Although it’s Chile’s largest city and often hailed as one of Latin America’s most modern and “civilized” cities, few North Americans know much about Santiago. I interviewed English teacher Laura Brewer who is currently living in Santiago, Chile.
What motivated you to move to Chile? I decided to come to Chile because my contract at my old job in the US was about to expire, and during the job hunt process I was submitting applications to jobs all over Latin America. I studied ESL so I could find a way to go back to South America, and the first offer I got was in Santiago. Since I had already studied abroad here in college, I was excited about the opportunity to return. I now work at a language institute, Comunicorp, where I teach business English.
How would you describe Santiago? Santiago is a very modern city, especially for Latin America. It is safe and has a solid infrastructure, low crime rates and comparatively little corruption. Not far away are beaches, mountains, vineyards, Argentina, the desert, and beautiful Patagonia. Although most people come to Santiago en route to other destinations in Chile, it is a very easy city to live in. There are great restaurants of all kinds, but some of the more “exotic” food can be pricey (Indian especially!). The best food is the local Chilean stuff, and seafood here is fantastic. The nightlife is good, centered around a few main neighborhoods (Bellavista, Barrio Suecia). To me clubs are pretty much the same as everywhere else in the world, but a lot of people say that nightlife here doesn’t compare to larger cities like Buenos Aires.
What about the Cost of living? Overall Santiago is cheaper than the US. My rent is 155.000 pesos per month, about $300. I live in a spacious apartment 10 minutes from the office in a safe, upper-middle class neighborhood. Some things, like cosmetics, are more expensive than in the US.
What are some of the challenges you’ve faced moving abroad? So far I have been pretty lucky not to have many challenges. Things like the language barrier and figuring out where to go to get things done are problems I have faced before while living abroad. Chileans are more reserved than the stereotypical Latin Americans, so it can be hard to make friends with the locals. I have made friends with the other teachers at my school, and met people through my roommates, friends of friends (both friends I have met here and friends I knew from the US), my old host family, and my capoeira class. There is a pretty close group of English teachers and their Chilean boyfriends and friends who have “adopted” me.
What are your favorite hangouts or things to do in the city? In an effort to save money, my friends and I usually have parties or barbecues or go to our friends’ houses rather than out to bars. There are a few “gringo bars” we frequent for happy hour (California Cantina), and the neighborhoods I mentioned before where there are bars and clubs. I love the bar Liguria for drinks or a nice meal and my friends love Sergio’s for burgers. I go to capoeira 3 days a week for 2 hours, so between that, my job, and hanging out with my friends that has pretty much occupied most of my time so far. Sometimes my friends and I play soccer in the park or go hiking up the Cerro San Cristobal which has great views of the city.
How would you describe Santiaguinos: Like I said before, Chileans are more reserved than other Latin Americans. I have been reading and discussing a lot lately about the Chilean sense of insecurity, the opposite of the proud Brazilians and Argentinians. I could go on about this, but I´m sure you don’t have time. Anyway, because of their reserved nature, it can be hard to meet people. As a female, I find that most women ignore you and a lot of men are “cazagringas”, looking for some gringa booty. Of course, there are plenty of exceptions, such as my two roommates (both guys) who have lived with a lot of foreigners in the past. The problem is that although Santiago is modern and safe, it’s not very international, so a lot of people here don’t have friends from or even know anyone from other countries (although there are many Argentinians here, they share a language and for the most part, a culture), so intercultural communication is not a common skill.
What about public transportation? Is Santiago a walker-friendly city? Funny you should ask, because TranSantiago is one of the most popular topics of conversation among Chileans. A couple years ago (coincidentally the first time I came to Chile) they initiated a new public transit system in an effort to reduce emissions and improve the notoriously bad air quality. But now the buses and metro cost more (between 480 and 560 pesos per trip, about 75 cents to $1.50). Compared to the DC metro system I am used to though, it is clean, efficient, and cheap. There are plenty of buses, the metro runs like a charm, and there´s even a website that helps you plan your route. It´s a big city, and you can definitely get around on foot, but to cross town the metro or micros (buses) are the way to go.
