Early this month, I was lucky enough to welcome my boyfriend, Marques, to the country I’ve called home the past three months. He was not only excited to see me, but also to experience a new dialect of Spanish that he hadn’t encountered before. Having grown up in a Spanish-speaking household, he is fluent in both English and Spanish, so getting around here wouldn’t be a problem for him. I was also lucky enough to be on break from school that week, so it worked out perfectly.
Our week together started with meeting him at the airport. He got in at night, so all we had time for was grabbing Chilean ceviche at one of the cool restaurants near our AirBnB. One of my favorite dishes here is the ceviche, made with salmon and/or shrimp in a delicious sauce with vegetables.
The next day was when the real adventures began. After grabbing a quick breakfast panini, we first stopped at Cerro Santa Lucía since it was right next to our AirBnB. Izzy and I had visited here before, but we were able to find a couple new spots to take pictures and enjoy the view of the city.
After that, we headed to the Palacio de la Moneda and then the Museo de Bellas Artes. The museum had free admission which was a great benefit, and there were so many unique paintings and sculptures to admire.
Cerro de San Cristobal was our next stop, and it was definitely my favorite. We were able to find a cable car that took us all the way to the top of the hill where there was a path called, “Camino de las Siete Palabras” that led to a huge statue of San Cristobal. The path featured seven crosses, all painted differently, representing the seven days of creation in the Catholic faith.
The day after Santiago, we took an hour and a half bus to Valparaíso. We of course enjoyed the famous street art and piano stairs before grabbing one of Chile’s most well-known foods, the completo. It’s essentially a giant hot dog with your choice of avocado, tomato, mayonnaise, ketchup and mustard. We did a lot of walking around on this day, enjoying the colorful houses and environment around us.
We then headed to Pablo Neruda’s “La Sebastiana” house. It was so cool to have been able to see both his Santiago and Valparaíso house and compare them.
By this time, the sun was about to set so we headed to the beach to watch the sunset. The sky is truly unlike anything I’ve seen here. There is almost always a beautiful sunset with vibrant colors begging to have their photo taken. It was then time to get some food, so we went around to a couple different restaurants taking advantage of our time on the coast to try Chilean seafood.
The next day was an absolute rainstorm, which caused our flight from Santiago to Concepción to be canceled. Our original plan was to meet my host family in Concepción since they had rented a beach house for the entire family to stay at. Since our flight was canceled we ended up having to take a long bus ride and then an Uber to Pingueral beach to meet my family but we eventually made it!
The following day we spent talking with the family, sharing stories and enjoying a wonderful lunch in the afternoon. We barbecued meat and sausage and had salad, corn and potatoes to accompany it. Marques was quieter than usual, completely taking in the new dialect and listening intently to see how much he could catch. It was so interesting to watch because it was like watching how I felt when I first got to Chile. My family loved getting to know him, and it was also interesting for them to converse with someone who speaks in a Mexican dialect. The rest of the day we spent playing card games and enjoying down time.
It wasn’t as rainy the day after, so my siblings, their boyfriends, Marques, Izzy and I went to the beach to take pictures. We spent time with the family the rest of the day and then returned to my hometown, Chillán. Marques and I talked with my family for a long time at “once” and compared cultural traditions. We shared photos and videos from trips we’ve gone on together and simply enjoyed each other’s company. An opportunity like this for both me and my family would not come often.
To end the trip, I wanted Marques to be able to see the incredible Andes mountains, one of my favorite parts of Chile. We took an early bus to Las Trancas and started our short, but steep hike to a viewpoint of the mountains. Once we got to the top, it was all worth it. The mountaintops were covered in snow since it’s winter here, but the sun still shone brightly overhead creating the perfect setting for pictures.
The next day, it was time to say goodbye, but it was so surreal to have a piece of home with me in my new favorite place. Watching my two worlds collide was an experience that I will never forget.
Jordan