Jackie has been as busy as you might expect her to be as she finished up her semester in Santiago and prepared to take on Peru. If you think all she did was study for finals in the past two weeks, however, you clearly haven't been reading her blog.
Besides an exposure to the grand opera, Carmen, and visiting Pablo Neruda's house, Jackie and her friends also experienced some different parts of the city of Santiago. As you can see from Jackie's comments, she has gone far beyond the experience that a tourist might get in visiting Santiago.
Saturday morning a few friends and I tried something else new: the Chilean version of blueberry pancakes. "Panqueques" here are always crepes, and we had yet to find a restaurant serving traditional US breakfast food. As we perused the menu, delirious with the promise of fried eggs, hash browns, and french toast (all outrageously expensive,) I acknowledged my newfound appreciation for Denny's. The restaurant, Café Melba, is located in the heart of Santiago's wealthy East side, ("The dogs here are brushed and there are no loose power lines," my friend observed.) However, strolling past a nearby street filled with US restaurants, we decided that guests at the nearby upscale hotels would not obtain a very complete view of Santiago if they limited themselves to this neighborhood.
Jackie also has been able to gain a greater cultural understanding of Chile and the family structure there, which she describes thoughtfully in a post where she begins:
Between cramming for finals and helping my host mother debate whether or not to adorn our new stereo with ceramic elephants, (which are gradually taking over the living room,) I have been spending more time in the house over the last couple of weeks. My recent "intense exposure" coupled with four months of observation (of my own and friends' living situations) have provided me with a deeper understanding of the Chilean family.
Check out her blog for the rest of the details of her final days in Santiago, the farewell party her colegio students threw for her, and all her other adventures.
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