This is Not Safe, Santiago

When I first arrived to Santiago, it was kind of chilly.  It was like a fall day in Iowa- I had on jeans and a hoodie, and I was doing fine.  The interwebs said that it was going to be in the mid-60's when I arrived, so we will just say that is what the temperature was.  I got to the apartment I am staying at, and by the time the sun went down, I was sooooo cold.  The apartment is old, and that means something completely different here (I will talk more about it at a later time).  There is always a draft, and it is almost always chilly inside.  For example, the other day I had on a long sleeved shirt and pants, and I was cold inside.  I thought that meant I should wear my jacket to go outside, but when I got out there, it was so beautiful, and I was hot in my long sleeves.  So, clearly, there is a significant draft.  Anyway, back to the day I got here.  My roommate said that she could call the gas company for me to get the gas for the heater.  I thought, "What is she talking about?"  Then she showed me the heater- it is a metal box that you hook up a propane tank to.  Then, you turn the gas on, push a button, hold a match up to it, and hope your arm doesn't blow off.  It is terrifying.  Look:

This is the back where you hook up the propane tank.  To switch it on, flip the black nobby thing at the top.

This is the front after it has been lit.  You can see the blue flame that lights the square part.  The heat comes out there and at the top in the front.

 This thing is just sitting in my room, hanging out.  I paid about $15 USD or so for the tank of propane.  At first I thought I would be fine without it, but after getting out of the shower the first night and thinking I was going to die of pneumonia, I thought it would be a good investment. 

There no central heating system.  This is all there is.  It isn't that bad.  Except that my room smells like propane when I use it.  And it isn't very safe.  And it makes me want marshmallows.  And I am always afraid I am going to light something on fire.  And it doesn't really heat the room very well.

Most of the buildings don't actually have central heating systems with thermostats to control the heat.  Even the place I work doesn't have a thermostat.  There is a heater in the room (not like this one- they have one that is heat/air conditioning hooked to the wall like what you usually see at a hotel), and then you have to turn it on and off when you want to use it.

It is very different than in the States.  You turn the heat on to warm up, but as soon as you turn the heat off, you are cold again because of the draft.  It makes me realize how privliged I am to live in such an amazing country.  These are completely normal things for them to be dealing with, but for me it gets annoying sometimes.  I realize how that sounds, but I think it points to the fact that we live in a place where we really do have everything.  We don't have to deal with these inconveniences.  I also don't want people to think that I am annoyed with this all the time.  It has only be a couple of times when I got out of a cold shower (I will explain that in a later entry- there are more pictures!) and I just wanted to go into a warm room to put on my pajamas and go to bed.  Instead, I went into a semi-warm room that reeked of propane.  It really makes me realize how much I have, and I hope that some of these stories I tell make you take a step back and realize everything you really have.  I don't mean that in a preachy way, I just think that sometimes we forget to reflect.

Peace and love from Santiago.