A Taste of Home

It isn't easy to move to another country, and I'll admit I have some low days when I feel outraged, frustrated, and homesick.  Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and I am missing my family a lot.  For an expat potluck tomorrow I am preparing my dad's caramelized onion, chestnut, and dried apricot stuffing along with the obligatory, yet delicious, green bean casserole. To my surprise, I found all of the ingredients (if a bit modified).  Even panko to make the fried onions for the casserole! No French's here.  (I love the thrill of searching for ingredients I want and having to adapt, improvise, or make things from scratch I normally wouldn't). 

Anyway, I know tomorrow will give me a nourishing dose of "home"  that I need to sustain me.  When you're far from family, like we usually are, your friends become kin, and a special bond ensues.  So I am thankful for my wonderful new "family" in Chile along with all the people we love and have shared such memorable times with!

Thanks Sara at A Dose of Pretty for the inspiration to show my place-setting pic!


Last weekend we took a trip up the coast to a quaint little town of Zapallar.   The place was amazing!  Speaking of home, it felt like a mix between northern California and Europe, with a Latin twist, of course!

We went with good friends and spent the day exploring dramatic rock formations and playing on an immaculate beach surrounded by stunning villas.  There are a couple of beautiful restaurants that serve fresh (like from the bay while you eat, fresh) seafood.  A thoroughly enjoyable day and another charming Chilean locale.

 

Pebble Beach?

 

Peach at the beach

Restaurant

Ladybug

And finally, a grateful and heartfelt  Happy Thanksgiving wish to all of our deployed soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines who are away from home.  Thank you!
On that note,  here is an  essay  I recently read which reminded me of the waiting families
at home.



 

Spring Has Sprung

Vina del Mar is called the Garden City, and it's easy to see why.  The climate is so similar to my Native California, I feel right at home.  So many flowers just thrive in this temperate climate.  Summer is on the way.  Tourists are starting to flock to the beaches here on weekends, and the days are extra long.  Just like Carmel, it's still chilly and sometimes foggy in the mornings and nights, and it doesn't ever get hot, hot.



Here are a few of the flowers we see on our walks to and from school.
...and one friend!

 

The Death-Defiers

See that speck on top of the arched window?

It's a window washer!  We see then all the time.  Most tie a rope around their waist and traipse around ledges and tiny windowsills.  It makes my palms sweat every time  I see them.  I'm nervous just looking at these photos! One guy was in our kitchen window the other day, but he had a little wooden swing to sit on with a bucket of soapy water between his legs.

This man rapelled down the window!  Guess there's no buddy system for this guy, he was hanging solo!

Moving on Up

Whenever we move, which is a hell of a lot, I really dread the unpacking.  This time, however, we let the movers unpack all the boxes.  It left us with crap lined all around the room against the walls, but it sure lightened the load of opening and unwrapping.  Plus, they took all the paper and boxes with them. At first, it's like Christmas!  Everything seems new because you haven't seen it in ages.  For us, that's usually up to six months.  I forgot I had that four tray buffet service, I cant wait to have a huge dinner party! And by the 15th box you're saying, Why do we have a never-before-used four tray buffet service?  It gets to the point where I walk by the boxes because I am afraid to find more stuff.  I don't know where to put ANOTHER dish/candle/dog print/seashell/lampshade!!! What I don't know can't hurl me into a state of decor distress!

We only lost a Platter that I bought in Mexico, which broke in a previous move as well.  And, according to the checklist, there's supposed to be a lamp missing, which is probably a good thing considering my addiction to lamps and shades!

Some treasures that I found in our boxes that are hard to come by here in Chile are:

1.  One of my favorite lines of cleaning products.

2.  Brown Sugar

3.  Various liquors (way too expensive here).  SHHHHHHH, I don't think they were supposed to pack these!

4.  Heavy duty paper towels.  Paper towels here are short and not so absorbent.

5.  All my shoes.  Apparently, size nine is too gigantic for any store in Chile to seriously carry!

6.  Four rolls of Charmin... for special occasions.

7. 

 

Everybody drinks instant coffee.   Espresso and coffee are scarce and very expensive.

 8.
 

Essential!

Love the Aji (a smokey chili sauce) here, but some Chilean food could stand to be taken up a notch in the spicy department. (In my humble opinion)

9.

10.

It's springtime here, and I've got major allergies.  You can just see the pollen floating around outside. Love "Poofs Ploos", and it is nowhere to be found here.

A special thank you to Target for all my stockpiling needs! Including, but not limited to, your fabulous and affordable Up & Up brand medications and drugstore sundries.

It's great to be home, and I love the apartment!

Loving this look. Duct tape and your favorite sheet!

(Hopefully the curtains will show up within the year!)

I tagged along on a business trip to Santiago with my husband.  Needed a break from the cardboard fumes and heavy lifting! Here's the view from the hotel.  The mountains always amaze me.

Halloween

Here's my showboating daughter as Cenicienta

 Didn't see any trick-or-treaters, nor many kids in costume.  But they sold some costumes 

and candy at the stores.  A week later my daughter and schoolmates did dress up 

for school -not sure if that was related.  Nov. 1st was a holiday here -

All Saint's Day.  Everyone got a break from work and school.