10 Things I Wish I Knew Before Moving to Chile

1. Register Your Phone

Once you arrive in Chile, you have 30 days to register your phone. I believe this is for the Earthquake alert system, but whatever the reason is to make sure you register; otherwise, your phone will be blocked. You can register your phone here. You will need your entry stamp!  

2.Language: Chilenismos

I wish I would have watched videos, taken a class with a Chilean teacher on italki, anything to better prepare. Yes, your foundation in Spanish will help you as it did me, but you quickly realize that Chilenismos dominate everyday language, and it would have been good to prepare. The internet is filled with blog posts, Youtube videos, and even books you can purchase like How to Survive the Chilean Jungle. I talk more about the cultural differences in this post. 

3. Vegetarian- Friendly Place

 As a vegetarian for five years now (whoop, whoop), I always think about how vegetarian or vegan-friendly a restaurant, city, or country is. In South America, asados, BBQs are very much part of the culture; they are meat-eaters, so I thought it would be hard to find products or go out to eat. And NOPE! Chile is super vegetarian-friendly. There is almost an option at every restaurant. Love burgers? Check out Holy Moly if you are in Santiago. They have my favorite veggie burger, and they also make meat burgers. Supermarkets have vegetarian or vegan-friendly products; you can check out this video to see them. You will also find many vegan specialty stores. So if you are a vegan or vegetarian, you are covered.

4. Earthquakes

You will not experience earthquakes like the ones you see on the news. The last big earthquake was in 2010; however, you will experience tremors or shakes from the aftershock of an earthquake nearby. Yes, if they last a second too long, they can be a little scary, especially if you come from a place where earthquakes are not common. But don’t worry, you get used to them. Just prepare to feel them and sometimes even more than once a day.  

TIP: The best tip that was given to me and I give to you. Follow the Chileans. See how they react. If they get up and leave the building or panic, it is a good indicator of your reaction. If they don’t and they remain calm, then nothing to worry about.

5. Research Chile

I will not get into a whole political or history lesson about the dictatorship that the people of Chile were under for many years because many people from that time are still alive today, and it is their story to tell. However, there are movies, documentaries that I wish I would have watched before moving to Chile. I wish I had better educated myself on U.S. involvement in Chile’s history and Chile’s past as a whole. Not trying to center the U.S in Chile’s history, but I do believe as travelers, we have a responsibility not to be blissfully ignorant when visiting or living in other countries. There is a museum called Museo de la Memoria y Derechos Humanos in Santiago. I highly recommend visiting. 

Movies/Documentaries to watch:

Remastered: Massacre At The Stadium. A Victor Jarra Story Watch 

Movie: No (although I love Gael García Bernal personally, I would have liked them to use a Chilean actor)

Feel free to share other resources!

6.The Weather

Of course, you research the weather when you travel and/ or move abroad but let’s talk about what the weather is like. Although Chile has four seasons, in my experience, it feels like summer and somewhere in the middle of a cold fall and the warmest winter you experience. The summers are dry and hot. It’s rarely humid there. The winters are not as cold as those you experience in the States with snow and all, but there is no central heating, so winters can feel colder than they are. If you go more south, it’s colder, rainier, and it might even snow. If you are in the center (like Santiago), you might not need a heavy winter jacket but pack some warm items for the winter as it does feel really cold in the apartments and houses. Thermals and blankets are you bestfriend. Check out my packing tip here.

7. Convenience

Coming from a place like the U.S., everything is accessible 24 hours. Where my mom lives, there is a 7/11 across the street, a CVS two blocks away, and three fast food places open 24 hours. You can get everything from alcohol to makeup at 3 am if you wish. In Chile, you have to go to separate places to get certain things. Need Advil? You can’t go to a 7/11 or a CVS-type place; you have to go to the farmacia. You have to take a number and wait to be called, even for something like Advil.

Another example was the metro. In NYC, it’s 24 hours ( not saying it is safe to take at certain times, but it’s there). In Chile, the metro closed every night and opened every morning. This wasn’t ‘difficult’ but something I didn’t know about until moving and living there. 

8. Bring a backup phone always! 

Two weeks into living in Chile, my phone broke from one day to the next. I tried to get it repaired, but since the phone was from the U.S. I kept getting told there was nothing to do but buy a new one and phones are expensive. I purchased a $60 Nokia phone to use for two months ( my mom was visiting and brought me a new one), and then two months after getting my new one, it was stolen. At that point, I had learned and had a backup phone. Maybe not a Chile-specific thing, but it is a lesson I learned twice while living in Chile, so that is why it is here.

9. Lax work environment

Compared to the U.S. (where I am from, for reference), I think it is a much more lax work environment. I will admit I worked in H.R., so I do have some of that baggage, but it is more chill than in the U.S., and work norms are different. I always use the example of my students greeting me with a kiss on the cheek. Although I was told I did not believe it would happen, it did. It is also a very common workplace interaction between coworkers. 

10. Bring your bags.

Yep, you read that right. In Chile, do not expect to get bags in the supermarket. You have to bring your bags for your groceries. Make sure you do, or you will end up like me, buying almost a new one every time I went to the supermarket for the first month because I kept forgetting. It is very eco-friendly, and I am here for it.