We landed in Chile in December 2019, two months after the start of a social revolution, and four months before the Coronavirus arrived. That might sound like unfortunate timing, but looking back, we couldn't have possibly planned it better. We had no idea what the year ahead of us would bring, but we were prepared … Continue reading A Year in Chile
Since my children were born, I have put a lot of pressure on myself to ensure that they are bilingual. My husband is a native Spanish-speaker (and an annoyingly fluent English-speaker), but as a stay at home mom, I have been the main source of language and communication with our children throughout the days, months, … Continue reading My Favorite AUTHENTIC Spanish Resources for Kids and Adults
This week on my Instagram account (@truestorychile) we went on a virtual vacation to Viña del Mar so I could introduce you to the city where we were living until the pandemic turned us into country mice. As of Tuesday, October 13, the mandatory quarantine that has had Viña under lockdown for the past 4 … Continue reading Things To Do With Kids in Viña del Mar, Chile: Museums
When I came to Chile for the first time as an exchange student 15 years ago, I learned my way around Viña by following the directions of my host mom. She was kind, loving, generous with her time, had black hair, wore red lipstick, and, of course, only spoke Spanish. She would give me detailed … Continue reading El Mes de Julio
As I mentioned in my last post, when the Coronavirus came to Chile, we decided for our safety and sanity to move to the countryside, also known as el campo. And while this might seem like another transition we'd have to navigate with our children, our family is no stranger to the campo. My husband … Continue reading The Country Cabin Tour: Before
I wrote this Instagram post on Monday, and wanted to share it here as well because it feels like a good way to bridge the gap between where we were a month ago and where we find ourselves today: Our family has had an intense period of loss, house-selling, health scares and moving abroad that … Continue reading Here We Are
A strange thing has been happening as I have been taking pictures of this summer in Chile. I love photography, and I use a digital camera as often as I can instead of my phone. Every few days, in order to make room on my memory card for new images, I batch delete some old … Continue reading Second Summer
This time around, I am much more comfortable with every aspect of life in Chile, except for my relationship with Spanish
The word "transition" didn't show up much in my vocabulary until my first child was born. Then it became something we thought about a lot - How do we transition him from the car seat to the crib? From playing to a diaper change? From breast milk to solids? From the playground to the grocery … Continue reading Transitioning to Life Abroad with Young Children
My family and I moved to Viña del Mar, Chile one month ago and we're new here...sorta. This coastal city known as the "vineyard of the sea" was my home for six months in 2003 when I studied abroad as a senior in college. I lived with a host family in a two-story home in … Continue reading Hello, I’m new here…sorta
True Story: Chile 