Everything is closed...

Tis Easter weekend here in Santiago, and everything is closed. Being such a Catholic country, it isn't surprising. Yesterday I rode my bike up Cerro San Cristobal, which has a statue of the Virgin Mary overlooking the city. It was full of people visiting the church at the top, even a few impersonating Jesus. I was some what impressed, it is a bit of a hike, a long ways to carry a cross, but I guess that's the point right? Chile seems to enjoy consumerism, as the Easter bunny isn't an unknown figure here. Not the same level as in the US, but there are those who pursue the Easter egg hunt. Sometimes it is odd for me, someone who wasn't raised with any Christian influence, to be around such a Christ crazy country.

cerveza

I wanted to dedicate a little bit of time to the beer that I drink the most, Escudo. When deceiding on a good beer, one has to consider many different factors.

1. How much is it? The price can't break my bank account, Escudo is relatively cheap, averaging around 650 chilean pesos for one liter.
2. How easy is it to get a hold of? Escudo is sold everywhere, usually cold, one only needs an empty bottle to exchange for a full one..(or you pay 200 pesos extra, Chile's version of a bottle deposit)
3. Does it taste good? Escudo is much better then some of the other Chilean beers such as Cristal, Baltica, Austral, while it can't even begin to compete with Kuntsmann, it is suffcient on a hot day.

One can find draft Escudo, but usually I have a beer at the house, where it is far cheaper and I can choose the music.


Now, sometimes I want something a little better quality. When this feeling hits, I turn to Kuntsmann.




Kuntsmann is brewed in Valdivia, which is in the south of Chile. It is an indicator of the influence of German culture here in Chile, good bear (guten bier?). It is a little more expensive, but reminds me of some of the microbrews availible in the US, (which I am always missing...)

got a few classes....

So the routine of being in one place for an extended amount of time can sometimes be a burden for me. So much easier when you can just get on a bus and head to the next town when things get dull, but there is plenty about being home bound that I enjoy. It is nice to have friends that you know, that you don't have to explain who you are, that you can just relax with. I don't have the same range I had in Santiago but I have a few which is good enough for now. On Friday I went out with a bunch of other English teachers, it was the first time I have gone out with other English speakers in over a month. So different to be able to just talk without any thought process, but not nearly as interesting. A lot of times when I am with Spanish speakers, I am so interested in what they have to say, but if I had the same conversation in English it would be so boring. Talking about clothes, or some stupid television show. I still have a long ways to go with my Spanish, but I can see that I have improved over the last few months. I could hardly finish a sentence when I arrived, now I can go on a short rant in Espanol!

Back to Santiago....

Returned to the bustle of the city. When I arrived the bus terminal was packed, everyone was returning from their vacations. Last Sunday the news reported around 200,000 people returned to the city! I took the metro home and found myself walking down Vicuña Mackenna, the roar of the micros and the bustle of the street was a bit overwhelming. It has been a while since I've been in a city.

Returning to Santiago was like coming home. I got in touch with some friends, met new people living in my apartment. Louisa, from Brazil, a strong willed 25 year old girl who goes out every single night of the week. She is a Brazilian so is full of energy and sass. Much different from the German, Jans, who was living their before I left. Also a guy named Mickey, from Japan. We have quite a blend of personalities in the house right now.

I am waiting on classes at my school, right now there is nothing. I think March will be very slow as everyone is still adjusting to regular life after the holiday season. It is very hot in Santiago right now, last week it hit around 37 C, who knows what that is in F, but it is incredibly hot. All the cement heats up and around 5 pm it is almost unbearable.

I am also looking for some other things to do with my time, maybe volunteer somewhere or something like that, but don't know as of yet. Photos of my trip soon to come...