Presently writing from Santiago, I’m glad I read most of Inés del alma mía, (Isabel Allende), before I landed in Chile. I have yet to finish the last 20 pages, but as it happens with all books I like, I just don’t want to reach the last page, forcing myself to slow down and enjoy it a bit more. This novel has been like an aperitif to Chilean history, providing a little taste of some of the main characters who founded Santiago de la Nueva Extremadura, as the capital of Chile was initially called. It will be interesting to compare Isabel Allende’s historical realism with the Chilean history lectures we will be listening at our first classes at the university.

In a very practical manner, as I get acquainted with Santiago in these first few days I am glad when I hear people talk about the Mapocho and know it’s a river. I am pleased to look at a poster in a building wall comparing two different time period men, know who they were (Salvador Allende and Lautaro), and understand the meaning of the comparison. Today, when someone at the Plaza de Armas asked me about the location of Valdivia’s statue, I knew where it was and could even tell him the horse’s name! (Sultán, though I wonder if that part is accurate!) or know why Valdivia chose Santiago’s location. Today during a city tour, our guide mentioned a statue of Alonso de Ercilla y Zúñiga and epic poem La Araucana about los araucanos (mapuche). It felt good to know who Ercilla Zúñiga was, and also know why I should call people mapuche and not araucanos.

My point in posting this is that sometimes, the best way to get acquainted with something new, is through reading a great book. The word so far among the people I asked is that Isable Allende struck a good balance between history and creativity. Let’s see what our instructor has to say.