Swayzes in Santiago

Remember that time Carol and Scott Swayze made their way to Chile to visit me? No? Well that's because I've never told you about it, even though it happened way back in October. Serious blogger slacking down here. Better late than never? Ok great.

On the morning of October 20th, my phone buzzed in the middle of Quechua class, meaning that my real mom and dad had arrived in Santiago!! I grabbed my books, scooted out of the room, ran to the metro, and impatiently waited for Transantiago to get me home. Unfortunately, I wasn't fast enough, and Mom and Dad beat me to my house. Meaning that they got to spend some quality time with la Teresa who speaks negative zero English. And my parents? They speak "un poquito español," as Dad told several people during their week here. But they managed just fine until I got there, and it was all uphill from there!

We got to do so much while they were here, including:

1. Tours of Santiago, led by Madeline:

Plaza de Armas

The Pre-Columbian Art Museum

Plaza Italia and Bellavista

Cerro San Cristobal

My university campus at San Joaquín:

The market at Los Dominicos:

 

 La Vega and Mercado Central 
(sorry... no photograph evidence... just trust me. We went there.)

2. A tour of the beautiful Chilean wine country in between Santiago and the coast:

 

3. A day exploring Viña del Mar and Valparaíso:

 

4. A weekend getaway to Temuco:

When my parents booked their flights, back in August, I was unaware of a trip that was already planned for October 22-24 with my study abroad program. When I realized my mistake, I thought about just skipping the CIEE trip, but it was already paid for, and Temuco (in Chile's southern lake district) is supposed to be beautiful, so we just decided Mom and Dad could come along. I had no idea what to expect, but the fact that we were traveling in a group of 40 and going to very non-touristy Temuco meant that it was definitely going to be an adventure. And I, at least, had the best time! I was so glad Mom and Dad had the chance to meet some of my friends in the program, and to see a part of Chile that can't be found in any guide book.

First we were in Temuco, spending time learning about the Mapuche (the indigenous people of Chile) culture. Mom and Dad were really patient with all of the Spanish tours and my abbreviated translations.

 

They even managed to entertain themselves just fine when I ditched them to spend a day with the program painting, making S'mores, and playing Capture the Flag at a local school.

After Temuco, we headed to nearby Puerto Saavedras on the Pacific Ocean, where we got to do some hiking, and see some beautiful views.

5. Dinner and bonding with the host fam: Sadly, there are once again no photographs to document this event, but it was awesome. I had been nervous about this interaction for a while (language barrier? hola?), but my host parents and real parents got along great, thanks to a collaborative translation effort by my host sisters, my host sister's boyfriend's mom (don't ask...), and me. It really was so much fun to have them all together. And my host family still can't stop talking about how enchanting my parents are, and just how much I look like my dad.

(Wow this post is getting long. Sorry.)

Having my parents down here for a whole week was just the best. After three months in South America, I was definitely in need of some North American lovin', and it was so fun for me to get to show them everything about life down here. They ate some Chilean food, learned some Chilean words, and got to see a lot of this wonderful country.