New apartment, new look, new fun

In an effort to document where I am living these days, my third apartment since arriving in Santiago in January, and also my new summer look and activities, here's an ``update'' post.

When I returned to Santiago after a whirl-wind US tour in November, I returned to a different apartment than the one I left in October.  Pamela was getting married and moving on, and Gabi and I decided to move to a ``comuna'' (think NYC boroughs) in Santiago closer to our offices, and conveniently in the same building where her boyfriend José and Jose's mom live.  Gabi (and José) made this the easiest move possible for me, lining up the new apartment, and moving all of my belongings while I was away.  

Back in Santiago, I took the taxi from the airport to the new address.  I found my boxes in my new bedroom, and Gabi had even assembled my bed.  Welcome to our new home!  In a fortunate turn of events, Jose's mom had bought our apartment, and is now our friendly land-lady.

You can see from the photos that we've moved up in the world!  To the 13th floor, in a modern apartment building in one of the fastest growing comunas in Santiago.  In one direction, I can see 3 cranes working on new buildings within just a couple of blocks!  

Of course, from the 13th floor we have a great view, and the apartment capitalizes on this by having a living room surrounded with glass on two sides, plus a long patio where I enjoy having breakfast, since the morning weather is perfect this time of year.

Our apartment has three bedrooms, three bathrooms, so Gabi has her own bedroom-bathroom pair, and I have another suite-like setup (where the bathroom is connected within the bedroom).  This means we also have a guest bedroom and bathroom, so please, come for a visit!  I have some suspicion that my suite might double as maid's quarters, given the proper family situation.  But, it means I have plenty of privacy, and I don't wake Gabi (I hope) when I sneak out of the apartment at the crack of dawn for an early-morning swim or bike ride.

Swimming? Biking? And of course, I'm still running.  That leads me to explain my major extracurricular activity these days, which is training for a triathlon.  On a somewhat celebratory whim, I signed up for the Pucón half-Ironman triathlon, in southern Chile in January.  Celebratory, because it falls almost one year since I arrived in Chile, and at the time I signed up, I didn't know if it might be my final-hurrah in Chile (in fact, I will be around for more of 2013!).  

Having returned to Chile in November, realizing that summer had begun, and that my spare time was occupied working and training, I decided on one more change.  I did a quick search of "triathlon hair cuts", and realized that a much more practical option was a cropped summer-cut.  The woman who cut my hair is probably still telling stories about me, the crazy gringa who wanted to chop all of her red hair (and I even asked for the remains in a rubber-band so that I can donate it). But, in my opinion, she did a remarkable job taking me seriously, and working with me to turn my long pony-tailed look into a stylish shorter hair-do.  I'm ready for summer, the new year, and the big race!  

Inspiration for the big race, from an Austin Roadrunner passing through Santiago