Fotografo de Bodas, Santiago

November 11, 2008

We moved, literally, two blocks from where we used to live. I know a lot of people were a little surprised that we just packed up and left, especially after hearing me gush in this blog about how much I loved my home. I did and do love it still. There were just some extenuating circumstances that had to be dealt with.

For a while we had been passively looking for a new apartment because we (I) wanted more space. I thought a two bedroom would be nice so I could have an office spot to work in during the day.

Walking Papito, we would go ask buildings that looked like they would be nice places to live if they had any apartments for rent. We hoped that we would find something good and bigger but we weren’t desperate and thought that we would just renew our lease for another year if we didn’t stumble across something that we liked.

One day, both of us passed a big cement building and from the outside you could clearly tell the apartments were lofts. We passed maybe 3 or 4 times and never went in to ask if they had anything available for rent in the building because every time we passed there was a ridiculously nice, shiny black sports car out front, making us think that only rich people live here. Not true…anymore at least.

So anyways, going back in time from before the move, way back, something weird had been happening in the past months. Over the course of about a month and a half or two months, on about 4 different occasions someone knocked on my door in the middle of the day. Since I’m a paranoid freak and don’t open up for anybody unless I’m expecting someone I would never open my door, I’d just say, “Hi, who’s there.” And every time I would here footsteps running and the door to the stairwell slam shut. It happened twice and I didn’t really think anything of it. Then my friend Emily’s apartment was robbed during the middle of the day. A week after the breakin at her place, she and I were supposed to go out and it happened again. Someone knocked on my door and then ran away when I asked who it was. I was freaked out and still on edge after what had happened to Emily so we ended up staying in that night. Then the last time this happened was about three or four weeks ago.

The next piece of the puzzle to fall was a memo from our old building’s administration. If I hadn’t been slightly worried for my safety and security I would have thought it was the funniest thing I had ever read. First of all, the head concierge was caught embezzling money, we’re talking like hundreds of thousands of dollars and supposedly they’re now going to sue him. Secondly, he was also co-conspiring with people to help them rent out their apartments as “Apart Hotels,” meaning temp. apartments that people can rent out for one night if they want. So people in the building were renting out to anybody and everyone for short term use and in a few of those, thieves rented, had access to the entire building and robbed a couple apartments blind. The memo said this happened three times, but I talked to other people in the building who said there were something like 8 break-ins unaccounted for.

The BEST part of the memo, and of any memo I have ever read, gave yet another reason for the firing of the head concierge: “He was found in a compromising and inappropriate position with one of the cleaning ladies.”

At moments like these, I sometimes wonder if my entire life isn’t actually a TV show, like that Jim Carrey movie. Audiences everywhere laugh hysterically as they see the bewilderment on my face when I read the piece of paper slipped under my door and wonder, “What the hell??? Why would they include that information in a memo?!? What am I supposed to do with this juicy tidbit?!?”

Blog about it, I guess…

Needless to say, he and the entire cleaning staff were let go. However, S. and I thought it best to move on, and the memo inspired us to ask the loft building if they were renting. They were. We did. End of story.

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11 Comments

So NOW YOU LIVE IN A LOFT????!!!!!!??????

That is so utterly COOL!!!!

Fned.

P.S. I guess the knocking on the door and running off was to verify if there wasn’t anyone home and if not to be able to break in. That is so fucking scary!

Comment by Fned — November 11, 2008 @ 2:53 am

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logic (and the safe side) probably points to the tricky tactic Fned pointed out…but the child in me wonders how ironic it would be if some Chilean kid scared the bejeezes out of you playing good old Ding Dong Ditch.

Comment by lydia — November 11, 2008 @ 3:18 am

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We’re pretty sure people had come by our place a few days before the break-in because we were told our dog was barking, which she never does unless there’s noise right outside our apartment. It’s an easy tactic for lazy thieves who (luckily) don’t feel like having to attack you as well as rob you – good thing you work at home Can’t wait to see the new place!

Comment by Emily — November 11, 2008 @ 6:27 am

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WOW. The full-story is super crazy. Especially since I know those people! It makes me sad because that head concierge was really great to us, but I’m glad we didn’t rent our apartment to anyone that he found who was interested in renting. That could have been potential robbers!

Oscar hopes that now the situation will get better, but I’m so glad I don’t live there anymore (right now).

My friend told me, though, they they were having a similar problem with a concierge at a place down by los dominicos, so I bet it’s not a uncommon problem in Santiago!

Comment by Amanda — November 11, 2008 @ 6:48 am

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Igual lata lo del departamento y tener que cambiarnos. Como que ya le habia tomado cariÃ±o al depa y me costo dejarlo, (supongo que no me gustan los cambios).

Ahora estoy en un proceso de encantrme con el depto nuevo, algo similar a lo que tuve que hacer con papito antes de enamorarme de ella…

xaxaxa

Comment by S — November 11, 2008 @ 7:28 am

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Do you have pics of the new place? Did you get a two bedroom? Love your blog!

Comment by Samantha Cardwell-Ward, Editor — November 11, 2008 @ 9:03 am

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Lydia, I would think that, but there was only one child who lived in our old building, he’s two and he lived next door to us and was with his nana all day long every day. The one he rang my doorbell (like sixteen times over the course of five minutes) his nana was outside to apologize. I think Fned is right on this. I had a creepy feeling about it, and you know what they say, always trust your instincts.

Amanda, well they have an all new administration and new concierges so hopefully things will get better, but that’s not the sort of thing you want to take a chance with. And this thing of renting apartments as apart hotels and then using them to get in and rob people in buildings is VERY common. It sucks!

Mi amor, si se, pero no te preocupes, igual te vas a acostumbrar al nuevo depa y enamorarte de vivir aqui.

Samantha, pics will be coming soon as soon as we are all settled in and organized!

Comment by Mamacita Chilena — November 11, 2008 @ 10:30 am

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Wow, crazy (and scary) story. Glad you’ve moved on to someplace you like that is hopefully safer.

I’m like you. I never answer the door. We have a peep hole and if I don’t know them the door does not open.

Makes me wonder if I should ask around to see if apartment break ins are common in our type of building. We always feel so safe with our doorman, but you never know.

Comment by Lori - Blondie in Brazil — November 11, 2008 @ 11:38 am

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Wow, good thing you work at home! Glad you are in a better place now.

Comment by PastaQueen — November 11, 2008 @ 3:10 pm

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Ummm scary! Yeah good thing you work at home. I guess thats something them lazy thieves do b/c that happened to me last month. Someone rang my door bell at 2 am and I freaked and didn’t answer. The next week I went to bed, shut the front door (not locked b/c my sister comes home late) and then about an hour later my dog went crazy mad and then I saw the door wide open. Dog scared him away. Good thing the dog wasn’t in my room that night!

But congrats on the new place. Sounds fun.

Comment by Christy — November 11, 2008 @ 6:10 pm

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what a wacky story. good luck in your new place!

Comment by cavils in chile — November 14, 2008 @ 1:14 pm

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