May 17th: Last Day in Chile

Today was a bittersweet day, as it was our last day in Chile.  To make the most of our time and to attempt to spend our leftover pesos, Hannah, Alex, and I left the hotel early to walk along the beach and visit some of the artisan shops one last time.  None of us considered the fact, though, that we were heading to the beach on a weekday morning during a time of the year with very few tourists, so when we arrived at the beach there were almost no people with shops set up.  Therefore, we sat for a while and soaked up our last views of the beautiful, clear blue ocean.  Eventually we decided to walk down the beach further to see if the artisans that do not set up their goods at the stands were at the beach, but they were not.  Instead, we found a large group of people, many of whom appeared to be middle and high school marching band students.  I am not quite sure what all of the bands were doing, but my guess is that they were getting ready for a parade to celebrate the national holiday that takes place on the 21^st (Navy Day, which also is a celebration of the Battle of Iquique).  To celebrate the fact that it was our last day in Chile, many people from our Plus3 group ate empanadas at the place we have gone several times throughout the trip.  Hannah, Alex, and I then returned quickly to the beach to finish spending our pesos on souvenirs before going back to the hotel to finish packing.

 

During our two weeks here in Chile, I feel I have learned a lot about the culture here and am now more accustomed to some of the differences between the customs of people from the United States and those of Chileans.  For example, it seems very natural now to greet people I know with a kiss, and people I see but do not know by saying “hola” or “buenos dias.”  I have also become more comfortable with listening to people speaking Spanish and it is a little bit easier for me to catch some of what they are saying if it is slow enough.  From the experiences I have had during this trip, it seems to me that Chileans are usually very friendly, accepting people, with a more relaxed lifestyle than people from the United States, which I have enjoyed during our time here.  I enjoyed the time that I spent here, and it is my hope that sometime soon I will have the opportunity to return to South America.