First Impressions

Los carabineros (police officers)

First off, I'd like to share that Chile is not how most people picture it. It is not a 3rd world country and it hasn't been for years. It is super stable and has a ton of modern technology. Santiago itself is the most developed city in all of South America! The police are honest and helpful. There are extremely few beggars or homeless people, no random creepy street performers, and the streets are filled with Audis, BMWS, Fords, and Toyotas. Everyone has iPhones or other smartphones. The parks are clean and the metro is safe. It is a very large misconception that it is super impoverished and underdeveloped (something I was partially guilty of thinking before I traveled here and experienced myself.)

View from my bedroom!

           

With almost a week under my belt, I feel like I officially have a "feel" for the city and I love it! My apartment building is in a residential area with a gorgeous view of the mountains. The apartment itself is a decent size with 3 bedrooms, a kitchen, a living room and a huge enclosed terrace facing the mountains (on the terrace there is a couch, two chairs and the kitchen table).

The terrace where we eat all of our meals

In the apartment, I have my own room with a comfortable bed, a desk, a TV and a large closet (perfect for the collective 100 pounds worth of belongings I deemed necessary to bring). It feels homey and safe and I couldn’t be happier to be living here with Gaby and Sergio.

A hotdog "italiano"

I will say, the food here is a little bland because they don't use very many spices. But I really don't have any major complaints. I've had a variety of foods like spaghetti, chicken and rice, steak and potatoes, empanadas (an authentic Chilean dish) and I have toast and eggs or cereal for breakfast. Hot dogs are one of the most common foods here, specifically an “italiano” which is a hot dog smothered in chopped tomato, avocado and mayonnaise. I was served this my second night here and it is sold on the streets at just about every other dining establishment. One of Chile's biggest exports is fruit (especially right now during their summer and our winter) so fresh watermelon and grapes and other summer fruits are always in the house and they're super delicious.

Empanadas - usually filled with meat and/or cheese

            One thing I had to do here but didn’t have to do in Spain was register my visa (a must-do within 30 days of entering the country or they deport you) as well as get a foreign identity card (similar to a license without the ability to drive - all Chileans use it as ID). It took almost 6 hours to do both those things in one day but I’m so happy Kyle and I got it out of the way prior to classes starting. Orientation starts for us on March 5^th (which is unfortunate since it is my birthday!) and classes start on March 13th, so until then we are all just exploring and being tourists and getting to know the city better.

           

The weather is currently averaging 80-85 degrees F every day. Central air conditioning doesn’t seem to be a huge thing here but most rooms have fans and if you combine that with keeping the windows open, there is always a nice breeze making it feel comfortable. All in all, I would say I couldn’t be happier that I chose Santiago as the location for my second semester abroad. I feel safe, comfortable and extremely happy!