Hilarious (or not) day

Of course just as I sit down to write this entry, I hear Sadie wake up... OK, I will be quick.

While there are many things about Antofagasta that I like, today was a very frustrating day.  I believe it has some to do with our sleep deprivation, but mostly today was a great example of just how Chileans do things (and why a lot of expats I know are frustrated with daily life items and want to move back to the states!)

We left the house at 11am with a long list of to dos, and by 1pm all we had done successfully is get gas.  First we went to the bank (which was closed on Sundays of course, but so was the ATM.  All we needed was cash!).  While the bank was open today, the ATM didn't have any money in it.  So, that was a fail.  Next, we went to a furniture store that was very unhelpful and couldn't find what we needed.  Then, we went to the mall and of course they also didn't have what we needed (just a futon people! and some patio furniture!).  The best part is that no one helps you.  Everyone tells you something different and sometimes they really just lie to your face.  (I can't even tell you how true this is even though it sounds horrible!  Like the pool guy who was supposed to arrive at my house at 11am on Friday and didn't come until 3pm without any kind of call or anything).  In the stores there are people standing around chatting to each other, but NO ONE makes any effort.  Just a very different culture.  I hate to say it, but I really have found it to be true (and so have others).  Finally we went to Easy (like a Home Depot, actually I think it might be owned by  Home Depot someone told me), and found what we needed.  We finally begged someone to help us (it was around 3pm) and they wrote us a slip of paper to pick it up on the loading dock.  We paid and drove the car to the loading dock.  Our big box for our couch was there, but no one was around.  So, Steve and I proceeded to load it on the top of our car (with our huge 2 kid stroller and 2 car seats no way would it fit inside our Rav4).  Steve had some twine and worked on tying it down.  No one offered to help.  No one was even around to help.  While we were there a man drove his truck right behind us, so when we backed out to get around the guy in front of us, we of course hit the truck.  Thank goodness no marks, but we were very frustrated! Who pulls up right behind a car loading a huge box on the top??  Finally got home around 4 and put Sadie down for a nap!  Steve went back out to run errands, including trying to pay our ADT bill.  Went to the ADT office, but they said you can't pay there you have to go to another place (but on the bill it says you can pay there...). Fail. He then goes to get the patio furniture we found initially but they of course don't have anything in black, only turquoise.  And of course it took him about 30 minutes to find someone to help!  What a day.  He is still gone, lost his parking ticket so can't leave the lot.  Because he has no ticket, he has to take the car papers (which don't even have our name on them yet! That is a story for another day) to some office and prove the car is ours and he needs to leave with it.  I am just praying they let him out.

So, I may never see my husband again and he may spend the rest of his life in the parking lot of the Sodimac...

There is my rant! How I miss Target.

Here is a cute picture of Sadie to make up for it!