The Otavalo Crafts Market, Ecuador

Imagine being in a country where terracotta colored mountains with Incan ruins meet magnificent blue skies. Where twisted peaks loom in the sky and glacier fields reach beyond the eye's view. Where a vast desert holds secrets from years past. Where one can only hike for four hours and be able to see the majestic Andes peaking up from the clouds and the Pacific Ocean at the same time. Imagine a country where exploration is the key to unlocking the magic of nature, and Chile can be found.
Last July I left for a five month study abroad experience in Valparaíso, Chile, a colorful city made up of cerros (hills), located on the Pacific Coast. This city houses a Bohemian culture in which art and music are the center. Whenever I would walk the winding streets of Cerro Alegre, the area where my house was located, I would hear the enchanting sounds of Bossa Nova and the thinking tunes of jazz, see the wonderfully painted murals on all the walls, and be inspired by the poetry of Pablo Neruda.
For me my experience in Chile was one of self-growth, exploration, travel, learning, and most importantly, living within a most amazing and caring culture.

--Alexis Yanoff, '04

Alexis spent fall, 2002 at the Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Chile (http://www.ucv.cl/) and is currently studying at the Center for Cross-Cultural Study in Seville, Spain.