By vgosalvez11
As I wondered what to write for my blog today, the thought I can’t get out of my head is that this marks the beginning of my third week. I have only been in this country for just over 16 days, but I could easily believe it’s been months. I am starting to feel comfortable in my routines and place here in Santiago. (Not that you would be able to tell, given that I rode the bus the wrong way at least three times this week).
I had the opportunity on Wednesday to enjoy some slightly cooler weather (only in the 80s) by hiking to see the famous Cerro San Cristobal. San Cristobal is on the peak of the highest mountain around Santiago, which stood as a famous landmark for Spanish Conquistadors. In 1904, the peak became a sanctuary dedicated to the Immaculate Conception, along with a 22-meter statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, an amphitheater and a chapel.
Since San Cristobal has become an iconic spot for religious pilgrimages and important masses as well as just a beautiful place for a picnic with the family. The 45 minute hike was a good foot in the door for me on personal journey to “get into hiking” while in Chile. And honestly, I would have crawled for 45 minutes for the beautiful views and art once we got up there. I am going to refrain from waxing poetically too much about the beauty of the place and just tell you to go check it out for yourself someday (but I do have a couple of pictures).
Taking a break in the middle of a Wednesday right before the first day of classes to do this little hike was really important to me. As the start of class looms over me, it can be easy to forget where I am and just to enjoy how lucky I am to be in such a cool city. When I am worried about exams and papers and translating my notes I don’t want to get into a rut of going to school and straight back home. There is so much to do in this city and I am going to try and remember that every day. I will try and appreciate Santiago, even when I am tired from hours of class in Spanish or bored on my long commutes to and from school.Even though the “study” part of the “Study Abroad” comes first, I am going to try and make sure it doesn’t overshadow the abroad part.
For further example, my favorite moment of the week though was stumbling upon some real in downtown Santiago. As some of our program was walking to the metro to return home from a meeting we stumbled upon a park that was in our path. We decided to walk through, as we had nowhere special to be. It turned out that what looked like a little park was actually Cerro Santa Lucia, a large hill which is sometimes said to be the birthplace of Santiago. It was named when the city was overtaken by Pedro de Valdivia in 1541. Since then it was a central meeting place and fortress for the Spanish and holds two castle like forts. It was such a shock to me to stumble upon this piece of history in the midst of bustling Santiago, and it really illustrates what I love so far about this experience and this city. Being able to discover on my own such a unique and historic place so far from home is really an honor.
As classes kick into gear and I finalize my schedule and courses this week, I am working to hold on to this feeling of newness and the joy of discovering this city. I hope to be able to feel at home and feel Chilean, but I never want to stop being the excited tourist finding something new and going out of my way to experience it. I hope I can keep this resolution and stay positive and active going into my first full week of classes. Wish me luck!