For the past two days, it has rained in Santiago. It has not rained in Chile since I've been here. The skies were gray and smoggy, the contamination was insupportable, and there was a general air of gloominess and frustration in the city. Until Wednesday. Everyone was grateful for the rain, especially me, but the city was a mess. Streets were flooded, and ruined in the case of the unpaved roads, were dirt and debris flowed as freely as the rainwater. Because not all the bus shelters that were promised by Transantiago have been built, hundreds of people had to wait outside in the rain. In some cases, people had to be individually wheeled from curb to bus on triciclos (three-wheeled carts) because the roads were too flooded to walk on. I stayed in my room, under my covers, typing pages and pages of final papers and exams.
But now I am done! And today, the sun came out, and the Cordillera is covered in snow, and the air is fresh, and the city is beautiful. I finished my last paper this morning and turned it in, and once I finish this entry I am going to run around Santiago trying to see some of the sights I missed. I feel terrible, because there is no way I'm going to be able to catch everything, and it's a real shame to come all the way here and not see some of the city's most famous monuments. But I know I'll be coming back sometime soon, so there'll always be another chance to see the Mercado Central, or the Cementario General, or the Museo de Salvador Allende. Today I think I'm going to try to catch La Moneda, the presidential palace; Cerro San Cristobal, a hill that overlooks the entire city (finally, it's the perfect day, the skies are blue and the smog is not obstructing the mountain view); and Villa Grimaldi, the site of tortures and killings under the Pinochet era that has been transformed into a monument for peace. And I still need to try some of Santiago's famous ice cream at the chain store Bravissimo. And buy souvenirs for my family. And have one last Pisco Sour... it's going to be a busy afternoon.
Friday, June 15, 2007
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
What time is it? Summertime.
Well, not yet. I still have 2 finals and one final paper to finish in the next three days. Trying to fit that in along with seeing every Santiago cultural sight I've missed and spending time with my host family is crazy, but I'm definitely enjoying my last days in Chile.
I realize I really should have updated about my trip to Brazil three weeks ago, my second trip to Buenos Aires (including a day trip to Montevideo, Uruguay) two weeks ago, and all the Santiago adventures I've been having recently... but time is limited now, so I'll write just a little about what I've been up to this past week.
Last week I finished some major projects on Tuesday, so I went out to the Nunoz neighborhood on Tuesday and Thursday for drinks and a concert at a jazz club. On Wednesday I went to Pablo Neruda's Santiago house, and at night I met up with a huge group of foreign kids studying in Chile at a club event. La Chascona, as the Neruda house is called, was built so that Neruda could hide his secret lover in the city while his wife was still alive. He incorporated her name and trademark curly hair into the design of the house, and of course, the rooms were laid out like a ship, just like in Neruda's other houses.
On Thursday I enjoyed a delicious lunch at Como Agua Para Chocolate, one of Santiago's best Mexican restaurants, named for the book. The decorations were beautiful and the food was amazing and spicy-- I am so ready to stop eating bland Chilean food!
On Friday I made dinner for my family (okay, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, but they loved it) and went out to a massive 80s dance club called Blondie, located inside an old theater. The club was packed with crazily-dressed kids and I got to hear some of my favorite British pop and rock music. On Saturday I heard live music at a famous revolutionary hangout called Casa en el Aire and checked out a hidden club appropriately named Clandestino. On Sunday I relaxed with my host family because they're all getting sick.
Yesterday I went to the Biblioteca Nacional and the Santa Lucia Hill, which contains several smaller parks and monuments and from which you can see the entire city. I'm sure the park is much prettier in the summer, and the views are much better when the city is smog-free, but it was still gorgeous and very impressive. For some reason, every couple in Santiago also decided to go to the park (on a Monday afternoon?) for some personal time... so that was interesting.
Today I went to the Museo de Bellas Artes and the Museo de Arte Contemporaneo. The Bellas Artes building is an exact replica of the Petit Palais in Paris, so I really enjoyed the columns and the glass ceiling. Unfortunately, most of the collections were somewhat disappointing (except for one room where this docent told me to touch everything, because the art was not complete without the person interacting with it). The Museo de Arte Contemporaneo had one amazing exhibit of brightly colored geometric art, but the huge building was mostly empty which was sad. I had an amazing sushi lunch near the museum and now I'm going to go knock down some final exams.
I really don't want to leave my host family, the Santiago nightlife and all the amazing experiences I have every day living in South America. But I am also really excited to get back to the sunshine, warm weather, good food, and of course, my family and friends!! I can't wait for another summer in Wisconsin, which will hopefully be the best ever. Seriously.
I realize I really should have updated about my trip to Brazil three weeks ago, my second trip to Buenos Aires (including a day trip to Montevideo, Uruguay) two weeks ago, and all the Santiago adventures I've been having recently... but time is limited now, so I'll write just a little about what I've been up to this past week.
Last week I finished some major projects on Tuesday, so I went out to the Nunoz neighborhood on Tuesday and Thursday for drinks and a concert at a jazz club. On Wednesday I went to Pablo Neruda's Santiago house, and at night I met up with a huge group of foreign kids studying in Chile at a club event. La Chascona, as the Neruda house is called, was built so that Neruda could hide his secret lover in the city while his wife was still alive. He incorporated her name and trademark curly hair into the design of the house, and of course, the rooms were laid out like a ship, just like in Neruda's other houses.
On Thursday I enjoyed a delicious lunch at Como Agua Para Chocolate, one of Santiago's best Mexican restaurants, named for the book. The decorations were beautiful and the food was amazing and spicy-- I am so ready to stop eating bland Chilean food!
On Friday I made dinner for my family (okay, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, but they loved it) and went out to a massive 80s dance club called Blondie, located inside an old theater. The club was packed with crazily-dressed kids and I got to hear some of my favorite British pop and rock music. On Saturday I heard live music at a famous revolutionary hangout called Casa en el Aire and checked out a hidden club appropriately named Clandestino. On Sunday I relaxed with my host family because they're all getting sick.
Yesterday I went to the Biblioteca Nacional and the Santa Lucia Hill, which contains several smaller parks and monuments and from which you can see the entire city. I'm sure the park is much prettier in the summer, and the views are much better when the city is smog-free, but it was still gorgeous and very impressive. For some reason, every couple in Santiago also decided to go to the park (on a Monday afternoon?) for some personal time... so that was interesting.
Today I went to the Museo de Bellas Artes and the Museo de Arte Contemporaneo. The Bellas Artes building is an exact replica of the Petit Palais in Paris, so I really enjoyed the columns and the glass ceiling. Unfortunately, most of the collections were somewhat disappointing (except for one room where this docent told me to touch everything, because the art was not complete without the person interacting with it). The Museo de Arte Contemporaneo had one amazing exhibit of brightly colored geometric art, but the huge building was mostly empty which was sad. I had an amazing sushi lunch near the museum and now I'm going to go knock down some final exams.
I really don't want to leave my host family, the Santiago nightlife and all the amazing experiences I have every day living in South America. But I am also really excited to get back to the sunshine, warm weather, good food, and of course, my family and friends!! I can't wait for another summer in Wisconsin, which will hopefully be the best ever. Seriously.
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