Chuta: You're Leaving Already?

Well hello there everyone!
I bet you all are wondering what the heck this little world traveler has been up to lately, especially since the last time I wrote you all I was just getting back from vacationing in the desert and in Buenos Aires.   Lovely time, might I add.   Well, to put your minds at ease, I haven't been up to much.  Okay, that's not true.  I just haven't traveled anywhere (yet).  The reason being?  With the end of the semester drawing near, I have been extremely busy doing all those papers, presentations, and projects.  Haha.  No, but really, I have been busier than usual with school.  It is my last semester of college you know so I must go out strong.  On the flip side, I've been pretty busy trying to get in as much "face-time" as possible with my "gringa" friends in my program.  Although I will be hanging around in South America a while longer, the students in my program will be returning to the States for Christmas.  Lucky ducks. Actually, the past few weeks have been quite bittersweet.  On the one hand, we have had a blast doing fun things in the city and just having a blast with each other.  You know, livin' it up in Santiago, Chile.  On the other hand, I know what it's like to leave your study abroad experience behind (friends, a host family you adore, the way of life you have become accustomed to etc).  It's absolutely unbearable and heartbreakingly painful.   So my heart goes out to everyone going home soon.  Then, there's me, watching everyone leave and feeling quite homesick to be brutally honest.
Homesick?  You, Sarah?  No way!  No te creo!  
Yup, believe it or not, I'm homesick.  Don't get me wrong I love Santiago and I love being here.  Definitely don't want to leave, yet.  However, knowing that everyone is going home for Christmas and that the friends I became so close to this semester are leaving (me) is hard.  Saying goodbye is never fun.  It never gets any easier.  In fact, I think it gets harder, especially as I become more sentimental in my "old age."  Then, there's the subject of Christmas making me homesick.  I thought Thanksgiving was hard.  It doesn't really seem like Christmas down here.  Sure there are Christmas decorations pretty much everywhere but it's 80/90 degrees outside.  Weird, right?  (I know ya'll in the cold Midwest are thinking, "Tough life, Sarah" but believe me, you'd miss your white Christmas.)  I've been trying to get into the Christmas cheer by helping my Chilean family put up their Christmas tree, listening to Mariah Carey and *NYSYC Christmas albums as well as working on my grocery list for the Christmas cookies.  I have a lot to look forward to (like going to the beach for Christmas and baking with my host family) and many new cultural experiences to embrace.  I keep telling myself it's just one Christmas I'll be "missing" but some days I just want it to snow.  Thus, my host sister and I will be making paper snowflakes to take with us to the beach so I can have a "white" Christmas.  Cute, right?  I am so blessed to be with a Chilean family who loves me.  (It's mutual.)  And we are going to have a blast.  I think my host family is especially stoked to have a "gringa" spending the holidays with them.  Or perhaps they are just using me for my insanely great baking abilities.  :)  What's on the menu so far?  Snickerdoodles, gingerbread cookies (at the request of mi mamá), Oreo balls, chocolate Christmas pretzels, and Rolo cookies.  Then, I am preparing my Nana's egg casserole and coffee cake for Christmas morning, a tradition of my family back in the States.
Anyways, the past couple weeks have been entertaining to say the least.  A few weekends ago my host sisters had a concert for their university that I went to with my host family.  My oldest sister studies music and it was her first time directing on her own.  Thus, it was a really special event that I was able to share with the family.  I'm posting some pictures of the past few weeks as well, included is the concert etc.  Similarly, you will find pictures of Cerro San Cristóbal, which is the highest point in Santiago.  One morning, my friend Amanda and I were feeling ambitious and ran, yes ran, up the hill.  We were definitely feeling it the following day.  Oh yes, also you will find pictures of Santiago's cemetery.  Cemeteries in Latin America are huge as you will see.  They are absolutely gorgeous as well and very interesting to walk through.  We mainly ventured to the cemetery in order to see the grave of Salvador Allende, the Chilean president who was overthrown by a military coup on September 11, 1973.  Related to that topic was the visit to the Human Rights Museum that just opened two years ago in Santiago.  It was definitely sobering but also very informative and interesting.  Honestly, I have just been doing the last minute things that I have forgotten to do or haven't had time to do yet in Santiago.  Lots of time with the family and friends.  Like tonight, when my good friend Emily and I decorated her mamá's Christmas tree, swapped Christmas music, and watched Elf.  
Wow, I cannot believe this semester (and my college career) are almost over.  Two finals remain.  Only three days left in Santiago before everyone leaves and I leave for Peru, which I suppose brings me to my next noteworthy news.  I'll be trekking up to Peru, mainly to visit Machu Picchu and tour around the Sacred Valley.  Kinda surreal, right?  Machu Picchu is the infamous Inca site in Peru that was voted as one of the seven wonders of the world in 2007.  It will be absolutely incredible if it doesn't rain the entire time.  So we'll be crossing our fingers.  Anyways, it is going to be a little bit of an adventure since we really don't have much planned.  To our defense, it is kinda hard to plan out the when's and the where's since things like public transportation are a little more "relaxed" than in the US.  We are flying up to Arica, Chile near the border and then busing up to Cuzco and Machu Picchu.  It's definitely not a quick trip, which is why we are giving ourselves ten days.  Oh I might want to mention who we are - my friend Caroline and I, although there will be a bunch of other people we know up there around the same time so we might run into some of our friends.
Well, to be honest I'm about to fall asleep so I better get going but I just wanted to give you all a little update so you knew I was still alive down here in South America.  So I'm alive and kicking.  Do not worry!  And stay tuned for some beautiful pictures of Peru and entertaining blog posts about our little adventure.  Then, get excited for some Chilean Christmas action.  I hope you all are doing well and getting into the Christmas spirit!  I love and miss you all!
Un besito,
¡Ciao!