I was sitting at the bus stop in Valparaiso when I started to crave some candy. I went to a small store, but all they had were biscuits or wafers covered in chocolate. Now, there's nothing wrong with buttery goodness covered in chocolate, but the staple diet of Chile consists of bread and butter... needless to say, I've become pretty tired of this in only the week that I've been here. What I really, really wanted was just a pack of M&M's... just a handful would've done the trick. I bought a chocolate covered cookie and a pack of Chilean jelly beans, but neither tasted very good, and after I finished them I was totally unsatisfied. I am now going on a mission for the next couple of days to find some good American candy-- as stupid or vain as this may sound, I don't know if I can handle the next six months without some M&M's or very bittersweet chocolate a couple of times per week.
The food in Chile isn't bad, but it isn't good either. Meat, potatoes, biscuits, and mayonnaise are the 4 staple food groups. I would have thought that the country that exports a large majority of vegetables to the US would've had more to offer as far as cheap vegetables go, but this isn't the case (probably because it's winter). This weekend I went on an impromptu trip to Valparaiso with about 10 other people from my program, and we had to eat out for 3 of the meals that we had technically paid for at our host houses back in Santiago. Last night I split a dinner with a girl in my program, and we were expecting some sort of potato dish with chicken... instead, we got a plate that was honestly the size of my torso, filled up with a mountain of undercooked french fries, chicken, sausage, and onions. And on the side? Mayonnaise. Mmmmmm.... greasy food covered in mayonnaise. Sounds like my kind of meal. And today, when I ordered a chicken sandwich, I got yet another giant plate of food, this time with an enormous biscuit filled with about 4 mashed avocados with chicken, tomato, and... mayonnaise. There was enough mayo on that sandwich to have lasted me my entire time in Chile... needless to say I will now be asking for my meals "sin mayonesa".
On a lighter note, my trip to Valparaiso was filled with new friends, exploring, and lots of street art. Here are a few of my favorites:
There are, of course, more, but Blogspot won't allow me to post more than 5 at a time at the internet at my host house is terribly slow. Anyway, so I stayed in Valparaiso for 2 days and 1 night in an international hostel. We walked around the city (which is known as the "cultural capital of Chile") and visited one of Pablo Neruda's houses. It was super fun and I can't wait to go back! It was also nice to get out of Santiago to get away from the smog and the cold.
Oh, before I go, if you feel like sending me a letter (or something else... hint hint) my address is:
Megan Libby
c/o U de California
PUC Campus Oriente
Jaime Guzmán 3300
Nuñoa
Santiago, Chile
That's all for now! My language classes start tomorrow so I'm off to bed to wake up bright and early to finish my visa process beforehand! :)
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