Continuing saga of logistics...

We have now been in Concepcion for a bit more than 8 full days and have made impressive progress toward stability.  This is largely due to the generosity, expertise and availability of my host, Claudio Meier, his family and numerous others (Gonzalo, etc).  I will try to put together a small list of all the hoops and hurdles we have leaped through (not really flaming) in order to get to where we are today.  Maybe this will someday serve as a tick-list for another visitor to Concepcion...

To start, I must admit that this process is as exciting as it is exhausting.  I feel overstimulated many days and sleep is a welcome break from it all.  I can tell that my Spanish is getting better (especially comprehension), but it becomes more and more clear that I have a long ways to go.  Good thing we'll be here for a year.

Official Procedures

  • With a temporary resident visa, you are required to (within 30 days) go to have your visa registered and Identification Card (Cedula de Identidad Extranjeros) created.  If you fail to do this, you loose your visa.  We first went to the Policia de Extranjeros/Internacional (Govt. Building, ground floor, Plaza de Independencia/Armas).  Here we showed our visas, had our photos taken and paid ~$5000 CLP total ($10 usd).  This got us a "Certificado de Registro de Visa."
  • These Certificados then had to be photocopied, along with the (1) the front pages of our passports, (2) our visas, and (3) our entry stamps.  Cana and the kids also needed full copies of my documents as they are my dependents.  
  • These copies were then taken to our local municipal government office (open 9-2) where we filled out an application form for a Cedula de Identidad Extranjeros (Identification card for foreigners).  This process involved (1) getting a wait number, (2) filling out confusing forms (much thanks to the woman behind the desk who helped and provided large volumes of white-out), (3) making more photocopies at the shop around the corner, (4) having our photos take again (this is the one that goes on the card), (5) getting a pointer fingerprint scanned, (6) getting all fingers inked and fingerprinted and paying around $5000 clp per person.  We all had to go through the process individually.  Though there was initially some concern about doing this without mom and dad, the kids did fine.  We will come back in ~1 week for the official cards.  For now we have paper versions.  We now have official identification numbers.  This is really important for making purchases and other financial stuff (setting up phones, large purchases, any credit-card purchase, etc.) Berliners (tasty cream-filled pastry) to celebrate!
  • NOTE: it is best to do this process once you have decided on a place to live and have the contact information from your place of work. 

University Relations

  • Upon my first day at the Universidad de Concepcion, I was offered a spacious office with heat, desk, two nice book shelves and a VoIP phone.  WiFi was immediately available and by the second day I had been given a fixed IP address for Ethernet and a key to the faculty-only bathroom.  
  • Everyone I have met at the university has been kind, welcoming and extremely helpful.
  • Claudio and I have started working together on a small proposal and it is exciting and reassuring to be brought so quickly onto the team.
  • I have started making plans for teaching next semester.  It sounds like a process-based natural hazards class may be the most valuable contribution.  Maybe something that includes some high-resolution topographic analysis tools too.  We'll see.  Classes for next semester aren't announced till about a week before they begin so I've got some time.

Housing

  • After arriving in Concepcion, we spend three days in Hotel Germania, a very nice place in the center of downtown with an amazing breakfast, apartment-like rooms and fast WiFi.  Good choice Claudio.
  • As would be true anywhere, finding a place to live that satisfies everyone in the family is not easy.  We used a number of different resources to find housing.  The most valuable was my host, Claudio, who not only had word-of-mouth connections to different options, but also joined us for viewing most locations and was able to assure that we understood the terms of the agreement and the pluses and minuses of each option.  
  • The internet was useful for assessing options remotely and once again while in town.
    • http://www.portalinmobiliario.com/
    • http://www.cavelpropiedades.cl/
  • We needed three bedrooms and to be located somewhere between downtown and the university.  We wanted something modern and easy, high enough up that we didn't have to worry about street or construction noise.  We wanted to face north toward the sun.  We wanted some fun amenities: gym, pool, roof-deck, etc.  Most modern apartments here have these.
  • It took us a while to realize that we did not want a fully furnished (amobolado) apartment (departamento).  Based on our needs, these places ran around $550,000clp (~$1100 usd).  For a similar sized unfurnished place, they run around $350,000clp ($700 usd).  Deciding between these two options requires weighing two costs: the money saved each month vs. the cost (time, money, stress) associated with buying goods needed in the home, moving them in and then selling them at the end.  We decided that over a year, it was worth it to get an unfurnished apartment.  This has required a lot of shopping.  Though tiresome and stressful, it has been a great way of getting to know the town and practicing speaking spanish.  So far we have had to purchase:
    • Washing machine (laundry is $2 usd per load), drying rack
    • Refrigerator, hand blender, grocery cart
    • Kitchen goods: plates/bowls/cups, pots, pans, knives, grater, spatula, etc...
    • 3 new mattresses (bed frames borrowed from Claudio)
    • Table and chairs, couch, rugs
  • Right now we have no idea what utility/condo-fee expenses will look like.  We have been told that they are expensive.  Though there is in-building, forced hot-water radiators, we have been told not to use them as they are very expensive and not very efficient.  Best to just buy electric ones.  So far we have been fine here with no heating and the nights are just a bit above freezing.  Good windows, good sun and warm sleeping bags go along way.  Ultimately there will be bills for:
    • Electrical
    • Hot water use (domestic)
    • Cold water use
    • Condo-fees
    • Internet/Cable

Furniture

  • We only live a few blocks from downtown where there are numerous stores that sell everything that we might need.  For small items, we can carry them home, but larger items require delivery (~5days) that costs about $7000clp for up to 5 items.
  • The stores downtown typically offer significantly reduced prices (us to 40%) for purchases are made on their special credit card (which we can't get without a Chilean credit card account).  This is a bummer, but we have had friends that are willing to make the purchase for us in exchange for cash.
  • We have been able to get some things from other folks just by asking around.

Telephone/Internet

  • It appears that getting a cellphone plan for our family is not possible without a bank account and the ability to commit to an 18 month contract.  Instead we have arranged to have phones on someone else's plan.  It is possible to buy a SIM card and just pay for minutes, but we decided that this was too expensive for our duration of stay and likely usage.  Phones are ~$40/mo each for smartphone-type plans and ~$15/mo each for basic plans for the kids.
  • We have not set up internet, phone or TV in our apartment.  Not sure if this will require a Chilean bank account or not.  We will probably just get internet as we have phones and can get TV using an antenna. There is internet in the lobby and office of our building and that works for now.

Food

  • There are two types of options: big supermarkets and little tiendas that sell specific things (bread, meat, vegies, etc.).  So far we have tried to mix it up between these two, but it is hard to escape the convenience of getting everything in one place.  
  • There is a big outdoor market in town (Vega) that is the real-deal with live chickens and fresh fish.  Hopefully we'll get there soon and fill our freezer with fresh fish and meat.
  • Though the food is not completely different like it might be in China or rural Africa, it is fun to learn all the different types of breads, sweets, cheeses, meats, etc.  If we are not feeling adventurous, there are plenty of 'American-style' things that are easy to work with.  Hopefully we'll start learning how to prepare Chilean-style foods soon.

Electrical

  • Plugs here are the Euro-Plug style (three or two (ungrounded) circular prongs in a row), NOT the Shotko German-style plug.  The cool thing is that it is easy to buy converters that go from american (2 or three prong) to Euro-plug styles.  These are available at most hardware or electronics shops.  We got ours at Sodimac (a big hardware store).  I guess this makes sense since electronics tend to be imported from so many different places.

Vehicle

  • So far we have no car.  This works fine as we are right downtown.  Eventually we will buy one to drive around town but mostly for bigger trips outside the city.  I am not sure what we will decide on...but we are leaning toward either a double cab truck, something like a 4-runner or some type of van.  I think the best site for shopping for cars is:
  • Our international driver's licenses don't kick in until Aug 1, 2013, so we are not in a big hurry to get a car.  Walking works great for now and we are trying to learn something about the bus system but there appears to be no route maps.  The buses are numbered and list destinations, but I don't yet know where these places are.  I have been contemplating just getting on buses and riding around with my GPS and mapping out there routes.  Not rocket science, but might prove useful.  I like buses.
  • For long travel, Tur-Bus or others seem to be the way to go with long overnight routes with tip-back chairs for low prices.  This sounds good to me.

Kid's School

  • We have not made much progress on this.  We have learned that the Thomas Jefferson School is largely in English.  This won't do.  We are instead considering 'Coleigo de Concepcion' which is private (higher quality) and mostly in Spanish.  All private school options are looking costly.  Very.  It is ~$700/year per kid to apply and ~$300/month per kid for tuition.  This might be our largest expense but it is super important for the kids to get immersed in Spanish and hang out with other kids.

For fun

  • Parque Ecuador: good hiking in the woods above town. Steep hills, granite gruss, lots of different trees, stray dogs, amorous couples and cobble-stone roads.  We played on the playground, hiked up a road and then decided to walk from the summit radio tower northeast toward the university.  The trails progressively became smaller and less defined and ultimately disappeared into a maze of barbwire and fences that isolated the private residences from the park.  We were boxed in.  Ultimately we hacked through blackberry brambles and into a house were 10 students lived.  A young woman in rainbow full-body pajamas (at 3pm) was kind enough to let the 4 of us into her backdoor and lead us back toward the street.  Lesson learned.  Have a well-defined exit strategy.
  • Skiing: I have heard lots of good things about winter play in Chile.  We brought all the clothes but none of the hardware to ski.  I doubt I will find telemark gear to rent so I will go alpine this season.  There is a new resort that Claudio clued me into that is about 4 hours south of here called Corralco that was having a half-off sale at a local department store early one Saturday morning.  After standing in line for 3 hours, we got our tickets.  We will head up there and rent cabins for a week during the winter break.  His kids are close to the same age as ours and get along well.  Should be fun.
  • Protests:  Students in Chile are asking for better public education, mostly at the pre-university level.  This means a few protests each month.  Friday the university closed early as a march started at 12 that went throughout the city.  There were probably hundreds, if not a thousand students with banners and stilts and big puppets on sticks marching down the streets, blocking traffic but not really doing any damage.  As I walked through the area where they had been hours later, an armored police vehicle drove by and I had my first taste of tear gas.  Burned my eyes and throat, but went away pretty quick.  Though this may wear off, I am impressed with the students desire to speak out for their needs and do it in a relatively organized fashion.  Making noise is important, especially if there is an achievable change that is being asked for.
  • Walking around:  The Centro is just a few blocks from here and I like walking around down there though it feels hectic.  There are typically lots of people and they walk in a very chaotic way that means lots of crossed paths.  Kinda fun.  There are lot of performers too and I have seen:
    • Lots of guitar/pan flute/Andean style performers.  One well-dressed flamenco-style guy playing from the ground.
    • A guy with a marionette of a skeleton rock star that sings into a microphone.
    • A 'frozen' anime-tronic coal miner with a pick axe made out of a section of motorcycle tire (the area south of here, Lota, was one Chile's biggest mining operations up till the 1970's, I think).
    • Traditional Chilean dancers (handkerchiefs twirling in the air, men in chaps, women in big skirts).
    • I saw a big tough looking kid (~16?) in school uniform singing alto classical pieces with what appeared to be a highly trained voice.
  • Timelapse photography: I have been having some fun with this using simple game cameras from work. It is impressive to watch the morning's smoke blow away, the clouds drift through the sky and the shadows of buildings sweeping around.  I am sure I will collect more as time goes on, but these are my initial efforts.




These are our observations so far from week one...many more to come.