Settling In

As Chile is one of the leading bread eating countries in the world, you are never more than a minute walk away from a bread store. In the early morning the smell of bread proliferates the whole city, and young boys on bikes expertly meander through pedestrians transporting doming wicker baskets of bread to local restaurants.

Similarly like their bread, their fresh fruit is something I will never tire of. Due do the fact that Chile has such diverse landscapes and climates, Chileans pride themselves in that they are self-sufficient for most of their agricultural needs. Fresh squeezed juices are sold commonly throughout the city and they are always rich and flavorful. Recently I asked for a mix of fresh pineapple and carrot juice… a surprisingly amazing combination.

Like most of the southern hemisphere, there is no indoor heating here in Chile. As there are only about 3 months of cold weather this is realistic, however when you go from your apartment, to the outside, to the classroom, all which are a similar cold temperature its hard to loose the chill. Some places have estufas or heaters run off propane, but the gas is very expensive, and as none of the buildings have insulation not very effective or the heat long-lasting. This has made me appreciate the amenities I have at home, and also the warmth of the natural sunshine.

Valparaiso has many murals all over the city

I have traveled the last two weekends with friends I have met from my Spanish class, all extranjeros. The first weekend we decided to take a bus to Valparaiso, a city on the coast, only about an hour away from Santiago. The city is built up into the hills making the city very three-dimensional. There are multiple acensors, or trams on rails that transport people up and down the mountainsides using counterweight. A famous Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda had a home there which we explored. It sported a beautiful view of the city high upon a mountaintop. Being there it is easy to understand why he was such a renowned poet and romantic author.

I have just recently returned from La Serena, another Chilean coastal city about six hours north of Santiago. I went with eight other people, Fred and Greg from England, Elise from Belgium, Ode from France, Steph and Brian from the US and Ricarda and Christian from Germany. We decided to show up to the bus station and find a bus going someplace that looked fun in our guidebook, so after an overnight ride we arrived in La Serena at about 6 in the morning. We found a hostel, ate breakfast and explored the city.

Over the next two days we went to the observatories of Chile which were located near La Serena. This part of Chile has some of the clearest skies in the world, making it a very desirable place to study astronomy. In fact the largest telescope in the world is located in the region, and many European and North American countries sponsor telescopes for their respective research. I have to admit that during the day it was one of the bluest skies I had ever seen, and the sun felt incredibly intense. Observing and learning about the southern sky was exciting. In the southern hemisphere they never see Ursa Major or Minor, Cassiopeia, or the North Star, most of the constellations I am so used to seeing. Instead they see the Southern Cross, the star closest to our sun, and the Orion constellation upside down!

We also spent time at a Pisco factory. Pisco is the alcohol of Chile, and anywhere you go you will find Pisco Sour (Pisco with lemon juice and sugar) or Piscola (simply Pisco and Coke). Pisco is created from grapes, but is aged only 1 year, where Brandy or Cognac would be aged much longer. There is a dispute between Peru and Chile over who can claim credit for this beverage, however I was assured that after going to the vineyard it is was most definitely a Chilean invention… we will clearly never know.

This is my last week of Spanish classes, and next week our course studies will commence. Hope all is well and thinking of all of you.

My local mobile number is 937 716 51 (The country code is (56) Santiago code is (9)... just think of Wolfeboro with 569!)

Skype name is alexandra.purdy so add me!