Santiago - First Impressions
ALBUM - Body Confident/Easy Go - The Hubbards
It’s been a while, I’ll admit that. But I do think I have a pretty decent excuse. I finished my exams in Sicily and then had a hectic few weeks at home before making the trek to SANTIAGO! That’s right, I am here! I’ve nearly been here two weeks but honestly it has felt like no time at all. So today I thought I would treat us all to my first thoughts on this city.
My flight was overnight, and after immigration and waiting a stupid amount of time for my bags I fell into the back of a taxi en route to my new flat. A lot of my friends have come to their new cities with a bed in a hostel and once they arrive, decide to find their flat. I didn’t do this in either city, something about coming with no plan stressed me out. I actually found my flats very easily on websites and I’m sure I was lucky that there were no nasty surprises. In fact my room looks out on a stunning view of the Andes climbing away behind the sprawling high rises of Santiago, waking up to that everyday is something you never get used to, trust me. I quickly got settled into my flat and met my new flatmates, who are all lovely! I must admit that two of my flatmates are Spanish and I am yet to compete with their stamina to fiesta. I just don’t know how they do it! One night out til 6, added to jet lag and I was broken.
So as is to be expected with one of Georgia’s stories, there have already been some messy nights out - I’m nothing if not consistent. We found ourselves a gay bar in Bellavista one night (my first experience of a gay bar) and that was an experience I can't wait to repeat! Here, all the clubs blast out reggaeton like there’s no tomorrow which is the only drawback - it gets a bit old. But that hasn’t stopped the party - I actually spent all of yesterday in bed feeling very sorry for myself, after I dragged my sorry ass out for my class at 10. And on the topic of consistency, here is my first segue. The university here is so good! I’m taking three classes which I officially signed up for today - I’m studying Modern Chilean Art, Contemporary Latin American Cinema and History of Chilean Photography. It’s the first time in my studies that I have really been able to study three very different things that all interest me so much. I’m one of those people who is creatively inept. My dad is a painter and my mum also dabbles is drawing and the like, but unfortunately none of these skills were passed on to me. I can’t sing, play an instrument, act, paint, draw, or do anything that requires imagination. But I thoroughly respect those who do, so getting to study creative people is something I’ve always wanted to do.
I love culture in all forms and I love the message it can portray. I have already made my way around a few museums and art galleries here (this is my protocol for when I’m in a new city). With its rich history, Chile has a lot to offer in this department. There is also some of the most amazing street art here. Hailing from Bristol I have been brought up in a colourful city full of Banksy’s masterpieces, and Santiago is the only city that has ever competed with Bristol in this area. The entire city just breaths life and colour. My favourite areas at the moment are Bellas Artes and Lastarria, where during the day, you can find record stores and quirky clothes shops, but at night the bars and restaurants open up and these areas become a small hub in the big city. I just love it here.
Settling in really hasn’t been too strenuous either. The university is very accessible (puts Edinburgh a bit to shame really) and I’ve met enough people to feel quite at home here. Despite settling in I am already in the process of planning a few trips to break the bank. I bought my flights to Mexico at the end of April, and if the plans work out I should be going to Patagonia, Buenos Aires and Rio as well. I’m definitely in the mindset of “if not now, when?”. It also gives me perfect opportunities for more story time blog posts! This of course doesn't mean I am sick of the city, I personally don’t think I ever could tire of Santiago if I’m honest. My one fear is that, knowing the city is so big, I’m worried I won’t see enough of it. Most of my university courses are in fact a 20 minute metro journey away and yet that doesn't even bring me close to the outskirts. This is why I have been struggling to find the time to sit down and write a post - I just feel like I could always be doing something; there is always something to see.
As well as new things to see, I’ve tried a few new foods since being here (nice segue huh?). Before coming here, my mum was sure that I would be eating tacos, burritos and fajitas for 5 months. The only problem was, despite telling her this was just Mexico, I had no idea what food they actually ate in Chile. A lot of sushi is the answer. There is sushi everywhere! But on the more traditional theme, so far I have tried empanadas, ceviche and mote. Empanadas are widespread across South America, but every country has their own style. My first empanada here tasted like a Greggs ham and cheese slice. I was pretty disappointed and a bit apprehensive about trying another. But I bit the bullet and bought from a more “authentic” looking shop, and this time it was bloody marvelous. Empanadas here are made with a pino (mincemeat) of sorts and they come with a pastry similar to shortcrust. The one I tried was chicken with a surprise element of hard boiled egg, and with that empanadas became my new lunch time fave. Ceviche is again something more general from South America, it is a dish of fish (the one I had was salmon and prawns) that is marinated in lime juice with raw onion and tomatoes. This was so delicious as well and I don’t know why, but I felt really fancy eating it - something about the nearly raw fish made it feel like posh sushi. Last on my list is mote. Unfortunately, mote is horrible. I had just climbed up Cerro San Cristobal (a hill with an amazing view in the centre of the city) and was so so thirsty. So I decided to try this traditional drink I have seen on every street corner. Pearl barley, peaches and what tasted like the syrup tinned peaches come in. This is what this DRINK consists of. I just couldn’t stand how sickly sweet it was and really didn’t understand why it had two inches worth of pearl barley floating around in it. By all means give it a try for yourself, but you have been warned.
As well as the food there is just always a lot to see here, there are a few hills in the central city which offer amazing views if the contamination doesn't get in the way. It’s very metropolitan here and anything you need is within reach that’s for sure. In conclusion, Santiago is a very cool and lively city that I just can’t wait to get to know better. I’m off to Valparaiso in a couple of weeks for a project with my photography class (I honestly feel so cool just writing that), so stay tuned for more photos (@flynn.fotos) and perhaps even a blogpost on that! As well as Valparaiso, Mexico should be another adventure to look forward too! Here’s to a thoroughly interesting and fun-filled semester. Until next time!
It’s been a while, I’ll admit that. But I do think I have a pretty decent excuse. I finished my exams in Sicily and then had a hectic few weeks at home before making the trek to SANTIAGO! That’s right, I am here! I’ve nearly been here two weeks but honestly it has felt like no time at all. So today I thought I would treat us all to my first thoughts on this city.
My flight was overnight, and after immigration and waiting a stupid amount of time for my bags I fell into the back of a taxi en route to my new flat. A lot of my friends have come to their new cities with a bed in a hostel and once they arrive, decide to find their flat. I didn’t do this in either city, something about coming with no plan stressed me out. I actually found my flats very easily on websites and I’m sure I was lucky that there were no nasty surprises. In fact my room looks out on a stunning view of the Andes climbing away behind the sprawling high rises of Santiago, waking up to that everyday is something you never get used to, trust me. I quickly got settled into my flat and met my new flatmates, who are all lovely! I must admit that two of my flatmates are Spanish and I am yet to compete with their stamina to fiesta. I just don’t know how they do it! One night out til 6, added to jet lag and I was broken.
So as is to be expected with one of Georgia’s stories, there have already been some messy nights out - I’m nothing if not consistent. We found ourselves a gay bar in Bellavista one night (my first experience of a gay bar) and that was an experience I can't wait to repeat! Here, all the clubs blast out reggaeton like there’s no tomorrow which is the only drawback - it gets a bit old. But that hasn’t stopped the party - I actually spent all of yesterday in bed feeling very sorry for myself, after I dragged my sorry ass out for my class at 10. And on the topic of consistency, here is my first segue. The university here is so good! I’m taking three classes which I officially signed up for today - I’m studying Modern Chilean Art, Contemporary Latin American Cinema and History of Chilean Photography. It’s the first time in my studies that I have really been able to study three very different things that all interest me so much. I’m one of those people who is creatively inept. My dad is a painter and my mum also dabbles is drawing and the like, but unfortunately none of these skills were passed on to me. I can’t sing, play an instrument, act, paint, draw, or do anything that requires imagination. But I thoroughly respect those who do, so getting to study creative people is something I’ve always wanted to do.
I love culture in all forms and I love the message it can portray. I have already made my way around a few museums and art galleries here (this is my protocol for when I’m in a new city). With its rich history, Chile has a lot to offer in this department. There is also some of the most amazing street art here. Hailing from Bristol I have been brought up in a colourful city full of Banksy’s masterpieces, and Santiago is the only city that has ever competed with Bristol in this area. The entire city just breaths life and colour. My favourite areas at the moment are Bellas Artes and Lastarria, where during the day, you can find record stores and quirky clothes shops, but at night the bars and restaurants open up and these areas become a small hub in the big city. I just love it here.
Settling in really hasn’t been too strenuous either. The university is very accessible (puts Edinburgh a bit to shame really) and I’ve met enough people to feel quite at home here. Despite settling in I am already in the process of planning a few trips to break the bank. I bought my flights to Mexico at the end of April, and if the plans work out I should be going to Patagonia, Buenos Aires and Rio as well. I’m definitely in the mindset of “if not now, when?”. It also gives me perfect opportunities for more story time blog posts! This of course doesn't mean I am sick of the city, I personally don’t think I ever could tire of Santiago if I’m honest. My one fear is that, knowing the city is so big, I’m worried I won’t see enough of it. Most of my university courses are in fact a 20 minute metro journey away and yet that doesn't even bring me close to the outskirts. This is why I have been struggling to find the time to sit down and write a post - I just feel like I could always be doing something; there is always something to see.
As well as new things to see, I’ve tried a few new foods since being here (nice segue huh?). Before coming here, my mum was sure that I would be eating tacos, burritos and fajitas for 5 months. The only problem was, despite telling her this was just Mexico, I had no idea what food they actually ate in Chile. A lot of sushi is the answer. There is sushi everywhere! But on the more traditional theme, so far I have tried empanadas, ceviche and mote. Empanadas are widespread across South America, but every country has their own style. My first empanada here tasted like a Greggs ham and cheese slice. I was pretty disappointed and a bit apprehensive about trying another. But I bit the bullet and bought from a more “authentic” looking shop, and this time it was bloody marvelous. Empanadas here are made with a pino (mincemeat) of sorts and they come with a pastry similar to shortcrust. The one I tried was chicken with a surprise element of hard boiled egg, and with that empanadas became my new lunch time fave. Ceviche is again something more general from South America, it is a dish of fish (the one I had was salmon and prawns) that is marinated in lime juice with raw onion and tomatoes. This was so delicious as well and I don’t know why, but I felt really fancy eating it - something about the nearly raw fish made it feel like posh sushi. Last on my list is mote. Unfortunately, mote is horrible. I had just climbed up Cerro San Cristobal (a hill with an amazing view in the centre of the city) and was so so thirsty. So I decided to try this traditional drink I have seen on every street corner. Pearl barley, peaches and what tasted like the syrup tinned peaches come in. This is what this DRINK consists of. I just couldn’t stand how sickly sweet it was and really didn’t understand why it had two inches worth of pearl barley floating around in it. By all means give it a try for yourself, but you have been warned.
As well as the food there is just always a lot to see here, there are a few hills in the central city which offer amazing views if the contamination doesn't get in the way. It’s very metropolitan here and anything you need is within reach that’s for sure. In conclusion, Santiago is a very cool and lively city that I just can’t wait to get to know better. I’m off to Valparaiso in a couple of weeks for a project with my photography class (I honestly feel so cool just writing that), so stay tuned for more photos (@flynn.fotos) and perhaps even a blogpost on that! As well as Valparaiso, Mexico should be another adventure to look forward too! Here’s to a thoroughly interesting and fun-filled semester. Until next time!
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