sarah friedlander

Imperfect perfectionist living life to its fullest.

  1. Why I Love the Santiago Metro

  2. Being Thankful: Expat Style

    While life as an expat is normally seen as glorious there are some days that hit you harder than others. To the rest of Chile, today is Thursday, not Thanksgiving. The work week continues, stores are open and most grocers would scratch their heads if you asked for cranberry gel or a full turkey. I’m thankful that there are a few restaurants that put on a spectacular Thanksgiving dinner and I will get my fair share of turkey and other delicacies tonight but that’s not what this post is about.

    Every year we are supposed to give thanks – and while I am extremely grateful for my friends, family, fantastic job, my boyfriend, dog, health, etc… I thought about mixing it up a little bit and sharing some of the things that make being an expat about 5000% easier and couldn’t imagine my life without.

    ~*~

    Skype Landline Phone

    For expats Skype is one of those services that you really can’t imagine living without.  Before I moved to Chile I took it a step further and bought a phone that connects to Skype.  The phone plugs into an ethernet line and can also be used as a dual phone – for a landline + Skype.  It’s made my life so much easier because I can make and receive calls without having to remember to connect to Skype via my iPhone or a computer.  I also love the ease of being able to pick up the phone and dial numbers like a US local.  The version I have is an older model but you can buy the RTX Dualphone 3088 via Skype’s website.
     

    Virtual Post Mail

    Virtual Post Mail is probably my favorite expat service.  It’s an online postal mailbox with a sexy Apple-like user interface.  You get a real US address that you can use to receive postal mail and packages.  They also provide a ton of other awesome services like cashing checks.  I love their service because I am able to maintain my identity even though I don’t live in the US.  Did I mention that their customer service team absolutely rocks?  More importantly I’m able to quickly read or discard mail, and continue to support Amazon.com and have things quickly shipped down to Chile.  I know most people would say they don’t need this kind of service because their parents can open their mail but I wouldn’t have it any other way.  I’m a grown woman and I would rather pay a fantastic service to manage my mail, packages, etc.. than rely on family/friends.  Plans are cheap and start as low as $5.  For more info visit virtualpostmail.com

     

    Golden Frog VyprVPN

    There are many services offered in the US that aren’t available internationally including Pandora, Google Voice, ABC Player, Hulu, etc…  Yet I’ve never had a problem with this because of VyprVPN.  The service works on my iPhone, iPad or various computers and I’m able to still enjoy the same services I had in the US.  They offer a ton of different locations to connect to (US, UK, France, Asia) and are constantly expanding.  There are definitely cheaper VPN services out there but Golden Frog is the best and I’ve been happy with their service for a few years. Plans start at $14.99/month.  For more info visit goldenfrog.com/vyprvpn

     

    Google Voice

    Over the last few years my parents have become huge text messaging fans.  This still makes me scratch my head but they seem to enjoy the ability to quickly write a text as opposed to picking up the phone.  Google Voice has been my savior for this one – you can get a US number and text messages are free.  I have the Google Voice application installed on my iPhone so I’m able to very quickly write back and forth.  The best part is that my parents don’t even need to know how its setup – I can just give anyone my Google Voice # and they can text me from any cell phone – whether its a smart phone or not.  More info on Google Voice at google.com/voice.  Please note that in order to sign up with Google Voice you will need to first login to your Gmail account to activate the service from a computer in the US.  If you do it from an international location it will say that the service is not yet available.  

    ~*~

    So this year I’d like to give thanks for some technology that has made my expat life easier.  I hope this helps a few people that are either expats already or are looking at living abroad.  I’m always looking for new services so if there is something that you use that makes expat life a lot easier please let me know.  And of course, Happy Thanksgiving!

  3. GAP in Chile

    Look what my awesome boyfriend picked up for me today!  These bags were only reserved for the first 100 purchases at the store today.  I feel very lucky to have one and also amazed that my boyfriend knew that I’d want it!

  4. Spring in Santiago

  5. Clases de español a Mujer de Marketing / Spanish Classes to Marketing Gal

    I’ve been meaning to do this for a long time, but I have barely spent any time on my blog talking about my job in Chile, or rather what keeps me occupied for way too many hours each week.  When I first came to Chile I spent the first two months enrolled in Spanish classes.  Although I know I needed to beef up my Spanish classes, I also felt like the classes helped give me some structure during my day:  I had to be up and showered in the morning and then after class I had the afternoons free to discover the city (or in my case, shop).
    He querido hacer esto desde hace mucho tiempo, pero han pasado varios meses desde que hablé en mi blog de mi pega en Chile, o más bien de lo que me mantiene ocupada durante muchas horas cada semana. Cuando llegué a Chile pasé los dos primeros meses en clases de español. Aunque sabía que eran necesario as para reforzar mi conocimiento de este idioma, también  sentí que las clases me ayudaron a darme un poco de estructura en mi día, que era darme una ducha en la mañana y luego después de la clase, tenía las tardes libres para descubrir la ciudad (o en mi caso, las tiendas).

    Sadly it feels like those few months of class went by way too quickly.  I spent a lot of time obsessing about decorating my apartment, indulged in way too many afternoon naps, bought and ate lots of fruit on the streets of Providencia and generally did a lot of nothing (besides the Spanish classes).  It always feels like it is so much easier to be productive with less time than the other way around.
    Lamentablemente se sintió cómo esos pocos meses de la clase pasaron muy rápido. Tuve mucho tiempo obsesionada con la decoración de mi departamento, tomé demasiadas siestas, compré y comí mucha fruta en las calles de Providencia y en general hice un montaña de nada (aparte de las clases de español). Siempre me siento como que es mucho más fácil ser productiva con menos tiempo que a la inversa.

    Before coming to Santiago I was fortunate enough to be well networked which led me to a few job interviews at potential companies.  One company was a big well-known brand in the United States and the other less known.  I went on a few interviews (which compared to the interview process in the United States seemed to move much more quickly).   In the end I chose the “less-known” brand because of a few reasons:
    Antes de llegar a Santiago tuve la suerte de estar bien conectada, lo que me llevó a una entrevista de trabajo en algunas empresas. Una de las empresas era una conocida marca en los Estados Unidos y los otras eran menos conocidas. Fui a un par de entrevistas (que en comparación con el proceso de las entrevistas en los Estados Unidos parecía moverse mucho más rápido). Al final he elegido la “menos conocida,” debido a varias razones:

    1. The job role was quite varied and would push me to become a better marketer.  I knew I wouldn’t be pigeonholed into doing the same thing everyday.  
      El puesto de la pega era bastante variado y me empujaba para convertirme en una vendedora mejor. Yo sabía que no sería encasillada en hacer lo mismo todos los días.
    2. I really enjoyed my interviews at the company.  Everyone I talked to before I accepted the job was passionate and didn’t feel like they were half falling asleep in the interview.  They actually wanted to talk to me and were interested in my responses.
      Realmente disfruté de mi entrevista en la empresa. Todas las personas me hablaron antes de aceptar la pega que tienen pasión y no estaban medio dormidos durante la entrevista.. Que en realidad querían hablar conmigo y estaban interesados ​​en mis respuestas.
    3. Job flexibility and overall approach.  I always had jobs in the past that expected me to act like an adult, keep my own hours and not expect my boss to babysit me.  It was also important to me to have a boss that understood that I may need to work remotely from the US at times and just because I am not sitting in the office does not mean I am not working hard!
      La flexibilidad laboral y el enfoque general. Siempre he tenido puestos de pega en el pasado que en los que esperan que actúe como un adulto, tener mi propio horario y no esperar que mi jefe que me cuide. También era importante para mí tener un jefe que entendiera que podría tener que trabajar de forma remota desde los EE.UU. a veces, y sólo porque no estoy sentada en la oficina no significa que no esté trabajando duro!

    I accepted my job at the end of December and started work in early January.  What a whirlwind it has been.  Before I know it I’ll be a year in to being a good little marketing gringa in Chile!
    Acepté mi pega al final de diciembre y comencé a trabajar a principios de enero. Lo que ha sido un torbellino. Antes que me dé cuenta voy a cumplir un año como una “buena chica de marketing”  algo gringa en Chile!

    Anyways, I feel now that you know a good history of my job process, but nothing about my job!  Or should I say jobs! Because at times I feel like I have almost 3 roles!
     De todas formas,  siento ahora que tú sabes de una buena historia de mi proceso de pega, pero nada acerca de mi pega! ¿O debería decir puestos de pega! Porque a veces me siento como si tuviera casi tres cargos!

    While in each role I work as a Marketing Manager, each company has a different business model.  They are (and the names):
    Mientras que en cada papel de Gerente de Marketing, cada empresa tiene un modelo de negocio diferente. Estos son (y los nombres):

    • First Tuesday is a nonprofit initiative driven by Endeavor Chile. First Tuesday is has been present in Chile since 1998 and operates under a license granted by First Tuesday London to different countries in Latin America. Between 2008-2010 there have been more than 35 events in different formats for the activation and development of entrepreneurship in the country. First Tuesday Santiago is a non-profit project designed to strengthen the environment for entrepreneurship in Chile. First Tuesday organized meetings meetings, seminars and activities to promote entrepreneurial culture around entrepreneurship.
      First Tuesday es una iniciativa sin fines de lucro impulsada por Endeavor Chile. First Tuesday está presente en Chile desde 1998 y opera bajo una licencia otorgada por Londres a First Tuesday Américas para múltiples países en América Latina. Entre 2008-2010 se han realizado más de 35 eventos en diferentes formatos destinados a la activación y desarrollo del emprendimiento en el país.  También, First Tuesday Santiago es un proyecto, sin fines de lucro, destinado a fortalecer el entorno de emprendimiento en Chile. Organizamos y convocamos reuniones, seminarios y actividades para emprendedores y promovemos cultura emprendiemiento.
    • The Founder Institute is a technological hotbed currently preparing to launch over 600 companies per year in 17 cities around the world. The program identifies high-potential entrepreneurs using predicative social science evidence, and then guides them through weekly sessions on how to start a business together with 400 CEO mentors. Everyone involved in the program, including founding CEO participants and mentors share the wealth generated by companies formed by the program. Participants also have access to a wealth of free and discounted services and do not have to leave their current day job.
      El Founder Institute es un semillero tecnológico actualmente preparándose para lanzar más de 600 empresas por año en 17 ciudades alrededor del mundo. El programa identifica empresarios de gran potencial usando pruebas predicativos de ciencias sociales, y luego los guía por sesiones semanales de cómo iniciar una empresa en conjunto con más de 400 Mentores CEO. Todos los involucrados en el programa, incluyendo los fundadores participantes y mentores CEO, comparten del patrimonio generado por empresas formadas por el programa. Además, los participantes tienen acceso a servicios gratuitos y descontados y no tendrán que dejar sus pegas actuales.
    • Tigabytes is a company dedicated to software engineering, and developing systems for large web 2.0 companies. A year later, thanks to the vision of its partners, Tigabytes becomes Google’s first partner in Latin America. By 2008 Tigabytes partners decide to push the company to exclusively do marketing and sales of Google products. Currently, Tigabytes is a leader in the sales of Google solutions, both in Chile and throughout the region, in a position that they work hard to maintain.
      Tigabytes es una empresa dedicada a la ingeniería de software, desarrollando sistemas web 2.0 para grandes empresas. Un año más tarde,  gracias a la visión de sus socios, Tigabytes se convierte en el primer partner de Google en Latinoamérica. Ya para 2008 y teniendo certeza de la excelencia de las herramientas,  los socios de Tigabytes deciden empujar la empresa hacia la comercialización y venta exclusiva de productos Google. Actualmente, Tigabytes es líder en venta de soluciones Google, tanto en Chile como en toda la región, posición en la que trabaja diariamente por mantener.
    • Top Secret Start-up:  Coming soon!
      Puesta en marcha de Top Secret: ¡Pronto!

    And there’s my run down of the job scene in Chile.  I know that for many people it is incredibly difficult to find a job in Santiago and I was very lucky.  Chile seems to be a country of networking – you won’t get anything (or very much) just by filling out the standard application.  Everytime you are in a social setting, make sure to spend time networking and getting to know others – they could be your key to your next job!
    Y ahí está mi visión general sobre mi pega en Chile. Sé que para muchas personas es muy difícil encontrar un pega en Santiago y tuve mucha suerte. Chile parece ser un país de la red – no hacer nada (o mucho) con sólo llenar el formulario estándar. Cada vez que se encuentren en un entorno social, asegúrense de pasar el tiempo creando de redes y conocer a otras personas – que podrían ser la clave para su próxima pega!

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