Falta Poco...

So, there are just a few days left before I leave Chile! I feel as though I have been here a long time but also I can't believe I am leaving so soon. It has been a great month. The other day Claudio and I went to Los Andes, a very small town near Santiago. We took a bus there to pick up some things from his job. I tried to stay awake for most of the trip, but there's something about these buses that always puts me to sleep! It was only about an hour there, so not that far. We got to see a little bit of the small city, walking around their downtown area. This is one thing I love about cities here, you can always find street vendors selling food, crafts, and souvenirs. Here are a few pictures from the short trip:

This last one is a view from the bus trip. I never get tired of looking at these mountains! Yesterday we went to a area in Santiago called "Barrio Lastarria." This little neighborhood looks very European with the architecture and ubiquitous cafes. There was also a few street vendors selling antiques and old books. It was interesting to walk around, looking in different bohemian shops and seeing different restaurants. I didn't expect to see a small store selling Turkish and Arabic food and sweets. I was also approached by a "poet" that asked me if I like poems. He then started speaking Portuguese to me! I just kept listening, understanding a little. Claudio then walked up and spoke in Spanish, the man asked me where I was from then started speaking English. I just had to laugh. After walking around, we stopped in a cafe and had muffins and coffee. Here's what the neighborhood looked like:

After having coffee we walked around toward another area of the city and eventually took the metro. We met my friend Cristián, whom I met at Georgetown a few years ago. We hung out in his apartment and just talked for a few hours. I hadn't seen him for a few years since GC, so it was good to hang out.

This weekend we are having an "asado," which is basically a cookout, with Claudio's family. I'm so excited! I can't wait to meet more of the family and have a traditional "asado."