It is 9:40 pm here in Santiago, Chile and I am sitting at my desk with my window wide open enjoying the summer breeze while the sun is setting.  Chile is currently in their hottest months of the year down here in the southern hemisphere which means it is the best time to explore!

So far my classmates and I have done some pretty cool things in and outside of the city, including hiking, walking through the public markets, exploring art museums and parks but one of the most interesting was visiting the house of Pablo Neruda on the coast of Isla Negra.

This trip took about a 2 hour bus ride where we drove through beautiful vineyards and mountains upon mountains upon mountains until we got to this charming town on the pacific coast of Chile.  Pablo Neruda had multiple homes in Chile, but the one in Isla Negra was absolutely breathtaking.  Unfortunately we were prohibited from taking photos inside the house, but it was covered with incredible statues of mermaids and other sea-like creatures coming out of the walls.  Additionally, Pablo Neruda had quite the extensive butterfly and insect collection on display in one of the many rooms of his home.  The insects that were incased were mostly indigenous to South America, and most of them I had never seen or heard of before but they were about as big as my hand!

But the inside of the home was not the only beautiful sight to be seen, as his home sits on beach of the”wild coast of La Isla Negra,” as Neruda once described it in a poem.

 

However, the best (although temporary) attraction that Santiago has had to offer yet is, THE POPE!

El papa Francisco, as he is referred to as in Chile, came for a short three day visit to Santiago, and many of us were fortunate enough to see him drive by!

I called my LUC roommate the other night to check in and tell her all about the fun I was having here in Chile, all the places I’ve been and everywhere that I plan to go. (Of course I omitted the fact that I actually am in class and I actually do have to study and do my homework, because it’s more exciting to hear about the travel and exploration portion of studying abroad)   and her response was, “so you’re just on vacation?”