One Month...

As surprising as it is for me, this Thursday will be the end of one month in Santiago. Scary, I guess, but exciting at the same time. I've already accomplished quite a bit - getting to know the city, traveling a bit, making friends - and we have plans in the making to go to the Atacama Desert, Buenos Aires, and Valparaiso. I'm definitely not wasting time down here!

Today, my friend Nate and I climbed Cerro San Cristobal - the largest metropolitan park in Santiago. On clear days, the view from the top is pretty incredible. We had a very wet Friday - 46mm (almost 2 inches) of rain fell in a 24 hour period - so the smog was swept away. Nate and I hiked up the east side of the hill and followed some paths through the underbrush to the west side. We found some nice viewpoints (this one is facing south towards my side of the city). You can see the Rio Mapocho - the river in the foreground - and the big buildings along side of it make the Providencia comuna, which is the neighborhood where the IES center is located along with cool bars and restaurants. In the background is the Las Condes comuna, the residential neighborhood that I live in.

Even two days after the big rainstorm, the smog was starting to build up again. It's the sad reality of a city that holds 6 million people. You might be able to see the layer of gray that almost reaches the top of the hills in the background of this picture. And as you can see, the city is very spread out. The risk of earthquakes is ever-present, so few buildings are more than 30 stories tall. With shorter buildings, it's means less concentration and more transportation. It's an unfortunate reality that you can't ignore - especially when you start coughing on the side of a busy road.

Still, it was great to get some exercise outside. Sadly, this week will be spent inside - in classrooms, for the most part. I get to finalize my class schedule tomorrow, so I'll update you all on my classes for the term soon.

Chao.