Chile's capital is surrounded by mountains. The coastal range and the Andes try to contain its over 6 million inhabitants. From the people to the food to the landscape, the city's diversity is impressive.
Santiago
Month: June 2013
A Sinking Feeling
By jadoerge
Semester Break Vacation Part 6: Venice and Milan
After leaving the radically different Italian island known as Sicily, it was time to visit and old friend, Venice! Having stayed in the city for nearly a week during my time studying abroad in high school, I was excited to see the city without the pressure of trying to visit every big attraction in the two short days that we were there. After a late night water taxi to our apartment a few blocks from the Rialto Bridge and some rest to recharge our batteries, we set out to explore the endless mazes of canals that make up Venice.
Although the plan was to start the day at St. Mark’s Square and figure out a plan from there, the walk to the massive plaza turned out to be a bit of an adventure itself. From the outdoor flea markets to the multitude of shops selling carnival masks from 1 Euro to thousands, getting lost in Venice is one thing that I would recommend doing to anyone at some point in Venice, simply to discover things that might not be covered in Frommer’s guides or Trip Advisor. On this particular sidetrack, I discovered the beauty of one of Italy’s most prestigious tobacco pipe makers, Savinelli. From the simple briar pipe to elegant carvings of various objects, it was great to see that this particular tradition of woodworking was still alive and well in Italy. ...continue reading "A Sinking Feeling"
Preparing for the Spanish Presentation
By jtmanley
In my Peronism class, each student must read a text specific to a particular unit and give a 15 minute class presentation on the main points and facts of the text. Remember that the language of instruction is Spanish, the texts are in Spanish, and the presentation must be in Spanish. This week, I was responsible for covering the third part of a three-part text on Argentine political transformations from 1955 to 1973 and the impacts of different societal groups (unions, students, guerrillas) on the transformations. Luckily, I did not have any problems with the presentation (which counts for a significant part of the final grade).
After receiving the text from my professor, I read the 16 pages over and wrote my notes/outline in Spanish. I found that writing notes in the language of instruction is the easiest way to remember information when it comes time to give a presentation. By thinking in the language and phrasing your thoughts correctly, you improve your Spanish and end up having an easier time understanding the text when you read it again. So after taking my notes and reading the text for the second time, I decided to test myself. ...continue reading "Preparing for the Spanish Presentation"
Israelisms
By Adar
Being a Poli Sci minor, and taking mainly courses related to conflict and societal cleavages, I often think about Israel in terms of the deep scars and strife that bog down the country. But I wanted to devote this post to some of the things that I see day-to-day that make me say, "that's so Israeli". Sometimes I think they're weird. Sometimes genius. Sometimes just different. And sometimes hilarious.
1. Animal-shaped iphone cases
Mainly bunnies. They're large and neon plastic cases that are supposedly cute.
2. Straws ...continue reading "Israelisms"