Debra and Dee
I've scarpered off. Left Brisbane, responsibility, an unfinished Masters and children behind. Currently living and working in Santiago de Chile. My faltering Spanish (or should I say Spanglish) perhaps proves that age is a barrier to language acquisition. debanddee
Travel Blog Posts
Living and Working in Santiago
Published: March 8th 2012South America » Chile » Santiago Region » Santiago
January 28th 2012
Part of the plan in coming to Santiago was to work. I needed to work in order to supplement our money and extend our stay as long as possible. Santiago seemed to be a great place to do that - a thriving economy, OECD status, a demand for qualified native English speaking teachers all of which I assumed would give the best chance of financing our adventures such as they are. hmmmm, not quite. All the websites I visited before we arrived extolled the virtues of coming to Santiago and working as a teacher. You'll earn enough to live like a middle class Chilean, they said. You can work the hours you want, they said. We provide the visas, they said. All of this, for me, proved a furphy. Currently, I'm working illegally (yet again) in ... read more
Santiago to Mendoza, Argentina - the visa run.
Published: December 5th 2011South America » Chile » Santiago Region
December 1st 2011
Three months has passed very quickly. It was time to renew our tourist visas in November. Now, theoretically, I shouldn't have needed to go to Mendoza as I supposedly had a 'subject to contract' visa with my employer. Unfortunately, my employer through a series of miscommunications, misinformation and disorganisation, neglected to start the visa process and inform me of my obligations in this process, so I decided that I would rather have a tourist visa than no visa at all. Much to my employer's chargin, I left for Mendoza for a few days on 19th November. Let's face it how could I let Dee enjoy all that lovely Malbec by himself or leave him alone with those gorgeous tango dancing Argentinan women?! For once I agree with the hyperbole of the guidebooks. The trip from Santiago ... read more
Manifestacions and Student Protests in Santiago de Chile August to November 2011 - Debra's view.
Published: November 9th 2011South America » Chile » Santiago Region
November 8th 2011
It is certainly a most interesting time to be in Chile. I always knew that the Chileans were not afraid to have the odd strike, demonstration and protest. It's part of the reason why Chile attracted Dee and I so much. We wanted to go some place where the people were actively pushing back - against corporate greed. Well Chile has it in spades. In our first week, there was a nation wide general strike on the 24th and 25th August. On the 25th, it was particularly effective as all transport workers went on strike. Bus drivers were driving their buses to protest meetings, those who crossed the picket line had their buses paint bombed and in a couple of cases molotov cocktailed. The day before we saw a protest by bank employees outside Banc de ... read more
2 months in Santiago de Chile: Arriving and Hotel Angamos
Published: October 23rd 2011South America » Chile » Santiago Region » Santiago
August 19th 2011
Ok, I've made a decision to blog. I have ambivalent feelings about blogging. I'm kinda uncomfortable rabbiting on about my experiences and boring the bejesus out of my beloved family and friends who may feel obliged to indulge me. However, I've had a few asking how Dee and I are faring and I'm starting to get mixed up with who I've emailed and what I have said. As well, since I have started working, I haven't been on the computer as much as my time is a little more restricted. Also our internet is charged by time and not amount downloaded. It's bloody expensive. So maybe Blogging can help us keep you updated on our doings. So here goes. We arrived on the 19th August, the day after Santiago had snow in the city, the first ... read more
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