The Painful Days of Revision

I'm currently on the slow trudge towards my last exam of this semester... Let me tell you: it's not fun.
To lighten the load a bit, and to reward my survival of yesterday's exam, Anna and I joined Alejandro for a night on the tiles. That is to say, we didn't actually go clubbing or anything (the dude's 67, and although he may be well up for it, I don't think we would have been able to keep up!)- we actually had a rendez-vous for ice cream. 


The ice cream parlour is quite a phenomenon in Chile, and Bravissimo is THE place to go if you want a proper sundae (and yes, it does tickle me that it has the same name as a British lingerie shop). We pored over the menu amidst Alejandro's adamant claims to the waitress that it was my birthday (he was angling for an extra scoop), and finally settled on what looked like the most modest option: three ginormous hunking scoops in a glass sundae dish the size of a small yacht. I opted for avellana (hazelnut), menta chips (mint choc chip) and some kind of maracuyá cocktail (passion fruit), which turned out to be rather scrummy. I, nevertheless, in true Jasmine style, couldn't finish it. What a wet blanket.


What drove me on in the eating stakes was the promise of the best Italian restaurant I had ever been to. I pointed out that I had been to Rome. Alejandro didn't care. In my ongoing quest to find the best fettucine in the world, I agreed to continue on to dinner in the aforementioned restaurant, despite my stomach's best interests. Let me just make this clear: I have never EVER seen such a big plate of pasta. EVER. Just  the sight of it was offputting, and even the reams of certificate's declaring the chef's participation in the 'Best Pizza in the World' competition (I stress, participation, not any kind of medal or trophy) could not persuade me to eat more than a few bites. Suddenly the families filing out with doggie bags galore made sense: this meal was going to last me for a few days. Having said that, I ate it for lunch and dinner today and it's all gone...


After that amount of carbohydrates, Anna and I were all too ready to topple into bed, and I was very glad to remember that my next exam wasn't until next Tuesday; some respite, at least.


La Entusiasta
xxx

Santiago Funtimes

Incredibly, the last weekend of my time in Chile is fast approaching. We've been frantically trying to cram in all our favourite bits of Santiago one more time before our trip to Brazil, but i think the most important thing is to enjoy the remainder of summer before we plunge into an icy European winter!  I've been trawling the internet for a coat and boots, and I can't wait to have a little shopping spree for work clothes that will last me through my placement in Spain. It's a time of transition!


Over the next two weeks, my final exams will be dramatically played out amidst scenes of hectic revision and last-minute cramming sessions, but I'm hoping to emerge with a decent pass and head off to Sao Paolo with a clear head. We've been invited to go to Cris' beach house for a few days before crossing the border to Argentina. Let's hope there'll be time for a boat trip to Uruguay too! It's going to be a bit of a desperate attempt to round up those last Christmas presents and finish off our tans. I'll be honest, I won't be happy if I'm not the brownest member of the family on Christmas day!


Yesterday was a bit of a coup for me, as we learnt how to make sushi from a true expert- Cris' Japanese/Brazilian friend Karen. It was absolutely delicious, and surprisingly simple (although I doubt my mum would trust me to make it at home- food poisoning, anyone?). The cherry on the cake was an evening of shopping, where I was inaugurated as a true Latina upon the purchase of a pair of skintight, bum-hugging jeans (I'm channelling J-Lo, don'tcha know). The chocolate sprinkle on that cherry was the fact that we squeezed in a trip to the cinema to see the most recent instalment of Harry Potter. And, in case you're wondering, yes, I did cry when Dobby died...


Besitos,


La Entusiasta
xxx