Magnificent mountains that tower in the sky. This was my first impression of Santiago which reminded me of home. I find comfort and nostalgia in seeing mountains, which was the main feature in my hometown in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and in Kyoto, Japan, where I lived before moving to Aotearoa. In Santiago, the distant snow-capped peaks of the Andes mountains seem magical, especially in 30-degree heat in the middle of summer, which makes the view even more intriguing. I don’t think anyone could get tired of seeing such picturesque mountains every day!
The UC Chile campus has trees and nature peeking out in every corner, crawling up the walls, creating its own jungle intertwined with concrete buildings, each with its own unique name, shape, and purpose. The staff and students are incredibly welcoming and positive about the programme, making us feel instantly supported and cared for. The courses so far have been immensely enlightening, especially regarding the historical and current socio, cultural, economic, environmental, and political contexts that shape Chile and its people. My takeaway from the first week of lectures would be that public health is multi-faceted and involves an amalgam of intersectional and intersectoral processes, both historically and currently. I’m looking forward to learning about the worldviews of the Mapuche and Aymara indigenous people on public health and how these fit in with the current Chilean public health system.
The food so far has been great, although I haven’t had the chance to try many of the famous Chilean specialties, such as Pastel de Choclo. However, I can definitely say I’ve found a favourite dessert/drink, called Mote con Huesillo, made with barley and preserved peaches. If I could, I would drink it every day for sure! We all continue to be pleasantly surprised by the welcoming nature of the people here in Santiago, who, despite our limited Spanish and sometimes chaotic ordering of food at restaurants, have been extremely kind and patient, which makes the language barrier less of an issue.
I’m so excited to learn more about public health in Chile, try more Chilean food, and to steadily improve my Spanish over the course of the programme!
¡Hasta pronto! See you soon!
