by Eileen | May 22, 2019 | chile, haha, language
I thought I knew about cats. Yes, cats. After 15 years in Chile, surely I know enough not to look for their fifth foot, from the expression “no buscarle la quinta pata al gato,” which means to keep on looking for an explanation for something when there is...
by Eileen | Mar 10, 2019 | chile, march, photography, santiago, video
“Casi me emociono” said a woman standing next to me as I used the back of my hands to dry my own eyes. She “almost” got emotional. It was her way of saying it brought tears to her eyes, as it had mine. I was tempted to tell her “Y no soy...
by Eileen | Dec 9, 2018 | chile, feria, food, health, stomach snafu
There is this piece of Smith family lore, by which I usually mean to introduce something false, which I will later disprove or reframe, except in this case it’s true. It tells of a time when I, fresh from a brutally cold winter in Santiago, landed in my...
by Eileen | May 23, 2018 | chile, food and drink, haha, language, photography, spanish, travel, travel writing
“My feet look like meat-filled pastries,” said C, as she looked up at her legs, which were up on the wall as she laid on the bed, an L-shape familiar to many cyclists and athletes in general, especially those who are prone to swelling or build up of lactic...
by Eileen | Apr 1, 2018 | chile, haha, language, spanish, wildlife
First of all, in the photo there is not a rat Or if there is it is small and hidden in the grass. What you see is a kind-of relative of a bunny you might say. Except that for reasons that I do not understand, this bunny is not a rabbit, but a hare. Sure I can look up...
by Eileen | Nov 13, 2017 | chile, feria, food, food and drink
A different kind of feria report. As some of you may know, as I’ve mentioned it here, and in real life, I’m dealing with what I have referred to as a “stomach snafu.” It seems to be histamine intolerance and I won’t bore you with the...