday 5, etc.).

Earthquake

Just last week there was a jolt with magnitude 6.5, to be honest, I overslept it, and, as usual, I found out about it only in the morning from the news (for comparison, a jolt of the same strength a couple of days ago in Japan caused a disaster, and 7.5 and completely destroyed Nepal last year). If you want to live in an earthquake-resistant country with a calm soul, then you are in Chile. Earthquakes of even great magnitude here feel like a second vibration, as if a subway car had passed underground. No objects falling from shelves and giant cracks in the roads like in disaster films.

All buildings in Chile are built according to strict standards of earthquake resistance, perhaps this is one of the secrets of such prosperity. Any Chilean will tell you that the walls should be plastic and move in time with the vibrations of the earth. But the most interesting thing is the reaction of the Chileans themselves to the earthquakes - they love to flaunt that they did not even notice the shock, or, if they noticed, "as they drank, they continued to drink."

Wine

Speaking of the latter. Chileans drink a lot. Of course, red Chilean wine. Most often, the choice falls on Cabernet Sauvignon, from white - Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. At any holidays, you barely have time to notice how the bottles of dry red succeed each other. In Chile, a real cult of wine of national production, and this must be reckoned with. Now I can even master two glasses of wine in the evening, which was completely impossible before, and I began to better understand wines. At the same time, young people prefer pisco with cola.

Most stable

Let the economy slow down its growth, in comparison with most of the neighbors on the continent of Chile, it really differs in a number of indicators:

- low crime rate (no abductions and other passions, more and more by annoying little things, in the manner of theft of bags and phones);

Low corruption;

- stability.

Moving to Chile also means accepting high prices. Prices in supermarkets and stores for many products differ little from Russian prices. It’s good that in Chile, most of the food is nationally produced, from vegetables to cheeses. By the way, the Chilean will always patriotically prefer his own, native. Excluding meat. Beef of national origin is often more expensive than a quality analogue from Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina.

Food in chile

A huge love of soda, which often replaces water, is combined with the habit of eating a huge amount of white bread, meat, and local flour dishes, such as empanade or sopapiya pies. With a passion for bread and cola, only tender affection for mayonnaise competes. Among the sweets in favorites, boiled condensed milk Dulce de Leche is the leader; this product is added to most sweets - from cakes to hastily cooked magdalenoks. Moving to Chile did not soften my perplexity at the sight of the traditional sweets of Liguria and the like.

About meat

Barbecue, which in Chile is called asadocan be called a local religion. At any holiday, a meeting of friends at someone's house, there will always be an asado. Chileans consume most meat per capita, while they never bother - they don’t pickle meat, they don’t prepare sauces for it. So they say: "Good meat is useless." But there is the opportunity to buy vegetables and fruits (except exotic bananas and mangoes) locally produced all year round. I always drive home to Moscow a terrific local avocado, because there are no stores to find. In addition, many superfoods, such as chia seeds, are growing in Chile, so it’s easy to eat a balanced diet. It would be a desire!

Easy breath

On holidays, the host of the celebration will never bother with ready meals, the Chilean solves the cooking problem simply - he goes and buys carrot sticks, semi-finished pies, liters of cola, a mountain of chips and the like. For a Sunday lunch with the family, the Chilean hostess can venture out on a dish like fried fish with rice. Chileans (may they forgive me) rarely cook well, even mothers and grandmothers of the older generations, and even less often set themselves such a task. It is already significant that in the evening there is no full dinner in the families, as a rule, it is replaced with an once afternoon snack, which consists of sandwiches with ham, cheese, as an option, with mayonnaise and avocado. By the way, the small Chilean avocado Hass the color of ripe eggplant is already quite an occasion to think about moving to Chile.

Pedestrians cross roads even without looking around, cyclists calmly occupy the lane of an already narrow carriageway, when there is a bicycle path nearby - because the country has an absolute priority of the first and second at the legislative and public level over poor motorists, it sits on their subcortex.

Chileans are generally talking about slow life. They are in no hurry, they talk about the same thing for a long time, they chronically forget what they promised, do not leave their homes on weekends, since it is a family day, and if they come to visit, they remain until dawn until they get warm enough.

In speech and even advertising slogans very often use the verb disfrutar (Spanish. Enjoy). Just hear - enjoy the ride, tea, time spent, and anything else. A little nuance, but it seems to me very eloquent. So if you plan to move to Chile, I advise you to start with meditation.

Social hierarchy

Back in Chile, a very strong hierarchical structure of society. There is even an official spelling of people into social classes. It’s customary to close in one’s circles, and the cases about “I made myself” are quite rare, since almost everything has been asked since childhood - in what area I grew up, to such a school, and then to go to college, this will be your circle of friends and career growth . And the whole system in Chile is built so that a person is born and lives in the same social class. For example, the second question at an acquaintance that the Chilean asks is traditionally about "what region do you live in and what university did you go to," although for obvious reasons this is not always asked from foreigners.

Moving to Chile was a shock for me in this regard, that in society there is a conditional division according to external signs (skin color, hair, etc.) among the citizens of the country. No one speaks about this rumor, but it is very clearly visible. They say that in other countries of Latin America, everything is much worse on this issue - yet in Chile, a huge percentage of the population with European roots, second only to Argentina.

Communal

Moving to Chile has its own pitfalls of a financial sense. If you live in a modern high-rise building, then the avalanche of utility bills goes to pay the general bills aimed at maintaining the house - from cleaning the pool to the salary of the concierges. This also includes the mandatory gym, swimming pool and parking in the houses. But the house is always clean, and it is difficult for an outsider to get into the house due to the fencing and strict concierges, who perform not a decorative function at all, which was a curiosity at first.

Ceremonial

Moving to Chile made me more tolerant of otherness, but the rejection of some details remained. I still don't like the Chileans' inability to say no, especially in business matters. They will evade and ignore, but they will never say the polite and well-reasoned "no, it does not suit us." According to the logic of the locals, it is better to ignore you in the hope that you will understand everything already.

In the area

A nice plus of living in Santiago for me was the very concept of life as a barrio. This is when you leave the house and stray between neat houses with cozy gardens. In some areas, high-rise buildings crowd out houses, but never completely. New small cafes, tiny yoga studios, shops are constantly opening in Santiago, all this pleases the eye and breathes life into the city. The Germans bake bread at one corner, the Brazilians sell acai around the other. I had a huge number of familiar foreigners - both Latinos and Europeans. This is a plus in the size of the whole world, for which I appreciate moving to Chile. In Moscow, I did not even notice how few foreigners live with us.

Geography of the country

Of the vast, universal scales, the advantages of living in Chile are the proximity of mountains and the ocean. But if the ocean only teases, because it is very cold, then with the mountains everything is different. You can wake up on Saturday and after half an hour already climb the next hill, the local hobby for trekking is exciting. Or go to one of the many national parks in the south for a weekend with a tent. By the way, to see the fabulous nature, it is not necessary to go to or. In the distance, the choice is already huge.

About the pros of moving in general

Every day tests you for adherence to habitual foundations. There is an opportunity to look from the side at all the usual stereotypes, habits and prejudices with which he grew up; weed out the unnecessary and leave the useful. At the same time, you stop judging the habits of another country. Largely because you begin to understand that a lot is explained not by the harmfulness of the local, but by a different environment and culture. And moving is a great opportunity to get to know them.

A detailed account of my move and life in Chile is in the book What Is Chile?

A story about moving to Chile and impressions of life in Santiago was last modified: December 12th, 2018 by Anastasia Polosina

Chile is a Latin American country that stretches along the west coast of South America. Pros and Cons of Living in Chile there is, and enough of both. Chile cannot be called a very popular immigration destination, but, nevertheless, a certain number of immigrants arrive there every year in search of a better life. Both the advantages and disadvantages of Chile are due to its economic condition and geographical location.

The advantages of living in Chile include, for example, a good economy by the standards of Latin America. This is a poor country, but, along with Argentina and Uruguay, Chile is one of the most developed countries in the region. Salaries in the country are low, prices too. It makes little sense to go to Chile as a labor migrant, and why not as a businessman?

Climate in Chile very diverse, hot in the south and cold in the north. Thus, every immigrant will be able to choose climate-friendly living conditions for themselves.

Immigration Laws in Chile quite loyal. Obtaining a residence permit and permanent residence in this country is not difficult, especially if you are serious and at the same time come not with empty pockets. Business immigration in Chile is quite simple and does not require the highest financial investments compared to other countries.

Chile property prices highly dependent on the region, city and district, but generally kept at a fairly low level. In large cities like Santiago or Valparaiso, an apartment in a good area costs a lot, but still much cheaper than in Moscow. In other cities, housing is much cheaper, private houses in the suburbs are also not too expensive.

The official language of Chile is Spanish, one of the most widely spoken languages \u200b\u200bin the world. It is not too complicated and at the same time very beautiful, and living in Chile and fluent in Spanish, you can travel all over Latin America (except Brazil, where Portuguese is spoken) and the Caribbean without language problems. If you have such a desire, of course.

Cons and disadvantages of living in Chile also present in full. Despite one of the strongest economies in Latin America, Chile is noticeably lagging behind the countries of Europe, even Eastern. The standard of living is comparable to Russian. Salaries are low, especially for those who work with their hands, which makes Chile not the most attractive country for professional labor migration.

Chile has a rather dangerous criminal situation. Not as tense as in neighboring Argentina, but still present. The local population for the most part is friendly, but rather roguish and always on their minds. Most Chileans are dominated by Native American roots.

Despite the fact that the main state language is Spanish, most Chileans also speak their tribal language. In total, about fifty languages \u200b\u200bare in use, and if you want to really take root in Chile, it will not hurt you to learn not only Spanish, but also another language common in your chosen area.

Another minus is that in Chile there is a very strong bureaucracy, which is not inferior to Russian or Argentinean. In a foreign and unfamiliar country, this may be another additional obstacle. And also it’s far from Chile, and therefore it’s long and expensive to fly somewhere except other countries of South America and the USA.

Earthquakes in Chile are commonplace. In some places they happen a couple of times a month, in others a couple of times a week. Chileans are already accustomed to and do not pay attention to them, especially since truly dangerous earthquakes with victims and noticeable damage occur, fortunately, infrequently. But they do happen.

In the north of the country, tiny poisonous spiders are widespread, the bite of which is fatal. They start in dark and dusty corners in the homes of negligent owners who neglect regular cleaning. Chileans know this and try to keep their homes clean, and sometimes they start houses of other spiders - large and seemingly scary, but safe for humans. These large spiders feed, including those others that are small and poisonous.

The advantages and disadvantages of living in Chile very peculiar, taking into account local specifics and color. Latin America is generally quite an exotic place by the standards of an emigrant from Russia or Ukraine. Whether you can take root there or not is up to you.

Do you dream of Chile, this beautiful country on the west coast of South America? Can't wait to meet hospitable Chileans? However, there are more opportunities in Chile. Read our guide and learn all about healthcare, housing, and other aspects of life in Chile.

Also in this article:

Accommodation and education in Chile

Chile Population: Mixed Cauldron

The current population of Chile comes not only from indigenous peoples and Spanish colonialists, but also from immigrants from Europe, Asia and South America. For centuries, immigrants and settlers formed the population of this country. Currently, about 18 million people live in Chile, about 90% of whom live in cities and major cities. The capital of Chile Santiago is truly the center of the country, where almost one third of the country's population lives

About 10-11% of the population belongs to indigenous peoples such as Mapuche, the largest of these groups. Mapuche live in the region of Chile - Araucania, in the south. The people of Aymar and Atacameno can mainly be found in the northern deserts and mountains, while Alcaluf and Yagan live on Tierra del Fuego. Easter Island with Rapa Nui is dominated by unique Polynesian traditions.

Different languages \u200b\u200band traditions

Spanish, of course, is the official language of Chile. However, linguistic traditions still prevail among indigenous peoples. For example, among Mapuche, Mapudungun is widespread. Aimara, Quechua and Alcaluf also remain popular indigenous languages \u200b\u200bin Chile, like Rapa Nui, spoken on Easter Island.

As in other Latin American countries, Chile is predominantly a Catholic country. In fact, 70% of the population identifies themselves as Catholics, and 15% identify as Protestants. However, expats living in Chile who are not Catholics need not worry. Religious diversity is not only respected, but also protected in Chile.

Health & Medical in Chile

Chileans do not need to fear dangerous situations in medicine. After all, the country has a reputation for having the most advanced medical care in Latin America. Throughout your life in Chile, you can take advantage of modern medical facilities with well-trained medical personnel and first-class equipment. Although there is private health care, there is a good public health system in the country, and emergency care is always available.

The Chilean public health system is the National Health Fund (FONASA). Foreigners living in Chile who are covered by FONASA have free access to public clinics and hospitals, as well as to private doctors. Thanks to a highly developed private sector, patients enjoy a wide range of preventive medicine services. Private healthcare companies are called ISAPRE. They provide wide access to private health services and hospitals.

Chile's Health Risks: Unusual Suspicions

Tropical diseases, such as malaria, yellow fever and cholera, are not common in Chile, and expats living in Chile should not worry about protecting against these diseases. The only contagious disease that tends to cause problems in rural areas is the Hunt virus. The airborne virus that is carried by mice and rats is mainly a concern in campsites. Fortunately, the disease is not fatal, and hospitals are well equipped to treat its symptoms.

Although drinking water in Chile is safe, you should buy bottled water during the first weeks of your stay in Chile. If you have a sensitive stomach, you should avoid eating raw seafood or unwashed fruits. Another threat is dangerous insects and spiders, such as vinchucas (kiss bugs) and arañas de rincón (Chilean hermit spiders). They live in remote areas and in old houses, and judging by the number of people bitten each year, they pose only a minor threat. If you have been bitten, you should immediately go to the emergency room. Be sure to bring a spider or bug with you, if possible, so that doctors can determine which antidote you need.

We are doing our best to keep this article up to date. However, we cannot guarantee that the information provided is always up-to-date and complete.

About how we got scared of earthquakes and tsunami warnings. On the pros and cons of the country, and how we decided to leave Chile.

So, with this story I want to complete the next “volume” of our life. To summarize. When I wrote earlier about choosing a country for life, I wrote that only time will tell whether we made the right choice or not. So, time has shown, and it's time to take stock. If earlier I wrote more about the positive aspects of life, then this time I will try to be as honest as possible. Although you should not forget that this is only my perception of the world and many may have a different opinion, but rather a preface.

Cons: Ugly and dull Chilean cities

Remember, I admired the rich areas of the Chilean capital, and I really liked Providencia? So, there really are very beautiful areas with well-groomed small courtyards and houses, large and beautiful glass skyscrapers. But the thing is that if you look at the map of Santiago, you can see that the city is very large, and its good areas are its small part.

Santiago de Chile ...

There are no skyscrapers

There are no neat houses

And no green lawns

But there is a lot of garbage

Well, a lot of garbage

So it turns out that the whole country was divided into two camps - the poor and the rich (all as in Latin American TV shows). And it is unfortunate, but there are 80 percent of poor areas.

Typical Chilean city road

Typical chilean landscape

If we are talking about Santiago, then it turns out that the rich people living here live exclusively in their rich areas, which is quite logical. But Santiago is a really big (and only) city. For all other cities are very small. And here it gives great inconvenience. If living somewhere in the center of Providencia or Las Condes, you have all the necessary infrastructure for a quality life around without having to leave the comfort zone, then when you live in any other city, the size of which is much smaller, you are doomed to constantly encounter Latin American reality.

Typical Concon Street

Another street

We probably lived in the most beautiful place in Concon. This small district, located by the ocean and sand dunes, looks beautiful, well-groomed and tidy.

Our area in Concon

But it’s worth going to the store for bread 300 meters along the road that leads to the less affluent area of \u200b\u200bthe city, and that’s all .... everywhere there are inexpressive birdhouse houses. Wherever you look, everything is covered with teens and there is no longer any hint of bright greenery and flowers pleasing to the eye, only products of dog life are lying on narrow, dull asphalt streets.

Also concon

Konkonsky plant in the background

Chile has three very big problems (of aesthetic nature):

Architecture - more precisely, its absence. Since the country is located in the most seismically active region of the world, it is not surprising that there are almost no old colonial buildings. And those that remained for some reason look exactly as they should look at home, which has exceeded a hundred years. For some reason, the state does not pay due attention to the care of the colonial heritage. Does not try to restore or rebuild. Although, it seems, I read that some particularly valuable buildings were restored, but walking around the Santiago Center, where this kind of house is mainly concentrated, for some reason I got the impression of a completely deplorable state of cultural heritage. And outside the prosperous areas, no one thinks about the beauty of buildings, so cities in many places look either simply plainly or ugly.
Greenery - again, more precisely, its absence (except for the Chilean south). It is worth dropping outside the rich area and you will immediately find yourself in a dusty and yellow rocky desert. Viña del Mar is a “garden city”, but this garden is concentrated on 20 percent of the entire city, the rest of it is poor areas and desolate dusty landscapes.
Contemporary Arts - I already wrote about this. Everything is outlined. That's all. There are beautiful paintings on the houses, but in 99% they are just some kind of careless inscriptions on any flat surface. And most interestingly, even in rich areas it is common enough. When I arrived in Russia, it was wild for me to see our usual high-rise buildings, on which there may be 5 pieces of inscriptions on the facade, and all the free space was not written out.

On the streets of Santiago

"Arts"

And this is not the worst part of Santiago Center

In fairness, a well-preserved building

Going from Concon to Vinho

"We admire the beauties"

How old is this car?

And here is Viña del Mar

Resort on the Pacific

"Sanatoriums" in the background

Viña del Mar for the poor

Of course there is no sewage

I already wrote that when I had to go to Valparaiso, a wave of depression from one species only came over me. In Vigne, the eye rejoices on the promenade or Avenida Libertad. Good there are small and cozy streets a little distance from the ocean. But again, it’s worth passing one block from the only large shopping center here and that's it ... again, you admire the “birdhouses” on the hill.

Birdhouses on the hill

Houses on the streets of Vigny

Streets of Vigny

Typical Viña del Mar

Clean where the fences are under electricity

What is most interesting is that everything here is clearly divided into zones of well-being. The scale is small, so it can be like this: turned around the corner, and there is a beautiful and clean house: everything is in colors, a neat lawn. You walk 10 meters, the house ends and there is already rubbish, the whole painted stop and, as it were, in a different place, then turned around the corner, and there again everything is beautiful and safe.

Crossed the road - already beauty

Bike lanes

Front door

Well-being returned to the streets of Vigny

Dog walking

It is written here too

There is already less well-being

I think that in general I conveyed the idea. For me, the beauty and aesthetic well-being of the place in which you live, where you walk, is very important, but this is not here. More precisely, but very selectively.

Cons: “About how we were shaking, and how they called us to escape from the tsunami”

Earthquakes

Chile shakes constantly. Just a few days after arriving in Chile, I felt for the first time in my life a little push. The chair on which I was sitting rocked a little and the lamp hanging from the ceiling slightly staggered.

Then there were strong earthquakes in the north of Chile, which were so widely broadcast by the media that our relatives started calling us in the middle of the night to find out whether we were alive or not. Then we had peace and quiet.

Somehow we were shaken harder, the monitor on the stand began to stagger, or at night we woke up from how the bed was shaking.

And one evening there was an earthquake of magnitude 5.4 and the epicenter was just below us. So I suffered fear, and Sasha too. It was like this: we sit, do not touch anyone, I do something for work, Sasha sits next to him and watches the movie: “Indiana Jones,” while I also glance with one eye and sip gulls from a large mug next to me. Then suddenly a rumble started, from somewhere out of the ground, and then it would shake! And further! And even stronger! Each next push is stronger and stronger.

Usually what happens? Shake a couple of seconds and all. And here everything is shaky, but in an increasing fashion. Tea from the mug spills over the top and miraculously does not flood my laptop. I grab the monitor so that it does not fall. I'm trying to get up, but the floor and walls of the house are starting to chat, I grab at the table. And what to do, it is not clear ... to run somewhere? More likely to be injured if the house begins to fall apart. But praise God did not come to this. Shook a little and everything calmed down. Escaped with a slight fright.

Although they build houses with the expectation of increased seismic activity in the region, it’s scary when it shakes like that. Very scary.

The consequences of the earthquake in Chile in 2010

Those who caught the earthquake in Chile in 2010 talk about how they dodged furniture flying around the apartment. So anyway, a little this factor can be disturbing.

Tsunami

Where there are earthquakes and the ocean, there can not do without the generation of this pair, whose name is Tsunami. Therefore, if you live on the coast, then this may concern you to some extent.

Once, closer to night, a siren yelled on my phone suddenly. We did not sleep yet, but were very surprised at such a strange behavior of my phone. The sound was completely unfamiliar. I did not understand that this was happening. Obviously, I have completely different melodies for the call and SMS. First thought: “Picked up some telephone virus,” but what else could it be? Taking the phone, I saw a window with a message in Spanish. The most important thing that immediately caught my eye was “Alerta de tsunami”.

If you translate the entire message, then it looked something like this:

Title: National Alert!

Message text: Attention! Tsunami threat! An evacuation is announced, everyone urgently needs to go to security zones.

And we are lying in bed, going to sleep already, and here it is on you. Here's what to do? I went to the window and looked at the ocean. It looks calm, you can’t see the tsunami. Then let's make sense of the situation. Our house, though on the coast, is located on a hill 30 meters high. Such tsunamis certainly do not happen. But the most important thing is that all escape routes from the ocean lead in our direction. In fact, it turns out that we live just in such a security zone, where everyone should be evacuated. And so we calmed down and went to bed.

As it turned out later, it was a warning about the tsunami in the north of Chile, where there were just strong earthquakes. But announced throughout the country. Not a very wise decision. It is said that Michelle Bachelet (the current president) tried to play it safe, because once in the Chilean region Bio-Bio was washed away by a wave of about 3,000 people, although they knew about the threat then. Even seismologists from the USA warned, saying: “Chileans, you will have a tsunami, you know?” To which Chileans answered: “we know!”, And as a result of lack of qualifications or some kind of disorder, Chileans decided that the tsunami will, and did not announce the evacuation. Then the people washed away by the wave. In those days, Michelle Bachelet also ruled, and now she tried to play it safe.

But here's the thing: Chile is the longest country in the world, and if there is a tsunami somewhere in Iquique, then Punta Arenas will definitely not affect it. And they say that in the panic caused by this message throughout the country, people also suffered.

This is the situation with the severe Chilean elements.

Less: Education

In Chile, with the formation of trouble. And that's it. They say that schools are several classes behind ours. Some Russians say that there is only one sense in school - that the child should socialize and not forget the Spanish language, but otherwise it will be of little use, because you still have to study at home.

This situation is exacerbated by the fact that these schools also cost a lot of money. A good school or kindergarten costs about US $ 500 per month. What a? And since here the whole society is clearly divided into classes (there is even an official document describing people belonging to different classes - where they live, what they ride, etc.), then to give a child the opportunity to arrange a prosperous future, he simply can not be given to the “poor” school. In addition to these monthly payments, add the entry fees, annual fees (already measured in thousands of US $) for all sorts of textbooks, uniforms, etc., it becomes really sad. But okay, would you still pay this money for a good education, otherwise it turns out that you pay only for prestige and a pleasant pastime, and not for knowledge.

With universities here, everything seems to be much better. Some universities have a name on a global level. US students come to study here to save money and get a decent education. But here’s how the Chileans with such a weak school education enter into them a mystery.

About people. Who are Chileans?

What about people? Of course, people are different, this must be understood. In any country in the world there is a chance to stumble upon a good person and a bad one. But here I want to say about some of the most pronounced and characteristic features that may be inherent in the people as a whole.

In general, people are kind and helpful. They love children very much. With a small child, you will feel like a “beneficiary”. In stores at the box office you will be allowed to go forward, in the state. institutions, for example, there may be a separate window. It is not customary to swear and scream at children; here many children are allowed. The atmosphere is friendly. This is a plus.

Compared to Russia, of course, everything here is very friendly and pleasant, but Thailand in this regard is unlikely to be outstripped by anyone anyway, which is why it is a country of smiles. Well and still all the same in Chile, the atmosphere of class stratification is somehow in the air. Some tension is felt, rich and poor - an eternal problem, although here it is not a problem, but simply a way of life.

Chileans are slobs. If you look at the advertisements for renting out apartments, you won’t stop wondering how you can live in such a mess, let alone photograph this mess and post such ads on the site with rental offers. In fact, what is a mess for us is quite normal for them.

Add to this the American habit of walking at home in shoes. Well, at least kill me, I can’t understand this. From the street in shoes and on carpets and on the sofa ...

Chileans love to relax. Then you and siesta, and maniac, and all at once. And on public holidays you can’t work. If a person goes to work on a holiday, then the company will be fined a tidy sum, and therefore here it never occurs to anyone to process it this way. It seems to me that even having the opportunity to make good money on the weekend, the Chileans themselves will prefer a vacation. After Russia, this also looks unusual, but this attitude to life pleases.

And this ... well, in general, somehow there is no order to the extent that I imagine order in a civilized society :) Here is the situation: a red light, a crowd of Chileans looking around and right at a traffic light it crosses a street. At the traffic light there is a carabiner, as if nothing had happened they are passing by, and he will not say a word to them. How so?

On the other hand, when carabinieri catch offenders, stopping places are always allocated with cones, this is a civilian approach.

Carabinieri brake cars

Minibuses they are the same in all countries, reckless and then God forbid. But here it is an even more extreme attraction, since all the recklessness takes place on narrow mountain streets (with a very steep slope), which often bend steeply and, in addition, pass next to a cliff. Therefore, at the next bend, you constantly have to drive away thoughts of a bus flying towards the rocky shores of the Pacific Ocean.

The country is very concerned about the elderly and disabled. Without a ramp to the store, or some kind of elevator from the underground parking, the object will simply not be allowed to open.

And what do the Chilean old women look like? It's just upside down. Young girls often go unpainted, in baggy T-shirts, somehow they do not look well-groomed (not always, but often). But the Chilean granny will always come with fresh manicure with all the rest of the toilet. Yes, it may even not even go, but be so old that it is already being carried barely, but it is still beautiful and well-groomed.

Minus: Cold

I have already written more than once, and I will continue to write about the Chilean cold, because he pretty much ruined my life. I’ll tell you just one more story to finally clarify the situation. The very height of summer: Sasha with a friend went to an evening jazz concert in the open air. Of course, warm sweatshirts were taken with me in case of the onset of Chilean colds. But it turned out that even in the midst of summer, there are such cold nights that you won’t get away with one blouse. Seasoned listeners came in warm jackets and hats! Summer! In hats! Needless to say, in the end, Sasha also regretted that she didn’t have a warm hat with her and that she had to grind her teeth prematurely to leave the concert so as not to turn into an ice.

Plus (huge): Health

I already wrote that a miracle happened with our child and he stopped hurting at all. We stopped telling him phrases like: “first warm up in your mouth” and, without the slightest fear, let us eat ice cream. Now, at least, I know one of the most amazing places in the world where you can eat healthy food all year round and not worry about adverse environmental conditions. Chile is a place that simply breathes health.

Conclusions for us

Vigny's Beauty

Chile, as a country, has not been revealed to us. All the time we lived there, we tried to understand whether we like it there or not. In Thailand, it seemed like I liked everything at once, but there was no opportunity to gain a foothold. And here everything seems to be like everything, and then you will go to Valparaiso and think: “What an idiot you have to be to fly through the underground globe and choose such a terrible place to live.” Then you will meet friends, fry meat, go for a walk on the ocean, but walk along the Vinya embankment and again like everything.

On the promenade of Vigny

Chile is a good country. It is safe, calm, civilized. But, to be completely frank, we still more than persuaded ourselves to stay there. Somehow, initially the soul did not lie to the country or something.

It seems that there is nothing to say “NO” directly! After all, a good country, but not so good as to exchange the existing life in the homeland for this country.

If you live in Chile, then definitely in the south, in Patagonia. Here I can say that YES! I liked it, and very much! But I decided that it was too early to settle down like that in a small town-village, lost at the edge of the world in the Chilean mountains, because it means dooming oneself to life far from civilization. There is no work or institutions near for the child in the future, nothing of what we are accustomed to living in large cities ... Now, if we are planning to retire, this is the most beautiful place :)

If there were no other countries in the world, then I would choose Chile. Well, or if Chile was located closer to Russia, to be able to fly to friends / relatives or invite them to visit. And then it’s incomprehensible to the mind, to spend US $ 5,000 to fly to visit for a week or two, and spend 2 more days on the road, reaching the destination. If not for this factor, then we would most likely have reconciled, accepted all the disadvantages and went to live in Chilean Patagonia.

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Two years ago, Anastasia Polosina made a decision that radically changed her life. As a result, she now has two summers and fall in a year, and two languages \u200b\u200bin everyday life. And life takes place in the opposite hemispheres, Southern and Northern. It's about moving to Chile. Anastasia shared the story of the move, talked about the pros and cons of living in Chile, as well as about the difficulties she had to face.

Relocation to Chile

It was interesting to try yourself in the new coordinate system.

Frankly, I thought for a long time and weighed all the pros and cons of such a decision, since I am not one of those who cuts the shoulder. She carefully checked her readiness, asked herself: “Ready?”, But for half a year the answer was somehow unconvincing. Why? Because it was scary. Leaving a family on the other side of the globe, as well as voluntarily pausing a career in the fashion world, which I have so diligently built, have become the main stop factors in my case. And I never had a popular desire to “dump away”.

Moving to Chile as a fact and plunging into a new world did not scare. It seemed more like an exciting adventure, and it was interesting for me to try myself in the new coordinate system. In addition, I imagined where I was going — before moving, I had been to Chile several times, so the terra incognita in my case had a clear outline and a map of the area.

You can think and weigh the pros with minuses endlessly, but it's like standing on the shore and peering into the sea below when you need to jump - at some point you still have to hold your breath, squint and take a step forward.

Doubts about moving and unanswered questions

How comfortable will you feel in this country, not as a tourist, but as a resident? Can you get used to the new culture, people's habits, traditions? All these doubts are absolutely universal when moving to any country in the world, and nothing changes from the choice of destination: the Cote d'Azur, Cape Town or Hong Kong, you still have to honestly look for answers to these difficult questions. Only the situation around changes.

One vigorous frosty day, I honestly asked myself, what will I regret more in ten years if He disappears from my life or my usual way of life? And everything fell into place. True, it will not be possible to reconcile with the distance from the family (I have such a complete failure in this direction), but if you have a fairly remote relationship with the family, then this has its own bitter plus - it will be easier for you. It is worth being honest with yourself.

Ideal if you are in love not only with the man of your dreams, but also in the country where you are going. But then how lucky. My relationship with Chile can be characterized by the deep sympathy and affection that arises when, over time, you begin to look at another objectively, with all its shortcomings and advantages. I look at Chile more than soberly, I have never had a romantic blinding of a newcomer, when everything seems wonderful, velvet and mostly in pink. And it happens! And very often.

First time

For the first time after moving to Chile, I came across trivial problems - where to buy, and whether there is such a product or service in the country at all. Maybe in this form adaptation stress manifested itself? It took quite a lot of time to create your basic circle of comfort in the form of addresses and familiar stores. Now, of course, I know where and what to buy, the usual routes have appeared. But the period of time when you are left with the usual things can be a little stressful, and the only way out in this situation is to show as much curiosity as possible: walk around the city more often and explore its corners, read the local press and look for different sources of information about life in the city .

Circle of friends

The same thing with the circle of friends - at first I got used to new sensations from life in Santiago, to a new environment in general and to myself in this environment in particular, therefore I was in no hurry to make new friends. I didn’t even belong to thematic groups in social networks! Only a year and a half later did the desire to expand the circle of acquaintances come. To some extent, it helps to feel better. Adapting to the environment also helps when it comes to local acquaintances. By the way, many young children come because of the Start up Chile support program for start-up projects, which is really attractive and has few analogues in the world due to its availability.

Chile Views

As a rule, they don’t know anything about Chile. And all ideas about her are very stereotypical and extremely vague, among which Pinochet, Allenda, Easter Island, wine come up. I myself was like that - Chile seemed to me a country of endless prairies and gaucho, like that of Borges, and vineyards. The view was vague, but somehow positive. Later I realized that I imagined the northern Patagonia of Argentina, and everything coincided with the vineyards. I will say right away - nothing to do with the jungle, coconut palms, anacondas and Caribbean beaches. The north of Chile is a dry pre-desert zone, and the farther south of the capital, the colder it becomes, but greener; in the south, volcanoes, lakes, forests and fjords rule the ball. But nothing to do with the tropics. The country stretches along the coast, but the ocean is almost everywhere icy due to strong undercurrents, and for the same reason the water is quite muddy - it is impossible to swim, but it is good to surf due to strong waves.

Of the huge, universal scales, the advantages of living in Santiago, and in Chile as a whole, it is the proximity of mountains and the ocean.

Moscow-Santiago

After Moscow, personally, in Santiago, I personally lack, as air, a more active rhythm of life in the city and its inhabitants. Of course, this city is much smaller in size and in terms of number of inhabitants (7 million), but still. On Sunday, almost all cafes and restaurants are closed, you are driving through the business part of the city and even Starbucks is closed. There are few cars, there are almost no passers-by on the streets, and those rare units that come across go leisurely on foot. Can you imagine something like this on Tverskaya?

Weekend and empty city

Sunday is considered the day to be spent with the family (we will talk about the family of Chileans below). There is even a proverb “domingo –fomingo” that plays up the words Sunday and boredom. Very aptly. When you want to get out to brunch on Sunday, you go to the same two or three places, since there is nothing to choose from. Want a bar on the roof of a skyscraper? Throughout the city there is only one high-rise bar, on the 25th floor, and we go there for good cocktails and mountain views.

Diversity

Another upsetting is the small selection of goods. In Moscow, you get used to the fact that literally everything can be bought on the Internet with delivery the next day. You can also choose from the whole variety of stores, including virtual stores, but in Santiago you don’t always have to choose - there is less demand due to the population of the city of 7 million and the high cost of all imported goods, especially European ones, because of the huge distance. I tried to order from overseas stores, but many products, such as cosmetics and medicines, are supposed to get a certificate from a special department. These are nerves and time.

Somehow we were looking for yarn from the wool of alpaca, the native inhabitant of the Andes. It seemed quite natural that in Chile there should be an abundance of such yarn, if not local, then at least Peruvian production. But no. The choice is limited to five colors of poorly crafted, cruel material. Although there are a lot of shops with yarn, since Chileans love everything knitted, but the main mass is acrylic. I had to buy in Moscow, in an online store with a huge selection and amazing quality, Peruvian, by the way, production.

Climatic features of Chile

The number of sunny days per year is pleasing; most of them are on the calendar. Even in winter and autumn. But there is a fly in the ointment - strong temperature drops (up to 20 degrees) during the day, extremely dry air in the northern and central parts of the country, including Santigo.

Heating

Lack of central heating is a pain of any Russian, as well as Chilean ridicule about how cold it can be to you, are you Russian? Central heating in Santiago is only theoretically, but it is too expensive, so no one turns it on, it is not even considered by people as a possible option in winter. They are saved by a variety of heaters: gas, paraffin, electric. It is difficult to understand the essence of the problem until you feel it yourself.

Climate features

It would seem colder in Moscow. But imagine winter plus 10 in the city-basin, surrounded on all sides by mountains, on which precipitation from the ocean also settles. I compare by clothes: what I went to in Moscow with a slight minus, here I wear at +10. And in the late evening I still feel cold. I have a theory about this - the same temperature in different climatic conditions is felt differently. In addition, you always know that even in the cold you can reach your home, office, car or metro. In Santiago, in all rooms, just like on the street, you can’t take off your coat in a restaurant.

Smog

In winter, the geographical location of Santiago - a city in the ring of mountains - leads to smog, which in the absence of rain can become a real problem. Last year, which turned out to be especially arid, there was no rain, and for several weeks the city was suffocated in a veil of smog. Often restrictions are introduced on the circulation of cars in the city by numbers (on Monday cars with numbers 2 do not leave, on Wednesday 5, etc.). Mentioning the move to Chile and the long summer, they rarely talk about such a "bonus".

Great and terrible Chilean earthquakes

When I talk about life in Chile, almost always the first thing they ask about earthquakes is how does it shake? Shaking. And quite often. Just last week there was a jolt with magnitude 6.5, to be honest, I overslept it, and, as usual, I found out about it only in the morning from the news (for comparison, a jolt of the same strength a couple of days ago in Japan caused a disaster, and 7.5 and completely destroyed Nepal last year). If you want to live in an earthquake-resistant country with a calm soul, then you are in Chile. Earthquakes of even great magnitude here feel like a second vibration, as if a subway car had passed underground. No objects falling from shelves and giant cracks in the roads like in disaster films.

But the most interesting thing is the reaction of the Chileans themselves to the earthquakes - they love to flaunt that they did not even notice the shock, or, if they noticed, "as they drank, they continued to drink."

Wine

Speaking of the latter. Chileans drink a lot. Of course, red Chilean wine. Most often, the choice falls on the Cabernet Sauvignon, less often Merlot (white - Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc). At any holidays, you barely have time to notice how the bottles of dry red succeed each other. In Chile, a real cult of wine produced nationally, and this has to be reckoned with. Now I can even master two glasses of wine in the evening, which was completely impossible before, and I began to understand wines much better. The benefits are there!

The most stable country in Latin America

Chile has the fame of “Switzerland of South America,” which, of course, is ridiculous, but partly true. Let the economy slow down its growth, in comparison with most of the neighbors on the continent of Chile, it really differs in a number of indicators:

- low crime rate (no abductions and other passions, more and more by annoying little things, in the manner of theft of bags and phones);

Low corruption (if you try to give a bribe to the inspector, you will be imprisoned and deprived of your rights, with no options);

More stability (therefore, in Chile there are many emigrants from neighboring South American countries like Argentina, Peru and Colombia).

Moving to Chile implies a collision with high prices, sometimes higher than European ones. I'm not joking: prices in supermarkets and stores for many products differ little from Russian prices, and many are even more expensive. It’s good that in Chile, most of the food is nationally produced, from vegetables to cheeses. By the way, the Chilean will always patriotically prefer his own, native. With the exception of meat. Beef of national origin is much more expensive than no less high-quality analogue from Paraguay, Argentina or Brazil.

Food in chile

Food in Chile is a bit specific. A huge love of soda, which often replaces water, is combined with the habit of eating a huge amount of white bread, meat, and local flour dishes, such as empanade pies or sopapiyi. With a passion for bread and cola, only tender affection for mayonnaise competes. Among the sweets in favorites, boiled condensed milk Dulce de Leche is the leader, this product is added to most sweets - from cakes to hastily cooked magdalenoks.

About meat

Barbecue, which in Chile is called asado, can be called the local religion. At any holiday, a meeting of friends at someone's house, there will always be an asado. Chileans consume most meat per capita, while they never bother - they don’t pickle meat, they don’t prepare sauces for it. So they say: "Good meat is useless." But there is the opportunity to buy locally produced vegetables and fruits (except exotic). I always drive home to Moscow a terrific local avocado, because there are no such avocados. In addition, many superfoods, such as chia seeds, are growing in Chile, so it’s easy to eat a balanced diet. It would be a desire!

Light breathing or lightheartedness

On birthdays or Christmas, the host of the celebration will never bother with the finished dishes, the Chilean solves the cooking problem simply - he goes and buys carrot sticks, semi-finished cakes, liters of cola, a mountain of chips and the like. For a Sunday lunch with the family, the Chilean hostess can venture out on a dish like fried fish with rice. Chileans (may they forgive me) rarely cook well, even mothers and grandmothers of the older generations, and even less often set themselves such a task. It is already significant that in the evening there is no full dinner in the families, as a rule, it is replaced with an once afternoon snack, which consists of sandwiches with ham, cheese, as an option, with mayonnaise and avocado. By the way, the small Chilean avocado Hass the color of ripe eggplant is already quite an occasion to think about moving to Chile.

Social hierarchy

Communal

Health Insurance

It used to always surprise me why Americans are so bored with their health insurance? In Chile, the situation has cleared up. If you do not have health insurance, access to medicine is reduced to zero. The employee chooses where to pay deductions to the state insurance Fonasa or private Isapre. I will not dwell on this in detail, the topic of medication deserves a separate article.

Examples

The reason for its presence - in the case of hospitalization in a private clinic without medical insurance, the bill will be huge. At our rate, medical insurance fully covers only hospitalization (except for medicines and tools) and 70% of the cost of consultations. Therefore, in addition to the average $ 200-300 per month for insurance, each time you have to pay most of the cost of any consultation (I get about 7.000 pesos), pictures, analyzes. For some procedures, insurance does not cover at all. In general, everything must be clarified individually and carefully read the text of the agreement, where there are always many pitfalls. In small public clinics, unrealistic queues and records for six months and even a year in advance (!), Moreover, the majority of the most disadvantaged sections of the population who simply have no other choice are turning to them.

About the pros of moving in general

The main change that can happen after emigrating to another country is the expansion of the boundaries of the worldview. It sounds terribly pathetic, but it is. Every day tests you for adherence to habitual foundations. There is an opportunity to look from the side at all the usual stereotypes, habits and prejudices with which he grew up; weed out the unnecessary and leave the useful. At the same time, you stop judging the habits and foundations of another country. Largely because you begin to understand that a lot is explained not by the harmfulness of the local, but by a different environment and culture.

Ceremonial

Moving to Chile made me more tolerant of otherness, but the rejection of some details remained. I still do not like the complete inability of Chileans to say no, especially in business matters. They will evade and ignore, but they will never say the polite and well-reasoned "no, it does not suit us." They won’t think that you are wasting your time and nerves. Over time, it became clear that Chileans are very afraid to appear impolite and rude - to refuse something is directly equated with bad manners. According to the logic of the locals, it is better to ignore you in the hope that you will understand everything already.

District Life

Geography of the country

Of the huge, universal scales, the advantages of living in Santiago, and in Chile as a whole, it is the proximity of mountains and the ocean. But if the ocean only teases, because it is very cold, then with the mountains everything is different. You can wake up on Saturday and after half an hour already climb the next hill, the local hobby for trekking is exciting. Or go to one of the many national parks in the south for a weekend with a tent. By the way, to see the fabulous nature, it is not necessary to go to Patagonia

And I would love to write you letters,