Chao Chile

So after getting back to Chile I had a very sad realization to make. I had just a few days left in the country I had come to love so much. It wasn't going to be easy leaving the friends I'd made, with their great hospitality and sense of humor. But I was torn because at the same time, I was excited to get home to MN and ND and see all these friends I had missed. The biggest thing I'll miss from Chile is definitely my family. Even though I left to travel a lot of weekends, a whole semester is a long time to spend with a family and you get to know them really well. I'll miss playing ping-pong with my uncle Ricardo and sister Cami. Even though it's hard to admit, I'll miss Vale constantly criticizing and correcting my Spanish. I'll miss getting beat by my brothers time after time on the Wii but maybe showing them a little about playing soccer. I know I'm going to miss my dad Leo's amazing asados, or barbecues, every Sunday. I'll also miss talking all things soccer and especially Colo-Colo with my cousin Max and all my conversations predominantly about food with my mom Leticia. Last but not least, I'll miss the fun and always cheerful, even if somewhat random, conversations with Abueli, or my grandma. I know I'll go back to see them someday.

Lastly, a shameless plug for Chile. You should all visit. And what will you do with your time there? Well let me provide a few suggestions. First of all, you need to visit Valparaíso. It's so close to Santiago (which you will undoubtedly also visit) and such a unique city that it definitely merits a visit. After this, the best parts of Chile are at the extremes. The Atacama desert in the North is sensational, and the best place to explore the area is San Pedro de Atacama. After this, travel down the the Southern tip of the continent to Patagonia. The highlights here are Torres del Paine, La Carretera Austral, and Parque Pumalín, but you really can't go wrong visiting anything down here. I have no regrets from the semester except that I wish I had had more time.