Happy (belated) New Year Expaters!
What a year it’s been. 2018 was certainly an eventful year for me.
We moved to Chile, starting our new lives in its beautiful bustling capital, Santiago.
I got pregnant and suffered pretty much every day of those nine months. Whoever invented the term ‘morning sickness’ is wrong – it’s all day, all night sickness.
Our flight over was horrendous – I fainted, vomited and nearly cried as horrible flight attendants shouted at me and refused to help with my bags.
We were robbed, but *phew* noone was hurt and the kids weren’t involved. I’ve been told this is a sad reality of life here. Yes, a lot of our life savings are now gone, but there are more importantly things in life to worry about. (You can read more sad realities of life in Chile here)
Number one on the list are my kids. 2018 was also the year I discovered my second child has an extremely rare, life threatening allergy to pumpkin seeds. The three days he spent in hospital were hands down the darkest days of my life. Our struggle to get the medication we needed and the silly roundabout we were sent on, also highlighted the complexities of life here in Chile.
On the upside, my kids embraced Chilean life with gusto, switching from speaking English to Spanish (or rather Chilean Spanish) in a couple of months. My number one resolution for 2019 is to take my Spanish to the next level, if anything so my four year old stops correcting me.
My number two resolution is to use eye cream – as you can imagine as a new mum I’m not getting much sleep and I’m certainly not looking any younger.
This blog, The Expater has grown into something much bigger than I imagined and has helped me find the life saving medication for my child, allowed me to connect with amazing friends whom I know call my expat family and given me the strength and the inspiration for my new startup, The International Women’s Club (do check us out and get involved!)
But by far my biggest highlight of 2018 was the birth of my darling little girl, Annabelle. After a rather unusual birth (at least unusual by Chilean standards), she has gone from strength to strength and the whole family adores her.
I love our life here in Chile. I love how seemingly serious business men stop to coo at my baby. I love the way the sun hits the mountains at dusk, lighting the sky with its milky rose hue. I love the cool pop ups, the street vibe, the entrepreneurial spirit. I cherish my children’s nursery ‘aunties’ and our maid (‘nana’) who treats my children like their own.
All the bumps in the road have been worth it. There are still things we need to iron out, my legs are still linen white despite the tropical temperatures, but Chile, I adore you!
If you’re not yet inspired to visit Chile, check out these other reasons why it’s a great place to travel to right now.
