There was a time in America when someone with a dream, ambition, and talent could make great things happen.  It was a time when the government was not involved in every aspect of their lives; a time when you could start a business with an idea and little or no money; a time in which family and friends held a premium on your time.  Those days are gone.  The days where the elderly were cared for by the younger generations is gone.  Dad coming home at the end of his work day to his wife and family for dinner are gone.  Mom having the option to stay at home with her children and take care of both are gone. The current United States is a country that is ruled by fear - and war-mongers.  It is a place where precious little happens that the government, in some shape or form, is not involved.  The government is in our business, schools, churches, and bedrooms.  If you receive too many packages in the mail - you go on a watch list.  If you receive a wire transfer in excess of $3000.00 - watch list.  Nearly everything you do has the potential to land you on a watch list of one sort or another.  You have no privacy. I used to call people who held these types of beliefs weirdoes,  nuts, paranoids, and all sorts of other things.  I now call them brethren.  I never paid attention to what was going on in our country.  I was too busy earning a big, fat paycheck to care.  As long as I was comfortable I turned a blind eye to the goings on of our government.  I voted regularly, paid my taxes, and just kept on truckin’.  Then September 11, 2001 happened and my whole life changed. The first thing I noticed was the increased racial profiling.  If you were of brown skin and looked “Arab” you could be singled out.  My coworkers said “That’s ok. If it keeps us safe, then it is a sacrifice worth making.” “If it keeps us safe” became the mantra of the country.  People were willing to give up any and all rights if it kept us safe, and our government exploited it to its utmost.  First the Patriot Act, then the Patriot Act II, and now Bush’s Buddy list.  None of the measures that are being taken are keeping us any safer than we were before.  Not.  One.  Bit.  We simply allowed the fear-mongers to exploit us and ram these new laws down our throats.  The other major problem in the US is the sad treatment of our pensioners.  These are people who worked hard all their lives, helped shape the country, bring it to prosperity, left it better than they found it, only to be left trying to figure out if they are going to get their prescription medications or eat each month.  It is appalling, the amount of money which they are given each month, and the US should be ashamed. That is why so many seniors have moved to other countries.  Their Social Security dollars go much further and they can live quite comfortably on it elsewhere.  Others, like myself, leave to other countries because we feel so strongly about the political situation in the States.

RESOURCE LINKS FOR CHILE About Moving to Chile Resources for Expatriates. Including Articles for Relocating to Chile. Articles on Living & Investing in Chile An Index of Articles On Living, Working, Investing,Traveling Overseas & Real Estate in Chile. Art & Culture In Chile Artes y Cultura de la Republica de Chile. Government & Country Information Government, Country, Weather and much more information about Chile Economy & Business Including financial and investment resources, stock exchanges & real estate in Chile. Education in Chile Education & Schools in the Republic of Chile - Educación e Investigación. Embassies & Consulates of Chile Our sister site with a complete list of embassies for Chile and the entire world. Bookmark this page before leaving. Maps of Chile A large number of differing Chile maps, including city maps. Media of Chile Resources available, magazines, newspapers, others. Real Estate Links In Chile Current real estate listings of Chilean properties with color photos updated daily Vacation Rentals In Chile Vacation Rentals worldwide - including Chile Vacation & Travel In Chile EscapeArtist Travel - Our new section providing unique travel to unique locations Links, Links & More Links Search Engines & Links for Chile. Hospitals in Chile A List of Hospitals in Chile in our Hospitals section. Banks in Chile See Chile banks in our Bank Section. The spiritual journey of a lifetime This first-hand guide includes information that is not covered in regular guidebooks

What did I mean by that last statement?  If you are (or were before you started to collect Social Security) a middle-class American, you do not want to go to an undeveloped or third world country.  Yes, I have read the articles saying how you can live like a king or queen on your social security in one of these little island countries.  There is a price to be paid for this, though.  The main price is substandard living conditions unless you have quite a lot saved that you can buy in a very exclusive area.  By American standards, most houses in the Caribbean and South America are inexpensive.  Just remember, inexpensive is relative.

I will tell you how my husband and I decided on first, what type of country to go to and then finally, what the actual country would be.  I will try to be as specific as possible, covering some of our background, lifestyle, income, and ultimate goals.

My husband and I were living quite comfortably in Brooklyn NY.  I was working as a UNIX Systems Analyst for a major ratings firm and earning a very large salary.  My husband  is a personal fitness trainer and was also making very nice money.

Our first complaint was the amount of taxes we were paying.  Between Federal, State, and local, I was only receiving about 43% of my earnings. Now, this big, fat salary was reduced to an OK income.  It would not have been so bad except I saw my tax dollars being wasted in more ways than I could count.  I saw that there were people eating out of trashcans; that the working poor did not have healthcare.  Oh, what am I saying?! Millions of people did not have health care.  It seemed that only the very rich were prospering while the rest of us were in an ever steady state of declination.  How was this possible?

It was possible because we allowed it to happen.  Slowly, but surely, we cast our ballots for liars and cheats, more concerned with their personal proclivities than in their ability to manage a government office.  We allowed ourselves to vote based on, not who could do the job, but the lesser of two evils.  The lesser of two evils is still evil.  When we are more concerned with who someone sleeps with, rather than where they stand on what should be important: economy, healthcare, education, and infrastructure, we create the mess that America has become.  I was one of those.  I was wrong.

The events on September 11th opened more doors for the politicians to use to further invade our privacy and strip us of more and more of our rights.  If the government wanted to enact a law that would further hinder our personal freedoms, they would use fear and “the interests of national security” as the means to accomplish their goals.  This was not the America of our parents and grandparents.  It is not America at all.

Americans are also so stressed that they are taking pills for everything.  I know.  I had to take sleeping pills at night just to shut my brain down enough that I could get a few hours sleep.  My job had me jumping at all hours and I had little or no time to unwind and relax.  No time for exercise.  No time to prepare a fresh, healthy meal.  If it wasn’t frozen or take-out, it was not consumed.  I was becoming fatter by the second. This resulted in minor health problems that could have become major health problems had I not done something about it.

Two years ago, my husband and I went to Hawaii for our very first vacation in years and got married.  The first thing we noticed was how peaceful everyone was.  The environment lent itself to tranquility.  It was warm, sunny, and everyone was relaxed-looking and smiling.  I was able to shed the skin of stress for the first time in a very long time.  It was here that we decided we needed to make a major change of life.

Returning from Hawaii, we began to dream of something different.  We knew that living in Hawaii would be just as expensive as living in New York, and the end result would be that we would still be chasing the dime.  That is not what we wanted

We began discussing the possibility of living in another country.  Why not?  Millions of people each year move to foreign countries and seem to manage just fine.  The big question was: What country?  Other questions were: What would be our source of income?  What sacrifices were we willing to make?  What climate?  On and on with the questions.

Then, we created a list.  Income being first.  The only 100% guaranteed income we had was a very small Veteran’s pension that went largely ignored in the States, but was worth considering for this move.  Small in the States can be middle class somewhere else.

The list began to grow and evolve over a few months time.  We wanted to live in a developed nation.  That narrowed down our choices to 29 countries.  We immediately ruled out European nations as they were too much like the States for our liking.  We wanted a year-round warm climate, preferably with the ocean nearby.  We did not want to have to worry about poisonous and other dangerous creatures, so that eliminated Australia and New Zealand.  Another thing we considered was the educational system of the country and the disparity between the wealthy and the poor.  In other words, we were looking for a country where there is a majority middle class.  That really narrowed down the choices.  Chile was at the top of the list.

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Once we decided that Chile was probably the place we would choose for our new home, we began to look at different cities for climate and cost of living. 

As far as climate was concerned, we wanted year-round warmth with little variation in the temperature from season-to-season and little rain.  Let me tell you - that really narrowed down the choices!  Arica was the only place that fit the entire bill.  The daytime temperatures, year-round, are mid 70’s to 80’s Fahrenheit, and night time lows from mid-60’s to low 70’s Fahrenheit.  No heaters and no air conditioners required.  Also, there has been no recorded rain in Arica.  Ever.  It is, after all, simply an oasis in the Atacama Desert. 

The climate seemed perfect, especially given that both of us have a bit of arthritis that seemed to be getting worse with each passing year.  Now, to cost of living.  The first thing you should know is that the bulk of your living expense will be housing.  If you want to live in a home that resembles American standard, you can expect to pay between $100 to $700, depending on neighborhood and amenities.  We have found a house with 4 bedrooms, 2 full baths, huge living and dining rooms, and a reasonably sized kitchen, front and rear patios, and within short walking distance (5 minute casual stroll) to the beach for about $200.00 per month.  Our immediate neighbors are a doctor, a lawyer, a policeman, and store owner. It is not a luxurious neighborhood, but it is very quiet, safe, and convenient.

If you want to live in a really snazzy neighborhood with ocean front housing, come in March or April, where the luxury homes are emptying out due to the end of tourist season, and you can rent for about the same amount as what we are paying in our little neighborhood.  During the season, October to February, the prices will be about $1600.00 per month for the same places.

If you love fresh fruits, vegetables, seafood, and chicken then you will be in heaven here.  We have estimated our food bill to be about $1.50 per day - no, that was not a typo - one dollar and fifty cents each day for very good meals.  Breakfast consists of coffee or tea, bread (I make this myself because I am not crazy about the bread offerings locally), cheese, such as gouda, fontanel, or gruyere, and fresh fruit.  Lunch, the biggest meal of the day here, is usually some sort of fish or seafood, large salad, rice or pasta dish, cooked vegetables, and fruit.  Then, there is onces (pronounced ownsays) which takes place around 6 or 7 in the evening and consists of coffee or tea with small sandwiches or cake.  Finally, there is dinner, which happens around 9 or 10 in the evening and is usually very light, such as soup, salad, sandwiches, or bread and cheese.

So, as you can see, you can have very nice meals for very little money.  Here is a sample of my very first shopping trip and what I paid: 1 kilo (2.2 pounds) corn on the cob, 2 kilos of tomatoes, 2 kilos of Italian squash, 6 large sweet potatoes, 8 large, seedless oranges, 8 large bananas, 3 large pineapples, 1 kilo of multi (whole multi-grains that are cooked like rice), 2 kilos of butter, 1 liter of olive oil,  huge bunches of cilantro, spearmint, and peppermint, 1 kilo of fava beans, 1 kilo of green beans, 1 kilo of pinto beans, 2 kilos of flour, 1 kilo of gouda cheese, 30 fresh mussels, 8 large fish (cleaned and filleted), one flounder (cleaned and filleted), 12 large pork chops, 3 whole chicken breasts, 1 whole chicken. Total price: $21.50, give or take a few cents.

The meat, fish, seafood, and produce is of excellent quality and superior in many ways to what we get in the States because nothing is fooled around with.  It is all organic, nothing is genetically modified, or injected with hormones or antibiotics.  Of course, you can still get your favorite junk food.  Just be prepared to pay more for it than you will for fresh.

Costs of items are determined by two categories: Necessities and luxuries. Things that are necessities are inexpensive and things that are luxuries are expensive.  That said, you should buy the best laptop, notebook, or personal computer that you can afford before you come.  If you require a printer, get that and plenty of ink refills as well.  DVD players and VCR players are also on the expensive side here.  If you buy them to bring along, make sure they are able to handle all formats unless you plan on only having your movies purchased in the States.  Also, if you really have to have a television, your current TV may not be compatible.  You should buy one that is good internationally before coming and have it shipped with your household goods.  Televisions are very expensive here.

Conversely, items such as refrigerators, stoves, washing machines (not clothes dryers, though), and various other kitchen appliances are very inexpensive.  Be forewarned, though, they are smaller than those you find in the States because most of the kitchens are smaller.  Of course, if you are buying fresh, you don’t really need a large refrigerator as you will be buying every few days and consuming things more quickly than you would canned and other processed foods. 

Internet access is widely available and most of it is broadband.  I have yet to encounter any dial up service.  The price of this ranges anywhere from $15.00 per month to $40.00 per month, depending on whether you are using DSL, cable, or have a combination telephone service/DSL. Electricity, water, and gas will also be your responsibility. hese are rarely included in the rents, and the cost is about $80.00 monthly, depending on how wasteful or conservative you are. 

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Ahhh… pets.  We brought our Siamese cat with us.  Please, do not make the same mistakes we made.  I will tell you what we did, and then I will tell you what we should have done.

We researched and spoke to others who have brought animals into Chile and received conflicting information.  The Chilean embassy’s web site stated that a health certificate from the veterinarian, no older than 15 days, certifying the animal to have rabies vaccinations no older than 6 months and no newer than 30 days as well as being free from parasites, both internal and external was sufficient.  It clearly stated that “no other government certifications was necessary.”  A friend, who brought her dog here told me that she required a certificate from a USDA veterinarian. When I contacted the USDA veterinarian in our area, he told me he could not issue one for Chile because it was not required.

This certification is required.  Please, be very insistent and get one.  I almost had my cat deported because of it.  It is not optional.  You may not be as lucky as I was.

The other thing we did was make sure our cat had in-cabin privileges.  This is not an easy thing to arrange, because most airlines in the US only allow one animal of any type in the cabin on each flight.  If you have connecting flights either in the States or elsewhere, the originating carrier has no authority.  What this means is: If you start out on Continental and transfer to Delta or some other airlines, you must book the animal with each airlines individually.  In Chile, if you come to Arica, you must fly LAN Chile.  On this airlines, they allow more than one animal in the cabin - but they cannot be of the same type.  I also found that just because they “confirm” your pet, you won’t necessarily be able to take it on board. Our cat was confirmed, but a puppy was confirmed first, so the puppy got to go.  I had to wait for another flight. 

You will never meet people who are more warm, friendly, and genuinely caring than you will here in Chile.  We were here less than a week and had made enough friends to have a small dinner party.  What a great time we had, too!  Good food, good wine, and great story-telling, all lent to one of the most pleasant evenings passed in a very long time.  It was nice to do this, as we really had no friends in New York.  We had no time to nurture friendships as we were so busy working.  Here, we can live more leisurely, meet people, socialize and finally enjoy life’s true meaning.

Arica is not for everyone.  It is the desert, after all.  t is the perfect place for me and my husband and it may be perfect for you.  If you prefer city life, then perhaps Santiago would be to your liking.  If you want four seasons, then try the central lakes region, which is absolutely breathtaking. The choices are as vast and varied as this country is so, make your lists of priorities and do some research.  Web sites such as www.escapeartist.com have so many articles and ebooks covering this and so many other countries, that you will have little trouble finding information on just about any country in the world.  Just remember to read all that is offered, as more than one perspective is a must.  What is one man’s heaven may be another man’s hell.

I will be writing future articles, initially on the Atacama region of Chile, and then about points south, that will be more topic specific, such as immigration issues, working, purchasing property, culture, customs and cuisine so as to provide you with a more rounded, detailed picture.