Santiago, Chile
One of my favorite historical figures, Salvador Allende, in front of the capital building
After more than three months of traveling, after three months of couchsurfing with generous strangers, swerving bus rides, sandy hair, irregular bowel movements, jungle rashes, begrudging fishing boat captains, enough pre-hispanic ruins to make Indiana Jones jealous, a whole lot of food sampling, and countless photographs, I am nomadic no more. Or at least not for the next four months. My internship with English newspaper The Santiago Times began less than a week ago. What do I do exactly? Well, it's twofold. I contribute modestly to the online newspaper. Even though the simplistic, unimaginative style of newswriting is not my passion, the translating and re-writing of already published news articles is pretty easy and dare I say, fun. I mostly write articles for the business section on such riveting subjects as the opening of a new lingerie store or a hospital building project, but I was given the early responsibility of translating this high-profile interview.
I live in a garden shed on the homestead of my editor's family, in Caleu, a small town (more like a plebeian enclave) in the Andean foothills, about an hour or two outside of metropolitan Santiago. Here is where I have the second part of my internship. Every morning beginning at 8:30, I learn the basics of organic gardening from Carlos, the gardener and caretaker of their four acres of vegetables, fruit and nut trees, and other bucolic oasis fixings. I am living proof that you can combine international professional experience with organic farming curiosity! Once or twice a week I venture from Caleu to the office at Santiago with the editor, Steve. Public transportation to the city is difficult (one daily bus, $10 round trip) so I just go if Steve is making the trip anyway. If he doesn't leave until the following day, I stay with my conveniently downtown-dwelling Chilean CS host and friend Andres, who has a guest room. The home I'm staying at in Caleu is beautiful, but very isolated. Friends are scarce and the opportunity for peer-bonding is virtually non-existent. I can write for the paper from here, but there are no bars I can saunter into after a hard day's work. Which is probably for the better? I thought it would pain me to be so removed from the city and all its twinkling commercialism and socializing opportunities, but after spending a weekend in Caleu and coming to Santiago for a meeting, the crowds and street noises started to grate on my soul. Stay tuned for pictures of Caleu: hippie Eden.
I just did this.
After more than three months of traveling, after three months of couchsurfing with generous strangers, swerving bus rides, sandy hair, irregular bowel movements, jungle rashes, begrudging fishing boat captains, enough pre-hispanic ruins to make Indiana Jones jealous, a whole lot of food sampling, and countless photographs, I am nomadic no more. Or at least not for the next four months. My internship with English newspaper The Santiago Times began less than a week ago. What do I do exactly? Well, it's twofold. I contribute modestly to the online newspaper. Even though the simplistic, unimaginative style of newswriting is not my passion, the translating and re-writing of already published news articles is pretty easy and dare I say, fun. I mostly write articles for the business section on such riveting subjects as the opening of a new lingerie store or a hospital building project, but I was given the early responsibility of translating this high-profile interview.
I live in a garden shed on the homestead of my editor's family, in Caleu, a small town (more like a plebeian enclave) in the Andean foothills, about an hour or two outside of metropolitan Santiago. Here is where I have the second part of my internship. Every morning beginning at 8:30, I learn the basics of organic gardening from Carlos, the gardener and caretaker of their four acres of vegetables, fruit and nut trees, and other bucolic oasis fixings. I am living proof that you can combine international professional experience with organic farming curiosity! Once or twice a week I venture from Caleu to the office at Santiago with the editor, Steve. Public transportation to the city is difficult (one daily bus, $10 round trip) so I just go if Steve is making the trip anyway. If he doesn't leave until the following day, I stay with my conveniently downtown-dwelling Chilean CS host and friend Andres, who has a guest room. The home I'm staying at in Caleu is beautiful, but very isolated. Friends are scarce and the opportunity for peer-bonding is virtually non-existent. I can write for the paper from here, but there are no bars I can saunter into after a hard day's work. Which is probably for the better? I thought it would pain me to be so removed from the city and all its twinkling commercialism and socializing opportunities, but after spending a weekend in Caleu and coming to Santiago for a meeting, the crowds and street noises started to grate on my soul. Stay tuned for pictures of Caleu: hippie Eden.
I just did this.
Yaaaaaay! You are AMAZING! Congrats for getting to Santiago!
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