La Casa Mostaza: where I live now

Alicia named it The Mustard House

The house is located in a residential neighborhood, on a dead-end street with a mirador overlooking the bay. Our neighbors include La Iglesia Capuchinos (sweet name, yeah?), and a a take-out sushi place. (I only found an English menu, which said I was getting something with salmon and cream cheese. I don't know what it was, but I do know what it wasn't: cream cheese. Also, wasabi might be the spiciest condiment I have found so far in Chile). There are several fruterias, carnecerias, panaderias and botillerias within blocks (these are the only businesses that seem to siesta) and it is just shy of a two mile walk to work (which can be shortened by taking the metro). Like most buildings in this area, the house is a little over 100 years old. (The city was essential rebuilt after a devastating terremoto in 1906), and it is quite possible that the dust in the baseboards is 100 years old, too. (My first purchase after moving in was for different kinds of air fresheners. The second was for some wood soap and cleaning rags). 

Gatita Leona

We are subletting from Fresia (an 80-something woman with a lot of character and time to chat with us) and her son Pablo. Pablo's daughter and her boyfriend live in the house, along with three other subletters. And then there is little Gatita Leona, the mischievous-yet-adorable kitten. The other day she snuck into my room, took a pair of socks, and paraded them around the house. Sound like familiar behavior, cat people? She would definitely make a great mouser.

The windows on the right look into my room!

"I need a shower caddy and a white board"
 It's a large house in that it has 10 bedrooms (one of which is outdoors), two and a half bathrooms, a living room, and a kitchen, but small cozy in terms of actual living space for the 9 people who live in the house. I am guesstimating about 1400 to 1500 square feet, all on one floor. The room I took is small (approximately 70x130 inches, using my height as a measuring stick) with the window looking into the living room.

Small, but adequate for my needs

We take turns using the communal spaces -- available counter space and cooking dishes in the kitchen means that one meal can be prepared at a time, and the four clotheslines mean that two (maybe three) people can hang clothes to dry at a time -- but there is always room around the dining room table for everyone.

The pipes had to be replaced this weekend.
At least the bathroom is functional again!
Just mind the hole in the ground...

It's basically like living in an old dorm, but with wine. And a palm tree.

View of the back of the house

The back yard

Fruta breva. Delicious.

The backyard is pretty big, with a few fruit trees and nut trees, and no grass. (There are quite a few yards with grass, but quite a few without too). There are various areas throughout the yard that turned into a grave site for broken things (a bike, a motorbike, a wheelbarrow, a mattress, some furniture) that remind me of the rusted kitchenette I discovered in the woods beyond our house as a child.

Garbage is collected twice a week, but they may or may not do large-item pick ups. Either that, or my housemates or the proprietor is like me and use the yard the way I use my front porch and the way several Americans use their basements. "I don't want this anymore...I'll take care of it eventually..."