Toes Cold but Heart Happy

With mi amiga, Darcy above Cenrro Santa Lucia

Though tonight marks the end of my 5th full day in Santiago, the city is rapidly becoming increasingly familiar, and I am quickly falling more and more in love with what I find. If all I had seen of Santiago was the sunrise over the Andes (referred to locally as, "la Cordillera") in the final minutes of my flight into the city, I would have told you then and there I was ready to stay. And yet, the city continues to grow on me (and the Cordillera continues to take my breath away each time I step outside). However, it is winter here, and the majority of the buildings in Chile do not have a central heating system, including most of the houses. Though Spring is around the corner, I sleep comfortably with 3 wool blankets and a down comforter each night, wandering the house with no less than socks, slippers, and several layers. But, much like late fall/ early winter in Albuquerque, the mornings and evenings bite, but the days heat up pretty quickly.

Aside from the views, the food here has also held its own set of surprises. Fun facts: Chile is the 2nd largest consumer of bread in the world and the 1st largest consumer of mayonnaise (and yet, they boast about this). So if you're wondering what I've been eating recently...bread and mayo aren't all that far from the truth. (Side note - even Chileans admit to not loving their "local" food - several professors have already told us to skip the Chilean eateries and head for Peruvian ones instead, which line many of the city streets).

Culturally, it is normal to eat the biggest meal of the day at lunch (el almuerzo), which normally consists of rice, meat (often chicken), and salad. Oh, and bread and mayo to start. Also, unfortunately for all of us who value coffee and rely on it for sustenance, the best we have in Santiago is powdered "Nescafé" - unless you want to venture out and drop $3-5* in a coffee shop each morning (though this is not all that different from my D.C. college life). The difference is, coffee machines are apparently not a common household appliance. While I don't like to be picky, this might take a longer adjustment period. (*Side note #2 - the money here is legitimately beautiful. $1 USD ~ 600-700 pesos).

Speaking of adjustments - it's been Spanish 24/7 since I got off the plane. Each day is a little easier, but catching on to the "Chilenismos" (Chilean slang) is its own unique challenge. Not including the fact that they cut off most of their words half-way through. Several times a day, we (the foreign students) are referred to as "los gringos", however we are continually assured that it's used as a term of endearment here. But the locals say this with a smile, and often laugh. I'll let you decide.

Cerro Santa Lucia

We've wandered around the city a good amount in the past few days, but Cerro Santa Lucia was certainly a highlight, especially considering we found it by accident. Located in the middle of downtown Santiago and built into an old volcano, this fortress was constructed sometime in the 1800s and is complete with (I'm not kidding) its own moat. There is a rumor that at one point in time, inhabitants of the fortress would fire off a ceremonial cannon everyday at noon. Considering its location in the middle of Santiago and the fact that we learned this from Wikipedia, I would advise skepticism. However, I counted at least a dozen cannons as we walked around. The highlight - the view from the top:

I certainly did not intend for this initial post to be so long; maybe I just miss using English. If that's the case, this is a fraction of the words I've been saving up from the past few days. There is so much more I have to tell, but I'll try to space it out and post regularly. Rest assured - I'm settling in to my new home a little cold but nonetheless thrilled to be here.