Well, I’m proud to say that I’ve fallen a bit behind in my blogging! This might sound like a strange comment, coming from me, but my tardiness in keeping you all updated is the first symptom I’m actually starting to be busy here in Chile. More to come on the details of what is filling my schedule later. First things first:
Two weekends ago, the plan had been for all the students involved in a Middlebury program in Chile to meet in Valparaíso to help with Techo Para Chile (A Roof for Chile), an organization similar to Habitat for Humanity that helps build houses for people living in extreme poverty. However, things fell through with the organization and, feeling guilty that we were going to be deprived of a weekend outing, Jeff and Aki (our program directors) instead organized a weekend of luxury in Santiago. The contrast between the intended plan and the actual outing was so extreme that it bordered on ridiculous. Instead of cold showers and limited running water, we stayed in a gorgeous hotel in one of the upscale neighborhoods of Santiago. Instead of simple, traditional food, we were treated to three multi-course meals each day and, instead of views of poverty-stricken neighborhoods, we were given tours of organic vineyards and Santiago’s largest tourist attractions. While I was disappointed that we weren’t able to help with Techo para Chile, I’m certainly not complaining…especially when Middlebury covered the bill for the entire trip!
Those of us from the south had to earn our weekend of ease and luxury, leaving Valdivia Friday evening on the night bus. Eleven hours and one construction cone collision later, we stumbled off the bus and made our way groggily toward the metro station to head to Middlebury’s office in Santiago. When the train pulled into the station, I think twelve pairs of eyebrows were raised in shock. Santiago is home to more than 6 million people (37% of the country’s total population), and I think the train that we were about to board held about 50% of that population. We pushed and squeezed our way on and, had my backpack been an inch larger, I’m pretty sure I would have lost it to the guillotine of the metro doors. There was no need to worry about not being able to reach a hand hold–we were so tightly packed together that I wasn’t going anywhere.
About twenty minutes later we emerged in front of the Middlebury office and spent the morning eating a leisurely breakfast, trying to shake of our bus-lag, and waiting for the kids from Valparaíso and Viña del Mar to arrive. After a quick stop at the hotel to drop off our things, we were taken to Cerro Santa Lucía — a sort of botanical paradise in the center of a metropolitan labyrinth. From the top of the little hill we had our first views of a portion of Santiago’s skyline. I’m not sure if there is a limit to building height in the city because of earthquake regulations, but the majority of the buildings we could see were remarkably uniform in height–as if a giant had stomped through the city with a club, whacking off the tops of all the buildings that stuck up too high.
The title of this entry could as easily be called “How to Hold Your Breath for a Weekend.” The pollution was unbelievable: a nice brownish-white cloud of smog hanging over the city and nearly blocking out the view of the Cordillera of the Andes that rises above the city. I’m not sure if it was real or psychological, but I could swear that I felt my eyes burning. Speaking of the Andes, what we could see of them was incredible! These are serious mountains–rather than wasting time with foothills, they just jump right to the conclusion, jutting out of the flat valley and forming a formidable border to city.
From Cerro Santa Lucía we walked through the city to Cerro San Cristobal — a park with a zoo, swimming pools, bike trails, and japanese garden. We took a funicular up to the top of the hill for more views of the city, then took a gondola (teleférico) part-way down to a restaurant where we stopped to have lunch. Dressed in our jeans and t-shirts, we were served champagne by waiters with white gloves, while being eyed curiously by the other guests in their suits and dresses.
The next day, we headed out of the city to the Maipo valley, where we were given a tour of Sol y Viento (Sun and Wind), an organic vineyard. We spent the afternoon walking around the vineyard and eating another amazing lunch at a nearby golf club before heading back to the city to catch our buses. Looking forward to my eleven-hour bus ride, I was slightly envious of the Valparaíso clan and their two-hour trip. However, hearing stories from the other kids and seeing Santiago, I’m glad to be living in Valdivia. The big cities are fun to visit, but it’s nice to go home to the more mellow, relaxed pace of small-city life.
TOTAL BUS HOURS (Since arrival in Santiago July 29th): 48.5
