Living in Patagonia

Pregnant in Chile

Jennifer — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 01:45:45 +0000

Nearly a year into life in Patagonia, and it no longer feels like “Patagonia” – the mystic, great unknown, and now just feels like home. We’ve moved into a house in a safe neighborhood surrounded by native forests, enrolled our toddler in preschool, developed our routines and a set of friends, and are trying our hand at gardening. Not much left to tackle except for childbirth in a foreign country, right? Well, we’re doing that too. As I begin my third trimester, I thought I’d share some of the things I’ve learned about being pregnant and preparing for having a baby in Chile. For anyone coming to Chile from the US, home of sometimes-great-but-always-incredibly-expensive-healthcare, you’ll be pleasantly surprised with healthcare in Chile. It ranges from dirt cheap to expensive-but-still-much-cheaper-than-in-the-US, depending on your location and personal preferences, with childbirth ranging from $800 for a midwife-lead birth in Southern Chile to upwards of $10,000 for a Cesarian birth in Santiago. Costs can be minimized by signing up for a health plan called an Isapre (residency is not a requirement.) Our premiums on Masvida, the Isapre we selected, run at 1/3 of the rates we were paying for a high-deductible health plan in California in 2009, and have much more comprehensive coverage. The one thing that takes a bit of getting used to with the Isapre is that you pay your bono (copay) at the insurance office prior to your doctor’s appointment, and bring proof of payment with you to the appointment (or else pay at....

Visiting North America – Some Cultural Observations

Jennifer — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 01:09:22 +0000

Two years into our South American adventure, still contemplating the meaning of “home,” I’ve found myself temporarily living in California. The more time I’ve spent in California, the more I’ve realized that home truly is where your heart is, and my heart is with my toddler and husband back in Valdivia, Chile. As homesick as I’ve been, my 3 week visit which morphed into a 3 month stay in California has been eye-opening. I used to find great humor in the amount of drama, and in particular the media’s pure enjoyment in reporting on political drama when I lived in Peru, Italy, and Argentina. People and political parties were polarized, politicians said crazy things, and the resulting spectacle was even better than watching Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (I know I shouldn’t be watching it, but did you see her shoes?!) Chile seemed quite staid by comparison. Even when students took to the streets protesting for education reform in Chile, the news was reported in a very even-handed manner compared to the drama applied to news in these other countries. After spending two years away from the U.S., I am now simply blown away by the way the mainstream news outlets are reporting stories in the U.S. All news has become political, and watching the spectacle seems to have become America’s most popular pastime. Politics, and winning at any cost has become the national sport and obsession. Chileans still prefer the sport of soccer to politics, and I’m finding....

Summer in Patagonia – Adventures on the Valdivian Coast

Jennifer — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 01:21:44 +0000

My toddler is fascinated by the town of Corral. We visited once, a few months ago, and ever since one of her favorite “books” has become the tourist brochure for the town of Corral and its surrounding areas. So it should come as no surprise that last week, when asked where she wanted to go, she responded, “Corral!” While I unfortunately couldn’t partake in the fun as my three week vacation to California became a two month visit (I’m still in the US), my husband and daughter are back in Chile enjoying a Patagonian summer. They headed to Corral last week for a relaxing day full of empanadas, sunshine, and pirates. Getting to Corral is a two step process, or a three step process if beer is needed/desired along the way. First, drive, or take a bus or collectivo to Niebla. We like bus #20, which heads from downtown Valdivia through Isla Teja to Niebla. It’s a beautiful drive, and one of the best deals around for $1 US. If you get thirsty along the way, hop off at either the Kuntsmann or Salzburg breweries. While there, enjoy a schop (draft beer) and crudo (local specialty of raw beef on white bread) and then re-board the bus once satiated. Upon reaching Niebla, grab a boat to Corral. To clarify, don’t hop on a fishing boat, as the preferred options are either a large ferry or smaller jetty! The jetties are convenient, comfortable (though not luxurious) and equipped with life vests. One of these days....

Playing in Patagonia

Jennifer — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 22:30:58 +0000

Every parent thinks their child is amazing, and I’m no exception. How many parents do you know who can proudly say that their 2 year-old already knows what she wants to be when she grows up, down to the intricate details? I’m sure not very many, and of those kids who have decided at this age, they probably tend towards jobs anyone can do, like become a movie star or the president. However, not everyone can proudly state, like I can, that my daughter has decided that she wants to be a meat sandwich when she grows up, and that when asked to elaborate she proudly states “A pork sandwich! With cinnamon on top!” I have a hunch that her career aspirations are closely linked to her passions for creating and consuming food. However, in many other ways she’s a normal kid, and has loved living at the Southern tip of the world, concurrently learning Spanish and English, and playing with anything and everything she encounters. We don’t have many traditional toys in the house, and as a result, my daughter likes to transform everyday things into toys. When leaves from green onions and pineapples become magic wands, sunglasses make you a movie star or a super-hero, and paper towel rolls are megaphones, entertainment is simple. I cannot even count the number of hours she has entertained herself both counting and finding different uses for pony tail holders, which apparently make very fashionable bracelets, especially when they’re pink and shiny. However much fun we....

Yenny Who? Oh, You’re Talking to Me(!)…and Other Expat Musings

Jennifer — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 13:09:51 +0000

A year and nine months into our adventures in South America, and defining home is still a challenge for me. We love it in Chile, and are planning on sticking around a few more years, so I caught myself by surprise when I found myself reminding my toddler that San Francisco is her home. They say “home is where the heart is,” and if this is the case our little family as several homes, in both our casita in Southern Chile as well as with dear friends and family in California, Arizona, and scattered here and there across the U.S. As I prepare for a trip “home,” following are a few observations and musings on living as a foreigner in a new country. Lately I’ve come to realize that my toddler is already smarter than me, and that the only thing to do is enroll her in preschool so that her Spanish skills can surpass my limited vocabulary and even worse pronunciation (no, it’s not really that bad, well, maybe it is, depending on when you catch me!) Her third day in, her teacher commented to me on how quickly she had adapted. I wasn’t surprised, as she has already lived in 3 countries, making adaption a key social skill. People worry about travel and life internationally with babies and toddlers, and from my personal experience I’ve found that spending the first few years abroad to offer nothing but a positive for my little girl. She is young enough that....