Traditional Chilean Seafood Dinner

Camila and Jorge, my good Chilean friends and incredible chefs who prepared a traditional feast for us to indulge.

Clams had with lemon, clams in a green salsa, another salsa similar to ceviche without seafood, empanadas, shish-kabobs (seen below), alfahores (dulce de leche sandwiched between biscuits), chicha (traditional Chilean liquor) and Chilean wines.

Camila, Jorge, Jorge's sister Pilar, and Nima, an exchange student from Canada and Germany who's family is originally from Iran. Camila is a law student, Jorge studies engineering, Pilar is an art professor, and Nima studies marketing/economics. We had a wonderful time talking about various cultures and languages including English, Spanish, Hindi, Farsi, and German. Jorge's family is orginally descended from Germany and Spain.

Central Market in Santiago

I had the treasured opportunity to visit the 150-year-old Central Market in downtown Santiago with two very good Chilean friends, Camila and her boyfriend, Jorge. We were shopping for ingredients for an authentic Chilean dinner, prepared by the two of them. The clams are called ''almenhas'', and ''slurped'' with lots of freshly squeezed lemon.

Black corn and tomatoes from Peru.

The ones with the spines are ''erizos'', an delicacy eaten with a lemony salsa.

Albacore.

Live crab.

Dinner with host, Rotary Vitacura

I had the opportunity to meet more members from my host club, Rotary Vitacura, at a weekly dinner at the Sheraton Hotel. We had presentations from a group of professionals who visited Rotary in North Carolina for a few weeks, and from a recent immigrant from Germany who married a Chilean woman and settled in Santiago. We are in the process of scheduling my presentation for Rotary Vitacura and surrounding Rotary Clubs in Santiago so that I may introduce myself and Rotary Point West to the clubs in Chile. The Rotarians here are very welcoming towards me as an ambassador.

Cueca at the Tango Hermanos, Indian Independence Day, Raclette

On Friday night, I attended the anniversary of the Tango Hermanos, a tango school started by two teachers who happen to be brother and sister. Besides tango, I watched many different folkloric Chilean dances, including Cueca. The guasos, or countrymen, are dressed gallantly with regal shawls, hats, and cowboy boots with spurs. The country women are dressed in beautiful white and blue. They couples circle each other waving handkerchiefs while they dance.

Saturday morning, I visited the house of the Ambassador of India along with 200 other guests to celebrate Indian Indepence Day, August 15, 1947. There was a mixture of Chileans and people of Indian origin. The Indian community numbers around 300 in Santiago. We listened to patriotic speeches and songs, and watched the kids perform traditional dances, such as Dhandia, a dance from the state of Gujrat, where the choreography involves striking the sticks in each hand with your partners'while dancing.

On Saturday night, I enjoyed a delicious dinner in the style of Raclette, similar to the Korean hot pot or the Swiss's fondu. Raclette is the hot plate set in the middle of the table where you get to grill your meat and vegetables. Besides having your dinner right off the grill, the best part is really taking your time to cook and chat with your friends and family.

My Chilean mom and main chef, Anna Maria, is hugging me.

My first month in Santiago

The 4-weeks of intensive Spanish courses have helped me to communicate with more confidence. I gave presentations in Spanish about Rotary, the Polio-Plus program, and the Ambassadorial scholarship to two Spanish schools in Santiago, Ecela and Efrontera. Most of the students and staff were really interested in studying abroad and intercultural exchange. They appreciated the presentation and the handouts with detailed info about Rotary and the scholarship opportunities. It´s been easy to spread the word about Rotary since most of the exchange students and Chilean students around me are interested in learning about other cultures and languages, and would love to take part in the opportunities offered by Rotary.

I attended a banquet where the new Rotary Vitacura officers were introduced. I introduced myself and sponsor district to many Rotarians and found a Rotarian mentor, Dr. Gerardo Torres, who has been a good resource for me.

With the Spanish school activities and friends, I had the chance to explore the sites of Santiago, including the San Cristobal and Santa Lucía mountains, la Iglesia Catedral (the largest Catholic Church in Chile located in Plaza de Armas), the Palacio de la Moneda (Presidential Palace), and the Pre-Colombiano Museum that recounts the history of the Americas from ancient times. The city has a very beautiful view of the Andes mountains, especially from the peak of Mt. San Cristobal, which is in the heart of the city.

We had a costume party to celebrate the Spanish school's anniversary.

I´m living with a very generous and warm Chilean family. I´ve tried many traditional Chilean foods, from soups with porotos (legumes) to lentil dishes and choripan (a combo of sausage in bread). I spend breakfast and dinner with my Chilean host mom and another exchange student from the US. This has been a great way to further my understanding of the culture and language.

I´m looking forward to starting my classes at the university this week and exploring the options for research and community service.