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!