Chile Forum

Hi folks

I've been lurking on the board for a while now and thought it was time to make the jump.

Why am I interested in Chile? Well, my polola is a lovely Chilena from Antofagasta who was working at my lab in Germany.
She has since gone home and I have moved to Belfast.
I made a 6 week visit to Chile over Christmas and am now getting itchy feet and debating whether to make the move....

All the best
FB

Having polola you got one of the most important issues solved

Benvenuti!

yea, watch it those Chilean women turn in to wives very easily. My family has two. Both my brother and I are married to Chileans.

thanks chaps! I can easily see how they turn into wives!

Tombrad2 - I visited Arica and loved it. We had been doing some research on Lago Chungará and when we finished we stayed there for a couple of days.

Can you answer a question? We went to Tacna and took the train back. On the southern Edge of the city there were lots of small, simple buildings in the desert. Do you know what these are?

I can't believe they are houses as they are very, very small, but they could be...

They are a peruvian goverment program which give small parcells of desert to poor people for very tiny cultivating areas, It is an odd program and I doubt that agriculture can suceed in such small parcels bringing water with a truck in the middle of desert, but who knows I think most of people is there with the hope that those parcels aquire value with time. Usually there are a watchman living in the tiny bamboo cabins

tombrad2 wrote:They are a peruvian goverment program which give small parcells of desert to poor people for very tiny cultivating areas, It is an odd program and I doubt that agriculture can suceed in such small parcels bringing water with a truck in the middle of desert, but who knows I think most of people is there with the hope that those parcels aquire value with time. Usually there are a watchman living in the tiny bamboo cabins

wow! thanks for that - I will ring Chile when I get home and tell them.
We really wondered what the bamboo shelters were for as well.

all the best

FB

Hello!

I've been lurking for a while and realized it was time to register - I'm originally from Chile and have been living in the USA for a long time - too long! My husband is a gringo and we're thinking of packing up and going to Chile. But it's been so long since I've lived there, although we've go to Chile to visit every 2 years or so. Anybody out there who's in a similar situation (a Chilean wanting to go back after such a long time)? We're thinking maybe 2-3 years from now, possibly to La Serena or the Villarica area although we're currently living in New England and sick of the winters!

Thanks in advance for any suggestions/help!

Hola Gloria!
Good luck with your move! Where are you moving to? How long have you been away?

I wish we could move sooner - this web site has made the itch to go back a LOT stronger!

So tough to decide where to move to in Chile. So far the only thing we know is not Santiago, not the top, top northern part, and nothing below Valdivia.

Do you know what UF's are in terms of prices of homes? I've been looking and I think it's unidades de fomento, but can't remember what that means.

Thanks in advance!

It does mean "unidad de fomento", an attempt to provide a constant store of value in an economy with endemic inflation. A thread begun in this forum late last year (if I remember correctly) describes the UF and its uses in some detail; if you'd like to read it, just try a search.

Today 1 UF=$ 19.766,45
check for daily values at http://www.uf.cl/

Thanks to all that replied with help re the UF's. It was very helpful and at least now we can get a better sense of house prices.

Gloria, I've been in the US for almost as long as you've been here!(30 yrs). It seems unbelievable and for the most part, it didn't bother me. Too busy raising kids I guess. But the last 8 years or so have been unbearable. We just have to wait for 23 year old daughter to finish grad school, and then jump in and just do it (the move I mean). Maybe she'll even move with us - she loves Chile!

You gals (and guys) are awesome! I wonder if I will ever feel the tug to go "home". PP said, "after the past eight years...." and I know what she means, although I haven't lived in the US for almost 87. Politics aside, it's just a stunningly beautiful country with incredible people, and such a vast, and varied landscape. Combine that with a decent economy and stability, and an active political base which seems diverse, and where else would you ever want to be.

Hope to see you all posting from here soon.

Vicki