La Serena - Coquimbo 1. Month

I've been in Chile for over a month now. I've been working for a month and have fully settled into life here. I know exactly which bus to take where, how to get to the sea the fastest, and where La Serena ends and Coquimbo begins. However, since it's currently not tourist season, the city feels rather deserted, to be honest, and I stand out as a 'tourist.' I checked out Coquimbo on 'día del Patrimonio.' Well, there's not that much to see, to be honest. There is a super tall cross with a nice view and a mosque built by the Moroccan community in Coquimbo, which is really beautiful. Otherwise, I was told that I shouldn't wander the streets of Coquimbo alone; an obviously white girl just stands out and isn't regarded as super safe. I took this advice and used Uber to get everywhere because I didn't want to have my phone stolen again, haha. The next day I started working. Rarely have I looked forward to work as much as I did that day. I was welcomed very warmly and friendly at Nuara (that's the name of the clinic), and I felt comfortable from the first minute. Initially, I felt like I understood almost nothing, but it was still fun to be there. Accordingly, the first weeks of work were quite tiring. On weekends, I would explore a small new part of the area or visit family friends. I started with the neighborhood and the super delicious Peruvian restaurant. I also explored the beaches of La Serena, Coquimbo, and Tongoy, sometimes with my family here and sometimes alone. The beach in La Serena is really long and perfect for long walks, which I love. One Sunday, there was a run along the beach organized by Rotary, so we were of course actively participating with the club of Liliana and also with my boss's club. Both wanted me to be there and introduce me to everyone, so I kept going back and forth between stands, haha. So often I feel like the biggest attraction in the city. One day in the newspaper and the next live on the radio. But both were super cool experiences! I also checked out the city center of La Serena, but it was really deserted on the weekend and not very nice. I went back there during the week to drop off documents from work at the health department because everything here is still done in person and feels like it's from the last century; it was a little busier then, but still not very pleasant. Last weekend we went to Valle del Elqui and Pisco Elqui to show me where and how Chile's national drink, Pisco, is produced. It was really cool because the whole Valle del Elqui (the valley) is just impressive. Just like where we have trees growing all the way up the mountain, here cacti grow all the way up too. In between, there may be a tiny, narrow stream. Grapes for the Pisco as far as the eye can see in places, and then again desert and dryness. But it is a completely different landscape compared to the Atacama desert area. I haven't seen much of Chile yet, but it is really a very interesting country with many different landscapes. However, one thing that has been true so far is that the people here are super friendly and warm! I'm excited to see what the next few weeks will bring because we still have a lot planned! 🫶🏼