Why Chile?
OK, so the first question on everyone’s mind is “Why Chile?” Well, if you’re willing to read a bit, here’s my answer.
Todd is a software developer by trade, but not necessarily by desire. He’s good at it, but often feels that the projects aren’t making a positive contribution to the world. Back in early 2017 when we were living in Portland, Oregon, Todd applied for a developer position with AURA (the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA). The plan was to work remotely for the Gemini South Observatory near La Serena, Chile, while living in Portland.
Todd was pretty excited about this position because it offered a chance to really use his chosen programming language (SCALA) as well as a chance to be involved in something interesting and worthwhile (research). AURA would have preferred for him to live in La Serena, but they were willing to consider a remote position because another AURA employee already lived nearby in Portland.
But why not just move to Chile? Because his wife (i.e. me!) had absolutely no interest in moving to Chile at that time. I didn’t know any Spanish, had never been south of Texas, and had recently switched careers into veterinary medicine (which I wouldn’t be able to use if we moved to Chile). As an exchange student in the 80’s, I chose to go to England primarily so I wouldn’t have to learn another language. What a wimp!
Things were going pretty well with the interview process until AURA decided to do a complete hiring freeze. AURA is heavily funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). We think they were unsure of the future of their funding given the political climate in the USA at that time.
Needless to say, Todd was very disappointed.
But, life went on. I went south of Texas twice – once to Ecuador, as part of a spay & neuter program with World Vets, and once to Costa Rica, for a yoga retreat with Todd. I absolutely loved both trips. After that second trip, both Todd and I decided we needed to learn Spanish so that we could have an easier time traveling around Central and South America. We moved to Bellingham, Washington, where we swore we were going to stay and retire. Todd took a remote position using SCALA with a company in Seattle. I took a veterinary technician position near Bellingham and was hired by World Vets to teach shelter medicine to veterinary students in Peru for one week in July 2020 (which didn’t happen). We also started planning for retirement and looking for a house.
Then one day, Todd just happened to mention that the position at AURA had been reopened for an on-site person in La Serena. My, how times change… this time, I jumped at the opportunity! Here was a chance to truly experience completely different customs and traditions, become fluent in a different language, and not be a member of the dominant culture!
One catch to the whole thing, though… COVID19. With the borders closed, we couldn’t go to Chile for the interview process or to check out the area. We also couldn’t move until the pandemic lifted enough for Chile to allow foreigners back in. So, Todd got the job and started working remotely for AURA in August 2020. But we kept the moving-Chile-idea quiet for another year while we waited for things to change. Then, in January 2022, 18 months later, we finally made the move!
