Indeed, I am and Santiago is amazing. I am at the end of my five days in Santiago and cannot believe how time has flown! My story thus far from the beginning:
7/14 – My day of departure.
Wake up and finish packing – great. Around 2pm when Karlie was over saying goodbye I proceeded to mash my big toe underneath one of our dining room chairs (I have never lost a toenail before but I fear I might lose this one! Lol!). Then I proceed to spill two things…bad things come in 3’s right?? Yes because nothing else went wrong that day (except my throbbing toe).
Got to the Airport at 8pm – my bags weighed in at 49 and 50 lbs ….bahaha! I could not have packed any more in those bags! I hung out with my family until 9:15pm and then Dad was able to walk back the gate with me (great! But weird since security is so tight….or maybe it isn’t because they didn’t question my liquids at all. Dad and I think it is a big joke and an invasion of privacy.) Anyways, the exciting part – Jeffrey had a connecting flight in Atlanta from Austin to Charlotte during the same time that I was waiting for my flight so we got to visit for 45 minutes or so. God is good! I got to see all my family the day that I left.
The Flight = Miserable. 9.5 hours long and about 3 hours of sleeping on and off. I could not get comfortable!!! Fortunately the man sitting next to me was very nice and on his way to Argentina to go dove hunting. The view of the Andes from the plane was spectacular especially when the sun was rising – black outline of the mountains then orange, yellow, green, and blue.
7/15 – Arrival. Very easy to get through immigration and customs. When I picked up my luggage there were those rolling carts available for free – great for my 100lbs of luggage and backpack and purse! I was gracious met outside of customs by Mrs. Rachel Wilkins (the mother of my Vanderbilt friend, Chrystel, who I am staying with here in Santiago) and she spoke English! ¡Qué bueno! When I got home, we had breakfast (bread, butter, and turkey) and instant coffee. It was very good (the food); the coffee I m not sure about yet (my expectations were a little higher I think), but it is still good. The bread here is so good and fresh! Tanja, 16 year old daughter of Rachel, showed me around Los Dominicos – it was like an outside market type thing with lots of different artisans selling their trinkets. Later that night we went and saw Harry Potter…it was in English with Spanish subtitles. I learned that rico means good not rich lol! We ate dinner when we got home at 10:30pm (different than my predictable 6:30 dinners at home!). I went to the movie with Articelli (Chrystel’s best friend), her boyfriend Ignacio, and Tanja.
Fun Facts:
· Yes, the water does flush in the opposite direction!
· Bacán = awesome in Chilean slang.
· There is No variation in hair color – only black or brown.
7/16 – Articelli and Ignacion (Ara and Nacho) showed me around Santiago all day! It was so nice of them! First, we took the subway (first time I had ever been on any subway) to El Museo deBellas Artes and then to El Museo de la Gente, Flujo. Oh yeah, in the subway there is a Dunkin’ Donuts! Also, we went to the market right outside the subway were I met a Cuban from Miami! Yeah los estadounidenses! And I bought a Pepino Dulce from him…it looks like a purple pear and it is so good and sweet! It is like a mix between a cantaloupe and papaya in texture and flavor. We then walked through a park in downtown and over the river Maipo to Bellavista where Nacho’s mom and her boyfriend picked us up and took us to lunch. I had grilled fish (reineta, a tipical Chilean fish) and a salad. We then visited a European neighborhood and then went to the “White House” of Chile – La Casa Moneda. We went to the museum underneath, El Museo de la moneda. Lastly, we walked to La Plaza de Armas and went into La Catedral de Santiago. There were soooo many people there because it was a national holiday for the Virgen de Carmen (??) so the church was full of people. We then returned to the subway and went to Ara’s house. We visited with Ara’s parents and had tea at 8pm. Tea consists of tea/instant coffee, pan y palta (bread and mashed avocados). Ara’s mother is ill with pancreatic cancer, so keep her in your prayers. We then went out to get sushi (at 10:30 after playing video games…etc) with Ara, Nacho, and Ara’s brother Ignacio. After sushi we went to Ignacio’s house on the mountain where they had wine and I got to play with their Persian cat! She was gorgeous. Anyways, I got home at 1:30!
Las Palabras del Día:
· Luca = mil pesos
· La raja = butt crack/ excelente/ very tired ???
· Elijar = to choose (my pepino dulce)
· Chanchito = little pig, or anything you want to squeeze! (you can caringly refer to anything using this name. Ara even calls her boyfriend this.)
Fun Facts:
· Chile has a problem with stray animals. They are everywhere!
· The sense of time in Chile like does not exist. Everything happens later. Lunch at 2 and dinner at 10 after tea at 8!
7/17 – Ara and Nacho graciously took me around Santiago again! This time we went to one of the houses of Pablo Neruda – La Chascona – and had a tour. The house was intriguing. Low ceilings, bright colors, and many rooms had the feeling that you were on a boat (intentionally creeky floors and built on a slant). Neruda is one of the most famous Chilean poets and won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1971. We had coffee before the tour in Bellavista. After the tour we had lunch (at 2:30pm mind you!) and I had my first straight espresso! It was sooooo good (with a little sugar)! We then walked to the first Catedral in Chile and visited El Museo de San Fransico that was attached to the church. I was home by 6, but out again at 10:30 for poker night at Ara’s friend’s house. And we played with real money! I ended up ahead one luca. Let me tell you…it is so hard to understand 8 young people speaking Spanish so quickly! I failed miserable. It is still so hard! I didn’t get home until 2:30 at night ah!
7/18 – I went with Miss Rachel, Mirko (her husband), and Mirkito (her son) to Los Andes, north of Santiago, and toured a vineyard and the wine cellar. So cool! We then went to San Felipe and had lunch at Piedra de Molino – a traditional Chilean restaurant.
La Comida Tradicional:
· Pebre = Chilean salsa (cilantro, leeks, green chile peppers, onion, tomato, pebre sauce, and salt) so yummy!
· Pan, pan, pan!
· Empanada de pino (so good – cheese, egg, meat, olives)
I went to sleep at 11 that night and didn’t get up til 10:30! I so needed sleep!
7/19 – I went to mass at the cathedral at Los Dominicos – muy interestante. We walked through Los Dominicos de nuevo (de nuevo = again). Came home and had empanadas de pino for lunch with palta and pebre! Me gusta palta!!!! The vegetables are so fresh and amazing here! I then went grocery shopping with Miss Rachel. Today was relaxing, and I am doing laundry and getting ready to leave tomorrow!
