On Thursday we had our Cena de Despedida, or the farewell dinner. All the students, professors, and directors celebrated our four months together with good food, a slideshow, an impromptu dance off, and a ridiculous amount of wine. By the end of the night the entire room was happily buzzed and was, as a friend so nicely put it, bursting with love.
Speakin' of some loving, last weekend twenty of us headed back to Algarrobo to celebrate Thanksgiving. Though hand-mashed Mashed potatoes (picture to come) were the only traditional item on the table, everyone of us was so grateful for our experience in Chile that it made for an unforgettable Turkey Day. Highlights include two friends saving a drowning man in the ocean, watching the beautiful sunset on the beach, and dancing to reggaeton late into the night.
On Sunday of that weekend I went to a circus. I was expecting elephants and tight-ropes and instead got chubby four year olds doing sideways summersaults. That last sentence made it sound horrible but it was actually so incredibly cute I wanted to pick each and every kid up and take them home. And I'm lying partially. While the beginning did feature youngins, the end was filled with incredible acrobatics by older, extremely talented kids. I had a blast.
On Monday I saw Swan Lake (the ballet) with a group of fancy schmancy Gringos. It was exactly the same as the English version. (Big surprise :) Tuesday was my final dance class. If anyone wants to Tango when I get back give me a shout cause I got some new dance moves that will certainly impress. Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday nights were long ones. I am very, very proud to say my partying habits are much more Chilean than I ever thought. Despite having class in the mornings, and sometimes despite my wishes, I stayed out until around three each time! Wahoooo
Now to digress, here are just a few of the things I love and am going to miss about Chile.
Manjar- It is a delicious dulce de leche type spread but even better. It's more or less the peanut butter of Chile.You can put it on everything.
Now to digress, here are just a few of the things I love and am going to miss about Chile.
Manjar- It is a delicious dulce de leche type spread but even better. It's more or less the peanut butter of Chile.You can put it on everything.
Palta- While I am actually not going to miss this item since avocados are bountiful in California, I am going to miss this word. Say it a few times. Palta, palta, palta. Doesn't it have a wonderful ring to it? Most Spanish speaking countries call the avocado "aguacate" but of course not Chile. For that I am thankful.
Street vendors- I can find anything I could possibly need sold on mats on the sidewalk. Headphones, art, mascara, purses, hair brushes, yogurt, stickers, barbies, pots, you name it, it's there. And generally all for under "2 lucas" which is around four dollars.Not bad.
Chilean money- SO much cooler than the U.S.'s. Bright and colorful.
Chilean money- SO much cooler than the U.S.'s. Bright and colorful.
Charquican- Imagine mashed potatoes, meat, peas, squash, carrot, and corn all mashed up together.
Bus Musicians- Every day on my long bus ride to school, I get to groove to live music. Sometimes it's rapping, sometimes traditional Chilean folk music, occasionally a Beatle's Song will be thrown into the mix. Sometimes the renditions require that I put back in my headphones and resume listening to my ipod, but usually the performers are extremely talented. At the end they come around asking for money and depending on how heavy my coin purse is I'll give them 100 pesos or so.
Bus Musicians- Every day on my long bus ride to school, I get to groove to live music. Sometimes it's rapping, sometimes traditional Chilean folk music, occasionally a Beatle's Song will be thrown into the mix. Sometimes the renditions require that I put back in my headphones and resume listening to my ipod, but usually the performers are extremely talented. At the end they come around asking for money and depending on how heavy my coin purse is I'll give them 100 pesos or so.
The Bus System in General- I can decide I am going six hours to the South on Friday morning, walk to a bus terminal, buy a ticket, and by noon be on my way. Usually they play classy movies (Sister Act and Step-Brothers are just a few I remember) provide juice and crackers, and arrive in the time they promised. Though the busses are almost never air-conditioned and it's summer in Chile, the rides are usually sweaty ones but that is just a minor blip in the overall awesome system.
The Kiss- You kiss EVERYONE in Chile all the time. Greetings and goodbyes are always long drawn out processes because you have to go around to every single person and plant a peck on their right cheek. There are some unspoken rules about the kiss though. Women kiss everyone. Men kiss women. Men shake hands with other men unless they are bros and then men kiss men. This is my favorite type of kiss.
Mi Familia Chilena- This goes without saying. I have had such a wonderful time in Santiago, much of it due to the loving and kind family I was lucky to live with for the past nearly four months. They treated me as their own daughter and I am going to miss seeing them every day.
I'm going to have to cut myself off here because the list goes on and on and I'm getting a little sad :( BUT I am also so so so so so excited to see my family and friends back home and I am anxiously awaiting Monday the 13th at around 11 PM when I can give my mom, dad, and Keenan a big hug and kiss (gotta keep the Chilean tradition going)
Ciao amigos y familia, NOS VEMOS EN UNA SEMANA!
