Some local products

Before I left the US, I went to Target and stocked up on all sorts of toiletries and other things I thought would be difficult to find here.  Some things I was right about, some wrong, and some things I just plain forgot to get!  I decided today was a good day to showcase some local products (by local I mean I bought them here - they may not be made here, but they are locally available).

(1) Shoes.  I love them, Sadie loves them, even Steve loves them.  The quality I have heard isn't as great, and they are just as expensive as in the US.  While I was smart enough to bring a size larger for Sadie (her feet decided to grow overnight), I only brought one pair of shoes that now fit her.  So, being the cautious person I am, I decided to get her a back up pair.  I searched the mall, and there are many "local" brands of shoes.  No pedipeds, which are my favorite :( but I decided to buy her a pair of shoes from Bata (if you have ever traveled in Europe you might have run across a Bata).  They were about $20, and seem like a pair you might find at a Target.  Note the awesome brand name.  Also, if you are ever trying to buy baby shoes in Chile, make sure to try them on your kid first.  The sizing is quite different.

(2) Yogurt. Sadie and I are huge yogurt eaters, and we were definitely spoiled with the richness and creaminess of that found in the US.  After trying many brands here, I finally found one that wasn't basically flavored milk (don't even get me started on my incredible sadness for losing fresh milk).  If you ever need a good yogurt fix in Chile, I recommend the below.  It's very tasty, and while it's not as thick as the Greek yogurt you would get in the states, it is the same thickness as you would find in a regular Dannon or Yoplait yogurt, which is good enough for me!  Important: note that strawberries are not "fresas", they are called "frutillas" in Chile.

(3) Books. The books here are expensive (what else is new?).  But, I found a good one to read for fun, and a good one that will hopefully help us with our Chilean (I'm not even going to call it Spanish anymore...)  Let's hope Jared knows what he's talking about...

(4) Face soap.  This is one of those Target items I forgot to get.  Now, I'm not one of those people that needs to buy fancy face soap, but I do like to use a special soap designed for my face on my face (as opposed to bar soap).  So, naturally, I went to the Jumbo to get some.  They sold no face soap.  Plenty of bar, hand, body soaps, but no face soap.  I went up and down the aisles a bunch of times feeling like a moron because clearly they had to sell it.  Nope.  I had to go to the farmacia to find anything related to the face, and then it was behind locked glass doors.  I felt silly asking to have it unlocked for me so I could buy it.  The cheapest I found was $8.  I will let you know if it's worth it.  I may be switching to bar soap...

I imagine in the next few weeks, months, and even years, I will be kicking myself for my purchases now.  I'll have to revisit this post after awhile to see if things changed over time.

'Merica

Yesterday was a huge America day.

We went to get a burger at lunch at Johnny Rockets (yes, they have it here). Not the normal amount of fries that comes with the burger.

Sadie's ketchup bear...

Then, for dinner, I found a good American tradition.  Not healthy at all, but couldn't resist a taste of home.  Sadie approved!

 

Realtors...

We have officially been in Santiago for 3 weeks - it sure has gone by quickly.  While so much has happened it seems in just these few weeks, we are now faced with the task of settling down.  This means we need to get ourselves to Antofagasta.  So, we have planned a trip for next week (Monday-Thursday).  The flight is short (about 2 hours) and direct, so hopefully it won't be too much of a pain to get there.  Once there, we have rented a car and will be driving around the city in search of a new home.  We have been doing our research, looking at neighborhoods and even houses/apartments online, but even with lots of pictures, it doesn't necessarily give us a good representation what we will find.  Plus, looking for a place to live in Antofagasta is quite different from looking for a place in the US. 

In the US: Find a realtor or 2 and meet with them, and eventually you will end up with just one who will show you all the properties you want in the MLS, even if the property was not listed under their name or agency. 

In Antofagasta: Find a property you think you might like, contact the realtor to show you that property (and maybe one other one they have).  Then, find another property, contact that realtor, and so on. So, you could be contacting 10 realtors to see 10 properties.  It seems completely inefficient and wrong, but I can assure you, this is how it's done.

As you can imagine, it has been a bit of a mess and is testing my organizational and language skills.  So, please wish us luck next week finding a good place for our family!

I will make sure to post lots of pics of the city and the areas we are thinking about since I'm sure you are all curious :)

$50 toys, $10 snack traps and no baby pouches!!!

Baby stuff is CRAZY expensive here.

That is what everyone kept telling me before coming.  Today, I went to the small Infanti baby store at the mall where they sell strollers, car seats, toys, pack n plays, etc, to get a better idea of what I'm in for.  I've decided that baby stuff isn't CRAZY expensive here, it's OUTRAGEOUSLY CRAZY expensive.  For example, the things that stick out in my mind are below (notably, I didn't look at the strollers or car seats, so I can't comment on those right now - although you might remember my post about the stroller from before...)

$8 for one of these:
http://www.amazon.com/Munchkin-Snack-Catchers-Colors-Vary/dp/B000GB0NZK/ref=pd_cp_ba_0
(as you can see, $4 for two on amazon)

$50 for this (in Spanish):
http://www.amazon.com/LeapFrog-Shapes-Sharing-Picnic-Basket/dp/B004560BPY/ref=sr_1_7?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1401824183&sr=1-7&keywords=leap+frog
(as you can see, <$20 for it on amazon)

$20 for one of these, made by Chicco, that's actually worse quality:
http://www.amazon.com/BABYBJORN-Soft-Bib-Pack-Yellow/dp/B000CSBP3G/ref=pd_rhf_se_s_cp_6_FZ92?ie=UTF8&refRID=18BQ7XE9QHGEP0PC76AQ
(as you can see you can get 2 for $16 of the coveted Baby Bjorn ones.  Notably, I thought I lost the one that we brought and I about had a heart attack. If you have ever used one you will completely understand why.  Thank goodness I found it and now chain it to myself everywhere I go.)

It's disgusting.  You people are so spoiled with Babies R Us and Target!! I'm beginning to think that it may be worth the shipping charge on amazon.com...

But, what I really miss that I can't find anywhere are baby meal pouches (Ella's kitchen, HappyBaby, PlumOrganics, etc). They do have some applesauce ones, but that's not what I want.  I always had a few of those in my bag since Sadie loved them and they felt healthy (organic lentils, tomatoes and spinach as an example).  All they have here are jars of non-organic baby food (is the snob coming out in me?) that are just chicken or beef. Not really meals.  I officially have 2 left, and I'm saving them for emergencies.  So, if you ever want to visit, bring pouches!!

Now that I have ranted about this, I would also like to add another perspective (I'm a Libra, right?).  It seems obvious that the reason these items are so expensive (or non-existent), is that they are clearly unnecessary.  Babies have been getting on fine without them for centuries in many different places, including the US.  I guess I have just been spoiled! 

La Moneda

Today we ventured back to the centro where we saw the famous La Moneda, which houses the seat of the President of Chile (as well as some cabinet members).  The outside is quite regal and well-guarded, and there is a really cool museum / cultural center underneath that we visited.  On the way to La Moneda there is a huge green space with the Chilean flag.  If you want to see pics, you're in luck, I remembered my camera today.

 

Steve and Sadie

Close up of me and Sadie (good belly shot)

Here is La Moneda - Sadie running off to the grass

Oh, but wait, there is a fountain, so there she goes

Enjoying the water view

Enjoying my family view :)

Below is the museum. The picture doesn't do it justice, but it's very modern and well done.  There is a lot of cool art and interesting facts.  

 This is a maze.  Steve and Sadie went through it.

Sadie NAILED it.

Lunch at el Mercado Central (the fish market I blogged about awhile ago).  It was delicious! and the restaurant was empty because we went at noon, which is way before lunch time in Santiago.  Good for us since the food came fresh and fast - Sadie actually sat through most of it!

Vitacura

Vitacura is in the northeast part of Santiago, and it seems to be a nice, peaceful area.  Sadie and I went to a coffee shop in that area for a play date yesterday, and I could have sworn I was back in the states.  The cafe had a specific play area for kids (so the moms could drink coffee while watching them play from afar) as well as a little shop to the side that had a peluqueria for kids.  We had to take a cab there since it was fairly far from our hotel and not close to a metro.  Guess we'll have to try out the bus system soon enough!

The most important discovery I had about Vitacura was that on the way to the cafe I spotted one of my fave pizza chains: Papa Johns.  From now on, Vitacura will always be known as the place that I can get PJ's bread sticks...

A mind of her own

Every day Sadie does something that surprises me.  Today, she took all her books and threw them in her crib.  Then, she looked at me with her arms raised (i.e., "momma, i want to go in my crib").  I put her in, and she proceeded to sit down and read out loud to herself.  She NEVER wants to go in her crib unless it's sleep time.  It was a moment of astonishment because I didn't know what I should do.  So, I took a picture!

Also, she is obsessed with the outside.  All she wants to do is look out the window...