Day Nine: Adiós Santiago
Today was sadly our final day in the beautiful Santiago, Chile, but we made sure to make the most of our final sunny day. Almost every day while on this trip, many students got coffee from the Afro Cafe, a cute little coffee shop just across the street from our apartments. Some students finally got to sit down and actually have breakfast at this place, as opposed to our normal routine of ordering our multiple iced americanos and rushing out the door.
We took the subway to Las Condes into an area filled with beautiful gift shops and vendors. They had every kind of shop you could imagine, and all filled with gorgeous Chilean jewelry, clothing, and other items. Here, I finally bought a pair of lapis earrings (the Chilean stone), a pair of handmade bronze earrings, and a stunning hand-painted Chilean print of the tree of life. Although many of these gift shops ran on the pricier side, almost all of the items were handmade and very good quality. They even had a mini zoo plopped right in the middle where we saw parrots, chickens, and even peacocks! The birds squawked quite a lot. I think they were all just saying “Safe travels!”.
After we got some of our last-minute shopping done, we headed to back to Chipe Libre, the very first restaurant we ate at at the start of the week. This restaurant had some of the tastiest food and drinks, as well as a lovely ambience that we just had to return to before we parted. I got the sauteed surf and turf, which was steak sauteed with an array of fresh seafood, along with vegetables and traditional Chilean chaufa rice. I swear, all the food in Chile just tastes better, especially the seafood. I don’t think I’ve ever consumed so much seafood in one consecutive week, but how can you not?? All of our meals at Chipe Libre were phenomenal, and we were ready again to do some more last-minute shopping, cause can you really buy too many gifts?
After lunch, we stopped at another area with tons shopping vendors. The vendors here were much cheaper, but everything was again local, handmade, and so so beautiful. Each little vendor had its own unique vibe and style to what they were selling. Being that we only had a half hour before we had to board our bus to the airport, we quickly got one last gelato (RIP) and headed back to the apartments to pack up our stuff,.
We arrived at the airport, grabbed a bite to eat, and hazily headed toward our gate. This time around, our flight was actually on time and we boarded around 11:30 pm. We were all exhausted by the time we got on the plane, and I’m pretty sure we all crashed within the first hour, with some people waking up at 2am for some late-night airplane dinner. Appetizing!
For me, the last few hours at the airport felt like one big daze. Going from a week in the vibrant, electrifying Santiago to well an airport, felt weird. I was sad for sure, but if anything it was bittersweet. Our week at Chile felt like a dream. Although we are now departing from this beautiful place, I think I can speak for all of us when I say that what we experienced in our short time in Chile will forever be imprinted on our memory, and in our hearts. The people, the places and the pure connections will never be lost, and will only continue to flourish when our wonderful Chilean collaborators, and now close friends, come to us in September.
