The Time Has Come To Say Goodbye

My last weekend in Chile was so, so perfect.I finished a paper on Thursday, finished another paper on Friday, worked on a project all morning on Saturday (after making & scarfing down somedelicious chocolate chip pancakes) and then took a bus to Valparaíso Saturday afternoon. 
I went to Valparaíso with my mom & nana when they came in March but I have been dying to go back ever since. It is such a beautiful, unique, and lively city! 
My friend Jade & I arrived around 7 PM, hunted down a hostel, and then set off to enjoy the night. The nightlife is amazing there. At the first bar we went to, we saw that all of the locals were drinking some sort of strange fruity concoction out of what looked like large glass flower vases. We asked someone what it was and she explained that it was white wine, orange juice, and pear juice. YUM! Definitely ordered one of those... Later on, we stopped by a Mexican restaurant and had delicioussssssss fajitas. Not quite authentic, but the closest I've come to here in Chile. 
SO GUESS WHAT WE DID AT THE RESTAURANT?!!!

I accomplished goal:#072: Sing karaoke.
And I made Jade sing with me HAHAHAHAHA.I suppose that fruity drink we had earlier (in addition to the margaritas we were drinking at the time) gave us a little extra courage. There were TONS of songs in English on the list and we ended up choosing Wonderwall by Oasis. Talk about a bad song choice!!! I forgot how low and monotonousthe singer's voice is hahahahaa. Needless to say, we left the restaurant as soon as we finished the song.Although it was terribly embarrassing, I am so glad we did it! 
And P.S. I'm totes gonna do it again. Maybe even this week??? I think I'll bust out a little Alanis...


We made our way to one of the most popular nightclubs in the city and danced until the morning. It was insane to see how alive the city was as we were walking back from the club! There were more people out at that time than there were when we first arrived in the city! Incredible. 
Today we had coffee at a restaurant overlooking the ocean, wandered around Valpo's infamouswindy roads and hills in search of artisan jewelry, and grabbed a quick lunch before we headedback to Santiago. Oh! And I bought a churro filled with manjar (a thicker, creamier dulce de leche). 
Heaven. 
♥ ♥ ♥

Running off to Valparaíso was the best thing I could have done this weekend. Would you believe me if I told you that it seems like time runs slower over there? Because it does.I am now trying to wrap my head around the idea that I only have SIX DAYS left in Santiago...
No words. 

Weekend 5 of 6

My weekend was a blur of study dates at Starbucks and long, crazy nights at various discoteques. I can't believe I only have one weekend left! Although I am alreadyyy beginning to miss Santiago, I think I might escape next weekend to visit another beautiful city. 

This week I am going to try to finish a paper, two final projects, and study for my only final exam. After those four assignments, I am done with school! FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Until grad school.
Wish me luck! 



pictures from my trip to Valparaíso in March 

ONLY TWO WEEKENDS LEFT!

I forgot to give you a recap of weekend 4 of 6! Do you hate me???? I suppose I didn't feel the need to tell you all about how I was miserable and sick and basically bedridden all weekend. Womp womp.  But but... some exciting things happened! I'll make it short and sweet.
Wednesday: I baked!


Thursday: I did a handstand and celebrated Thanksgiving!


Friday: went to my internship and contracted some strange disease from the dirty children.
Saturday: went out to a fancy dinner with my friends to celebrate my graduation! Love these girls!



Sunday: I was dead.
Monday: I was dead.
Tuesday: Went to a farewell dinner with all of the students in my program. And, of course, spent most of the time with the people I see every day hahaha.


I can't believe my time here has almost come to an end!The only things that stand between me and freedom are:
CLASS 1- make a comic strip- do final project- take final exam
CLASS 2- read a few articles- write an essay
CLASS 3 - watch a documentary
- write essay on documentary - read for group project
- complete group project

Okay that is kind of a lot hahaha. Dang it.

Autumn in Santiago

One of the things I am loving about Santiago right now is how beautifully the seasons are changing.




 I am from Southern California where, let's face it, there's not much of a difference between summer and winter.  Although I still happen to think that LA is the best place IN THE WORLD (hehe sorry I miss it), I have always fantasized about strolling through central park on a lovely autumn day, sitting safely in a London café while rain pours outside, and jumping around in the snow in one of my cousins' backyards in Cleveland, Ohio. Life is tough when it is sunny every day! Hahaha... :P
 

 Anyway, every morning when I step outside of my apartment and take my first breath of the freshmorning air, I can't help but to notice a little smile forming on my face. The autumn here is just so gosh-darn beautiful -- especially after that rain we just had, which cleared away all the nasty smog. It is such a contrast from those relentlessly hot summer days we experienced when we first arrived in Santiago for this exchange program. 



Yesterday, my friend Jade and I wandered over to a nearby park and allowed our innerseven year-olds to run wild! A few days before, I saw a picture on Jade's Facebook page of her doing a handstand in the Atacama desert (located at the North of Chile... it is actually the driest desert in the world) and I was soooo jealous! I have never done a handstand before but have always wanted to (maybe you remember my pitiful attempt while on top of Machu Picchu?)!  I am always wayyy too afraid of falling on my head and dying a slow, painful death.

courtesy of Jade's Facebook 
Well good news! JADE TAUGHT ME TO DO A HANDSTAND! Other good news, while I did fall on my head at first, I did not die a slow OR painful death! (yet...)
practicing...


I DID IT!


This means I accomplished goal #084: Do a handstand!

We also did other fun things like backbending, bar flipping (?), and tree climbing. 



 


As if that wasn't enough excitement for one day, later that night, I met up with a bunch of students from my program and had a Thanksgiving feast! I mean, you try and picture autumn without Thanksgiving! It just doesn't sit well. The feast turned out amazing! I made French Silk Pie. Never Fails. 
the process:







the feast: 




 









 To end this photo montage, here are a couple pictures of me holding a hedgehog. Yup.



♥