Vuelvo a Chile: Return to Chile (otra vez)

Once again ("otra vez"), I am rejuvenating this blog that I began in 2008 as an undergrad at Middlebury, and continued in 2012-2013 as a grad student at Yale.  Now I return to Chile as a postdoctoral fellow funded by the European Southern Observatory (ESO) in Santiago, specifically working at the ALMA Observatory.  You can find a recap of my 2012 experiences at ALMA here, as well as a primer I wrote about the array here.  Basically, this is a brief introduction to say: please keep following this blog if you're interested to find out more about my Chilean adventures during the next 3+ years.  I may also be maintaining my astronomy-specific blog, where I will explain what goes on during the 1 week per month when I'm at ALMA in the Atacama Desert in Northern Chile.

This adventure begins

November 1 officially begins my contract at ESO, which happened to fall on a Sunday AND a holiday ("Día de Todos los Santos", or "All Saints' Day"), so my first day as an ESO employee was pretty darn notable.  I ventured out to explore the Parque Metropolitano at Cerro San Cristobal, which I was happy to find is still a prime destination for runners, walkers, and cyclists.  This is part of a network of roads throughout Santiago that are closed to auto traffic on Sundays through the program CicloRecreoVia -- which I think was getting its start when I was here in 2012.  In any city, my favorite Sunday activity is to go to the park and see families spending time together in public spaces, and today the Santiaguinos were out in full force at Parque Metropolitano.

A fairly busy road (Andrés Bello) shut down on Sundays to auto traffic, but filled with bikes, skates, and foot traffic. 

The view from the top of Cerro San Cristobal is superb on a clear day, with the most notable landmark being the Costanera Center -- the tallest building in South America, with a shopping mall on the lower 5 floors, and offices on the rest (interestingly, I shopped in the mall on the first day it opened back in 2012, and the offices have endured some challenges since).  From the park, I descended via some meandering trails and headed to the mall -- a sort of urban park.  There I bought myself a "welcome-to-Chile" gift, and then some much-needed groceries from the Jumbo supermarket, a grocery mecca with choices from near and far.  I was tempted by Kraft Easy Mac, but decided instead for more local fare -- instant coffee, avocado, and fresh-baked bread.

"Mirador Hundimiento" overlooks the Costanera Center in the part of town called "Providencia", with the Andes in the background.

Springtime here!

Back at my temporary apartment (the company offers a 5 week furnished apartment), I'm getting ready for my first day of "real" work.  Except not exactly, because HR already scheduled me for a medical exam and an appointment with a doctor -- certifying that I am healthy to work at high altitudes.  So tomorrow I'll reacquaint myself with TranSantiago -- the public transportation network that has received plenty of scrutiny in recent years -- to get to the hospital and then my new office, back to the hospital, and "home".  

For now, I'll conclude with a few photos from my arrival at the apartment, as I settle in.  Thanks for joining me again on this adventure!

It's not so foreign here after all.  And McDonald's is in the next building.

Felt a need to document the moment when all of my belongings were neatly contained.  Temporarily staying in a furnished apartment, a shipping container will deliver the rest of my possessions, including furniture and housewares.

Finally, for those of you wondering about living among the natural disasters in Chile.  The apartment prominently featured a laminated brochure entitled "Emergency Procedures".  On the back is a large spread about earthquakes.  As I unpack, I am in the process of transforming my hiking backpack into my "mochilla de emergencia" (emergency backpack) according to the brochure.  Included are a headlamp with batteries, copy of my passport and medical information, clothes, food for several days, and soon to add bottled water.  Rest easy, I am entirely prepared!  Why did I not do this last time I was here?  Older and wiser.