An October Spring

Friends, it's been a long long time. I'm glad to be back writing here, mostly because I truly enjoy looking back and talking about what's been happening in my life. I also enjoy reaching out, albeit electronically, to let you guys know how I'm doing. So I've said it before, and now I'll say it again: sorry to neglect my blogging duties.

Please know that I've been having a really wonderful couple of months since last writing. Being in Chile for an academic year continues to feel like a good decision, not just because I can devote more time to traveling and getting to know this country, but also because I'm just enjoying myself more than I was at the beginning of my time here. Part of this has to do with language--I feel that I'm speaking the best Spanish in my life right now, which is really exciting. There are still lots of moments where I open my mouth only to emit a confused jumble of sounds, prompting bewildered looks from the people I'm speaking to. Another big factor in my enjoyment of my time here has been the feeling that I now have a more solid network of friends to share my time with. Looking back on my first couple of months here I realize how worried I was about making friends and if I was being sufficiently social. And while it may have taken me a little while, I am really happy within my small network of Chilean, American, and assorted international friends here in Santiago. In the past month and a half I've hosted four asados (Chilean barbecues) on the roof of my apartment building. The first couple attempts were a little rough going, particularly in the fire set up, but the last asado was particularly successful because two more charcoal fire knowledgeable friends took over the fire set up from this city slicker. Also I used some liquid gas--it stunk a little, but the fire sure burned! Also, it's finally spring here! I know the northern hemisphere is busy making pumpkin spice latees at the moment, but I haven't seen spring since May of 2013 and the sight of blossoming trees and flowers has been welcome.

Some of my early attempts at stoking the fire by getting my face right up and close to the flame. Safety first!!

 The crew from my birthday asado two weeks ago. 

Another element to my recent happiness was the extended visit made by Holly, my lovely girlfriend. Holly and I started dating in October in spite of the fact that we knew that I would be spending the next year away from the University of Chicago, where we both study. In January and February, during the time that I had left Chicago and was interning in Washington, we both visited each other, and then knew that it would be a full six months (or 180 some days if you're counting, but only real masochists would do that, right?) before she could come to see me here in Santiago. Clearly Holly's visit was eagerly anticipated, and our month together was fantastic. There's something very special about showing your new home to someone you love, especially someone you haven't seen in so long. Holly and I cooked in my very limited kitchen (usually I did what I could to help without getting in the way of a much more accomplished cook), explored Santiago and its surroundings, hung out with some of my friends here, and took two wonderful weekend trips to northern Chile and to Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Merluza a la Gallega (Hake fish with chorizo sausage, peppers, potatoes, and onions in a white wine sauce.)

Buenos Aires' combination of supremely affordable food and wine, excellent weather, beautiful people, and exciting cultural opportunities made it immediately one of my favorite cities. A country wide strike shortened our trip by a day, but in just a short weekend we were able to catch a performance of the Buenos Aires Symphony at Teatro Colon, eat impressive amounts of Argentine steak, take in spontaneous tango dancing in the San Telmo neighborhood plaza, and hang out in front of la Casa Rosada, the residence of the Argentine president. Our other trip was to Valle del Elqui, a valley just east of La Serena, a city six hours north of Santiago. Our weather on this trip wasn't quite as good--we managed to be there for one of the 40 days of the year that it isn't sunny (we got torrential rain), but we managed just fine. Valle del Elqui is renowned for all of its different distilleries for pisco--the Chilean/Peruvian brandy liquor made from distilling white wine and commonly served in cocktails--so Holly and I toured and sampled a bunch a lot of the local product.

 It wasn't just work: we did have time to take a selfie in la Plaza de Mayo in front of La Casa Rosada

Somebody had to flaunt his cowboy boots in front of the Argentine Congress.

But as I wrote above, part of the fun of Holly's visit was in just showing Holly what my life is like here. We went rowing together one weekend, we ate empanadas, and tried a lot of the excellently cheap local wine. Saying goodbye (she flew home almost two weeks ago) was tough, though it was made easier with the knowledge that instead of six months apart we'll be separate for just three months. On my end, I've been able to distract myself by (finally!!) starting my internship in the Foreign Commercial Section at the US Embassy here in Santiago. Right now I'm working there three days a week in an office with three American employees and seven Chilean employees who work to help U.S. companies export to the Chilean market. On the plus side this means that I've been learning a lot while meeting intelligent and interesting people; on the negative side, though, this means that my four dress shirts are getting a heavy rotation. I might even have to iron a shirt at some point soon.

 Holly and me with our (food) baby: 1 kg empanada filled with beef, onions, olives, and egg.

Holly showing up the Chileans at Laguna Aculeo, southwest of Santiago

Thanks for your interest, guys. A special thank you to everyone who reached out on my birthday, too--hearing from so many great people on my day was really special. I hope you're all doing well. Look out for more posts soon, as I couldn't cram nearly enough of the last few months' events into this single post.