Chile Forum

Hi Everybody

I'm looking for anybody interested in practice English and Spanish. I'm a native in spanish and I studied Translation, so now that I'm working (reading a lot in English, but not talking) I need to find somebody to talk with.

If interested PM me

Hello Nicto,

Welcome to Antofagasta (if you are new here!) and to All Chile. There is a lovely facebook group called Antofagasta Expats that you might like to check out: <LINK REMOVED>. I believe there are monthly events, although I haven't yet made it to one.

If you'd like to meet up some time and talk drop me a PM, but I haven't got a lot of time on my hands so I can't promise anything will actually happen!

All the best,

I&V

Believe it or not...
None of the Antofagasta Expats reported this very unusual event.
Did anyone discover leaks in your roof?
Can you buy umbrellas there?
Did anyone buy an umbrella?

Unusual heavy rainstorms in northern Chile: 4000 homes damaged
Antofagasta - At least four thousand homes have been damaged by a frontal system and heavy rainfall affecting the region of Antofagasta in the far north of Chile; rain is a very abnormal phenomenon in this desertic region.
An unusual system of bad weather affected the coastal region and city of Antofagasta, located 1 377 Km north of Santiago, causing flooding, power outages and forcing the closure of schools. Some schools are being used to provide emergency shelter for people who had to evacuate their homes because of rain damage.
Most affected were the residents of Villa Las Americas, a poor neighbourhood situated in the northern part of the city. The First Division of the Chilean Army based in Antofagasta carried out the operation along with personnel from the local City Hall, reported Diario La Segunda.
Rain is a very rare occurrence in Antofagasta located in the coast of the second northernmost region of Chile, a very dry, desertic area. Therefore, rainwater evacuation systems are almost non-existent. The normal average rainfall in the whole year is less than 2 mm, while normal rainfall in August, the middle of winter in the Southern Hemisphere, in this city is less than 0.1 mm which results from minor mist condensation.
According to the forecast, the bad weather would begin to decline within the next few hours, however it is expected that the temperature may drop to about 5 degrees C, well below the normal low temperature in the area at this time of the year, which is about 15°C.

We lived in Anto until last year, still have friends there.

The flooding is of course caused by roads not designed to drain water at all, understandably, and I believe said water took a few days to dissipate/evaporate. And friends discovered leaks in their roofs (rooves?), and also water that drained off upper balconies into the cavity between the first and second floors. So, the houses that are built with walls or partial walls made of carboard and who knows what for the roof probably did not fare well at all.

Northerners have a morbid fear of water and rain, and luckily the chain stores (jumbo, Lider, Falabella etc) in their wisdom, stock the same products in the Northern regions as they do in Santiago and Southern Patagonia. Good planning, as it turns out.

Though I can't say for sure if umbrellas were available, it is the end of winter so they've probably got all their spring stock out and couldn't possibly search their bodegas for the umbrellas they didn't sell for the last 5 years and put them out for the day...

You're right, g~j, it rained here in Antofagasta for the first time since I got here in February '10. Schools closed, city buses stopped running, a lot of stores closed and people stayed home. I've never seen rain cause so much trouble! We needed a good rain to clean off these sidewalks covered with... well, you know.

Anybody in Antofagasta interested in meeting up, or trading English for Spanish instruction, please drop me a message. I need help with Spanish. Also, AussieMom is a supercool lady who organizes periodic picnic events for us expats here in Antofagasta.. she is a "doer" and quarterbacks these events which turn out great because she's organized and handles the details. We show up with food to cook on the grill and our drink of choice, and (as Jackie Gleason used to say), "Away we go!". Our last event was July 4. post46254.html?hilit=antofagasta#p46254

Winter in Antofagasta is pretty nice, sunny by day, chilly at night but never too cold. A fleece and a windbreaker get you through the coldest times just fine. Not a bad way to spend winter. I plan to tour the South (Carretera Austral) in late-December/January '11... anybody interested in joining up?

You're right, g~j, it rained here in Antofagasta for the first time since I got here in February '10. Schools closed, city buses stopped running, a lot of stores closed and people stayed home. I've never seen rain cause so much trouble! We needed a good rain to clean off these sidewalks covered with... well, you know.

But then with no storm drains...
Where did the "you know what" go...
Not on your shoe, of course?
g~j must alert you to some health hazards of dog poo...
Dog feces are one of the most common carriers of the following diseases:
Heartworms - Whipworms - Hookworms - Roundworms - Tapeworms - Parvovirus
Corona - Giardiasis - Salmonellosis - Cryptosporidiosis - Campylobacteriosis
Children are most susceptible, since they often play in the dirt and put things in their mouths or eyes.
Now young children are taught very early not to play with any visible dog offerings.
But now, softened and diluted and distributed in the sand and soil...
If it is out of sight - should it really be out of mind?

You forgot cholera
http://en.mercopress.com/2010/04/07/fir ... d-in-chile

greg~judy wrote:g~j must alert you to some health hazards of dog poo...
Dog feces are one of the most common carriers of the following diseases:
Heartworms - Whipworms - Hookworms - Roundworms - Tapeworms - Parvovirus
Corona - Giardiasis - Salmonellosis - Cryptosporidiosis - Campylobacteriosis
Children are most susceptible, since they often play in the dirt and put things in their mouths or eyes.
Now young children are taught very early not to play with any visible dog offerings.
But now, softened and diluted and distributed in the sand and soil...
If it is out of sight - should it really be out of mind?

Not to mention that if you ask a doctor or pharmacist about any treatment for worms, they look at you like you are an alien... Combantrim, anyone??? I would have thought they would be giving it out like candy.

Many of the pathogens in dog feces are species specific. While dogs can get infected with assorted and sundry things from the feces, there aren't that many things that are going to transmit to humans.

Round worm (ascarids) is one that can be quite dangerous to children, because the worm can migrate into the eye and cause blindness (which is possible but rare).

Other than that, a few things that are generally unhealthy that are simply associated with filth-- but be aware that children who are exposed to a lot of germs and viruses grow up with excellent immune systems and are often allergy free.

Not that I'm advocating playing with dog poop, but I am advocating allowing kids to get dirty.

As a generalization, I would expect street dogs to be carriers of many more diseases, worms, and parasites than well cared for domestic house pets. I'd worry less about my children and more about my pet dogs. I suggest that y'all keep your pets well vaccinated, treated with flea drops, and on a routine de-worming program including heart worm medication.

Amazing how a thread can go from "Anyone in Antofagasta??'
... to unprecedented rain events...
... to dog shit...
... to diseases...
g~j apologize for this perverse digression~tangent
Perhaps we can now revert to the original intent
And the Antofagasta Expats will now recapture the "current events" theme

oregon woodsmoke wrote:Many of the pathogens in dog feces are species specific. While dogs can get infected with assorted and sundry things from the feces, there aren't that many things that are going to transmit to humans.

Round worm (ascarids) is one that can be quite dangerous to children, because the worm can migrate into the eye and cause blindness (which is possible but rare).

Human health hazards related to dogs as disease vectors ... aside from simply being mauled. This is the short list.

Brucellosis, Brucella canis -sequelae are highly variable and may include granulomatous hepatitis, arthritis, spondylitis, anaemia, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, meningitis, uveitis, optic neuritis, endocarditis and various neurological orders collectively known as neurobrucellosis

Campylobacter Infection (campylobacteriosis) inflammatory, sometimes bloody, diarrhea or dysentery syndrome, mostly including cramps, fever and pain.

Cryptosporidiosis : excyst in the small intestine and result in an infection of intestinal epithelial tissue.

Dipylidium Infection (tapeworm): parasitise humans, can result in brain damage in humans.

Giardiasis : Potentially fatal in humans.

Hookworm Infection: A parasitic disease; leading cause of maternal and child morbidity

Leishmania Infection (leishmaniasis): various forms, including potential fatal forms in human

Leptospira Infection (leptospirosis): Second phase characterized by meningitis and renal failure.

Lyme Disease: Chronic symptoms that affect brain, nerves, eyes, joints and heart. Myriad disabling symptoms can occur, including permanent paraplegia

Q Fever (Coxiella burnetii): One of the seven most effective known biological warfare agents. Inhalation of one organism will yield disease in 50% of the population.

Rabies: potentially fatal in humans

Ringworm: Parasitic fungal infection that feeds on human keratin

Toxocara infection - internal roundworm infection. Nearly 15 percent of the U.S. population is infected with Toxocara, primarily from contact with dogs, to a lesser degree from cats. Typical infection involves children who have been infected with these larvae, causing ocular larva migrans in the eye.

Salmonella Infection (salmonellosis): In humans, Salmonella infection may spread from the intestines to the blood stream; may cause death. Persons afflicted with salmonellosis later experience reactive arthritis.

To continue the off topic slant, I saw one of the grossest street dogs the other day dragging something I assume was a giant worm parasite extending about two feet out of its anus. The dog was obviously miserable and stopped to sit down every few feet to check out his predicament.