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 | 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 | Feb 24, 2017 | chile, haha, language, santiago
When I was living in DC, I worked at a publishing company, writing business-to-business compliance manuals and newsy bits about environmental law. It was a pretty big office, maybe 60-80 people, and there was a core group of folks that I would make coffee-machine...
by Eileen | Feb 7, 2017 | chile, food and drink, haha, tea
Before living in Latin America, I could probably count the number of times I’d drunk tea on purpose on my two hands. Sure, there were the back-from-India chai preparations in the 80s and 90s, but the way we made it, it was practically hot chocolate, creamy and...
by Eileen | Sep 6, 2016 | chile, fiestas patrias, food, food and drink, haha, santiago, spanish
One thing I love about Chile is how readily artists, graphic designers and other creative types take anything that’s happening in news, or in the world, and immediately incorporate it into memes, jokes, videos and GIFs. In the past, there has been the merciless...