A Month In Chile

Today marks one month in Chile! It’s gone by very quickly. I feel totally at home here (although I have yet to totally figure out my class schedule). I’ve been here for 32 days. Wow. Another 300 left to go! I don’t know how I feel about that yet. I don’t have much to say right now about it being my one month anniversary with a country, so I’m hoping that I can fluff up my blog with some of the things that I wrote earlier.

I apologize for the inconsistent fonts and indentations. I still need to figure out how to use this thing. I will fix up this post and add pictures some time when I'm not so tired.

I spent the better part of last week at the beach in Vina Del Mar with my host family. It was a great time full of sitting on the beach, long walks, and meals with friends. I also went to my first fonda (think of a county fair on steroids). There are fondas all over Chile the week of the 18th to celebrate its independence. It was very fun. I got to try some typical Chilean dishes.

Really cocky seal

Valparaiso is about a ten minute drive from Vina Del Mar. It’s a beautiful city, with small, pastel-colored houses and shops built into a steep mountainside. We toured the house of Pablo Neruda, La Sebastiana, which I enjoyed, although I like his house in Isla Negra more. Pablo Neruda , one of the most prominent writers of the 20th century, was a very interesting man. He collected all sorts of things, like compasses, maps, statues, paintings, pipes, bottles, and houses. He liked to entertain and cook for friends. One of his favorite dishes was Conger eel, a fact which was mentioned at both of the houses I toured.

After the tour, we walked to a restaurant. I felt obligated to try their Conger eel. It was delicious.

Conger eel

Valparaiso is an international traveler’s paradise. Accommodation is easy to find, with hotels and hostels all over the place. It’s chock full of restaurants, cafes and street vendors. And it has some of the most famous views and attractions in Chile. And it has one of the biggest, most active ports in the country. If you want to see Chilean culture in a day, Valparaiso is where to go.

A couple of exciting trips are coming up. I'll be going with my school to the far south of Chile from the 18th to the 24th of October. I'm not quite sure exactly what we'll be doing, but I know that it involves an 11 hour bus ride (each way), sight seeing, and class t-shirts, so I'm excited.

Then I will be leaving for Patagonia, the far far south of Chile (think glaciers) on the 27th of October, three days after I get back from the trip with my school. This is a Rotary trip (one of three), and I'm very excited for it.

I think that's all as far as updates go. I'll write as soon as anything exciting happens (other than living in South America. That's pretty exciting). I would love to hear from any of you.