View From My Window

My first week in Santiago was a blast. I arrived on a Sunday at midnight and got a collective taxi to take me to the Hostal Forestal, a hostel close to Downtown. Here I met some interesting people over a glass of PisCola (which is Pisco, a grape liquor, and Coke). The next day I made contact with my supervisors at the GBC and looked for places to rent. I managed to rent a room in a bohemian neighborhood very close to a subway station and the downtown Plaza de Armas. My room is very small, about 3 meters by 3 meters, the walls are painted blue, and it just has enough room for my bed, a small desk and a small dresser. The apartment is on the top floor of the 4 storey apartment building at the corner of Brail street and Huerfanos way right infront of the Plaza Brasil. I share the kitchen and a bathroom with 2 Chilean students from the University de Chile. We get along really well, and they’ve taken me out various nights to some bars and parties, they’re really fun, and very patriotic when it comes to FUTBOL!! The thing I like the most about my residence, apart from the colourful walls, the convenient location, the price (90, 000 Chilean pesos a month, which is approximately 180 Canadian Dollars) is by far the beautiful view!!!







At sunset you can see, from my window, the outline of the mountains that surround the city tinted bright red and orange, the cafes across the street on Brasil Street seem to glow, and the Music BEGINS! Almost every night, you can hear the sound of drums from the Plaza Brasil that is just across the street. There is a dance school on the street, and students, cheerfully dressed in colourful gypsy-like clothes congregate to dance and make music. It becomes very lively and with a very positive vibe. I’ve gone out a couple of times and they’ve invited me to the community center nearby to attend some cultural events.