Apartment Hunting

 Drew and I have spent the last 5 days visiting 10 apartments. I had been keeping an eye on apartments I found on a website called www.portalinmobiliario.com, which was basically a bad version of Zillow. It allowed me to see photos and basic details of the apartments, and it had contact info of the listing real estate agent. The website does have issues: the location pin doesn't change color after you've viewed it, so you're constantly retracing your steps, there were alot of apartments that had already been rented but the listing hadn't been removed, and there were also many duplicate listings. I hadn't bothered contacting anyone until the Monday before we moved, because it seemed like jumping the gun a bit, and I didn't want to waste my time if the apartment was already going to be gone by the time we got there. But, it did allow us to set a realistic budget, and we knew we'd at least be able to afford a large enough place in the neighborhood we wanted, which is Vitacura. We picked this neighborhood because it's very family friendly, there are parks littered all over the place. It's quiet, and it's very walkeable. So once we were able to secure spots at a decent private school in the same neighborhood, we knew we could start looking here. It actually reminds me of Platt Park in alot of ways. Here is a map of where Vitacura is (the red circle) in relationship to the whole of Santiago. 

Our goal was to find a 3 bedroom apartment that was highly walkeable to the boys' school, the grocery store, parks, bus stops, etc., as we're trying to go carless while in the city, for under $2,000 per month. I found this budget to be pretty amazing considering we were looking in one of the nicest, most sought after neighborhoods in all of Santiago, which is, by many standards, the nicest, most stable city in all of South America. Now, were there lots of other bigger, newer, and more stylish apartments that were out of our price range? Yes, definitely. But were we only seeing dumps that felt living in a dingy tin can? No, we were not. We knew this budget was doable given my advanced research, so the Monday before we flew, I started contacting the listing agents using Whatsapp to try and schedule showings of the apartments that were listed at that time. I was able to do that surprisingly successfully; I think on the Wednesday that we flew, I already had 5 appointments lined up, and by the time our weekend of apartment hunting began on Friday afternoon, we had 8 booked with 2 more to follow by the end of the weekend.

Items that we learned during our hunt. Tenants in Santiago (and maybe all of South America, I'm not sure) typically buy their own appliances, which means when they move out, they take them with them. The only appliances that would stay are ones mounted to countertops, like the stove top. But dishwashers, refrigerators, and washing machines all go, so Drew and I will have the fun job of finding and installing our own once we find a place. I'm realizing this is actually a giant scheme by the landlords of Santiago. Could you imagine how much easier your landlord life would be if you didn't get called every time the dishwasher broke? It's brilliant. 

Next item is that most apartments in the middle class neighborhoods are designed to have a live-in cook/housekeeper. This means that the kitchens are galley kitchens with doors that close, and off the back of the kitchen is typically the laundry room, the service bedroom, and service bathroom. This setup would allow the housekeeper to cook all the meals and do all the laundry behind closed doors. There is often times a door in between the living rooms and the bedrooms as well. I think half of this is for privacy and the other half is for energy conservation reasons. Having a service bed and bath is a phenomenon we were used to from Hong Kong. The difference was in Hong Kong it was still VERY common for most families with kids to have a "helper." But in all ten apartments that we toured just now in Santiago, none of the families had a helper (that I could tell), and none were using the service bedroom and bathroom as they were designed. Most were using them as offices, storage rooms, 4th bedrooms, etc., which is what we plan to do. Maybe this service bed and bath design will start dissipating as more and more families prefer more open concept layouts, but, for now, they are still around. And our apartment will most certainly have this galley style because we're not looking at super modern ones, due to our budget. Another difference from Hong Kong is that the service beds and baths in Santiago were almost a liveable size for an actual human, whereas the one in our Hong Kong apartment would not have qualified as more than a large hall closet. This is an example of a service bed and bath we saw on one of our tours. 

Finally, most of the laundry rooms here are actually covered patios called loggias. They get alot of direct sunlight, which means most people here do not own dryers. They simply air dry their clothes. Luckily, the climate in Santiago is similar to Denver in that it has very low humidity, so air drying clothes is actually possible without gross, moldy results. Our Airbnb is the same, so I tried the whole phenomenon the other day, and, you know what, it worked! It was actually faster drying our clothes in the sun (under an hour) than it would take to dry a load in a normal dryer cycle. Now, was it a bit annoying to hang up every single kiddo sock? Yes, yes it was. Were the clothes as soft and fluffy as they normally are after coming out of the dryer? No, no they were not. But was it unbearable? No, no it wasn't. This is an example of a loggia we saw on one of our tours. A bit messy, but you get the idea. 

Drew and I have officially begun contact negotiations on an apartment, so we'll see if we're successful. As you can imagine, renting as a foreigner has some complications, which I'll go into more next time. But fingers crossed we get our first choice!

We Made It to Santiago!

 We made it!  Amazingly, everything went remarkably well! We had no weather delays for any part of the journey, and by flying in Jan. this was definitely not guaranteed, (I think the Atlanta airport got snow two days later and a bunch of flights got cancelled, Yikes!)  The day we left Colorado (Jan. 8, 2025) it was actually stunning: a bluebird day with everything covered in a lovely, white dusting of snow.  That actually made our departure more bittersweet, because it's tough to beat gorgeous Colorado.

But, we piled on in Sergio, that's Leah and Osman's diesel pickup truck, the only vehicle that would fit all of our luggage as we drove to the airport; thanks, guys, for loaning him to us.

We flew from Denver to Atlanta; that was roughly a 3 hour flight. When we boarded our plane to Atlanta, the pilots let the boys hop in the cockpit. This was another first for the boys, and they were thrilled. They got to push buttons and move the joy-stick around and everything!

Then we had a 2 hour layover in Atlanta, where we met up with Brian and Karen (aka Grandma and Grandpa), who flew in from Grand Rapids, MI to meet us there. We got to spend a few minutes noshing in the Delta Sky Lounge.

Finally, we jumped aboard DL 147 to Santiago! It was an overnight flight that left at 8pm and landed in Santiago at 7:20am the following day. This was the first time the boys have flown this long ever or done an overnighter, so my expectations were very low. But they did awesome. 

It helped that both middle seats in our two rows were vacant, so we made cozy beds for the boys on the floor (yes, yes, it's gross, I know, but I was willing to sacrifice some germs for the opportunity for myself and Drew to lay down flat ourselves and actually sleep-ish. I'm selfish, I know. I'd do it again.)

We were traveling with 7 big suitcases, 6 carry-ons, a ski bag, a bike box, and 2 giant car seat bags stuffed to the brim plus backpacks, and somehow all of our luggage made it! Getting out of Denver was easy because thankfully Delta had curbside check-in for Drew and I to throw the luggage out of the back of Sergio and move it a few feet to the check-in line. In Santiago, they have those luggage carts available for free, so with all four adults wielding a cart, we made it! We booked 2 Transvip vans to take us from the airport to the Airbnb, and I would highly recommend them. They have a coordinator right outside the main doors, and, even though we were 45 min early than our booking, (wasn't sure how long it would take to get through immigration and customs) they got us our vans immediately, and off we went. It cost about $40 per van to take a 30min ride to the Airbnb. Wasn't the cheapest option, but it didn't break the bank, and it was very reliable. Would definitely use again. 

Finally, our Airbnb host was super accommodating and let us check-in super early, even though they weren't done cleaning the place yet. It wasn't like we could stash our mountain of luggage somewhere and go get lunch, we needed an early check-in, and he made it happen. Very grateful. We are staying on the 8th floor of a building off President Kennedy Avenue in Vitacura, which is the neighborhood we will be living in. Very nice building.

And it has a pool! Didn't actually realize the building had a pool, so that was a nice surprise. The seasons in Chile are opposite than in North America, so we went from single digit temps in wintery Colorado to high 80s, low 90s in summer filled Chile. The weather feels similar to Colorado though in that, while it's hot, the humidity is low, so if you're in the shade, you're fine. Definitely need sunscreen though. And limited bugs (yes!), and when the sun goes down it cools off quick, to like 60s. In general, Santiago has seasons, but the temperature extremes are a bit milder compared to Denver. This is the hottest time of the year, but it won't get above the low 90s. Not missing those 100 degree days, Denver! And the city won't ever get snow. Winter temps are more in the 40s/50s.

Those mountains still have snow though! Another similarity from Santiago to Colorado is the mountains, except here instead of the Rocky Mountains, we have the Andes! This is the view from our Airbnb balcony. Pretty gorgeous huh! The picture doesn't even really do them justice, they are really epic looking. Santiago is only at around 1,700 ft above sea level. But the Andes rise up to 16,000 ft around the city, with the tallest mountain in the Andes, Mt. Aconcagua, clocking in at 22,831 ft above sea level! It's actually the tallest mountain in the entire Western Hemisphere! By comparison, the tallest mountain in the Rockies is Mt. Elbert at 14,438 ft. 

However, the mountains in Santiago are to the east of the city, so I have to rewire my brain when processing directions. We get some nice sunsets bouncing off the mountains though. 

Overall, we're settling in nicely. Drew and I have started looking at apartments (more on that later). The kids are resetting their body clocks to be in the GMT-3 timezone, that's 4 hours later than Denver. So, when I was asking them to go to bed at 9pm the first night we were there, that was only 5pm Denver time. But, they were so tired from the trip, they did it, and now we're going to keep inching them back til we get back to our 7-7 schedule. This was actually another reason we picked South America as our destination. I didn't want to deal with super jet lagged kids who had their days and nights mixed up. 4 hours later is enough for me. Well, more next time, with hopefully an apartment update! 

PSA: The easiest way to message Drew and I now is through Whatsapp. What's Whatsapp you ask? It's the messaging platform that almost the entire rest of the world uses except the USA. So come on in, the water's fine! If you text us using the old ways, we're likely not to get it. So if you want to coordinate a trip to come visit us or simply to catch up, Whatsapp!

Mo's cell +1-615-975-5893

Drew's cell +1-303-726-7533

The Adventure Continues!

              

Well, we're doing it again! Drew and I have decided to fulfill a bucket list item and live internationally again, this time with our kids, Emerson (6.5yo) and Avery (5yo). This was an idea we actually created during our time in Hong Kong; we saw all of these expat families with kids, and the kids were thriving in such amazing ways, learning new languages (sometimes multiple in HK!), experiencing new cultures, traveling to new places. It was teaching them invaluable life skills: resiliency, courage, adaptability, empathy for the wellbeing of the entire world (not just the United States), a love of travel. The list is long. We knew we wanted this experience for our own kids if we could pull it off, so we made a plan about 10 years ago to try to make it happen. We tried to time it as well as we could by waiting until the boys were their current ages, 6 and 5, for a couple of reasons. First, I want them to remember this dang thing. Second, the boys are much easier to travel with in general these days. Anyone who has traveled with infants before knows the luggage wrestling match I am referring to, and we plan to travel as much as possible while down there, so being car seat, pack and play, and high chair free was going to make our lives much easier. On the flip side, we also didn't want to wait too long, as the boys are at a great age right now to learn a new language easily (Drew and I are well aware they will be putting us to shame in this regard, and I'm excited to see it). They also are not so entrenched in their friend circles that leaving would be a horrendous heart break for them.           

                       

As for Drew and I, we are still very capable to pull this move off on our own (more on the logistical differences between the HK move and this move in another post), our parents are in good health, so leaving them for a few years feels ok, and we've got the travel itch again, so LET'S DO THIS THING!

Here is our general timeline for the move. Our flights are booked for Jan. 8, 2025. We fly from Denver to Atlanta, meet Drew's parents there, and then we all fly from Atlanta direct to Santiago. The flight is around 9 hours, and it's overnight, so fingers crossed that the boys sleep a little. We found a lovely renter for our house in Denver who wanted it furnished (Score!, less packing work for me!), but she also wanted to move in before the holidays, so we officially move out of our house on Nov. 20th. Not ideal, but we knew we needed to take advantage of this opportunity with this good renter when we found her; finding another one during the holidays was going to be super difficult, so we adjusted accordingly. We'll be spending 3 weeks in Michigan visiting Drew's family and my extended family on my mom's side over Thanksgiving. Then we'll be staying with Leah and Osman in Boulder for a week, then with my parents for 2.5 weeks over Christmas, and then finally with Steph, Kane, and the cousins for the final week before take off. Many thanks in advance to all of our family for putting us up during this transition period. We are excited to spend some substantial quality family time with everyone before we leave. 

When we get to Santiago, we will be staying in an Airbnb for a month while we get our feet under us, and a HUGE thanks to Drew's parents for agreeing to stay with us during this time to help watch the boys while Drew and I go apartment hunting, furniture shopping, bank account opening etc. Overall, we plan to stay in Chile until summer of 2027. That gives the boys 2.5 years in school there, (the school year in Santiago is March - Dec. due to their opposite seasons) and sets us up for a clean start for school in CO when we return. It's enough time to travel, learn Spanish, settle in to the community, and hopefully make some new friends (doubtful we'll find friends like Tiff and Andrew again, as they are one in a million, but, we'll try). In general, long enough to make all of the work to pull this unassisted move off worth it. But not so long that we lose touch with our friends and family back in the States. 

              

So, it's happening. Is it bittersweet? You betcha. We have such a fantastic community of friends and family in Colorado that saying goodbye, even for just a couple of years, feels much harder than the first time we did this. Is it scary? Yes, change and the unknown is always scary. But, Drew and I believe in our bones that the pros outweigh the cons, and so we're jumping on this opportunity while we have the chance. 

Disclaimer: I will be writing this blog to document our adventures while overseas, both the good and the bad. It was the same for all of my previous posts while we were living in Hong Kong; feel free to peruse those as well. But that's the only reason. I'm not doing it to hopefully get ad sponsorships or to become vlogger superstars; I cringe at the thought. Ya'll know I'm too introverted for that. So more often than not, this blog will feel unprofessional, rushed, and even raw, and it is. I am not an elegant writer, Leah holds those cards in the family, I am the practical one. So you're welcome to follow along on our journey to Chile and back, I gladly hope that you do, but please know that I am not writing this for you. I am writing it for Drew and I to reread when we are decrepit old folks who can no longer have adventures such as these. And, as any parent knows, with kids tagging along there will be high highs and low lows, and I plan to document as much as feels necessary to fully remember this roller coaster experience.  So climb aboard, but I can't promise Cedar Point. It might only be Lakeside Amusement Park. C'est la vie, or more appropriately, Así es la vida!

First Weeks in Nashville

We made it to Nashville! First order of business was to buy a new car. Check out this flashy Ford Fusion we found! Drew and I definitely aren't car people. If it gets us from point A to point B reliably, then we're good. 

Car two was a black Toyota Camry! So basic. 

It was definitely nice indulging in some American comfort things that we couldn't find in Hong Kong, like cheap American Tex-Mex, which, for me, meant a giant Qdoba burrito. Mexican food was always super expensive in Hong Kong, so missed this for sure. And a nice welcome home to American portion sizes. Ha!

Trig was very happy with his new digs and toys to ease the transition. 

If there is a squeaker, I must find it and destroy!

It was certainly nice being back in a place that loves dogs, and big dogs at that.  We found a nice dog park close to Vanderbilt that we have been taking Trig to often.

Check out these boots I found in a vintage store! Apparently they were made for Dolly Parton!  Not sure if she ever actually wore them, but this brush with Dolly made me smile. I love her. Look at how tiny they are!

For my birthday, my MIL took me shopping for cowboy boots. Check this puppies out! When in Nashville!

There is a really nice park in Nashville called Centennial Park, and it has a replica of the Parthenon!  Couldn't tell you why, but it was cool to see!

One of the best parts of living in Nashville so far is diving into the music scene. All sizes of venues, all genres of music. Fun to explore.

Drew and I are subletting an apartment near Vanderbilt for a month or so until we find a house of our own. The folks we're subletting from are Vandy PhD students and are super cool. Love the historic looking building we're staying in!

Last Weeks in Hong Kong

Once we knew we were going to be leaving Hong Kong, we tried to make the most of our time with our friends and wrapping up anything on the Hong Kong Bucket List that we still needed to do, such as having high tea at the Peninsula Hotel.

For Christmas, Drew got us tickets to go see the Phantom of the Opera at the Asia World Expo. He surprised me though by inviting a whole bunch of our friends along too. It was really fun; I'm pretty sure Andrew and I sang along with every song. Recognize my dress Stephy?

We also went around trying all of our favorite foods one more time, because we knew we'd be trading in Ramen for BBQ and Curry for Country Ham.

This was green tea ice cream from my favorite Japanese dessert shop. So delicious.

We, of course, went back for Korean BBQ one more time. The lady we always go to had moved to a new restaurant in TST, so we made the trek over to see her one more time. I'm always amazed at how many dishes come with a Korean meal. Literally you can't fit one more thing on the table!

Drew also planned a massive surprise for Andrew and I around our birthdays. We thought the four of us were simply going out for dinner at a surprise location. When we got there, we sat at the front of the bar in a lounge, where we learned we'd be eating in the dark! So we were definitely surprised there. But, then, we go to the back of the bar, to see all of our friends there to celebrate with us! This was the second time Drew had really surprised me in the last 3 months! We had a really great time; eating in the dark is an interesting and unforgettable experience. We had to lock up our phones and anything glow in the dark before sitting down, and we had to guess at what every course was, as it was all pre-determined for us. Later we got to look at the actual pictures of what we ate and see how good our palates are. It was really fun!

We also, or course, made sure to visit Stone's one last time, our favorite American bar and burger place. It may seem weird that we wanted a burger before going back to the US, but out of all the places we went to, Stone's and the Korean place really felt like 'our" places, so we wanted to make sure we went back one more time.

This is Terry, Drew's old coworker, and his new wife Jamie!

It felt like every night until we left we were going out with someone to say goodbye. We really were blessed to make such amazing friends in Hong Kong over such a short period of time. It was really the best part of our time there.

This is our last goodbye to the Tai Hang neighborhood, the area within walking distance of our apartment. Stone's was located here, as well as Buddy's Bar. Several of our friends lived in this area as well.

And finally, we had to say goodbye to our apartment! We will certainly never live in a place as high up or as glamorous as this. We really couldn't have lived in a better spot. 

And, on to the actual flight! Look at the gaggle of staff it took to check Trig into his flight! Not really, I think alot of them were just hanging out there, but it looks funny. 

Happy to go back to family and the USA!

Sad to leave Asia and our Hong Kong friends behind. 

A sunrise from the plane window! 

Trig and I did have a slightly rougher time getting to Nashville than anticipated. US Airways has a rule that they won't fly animals if the weather is too extreme, meaning temps above 85F or below 45F, for good reason. Originally we were scheduled to fly through Chicago, but I read about that rule and decided to be clever and fly through LAX instead. Well,, unfortunately, LA was experiencing a heat wave, and it was 88F when we were supposed to take off around 11am for Nashville. So, Trig and I hung out at the airport for 14 hours waiting for the sun to set and the temps to drop. It honestly was not as bad as it sounds, because more than a dozen people came up to me during the day to ask about Trig and chit chat, so the time really went by rather fast. And, what a better spot to people watch than in LAX. Below, paparazzi are waiting for someone famous whom I didn't recognize, as well as "graphers," which are people who get cool things autographed by stars and then sell them for a living. Didn't know those people even existed. But on to Nashville!