Return to VALPARAISO!!

This past weekend I had the opportunity to return to Valparaiso, Chile where I studied abroad during my junior year of college in 2003. I stayed with my former host family in their new apartment and visited lots of my favorite places… namely the beach and my favorite bakeries :) Although I thought I would feel more comfortable in Chile than I do in Argentina (since I have lived there for 6 months and I’m only on my second in Argentina), I was surprised to find myself feeling extremely out of place. I had forgotten simple things – what different coins look like, how to take a bus through the small city center, crazy Chilean idiomatic expressions, etc. My host family found it quite comical that I now speak like an Argentine and had a good time confusing me with words that I used to use on a daily basis. The trip definitely made me realize how much I consider San Juan home now; I was missing my friends and my new life even though I was only away for 4 days.

Valparaiso is the same picturesque city as before, but things have definitely changed. The city is more built up, with more modern buildings and commercial areas, and there seemed to be many more people on the streets than I remember (this could also be because I’m comparing it with San Juan, not exactly a bustling metropolis). The university is on strike at the moment so it was strange to see the doors of my old classroom buildings chained shut with desks and chairs piled up behind them as a symbolic protest. Although I could never really get a straight answer as to why the university has been closed for the last month and a half, it seems to be because the city wants to raise the student bus fare significantly. There have apparently been lots of protests and my 15-year-old host brother has even gotten in on the action (his picture was in the local paper much to my host mom’s dismay). There are also lots more international students in the city. I felt an international presence even just in the short time I was there and it made me remember how in 2003 we were only 17 students in the exchange program. It seems like Valparaiso is definitely in style as a South American study destination… haha I know I’m always a trendsetter, right.

Unfortunately my camera is still broken but soon I hope a replacement will be brought from the US (electronics are extremely expensive here) with some friends so I will be able to post more pictures. All in all I had a great trip and can’t wait to return … in only 5 weeks during our winter break!