Adventures

It's been almost a week since I last wrote something (so it's gonna be another long post) and what a crazy/eventful week it has been: hiking San Cristobal, visiting La Moneda (the presedential palace), wine tasting at Concha y Toro, and a day trip up to the Andes. I decided to stay with my host mom for the remainder of the semester to accelerate my Spanish learning, and to really live as Chileans live (in their parent's house until they are 30). Add school into the mix, and it's one hell of a roller coaster ride. No wonder my immune system has taken a hit and I'm left sipping medicine in the form of tea. Never in my life have I experienced such a range of emotion in such a short time period. All of the sudden July is halfway over and I'm left dumbfounded as to where the time went. I'll post some pictures on my blog, but check out my facebook albums for more :)


Cerro San Cristoal is one of the many hills in Santiago that offer some great views of the city. We definitely weren't expecting such an intense hike, so we blamed our struggling on the smog and the altitude :) 

The View: Santiago, Chile (That's not fog, it's smog)

Me, Hannah, Lauren, and Christina after the hike up

La Moneda is basically the Chilean White House, it was pretty cool to get a tour. We got to see the interior courtyards and a couple of the interior rooms. We were shown the room where President Piñera works, but of course we weren't allowed in there :/ 

Looking at La Moneda from a nearby street

Chapel inside La Moneda

Wine tasting was super fun! It was my first wine tasting experience and I'd say it was a positive one. We got a tour of the whole winery (I don't know if that's always how it works, but I thought it was super cool). Concha y Toro is actually one of the major producers of wine in Chile and is only 30 minutes outside the city (90 minutes if your bus driver makes a wrong turn and can't find a place to make a u-turn on the 2 lane highway).

The winery was gorgeous, but to get there we had to drive through some pretty run down areas. I honestly had never seen first hand poverty that extreme. We are talking little shacks with dirt floors and patched together pieces of metal to create a "roof". It really affected me. The differences between the classes is so apparent and somewhat shocking to see up-close.

Concha y Toro Vinyards

$1500 USD just for the BARREL

On a happier note, the Andes are absolutely gorgeous! We took a day trip up there for my language class, groups chose locations to go and observe aspects of Chilean culture. A ski resort near El Colorado seemed like a good choice. The scenery was just absolutely breathtaking, so gorgeous. It had  just snowed, so there was fresh powder everywhere and I felt like I was truly submersed in a winter wonderland. 

Me and Hannah outside trying not to freeze

View from the lodge of El Colorado

It was pretty snowy

It hits me at random times that my brother is really gone, and standing on top of the Andes with the sun shining through the clouds was one of those times. Some moments are harder than others but I'm getting through it. Thank you to everyone who has supported and and my family during this hard time, especially my fellow EAP members. You guys have helped me more than you probably know, I really feel like I'm not alone down here. Joe will be with me every step of my South American journey. 

My heart's still active in sadness
And secret tears still flow
What it meant to lose you
No one can ever know.
But now I know you want us
To mourn for you no more
To remember all the happy times
Life still has much in store.

- Section of the poem on Joe's memorial card (Thank you Ellen for finding such beautiful words)