Hello from Santiago!

In this post, I want to talk about what I have to do at my internship. I have talked a lot about how I’ve been feeling on this trip, what activities I’ve been doing, and general thoughts about Santiago and Chile, but I haven’t focused at all about what I’m actually doing Monday-Thursday from 8:30-4:30.

My confidence soared after I successfully navigated the Charles de Gaulle Airport after touching down in France last week, but it disappeared as soon as I stepped foot on the TGV from Paris to Nîmes en route to Arles.

I’m petty sure that I was one of the last people in my program to return to the states. That was because I made it a goal to see Scotland, and for eight days I travelled the country that gave me my surname, then had the opportunity to spend another three days in Amsterdam, saying goodbye to my city without the stress of exams or packing. This was the best decision I could have made while studying abroad.

I do realize that I haven’t written in this blog for a long time. I was planning to continue the last entry with a part two talking about the rest of the days of my first week, but that’s fallen through.

My first few weeks in this unbelievably welcoming country have been a whirlwind.  From getting adjusted to the time zone, to sight-seeing, to narrowly avoiding being hit by cars driving on the opposite sides of the road, to taking tours, to having tea, tea, and more tea, Dublin has so much to offer.  Being in a new country for the first time has a way of making time fly by, yet at the same time be totally action-packed, rich with experiences and adventures. 

I will never get used to saying goodbye to these sublime cities. They tease me, drawing me into their splendor, seducing me to come back. Yet each one has her own unique character, and Rome has been quite the temptress. I was resistant to accept her charm at first, coming from the lovely Paris, but it wasn’t long before her authentic ancient earth and vibrant energy snuck into my heart. Who else could have a sanctuary for cats literally on the remains of temples from the fourth century BC?

There are a lot of ways life in Barcelona is different from life in America. For one thing, the mealtimes are very late. I don’t eat lunch until 2pm everyday, and dinner isn’t until 9pm or later. The Spanish also like taking their time at meals. I once walked past a family eating outside at a restaurant, and they were still there when I walked back three hours later. This is maybe the biggest difference I’ve seen between Spain and America (except the obvious ones, like universal health care).

Let me just say first off, the term “concrete jungle” is far more applicable to Shanghai than NYC. There’s ivy growing up the overpasses and public parks are bountiful, which was a nice surprise considering I thought there would be nothing but high rises and asphalt (there’s plenty of that too of course). There’s so much similarity to what I’m familiar with, but even common things like malls seem foreign to me. Speaking of malls, holy cow, there are SOOO many malls here, and they’re huge.

Visiting Amsterdam this past weekend was a privelege that I will never forget.  Amsterdam is a wonderful city that boasts historic highs and lows, mixed with the young, liberal town that it is today.

The thin, tall, leaning houses lining Amsterdam's canals gave it a feel that is distinctly Amsterdam.  While the city center is full of people and lights from store signs, just walking out a couple of blocks reveals quiet streets with parks all around (if you don't get into a biker's way, that is!).