What a week; the beginning of CORFO, Cajón del Maipo & Bellavista

I'm sorry to all my amigos - you weren't very impressed with my extremely short previous post but I promise you, I've had a lovely week so the dirt can finally be dished!

Cajón del Maipo

As aimed, I'm here to perfect my Spanish and I can proudly say university and the fact that it is seldom to find someone here who can speak english is helping to improve my Spanish rapidly and I'm over the moon! My confidence is building, I'm not hesitating so much and I'm definitely not scared to make a mistake. Needless to say, I'm losing my English and have to think for at least a minute just to get a word out -  which I didn't expect to happen so soon! My brain is most probably overwhelmed by the continuous switching between Spanish & English. It's something I definitely need to get accustomed to.

Cajón del Maipo

CORFO is an organisation aimed at improving
entrepreneurship and as a language assistant I get to help people aim for better jobs by holding talks in English to help language students of CORFO better their English. This week was my first week of CORFO and this might sound sad and become repetetive seeing as I present the same thing every week, but I really did have the time of my life! It's as though public speaking comes naturally to me. The students showed interest, asked questions and for once in my life, people were laughing at my jokes. It's amazing how the environment you're in can affect the energy you have and how you perform in certain situations.

BarConstitución

Santiago's bohemian sector of Bellavista is really and truly alive in the day, with gypsies trailing the area with what I'm guessing are handmade or back of the truck goods and infamous amounts of people scouring the area in search of the most artsy and funky pub or restaurant in town (or they could just be on their way to San Cristobal cerro). But at night, oh wow! It's like walking into a scene of The Hills, except with a more middle class atmosphere, a crowd and cold weather. Nevertheless, it is AMAZING! A few friends and I ended up in a bar, BarConstitución. Let me just say it is hands down, the best bar/club I have ever been to. Who wouldn't want to dance all night long to reggeaton and some Bob Marley, enjoy a night out comfortably (no heels) and pay £1 for a drink? Although the men are über pervy, but with some 'I'm not interested looks," it's easy to get past! I love how everyone here is just so free. Practically everyone here knows how to dance and everywhere I looked there were people salsa-ing away. It was like being in an amateur version of Dancing with the stars.

I ended up on the dance floor all night and by 4 a.m I was too tired (I know, how grandma of me!) and ended up home. Finally, my week ended in Cajón del Maipo.

Above el rio Maipo

Cajón del Maipo (CM) is a small town up in the Andes on the outskirts of Santiago. Actually I'm quite blessed as I met someone who has turned out to be an amazing friend, Nickolle. Lucky for me, her family invited me along to CM and visiting the town has to be the highlight of my trip (so far). Apparently most of the town has been designed by the same architect and it's designed to mimic J.R.R Tolkien's, 'The Shire' in LOTR. Everything is made out of pure wood, and the town screams warmth and tranquility. It's placed in the mountains so you can expect some river rafting, zip lining, horse rides, excursions etc. It's a shame it's winter right now, otherwise some sort of adventure would definitely have been on my to-do list for the weekend! Nevertheless, a trip back is on the table. After spending the cold afternoon in a warm cabin-like restaurant with views of the mountains and the river below, we strolled through the private park admiring the attention to detail of every nook and cranny of the area. From the decor to the hobit-like lodges & cabins and the outdoor pool, this place screams LOTR! The icing on the cake for me had to be the little café we ended up in during dusk, sitting by fresh fire, drinking rose tea and sharing stories of our travels and adventures. It truly was magical.

                  

My only worry is that instead of coming home to write up notes for an exam I have, I ended up in my kitchen with a cup full of melted Nutella and strawberries & bananas. Food... what a way to procrastinate!

The beginning. YA in Santiago, Chile.

San Cristobal Cerro

This is the first time I've broken my predictable and safe ways and branched out to do something so outrageous and unexpected (for me anyways!).

After 10 days of being in Santiago, it has finally hit me that I'm out here all alone. With no one to rely on but me, myself and I. With the help of my lovely mother and aunt (who have now left), I was able to find an apartment in an upcoming and suave part of town with views that anyone would die for! A colourful concrete desert in the barrio of Bellas Artes is what I see every morning with San Cristobal cerro to my left and the Andes mountains, with its snowy peaks hovering in the background.

Santiago's vibrant lifestyle screams life with a natural twist. Mountains, beaches, their very own lake district & marble caves down south, deserts up north and many more!

More importantly, I'm here to brush up my Spanish and teach English. 

Hasta luego & wish me luck!

When inspiration hits you hard..

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of attending a charity event held by the Shampan group, a high end restaurant chain known for their fine dining and exquisite events. Two years ago, Shampan started their own foundation; the Shampan Foundation. And since it's birth, they have improved the lives of many children in Bangladesh. Their work has shown innovation, authenticity and ingenuity, and I only wish for their prosperity and recognition at an international level.

I entered S4 (Shampan 4) in Westerham, Kent admiring the foundation and knowing very little about their host, Manish Bhasin, a sports journalist and presenter for BBC's Football League Show, and left having a new profound respect for the charity and Manish. For one, Sufiyan Miah and his partners charity dinner had left a remarkable effect on me and I gasped for my own opportunity to do some good. Not only was it inspirational but the personality of the foundation and their business was captured beautifully and participators could really feel the intimacy between the group and themselves.

And Mr Manish, well isn't he just a bubble of inspiration for all things brown! His dapper style, charming and witty humour, eloquent speaking style and all round humility really gave me the kick in the butt side to think, breathe, eat, essentially live media, with some dignity of course. Pessimistic me cannot stop thinking of every other job I can obtain with my degree if journalism doesn't go well for me. But Mr optimistic (Manish) opened my eyes to chances and belief.

Let's be realistic, to make it big in the media world, you have to be the best of the best, have the right contacts and most importantly, be able to talk for your life! We live in a dog eat dog world and well, Manish taught me how to stay grounded and true to my beliefs whilst trying to reach the top. I may not be the best writer or have all the contacts, but I can certainly try to achieve those things. And really, the event itself speaks volumes; one must believe in what they want to achieve. If you don't believe in the cause you will never be able to initiate change.

Thank you Shampan Group and Manish Bhasin for inspiring me.