Adventures in the City

After spending nearly three weeks in Santiago, Chile, I finally had the opportunity to visit one of the Santiago's most coveted sights, Cerro San Cristóbal! Luckily, the trail starts only a mile from my homestay and the hike is not too bad. It was amazing seeing the city from this perspective and it gave me a much better sense of the layout of Santiago! I highly recommend making the trip if unfamiliar with the city.

The statue of the Virgin Mary at the top of Cerro San Cristóbal

At the top of Cerro San Cristóbal they serve delicious drinks called Mote con huesillos. It is made with wheat, dried peaches, and cinnamon. It's served cold and is quite a treat for making the hike!

Not too far away lies another great attraction of Santiago, Cerro San Maria. While its not as hard of a hike as Cerro San Cristóbal, it also gives a great view of the city!

After adjusting my sights from the top of Cerro San Maria, I planned my hike towards the Mercado Central and Plaza de Armas. These places were so interesting and had great history behind them!

Fish vendors in the Mercado Central

A view of the historic Plaza de Armas!

Each one of these places were filled with great sites, great food, and great people. I really have enjoyed getting to talk with many of the locals and all have been so nice. For example, one day last week, I left my homestay to meet friends from school. Once I left, I immediately realized that I left my keys inside and found myself locked out of the house. What bad luck! While waiting for the homestay mother to return, I saw an elderly couple leave their apartment next door. They saw me locked out and invited me in to wait for someone to let me in. To my surprise, these once complete strangers offered me coffee and a meal and we sat in their living room for almost two hours conversing. I learned that they lived in the United States for over twenty years and we bonded over how difficult it can be trying to learn a new language while in a foreign country. We told stories of awkward and uncomfortable communication breakdowns while abroad and it was such a great experience getting to know them!

In other news, the Chilean soccer team has been playing well in the Copa America! I enjoy watching the games with friends from school and they can be quite exciting when Chile wins!

First Week In Santiago

I just finished up my first week of classes and work in Santigo, Chile! It was sad saying my goodbyes to my parents and sister, but I was excited to get started. I'll admit, the first few days were tough and it was hard understanding my home stay family and my coworkers in Calvo Mackenna Children's Hospital. The first thing my professor told me at ECELA Language School was "the people here don't speak Spanish...they speak Chilean." But, so far, every day has been much easier than the previous and I have had the pleasure of conversing with and getting to know my home stay family and my coworkers.

My work in the Hospital has been very rewarding and I have been working alongside Dr. Jorge Morales.  I already learned much about renal and hepatic laboratory exams and I had the privilege to attend grand rounds each day this week.

I have loved my Spanish classes so far and we focused on topics concerning grammar, vocabulary, conversational skills, and even some Chilean slang. My classmates are all very nice and I met students from all around the world, including Switzerland, Brazil, and South Africa! This weekend a few of us planned a trip to go trekking to El Morado, a section of the Andes mountain range, and it was absolutely beautiful! We all packed a lunch and a winter coat and set off Saturday morning at 7am to catch our bus to the mountain range.

               

Setting off!

We met a friend along the way!

       

Almost there...

Watch your step!

Ran into some neature (neat-nature)!

It was a little windy!
(Selfie Stick would have been useful here)

Left to Right: Me, Alex (Tampa, FL), Jasmin (Switzerland), Carlos (Brazil)

MADE IT TO THE GLACIER!

It was an amazing trip with some beautiful sights! My legs were definitely sore, but well worth it. Here's some advice for trekking in the Andes: bring warm gloves, a jacket, and don't step in the water! I can't wait for my next adventure! 

A Week in Peru

Before starting work at Calvo Mackenna Hospital in Santiago, Chile, I travelled to Peru with my family. We visited Lima, Cuzco, the Sacred Valley, and Machu Picchu. The people of Peru were all very friendly and I enjoyed getting to interact with them. I have been working on my ability to speak Spanish and served as the translator for my family. The places we visited were absolutely incredible. I learned much about the Inca Empire and about their descendants who still maintain their distinct culture today. And, yes, we got to meet the llamas.

Mi amigo peruano (My Peruvian friend).

A Peruvian woman weaves a tablecloth from alpaca wool.

We explored a trail in the Sacred Valley where many people were working on farms.

My sister and I explored the Inca ruins at Pisco.

Parrots that said "¡Hola!"

Exploring the ruins of Machu Picchu!

A very steep hike to the Inca bridge.

More llamas...

A prime example of an Inca wall.

In Inca culture, the condor, puma and snake were a sacred trinity.