Cuban Flavor

I had my first experience with Cuban food last night, albeit Chilean Cuban food, but Cuban nonetheless. Most of the restaurants here boast late happy hours that last until 10 or 10:30 at night (which in comparison to their typical dinner hour, really isn't all that late). Guido, Aylim (who is from Cuba), three of their friends and I went to one such restaurant last night. http://www.damarisrestaurant.cl/ Upon arrival, the owner seemed a little dismayed because apparently the cook had just gotten in a motorcycle accident or something and hurt his arm really badly. She asked if we were okay with some dish named after a famous Chilean dude (not what it is called in Cuba, obviously). We all accepted, with minor modifications to my dish, since it is normally made of pork. Can't eat anything with a hoof!

The owner then disappeared for about 20 minutes while the bartender prepared our Mojitos. When she returned, we realized that the reason for the story about the cook and the limited menu (or lack thereof) was due to the fact that she was doing the cooking. I guess she only knew how to make one dish! Anyway, the food was great. For all I know, it could have tasted nothing like Cuban food, since I haven't ever eaten Cuban food, but it was one of the better meals I have had since I got here. In comparison to the tuna salad I had for lunch today, it was gourmet!

There was an adorable old Brazilian couple sitting at the only other occupied table in the restaurant who got up to dance half-way through our meal. Those old people could dance! They could only make it for one song at a time, but they definitely could show this gringa up on the dance floor any day...and that they did! Despite my attempt to remain in my seat at the table, I was forced to get up and dance with one of Aylim's friends. Being the only person in the restaurant without latin blood certainly was obvious. My hips just don't move that way! A few dances later, I looked at my watch and saw that it was almost midnight. Fearing that I might turn into a pumpkin, I casually yawned to express how tired I was. Fortunately, the others were fading as well. I took the Chilean lead and came in at 9:15 this morning. It's a good thing it was not a problem, since it was my manager's fault I was out so late. I have plans with a new friend named Santiago tonight too, so hopefully tomorrow isn't a big day at work. Judging by the fact that we have a 4-day weekend ahead of us, I doubt many people will have their minds focused on work. Gotta love South American holidays!

Home at last

So, yesterday was the big day that I moved into my new apartment. If you think moving is hard, try doing it in a foreign country, where you only know 5 people, and you don't have a car. After making two trips from the hotel to the new apartment, walking 2 miles to a mall to buy Snickers a new fancy litter box and some litter (which weighed 5 kg), I thought I was finally settled with all of my belongings...at least for the day. Then, I realized, I left the most imporant thing of all at the hotel. (No, not Snickers.) My pillows! I had plans to meet some new friends for dinner at 7:30, and since it was 6:25, I figured, I could hop on the subway back to the hotel, run back to the new apartment, and make it to dinner right on "Santiago" time. For those of you that are not familiar with the timeliness of South Americans, I will advise you that if you ever venture down south, expect your guests to arrive approximately 20-30 minutes later than the designated time. This goes for everything from social gatherings to business meetings. It's a practice I like to call "The Mañana Attitude." Fortunately, my friends were only 10 minutes late, and I met them right "on time."

We went to a really great place for dinner that slightly resembles Dean & Deluca (according to their websites proclamations). For me, Dean & Deluca really just brings to mind the blueberry donuts one of the partners would get for breakfast every time we went to New York for one of my former Deloitte engagements. Nonetheless, the food and the ambience were both great. Coquinaria http://www.coquinaria.cl/) gets my full approval. They had a beatiful display of yummy deserts, home made gelato and an array of fine cheese and wine throughout the market within the restaurant. I dined on an Ensalada Peruana, which was made up of chicken wrapped shrimp (a first for me), Chile's finest avocado, some fried choclo which resembled cornnuts, and a delicious dressing that they called Asian (but there was nothing Asian about it).

After dinner, it was off to the new apartment, where my pillows were waiting for me to crash. I don't know what it is, but I have been exhausted since the day I got here. Maybe there is something in the pollution that makes you sleepy. It could also have something to do with the fact that Chileans typically eat dinner around 9 PM and it takes several hours. Not to mention that their night-life goes into the wee morning hours. I didn't get home until 5:30 on Friday night (or do you call that Saturday morning). I guess there is not a closing time for bars in Santiago. Woohoo!

Club de Montaña

In an effort to see the country (specifically the Andes region), I decided today that I would join "Club de Montaña." Initially, I thought that it was simply a group of people who get together monthly to go on hikes in the mountains surrounding Santiago. And, after going to the meeting, I can affirm that it is. HOWEVER, getting together monthly to go on hike in the mountains surrounding Santiago is not quite the same as going for a hike in Runyon Canyon. First of all, the cordillera that surrounds Santiago doesn't come close in comparison to the meager looking rock formations we call mountains in Southern California, or El Paso, for that matter. The Sierra Nevada and the Rockies are mere dirt mounds on the side of the Rio Grande that my brother and cousins' and I used as children as defense against one another in our childish paintball wars in comparison to these monstrosities.

How exiciting!!

Remeber this photo from the other day? Ya...that is what Club de Montaña hikes

They have a facebook page, so I thought I would go check out what I was getting myself into after the leader/guide suggested we all get DryFit clothing, a Camelback, some Goretex socks, and sturdy hiking boots (not to mention the hiking poles that he said "no son obligatorios, pero recomendados"). I'm really looking forward to doing the following things:



Just like hiking in Park City...only NOT




These are real pictures of my backyard




This is something called "Choriboulder"




I think I am going to like this place :)



I´d like to penetrate you

If you think today´s title is offensive, imagine receiving an email from your new colleague that begins with that statement. The Corpbanca engagement team didn´t have to imagine such a thing happening to them yesterday, thanks to me. After surviving my first big meeting, which was a somewhat frightening experience, I returned to my desk to send out a few emails. One of these emails was addressed to some people I had not yet met, so rather than just rattling off things that I needed them to do, I began politely with an introduction...or so I thought.

I cc´d my manager so that he was in the loop on what I was asking them to do, and he quickly shot back a response saying thank you. Directly copying our subsequent emails into this post is the best way to recant the sequence of events that followed:

From: Beckham, Cameron (CL - Santiago)
Sent: martes, 18 de octubre de 2011 16:04
To: De Chazal, Guido (CL - Santiago)
Subject: RE: Corpbanca EQCR
Guido,

Do you want me to CC you on things? I figured at first it would be helpful so that people catch the link from you to me. Let me know if you would like me to continue this practice and if anything I say sounds weird. I´m open to feedback – both on grammatical things and the proper way to address people, as I have noticed that they are friendlier than I´m used to in emails.


Thanks,


Cameron


From: De Chazal, Guido (CL - Santiago)

Sent: martes, 18 de octubre de 2011 16:10
To: Beckham, Cameron (CL - Santiago)
Subject: RE: Corpbanca EQCR

Hi Cameron,

Thanks for your email. Yes, please CC me on your communications with the SEC registrants. As for grammar tips, if you want to “introduce yourself” you would say “quiero presentarme como…” instead of “quisiera introducirme” as “introducir” could be misunderstood as you wanting to penetrate an object with another. Other than that, your emails have been very polite and with the proper tone and message.

Regards,

Guido de Chazal

Well...good thing I got that tip. I guess it would be worse to introduce myself that way to someone in a social setting. Or maybe not. If I learned anything yesterday, it is never trust Google Translate as the authority on proper grammar.

Football in Chile!

What is the best way to meet Americans in a foreign country? Find an American bar! Last night, I did just that. After receiving a tip a few weeks ago from a coworker in LA about a bar named California opened by two guys from California, I had to seek it out. Lucky for me, this bar is only 2 blocks away from the hotel that I have been staying in! So...last night, after a personal battle about whether or not I had the bravado to venture into a bar by myself, the Texan in me won the battle, and I found myself at California in Providencia. I never thought I would say this, but I am actually PROUD of myself for going to a bar. I know, that sounds strange, but if any of you have ever gone to a bar in country as you clearly stand out as a member of the 0.5% of the population with blond hair and blue eyes, you may understand more easily. Although the Texans and the Cowboys both lost, I met two American guys who both moved to Santiago recently. All in all, I would say that it was worth watching the Texas teams lose. I found the place to go when I am in need of some California fair. Hopefully next time I go there, I will have someone to share the nachos with.

http://www.californiacantina.net/index.html

It´s sad that I was the one to strike up conversation with the guy sitting next to me at the bar, but you gotta do what you gotta do. My weak attempt at make a friend went a little like this:

Guy at bar: (Completely oblivious that there is an American girl sitting next to him)
Cameron: (Awkwardly clapping occasionally to make it obvious that I was a) American, and b) watching the Cowboys-Patriots game)
Guy at bar: ....
Cameron: Are the Cowboys wearing pink?
Guy at bar: Yes - it´s a breast cancer thing. They actually auction off their stuff at the end of the game and donate the proceeds to charity.
Cameron: Oh, how nice.

After that, things got less awkward. Turns out the guy is a huge USC fan. When he asked me if I had a fantasy football team, I started thinking he might have thought I was a man posing as a woman, but whatever. I took off as soon as the game was over, sighting my first day of work as my excuse. It´s a good thing I did too, because I felt nauseous more than once today, and it had nothing to do with the number of beers I had at the bar last night (2, for the record). To give you an idea of why, without boring you with the details of accounting that I´m sure nobody in the audience is interested in hearing, all I need to say is that I printed a 150 page Annual Report for Corpbanca, a Chilean bank first thing this morning - in SPANISH. It wasn´t until after going on a run after I got home from work that my head was clear enough to come out of the daze that I was in all day. Stay posted for tales of the embarrassing situations I expect to get myself into in the week to come. I´m just hoping that Chileans have heard the expression "Dumb blonde" so that I have an excuse when I can´t figure out how to use the copy machine (ya...that happened today).

Cerro San Cristobal

Now that I've (hopefully) gotten apartment hunting out of the way, it was time to have some fun this weekend and see the city. Guido and Aylim, my new friends, took me to Cerro San Cristobal, a giant statue to the Virgin Mary on top of a mountain yesterday.

Me standing in front of the El Cerro San Cristobal

They just sold their house in North Carolina and wanted to make an offering to "La Virgen de Concepcion" in thanks for their good fortune. I thought it was a great opportunity for sight-seeing, so I tagged along. The hike up the mountain to the statue was quite the workout - not quite what I was expecting. I've got to admit....I'm actually sore today. Either from that, or because I actually dragged my lazy butt out onto a run yesterday morning. While on that run, I saw a sign for a 5K next weekend in the neighborhood of my hotel. I think I might do it in effort to see more of the city and perhaps make a new friend. I'm putting myself out there in any way I can!

The offering "sanctuary"

I digress...back to yesterday's events. The view from the top of the mountain was amazing! You could see all of Santiago in any direction. I knew it was big, but seeing it from the top of a mountain really put things in perspective. The city goes on and on and on....

Guido and I with Santiago in the background (and the Andes)

After our hike and religious activity of the day, the three of us decided that we had earned a trip to Bellavista for Happy Hour. I've learned already that the best thing about Happy Hour in Chile is that it typically lasts from 4 PM to 10 PM. I don't really understand how they can call that Happy "HOUR," but who is complaining? After 3 mojitos, I was ready to call it a day. Fortunately, so were Guido, Aylim, and the newest addition to my slowly growing group of friends, Dani - a Brazilian girl with a dirty mind and a great sense of humor. I can see myself getting along with her well.

Mojitos and Caipirihnas all around!

For a more extended version of the photos, check out this link, where I've uploaded all of my pictures from the day:

http://www2.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=4056917023/a=155380414_155380414/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/


Today's event will have to be recanted tomorrow, because I have a big day ahead of me tomorrow, as my official 1st day of work. Gotta get my beauty sleep (if you can really call it that as an accountant).

House Hunters International - Part 2

In continuation of my last post, I´m going on with House Hunters International - Part 2. Gonzalo picked me up this afternoon after I went to Deloitte to go see two more apartments. I sent him three last night that I was interested, but two of them were already gone by the time that he called the owners. Gotta move quick in this market! With the remaining one of my three picks and another that he was dying to show me, we had our afternoon planned.

Option 4
Urbano

Living area

This apartment was one of the ones I had picked out while surfing the web lastnight. It seemed promising from the photos, and all in all was a pretty good place. It is very close to the subway, near a supermarket, has an indoor pool, a BBQ (which I learned today is called a quincho) and is in a very new building.



Really nice kitchen - big plus




Bathroom



Another shot of the kitchen




Bedroom - the balcony comes across from the den to the bedroom, which i like



 The building seems very safe, but is on a really busy street and has a lot of street noise, even from the 8th floor where the apartment is. Although it has a gym (with 1 treadmill and some weights), it is right next door to a big commercial gym that was advertising memberships for about $25 USD a month. It costs a little more than the second one I saw today, which seems a little crazy because it is in the same neighborhood, and is only 1 bedroom compared to the 2 rooms the other has. The tenant had just left this morning, so it was a little messy, but that is understandable. The fact that the owner was showing it today after it only had been available for a few hours shows how quickly the market moves here.



Another shot of the bedroom





Closet - not bad for Chile / not good for Cameron´s shoes



Option 5
New Las Condes

Living area - lots of space compared to others I´ve seen

I think this is the one!! It is cheaper than the one above ($$ woo!! $$) and twice as big! It is a two bedroom, two bathroom apartment right in the Las Condes area that I want to live. It is walking distance to Deloitte´s new offices, down the street from a supermarket (essential until I get a car), has a pool on the roof, a gym on the first floor, gated underground parking, and is nicely situated on the 14th floor of the building with a great view of the city with the Andes behind. I can imagine that in the winter that the view is gorgeous (think snow capped mountains).

The view (Note: It rained this morning, so the sky is still overcast)

 We had some trouble with this one, but I think it was worth the wait.



I love the kitchen!

 

Bedroom #1

  The story:





Closet #1 (the other closet is identical)



Day 1 - Gonzalo speaks with a woman, we´ll call her Anna Maria, who says that she will stop by the apartment building and leave the keys with the concierge. Gonzalo and I go to the apartment and inquire about the keys, but the concierge looks at us blankly. Clearly Anna Maria had not stopped by with the keys. Gonzalo proposed that we go to another apartment that he wanted to show me to give her more time to come drop off the keys. We returned about an hour later, but there still were no keys in sight. After calling her numerous times and getting no answer, he and Monica (his wife), who by now had shown up at the apartment, decided to call it a day and try again tomorrow. He promised that he would get the keys before coming for me so that we would not have any trouble.



Bedroom #2



Day 2 - Gonzalo picks me up to go see the apartment. He informs me that he was very dissapointed in Anna Maria and wanted to send her a nasty email but wanted to ensure that we saw the apartment first, so he had resisted the temptation. With keys in hand, the two of us go up to the 18th floor to see my potential new abode. There are 5 keys on the keyring...none of which opens the door. Gonzalo tries all 5. Fail. I try all 5. Fail. We go downstairs and get the concierge who returns with us and tries all 5. Fail. Monica called Gonzalo during this unexciting turn of events, who is very insistent that she could get in using the keys just a few days before. We decided that it was worth a shot (and who am I kidding? I have nothing else to do. It´s not like I have places to go or people to see. I have no friends yet.) and so we went to pick his wife up. She tried all 5 keys and, surprise, surprise! Fail.



Day 3 - Before I begin with today´s events, I should add that the previous two days´ failures were what inspired me to start looking around on the internet on my own last night. I also told Gonzalo that if it was going to be too much trouble, I didn´t want him to go to any more trouble for this place. He was insistent though, and sure enough, we got in today! I guess as the saying goes, "Third time´s a charm!"

Bathroom

The BEST part - ample wine storage!!

Okay...I´m a little obsessed with kitchens

Since I´m not really looking for a two-bedroom place, Gonzalo said that he would talk to the owner about moving the bed out of one of the rooms and replacing it with a desk so that I could have a little office of my own. I could then set up a yoga mat on one side of the room and use the TV that is in there to do workout videos. And - another bonus - the problem that every one of these apartments has had is lack of closet space. If I get a two bedroom apartment, I get two closets! The extra bed would remain in storage, so anytime someone comes to visit, I could just trade out the desk and voila! Free place to stay in Chile for everyone! Gonzalo was going to call me after he spoke with the owner this evening. I´m hoping to have good news and be done with apartment hunting. After I start work on Monday, it won´t be nearly as easy to drop everything to go galavanting around town with Gonzalo. I´ll keep you posted!

House Hunters International

I met with a broker today named Gonzalo who had arranged for me to look at 4 apartments this afternoon. I felt like I was on House Hunters International! It was kind of fun to drive around and look at different things. I haven't settled on a place, but am open for advice, so please comment and let me know which one you would pick!

Option 1 - Old building, lively area
El Golf

Large living area - I like the decor

Dining area next to the living area 

Separate breakfast table off the kitchen

The first one I saw was very large, had a great wrap-around balcony and an amazing kitchen. There was a dining room and a separate breakfast table off the kitchen. 

Larger bedroom (I'd take this one)

Smaller bedroom

It had laundry in the unit (huge plus!) and a good sized area for ironing. It is a 2 bedroom, 2 1/2 bathroom apartment, so it would comfortably accomodate a roommate if I wanted one, or would be great for anyone that comes to visit. 

Larger bedroom closet

The broker told me that the landlord was very good about fixing things because he is the owner of the building, not just the unit. It comes with parking, in case I want to buy a car in a few months, which is a good bonus, because parking in El Golf is very expensive. The apartment is on the fourth floor of a building that has a doorman 24 hours a day. The area is recommended to ex-pats often, but Gonzalo's wife, Monica, who I met later in the day, told me that there is a lot of prostitution in the area. Hmmm....

Good sized bathroom for Master

Giant closet for the small room

Option 2 - No doorman
Apoquindo


This one wasn't worth photographing, but gets a mention because of the funny old lady outside that Gonzalo and I spoke to. We arrived at the building, which was gated, but when we entered the grounds, we noticed that there was no security other than the iron gate, which we got through because another man was leaving at the time. I stopped Gonzalo right there, because safety is my number one priority. On our way out of the grounds of the building, an elderly woman standing on the sidewalk staring into the yard asked if she could take some of the mint growing on the other side of the fence. Gonzalo graciously told her that it would be fine, and the two of us continued walking laughing, since he clearly had no authority to allow her to take the mint. Gotta love Chileans.


Option 3 - Very modern, great price
Escandinavia

Living area - very modern

Kitchen counter with stools

Kitchen

I was tempted to pull the trigger on this one, but I don't feel like I've seen enough to make an informed decision. It was not nearly as big as the first one I saw, but was in a new building very close to Deloitte's new offices they will be moving into next July. It is also very close to a subway station, super markets, Santiago's first mall, and the Home Depot-like store and mall with the Apple store that Guido took me to the first day I was here. The building has a pool, is gated, and also has security in the lobby (24-hour doorman). The kitchen was a decent size (again not as big as the first) with a counter with two stools to sit on to eat. It didn't have a dining area, but knowing me, I'd probably eat at the counter mostly. Another issue is that there wasn't a TV in the den, only in the bedroom. Gonzalo explained to me that it is more common in Chile for the den to have no TV, because people typically just watch in their rooms. I'm not sure I'm a fan of this idea, since it's always been just the opposite for me. It had a balcony. It was one bedroom, one bath en suite, meaning that guests would have to go into my room to use it. The more I think about it, the smaller it seems. It doesn't have a washing machine in the unit, but is equipped for one. Gonzalo offered to call the owner to see if they would put one in. She first said that she would, but it would be 30,000 pesos more per month. He rebutted and said I would only be interested if the price remained the same. They accepted. This guy is great! They also mentioned that there was another interested party and that if I wanted it, whoever made a deposit sooner would get the apartment. I'm not ready to take the leap yet after only seeing 2 apartments. Let's hope I don't lose it if it was my best option!

Balcony with city view

Not a great photo of the bathroom

We had another apartment to view, but the owner was supposed to bring by the keys, which never happened. Apparently, she left her cell phone in another apartment and missed Gonzalo's numerous calls. I saw the building, pool, gym, and common areas of the building, which were all VERY nice. Gonzalo is coming back to show it to me tomorrow and was going to look for some other things now that he has a better idea of what I have in mind. While we were driving back to the Apart Hotel I asked Gonzalo if I didn't make a deposit on Option #3 if I would lose it. He said he didn't think so. He said that the owner was most likely bluffing because if they truly had another interested renter, they wouldn't have agreed to keep the price and put in a washing machine so easily. This is why you use a broker...they know what they are talking about. 

Bedroom

Let me know what you think about the two shown. There's always tomorrow too!

Stealing Diapers

While in line at the grocery store yesterday, the woman standing next to me made eyes suggesting that I hold my purse more closely. I quickly pulled it closer to my body to ensure that whomever she was suspicious of standing behind me could not get at it. Not three minutes later, I saw the woman standing behind me hand her 6-year old son a package of Pampers and lead him through the entrance of the store, right by security - without ever looking back! What a great example to set for your children...making them steal diapers at such a young age! The woman who had instructed me to hold my purse more closely in the first place looked at me and said "¿Viste eso?" Good thing I had her looking out for me or those diapers might have been my wallet! 

Casa & Ideas

This morning, I woke up, snoozed my alarm 5 times (guess that's not just an American thing), and finally rolled out of bed to get dressed. I learned one of the first, but certainly not the last things I will learn here - how to iron a suit...well sort of. First of all, I didn't know that you actually could iron a suit, since the dry-cleaners have always returned them magically wrinkle-free. After reading the care instructions twice to be sure, I convinced myself that it was okay to use a low iron. If only the iron setting said "Low" or "High" instead of Lena or Algodon. Fortunately, my internship at Glamour gave me a little familiarity with the various names for fabric in Spanish and I was on my way to looking smart to meet HR at Deloitte.

I walked into Deloitte promptly at 9:55 for my 10:00 meeting and soon learned that people weren't joking when they said that nothing, even meetings, in Latin America runs on time. By 10:15, Rodrigo from HR had come out to meet me and took me in to meet his manager. They both told me I had good Spanish, which was a nice confidence booster, in contrast with the way that what they were saying made me feel. Despite the fact that they thought my Spanish was good, I only caught about every 3rd sentence. Something about coming back on Friday, my visa, a lease...and then Hasta luego! Un beso! Ciao!

Let's just hope I actually understood what they rapidly said. Five minutes later, I was out the door and on my way to enjoy the day. Since the Apart Hotel I'm in for the next three weeks only has about 8 hangers (none of which are skirt hangers), I decided my first stop would be the Chilean equivalent of Bed, Bath & Beyond. Well, if I went to Chile's Home Depot yesterday, I certainly went to their BBB today. I could have been in America! They had everything I could ever want (and when that comes to kitchen stuff, that says a lot). I really had to constrain myself to buy only hangers. As soon as I find my own place though, I know I'll be back to Casa & Ideas. I think I have a new favorite store.

The grocery store, on the other hand, was not quite what I'm used to. I decided it would be wise to get myself some essentials, milk, olive oil, cereal, etc. so that I don't eat out every meal. Luckily, there is a supermarket nearby, so I didn't have to walk far with my groceries. It wouldn't have made much of a difference, anyhow, because I think I bought everything in the store that looked familiar. I ended up with a 3,000 peso packet of turkey, more gouda cheese than I can eat before it goes moldy (note to self - 1/2 a kilo is FAR too much), a mango, tortillas (duly labeled Tortillas Mexicanas), a bell pepper (sitting above the title Pimiento Norteamericano), what I thought was chicken breast, but turned out to be turkey breast (next time I'll read more closely; pavo  pollo), a giant bottle of water, and a 2,500 peso bottle of Chilean wine. Something is wrong when the wine is cheaper than the cheese. What I learned about myself today: my comfort food is fajitas.

I wonder what adventures Day 3 will hold. It's supposed to rain, so hopefully the broker I have plans to meet tomorrow has a car.

Day 1

Yesterday, after arriving in Chile, I was met with hospitality from the beginning. While going through immigration with my 3 suitcases, ski bag, tote, purse, and of course, Snickers, one of the airport employees (probably the Chilean equivalent of TSA) took notice of my unwieldy load and assisted me in reloading my Smart Cart to help me over to the area where people that are declaring something have to go. What was I declaring? A cat.

The immigration officers took Snickers paperwork and looked at me and said "Esos papales son todo?" Calmly (on the outside only), I responded saying yes as if there couldn't possibly be anything else I would need. One of them responded with "Donde esta el librito con todo?" What little book could he possibly be talking about? After a few minutes I somehow convinced him that the American document in his hand was the same as the aforementioned librito and after confiscating Snicker's bag of cat food (since that might contaminate the world with disease), I was on my way. Lucky for me, I had an extra bag of food in my other suitcase that I didn't tell him about. My Chilean TSA friend was still hanging out the whole time, ready to walk me out to the waiting area. All I could think about what the contents of my wallet, none of which resembled Chilean pesos. So, embarrassingly, my first words after greeting Guido, were "I need to tip this guy and I don't have any money." I learned throughout the day that the small tip he gave Mr. TSA was nothing in comparison to his generosity.

Guido took me home to rest, which I did...for 5 hours. I guess I was more tired than I realized. At 3:30, he and his wife, Aylim, retrieved me from my apartment to show me around the city. We ate at a Peruvian place where I got a ceviche with sea bass, octopus, squid and scallops. Not something I would have normally chosen, but it was surprisingly delicious. He then showed me Deloitte's offices, the neighborhood he and his wife live in - Providencia, the neighborhood I mentioned I may be interested in - Las Condes, and Deloitte's new offices under construction in Las Condes. He also took me through a really pretty rose garden that has some running paths that I am going to return to later today. After that, we went to the mall where I went into Home Depot's Chilean twin (not actually a Home Depot) to buy adapters for my electronics and a water filter. The water is okay to drink here but full of minerals that can stain your teeth.

On the walk home, we passed a school with chairs and desks stacked on top of the fence hanging out all crazy-like. Guido explained that the students have been protesting for weeks to get free education. Funny thing is that they site the Americans as an example of a country that gets free education. What they don't realize is that we are taxed for it. Part of their protesting demands that taxes stay the same at 20%. Wouldn't we all like to have a 20% tax rate that covered the cost of education??

Picture of the sign protesters put up at the school

All the desks and chairs on top of the fence

That's all for now! I'll fill you in later on the events of Day 2.

Adios!

Well...this is it! Snickers and I are all packed up and on our way to Chile. I was reflecting yesterday on my impending adventure and realized that I am actually one of those people that is lucky enough to follow their dreams. Although most people see what I am doing as crazy, to me, workin abroad in a Spanish-speaking country has been a goal of mine for as long as I can remember. I feel like I should be scared and nervous but instead have been overcome by an overwhelming sense of calm and serenity. Perhaps those feelings are the result of the reality of how right this experience is for me.

The traveling-with-cat experience has been relatively seamless thus far.  The woman on my flight from LA to Atlanta was clearly a cat lover. Sneeks started getting a little noisy about 3 hours in, so I decided it was time for a dose (of kitty Ambien) #2. Nice old lady next to me actually offered to help and stuck the syringe down Snicky's throat while I held her down. It seems like that dose has served her well because I'm now on the flight (9:15 hour flight) from Atlanta to Santiago and haven't heard a single meow since. We can only hope that stays the same for the rest of the flight because the Japanese man sitting next to me still hasn't realized I'm traveling with my furry little friend. I'm such a cat lady...so weird.

Kitty dosing schedule:

10/9 9:30 AM   - 1st dose -   I missed her mouth...fail!
10/9 9:32 AM   - 2nd dose -  Laila pinned her down. Success!
10/9 7:00 PM    - 3rd dose -  Getting noisy en route to Atlanta. Good thing the old lady next to me likes cats.
10/10 5:35 AM - 4th dose -  I'm getting the strangest looks from the Japanese man.

Stay tuned for a recap of my day 1 adventures. After a 15 hour day of traveling, followed by a condensed tour of Santiago, I'm off to bed. Long day tomorrow! I've got to be at Deloitte at 10 AM to meet with HR. Wish me luck!