Week #2: How Chile made me glad I recycle.

I seriously can't believe I've been here two weeks, and that my month in Chile is halfway finished already.  I'm so busy with the coursework during the week that I really don't have time to go out and do things at night.  Hopefully that will change this weekend, and no matter what homework I have, there are things I want to see and do! This weekend I'm hoping to go to La Chascona (one of poet Pablo Neruda's three houses) and el centro (downtown).  Hopefully if I'm not too bogged down with homework, I can post a blog on Sunday telling you all about my adventures!!!


I've convinced myself that I will come back to Chile and tour the country for at least a couple weeks at some point.  I'm not even going to make it to the Lake District (which runs all the way to Patagonia), see the Atacama Desert, or get to Easter Island!!!!!


Everything is different here.  There's more traffic and people, but it's a little ridiculous how impatient the drivers are...although I think Costa Rica still wins out on impatient drivers.  At least here, the drivers stop if you're crossing the street.  Seriously, the obsession with mayonnaise is a little disgusting too.  I think the hardest custom to get used to is wearing shoes ALL the time, even in the house.  It's considered rude if you don't.  Also, if I could wave a magic wand and change one thing about Chile, it would be their complete lack of caring about the environment.  Santiago is so smoggy most days, you can't even see the Andes, and March isn't that bad (apparently winter is the worst and summer is the best).  I walked by a house the other day that had a hose spewing with water and I learned very quickly to re-use the plastic bags you get or you'll accumulate them.