A California Girl's Guide to Surviving the Chilean Winter

Cold is relative. In San Diego, 55 degrees is freezing. We put on sweatshirts and pull up the hoods, shove our feet into socks and close-toed shoes, hunch up our shoulders, and walk quickly with our faces down to avoid any passing cool breeze.

Santiago winter is not the coldest weather I've survived in my life. The nearby mountains might be capped with snow, but that doesn't mean that we actually get snow in the city--as a matter of fact, Santiago hardly even sees rainfall during the winter. That doesn't mean it doesn't get cold: nights run between 2 and 4 degrees celsius (that's a high of 39 degrees, for our slow calculators), while daytime temperatures have been between 14 and 22 degrees celsius (between 57 and 72 degrees fahrenheit). Sometimes, daytime is actually quite pleasant; with long sleeves, a coat, an undershirt, and a scarf (and leggings under your pants just in case you should be out after dark), even California girls can find themselves comfortable--perhaps warm--during the day in the Santiaguino winter.

Nighttime, of course, is a different story. 2 degrees celsius is no laughing matter, especially in an apartment that is poorly insulated and does not have central heating. That is why I have compiled a list of things that should help other girls like me, California girls, survive the Chilean winter.

First, your bed must be appropriately equipped: You will need several wool blankets (2 shown), a comforter (1 shown), and sheets (1 set shown). You will also need a hot water bottle, called a "guatero" in Chile (this is exactly what it sounds like, girls: you fill a silicone bottle with almost boiling water, and cuddle it as though your life depended on it, because honestly, it's so cold that it just might.)



Next, you must have the proper heating equipment. There is generally not heating inside of Chilean homes; instead, Chileans use seemingly old fashioned gas-fueled space heaters, "estufas," to keep themselves warm. Don't worry, if you follow the instructions on the label and don't leave the estufa running while you sleep or in poorly ventilated areas, you won't suffocate.



Finally, of course, is your actual clothing. In San Diego, maybe you sleep top naked in the winter. Maybe you sleep all the way naked in the winter, if your blankets are heavy. Your nakedness in Californian winter is none of my business; however, your nakedness in the Santiago winter would be tantamount to wishing brutal death for yourself, which would, indeed, concern me.

Dress for bed can be simplified into several fundamental pieces of clothing: Booties (worn over socks, not over bare feet), long underwear (not pictured, worn beneath full pajamas), gloves (the thicker the better), a pañuelo (neckerchief, a scarf for bedtime), and a hat (preferably crocheted with thick wool.)



Follow these tips, California girls, and you just might survive the Chilean winter. Make sure you sleep with your nose under the covers so you don't breathe in the chill night air, and, if you can, try to get a pololo (Chilean boyfriend) as a bed partner--rumor has it they're warmer than any guatero.