Influenza de Chancho

I seem to have caught a virus and everyone keeps saying "you have the Swine Flu!". The hype around Influenza Porcina/Swine Flu/ or what I have coined Influenza de Chancho is crazy. Check this- 36,000 people in the US die each year from the regular flu which means that 3,000 people have died from the regular flu in the US since Influenza de Chancho has been identified. As of today only 236 cases of the Influenza de Chancho have been identified WORLD WIDE and 8 deaths have occured. Is the sky falling yet? Fear not, our leader has requested $1.5 B from Congress to "fight the outbreak". Amazing.

I don't seem to have a fever but have everything else (headache/muscle pain/cough/sneeze/congestion/fatigue) and I think my main problem is that I'm not resting which is making it worse and last longer. I work from home a lot and feel like I almost have to be on my death bed not to work. As long as my fingers still move, I could still be working. I hope Obama's request is approved because with only 1 death here I think it would be more than fair for me to apply for 0.01% of the $1.5B for being infected with Influenza de Chancho and then I wouldn't have to worry about working and could just rest and then look for a nice beach house in Maintencillo :)

Group Blog- Travel Experiences: Mumbai

This is my post for a Group Blog on Travel:

The place I have traveled that had the most impact on me was Mumbai, India. I traveled there with someone who has traveled all over the world and she too was rocked by India. When I was there I couldn't stop thinking or talking about what I was seeing I was so taken in. As much as I wanted to talk about it when I got back I really couldn't because I feel that words do not do it justice and I'm struggling with that writing this post. Watching Slumdog Millionaire does give you a taste of what Mumbai is really like- they don't exaggerate. Watching Outsourced (available on Netflix) also gives you a taste of the work ethic, conditions, culture there and what it's like arriving at the airport :)

I've seen plenty of slums/poverty before but nothing like this. Anthony Bourdain put it best when he said that the western mind sees a problem and it tries to solve it and westerners go to Mumbai and try to figure it out but they can't- there is no figuring it out. I cried every day on my way to work. I did notice though that despite everything people seemed to be happy.

2 major take aways I had

(1) This made me feel smaller. This place was so different than anything I have experienced it was almost like going to another planet to find that there was something totally different than what I knew. There is so much out there for us to experience and learn from.

(2) The US has no idea what a fine balance we hang in. One or 2 major disasters and we are not far from the life that people in Mumbai live daily. The people in Mumbai are survivors- they can deal with anything. People in the US for the most part are ignorant to this and can barely handle life without electricity for a day (myself included). I think we have a lot to be grateful for (infrastructure for example) and need to get educated (and beyond what the media tries to feed people) so that we are making choices that are right for our country/world. Go beyond the media- go talk to a solider who is in the military and has been overseas supporting us and see a different perspective. (off soap box)

The food there was really good (I love Indian food) though if you go be SURE to take a prescription for traveler's diarrhea- no matter how careful you are (and I was very and still needed it). Also there are beautiful 5 star hotels that will cost you hundreds per night OR this:

This is the only other hotel I saw that wasn't 5 star. I didn't see anything like a "Comfort Inn". And gringas (especially blonde ones) be prepared to be stared at wherever you go. The attention you get from piropos in Chile are nothing like this. It's not staring in a cat calling kind of way but groups of men even across the street will stop and stare until you are out of sight. It's not so much admiration but almost like if an alien were walking by. I was in a grocery store and a guy who was working there was coming the opposite direction from me pushing a grocery cart and locked eyes with me and stared. He turned down the aisle in front of me but his eyes never left me. He would face forward and walk a few steps and then quickly whip his head around to stare again. This happened about 5 times down the aisle. I couldn't help but laugh to myself. When I arrived at the office which was a huge complex you would think that a movie star was there. Everyone totally stopped what they were doing to stare. It was a very weird feeling.

Just to give a little view into the infrastructure there. They were building a courtyad in the middle of this huge complex where the office was. There was not one piece of equipment. Not only were there not bulldozers there were not even shovels. There was a team of men with sticks pulling rocks out of the ground. They would get them up and pass them to a line of women who would pass the bowl via their head until it got to a man who would take the bowl and dump it in a pile. They also had a bucket where they were mixing mortar to make the wall they were working on- same process for passing the bricks. It was amazing to watch. I wasn't in a village in Africa- I was in one of the largest cities in the world.

The people of India are the nicest people I have ever met and are some of the best to work with. Funny story- 2 of the guys took myself and my coworker out to dinner. They were from a different part of India and on the way back asked us if we cared if they stopped at their temple. I guess whatever religion they were the main temple of that religion was in the city and they wanted to visit. We said it was fine with us and when we got there we had the feeling they wanted us to stay in the car instead of going in so we waited. As they were in there we were wondering what the temple was and what the customs are in the temple. When the 2 guys came back they were all smiles and seemed very happy. The one guy got on the phone right away to call his girlfriend. The other guy explained that this temple was for the "Sex God for a good sex life". My coworker and I said "Ah! Now you tell us- we would have gone if we would have known that- no wonder he is calling his girlfriend!" The next morning we went to the office and the guys who took us out were not there yet but there were other people. They asked what we had done the previous night and we said that we went out to dinner and that they stopped at their temple for the "Sex God". They said "Sex God? Which temple is that?" We said "Yea, they said it's the main temple of their religion." When the 2 guys arrived to the office the others were anxious to ask them about this temple. They replied "No no no, not the Sex God- it's the Success God- for a good successful life." :) We got a really good laugh out of that- leave it to 2 gringas...

Now for my shameless advertisement- I created a new blog called Off The Chain Travel which is meant to give top level recos to people who like to really experience the local scene when they travel - going for the local instead of the chain. This started on the way home from a weekend trip S and I took to Indianapolis recently. We had a great time and found several great places and wanted to share it with others. It's still in very early infancy but thought this would be a good opportunity to share. I'm doing this blog for personal reasons- I always come away from places and have recos and thought it would be good to keep them in a central location to share with family/friends and I'm anxious to hear other people's recos as well. I've started the post on Chile- please add any recos you have.

Eau de South America

I have a nose like a dog. I pick up and discern smells more than the average person. The other day I was in my car going to the gym and smelled what I call the "South American" smell. I'm not talking the Latino man smell (which is very nice I might add and I think guys in the US could take some lessons on how to apply cologne). Anyway- this smell is hard for me to describe- it's a neutral smell really not good or bad and if I had to pick something to describe it I might say musty but that can be perceived as not so good. At first I thought it was specific to Chile because I first noticed it with S and his clothes but since then I've picked it up on people from Uruguay, Venezuela, and Argentina and it comes from their clothes. I've smelled it here and also in airports abroad. You could line 10 people up and I swear I could tell which ones were in South America- it's that noticeable to me. When I'm in South America I don't notice it as much.

At first I thought it had something to do with the water but I've debunked that. I purchased a workout outfit when I was in Chile almost 2 months ago and was wearing it for the first time the other day to the gym. I could pick up the smell 2 months after this outfit had been in my closet AND sent to the seamstress to get the pants hemmed. The outfit was not washed in Chile- only purchased there.

Today I got dressed for work and as I was sitting at my desk noticed the smell again. At first I questioned it because I smelled it so strongly that I thought it was my sweater but I had just washed that. I finally realized that I was wearing the linen pants that I had last worn 2 months ago in Chile (I have not sent them to the drycleaners yet).

What is the deal? It's a really weird phenomenon for me. I thought at least the water explanation might make some sense but I've proven that wrong. It has to be the air but what would be different there than here? Am I crazy or does anyone else notice this? I've tried to ask S to smell this on the clothes I can pick it up on but he doesn't notice anything.

Also- this has reminded me to post a public service annoucement. There is an over the counter cold remedy you can buy here in the US and is quite the rage called Zicam. It comes in several forms and is supposed to reduce the amount of time you have a cold. One of the easiest to use is a solution you put in your nose. A close friend of mine (who also had a very keen sense of smell) used this product (as a sugestion from her husband who had used it). She applied it and immediately felt a burning sensation. The next day she noticed that her sense of smell was gone. She went to an ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat doctor) who basically said "Yea, duhhhh!! You shouldn't use that". That was back before Christmas and 4 months later still has no sense of smell. You will find many things on the internet about this- some saying it is not proven. She tried calling the company to inquire and they told her it was a by-product of her virus. All I can say is that she is a very close friend of mine and had the exact burning sensation that others describe and has lost her sense of smell. I can imagine it would be very difficult to not have my sense of smell- even if it does drive me crazy sometimes.

It's A Small World After All

We just got back from a weekend trip to Indianapolis, Indiana. The first night prior to going out we were waiting for our car and started chatting with the valet guy who was college-aged and very nice. We started talking about how we were surprised that there were actually quite a few people out in the city on a Thursday night. I said that Cincinnati is usually not that busy at all on a weeknight and that Seabass was from Santiago, Chile and was surprised when he moved to Cincinnati about the lack of people out in the city at night. The valet guy said "Oh, my girlfriend was an ex-pat studying and living in Chile for a year". She is majoring in Spanish at a local university and works with their study abroad program. He said she wants to take him back to Valparaiso to vacation. I was laughing and said "Well, first let me tell you that you are lucky that she is your girlfriend and isn't dating/married to a Chileno." I explained the phenomena of the gringas from the mid-west who are with Chileans. He said that he knew because his girlfriend has some friends who are still down there due to their Chileno. Also, he could have passed for a Chileno himself so maybe she didn't find one there but found someone similar here ;)
Anyway, I thought this was a really funny chance encounter and it reminded me that it is a small world after all.

It's Not Easy Being Green Part 1

"It's Not Easy Being Green" is sometimes what I have as my Communicator (instant message) status at work but today I realized that it's really not easy being green as in getting a green card or any entry for that matter into the US. Seabass and I met with a lawyer today to start his green card process. The more I learn about entry/immigration to the US the more it makes me angry that our government makes it so difficult for anyone trying to follow the rules and system to get in and yet does nothing about people doing it illegally (unless you are a presidential candidate who doesn't even have to present a birth certificate to follow the rules of being elected to office like a 9 year old wanting to play pee-wee football is required to do).

The lawyer told us a story about a couple from Nigeria who were missionaries in the US and had to leave because their visa was up so they took a trip to Mexico only to find out that the US would not allow their visas to be renewed. Not only would they not renew the visas they wouldn't renew long enough to let them come back to get their belongings. Not only would they not renew it long enough to get their belongings but they wouldn't even give them a transit visa to stop in the US to get from Mexico back to Nigeria.

This week I heard a story where someone just went last week to the consulate in their country to try and get a visa. They paid the $130 fee and the consulate didn't even look at the required/supporting papers they had- it was a flat "No".

My dad was just telling me this week that when he traveled a few weeks ago back from Peru that they took all of the US citizens first through immigration and made all the non-US citizens wait until everyone was finished (it was not on first come first serve basis). Even as a US citizen this really angered him.

It's no wonder Disney World is thinking about bringing Disney to South America since it's so difficult to bring the South Americans to Disney. That's smart of our government- let's deter the tourists here for the right reasons AND send the revenue back with them.

I don't think Seabass and I will have a problem since we really do have a legitimate marriage, are close in age, and work as managers for a Fortune 500 company (at least that is what the lawyer is telling us) but it still makes me mad hearing these other stories, watching it personally, and experiencing our own difficulties when traveling. I hope the most difficult part of this process will be Seabass getting blood taken and getting shots (he HATES needles). I'll have to go with him next week to hold his hand :)

Chilean Cat Versus Gringo Cat

So yesterday Seabass and I are out doing errands and were contemplating going home or going to one more store. We actually pulled off the road and sat in a parking lot being indecisive about this. We finally decided to go to the store so we got on the highway. On the way there a light came on telling me my tire was low. I ignored it as I was getting off the exit because I couldn't feel any difference with the car. Once I turned off the exit someone pointed at me and I made the first right I could into a parking lot to discover that my tire was completely flat. We called someone to come and fix it and while we were waiting I decided to go use the restroom (even though I had just gone not too long ago). There was a pet store in the parking lot so I went in. On the way the aisle I happened to walk down had cats in cages who were up for adoption. One thing that Seabass seems to miss a lot is his cat "Gaston" that he left in Chile with his mom. She was attached to the cat and he didn't want to disrupt him or her to bring him here. As I was walking by I saw this cat that I swear is the clone of Gaston. I go out to get Seabass from the car so that he can see and he couldn't believe how similar they are. This cat is named Chico and is exactly the same as Gaston except that "Chico" is not so chico and in true U.S. style is a little fatter than Gaston and he probably doesn't understand Spanish. They also have very similar personalities as both cats don't like other cats (this was explained on the card attached to his cage and also experienced when we took him out).

I've never had a cat and not really a huge cat person but we discussed this quite a bit. It's weird because it really seems like fate but at the same time doesn't seem to fit in the plan right now. Trying to find someone to take care of it might be difficult especially trying to board it if it doesn't like other cats. Also, our 5 year old son wants a Dachshund (weiner dog) and we have discussed getting one and naming him "Completo". Not sure that this dog and the cat would get along. Plus going from 0 animals to 2 would be a big jump (even if not at the same time). It's just weird when something comes along that seems like it was meant to be but doesn't fit into your plans. So many other things could have happened yesterday so that we wouldn't have seen the cat. See the similarities yourself (2 pics of Gaston in the blue boxes- the other 2 are Chico):

0-0 but Chile Is Winning and Ahead of the World!

Last night Seabass and I were invited over to watch the game with some fellow Chilenos and a few Uruguayans here in Cincinnati. We had fun and while Seabass isn't a big futbol fan he still really enjoyed it because it "feels like home" watching the game and getting to hear the word chucha being yelled. Side note: I REALLY need to work on my Spanish. I felt so bad being there yesterday because everyone felt like they had to speak english or say everything again in english for me. I know enough to understand what I call "cave man talk" so I pick up the general subject people are talking about but not a lot of details. I know a lot of nouns but my verbs are lacking. Seabass bought me Rosetta Stone but since it's learning through immersion I need to start at the beginning which is really boring because I get all the answers right but still a process I need to work through. By nature I'm really shy about trying to speak Spanish because unless I'm good at something I don't like to do it but after being in Chile the last time I was so appreciative when people tried to communicate in english to me no matter how correct/incorrect it was. So, this is on Aimee's to-do list but still trying to formulate a plan I know I can stick to that will work.

So, the game ended up being 0-0 but I read an article today on how Chile is ahead of the rest of the world. It is titled "Chile: The One Country That Was Prepared for the Financial Crisis"

Chile's economy grew by 4% to 5% annually during the boom years, respectable but
not spectacular. The Chilean economy is expected to grow just 0.4% in
2009, but to rebound to 2.3% growth in 2010, according to the Economists
forecasting panel. By the standards for the current miserable world,
that's very good indeed.

Go Chile! Looks like I need to start investing. Although I WILL NEVER invest in LAN- hate that company with their total disregard for the customer. Although Delta is not doing so hot I would support them any day over LAN. When Seabass's grandmother passed away he was checking on flights. His mom was here and her flight was back on LAN so he was trying to get the same flight. I was on the phone with Delta just to see what they had available and I explained the situation and I got "I'm so sorry to hear that, let me see what I can find, no that price can't be right for this emergency situation let me check with my supervisor." They came back with a price $1000 cheaper to which I explained we would have to see what LAN cost because his mom was booked there and the man said "yes, I understand and again I am so sorry for your family's loss- I'll be sure to say a prayer for you today". LAN's response was to charge him the full rate for the last minute flight AND charge his mom $50 to change her ticket to be one night before she was supposed to leave. That is just one of many stories I could fill pages on with my very few interactions with them. Apologies for my rant :)

I should, however, look at investing in Vina Concha y Toro (YUM!). I support them all the time from here at our local grocery store- love, love, love their Carmenere. It's funny because I can buy a bottle of Carmenere here cheaper than I could buy it at the actual vineyard in Chile.

But anyway, my main point of the post was a Go Chile! for being ahead.

Just In- Santiago is No. 26 in "Top 29 Cities to Live In"

No, this is not an April Fool's joke. According to askmen.com which is the largest online men's magazine Santiago is number 26 in the "Top 29 Cities for Men to Live In". This is their first publication of this yearly list and evaluated against 8 lifestyle categories- sports and entertainment, culture, fashion, health, power and money, dating and sex, the good life (number of annual sunlight hours, planned urban development, international airport departures, etc.) and in true man style the cost of a pint of beer. It also cites "Financially, Santiago looks like one of the best places to be in 2009."

Also "cities #12-29 are where women should flock towards in the hope of finding the most educated and well-rounded other-half". I guess we gringas are smarter than we thought ;) I know I found a educated and well-rounded other half in Santiago (I love you Seabasstian).

So, this contradicts the general theme I hear from most expats living in Chile- perhaps it's because it's from a man's POV or maybe true to my belief that you can get statistics to say whatever you want? I love Santiago and Chile in general but as I said before I've only visited there so can't really say having not lived there.