{"id":38744,"date":"2019-08-14T09:01:41","date_gmt":"2019-08-14T13:01:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/?p=38744"},"modified":"2019-08-13T22:03:03","modified_gmt":"2019-08-14T02:03:03","slug":"getting-away-from-the-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/2019\/08\/14\/getting-away-from-the-city\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting Away from the City"},"content":{"rendered":"Santiago is a mad city. At least, for me it is. Santiago\u2019s total population stands at just under 7 million and that number is easily felt every day. From the claustrophobically packed subways, to the heavy smog, to the cars covering every inch of every street during rush hour, humans are everywhere. Don\u2019t get me wrong, I love Santiago but last weekend I desperately needed a break. So, Friday night, after a long day at the library, I hoped on a bus and travelled to the much smaller city of San Fernando where my dad\u2019s brother and his family live.\r\n\r\nHow often do you give yourself real <\/em>breaks? A break where your textbooks aren\u2019t within your field of vision and where you don\u2019t constantly worry about all the things you must do once the break is over. During the year, I rarely give myself day breaks or put my work on hold for 48 hours. However, last Friday it was evident that I needed to leave my laptop, and this city aside for a few days and dot a different landscape.\r\n\r\n
\"Large<\/a>
First we went to the sea<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\nSan Fernando was a change of scenery to say the least. There are no buildings towering defiantly over you, some houses are painted in vibrant shades of pink, yellow or green, and the occasional horse strutting around evidences the city\u2019s campestral character.\r\n\r\nWhat I love most about San Fernando is my uncle\u2019s house which has been in my family for about one hundred years and that was, and continues to be, my place of wonders. It is a huge property attached to a school that was founded by my grandfather many years ago. The windowsills are lined with antiquities; kitchen countertops are covered with baskets of onions and potatoes and fruits while the fire-wood stove provides more warmth and comfort than any gas heater could.\r\n\r\nWe went to the sea on the first day and to the countryside on the second. We ate one too many empanadas, <\/em>homemade bread and finished off the weekend with chocolate-orange alfajores<\/em>.\r\n\r\n
\"girl<\/a>
Then we went to the countryside<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\nI don\u2019t know why I don\u2019t plan weekend trips more often. And I don\u2019t mean just in Chile but in general. They\u2019re easy to plan, they quickly force me into \u201cvacation mode,\u201d and they rarely ever let me down because my expectations are never high to begin with unlike week-long vacations. This last weekend was confirmation that the ideal study break, for me at least, consists of a complete change of scenery to something more toned-down surrounded by people I love. I only have a few weekends left here but I wouldn\u2019t mind revisiting that house a few times especially if it means I\u2019ll feel this fresh on Monday.\r\n\r\nListen:\r\n\r\nVictor Jara is one of Chile's most important folk singers\/artist\/person - period. Here is my favourite song from him and one I played several times over this trip.\r\n\r\n