9. Parque Arauco, one of the favorite shopping destinations among my friends and family, symbolizes everything West and extravagant. It has everything that one could possibly need and it probably a shopaholic's dream world.
Considering my lack-of-adequate-clothes situation that I expressed in a previous blog post, I decided to go shopping for basic clothing one day. On another, I went out with friends to watch a late-night movie at the theater there and enjoyed the free concert in the plaza. And yet on another day, I went with my extended family to drink coffee and walk around. You get the idea; I have been there quite a bit.
(Above: In the outside portion of the mall on the second floor is a waterfall. It is a good place to relax and find some quiet time outside of the crowd inside the mall.)
(Above: Another picture of the architecture of the place)
(Above: The mall offers everything, from distinctive products to a variety of price options. Obviously, those three stores pictured are on the luxury end of the spectrum.)
(Above: I had a craving for chocolate then, so I stopped by to buy an emergency stash. I found it cute to see the little balls of Lindt chocolate in such a great variety and sold in singles behind the counter. On a side note, it was funny to encounter the shop on the Designs floor of the mall designated for home design and decoration)
(Above: The food court is like any other, but I was happy to find a sushi express store that offered really cheap sushi)
(Above: On the left is a board advertising the Peruvian twists on sushi. The concept of 'Latin American sushi' caught my attention. It is always fun to find cultural twists on concepts I am used to.)
(Above: The remnants of my friends' KFC chicken, fries, and soapapillas. Yes, Chilean KFC offers soapapillas.)
(Above: Pictured is the finished sushi and finished box of Pizza Hut pizza. Ah, the joys of classic American pizza and cheap Japanese sushi)
10. Zumba has become one of my favorite physical activities so far. That, and bicycling, are helping me stay active and semi-healthy in light of the very rich food I am consuming (example: pictured above).
Every weekend, our sector of town hosts a Zumba session in the morning, which attracts 30 people or so, in the beautiful large central park. (Note: Another aspect I love about Chile... the abundance of green parks) I love starting my morning dancing (rather awkwardly) with many strangers as we all do the same silly, upbeat movements. It makes me feel productive and more awake. Zumba also serves as a good connection between my US life and this one because everything is the same but not, all at the same time. (In fact, the idea that 'everything is the same but not' basically characterizes my current student exchange experience.)
We have two instructors - a male one who shouts encouragements and somehow manages to sing along quite well to all the pop music while doing intense cardio movements and a female instructor who simply dances. The following are pictures of the place.
Ciao!
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