Tomorrow I make my long awaited journey to meet with faculty and research volunteers at the University of Chile and UNIACC in Santiago. I promise video, pictures, and hopefully some awesome sightseeing as I update this blog post over the next few days. Please stay tuned! 🙂

Pictures and messages “Memes” at the University of Chile expressing students’ sentiment that their education is non negotiable and a basic human right.  I wanted this picture to lead as it reflects my overall mission in Santiago, Chile  over the next few days

I am not a morning person… nevertheless, today’s journey for me from Talca to Santiago began with a 5:30am wake-up alarm.  This wouldn’t seem all that notable but for the fact I didn’t go to bed until almost 3:00am.  I know, crazy right?  The trip was made all the more enjoyable after meeting my new friend Blanca.  She’ll be featured in an upcoming video piece.

While the airlines are cutting back on snacks during their rides, Paris & Lourdes double decker bus service was there to please.  Although, I never could learn what was to go into the other spaces on my food tray. He he

Profesora Jessie Rojas Carrasco, Dean María Eugenia Góngora, and I all met today at the University of Chile to discuss our research plans.  Dr. Rojas will be assisting me with graduate students focus groups at the University of Chile.  Dean Góngora was very busy with meetings today and I didn’t get a photo with her but that is high on my agenda for our next meeting in November.

Dean María Eugenia Góngora has been amazingly supportive to me and my research and I was so pleasantly surprised and touch when she sent me a message and support for taxi fare (above).  That was so wonderful of her to do.  I also appreciated and enjoyed conversations with another faculty member (Dr. Marcelo Martínez) who she sent to collect me from the bus station. 🙂  Chileans sure know how to make a Doctoral Candidate feel special.  I had a very rich discussion with Professor Martínez regarding the history, present student protest movements, and futures development activities in Chile.

I am skippin’ on cloud 9 today and pinching myself to help me realize that this is really happening.  My dissertation research of which I have been so passionate about for over 3 years is really  starting to come together beautifully.  I got a very frustrating message about a scholarship application today being incomplete because of some late arriving LORs.  That was discouraging but, I’m just going to take it as a sign that God has something bigger and better for me and I’m not going to have to beg, plead, nor compromise my dignity to receive my blessing.

La Feliz Académica.

Walking around, meeting students, and filming at the University of Chile.  I’m going to need a little more time to edit my video so the promised video post will be slightly delayed.  It will be worth the wait as I got some good stuff when walking around downtown Santiago this evening.

Our old friend and staple character… El perro libre.

View of Santiago from my apartment building.  Yes, I said apartment and will explain further below.

Mauricio and Pia were just lovely and made my check-in a breeze!

Ok, sometimes I get a little frustrated in trying to orient myself to a new cultural context and more specifically language.  So, everyone kept telling me when I asked about hotels in Santiago that I could probably rent an apartment.  Therefore, I go on to Orbitz,com, as per usual thinking to myself, “Oh, that must be what they call hotels here.”  But no, my “room” was actually really like a nice New York style efficiency apartment.  I also was in a great location with easy pedestrian routes, lots of shops, restaurants, and places to explore.  Can you say??? Nailed it! 🙂

More pics of my apartment/hotel in Santiago.

Santiago is busy!!  This pic above wasn’t even during rush hour traffic.  I experienced a couple incidents of involuntarily playing the game “Pedestrian Dodge the Car”.  It’s sometimes difficult to know whether to follow the pedestrian crowd or wait for the green dancing man in the pedestrian walk symbol.  I’ve gotta get a picture of that little symbol man green light dancin’! Ha ha

There is some very beautiful architecture here in Santiago, often quite breathtaking.

This is where it all went down during the Chilean 9/11 of 1973.  I thought I knew that this was Palacio de La Moneda but needed two nearby English speaking Chilean women to confirm it for me.  I was in awe for several reasons.  The first being that I had watched the film by Patricio Guzmán called The Battle of Chile.  The building seemed much smaller in real life and kind of surreal.  The events of that day which included a  military coup d’état and the removal of the democratically elected President Allende holds painful memories for many Chileans.

This past September 11th marked the 40th anniversary of that event which also ushered in the era of LOCE legislation that led to the privatization of Chilean education.  It is an amazing time to be in Chile as there is the remembrance of the Augusto Pinochet military rule, the country’s national election for a new President, along with student protest marches that have garnered international support with their calls for a return to free, high quality public education for all Chileans.  See what I’m sayin’???  I couldn’t have imagined having the foresight to myself coordinate all of these conditions during my doctoral research period.  Being a part of these happenings will forever be etched among my life’s fondest memories.

Here is a nearby statue in close proximity to La Moneda in honor of former President Salvador Allende.

If you look closely at the foot of the statue on the right you will again see our ole friend Perro Libre resting under Allende. 🙂

The economic, cultural renaissance, and memes of La Buena Vida are all over Santiago as well as Talca from my observations.  Chile is quickly and quietly advancing in it’s role in the world as a developing economic powerhouse country.

This was so cool and will be in the film.  Random people where coming up to this outdoor piano and entertaining pedestrians and admirers who were either passing by or stopped in order to take in the experience.

I had to include this pic for other Godfather movie fans like myself.  Micheal Corleone was reppin’ in Chile. Ha ha

More beautiful shopping spaces and Chilean architecture.

I had to include this image Meme.  What does it bring to mind for you?

Another pic of the awesomely amazing random street pianists (will be included in the soon to be posted short movie  From Santiago with Love Part 2).

Took this pic for all of my Public Administration and Urban Planning peeps.  Yo’ brush up on your Spanish peoples as there might be some opportunities in Chile for you.

This was such a delicious traditional lemonade and mango beverage.  I’m going to make these at my next dinner party.

Close-up look at the mango chunks.

Delicious after dinner sweets.  I did not partake because I was very full after dinner.

Oh carne de vaca, how I’ve missed you.  Now it’s time for sleep and another day of handling business.  Hope you enjoyed hangin’ out in Santiago with me today. 🙂