Cultural

Post Post Departure Post

I guess my post is a little late because I’m still stuck on spring break and taking in the Santiago sun. This first week back has been rough. It was cold and school work was due. It was much better when my only worries were getting juice from street vendors. (oh, how I miss the juice). So yes, I have a little post departure depression. The trip was a great experience and I’m so honored to have been able to go. One of the biggest things I said I wanted to work on was my sketching abilities. I think on the trip I put more effort into my sketching. I also think I enjoyed it more and tried to have more fun with it. I attached my sketch from the Museum of Memory and I think this sketch is significant because I really sat there and took in the space and enjoyed drawing it.

 

Another thing I said I wanted to focus on was the culture and I definitely did just that. Spending a week in a city is not a lot of time to get every aspect of a culture, but I tried my best to do that. I went to all different parts of the city, experienced the good and the bad, and tried to take in all the food culture as well! This trip fascinated me and was much needed. So I guess its time to get back to reality now…

 

 

My Santiago Reflection

Santiago was quite an experience for me. I’ve learned a bit about Spanish cultures before in high school, but Chile was an extra step in that development. Being in Chile was a refreshing change for me. I loved being immersed into new area that at first seems alien to me, but after getting a closer look at all the things that make up the culture, it’s not all that different, but still unique.

The people of Santiago were generally very nice and relaxed. I’d probably contribute that to the stray dogs being all over the place, but I don’t know. I felt comfortable whenever I had to speak to someone, whether in English or Spanish. That really helped me adjust to the new surroundings and relax. That is, until I lost my wallet. Other than that though I felt safe for the most part and enjoyed whatever it was we were doing.

One of my favorite parts of Chile was the art. It seemed like there was some kind of sculpture or painting around every corner, especially in Valparaiso. It made what could have been another normal city into a lively and vibrant environment. Speaking of environments, there was so much landscape. Even inside the city! I thought that was a really cool feature that Santiago had. It made the city feel like it was more than just an urban, concrete fortress.

Regresar

The word return keeps popping into my head around this trip. It seems the root word tying together main lessons I gathered from my time in Santiago.

Kaz saw a tarantula.

A big group of us hiked 17km to this beautiful waterfall. It was well worth it.

Returning to South America brought a new, unexpected relationship with the city and culture we were dropped into. I felt far less giddy and nervous about the fantastic newness of this world than I was two years ago in Rio de Janeiro, and I think I saw the city clearer for it. It was wonderful to listen and talk with people with a context of Latin American city life. Bouncing my perceptions of these two great cities and people around each other in my head was a great joy, and I felt great joy in returning under different circumstances. If any young students read this, I would implore them to try and get abroad more than once in their time at school.

Kaz overlooking Valparaiso from Pablo Neruda’s back porch.

Returning back to the hotel with my best friend and roommate Kaz was a great comfort, and I am glad that I had him there to be my confidant. I think having a close friend in the larger group made it so fun to reach out to everyone else, just knowing that I had him by side. We made some amazing friends on this trip together. Returning to that feeling of fast friendship was heart-warming, and I feel honored to have such fun and bonding experiences with them. I shared some incredible views and unforgettable events with Kaz, Bryan, Rico, Megan, Carly, and several others; memories I anticipate returning to for years. Continue reading Regresar →

From Santiago to Columbus

It’s been a few days after our trip in Santiago. I am trying to catch up with the school work and escaping from the easiness of spring break. But from time to time I still recall our days back in Santiago. I think the days we spent in Santiago have become my most memorable ones in group trip. First of all, we traveled in a huge group but we didn’t ever put us in a dangerous or awkward situation. We all came back safe and sound. On the other hand, we always helped each other in a foreign country so we have developed strong bonds with other students. It is kind of interesting to see everybody again in Knowlton since the memories we shared in Santiago are so impressive. We all feel like we experienced the city of Santiago as locals.

Overall I think we all learnt many stuff in Chile both academically and culturally. From Park de la Infancia to Bicentenario Park,  as a Landscape Architecture student I get to learn many interesting elements that Chilean architects are concentrating on like the use of bright colors and focus on materiality. There are all good to know.

Last but not the least I want to thank everyone in our group because we are a good team!

Post-trip

We’ve been back at school now for a couple of days. It’s very cold here. I really miss the warm weather. 

Saying that I enjoyed this trip would do a disservice to the trip. This trip was amazing. I was able to learn and experience so much in such a concentrated amount of time. The fact that the trip was only one week is amazing to me. 

In one week I climbed a mountain, saw the Pacific Ocean for the first time, visited 3 different colleges, saw the house of one of my favorite poets, went to the top of the tallest building, tried new foods every day, walked about a dozens of miles, and saw about a million dogs. 

I did everything on the trip that I wanted to do, plus more. 

I gained a much better perspective for the world and humanity through this trip. I learned what it’s like to be in a country where no one speaks your language. This was a new level outside of my comfort zone. 

My favorite part of the trip had to be the hike. I love the outdoors and I’ve never experienced any landscape like that. Every single view was beautiful. Being able to look down at a city was incredible. 

Another highlight was the trip to Valparaiso. I have never really experienced a city like that. I am used to very structured city’s with neat, cut up sections. This city seemed like a living thing. It moved strangely and creatively around its landscape. No two views from the city were the same. 

Ultimately, this trip was more that I could have hoped for. Now I am wondering where to go next.

Neruda

Pablo Neruda reminded me how to taste what you make. While visiting his house, I was moved by his life, his work, and his playfulness. He designed things, he was a brutal professionalist, and yet he wove his sensuality into all of these endeavors. Indeed, he knew it was critical to lust for life if you want your hands to shape it for others. His home was humbling in its open kitsch, its discrimination between social and meditative spaces, its fixed wide eyes to the sea.

You have to understand fictions to understand art, that spirit that design tries to dip its toes into. Neruda knew fiction as a friend. I heard he would often dress in several disguises throughout the nights of his parties. He never passed up the opportunity for a joke, though he reportedly was bad at telling them. He collected knick knacks next to heirlooms, christened his armchair “the cloud,” and collected out-of-date maps. I like to think it was for the humor, seeing them misspell and misrepresent Chile on an old English survey. He held all this deep giggle tight within him even as he designed chimneys, poems, worlds, and engaged with the global public as his country was falling apart.

Maybe it was the openness. There is something so front-facing about the man and the spaces he touched. He just held his hands and eyes open at all time, ready to shake a hand, pick up a pen, grab a waist to dance. He let things flow through him and become the wonderful creations we remember him by, he didn’t think too much, at least how we might normal imagine thinking to be. Just a clear-eyed man in a giggling house by the sea. Continue reading Neruda →

Back to Business

The first few days back from Chile were pretty rough. After getting home around 3, I spent 13 of the next 15 hours sleeping, most of which was unplanned. It took me about three days to unpack all of my stuff. I’m grateful for every second of the trip, but it was hard getting back Sunday evening and not even having a full day to recover.

Going through my daily routine Monday felt bizarre. The cold wind and rainy overcast was a most fitting welcome back to Ohio. I found myself in a state of wander, subconsciously awaiting the voice of Sergio to direct me. Sadly, those directions never came.

Looking back, every day of the trip was it’s own adventure. It seems like we were there for way longer than a week! The amount of activity crammed in to everyday was truly impressive, but that did tend to come with a lack of sleep. I’m glad to be back home where water and bathrooms are free, but I do miss the amount of cheap ice cream we regularly had access to. I’m glad to be back in my own bed, but miss waking up the Bryan’s face every morning and a hot and ready breakfast just down the stairs. Although it’s nice to back home, I will treasure the memories and friendships that were made abroad.

Captains Log Stardate 03232017

The father and Daughter I was able to have an casual conversation with in Spanish

Getting back in the swing of things wasn’t too difficult , but coming back to the weather was. Right now I am really missing the 80 degree weather that we were enjoying down there. Friends and family have been asking me about the trip. “How was it?” “What was your favorite thing?” “Do the toilets flush the other way?”. Its hard for me to express just how amazing the trip was, because no one thing sticks out. For me, It was an all around fun, jammed packed week of adventure and learning. Everyday was amazing in its own way. But if I had to pin point the one thing I enjoyed most about the trip, I’d have to say it was trying to speak Spanish. I am by no means fluent, or frankly even good, at Spanish, but everyday was a challenge to have a conversation with someone. I got very good at asking how much things cost and numbers are easier to understand now. My proudest moment language wise was when we were waiting for the bus to take us to Vina del Mar, and I had an actual, real life, casual conversation with a father and his daughter- Francesca. He came over to our group and was asking where we were from so I answered! I said a lot of things wrong and 50% of the whole interaction hinged on hand gestures, but I did it, and I’m glad I did.

This trip made me more confident and more motivated to travel in the future and I look forward to the next chance I get.

Goodbye Chile! I hope to see you again.

Reflecting on Santiago

It is always a sad day when you leave sunny weather and palm trees for Ohio in March. I develop an attachment to places when I travel, and Santiago is no exception. I started to feel a part of the city and the culture by the end of the trip. I loved the food, the landscape, the culture, and of course the architecture. My favorite buildings were the Benedictine Monastery, the Santuario Nacional in Maipu, and the two Pablo Neruda houses (in Santiago and Valparaiso).

The Benedictine Monastery blended together very well the world of the formal theoretical and the world of the phenomenological. I especially loved the entrance ramp towards the statue and the window into the yellow chapel. The Santuario Nacional was impressive for not only its scale, but site, structure, materials, and the experience of light and sound. I loved the Neruda houses and thought they were a beautiful blend of vernacular style, Modernist sensibilities, and maritime aesthetics. Of course there were many great buildings, but these were especially interesting to me.

I also loved learning and experiencing the culture. I became obsessed with the fruit juice that was sold on the street, it was so fresh and delicious I had to have some almost everyday. Empanadas were also a great highlight as well as discovering dishes “a lo pobre”.  And of course, pisco sours went nicely with any meal. And no culture would be complete without its people, and I met some very great people in Santiago. Sergio was a fantastic guide and had amazing insights into not only the places we visited, but the lives of average Chileans. There was also Alexi, the best waiter I’ve probably ever had, Martinez who gave us a very informative tour of Santuario Nacional, and the woman who sold juice near our hotel (such a saint). And of course, the many dog friends who joined us throughout our trip.

Sunset over downtown, view from Santa Lucia

Post-Departure

It had been an absolute whirlwind of homework to do and assignments to complete since returning to Columbus, but I find myself stopping and thinking of Chile and it is making these hectic days all worthwhile.  Looking back on this trip also allows me to stop and enjoy my surroundings and experience life the way the Chileans do, with ease and little technological interference.  I have found myself putting down my phone more often and trying to interact more with the people around me.  When it comes to the overall experience of this trip I can easily sum up my feelings in one sentence: amazing time with amazing people.  Getting to experiences this new city with so many great people is what made this trip incredible.  I especially loved seeing all the bonds that were formed along the course of the trip, I even made friends with people in my major that I had never had the chance to meet before.  In terms of the study abroad portion of the trip, my favorite architectural site we visited was getting to see the innovation center in person and experiencing all the different levels.  I had highly anticipated seeing this building and it did not disappoint!  Overall it was an amazing trip, and I am so happy that I had the opportunity to experience it.

¡Salud! Cheers to Chile!

Cheering at the vineyard in Maipo Valley

The Santiago trip is definitely the best Spring Break I’ve spent. Everyday was well spent and filled with many memories. This trip has exceeded my expectations. The city had great architectural sites surrounded by beautiful landscapes. Green spaces filled the city and the mountains in the view reminded me each day how I was in a whole new place. I will miss the Chilean food, how the people spent quality time outside their homes and off their phones, and the warm weather.

After landing home, I immediately felt the difference. The first meal I ate at home was campus burritos which just didn’t have the same appeal or freshness as that of Mestizo. Around campus, people had their phones out including those crossing the street. On Monday morning, I walked to work in 30 degree weather (that’s Fahrenheit) and in rain. Although I walked through the oval, the amount of green space just did not compare with Santiago’s tree filled street sides.

Sunset from Costanera tower

I will be missing Chile for quite awhile and will have to take some time to fully accept being back home. I have tried to wear some of my alpaca merchandise and lapis lazuli earrings to stay in denial of leaving Chile. This trip was absolutely an experience I’m glad I took. Although I’ve left Chile, I have been able to take back new memories, experiences, and friends. To that, I give a huge cheers to Chile.

Back to Columbus

The second I stepped off the plane in Columbus, I felt the cold Ohio air and saw the gray skies and reality hit me, as I realized I was thousands of miles away from the warm summer days of Santiago. While the first two days back in the states have been rather gloomy, I am still in awe of the experiences I had in Chile. Reflecting on my time in Santiago, I feel that I have had an incredible first international experience. I loved the feeling of being in an new and unknown place that is culturally different from what I am used to. Santiago is a beautiful, warm, and colorful city that I will truly never forget. I was inspired by the landscapes that I saw, including the Andes Mountains, the parks of Santiago, and the coastal towns. Highlights of the trip include walking the streets of Valaparíso and hiking in the Andes Mountains. Being in Santiago further opened my eyes to how big the world really is, and  I have realized that there is so much more for me discover. I can’t wait for the next time I travel abroad. Specifically, I hope that I can further explore South America, and even one day return to Chile.

“What was your favorite part of Chile?”

Home sweet home!  We have made it back to Columbus safely.  It has been a little over 24 hours since we landed in Columbus.  While I was excited to see my friends and am excited to see my family next weekend, I can’t help but miss Chile a little bit.  When we got off the plane in Columbus and I looked out the window, all I could see were gray skies and brown, leafless trees, the total opposite of the lush, green parks of Santiago that I loved.  I have to say that this has been the best trip I have ever been on, and Chile is now my favorite place.

I have spent the last 24 hours trying to get back into my normal routine.  I unpacked, did laundry, cleaned a little, and went to class today.  Going to class was good because I got to see all of my friends and we got to share our spring break stories.  Just about every person asked me “What was your favorite part of Chile?” and every time I have to pause because it is such a hard question.  So many answers immediately come to mind- the food, the weather, the mountains, the views, the parks, Valparaíso.  There are so many things I loved about Santiago that I can’t decide.  I was excited for the trip, but this trip greatly exceeded all and any expectations I had for it.

The food I found to be incredible.  I loved the idea of fried eggs on everything and I also loved the fresh fruit.  It was some of the best fruit I have ever had.  I also really enjoyed the empanadas, tres leches, and charquicán (Chilean stew).

The weather was incredible, and stepping off the plane into 30 degree weather was probably the saddest part of being home.  No more sunny, blue skies, flowers, or green trees.  Everything thing here looks dead and sad.  Hopefully spring gets here fast because I miss the warm weather (Today was the first day of Spring, but it wasn’t very promising).

I still can’t get over the views.  Just about everywhere we went had amazing views.  Cerro San Cristobal, Cerro Santa Lucía, Costanera Center, Universidad Adolfo Ibanez, the Benedictine Monastery, Innovation Center, and Cousiño Macul Winery just to name a few.  I miss the mountains.  Ohio is so flat.

The parks in Santiago were amazing.  I can’t get over how many trees they had in their city.  Whether they were just lining a street or scattered throughout a park, there was a ton of greenery.  I loved it.  I often felt as though I wasn’t in the middle of a huge city, but rather a forest or just out in the country.  In Columbus, our parks have trees, but usually you can still see from one end of the park to the other through the trees.  The trees in Santiago parks were so dense that this would never happen.  I wish Columbus had more parks like this.

Valparaíso was like nothing I have ever seen before.  I loved all of the colors and how the houses covered all of the hills facing the ocean.  The street art was amazing as well.  It was a very cool city to see, and was very fun to jump over to Viña del Mar and sit at the beach for a little while.  We even saw seals!  We just have traditional suburbs and the Olentangy and Scioto.  Nothing compared to Valparaíso’s neighborhoods and body of water.

Chile is a place I definitely want to visit again.  Maybe next time I will explore the natural aspects more like the mountains, desert, Patagonia, and Easter Island.  I keep joking that if I could speak Spanish I would move there.  I mean, the Adolfo Ibañez Graduate School was really cool, who knows?  Until next time Chile, adiós!

Go Bucks! (Sunset from the Costanera Center)

Post Departure

After all these days we spent in Santiago, I found out the truth that Chile is an amazing country and has many amazing things to be explored. This was my first time to south America. Before the trip, I have many guesses about this continent. After the trip, I got a deeper understanding of their culture. This trip to Santiago is a great beginning of my South America travel.However, I found this trip was totally not enough. I’m already thinking about next trip to South America because I realized there are much much more things that I can experience there. Next time, I want to explore the Easter Island, the Kaap Hoorn, and other amazing landscapes in Chile. Also, I really want to go to Bolivia, Argentina, Brasil, and Venezuela. The first thing I have to do before the next trip is definitely to learn Spanish. I knew nothing about Spanish, so I found very difficult to communicate with Chilean (usually we made gestures to communicate…). Then I think I need to do more workouts to get a better physical condition because I found I will fell super tired when I walked a long time especially when hiking… Really want to change this situation.
After all, this was a good trip and I was richly rewarded.

Post-trip Reflection: Missing Santiago

Making friends on a Study Abroad with the Pacific ocean in the background

It’s been just over 24 hours since landing in Columbus and I already miss Santiago. The cold weather in Columbus wasn’t helping, either. Upon returning I had to catch up on emails, one of which was in regard to my internship for this upcoming summer. I started thinking about summer plans and it dawned on me that I would have to drive to and from work every day this summer. This actually saddened me after returning from Santiago since a lot of the city was easily accessible via the metro. The wait for the metro rarely exceeded two minutes, which made it easier to arrive somewhere on time. I was reminded of this when I was waiting for a CABS bus on my way to class this morning where I had to wait about five minutes for the next bus. For lunch today, I was disappointed when I had to return to campus dining food rather than exquisite Chilean cuisine. I enjoyed trying new foods in Chile from hot dogs with tomatoes, avocado, and mayonnaise to empanadas. Now that I am back, I am limited to dining halls on campus, of which I’ve been eating for the past four years. It was refreshing trying new plates that I’ve never had before. I’ve even ventured as far as to try piranha (and I’m not a fan of fish). While our Spring Break was packed full of exploring and learning, it was still a much needed break from the fast-paced, stressful and busy days on campus. I always prefer learning new material in a foreign country than in the same set of buildings each year. A study abroad is always worth the investment.

The Hike to End All Hikes, Episode 2

Now officially separated from the rest of our hiking buddies, we rested for a moment in some rare shade before traveling onward and literally upward.  It was midday, around 85 degrees, and we had already climbed the equivalent of 300 flights of stairs.  Rico noticed the mood slipping as we trekked on and began to play some music from his phone, and everyone immediately became re-energized.  We walked to the beat and got to know each other better by asking funny questions about one another.  We were all growing hungry, but decided it would be well worth it to hold out on eating our packed lunches until we reached the waterfall.  The mountains began to flatten out as we neared our destination and we were SO grateful.  We reached a park ranger who informed us we were cutting it close to making it out of the park before it closed and that we could only spend 15 minutes at the waterfall once we arrived.  What we all thought would be a chance to relax and recharge before the four hour hike back turned into a quick jump into the water, a few rushed pictures, and shoving a few bites of food in before retracing our steps.  We began again, extremely excited that the majority of our return would be downhill.  We continued to ask questions and share stories and we jumped down the face of the mountains, watching each one of our steps as it is much easier to wipe out on the descent.  We hiked this way for a few hours, and as we neared the last stretch of the hike, we found the rest of our group!  We were so excited to meet back up and share stories of what had happened and what we had seen over the course of the day.  We had seen a waterfall, they had seen giant hairy tarantula.  We were all grateful to be alive after an unexpectedly hot, grueling, and physically exhausting day.  We finished the last hour of the hike together and returned to the base all in one piece, give or take a few cuts, bruises, and cases of dehydration that were to be expected after a day like ours.

We’re not going hungry in Chile

Food may not be the first thing you think about when traveling to another country, but it actually plays a big part in the trip. I was a little nervous about the food in Chile, but it turned out to be better than I ever expected. Honestly the food is one of the things I will miss most about chile.

Fresh fruit and eggs with hotdogs

I’ll start with breakfast. Everyday for breakfast they offered lunch meat and cheeses, fresh fruit, scrambled eggs with hot dogs, toast, cake, and cereal. I usually had fresh fruit and cake—I know, cake??? I will for sure miss being able to have cake for breakfast everyday without being judged. The fruit was some of the best fruit I have ever had—strawberries, watermelon, cantaloupe, honey dew, and grapes—all of them were very good.

Cake for breakfast!

My lunches and dinners usually consisted of dishes containing empanadas, fried eggs, and mayonnaise. Empanadas are a baked, or sometimes fried dough with filling inside. They’re kind of like big raviolis made out of dough instead of noodles, and there are so many different varieties. I had cheese, beef, shrimp, spinach, and veggie filled ones. All were equally as good. I definitely want to learn how to make empanadas at home because they were just so good. I’m pretty sure I had them with most of my meals.

Cheese and beef filled empanadas

I was surprised by the amount of fried eggs the Chileans eat. I’m not a huge fan of eggs, but I actually loved having a fried egg on top of normal dishes that we already have in America. My very first meal in Santiago was a sandwich with sliced beef, cheese, and a fried egg, and it was so good. The egg really made the sandwich. We also hade fries one night with chopped beef and a fried egg on top. It was equally as good!

Fries with beef chunks and a fried egg

A weirder trend in Chile is the use of mayonnaise, on EVERYTHING. Sometimes mayo would be on things like burgers and chicken sandwiches, like in the U.S., but the Chileans take it one step further and put mayo on pretty much every sandwich.

A very popular dish in Chile is actually called an Italiano. This is a hot dog with mayonnaise, avocado, and tomatoes. The colors of these toppings are the same as the Italian flag, hence the name Italiano (that one took us some time to figure out). This did not sound very appetizing to me, but we are here to experience the culture, so Lisa, Anthony, and I tried it one day for lunch. This was probably the only thing I didn’t like in Chile. Lisa didn’t care for it either, but Anthony enjoyed it. The combination of mayo and avocado was weird to me. The Chileans really love hot dogs, though. One day we went in their local grocery store, and in the freezers that are in the middle of the isle that we normally fill with turkeys near Thanksgiving, were filled with hot dogs. I have never seen so many hot dogs in my life.
I have noticed that the Chileans eat a lot of meat in their meals, especially beef. I already talked about the shredded beef sandwiches and the fries, but I also had many more great dishes with beef. At Mestizo, I had a beef ragout, which was shredded beef over gnocchi with a white sauce. It was amazing and one of the best meals on the trip.

Meal at Mestizo

I also had a burger for lunch one day. At first I was unsure about ordering a burger because we have burgers at home, but I’m glad I got to try it because the Chileans do theirs a little differently. Everything was the same—burger, cheese, lettuce, tomato—but they also put fried shredded potatoes on top. I really enjoyed this on my burger because it added an extra crunch. They were very similar to the potato sticks snack you can buy at home.

Chilean burger

Probably my absolute favorite meal of the trip was a traditional Chilean dish called charquican. The stew consisted of potato, carrots, peas, pumpkin, and onion, with a piece of braised beef laid on top. I can’t even describe how good it was. I am definitely going to figure out how to make this at home.

Chilean stew was my favorite meal!

I also tried a few desserts while in Chile, my favorite being the tres leche cake from Mestizo. It was layered cake with milk and whipped cream. It was very moist. Dulche de leche, which is pretty much caramel, is also a very popular treat in Chile. I tried dulche de leche fudge and it actually tasted a lot like the caramels with the cream centers. I also had dulche de leche gelato. It was pretty good, too, but I don’t think dulche de leche is my favorite flavor.

Tres leches

Overall, I loved all of my meals with the exclusion of the Italiano hot dog. I was really surprised by this and kept waiting every time I ate for the food to be sub-par, but it was very excellent every time. I don’t understand how all of the Chileans are so fit with such good food. I’m hoping to learn to make some Chilean dishes so I can have my favorites again.

Valparaiso- 3/15

On Wednesday we visited Valaparaiso. The city was absolutely breathtaking. Every corner you turned was filled with color and street art. The 2 hour walking tour through the streets was practically a hike because of the drastic change in section throughout. The buildings were all so different in form and color, making for a very intriguing skyline and beautiful view no matter where you looked. It was clear they had jammed in as many buildings as they possibly could. It was interesting to hear that if you took up residence in a house for at least 5 years, you can claim it as your own. A detail that I believe made the difficulty of the economy there more clear to us. There were multiple funiculars, which we used to get back down from the hills, just as we had at Cerro Santa Lucia. Following this, we were waiting on a bus and had a nice conversation with a man and his young daughter about the area. We then drove down to the beach and spent few hours of our day cooling off in the water, admiring gift stores and buying the majority of our souvenirs. And we tried the street food for our lunch, there were fantastic empanadas, and finished the experience sketching on the rocks along the ocean and getting ice cream.

Kate’s photo from Valparaiso because I lost my phone

Wine + Bikes + Gorgeous Views = Slice of Paradise

On our free day, a group and I decided to visit a vineyard near Santiago that was fairly easy to get to by metro and a 10 min taxi ride. The vineyard was called Viña Cousiño Macul and it was located south of Santiago. The vineyard was founded in 1856 and is still in the hands of the original family (the 6th generation now) which is rare because most vineyards have been sold off to bigger companies in around the Santiago area. The tour that we did was the bike and wine tour which included a guided tour through the vineyard on bikes, a tour through the processing facility where they make the wine, and a tour through the cellar where they stored wines to age. Our tour also included four wine tastings as well. I thought that the tour was so amazing! The vineyard was so beautiful because you could see the mountains from the property and one fact that I found really interesting was that the vineyard actually stretched all the way from the outskirts of the city to Plaza de Armas when it was first founded, but was slowly sold off over the years. The wine tastings were amazing and our tour guide who was an American from Colorado, showed us the proper way to taste wine which was the “5 S” rule:

See: Look at the wine first and see if it’s transparent or opaque…if it’s more transparent, the wine is much younger, if more opaque, the wine has been aged longer.

Swirl: Swirl the wine in your glass and see if the wine runs slowly or quickly down the walls of the glass. If the wine moves quickly, it will have less body in your mouth because it has less viscosity, and the opposite if it moves slowly.

Smell: Smell the wine and try to pick out different notes. Is it fruity, is it earthy, etc… everyone’s sense of smell is different, so no judgement can be given.

Sip: Taste a small portion of the wine and try to pick out any flavors that you smelled. Are you surprised by the taste? Is it sweet, more acidic, drier, etc…

Savor: Enjoy the wine!

Learning how to properly taste wine was so much fun and I encourage others to try the 5 S rule when trying new wine!

Here are some pics from the vineyard:

Rows of Grapes

Close up of some grape…they were delicious and sweet!

Guide to making some wine!

 

Day5&6

Little sculpture in La Sebastiana

Decoration on street in Valparaíso

In day 5, we got up early and start our trip at 8:00am. Taking 2 hours on bus, we went to a costal town, Valparaíso. The geography in there was steep. Houses located from bottom to top of mountains. We straight to La Sebastiana, which is a big residential of a poet, called Pablo Neruda. He is also a receiver of Nobel. This house was facing to sea with a big terrace. Standing on the terrace, you can have a good view of the whole town and the sea. There are 5 floors in this house although each floor is narrow. (This looks like a character of houses here. )Going upstairs, You can see amounts of treasures displayed in La Sebastiana. I even found some pretty Chinese drawing! After appreciating this delicate house, we walked around the town. This town is special because all buildings are colorful. You can see scrawl on wall anywhere. And it is also interesting that design is fulfill in any corner. For instance, the stair is painted in black and white, looks like piano. Then, we go down to seaside. I enjoyed the feeling when wind flowed on my face.
Time comes to day 6. We took metro to Santiago Cathedral and Museum Memory. Santiago Cathedral is a brilliant and holy place. You would be conscious to keep silence when you walk into it. Museum Memory is another respectable place. I learn a a lots about Chilean history there. Through some video and relic, I know how Chilean experience war and gorven. I respect them because I think it is difficult for them coming from battle. After visiting Museum Memory, I have a deeper understanding of Chile.

Day 6

In day 6, we had gone to the museum of memory, which is about the 1973 Chilean coup. Besides this museum, many other places in Santiago about this coup. The coup is an important historical event in Chile and strongly affected the Chilean culture. The appearance of the museum shocked me. It covered by bronze apertured pieces, which make museum looks like a huge bronze cuboid in the white square. The strong contrast between the dark green and white colors seems to remind people of this heavy history. Inside the building, the apertured cover pieces allow people can see the outside through the windows. This makes the museum has a strong appearance and less oppressed when people get inside there. The profiles of people who died in the coup are hang up on the walls, making me truly feel those people had gone. Also, watching those watches, drawings of children, and many their articles of daily use are exhibited on the walls, I can’t help imagining their life before the coup and feel sad about the tragedy. The museum reminded me of many World War two and Sino-Japanese war museums in my country. I think those museums around the world is telling to people that stop the war because the war always hurt the common people.

 

Free Day- Tour in the City and Cultural Centers

Starting with a fantastic brunch, we started our city tour. We found a nice spot at the street corner. The city of Santiago becomes more interesting when you started to stop a little while and look at the people passing by. The students who just left from schools are chatting on the curbs. The older people are strolling by then busy streets. In the middle of the road there is a guy busking as the signal turns red. Far away from your position, there is a man carrying a giant ice cream box on his shoulder with loud cries of selling. Suddenly you realized somehow it is the culture shapes the city and what you see is really the reflection of Chile history.

Coffe Cup in Brunch Restaurant

Corporación Cultural Matucana 100

Later we went to the culture centers near Quinta Normal Park. The culture centers are having seldom exhibition while the architecture itself is good enough to visit. Again many murals can be found in this art district. Corporación Cultural Matucana 100 is mainly composed by a central theater. The exterior of this theater is a historical remnant with red bricks. Inside we see the wood structures holding high ceilings. Then you can explore more on the lower level. There are some mini exhibitions going on there.

Day #5

One of the highlights of this trip has been day 5 in which we visited Valapariso and Viña Del Mar. These two coastal towns were absolutely stunning, and were more beautiful than I could ever imagine. My favorite part of day 5 was doing the walking tour of the streets of Valapariso, which were filled with colorful buildings and street art. I enjoyed the contrast between the murals and the colors of the buildings, which blended together nicely. The cobble stone streets also added to the appeal of the layout of the city. Despite its beauty, it seems very easy to get lost on the streets of Valapariso, as they are narrow and not marked by a sign.

Going to Viña Del Mar was a nice break from being in the fast paced city. I could see a noticeable difference between the coastal towns and Santiago, as the coastal towns are much more relaxed, have less people, and are more slow paced than the city. I hadn’t been to the beach for a long time, so taking the time to relax on the beach was great. The water was extremely cold as expected, and I was surprised by how strong the pull of the waves was.

View of Valapariso

View of the Viña Del Mar beach

 

Sketch of palm trees in park

Let’s go to the beach

A video of what I saw on the bus while in Valparaiso

In class seeing the pictures of Valparaiso I was amazed at how colorful and compact the city was. But, seeing Valparaiso in real life was definitely different because I saw its colorful buildings, amazing murals, and that it borders the Pacific Ocean. Our first stop in Valparaiso was the Pablo Neruda’s house, walking through it, I could tell that Neruda was a man with a large personality and that he loved his work and friends, and he also was a player. He had like 3 wives during his life, it kind of sounds like a telenovela. Anyway, walking around The Sebastian (Parks and Rec reference) I noticed the view from his bedroom, is was breathtaking. It was a clear view of the buildings in Valparaiso and the ocean, I loved it. Then from Neruda’s house we started our walking tour. The walking tour allowed us to see the street art and murals, the town we were walking through was filled with beautiful colors and styles of art. I appreciated seeing that and as I was walking I tried to take some drawing tips for styles in my experiential map. As we were walking a few strays tagged along and followed us to the funicular, something that I noticed about the dogs in Valparaiso was that they all poop in the street. You don’t see much dog poop in Santiago and it’s probably because there’s more grass and vegetation in Santiago than there is in Valparaiso. Thinking back, I couldn’t remember walking past a park in Valparaiso.

Pictures of Valparisio and the colorful homes.

We took the bus down to Vina Del Mar and ate at El Rincón de Greda, an Italian restaurant that Sergio suggested and the food was really good. Then from there we walked to the beach. I was very excited because this was my first time seeing the ocean/ a real beach (if Lake Erie doesn’t count) and we spent 30 minutes there, but I wish I had some more time to actually swim but I enjoyed playing in the ocean. Valparaiso was one of my favorite trips that we’ve gone on and I’m so grateful for being able to see the city and the beach.

We were in Vina del Mar, playing in the Pacific Ocean.

No hablo español

Probably my most used phrase—”no hablo español.” When applying for the Santiago trip, my biggest concern was the language barrier. I can count to ten in Spanish, say hola and por favor, but that’s pretty much it. In high school I took Latin classes, which sometimes helps with root words, but other than that is almost no help. Thankfully, I am usually with Lisa during the trip, who knows enough Spanish to get us by.
This entire trip has been a learning experience. Slowly I am building my vocabulary word by word, just through interactions with the locals. Here are the most important things I have learned so far:

“I’m sorry” – “Lo siento”

“Excuse me” – “permiso”

“How much?” – “quantos”

“Can I have the check please?” – “la cuenta por favor”

When talking about the price of things, it is the number followed by “mil”

“bathroom” – “baño”

The Baquedano Market—where I got to practice my Spanish

Relative to the language barrier comes the term “gringos,” meaning a white, English speaking person.  “Gringos” is considered a derogatory term, and I have encountered it a couple of times.  The first time it was really directed at me was when a few of us went to this bar to just check it out and see if it would be a good place to go another night.  Upon entering, we were greeted by a waiter who only spoke Spanish, who yelled down to the 4 women in the basement, the only other people in the place.  He told them we spoke English not Spanish.  The women replied with something in Spanish but we caught the word “gringos” among the words.  Immediately after that interaction, the waiter turned towards us and said drinks were 10,000 pesos, which is similar to $15 in the United States.  Obviously he tried to take advantage of us and we left.

Today, we visited Quinta Normal Park and the Museum of Memory.  During our free time we went to lunch at a small, cheap restaurant near the museum.  Half-way through our meal, a man across the streets yelled to the ladies at the table next to us in Spanish: “Oh I see you’re sitting by the Gringos.”  I thought this was a really weird thing to say.  In America, this would never happen.  It doesn’t matter who you sit by, we consider ourselves equal.  This man did not just say that, but he yelled it across the street.  I did not get offended because I know it is something that their culture does and has been doing for years.  It just made me think about how diverse and integrated the United States is compared to Chile, which was something I have never thought about before and was very interesting to think about.

 

 

Travel Interview: Sergio

When I first thought of some of the activities I wanted to do in Santiago, speaking to a citizen of this amazing city was near the top of my list. I was curious to see what they thought of their hometown; what they thought of the U.S.; or what they even thought of us, as study abroad students. From what I have seen so far it seems like we have been recieving positive reactions from many of the locals. So after some searching I found a Chilean citizen to interview.  It turns out the person to talk to was none other than our tour guide Sergio. Below are 8 questions that I asked him on the ride back to Santiago from Valapraiso.

Q1: What is your full name?

A: Sergio Andres Molina Rodriguez

Q2: What is it you like about your job?

A: I like that it gives me the chance to practice my English, teaching people and also I do not have to be in an office.

Sergio speaking to OSU study abroad students about the murals of Valparaiso.

Q3: What do you like most about Santiago?

A: I like that Santiago is safe, clean and well connected to other cities. It is also very active so you are never bored. However, like most people, I do not like the winter. It is also cold and gray.

Q4: What is you favorite site in Santiago?

A: My favorite site is San Cristabol, it has a lot of activities.

Q5: If you could visit 3 U.S. cities where would you go?

A: I would go to Los Angeles, Chicago and New York City. Also now Ohio since I have met you all.

Q6: Is there any U.S. entertainment that you like?

A: I like to watch TruTV. The towing shows and Storage Wars are my favorite.

Q7: Did you attend college? If so, where and what did you study?

A: Yes, I attended UTEM. That is short for Metropolitan TEch University.

Q8: What has been your most memorable experience with OSU so far?

A: My most memorable moment with OSU would probably be meeting you all, your arrival from the airport. I also would have to say Plaza de Armas.

 

The Sea Was Angry That Day My Friends

One of the last sonnets Pable wrote in his home in Valparaiso. Pablo compares the bond he and his wife share to various things in nature, implying a deep and pure connection.

Spending the day at Valparaiso was possibly my favorite day yet. From seeing the street art to swimming in the ocean, I felt like I really got to experience some of the best things the city had to offer. We even stopped at a sandwich place Anthony Bourdain ate at!

Sandwich from the shop Bourdain stopped at. It had ham, bacon, onion, peppers, and a fried egg.

It was actually my first time seeing the Pacific Ocean period. I heard it would be cold, but I had no idea what I was getting into. A couple of us ran into water at the same time with no idea how cold it would be. My body felt like it went into shock; I had never been in water that cold. Sergio wasn’t playing around.

I didn’t have high expectations for the two hour foot tour, considering it pushed back lunch. I was pleasantly surprised however, and really enjoyed the street art that I saw. It was colorful, confusing, and I felt like each piece told a different story. Between dodging dog poop and keeping up with the group I was still able to get some cool pictures.

My favorite stop was the house of Pablo Neruda. It’s interesting to see the space hat he actually existed and worked in. The things he surrounded himself can give an insight to the influences of his thinking and in a sense the decorations of his own mind. The view from his house was great, but what was inside will stick with me most.

3/16 -Memories

So today was a fairly simple day. Go to the cathedral, the park, museum of memory, then eat. I’m really glad we got to go to the cathedral too. I’ve seen some cathedrals in Spain before and they are massive, even compared to the one we saw today, but I appreciated the use of space that this cathedral had. Like adding the crypt underneath the alters (I think). Which I also though the crypt was really cool how it shows a transition from the clean white marble, to the rougher, tan marble and wood hand rail ends and steps. I’m curious on why the hand rails were purple too. The only reason I could think of is it was supposed to be a wine like color, and the wood ends are like the wooden cups that Jesus would have drank from. Other than that it’s a mystery to me. The park we went to today was actually really cool, we took a walk around the whole thing after doing a sketch and it had some real interesting trees and features to it. It was a fun time. The memory museum today though. That got a little deep. On an architectural standpoint, I though it had really good spacing between each display and the path you would follow was easy to go through. As for my emotional state, it made me feel numb. I couldn’t read almost everything in the museum, but the images speak for themselves. Knowing that an entire country was changed in a single, devastating day, makes you think for a moment. I don’t know exactly all of the details, but I got enough to understand that a lot of people were torn apart during this time. Wether that be because they lost someone dear to them, or had to leave everyone dear to them. The museum captured what was to be felt and understood about its history, and I’m glad I was able to have this experience be a memory that I won’t forget.

Museum of memory

Picture outside the crypt

Picture inside the crypt

Rapid fire thoughts

I have a lot of thoughts about this trip that aren’t enough for an entire blog post, so I’m gonna say all them here.

 

 

There are dogs everywhere. I know they are stray and this isn’t a good thing but I like it.

This dog took a break from the hot day at Plaza de Armas.

They eat dinner really late here. Like 9. I don’t really know why.

The Pacific Ocean is really really painfully cold.

Don’t be fooled, this water is ice-cold. Also look at all the mayo on the sandwhich.

The street performers are really talented.

Empanadas are amazing and everywhere. Big fan.

They listen to American music and watch American movies. I feel like it’s hard to not feel an American presence everywhere.

Monte con huesillo is a drink type thing with a liquid that tastes like sweet tea, some mangos, and some sort of grain in the bottom. It’s very good and pretty cheap.

This is the amazing treat.

There’s way less red brick here. I also just realized how much I like red brick buildings.

Everyone seems more relaxed here than American cities. For example, in the Plaza de Armas, everyone was just sitting on benches enjoying the weather.

The weather here is amazing. I’ve eaten outside everyday so far. I only do that about twice a year at home.

Pablo Neruda has an amazing house. It doesn’t seem like much from the outside, but the views are amazing.

This is my sketch of the view from Neruda’s dining room.

There aren’t many bugs. I’ve seen bees but that’s it. I also haven’t seen roaches, rats, or mice.

Finally, the mountains are amazing.

Lord of the Rings: One and 3/8 Towers

It was on this day that we visited Torres Siameses, Alejandro Arevena’s glass tower on the PUC campus, as well as Elementals Innovation Center. On the metro ride back to our hotel we met a man who was a student at the University. We told him how much we enjoyed these buildings and he was amazed because it’s was so simple on the outside. We described to him the inner beauty of the building, the reason why us architecture students loved it so much. I really enjoyed the texture of the concrete created by the molds used to form it. It was really unique how they chose not to enclose all of the fixtures and workings of the elevator system, as well as the central atrium, making the building far more sustainable as a whole compared to Torres Siameses. In this building, the glass skin that Arevena intended to make the building more sustainable and create a convection current around the building, to save on energy, seemed to make the building even hotter. The design also provided for issues with maintenance, in the areas where windows were later added, the most noticeable aspect was how dirty the building was between the two layers.

My drawing of the concrete’s texture at the Innovation Center

 

Sketching for Stress Relief

Today and yesterday were such peaceful and relaxing days. Yesterday we took the bus out to Valparaiso which was an awesome beach town. Pablo Neruda’s house was very interesting and it had great views of the city. I really enjoyed the colors and vibrant culture and art everywhere. I thought the waking tour was great and I really enjoyed the city’s use of section to its advantage. It was also nice to get the afternoon to enjoy the sun and the beach, which is something that us, Ohioans, needed greatly.

Today, we finally got to explore the inside of the cathedral in Plaza de Armas. There, I sketched the statue of Saint Santiago which was in the first niche in the nave wall. Next, we explored the Museum of Memory and had the rest of the day until dinner to explore and sketch more. I decided to sketch the exterior of the museum and also the Catedral Castrense de Chile. The rest of the day we spent in Quinta Normal Park. I really enjoyed the peacefulness of the park and really enjoyed just sitting for a little bit and observing everything happening in the park. I really liked today because I got to sketch a lot which is something that I’m starting to enjoy more and more. It’s something that I find relaxing and stress-relieving and it also allows me to document my interpretation of a space or object. I really enjoy sketching much more than I did before coming on this trip, and I plan on continuing sketching after this class to help relieve stress and give me an opportunity to be creative.

Becca, Lisa, Megan and I in Valparaiso.

Sketch of Pablo Neruda’s house in Valparaiso.

Sketch of the statue of Saint Santiago in the cathedra.

Sketch of the Museum of Memory.

Sketch of the Cathedral Castrense de Chile.

Day 5

In day 5, we had been to Valparaiso, a colorful seaside town. It was a sunny day. Thousands of colorful houses on the hill are really clear from the fourth floor of Pablo Neruda house. The Pablo Neruda house is super interesting, where is like a treasure house. I found a candlestick decorated by men with hindquarters of a goat and likely they are Pan, the god in Greek myth controlling flocks. Also, I saw the plate with a pattern that a woman in a nautilus, a teapot with a lady’s head, and many other interesting collections. The overall arrangement of the house is also cool and I really like the small spaces with exquisite furnish and decorate.
The murals around those little houses on the hill are amazing. I haven’t seen so many murals at the same time before. In this city, every corner is colorful and has amazing details. I can really feel the people’s enthusiasm for art and life.
Afternoon, we went to Vina del Mar, where has good beaches. We took lunch at a Mexico restaurant and then walked to the beach. There was really too many winds and sunshine on that afternoon. I felt super cold when the winds blew me and felt hot when sun on me.

Valparaiso

Travel within Travel

Ayer se ubica como uno de los mejores días de mi vida hasta el momento. He aquí un breve resumen de lo que pasó:

montañas -Watched pasan a Pink Floyd durante dos horas

-Toured La casa de Pablo Neruda y mirado a su colección litografía probablemente más tiempo que nadie jamás

-Drew Valparaiso de arriba a abajo

-Toured La ciudad y vio la más bella pintadas y murales de mi vida. Sintió totalmente inspirado por todo. Comprado obra y fue consolada por serigrafías en las paredes. Se recordó que la letra impresa no está muerto

-Found Un agujero en la pared lugar sándwich en un accidente que Anthony Bourdain había sido rellenado y nuestras caras en las rocas. Subió alrededor y dejar que el Pacífico salpique nuestros pies

-Cambio En trajes tan rápido como sea posible y se fue al océano a gran velocidad, dejando que el agua fría de hielo se convierten en nuestro mejor amigo para las próximas horas

-Frank Perdió sus gafas, Rico puede haber experimentado la hipotermia, y Kaz era del mismo color que la arena

-Walked Por el paseo marítimo y tuvo éxito en la búsqueda de un anillo y un novio

-fieltro Gusta llegamos al final de la tierra al final del paseo marítimo, regresamos a la tierra, se convirtió en una de las cajas de arena, sol, y la pizza

-Más montañas y Pink Floyd

-Más El Huerto, la conversación y el vino

-Reír tan fuerte que no puede respirar

-Más amigos.

Santiago Interacts Better

We took the bus to El Parque Infantil and I was presented with a feeling of utter joy that was so overwhelming I began to tear up.  We sat watching the children play in the water, exuberant with every interaction they had with the water, the ground, their mothers, fathers, each other.  I sat and took it all in, becoming more amazed by the human connection every second.  I was reminded of the importance of attempting to make a connection with everyone you meet and the impact this can carry.

Fast forward two days and we are enjoying a group lunch at a beautiful outdoor restaurant called Mestizo.  We had just finished a bus trip to a small private university, Universidad Adolfo Ibanez.  My first impression was similar to that of the college I attended my freshman year – small, antisocial, lacking diversity due to the steep price.  But as classes ended and lunch rolled around, the public spaces turned into mini social paradises.  Since the students do not live on campus, they made incredible use of the campus in between class instead of retreating to their dorms and apartments.  It looked like such a great release to be able to socialize to that degree and it left me wishing that Ohio State students would simply walk with their heads up to class.  Frank Brought up an interesting point – was it due to growing up up in a predominantly warmer climate that was condusive to utilizing outdoor space well?  What if we were to build a city in a colder climate, but treat the outdoor public spaces as if it was warmer?  Would the social culture begin to shift?

There is always something to think about.

Feeling Less like a Tourist

Today some of us got to go to a market near Baquedano, just by the metro stop. There were food stands, street musicians, dogs, and even some breakdancers entertaining the cars stopped at the red light in the crosswalk. It was really exciting, and you could tell most people were just going on about their daily business; totally mundane. I wish my everyday life walking to work or home had this much excitement. I was able to buy some nice souverniers for my family, and even haggle with a few vendors!

We also had the chance to visit a skatepark in Bustamente. It was awesome! It was full of locals, we tried hard to fit in with semi success. The park was pretty basic but still a blast. I got to interact with a few locals, mostly apologizing for almost running into each other. There was heavy traffic all throughout the park and you really had to be aware. It was a good time.

One thing I’m noticing is all of the street art around here. From the bus graffiti to the public murals, this city is bleeding with artistic expression.
This interesting piece was seen on a tourist info center near Baquedano.

Murals, Colors and More Food!

Valpariso is a magic place. People here are nice. The murals are beautiful. Even dogs here look lazier than anywhere else, stretching and sleeping everywhere on the ground. The walls in Valparaiso are painted into different popped colors. Great amount use of bright colors light pure yellow and blue is reasonable and cool. One of the most features of Valparaiso attracts me is that the combination of the sinuous and wide, straight streets which create distinguished feelings when people travel through the town. Meanwhile, I noticed many interesting details of this town from the structure of architectures. This base structure of a wooden lofted house is pretty interesting since it is featured with its pointed foundation.

Pointed base

The spheres of Roadblock also remind me many spheres pieces we saw in Santiago downtown.

Painting on the Roadblock

Creative artists here transformed this mounted town to a paradise for tourists.

At night we went to Baco and we have a nice dinner there. The place is pretty popular even it’s a Wednesday night. The atmosphere was buoyant and people were chatting and having fun. As usual we ordered fish and steak. This time we also had the salmon salad which was made by raw salmon and lettuce. It was also good!

Colorful Chile

Along the colorful walls heading to the Neruda’s house

Today, we went to the Neruda’s house. The Pablo Neruda’s two hours’ bus ride. In order to be the very first group visiting the house, we headed to the home use from early morning around eight. From taking the bus, I noticed the landscape changing along the highway. When it comes to the nearby context around Neruda’s house, the first thing interested me is the painted walls along the ramp heading to the top of the Valparasio. Because when the bus is going up to the hill, the street is too narrow for two cars to pass through, I nearly can see the people’s shoulders are rubbing the side of our bus, which scared me. However, the play of various colors along the wall is fascinating. The color and painting actually helping me to reduce the sense of distance or time. The reason why I say so is that the same situation also draws my attention while walking along the hill Cerro Concepcion, a two hour walking tour should be tired for me especially under the weather of 80 F. However, the surrounding environment of colorful paintings along all sides of the wall is filled with artistic creatures, is making the entire space a place where people could forget the time and location. I don’t feel tired at all, totally want to be embraced more by the colorful site while breathing the wind, which smells a little bit salty as the sea and looking at the sky, which corresponds to the blue of the further sea view as well.
Another place where there’s a lot usage of colors is the Pablo Neruda’s house. The location is at the high point, so I wonder whether there will be any relationship between outside environment and insider decoration. I find the colorful decoration inside this special building, not only the bright colors of walls inside all the rooms, but also those colored details on the glass or window. I bet every single day, when Pablo Neruda wake up by the bright orange and pink wall, sitting on the green coach and looking out of the colorful window, seeing the azure sea and sky, he will probably have a good mood.

Sketch of the living room of Neruda’s house.

 

Phones in Santiago

During this trip one thing I’ve realized is the people here are never on their phones. When you walk through the Ohio state you see a lot of kids walking while on their phones. Some people have their headphones in and listen to music, some people are texting, and some people are chatting on the phone. Here everybody is involved with what is going on around them. They do not text or open their phone wile hanging out with other people. I think it creates a better atmosphere because they give their undivided attention to one another and truly enjoy each others company.

Another thing I found very interesting is that they do not live at their school. The only time they see each other is during the day so they really enjoy their time together. This may be why they don’t use their phones as much but it was interesting to see. When we told them that we live at our school they were all so shocked and couldn’t comprehend the concept that we stay at school. I didn’t realize that it wasn’t the normal to do this. I find it very interesting to see the difference between cultures and I am looking forward to observing more differences!

San Miguel

Today was another fun day of exploring Santiago. I really enjoyed visiting the different universities in the city and experiencing how the Chilean students went to school. However my favorite part of the day was exploring San Miguel and seeing the murals. Riding the metro over there was hectic. We were stuffed like sardines in the cabins, and it was extremely hot. All of this was worth it once we reached San Miguel. One of the most intriguing parts of the journey was seeing how the neighborhoods transitioned from what we would consider middle class to lower class. Unlike in America, where it is more gradual, I found that the transition here was more sporadic. One street would have nice gated homes, then the next street would have more social, low income housing. One guy eventually pointed us in the right direction of the murals. I was amazed at how large and colorful but detailed the murals were. My favorite one is captured below in a photo as well as my own sketch of it with pens and watercolors. What I liked most about this mural was it was reflective of the rich history of Chile, incompassing the statues we saw in the Pre-Colombian museum. It uses some traditional colors and patterns native to the culture, and the woman is dressed in what looks like some traditional headgear. Throughout this trip I have been extremely curious about the people and culture of Chile, and I feel this mural represented it best.

 

My favorite mural in San Miguel.

Another day, another 650ish pesos

Curves in the benedictine monastery

We have been here for four days now and tomorrow we are going to Valparaiso, more commonly referred to as the BEACH! I’m excited to go tomorrow but I can’t let my excitement overshadow the experiences that I’ve had here in Santiago. On day two, I had a great time with my friends touring the Cerro Santa Lucia, a smaller and more structured hill in the middle of the city. I really appreciated the panoramic views from the top of the hill and the structures and landscapes that covered the small mountain. Although I was separated from the group on the way down and consequently left alone in the city without a map, the studies of the streets and understanding of the subway system got me back to the hotel.

On day three, I really enjoyed visiting the Benedictine Monastery and sketching in the space. I found a spot full of curved edges which was in surprising contrast to the very angular structure. The view was incredible too and I left with a stronger than anticipated appreciation of the building.

Furthermore, we toured a private university in the foothills of the Andes and even had the chance to talk to students at the school. I was surprised to find out that one of the girls there had studied abroad in Cincinnati, Ohio and new of my hometown in Dayton. She and her friends were also willing to take a picture with my gnome, Norbert, who has been traveling the world with me since 2009. I’ve actually been taking pictures of Norbert with every student on this trip and hope to make a video compilation of the pictures. More pictures of the gnome to come.

In case it was missed before, the BEACH is tomorrow and it’s going to make the two hour bus ride worth it.

Museo Cielo Abierto San Miguel

The Museo Cielo Abierto San Miguel is about a twenty minute metro ride from downtown on the yellow line. The “museum” is a neighborhood of social housing that has been transformed by a collection of murals. The murals line the north and south facades of the buildings facing Av. Departamental and Tristan Matta one block north. The surrounding area is visibly a much lower income neighborhood than the other neighborhoods we’ve been to in the city. It’s interesting how a low-income neighborhood has put itself on the map, per se, by investing its time and effort into public art.

On our way there, a man asked us if we were going to Cielo Abierto, and we told him we were. He gave us exact directions and walked with us a ways. I found it interesting that we were immediately noticed as not belonging to the neighborhood and that the murals had gathered enough attention that people who lived there were used to visitors. I’m currently in a class focusing on how art and culture can help improve the quality of living in cities and one thing that I kept thinking about was how the murals had changed the neighborhood. Of course the residents have these great pieces of art to call their own, but many of these people aren’t living in the best conditions. While we were there, I almost felt obligated to find a local shop to buy something as a way to give back to the neighborhood, however most of the places had closed already. I think it is an issue that needs to be addressed when thinking of places like this.

This project is very reminiscent of Quartier Etats Unis in Lyon that I visited last year. It was also a large section of social housing that had become worn down over the years. The residents and municipality decided in order to entice people back to the area and improve the poor quality of the buildings themselves, they would commission a set of murals. The murals there tell the history of the city and the Etats Unis development. The San Miguel murals represent a more eclectic mix of messages and styles. My favorite was one that seemed to capture the spirit of the city of Santiago and it also cleverly incorporated a shack in front of the mural wall. Other murals took inspiration from other cultures and some even had messages like workers’ rights. The murals definitely had a great impact on the space and have become a unique trademark for San Miguel.

The murals are located on the previously blank facades facing the street

 

This mural utilizes the shed in front as another surface to paint on as if it was one, uninterrupted mural. This mural is a showcase to Santiago as a whole.

Day 3

The Monastery Church

The ramp of Universidad Adolfo Ibañez

Yesterday is a sunny day. We meet early and began our journey. We climbed up to a hill to visit a church, called Monastery. To be honest, I rarely focus on church. And I believe this church is the best design I have seen. I think the designer is good to use sunlight. The Windows’ location and size are comfortable. Sunlight go through the windows and come into indoor space, making a sense of holy. And the huge hall looks majestic. Walking into the church, you would be shocked by this masterpiece.

Besides, we went to Universidad Adolfo Ibañez which is a local university. I witness a famous ramp that I just saw in photo. This ramp let me associate with the ramp in Knowlton hall. However, there are a lot of differences. This ramp is more flexible. It is curve that looks really artistic. And the space is much bigger. People can have a open vision when they stand on the ramp. Last but not least, the detail is fantastic. The middle of wall is white while the bottom is gray concrete. And the armrest is made from wood, which is different with the wall material.

Overall, these two building impressed me a lots. They are designed in different way. But they are both successful in details, using materials and space design. I fairly appreciate them.

Exploring the Architectures in Schools

If I have to pick highlights in these two days’ travel, I would definitely say the schools we visited. First of all I think the Architecture Graduate school of University Adolfo Ibanez impressed me by its central plaza. The plaza was occupied by many students who were chatting and circulating around. Such scenery is actually not common back in U.S. I think what I see in U.S. most is that people do their individual’s work more and seldom make connection with others directly. Despite many of them are still greeting each other and have common chat. I am not judging or being critical about this since I think it is all about cultural difference. In the undergrads school of the same university,  we see many open public spaces like the ones we had at Big Stairs in Knowlton( though it’s indoor) under circumstances. I think it’s pretty interesting.

Quick Sketch looking at the Central Gathering Space


And a day after, we went to the famous innovation center in PUC. The architecture itself from exterior is fascinated. To go further you might notice the structure seems to be in a weird but meaningful proportion which I think it’s pretty interesting. I also love the details inside of the building and I did a couple of sketches.

Exterior-Innovation Center

Furniture Pieces inside Innovation Center

 

Culture Continued

Mural in San Miguel

Mural in San Miguel

I’ve decided that my goal is really take in as much of the culture of Santiago that I can. I was talking with Sergio today asking about “po” and other colloquialisms of Chile. As he taught me some I started to really become elated. I said that these are the things you can’t learn in class or through pictures or being a tourist. It’s when you ask questions and take 45 minute train rides when you start to really gain a glimpse of what the culture is like. Asya, Shelby, and I went out to the Museo Cielo Abierto de San Miguel. The murals were each unique and beautiful and complex. It made me think of the complexity of Santiago and the history and the culture. The murals were on social housing in a lower income neighborhood. And I’m going to this neighborhood I saw a side of Santiago I hadn’t seen. Sometimes as a tourist you get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the city with all the flashy architecture, but it’s nice to see the other side of things. A man coming off the train in a suit helped us find the murals and a woman with her son waved to us from across the street. It’s these personal interactions that excite me as much as the architecture. Going to the universities the last two days has also given me an idea of what it would be like to be a 21 year old college student in Santiago. I still can’t fully understand what it would be like to live at home all through college or to take the super crowded train to class everyday but I understand better now. And that is the goal to understand parts of the culture from multiple perspectives a little better by the end of the trip.

Silent Cerritos Santa Lucia-3/12

Today, following our planned events, my friends and I went on a little expedition to Cerro Santa Lucia. We later found out that a majority of the Santiago group made this trek as well. The walk was surrounded by beautiful wildlife and a multitude of families spending quality time together. After our first set of statistics we met a man with his mother, they were visiting from Australia. They had just landed a few hours ago and we’re asking us if we knew of any cool touristy sights they should see. Naturally, we laughed at the fact that we’d only just began our explorations as well and then told them of the Moneda Cultural Center and the Plaza de Armas. The stairs were a treacherous experience as many of them were weathered and they all seemed to be different shapes and sizes. When we got about halfway up, to where we could see the castle, we stopped for a refreshing drink and took in the view, admired a beautiful waterfall/fountain, and then got a classic picture with the Santiago skyline and the mountains in the background. After our little breather we continued the climb up the hill, meeting more and more of our fellow travelers along the way. As we got to the top we caught sight of the beautiful view that was ahead. We entered the small, crowded crows nest area and I immediatelay took this photo.

The view from the top of Cerro Santa Lucia

 

Day 2

Today we took the metro to the downtown and explored Moneda Cultural Center, Plaza de Constitucion and Cuidadania, precolumbia art museum, Plaza de Armas, and streets around that areas.
I think the metro we took today is similar to the Beijing’s older metro lines. It’s not fancy but really clean and comfortable. However, it doesn’t have the railing and the doors close too soon and I think that’s kind of dangerous. The metro stations are beautiful. They have good paintings showing on the wall and the tiles covering the wall always consist interesting and colorful patterns.
In the commemorate streets we visited this morning, I found that they planted trees with black (dark purple) leaves to make the street seems heavier.
The activities in the afternoon are super exhausting but very interesting. I haven’t seen a street so deeply like that before. I realized that almost all the streets of Santiago are different in the paving materials and patterns. Also, benches of different shapes and colors are on different streets.
Santiago people on Sunday looks really relax. They just talking to each other, enjoying the sun, or sleeping in the plaza and the streets around. Every store on the streets is closed. They make me feel that here is really an amazing city.

FOOOOOD!!!

I knew coming on this trip that I wanted to try the local cuisine, but I did not think I would be this overwhelmed by it. Don’t get me wrong, when I say overwhelmed I mean it in a VERY good way! There are so many options that I just do not know where to start and definitely have not clue where I will end. For starters, there are ice cream shops everywhere. I walk down a street and see multiple signs for helado shops. I have yet to get a ice cream cone, but it is for sure on the list for Monday with a group of friends. Helado and churros; I plan on coming back a churro snub and complaining about how the churros in Scott do not compare. I really cannot pick a favorite spot yet, however there is a restaurant around the corner where the waiter offers great service. I am looking forward to eating at Mestizo because it looked “fancy” compared to that places that I have been so far. Very curious to see what the prices are like there as well. I have learned it does not cost much to feed yourself here and that is great for both my pockets and stomach. I just wish there was a Chilean store or restaurant in Columbus now.

Day 2

After a long flight and a tired day, I woke up a little bit late today. I just missed the breakfast but still meet on time.

In the morning, it is cold. However, walking for a while, I feel much better. We went to downtown by subway and visit the La Moneda Cultural Center. Although the main space of the center is not open today, I was attracted by the gift shop. There’re amounts of interesting souvenirs. After that, we headed to PreColumbian Museum. I saw some pretty artwork and choose one of my favorite doing a sketch.

In the afternoon, we began our assignment. We were supposed to analyze the Plaza de Armas. My group is well-organized. I did the part of transportation while some people did the plan and section. I probably figured out the mode of transportation, the location of traffic light, the speed limit and traffic volumn of each road. It was not easy because the weather  was extremely hot and the sunshine was dazzling. Besides, we also analyzed two sweet. I did a plan and section respectively. I feel satisfied for my drawing but it can still be improved in following days.

One more thing impressed me a lot. Before dinner, I went to a yogurt store which is just near the hotel. Initially, I worry about how to order because of the language. However, to my surprise, the seller speak English to me! He is so nice and the yogurt is also tasty. I strongly recommend to you guys!

 

Two Days in 200+ Words

Our first two days in Chile were filled with so many things that I can’t simply pick one thing that sticks out. On our first day we went up Cerro San Cristobal on the cable car which was such an amazing experience and a great way to start out the trip. From the top of Cerro San Cristobal, there were amazing views that span the entire city. After taking the funicular down, we explored Park de la Infancia which was such a cool experience. The park was awesome and the design was great. I decided to sketch in a very shaded area with sand and grass mounds where kids were playing. It was such a vibrant space with the grass and sand borders and the rock retaining wall being painted a variety of bright colors. For dinner, we ate a late dinner at a pizzeria down the street and the waiter was very nice and made awesome recommendation for authentic Chilean options. Finally to end the night, we relaxed at the hotel restaurant on the patio and enjoyed the weather.

Today was yet another amazing and packed day. Our stops included La Moneda Palace and Cultural Center, Plaza de Armas, a variety of pedestrian streets, the Pre Colombian Museum, Cerra Santa Lucia, and Santa Pizza for dinner. The Pre Colombian Museum was one of the best museums I’ve ever been to. Not only was the architecture fantastic but the exhibits were awesome as well. Cerro Santa Lucia was probably my favorite thing of the day however. During our free time we decided to climb the “hill” which was definitely worth it thanks to the 360-degree views and the slushy we got at the top. The walk down was also great, and we ended the walk with a group picture in front of the hill. We then took the Metro by ourselves for the first time and we got to experience a metro performer. It was a guy, probably younger than us that hopped on a stop or two after us with a battery powered amp. He looked at us with a big grin on his face, said a few things in Spanish and proceed to rap to a beat that he played. It was honestly such a fun experience I couldn’t stop smiling the whole ride back. The restaurant we went to for dinner was fantastic. The pizza was great and the actually building itself was very cool also.

All in all, it has been a great two days! I’ve gotten to use my Spanish (which I thought I forgot), and I’ve had a lot of fun doing so. The people here are very friendly, or appear to be at least, and the culture is vibrant and fun. The food is great and I’ve had a lot of fun trying the traditional Chilean foods and drinks. The pace of life also seems to be slower here however it might just be because we haven’t experienced the weekdays yet. My 500 words simply can’t capture the culture and atmosphere I’ve discovered the last two days, so here are some pictures to help.

 

View from the top of Cerro San Cristobal

Area of the Infant Park that I sketched

Infant Park border fence that also acts as a play ground for kids

My First Sunburn of Spring Break

Day 2: Even though I applied sunscreen, I still got burned somehow but thats OK because it was still a great day! A definitely hot day and a lot of walking day, but it was all well worth the adventures we endured. My first favorite exploration we did today was analyzing the downtown streets. The group that I was in analyzed Estado and Esmerelda streets and we noticed while going down Estado street how peaceful it was compared to Plaza de Armas. Although I loved seeing Plaza de Armas and its beautiful vegetation, there was so much going on that it was hard to find an area that was peaceful. Which is why I loved going down Estado street because it was a drastic difference in environments going from a very loud, very active area to a more quiet and blissful surrounding. Another favorite place that we explored today was Cerro Santa Lucia. Even though some of the stairs were pretty questionable and our legs were dying for how many stairs there were, when we made it close to the top the scenery was glorious. I unfortunately didn’t make it to the very very top, but if a park can have amazing views no matter what altitude you are at, its well worth the workout. After dinner, a couple of us ended up going for ice-cream at the little mart across from the hotel and then decided to go and explore more of Santiago’s streets. We were all amazed by the fact of the moon being upside down since we’re in the Southern Hemisphere (thanks Aaron for sharing that fact!!!) We all stood out even more touristy since all of us were just staring at the moon for the longest time, it was great! We then all went to Lomits had some fantastic desserts and drinks. This was by far my favorite memory of today because of the sharable moments of laughter and spending time with people who I didn’t even know existed before going on this trip 🙂 can’t wait to explore more of Santiago with everyone here! Buenos noches amigos y amigas! 

The Hills have Rides

As someone who loves heights, I got a real kick out ofriding the cable car. Myself and the folks in my car started taking pictures as soon as we started moving, but quickly realized they only got better the higher we went. Pretty soon we were high enough to see the whole city. The view was incredible! It was also fun trying to wave at the people riding back down. Most waved back! But I think it was also good for us all to get a glimpse of the poorer side Santiago. On trips like these its easy to focus on the food and fun, but I think it’s very important for us to be aware of how a large portion of this population is living. You can tell a lot about a society by the way it handles its poor. What we would consider “poverty” in the states doesn’t even compare to here.

I sent my mom this picture and she was mad at me for riding something so high up.

Riding the funicular back down was also pretty cool. A car passed us on the way up and no one waved! It’s been a very exciting first few days, and I’m excited to see what we’ll learn next.

Mayonnaise and Prostitutes

Two things I didn’t think would be so involved in my day, mayonnaise and prostitutes.

Let’s start with the first one. This country loves mayonnaise. A lot. The first meal I had in Chile came with fries. The fries, or “papas fritas” if you feel like butchering the language like I have been, came with mayonnaise to dip in. I was vaguely aware that some countries did this (thanks to Pulp Fiction), and figured that Chile was simply one of the countries who liked a little mayo with their fries. Little did I know. My next meal was a sandwich. On this sandwich was meat, avocado, tomato, and mayonnaise. A lot of mayonnaise. Like half a jar of mayonnaise. I thought it was some sort of queso sauce at first. After doing my best to eat my surprisingly good meal, I had a pool of mayonnaise collected on the plate. After noticing this, I became very aware that almost all advertisements for restaurants include a picture of a sandwich with a large amount of mayonnaise. This isn’t the biggest culture difference I’ve noticed, just the most suprising.

Now the other part of my day I wasn’t expecting. We spent a warm Sunday afternoon in the town square, La Plaza de Armas. In the square was what you would expect in a big city. There were street performers, children playing, people eating ice cream, musicians, a fountain and some prostitutes. The prostitutes were hanging around in full view of the family as well as the police. Now I am not surprised Santiago, along with every city, has prostitutes. I was surprised at them being in the open town square at Sunday at 2 pm. I’m not even really sure what conclusions to draw from that.

La Chascona

After leaving Plaza de la Constitucion today, Asya, Serena and I went to La Chascona (the Pablo Neruda house in Santiago). It’s at the base of Cerro San Cristobal and the end of the Bellavista barrio. The house is actually three separate buildings, one along the street and two on the hillside. The house has a maritime language with porthole windows, creaky wooden floors, metal ship-like railings, and a primarily blue color scheme with yellow accents. The entrance courtyard to the house is situated at the first level of the guest house (the street-facing building) and you can either enter the guest house or take the stairs to the main house. In the guest house is a bar and dining room on the first floor with a secret passageway to a guest suite above. The guest suite opens to the upper level of the garden. From there, you go up to the main house. This is a two story building, the lower floor is the living room and a dining nook and the upper floor is the bedroom (which is inaccessible to visitors). The fireplace in the living room placed in the corner and is rounded to mimic the rounded shape of the façade. Natural wood is also used in several places, most notably as a column dividing the space. The fireplace is white and the walls are stone. From the main house, you travel up a series of winding steps to the library (and another bar). An interesting note is that the fireplace in this room has the same rounded form as the one in the living room, however it is made of stone and the adjacent wall is white (an inverse from the materiality in the living room). The “France Room” as it is called (I am not sure of its original function, it’s currently a gallery of some if Neruda’s works and photos) is at the end of the library and a large window looks out over the hillside and out towards the city.

View of the fireplace in the living room

DAY 2

Today was a very hot day. The sun was oppressive but nice since we have been in the cold for 6 months. Plaza de Armas really got me very flustered. I felt overwhelmed with the heat and the people and the responsibility of directing my group. That’s why I was so relieved when we walked down Estado and it was shady and quiet and peaceful. This dichotomy has really made me think about the culture of chile and specifically Santiago. Shelby, Asya, and I went to La Chascona, Pablo Neurda’s house, and as we walked back we went through the Bellavista neighborhood. This area was very lively and young. I was comparing this to our neighborhood where I have seen many older people and families. These type of socio-cultural spatial relationships always interests me in cities. The way neighborhoods develop and hat kind of connotations they have. These are only things we could have learned I’m country. I noticed the comparison between Bellavista, Providencia, and downtown. Like all cities there is the richer neighborhood, the student neighborhood, and the formal center of the city. It was great being able to see all the differences in people and in architecture between these neighborhoods. Like for example the street performers and the curbs. These little changes really make up the atmosphere of the neighborhood.

Captain’s Log Stardate 031117 and 031217

Well that was a long flight. And although it was a relatively good flight, getting off was a welcome relief. And so was the weather! Blue skies and a subtle breeze gave me a wonderful first impression of Chile. I also think that hiking up Cerro San Cristobol was the best way to be introduced to the city. And while I’m not particularly religious, it was very moving to see how much religion is ingrained into the culture here. I was able to get a quite moment near on, if you are facing Mary, the left side of the Cerro where I was able to take in the fact that I am actually in the Southern Hemisphere. Also while I was there, I tried Mote con Huesillo, the peach drink, and I thought it was delicious! I had never had anything like that before! I of course loved Parque de la Infancil and I am very jealous that Port Huron Michigan had nothing like it while I was growing up. That night, me, Nick, and Trent went out to dinner and had Empanadas that were to die for and I, while trying to speak Spanish, accidentally asked the waiter for the recipe instead of the check.

The next day I woke up late but still managed to get down in time. The thing that struck me most during the walk down town was the memorial for coup. The graffiti on the door was very powerful and stopped me in my track. After that, I thoroughly enjoyed the cultural center and plaza de Adams.mbut my favorite part of the day was going up Santa Lucia. The height of Cerro San Cristobal was good, but I appreciated the styling of Santa Lucia. On that trek, we also met some friendly Australian who seemed very happy to see other people who spoke English.

I can’t wait to see what else is in store!

Kate out

2nd Day Wrap Up

On the second day of our trip, we mainly went to Plaza de Armas and analyzed Santiago city street. The plaza was crowed with locals and pretty occupied. We did some basic sketches of the plan and section of it and then we headed off to the street we were assigned. It is a Sunday so the street are full of people who are hanging out with their friends and families. Along our group walking we got these cute homeless dogs following, or sleeping around  us. It is just astonishing to see the homeless dogs are actually grow very well and being friendly to people. Besides those what impressed me most is how patient Chilean can be. We did a couple of lunches by our selves and I don’t know Spanish much. But when we tried to talk or explained something that they don’t understand at first, they were pretty parient and tried their best to get to know what we tried to say. Even though sometimes we still got misunderstandings but we are not discouraged. At Plaza de Armas  there was a Chilean lady asked me what we were doing(since we had a couple of people doing sketch there) and she was nice and introduced me a little bit of Chili culture. We had a special experience today and I am looking forward to see more about Santiago!

Bella Vista

Day 2 was a hot one. After visiting the cultural center and Plaza de Armas Shelby, Serena, and I took a trip to Bella Vista before dinner. There we saw La Chascona House (one of Pablo Neruda’s houses). The house was situated at the base of the San Lucia hill. Although I thought the 4 part abode was beautiful I thought the city of Bella Vista was the best part. The city was filled with young adults, markets, street vendors, and restaurants. There we found several souvenir shops, where we picked up handmade wallets, mugs, and key chains. We passed a few clubs and bars along the way too. Another cool part was the street graffiti that lined many of the buildings, attached are some examples of the market facades and art we show. Another interesting part of our adventure to Bella Vista was everyone thought me and Serena were Brazillian. I felt everyone we past staring at us, and this guy came up to me and asked me if I was Brazilian. I also was surprised at how large of a Haitian population Santiago had. I wonder how did they immigrate here and what’s the history behind why they came. Overall today was a great, hot day.

Bella Vista

Day 2 was a hot one. After visiting the cultural center and Plaza de Armas Shelby, Serena, and I took a trip to Bella Vista before dinner. There we saw La Chascona House (one of Pablo Neruda’s houses). The house was situated at the base of the San Lucia hill. Although I thought the 4 part abode was beautiful I thought the city of Bella Vista was the best part. The city was filled with young adults, markets, street vendors, and restaurants. There we found several souvenir shops, where we picked up handmade wallets, mugs, and key chains. We passed a few clubs and bars along the way too. Another cool part was the street graffiti that lined many of the buildings, attached are some examples of the market facades and art we show. Another interesting part of our adventure to Bella Vista was everyone thought me and Serena were Brazillian. I felt everyone we past staring at us, and this guy came up to me and asked me if I was Brazilian. I also was surprised at how large of a Haitian population Santiago had. I wonder how did they immigrate here and what’s the history behind why they came. Overall today was a great, hot day.