Hey everyone,
it seems silly to me to write a long post telling you all about Buenos Aires. I will be leaving Vina del Mar, Chile on Thursday at 3pm and starting my long way home. I can't wait to tell you all about my final weeks in person :). Thanks for following my posts and reading all about my travels here. It's been an incredible 5 months. While it is bittersweet, i am very happy to be coming home. See you all shortly!
besos,
carolina
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
No More School!
Hi everyone,
Last time we chatted I had just gotten home from San Pedro. Not too much has happened since then. I have been busy with school, but now I am all done!!!
So, I have happily managed decent grades here as far as I know. Some of them are purely miraculous! I got a 6 in one of my History classes, so that's cool. My lit class wasn't as easy. Here's why: the prof is a nut. I have never had good grades in his class, and he pretty much told me if I don't do well on the oral exam, I won't do well all around. The oral exam consisted of 76 questions! We were told to be able to elaborate on each question for at least 5 mins, so when we picked 3 randoms out of a hat we could talk for 15 minutes. Yikes!! So, I got an extension on a project for CIEE and focused on the oral for a while. I even got a tutor for an hour at CIEE to ensure that I was prepared. I went the very last day I could and took it in his office instead of in front of the whole class, cuz that would just be brutal. So I go in there and pick 3 random questions, 2 yellow 1 green. yellow were the first 30 questions, and green were the rest. In the middle of my answer for the third question he interrupts me and asks what my name is. he gave me a 7 because "i deserved it." damn right!!!!!!!!! and then he goes, hmmm, well you have come to every class, and i can tell youre a good student and i'd like for you to show your profs there in the US that you came to study abroad and was still applied and dedicated, so I'm going to boost your overall grade to a 6 which is equivalent to an A, ok? And i was like whattt??!!!!! But, cool, I'll take it!!!!!!!!! Woohoo!
So, my danza class, which i took thinking it would be fun, turned out to be a horrible nightmare! For that class I had to do a research paper, a dance, and a final. Tatiana and I did our paper no problem. But the dance! Argh! She stopped our group halfway and told us we were doing it all wrong. Not to mention I looked silly because Tatiana used the traditional dress I was going to wear cuz she had nothing and I at least had a little something to work with. Anyway, we ended up figuring it out and she gave us a second chance. Hopefully it went ok. Then I reminded her that she said I could make up my Diablada test (that's another dance we learned) that I missed at the beginning of the semester. Naturally I wasn't prepared, but when she wasn't paying attention the TA quickly helped me remember some of the steps and make a small routine. I'm happy to say I remembered a lot! Anyway, I danced all alone and for only 30 seconds to show her I knew the moves. I wasn't expecting much, but I got a 7!!! She said I danced very well, had great posture and pointed feet, and I had an excellent sense of rhythm, and that I was light on my feet and a joy to watch. I wanted to thank her for being a bitch all semester and giving me a hard time :). I didn't, of course. I think I failed the written test, seeing as I left a good chunk of it blank....oops.
I finally turned in my anthology project to ciee and now I am done!!!!!!!!!!!!! On Friday I leave for a week for Buenos Aires with miss Hillary. I booked us some cool sounding hostels in two different areas. The first 3 nights we will be in San Telmo which is the tango district. Then for the second half we are staying in Palermo which is the ritzier district! I'm so pumped! Then 5 days left....
I've started saying goodbyes which I don't like. It's weird, but since Hillary and I are leaving, it overlaps with when a bunch of people are leaving. Can't believe it! Anyway, I'll fill you in on Buenos Aires after, it will probably be my last post, yikes....
Besitos and I hope the heat I've heard about is nicer than winter here,
Carolina
Last time we chatted I had just gotten home from San Pedro. Not too much has happened since then. I have been busy with school, but now I am all done!!!
So, I have happily managed decent grades here as far as I know. Some of them are purely miraculous! I got a 6 in one of my History classes, so that's cool. My lit class wasn't as easy. Here's why: the prof is a nut. I have never had good grades in his class, and he pretty much told me if I don't do well on the oral exam, I won't do well all around. The oral exam consisted of 76 questions! We were told to be able to elaborate on each question for at least 5 mins, so when we picked 3 randoms out of a hat we could talk for 15 minutes. Yikes!! So, I got an extension on a project for CIEE and focused on the oral for a while. I even got a tutor for an hour at CIEE to ensure that I was prepared. I went the very last day I could and took it in his office instead of in front of the whole class, cuz that would just be brutal. So I go in there and pick 3 random questions, 2 yellow 1 green. yellow were the first 30 questions, and green were the rest. In the middle of my answer for the third question he interrupts me and asks what my name is. he gave me a 7 because "i deserved it." damn right!!!!!!!!! and then he goes, hmmm, well you have come to every class, and i can tell youre a good student and i'd like for you to show your profs there in the US that you came to study abroad and was still applied and dedicated, so I'm going to boost your overall grade to a 6 which is equivalent to an A, ok? And i was like whattt??!!!!! But, cool, I'll take it!!!!!!!!! Woohoo!
So, my danza class, which i took thinking it would be fun, turned out to be a horrible nightmare! For that class I had to do a research paper, a dance, and a final. Tatiana and I did our paper no problem. But the dance! Argh! She stopped our group halfway and told us we were doing it all wrong. Not to mention I looked silly because Tatiana used the traditional dress I was going to wear cuz she had nothing and I at least had a little something to work with. Anyway, we ended up figuring it out and she gave us a second chance. Hopefully it went ok. Then I reminded her that she said I could make up my Diablada test (that's another dance we learned) that I missed at the beginning of the semester. Naturally I wasn't prepared, but when she wasn't paying attention the TA quickly helped me remember some of the steps and make a small routine. I'm happy to say I remembered a lot! Anyway, I danced all alone and for only 30 seconds to show her I knew the moves. I wasn't expecting much, but I got a 7!!! She said I danced very well, had great posture and pointed feet, and I had an excellent sense of rhythm, and that I was light on my feet and a joy to watch. I wanted to thank her for being a bitch all semester and giving me a hard time :). I didn't, of course. I think I failed the written test, seeing as I left a good chunk of it blank....oops.
I finally turned in my anthology project to ciee and now I am done!!!!!!!!!!!!! On Friday I leave for a week for Buenos Aires with miss Hillary. I booked us some cool sounding hostels in two different areas. The first 3 nights we will be in San Telmo which is the tango district. Then for the second half we are staying in Palermo which is the ritzier district! I'm so pumped! Then 5 days left....
I've started saying goodbyes which I don't like. It's weird, but since Hillary and I are leaving, it overlaps with when a bunch of people are leaving. Can't believe it! Anyway, I'll fill you in on Buenos Aires after, it will probably be my last post, yikes....
Besitos and I hope the heat I've heard about is nicer than winter here,
Carolina
Friday, June 25, 2010
San Pedro de Atacama!
Hi all! This week has been nuts with work! I am glad its over! I had two tests yesterday and I've been studying for this god awful oral exam I have. All the while trying to catch up on sleep from my weekend in San Pedro de Atacama!!! So here's how the weekend went:
On Thursday I hustled to get my work done before my bus at 10pm. I took the bus into Santiago with Asa and Michelle. Anastasia and Sonja decided to get there way earlier, which was dumb but their choice. Our flight was at 5am on Friday. Asa Michelle and I got there around midnight, grabbed some food at Dunkin Donuts (not the same, no French Vanilla) and then met the girls at the gate. We tried to sleep but we were all so amped! ...and it was the airport, not so conducive to sleep. So finally we boarded, and I had a seat by myself because with Lan you pick your seats and I checked in apart from them. I didnt mind too much except that it was really turbulent and scared the crap out of me. Anyway, we got to Calama at about 7am and the guy from the hostel was there waiting for us. It was FREEZING! 27 degrees F to be exact, and the airport was one of those tiny ones where you get off the plane and then walk to the building. So we piled into this hostel man's truck, stopped for breakfast, then drove about 2 hrs to San Pedro. When we got to the hostel Asa Michelle and I slept and the ladies went to explore. When we finally got going it was really nice out!We walked around the tiny centre of town (the whole place is one big tourist trap) and got lunch at this cool hippie place that had soy, good for our lovely lactose intolerant Michelle. Then the group decided they were renting bikes to go to Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley). So, I looked around and found an excursion that went there too. I had a great time! We stopped at the Cordillera del Sal (Salt Mountain Range), Valle de la Muerte, part of the salt flat, and then finally to a sand dune in Valle de la Luna to watch the sunset. It got very very cold! I met up with the group on the dune, but they were struggling! They didn't realize how far it was to bike, especially in such a high altitude. But, I had a great day :). During the tour I hung out with a kid from Spain who was also alone. It was good, I wasn't lonely and I had someone to take pics of me :) That night we made dinner at the hostel and fell into bed. Our excursion the next day started at 7. So, yet another night without much sleep.
Saturday we got started bright and early to go to the Salt Flats and the Lagunas. It was a long long day! We went about an hr and a half more north and saw the flamingoes. It was so cool and I took lots of pictures. My camera has incredible zoom so the pictures actually came out really well. The whole time we were walking on salt! And surrounding us were volcanoes. Really beautiful. San Pedro looks like it should be fake. It was such a long excursion and I don't really remember the names of the places we hit up. Sorry, that was anti-climactic. It was mostly lakes formed by volcanoes, more of the salt flat, and different volcanoes of the cordillera. We had lunch at this tiny little town on the way. I can't imagine living in this part of Chile year round. It's obviously arid temps, seeing as we were in the desert, and it gets very hot and then freezing. It was also hard to breathe with the altitude. When we got back to town there was a power and water outage, welcome to Chile. When the lights finally came back on we went grocery shopping and made dinner again. Then we went to bed because our next excursion started at 4am!
We woke up at around 315 and put on every article of clothing we brought with us. I personally wore 2 pairs of socks, leggings, jeans, a tank top, a beater, a long sleeve, short sleeve over that, hoodie, scarf and jacket. And my new fingerless gloves! I was still a little chilly. We went to see the guysers about 2 hours north of San Pedro. The company picked us up around 445 and we drove for a while on a horrible road that made me sick. We ultimately went about 15 km from Bolivia...very north. The guysers were incredible, there were so many!!!!!!!!! Some spurted water every few minutes. Others we perpetually steaming. We were so high up it hurt to breathe. A poor little boy on my tour fainted :(. It was still incredible though. We made breakfast in one of the guysers! We put in boxes (ew) of milk and some eggs, and they cooked hahah! We ate breakfast then headed to the hot springs. I did not go in because it was still freezing out. Sonja Stas and Asa said it was only luke warm. Michelle and I made the right call :). We were also next to some of the biggest guysers so i went to take more pictures. After that stop we went to a tiny little town. Tiny! A row of houses. My camera died so I'll steal Stas's pics and post them too. At this little location I experienced a new food kids: llama! It tasted like steak. Llama and alpaca are very important in the north. They use them for everything!!!! They also build their houses out of adobe or volcanic rock, cool eh? All in all, a great three days of nonstop touring of the most beautiful places.
After the tour we checked out of the hostel and found a restaurant to eat and watch the brazil game. Then it was time to head to the airport and ultimately back to Vina. I got home around 130am and showered immediately...my hair was like straw from the wind and cold! This week has been nonstop. This morning (friday) I was awoken in a truly Chilean fashion, small earthquake. So, mama came in, tucked me in and then a half hour later brought me breakfast on my little silver tray hahahahah!!!! Now I am celebrating Michael Jackson before Chile plays Espana at 230! I am going to watch at the mall with one of my chilenas. See you all in a few short weeks!
Chau,
Carolina
On Thursday I hustled to get my work done before my bus at 10pm. I took the bus into Santiago with Asa and Michelle. Anastasia and Sonja decided to get there way earlier, which was dumb but their choice. Our flight was at 5am on Friday. Asa Michelle and I got there around midnight, grabbed some food at Dunkin Donuts (not the same, no French Vanilla) and then met the girls at the gate. We tried to sleep but we were all so amped! ...and it was the airport, not so conducive to sleep. So finally we boarded, and I had a seat by myself because with Lan you pick your seats and I checked in apart from them. I didnt mind too much except that it was really turbulent and scared the crap out of me. Anyway, we got to Calama at about 7am and the guy from the hostel was there waiting for us. It was FREEZING! 27 degrees F to be exact, and the airport was one of those tiny ones where you get off the plane and then walk to the building. So we piled into this hostel man's truck, stopped for breakfast, then drove about 2 hrs to San Pedro. When we got to the hostel Asa Michelle and I slept and the ladies went to explore. When we finally got going it was really nice out!We walked around the tiny centre of town (the whole place is one big tourist trap) and got lunch at this cool hippie place that had soy, good for our lovely lactose intolerant Michelle. Then the group decided they were renting bikes to go to Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley). So, I looked around and found an excursion that went there too. I had a great time! We stopped at the Cordillera del Sal (Salt Mountain Range), Valle de la Muerte, part of the salt flat, and then finally to a sand dune in Valle de la Luna to watch the sunset. It got very very cold! I met up with the group on the dune, but they were struggling! They didn't realize how far it was to bike, especially in such a high altitude. But, I had a great day :). During the tour I hung out with a kid from Spain who was also alone. It was good, I wasn't lonely and I had someone to take pics of me :) That night we made dinner at the hostel and fell into bed. Our excursion the next day started at 7. So, yet another night without much sleep.
Saturday we got started bright and early to go to the Salt Flats and the Lagunas. It was a long long day! We went about an hr and a half more north and saw the flamingoes. It was so cool and I took lots of pictures. My camera has incredible zoom so the pictures actually came out really well. The whole time we were walking on salt! And surrounding us were volcanoes. Really beautiful. San Pedro looks like it should be fake. It was such a long excursion and I don't really remember the names of the places we hit up. Sorry, that was anti-climactic. It was mostly lakes formed by volcanoes, more of the salt flat, and different volcanoes of the cordillera. We had lunch at this tiny little town on the way. I can't imagine living in this part of Chile year round. It's obviously arid temps, seeing as we were in the desert, and it gets very hot and then freezing. It was also hard to breathe with the altitude. When we got back to town there was a power and water outage, welcome to Chile. When the lights finally came back on we went grocery shopping and made dinner again. Then we went to bed because our next excursion started at 4am!
We woke up at around 315 and put on every article of clothing we brought with us. I personally wore 2 pairs of socks, leggings, jeans, a tank top, a beater, a long sleeve, short sleeve over that, hoodie, scarf and jacket. And my new fingerless gloves! I was still a little chilly. We went to see the guysers about 2 hours north of San Pedro. The company picked us up around 445 and we drove for a while on a horrible road that made me sick. We ultimately went about 15 km from Bolivia...very north. The guysers were incredible, there were so many!!!!!!!!! Some spurted water every few minutes. Others we perpetually steaming. We were so high up it hurt to breathe. A poor little boy on my tour fainted :(. It was still incredible though. We made breakfast in one of the guysers! We put in boxes (ew) of milk and some eggs, and they cooked hahah! We ate breakfast then headed to the hot springs. I did not go in because it was still freezing out. Sonja Stas and Asa said it was only luke warm. Michelle and I made the right call :). We were also next to some of the biggest guysers so i went to take more pictures. After that stop we went to a tiny little town. Tiny! A row of houses. My camera died so I'll steal Stas's pics and post them too. At this little location I experienced a new food kids: llama! It tasted like steak. Llama and alpaca are very important in the north. They use them for everything!!!! They also build their houses out of adobe or volcanic rock, cool eh? All in all, a great three days of nonstop touring of the most beautiful places.
After the tour we checked out of the hostel and found a restaurant to eat and watch the brazil game. Then it was time to head to the airport and ultimately back to Vina. I got home around 130am and showered immediately...my hair was like straw from the wind and cold! This week has been nonstop. This morning (friday) I was awoken in a truly Chilean fashion, small earthquake. So, mama came in, tucked me in and then a half hour later brought me breakfast on my little silver tray hahahahah!!!! Now I am celebrating Michael Jackson before Chile plays Espana at 230! I am going to watch at the mall with one of my chilenas. See you all in a few short weeks!
Chau,
Carolina
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Birthdays, Visits, and La Copa Mundial!
Hey followers,
It has been a long time filled with lots of fun things! Bear with me, this will be a long post!
So the last time I wrote was before my birthday! The week was a normal week and then bday time!!! First, thanks to everyone who was in on my Party in a Box! I was soooo happy when I got it! I told everyone about it too! On Friday night I went to see one of my friends play at a local bar. I snuck Meme's small thing of vodka with me and split it with Hillary. Then Hillary and i split a blue drink that looked funny but was yummy. Then at midnight, my friend and her band sang to me and i got a free piscola! A couple of my chilean friends met up too! Then we went into Valparaiso to a bar which was fun :) It was a good way to ring in 5/29. On Saturday I literally did nothing. Maybe a little hw. I wanted to help mama prepare for my party, but she ended up doing it all without me. I literally vegged all day waiting to help, then she did it all but thats fine :) It was weird actually, when I woke up she and Martin were both not home. Maybe it was their birthday present, haha! She went all out for my party it was so cute. We made the cake together on Friday, I took pictures! It was chocolate with a little rum ;) with raspberry and frosting made from chocolate and manjar. anyway, for the party she made guacamole and fancy little finger food. she also made fancy fruit cups with homemade whipped cream. and we had champagne with pineapple ice cream in it. i had mine in my fancy cup, thanks mommy! she bought me a crown too. hillary also bought me a princess hat thing. there are pictures. mama also made homemade sushi. i didnt eat it but it looked really pretty! Some of Martin's friends also came. Then a couple of my friends and I decided to go dancing in valpo. i was pretty tired, actually we all were, so it wasnt a super late night. all in all, a very good 21st birthday!
then, skipping a few days ahead, on wednesday june 2 i woke up at 4am to take a 5am bus to the airport to pick up greg! we had a great time together. it actually felt like a much needed vacation. We got back to vina, checked him into the hostel and went straight home. he met mama, we had breakfast and then i took him to class! I had a debate in psych and then a test in literature, so he just chilled. Wednesday night we had dinner all together, where he actually got to meet mama and martin. Then we went right to the hostel because I had to study for a test the next morning! I went to take the test, then picked up greg to have lunch at home and drag him to school for the rest of the day! He was a good sport. Thursday night he finally met some of my friends. On Friday we went on a tour of one of the Casablanca Valley vineyards and La Isla Negra. The wine tour was really fun. We got a beautiful day for it too. At the end we got to taste 4 different kinds. I bought some afterwards (look at me being all 21 like!) and we also bought a bottle for mama. From there we went to La Isla Negra which is another one of Pablo Neruda's houses. This one is by far the most beautiful. We snuck pictures :). It had the most amazing views, it is literally right on the beach. Neruda had so many collections, it is unbelievable. I'd like to go back one more time, just to take it all in again. Then the tour company stopped at a yummy restaurant. That night we went dancing for a bit in Valparaiso. On saturday hillary and I showed greg around Cerro Concepcion, which is one of the coolest places in Valparaiso, in my opinion. We also shopped a little at one of the feria's. On sunday we cooked breakfast for mama and martin. Greg brought maple syrup and my working coffeemaker! So we made pancakes and french toast and potatoes. mama makes pancakes, but we never eat them with syrup and it was just sooooo good! my coffee was also heaven. :) From there we went to the sand dunes in Con Con, which is a town near by. It was so cool. It's like standing on top of a mountain looking at the water, but its just a huge heap of sand! I'm still cleaning the sand out of my hair and bag, but it was totally worth it. They have sand boards for rent but we decided just to chill. We took it easy that night and geared up for our day with mama. Monday mama went with us to the feria's in vina. it was really fun! She and greg totally hit it off. They bonded over culinary things...she even brought out her case of knives!!! I told her to put them away they were big weapons and she could kill, and she goes of course carolina why do you think i keep them way over there hidden?! i think you might have had to be there, but it was really funny and we laughed a lot.
Tuesday was when we set off for Santiago! We got to our really cool hostel and decided to explore and not waste the rest of the day. We went to Cerro San Cristobal in Bellavista, which is a very bohemian area. On that hill was the biggest mary statue you ever saw. We didnt care much for the jesus aspect, but the view was absolutely amazing. you can see all of Santiago, and youre practically in line with the smog :). It is really cool to see the skyscrapers, and the Andes. We took a bunch of pictures and just kind of meandered. Then we went grocery shopping and made our own supper. On Wednesday we did more touristy things! I wanted to show him Plaza de Armas cuz it was fun when the fam was here. Unfortunately there are no tours of La Moneda because if the earthquake so I was a little bummed. La Moneda is like the Chilean White House. There was a protest going on, so that was fun. I don't know what this one was for, but its always enjoyable. Then we went to El Museo de Artes Precolombinos (museum of pre-columbian art). We both really enjoyed it. The exhibits were awesome and featured art from all across Latin America. We wandered around a bit more and looked at some of the art work sold in the Plaza. None were as pretty as when I was there the first time, sadly. Then we moved from the hostel to the hotel, thank you to Greg's rents! It was really nice to not share a bathroom. Love hostels, but not so much sharing showers... That night we went out for typical Chilean food. The restaurant was a little shmancy, and it was fun!
Thursday was a fun adventure. I wanted to go to Pomaire because daddy had originally heard about it, and another girl from ciee had been and said it was fun. Getting there was the most eventful portion of the day. Santiago's version of Grand Central was so so confusing! We found the bus portion about 30 mins later to find that there is no direct bus to Pomaire. So we took a bus to another city, but it dropped us and 3 other girls off at the side of the road to walk there. It wasnt too much but still weird. Pomaire is a town known for its ceramics. Everyone there makes their own pottery, and its a tiny little place. Since we went on a weekday not everything was open, and it was pretty dead. Everything there was ridiculously cheap! Like, you almost feel bad buying it so cheap! I bought a little bowl and spoon for mama, and it was 500 pesos which is a dollar, more or less. You walk into a lot of the stores and the owners are either at the wheel, or putting finishing touches on some new pieces. Greg and I each bought some nice things. We also had lunch at a cute, very Chilean local restaurant. the owner thought I was Chilean, hahaha! I took it as a compliment. When we got back to Santiago we decided to go back to Bellavista and see the nightlife. We had dinner at one cool restaurant, but noticed Game 4 of the NBA finals was on at the place across the street! We finished really quick and ran across and got a table right next to the tv!!! I was so excited! we got drinks and fries, and watched the whole game :) Seeing the Pru on tv made me a little sad, but it was great to see the game. who am i, i know....caring about basketball... On Friday we took it easy before greg went to the airport and i went back to vina. The visit really flew by, and we both lost track of time, which is exactly what i needed. School here really is tough. well, for me anyway.
Friday I got home and it was raining. I stayed in and did work because I have a project due tomorrow and a test due thursday. On Thursday night I leave for San Pedro de Atacama which are the deserts up north. It should be fun! not to mention the weather is a lot nicer in the north! When I get back I have a project due and two tests, yikes! It is pretty much getting into finals time. Can't believe it...
Some of you may know, or you all may know but probably don't give a crap, but it happens to be the World Cup. Here, it is a very big deal! Woohooo futbol! Yesterday lots of us from CIEE went to a pizza place and watched the US play England. We tied, and it was my very first soccer game :) Wednesday is when Chile plays Honduras. Its at 730am. yikes. But I'm sure the bars will be packed! I'm pretty sure there's no school too hehe. I think I am watching with my friend Corbin, who is a soccer player at UNC. I am not really allowed to ask questions though...hehe
Tonight I went to Chris's to watch the Celtics triumph beautifully over LA. It was a monsoon outside, and i am thrilled to have my rainboots! The rain was past my ankles. I think I will go back Tuesday to watch again :) Granted, I have to get my work done! Vacation time is over!
5 more weeks....sigh....
I miss everyone very much. Can't wait to see people, but at the same time, can't believe where my time here went. Talk to you all after Atacama!!!
Besitos,
Carolina
It has been a long time filled with lots of fun things! Bear with me, this will be a long post!
So the last time I wrote was before my birthday! The week was a normal week and then bday time!!! First, thanks to everyone who was in on my Party in a Box! I was soooo happy when I got it! I told everyone about it too! On Friday night I went to see one of my friends play at a local bar. I snuck Meme's small thing of vodka with me and split it with Hillary. Then Hillary and i split a blue drink that looked funny but was yummy. Then at midnight, my friend and her band sang to me and i got a free piscola! A couple of my chilean friends met up too! Then we went into Valparaiso to a bar which was fun :) It was a good way to ring in 5/29. On Saturday I literally did nothing. Maybe a little hw. I wanted to help mama prepare for my party, but she ended up doing it all without me. I literally vegged all day waiting to help, then she did it all but thats fine :) It was weird actually, when I woke up she and Martin were both not home. Maybe it was their birthday present, haha! She went all out for my party it was so cute. We made the cake together on Friday, I took pictures! It was chocolate with a little rum ;) with raspberry and frosting made from chocolate and manjar. anyway, for the party she made guacamole and fancy little finger food. she also made fancy fruit cups with homemade whipped cream. and we had champagne with pineapple ice cream in it. i had mine in my fancy cup, thanks mommy! she bought me a crown too. hillary also bought me a princess hat thing. there are pictures. mama also made homemade sushi. i didnt eat it but it looked really pretty! Some of Martin's friends also came. Then a couple of my friends and I decided to go dancing in valpo. i was pretty tired, actually we all were, so it wasnt a super late night. all in all, a very good 21st birthday!
then, skipping a few days ahead, on wednesday june 2 i woke up at 4am to take a 5am bus to the airport to pick up greg! we had a great time together. it actually felt like a much needed vacation. We got back to vina, checked him into the hostel and went straight home. he met mama, we had breakfast and then i took him to class! I had a debate in psych and then a test in literature, so he just chilled. Wednesday night we had dinner all together, where he actually got to meet mama and martin. Then we went right to the hostel because I had to study for a test the next morning! I went to take the test, then picked up greg to have lunch at home and drag him to school for the rest of the day! He was a good sport. Thursday night he finally met some of my friends. On Friday we went on a tour of one of the Casablanca Valley vineyards and La Isla Negra. The wine tour was really fun. We got a beautiful day for it too. At the end we got to taste 4 different kinds. I bought some afterwards (look at me being all 21 like!) and we also bought a bottle for mama. From there we went to La Isla Negra which is another one of Pablo Neruda's houses. This one is by far the most beautiful. We snuck pictures :). It had the most amazing views, it is literally right on the beach. Neruda had so many collections, it is unbelievable. I'd like to go back one more time, just to take it all in again. Then the tour company stopped at a yummy restaurant. That night we went dancing for a bit in Valparaiso. On saturday hillary and I showed greg around Cerro Concepcion, which is one of the coolest places in Valparaiso, in my opinion. We also shopped a little at one of the feria's. On sunday we cooked breakfast for mama and martin. Greg brought maple syrup and my working coffeemaker! So we made pancakes and french toast and potatoes. mama makes pancakes, but we never eat them with syrup and it was just sooooo good! my coffee was also heaven. :) From there we went to the sand dunes in Con Con, which is a town near by. It was so cool. It's like standing on top of a mountain looking at the water, but its just a huge heap of sand! I'm still cleaning the sand out of my hair and bag, but it was totally worth it. They have sand boards for rent but we decided just to chill. We took it easy that night and geared up for our day with mama. Monday mama went with us to the feria's in vina. it was really fun! She and greg totally hit it off. They bonded over culinary things...she even brought out her case of knives!!! I told her to put them away they were big weapons and she could kill, and she goes of course carolina why do you think i keep them way over there hidden?! i think you might have had to be there, but it was really funny and we laughed a lot.
Tuesday was when we set off for Santiago! We got to our really cool hostel and decided to explore and not waste the rest of the day. We went to Cerro San Cristobal in Bellavista, which is a very bohemian area. On that hill was the biggest mary statue you ever saw. We didnt care much for the jesus aspect, but the view was absolutely amazing. you can see all of Santiago, and youre practically in line with the smog :). It is really cool to see the skyscrapers, and the Andes. We took a bunch of pictures and just kind of meandered. Then we went grocery shopping and made our own supper. On Wednesday we did more touristy things! I wanted to show him Plaza de Armas cuz it was fun when the fam was here. Unfortunately there are no tours of La Moneda because if the earthquake so I was a little bummed. La Moneda is like the Chilean White House. There was a protest going on, so that was fun. I don't know what this one was for, but its always enjoyable. Then we went to El Museo de Artes Precolombinos (museum of pre-columbian art). We both really enjoyed it. The exhibits were awesome and featured art from all across Latin America. We wandered around a bit more and looked at some of the art work sold in the Plaza. None were as pretty as when I was there the first time, sadly. Then we moved from the hostel to the hotel, thank you to Greg's rents! It was really nice to not share a bathroom. Love hostels, but not so much sharing showers... That night we went out for typical Chilean food. The restaurant was a little shmancy, and it was fun!
Thursday was a fun adventure. I wanted to go to Pomaire because daddy had originally heard about it, and another girl from ciee had been and said it was fun. Getting there was the most eventful portion of the day. Santiago's version of Grand Central was so so confusing! We found the bus portion about 30 mins later to find that there is no direct bus to Pomaire. So we took a bus to another city, but it dropped us and 3 other girls off at the side of the road to walk there. It wasnt too much but still weird. Pomaire is a town known for its ceramics. Everyone there makes their own pottery, and its a tiny little place. Since we went on a weekday not everything was open, and it was pretty dead. Everything there was ridiculously cheap! Like, you almost feel bad buying it so cheap! I bought a little bowl and spoon for mama, and it was 500 pesos which is a dollar, more or less. You walk into a lot of the stores and the owners are either at the wheel, or putting finishing touches on some new pieces. Greg and I each bought some nice things. We also had lunch at a cute, very Chilean local restaurant. the owner thought I was Chilean, hahaha! I took it as a compliment. When we got back to Santiago we decided to go back to Bellavista and see the nightlife. We had dinner at one cool restaurant, but noticed Game 4 of the NBA finals was on at the place across the street! We finished really quick and ran across and got a table right next to the tv!!! I was so excited! we got drinks and fries, and watched the whole game :) Seeing the Pru on tv made me a little sad, but it was great to see the game. who am i, i know....caring about basketball... On Friday we took it easy before greg went to the airport and i went back to vina. The visit really flew by, and we both lost track of time, which is exactly what i needed. School here really is tough. well, for me anyway.
Friday I got home and it was raining. I stayed in and did work because I have a project due tomorrow and a test due thursday. On Thursday night I leave for San Pedro de Atacama which are the deserts up north. It should be fun! not to mention the weather is a lot nicer in the north! When I get back I have a project due and two tests, yikes! It is pretty much getting into finals time. Can't believe it...
Some of you may know, or you all may know but probably don't give a crap, but it happens to be the World Cup. Here, it is a very big deal! Woohooo futbol! Yesterday lots of us from CIEE went to a pizza place and watched the US play England. We tied, and it was my very first soccer game :) Wednesday is when Chile plays Honduras. Its at 730am. yikes. But I'm sure the bars will be packed! I'm pretty sure there's no school too hehe. I think I am watching with my friend Corbin, who is a soccer player at UNC. I am not really allowed to ask questions though...hehe
Tonight I went to Chris's to watch the Celtics triumph beautifully over LA. It was a monsoon outside, and i am thrilled to have my rainboots! The rain was past my ankles. I think I will go back Tuesday to watch again :) Granted, I have to get my work done! Vacation time is over!
5 more weeks....sigh....
I miss everyone very much. Can't wait to see people, but at the same time, can't believe where my time here went. Talk to you all after Atacama!!!
Besitos,
Carolina
Friday, May 21, 2010
Its Almost Birthday Time!
Hi everyone,
It is 4:15 on Friday May 21 which is actually a very important day here in Chile, and Vina del Mar is full of people. Am I taking part in festivities? Of course not! Because I have been sick all week! I woke up originally at 9:45 and then went back to sleep on mama's orders until 3, hahahahah! Meanwhile, I think May 21st is something like their 4th of July and there were lots of military parades here in Vina/Valparaiso and President Pinera is here too. These past couple of weeks have not been super exciting, but here is the low down.
As per usual, I have been busy with work. And I honestly don't know where May went. Correction, where did the semester go? Daddy booked me a ticket to come home I think. 2 months from tomorrow...yikes! Last week there was a big protest by students here. Due to the protest, one of my classes last Wednesday was cancelled. That's a good thing right? I suppose.... but, I was supposed to have a test in that class and I really felt prepared for it after I spent all of Tuesday night reading and studying. On the other hand, it was a nice break and I went out with Allyse and Kayli. Actually, Kayli and I baked cookies first, which was fun and delicious. Thursday was just a regular day. Friday CIEE took us to Santiago for a little bit of edumacation. We left bright and early at 845 in the pouring rain. I got lots of compliments on my new rain boots! I am the only one who brought rain boots and I think I made a good decision there. People thought they were from Chile, yay! We got to Santiago and went immediately to La Chascona, which is another one of Pablo Neruda's houses. It was really cool, a lot different than the one here in Valparaiso. Neruda had a fascination with boats and the water, so the house is meant to have a maritime feel. Some of the floors are slanted so it feels like the house is rocking. After the house we went to the hotel quickly and then to lunch. I must add that Marcia, our director, always brings her baby on CIEE excursions. This time, Marcia and Glenn put the child on a leash. It is barely a year old. I'm so glad that was necessary. Anyway, after lunch we went to el Museo de Memoria y Derechos Humanos (Museum of Memory and Human Rights). The museum highlights human rights movements around the world and the tragic events that took place during Pinochet's dictatorship from 1973-1990. The museum just opened in January of this year, and unfortunately the second and third floors sustained damage during the earthquake, so we only got a tour of the first floor. I liked the museum a lot, I didn't like the assignment CIEE handed out after it. We have an essay due Monday, how sweet. After the museum we went to a really yummy restaurant that had all natural ingredients which was cool. We also saw Chile's #1 tennis player! The next day I decided to go with the other CIEE class to the Museum of Fine Arts. It was an optional activity for my class, but I figured why not go. We saw their temporary photo history exhibition. I really liked it. There were pictures from all over Chile from its founding up until now. Literally now. There were pictures of Pinera's inauguration in March and pictures of the earthquake too. After the museum we went to the national library and stayed for 2 hours, no one knows why. It was a library. Not too exciting. When we got back to the hotel I had like, a half hour to get lunch because my class had a workshop with an author. I went with a friend and one of the CIEE profs to lunch at this yummy Italian restaurant. The author workshop was interesting but nothing too special, in my opinion. My CIEE class is contemporary short stories, so we met with one of the authors we read. It was pretty much a question and answer session. She was articulate and seemed genuine, but my other friends got to explore Santiago and that would have been a lot cooler.
Everyone got on the bus to go back to Vina, but Hillary and I stayed to spend the night with one of our friends we met with Un Techo Para Chile!! It turned out kind of lame though, because she didn't want to go anywhere! I would have really liked to see some of the clarkies on the Santiago program. Either way, I am glad I stayed. She had a very nice family, and I think its better hanging out with a Chilean in Santiago then all the kids on the program in Vina. I just wish she had wanted to show us around a little. I got back on Sunday and got ready for the test that I didn't end up having Wednesday. This is also when I started feeling sick :)
This week has been full of work. Monday I had the test which I think I did fine on. I also didn't stay for the dance portion of my folklore dance/history class cuz I was not feeling well. On Tuesday I taught my English workshop. I love my group of kids, not that theyre kids really cuz theyre 16/17. But regardless they are a good group. They had been learning 'if' clauses, so we listened to Barenaked Ladies' 'If I Had $1ooooo" and they liked the song. They will be started to learn 'i wish' soon and I have no idea how to help them with that. If anyone has any ideas.... Then I went to watch a movie for my CIEE class, had class, and got a take-home exam! Woohoo! Tuesday night a friend from another program came over and we watched my MJ dvd. He says that I am a bigger fan than he is, but I think it is up for debate. He told me his dad has been to 2 MJ concerts, and his whole family can hardly believe that he met a little white Jewish girl who loves Michael as much as they do. Apparently they give nicknames to white people they like, isn't that funny?! I wonder what I'll get....Although when he left I was feeling really crappy and ended up spending the evening throwing up, which I know you all wanted to hear. Mama took good care of me :) I skipped one of my classes Wednesday. Yesterday I had a test in Psych of Learning. I studied so hard and understood most of the concepts, but couldn't apply them in the examples on the test, so that made me kind of upset. Hopefully I didn't do too poorly. The prof seems inclined to help me do well though, so that is good. Then last night I went to a bar down the street to see a couple of my friends perform with the band they formed. They are super talented, and though I felt like crap, I had fun. One of my Chilean friends from my psych class came, but showed up after they were done performing, so we went for drinks. I got home a lot later than I anticipated, but that's ok. I woke up today not feeling well, like I said, but I got rest and that's good. I shouldn't go out tonight but I'd like to even for a little while.
I have so much due on June 2nd. I don't understand why. I am going to try and get ahead tomorrow and Sunday because next weekend is a very important weekend, hehe, and then Gregory will be here! Shout out to my lovely Naomi for my fabulous birthday card :) These next two months will fly! Next weekend is my birthday, then greg is here. the weekend after he leaves, which is already going to be the 3rd weekend in June, I am going to Atacama which is North. Then my last exam is July 7th and Hillary and I go to Buenos Aires! Then home! Can't believe it...
I hope everyone is having a nice start to summer! Congratulations to the Clarkies graduating this weekend!!!
Love,
Carolina
It is 4:15 on Friday May 21 which is actually a very important day here in Chile, and Vina del Mar is full of people. Am I taking part in festivities? Of course not! Because I have been sick all week! I woke up originally at 9:45 and then went back to sleep on mama's orders until 3, hahahahah! Meanwhile, I think May 21st is something like their 4th of July and there were lots of military parades here in Vina/Valparaiso and President Pinera is here too. These past couple of weeks have not been super exciting, but here is the low down.
As per usual, I have been busy with work. And I honestly don't know where May went. Correction, where did the semester go? Daddy booked me a ticket to come home I think. 2 months from tomorrow...yikes! Last week there was a big protest by students here. Due to the protest, one of my classes last Wednesday was cancelled. That's a good thing right? I suppose.... but, I was supposed to have a test in that class and I really felt prepared for it after I spent all of Tuesday night reading and studying. On the other hand, it was a nice break and I went out with Allyse and Kayli. Actually, Kayli and I baked cookies first, which was fun and delicious. Thursday was just a regular day. Friday CIEE took us to Santiago for a little bit of edumacation. We left bright and early at 845 in the pouring rain. I got lots of compliments on my new rain boots! I am the only one who brought rain boots and I think I made a good decision there. People thought they were from Chile, yay! We got to Santiago and went immediately to La Chascona, which is another one of Pablo Neruda's houses. It was really cool, a lot different than the one here in Valparaiso. Neruda had a fascination with boats and the water, so the house is meant to have a maritime feel. Some of the floors are slanted so it feels like the house is rocking. After the house we went to the hotel quickly and then to lunch. I must add that Marcia, our director, always brings her baby on CIEE excursions. This time, Marcia and Glenn put the child on a leash. It is barely a year old. I'm so glad that was necessary. Anyway, after lunch we went to el Museo de Memoria y Derechos Humanos (Museum of Memory and Human Rights). The museum highlights human rights movements around the world and the tragic events that took place during Pinochet's dictatorship from 1973-1990. The museum just opened in January of this year, and unfortunately the second and third floors sustained damage during the earthquake, so we only got a tour of the first floor. I liked the museum a lot, I didn't like the assignment CIEE handed out after it. We have an essay due Monday, how sweet. After the museum we went to a really yummy restaurant that had all natural ingredients which was cool. We also saw Chile's #1 tennis player! The next day I decided to go with the other CIEE class to the Museum of Fine Arts. It was an optional activity for my class, but I figured why not go. We saw their temporary photo history exhibition. I really liked it. There were pictures from all over Chile from its founding up until now. Literally now. There were pictures of Pinera's inauguration in March and pictures of the earthquake too. After the museum we went to the national library and stayed for 2 hours, no one knows why. It was a library. Not too exciting. When we got back to the hotel I had like, a half hour to get lunch because my class had a workshop with an author. I went with a friend and one of the CIEE profs to lunch at this yummy Italian restaurant. The author workshop was interesting but nothing too special, in my opinion. My CIEE class is contemporary short stories, so we met with one of the authors we read. It was pretty much a question and answer session. She was articulate and seemed genuine, but my other friends got to explore Santiago and that would have been a lot cooler.
Everyone got on the bus to go back to Vina, but Hillary and I stayed to spend the night with one of our friends we met with Un Techo Para Chile!! It turned out kind of lame though, because she didn't want to go anywhere! I would have really liked to see some of the clarkies on the Santiago program. Either way, I am glad I stayed. She had a very nice family, and I think its better hanging out with a Chilean in Santiago then all the kids on the program in Vina. I just wish she had wanted to show us around a little. I got back on Sunday and got ready for the test that I didn't end up having Wednesday. This is also when I started feeling sick :)
This week has been full of work. Monday I had the test which I think I did fine on. I also didn't stay for the dance portion of my folklore dance/history class cuz I was not feeling well. On Tuesday I taught my English workshop. I love my group of kids, not that theyre kids really cuz theyre 16/17. But regardless they are a good group. They had been learning 'if' clauses, so we listened to Barenaked Ladies' 'If I Had $1ooooo" and they liked the song. They will be started to learn 'i wish' soon and I have no idea how to help them with that. If anyone has any ideas.... Then I went to watch a movie for my CIEE class, had class, and got a take-home exam! Woohoo! Tuesday night a friend from another program came over and we watched my MJ dvd. He says that I am a bigger fan than he is, but I think it is up for debate. He told me his dad has been to 2 MJ concerts, and his whole family can hardly believe that he met a little white Jewish girl who loves Michael as much as they do. Apparently they give nicknames to white people they like, isn't that funny?! I wonder what I'll get....Although when he left I was feeling really crappy and ended up spending the evening throwing up, which I know you all wanted to hear. Mama took good care of me :) I skipped one of my classes Wednesday. Yesterday I had a test in Psych of Learning. I studied so hard and understood most of the concepts, but couldn't apply them in the examples on the test, so that made me kind of upset. Hopefully I didn't do too poorly. The prof seems inclined to help me do well though, so that is good. Then last night I went to a bar down the street to see a couple of my friends perform with the band they formed. They are super talented, and though I felt like crap, I had fun. One of my Chilean friends from my psych class came, but showed up after they were done performing, so we went for drinks. I got home a lot later than I anticipated, but that's ok. I woke up today not feeling well, like I said, but I got rest and that's good. I shouldn't go out tonight but I'd like to even for a little while.
I have so much due on June 2nd. I don't understand why. I am going to try and get ahead tomorrow and Sunday because next weekend is a very important weekend, hehe, and then Gregory will be here! Shout out to my lovely Naomi for my fabulous birthday card :) These next two months will fly! Next weekend is my birthday, then greg is here. the weekend after he leaves, which is already going to be the 3rd weekend in June, I am going to Atacama which is North. Then my last exam is July 7th and Hillary and I go to Buenos Aires! Then home! Can't believe it...
I hope everyone is having a nice start to summer! Congratulations to the Clarkies graduating this weekend!!!
Love,
Carolina
Monday, May 10, 2010
Un Techo Para Chile
Hola a todos!
I am very eager to tell you all about my weekend! It was incredible and you probably won't believe it at first :)
On Thursday afternoon I received an email saying they were accepting volunteers for this past weekends salida (literally "exit" but here it means trip) with Un Techo Para Chile, which is virtually this country's version of Habitat for Humanity. We had until Thurs afternoon to respond to this very vague email, and I had been telling mama how much I had wanted to go South to help with the earthquake aftermath. I called my friend really quick and we replied to the email not knowing if it was even too late or not to sign up. But, I got my confirmation around midnight Thursday and that was it!! I had to be at Parque O'Higgins in Santiago by 7pm Friday, which meant leaving Vina at 4!!!Hillary and I knew nothing of what it would entail or how to get there, but it all worked out.
So on Friday I quickly packed some things, which as it turns out I didn't really need, and got on the bus to Santiago! Hillary and I managed not to get lost navigating the subway of Santiago and actually got there early. Too bad we didn't leave until around 10pm, but oh well. There were no fewer than 50 buses and probably about 20 locations where people were going. As it turns out, this past weekend was one of the largest Salidas they have had. There is a goal to build 20,000 of these little shelter houses before the upcoming rain season. Hillary and I were assigned Villa Alegre which is in the 7th region, about 5 or so hours south of Santiago. We got there at about 3am and immediately went to sleep. We stayed at a school and slept in classrooms. However, like I've told you all trusty followers before, heat is hard to come by. We slept on freezing linoleum floors in freezing temperatures.
On Saturday they woke us at 7 (there were about 50 people in my group)and we had a quick breakfast then divided into cuadrillas (building groups). There were 5 people in every group including the one in charge. My jefa (boss) was Judith, who is super cute and really fun to work with. It was then Hillary and myself, and two Chilenos. None of us, except Judith naturally, had experience! We gathered our tools and such and were off!! Our construction site was a 5 minute walk from the school. there were 3 cuadrillas at our site because we were building for a big family. We brought our tools, food for the family to cook lunch, tp ;), lots of layers, and smiles. The family was so sweet!! The most kind and generous people, despite their situation which was meager before the earthquake.
We walked into the area where these people lived and here's what we saw: On the left was a house completely destroyed. On the right was one quickly constructed, one room hut. In front of us were two more, only they were half the size. On the side of the first little hut was a makeshift kitchen, which had running water in case you were curious. Then there was a big "yard" which was also full of trash unfortunately. We asked the family where they wanted the doors to face and picked plots of land to start making the foundation. We started by pulling out weeds and measuring where the first four posts would go. I say posts because I only know the spanish word for the foundation pieces. We'll go with posts. From there, we just started to dig. And yes, at times I felt useless but I did help. Basically we spent all day digging and placing 17 posts. The family also helped us, which was super cool. The men helped while the ladies cooked a most fabulous lunch. Instead of preparing the food we brought, which they did, they also made cazuela, which is a very typical Chilean dish. It is basically a chicken based soup with a huge piece of chicken (Mommy, practically a whole one, hehe) and a whole potato and rice. It was so delicious. They made us Chilean salad too. It is incredible how these people practically have nothing and went so above and beyond to accommodate us. They had brought us snacks and juice all day too. After lunch we finished the posts and then lay the floor! We had to redo half our floor however cuz one of the posts was wrong, oops! Then Hillary and I moved to another site to help a group that was behind. Naturally, on the way we enjoyed sopaipilla that the senora had also prepared for us. So sweet and giving, really. Truly very good people. Even the kids helped. They actually put Hillary and me to shame...
The other site sucked. The land was rough and it was dark and cold and their tools were really heavy. Lets not go there. We worked until about 730 then went back to the school for a quick rest. Then we went to another group's school for supper. Cazuela again. Then we got home and went to sleep...ish. It is kinda hard to sleep on a classroom floor when you are freezing. We got up at 650 on sunday and was at the site by 745. It was time to put up the walls and roof. Yes, guys, I did help. I am strong like bull. ish. hahah. But I did help carry and walk up the panels and hold them in place. I made my job to be the windows. Hillary and I did the windows for another cuadrilla, oops, because that is where we made friends. I chiseled space for hinges then screwed on the hinges then put in the window! Go me! I documented the occasion. Then I did a door too. Chilean soldiers help construct the roofs for the houses which was cool. I also had special helpers, the kids!! They were absolutely fascinated with Hillary and me, and my mama packed candy for me to give them which helped haha. They didn't understand how Hillary and I communicated in not-Spanish. And understood each other! I taught them some words in English and let them do some chiseling and screw-drivering which they were surprisingly good at for 8 and 11 yr olds. They were very cute and I enjoyed them very much. I also made friends with a soldier who had lived in Watertown for 4 years. He said he missed Twizzlers. Of all things...
The end of the day was the coolest part. When the houses are finished, we tie a ribbon on the door for the families to cut. The first house was presented to the Senora, the owner of the original house. She had no teeth and appeared much older than she probably was. She appreciated the house and looked so happy. She cut the ribbon and everyone cheered and took pictures! Then Judith presented our house to the Senora's daughter and partner, who have a son (one of my helpers). They were so grateful and gave us big hugs and thanked us profusely. I also got a piece of the ribbon which is so awesome and next to my bed :). The third house was presented to the kids. That was the best part, they were beaming even though they acted like no-big-deal. Then the senora gave us empanadas and we said our goodbyes. One of the kids asked me for my chilean phone number to learn more words haha!
We went back to the school where the guys in charge handed out ribbon bracelets that say "Chile ayuda a Chile. Reconstruyendo el pais" (Chile helps Chile. Reconstructing the Country.) Since we weren't getting back to Santiago in time for the last bus to Vina, nice people we met offered to put us up for the night and take us to the bus station in the morning! I did not even sleep on the bus, I was talking to new people yay! There were lots of exchange students but Hillary and I opted to stick to Chileans which was a great decision. We got back to Vina this morning around 10 and I had class all day. I am ready to fall over and I have a ton of work for a test Wed, and naturally procrastinating by writing here hahaha. On that note, I leave you. Overall, a terrific experience and I am so glad I had the opportunity. I hope you liked this post, because I wish you could have all actually heard about it in person!
Besitos,
Line
I am very eager to tell you all about my weekend! It was incredible and you probably won't believe it at first :)
On Thursday afternoon I received an email saying they were accepting volunteers for this past weekends salida (literally "exit" but here it means trip) with Un Techo Para Chile, which is virtually this country's version of Habitat for Humanity. We had until Thurs afternoon to respond to this very vague email, and I had been telling mama how much I had wanted to go South to help with the earthquake aftermath. I called my friend really quick and we replied to the email not knowing if it was even too late or not to sign up. But, I got my confirmation around midnight Thursday and that was it!! I had to be at Parque O'Higgins in Santiago by 7pm Friday, which meant leaving Vina at 4!!!Hillary and I knew nothing of what it would entail or how to get there, but it all worked out.
So on Friday I quickly packed some things, which as it turns out I didn't really need, and got on the bus to Santiago! Hillary and I managed not to get lost navigating the subway of Santiago and actually got there early. Too bad we didn't leave until around 10pm, but oh well. There were no fewer than 50 buses and probably about 20 locations where people were going. As it turns out, this past weekend was one of the largest Salidas they have had. There is a goal to build 20,000 of these little shelter houses before the upcoming rain season. Hillary and I were assigned Villa Alegre which is in the 7th region, about 5 or so hours south of Santiago. We got there at about 3am and immediately went to sleep. We stayed at a school and slept in classrooms. However, like I've told you all trusty followers before, heat is hard to come by. We slept on freezing linoleum floors in freezing temperatures.
On Saturday they woke us at 7 (there were about 50 people in my group)and we had a quick breakfast then divided into cuadrillas (building groups). There were 5 people in every group including the one in charge. My jefa (boss) was Judith, who is super cute and really fun to work with. It was then Hillary and myself, and two Chilenos. None of us, except Judith naturally, had experience! We gathered our tools and such and were off!! Our construction site was a 5 minute walk from the school. there were 3 cuadrillas at our site because we were building for a big family. We brought our tools, food for the family to cook lunch, tp ;), lots of layers, and smiles. The family was so sweet!! The most kind and generous people, despite their situation which was meager before the earthquake.
We walked into the area where these people lived and here's what we saw: On the left was a house completely destroyed. On the right was one quickly constructed, one room hut. In front of us were two more, only they were half the size. On the side of the first little hut was a makeshift kitchen, which had running water in case you were curious. Then there was a big "yard" which was also full of trash unfortunately. We asked the family where they wanted the doors to face and picked plots of land to start making the foundation. We started by pulling out weeds and measuring where the first four posts would go. I say posts because I only know the spanish word for the foundation pieces. We'll go with posts. From there, we just started to dig. And yes, at times I felt useless but I did help. Basically we spent all day digging and placing 17 posts. The family also helped us, which was super cool. The men helped while the ladies cooked a most fabulous lunch. Instead of preparing the food we brought, which they did, they also made cazuela, which is a very typical Chilean dish. It is basically a chicken based soup with a huge piece of chicken (Mommy, practically a whole one, hehe) and a whole potato and rice. It was so delicious. They made us Chilean salad too. It is incredible how these people practically have nothing and went so above and beyond to accommodate us. They had brought us snacks and juice all day too. After lunch we finished the posts and then lay the floor! We had to redo half our floor however cuz one of the posts was wrong, oops! Then Hillary and I moved to another site to help a group that was behind. Naturally, on the way we enjoyed sopaipilla that the senora had also prepared for us. So sweet and giving, really. Truly very good people. Even the kids helped. They actually put Hillary and me to shame...
The other site sucked. The land was rough and it was dark and cold and their tools were really heavy. Lets not go there. We worked until about 730 then went back to the school for a quick rest. Then we went to another group's school for supper. Cazuela again. Then we got home and went to sleep...ish. It is kinda hard to sleep on a classroom floor when you are freezing. We got up at 650 on sunday and was at the site by 745. It was time to put up the walls and roof. Yes, guys, I did help. I am strong like bull. ish. hahah. But I did help carry and walk up the panels and hold them in place. I made my job to be the windows. Hillary and I did the windows for another cuadrilla, oops, because that is where we made friends. I chiseled space for hinges then screwed on the hinges then put in the window! Go me! I documented the occasion. Then I did a door too. Chilean soldiers help construct the roofs for the houses which was cool. I also had special helpers, the kids!! They were absolutely fascinated with Hillary and me, and my mama packed candy for me to give them which helped haha. They didn't understand how Hillary and I communicated in not-Spanish. And understood each other! I taught them some words in English and let them do some chiseling and screw-drivering which they were surprisingly good at for 8 and 11 yr olds. They were very cute and I enjoyed them very much. I also made friends with a soldier who had lived in Watertown for 4 years. He said he missed Twizzlers. Of all things...
The end of the day was the coolest part. When the houses are finished, we tie a ribbon on the door for the families to cut. The first house was presented to the Senora, the owner of the original house. She had no teeth and appeared much older than she probably was. She appreciated the house and looked so happy. She cut the ribbon and everyone cheered and took pictures! Then Judith presented our house to the Senora's daughter and partner, who have a son (one of my helpers). They were so grateful and gave us big hugs and thanked us profusely. I also got a piece of the ribbon which is so awesome and next to my bed :). The third house was presented to the kids. That was the best part, they were beaming even though they acted like no-big-deal. Then the senora gave us empanadas and we said our goodbyes. One of the kids asked me for my chilean phone number to learn more words haha!
We went back to the school where the guys in charge handed out ribbon bracelets that say "Chile ayuda a Chile. Reconstruyendo el pais" (Chile helps Chile. Reconstructing the Country.) Since we weren't getting back to Santiago in time for the last bus to Vina, nice people we met offered to put us up for the night and take us to the bus station in the morning! I did not even sleep on the bus, I was talking to new people yay! There were lots of exchange students but Hillary and I opted to stick to Chileans which was a great decision. We got back to Vina this morning around 10 and I had class all day. I am ready to fall over and I have a ton of work for a test Wed, and naturally procrastinating by writing here hahaha. On that note, I leave you. Overall, a terrific experience and I am so glad I had the opportunity. I hope you liked this post, because I wish you could have all actually heard about it in person!
Besitos,
Line
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Its May....
Hi everyone,
It has been forever, hasn't it??? I have been pretty busy here in Viña. Well, not necessarily in Viña because I had some visitors who did some traveling with me ;). I will tell you all about Daddy, Steph, and Randy's visit!
They got in on April 22, but I didn't get to see them until later because I had a meeting at school :(. But when I did get there I got lots of hugs and Reese's Pieces, yay! We walked a little and had lunch at a Mexican restaurant because I knew where it was and I honestly don't know much about restaurants in vina because we don't ever use them! It was short but sweet because I had class. Then after class I got some work done while mama prepared a feast. It was really great when they came for dinner that night. mama cooked soooo much! and it was fancy! i swear i have never seen stephanie eat so much, hehe. mama prepared hors d'ourves (lets just prentend i spelled that right) and bought champagne and white wine for steph. she also prepared guacamole for daddy, but it was too spicy for him, oops. She made chicken stuffed with spinach and almonds and potatoes and salad and then she made dessert!!! so much food, and sooo delicious! everyone got along great too! mama and dad found a way to understand each other despite the language barrier. i was a little nervous for the dinner, but it turned out being one of the best nights. we all laughed and had a good time. I also got a whole bunch of stuff that night including a jacket and season 2 of Grey's! Daddy bought me a brand new coffeemaker for the DD he brought. Who knew it needed a voltage converter? Its burnt. I almost cried....
Wednesday I booked a tour for them while I enjoyed a full day of classes. They went to some of the cerros (hills) of Valparaiso and La Sebastiana which is one of Pablo Neruda's 3 houses. The tour was basically what I did in one of my orientation classes. They said they had a great time, so I was happy! I took Thursday off to show them around Vina. We walked from my house to the CIEE office where they met some of the staff. Daddy did very good, that was a bit of a long walk. From there we went to the Reloj de Flores (Flower Clock) to take pictures. It was a beautiful day, and they came out nice. From there we headed into Valparaiso so they could see the Casa Central of La Catolica. My school is all spread out, but that is the main building. Steph liked that it is virtually a building without a ceiling. A lot of the buildings here are like that, kindof inside but outside too. We bought some stuff that have the school logo on them. It wasn't that eventful, but everyone liked seeing where I am learning :). From there we went back into Vina and had lunch on the beach at this really cool restaurant. After lunch i dropped Daddy back at home to chill with Mama while Steph Randy and I walked to the feria to do some shopping and see more of the area. We made out like bandits!!!! I showed them the history building of La Catolica then we took the Micro back home. Steph and Randy got a full experience haha. When we got home Mama had been preparing once (own-seh) for us before the bus to Mendoza. She made a cake and jam and bread, among other things!!!! Then we took allllll of the luggage and made way to the bus terminal for the ride to Santiago. From there we took an overnight bus to Mendoza, Argentina. The ride wasn't too bad at all, it was customs in the mountains which sucked. It was freeeezzzinnggggg. Despite customs, we got there in about 6 hours. We went right to the hotel and slept for a bit. Actually, Randy slept more than the rest of us...even I got up! We hung around for a bit then took a tour of two wineries and an olive oil factory. It was really cool to see the difference between a big company winery and a family owned business. I bought a bottle of wine :). Mendoza makes 90% of the wine from Argentina. It was fun, but needless to say we were tired. it was an early night, and our tour Saturday was starting at 7...
Saturday was my favorite day by far, we saw so much! We took a tour of the mountains, because Mendoza is in fact in the mountains more or less. Unfortunately Steph was sick, but she had fun anyway. First we stopped in a little town called Uspallata (as the Argentines say: Uspashata). I bought a thing for mate. Mate is like tea, but reversed. You put in the herbs and water, then sip it through a straw thing, called a bombillo, to filter it. From there we continued on and saw really gorgeous sites and learned about the railroad that used to go through the mountains from Chile to Argentina. Then we stopped to see the San Martin bridge. It is basically the trail where San Martin and his armies marched in from Chile. Randy and I took 3 sips from the river, which is supposedly good luck. Then we continued on higher! We stopped to see Aconcagua, which is the highest peak in South America. It didn't look high from where we were but it is ;). It was covered in snow and really beautiful. I definitely didn't dress for the weather of the high altitudes, I was freezing all day! We continued on for a while and Marcos, our bilingual guide told us the history of the area. Everything we saw was gorgeous. Then we drove up one of the mountains! It was long and twisty, and kinda creepy, but i really loved it. When we reached the top, we were at the statue of Jesus (ahaha) which marks the border of Chile and Argentina. It was by far my favorite part, although i couldn't feel my fingers or really any of my extremities. I took pictures between the 2 flags, and of the Carabineros (Chilean police) who were at the border. The only thing I didn't get was the sign that said Bienvenidos a la Republica de Argentina, but luckily Steph did. Then we drove down the mountain and had a quick lunch. After lunch we went to the Inca Bridge which is actually completely naturally made. I was freezing still! It was cool, though. We did a bit of shopping at the bridge too. After that, it was time to make our way back to Mendoza. It was a long, but fabulous day!
Sunday we slept in for a bit and went for a nice lunch in town. Then we decided to take a city tour because life shuts down in Argentina on Sundays. Marcos was our tour guide again which was fun. The tour wasn't too special really, we couldn't get out much to take pictures. But then we went to Cerro de La Gloria which is a big monument which appears on the back of the 5 Peso bill. I took lots of pictures. After the tour we killed some time at the hotel and ate dinner before our ride back to Santiago. This time for customs i wore 2 pairs of pants, and it was inside...go figure.
We slept once we got to the hotel...Stephanie and I got to cuddle haha. Then we woke up and went to the big mall and had lunch. We kindof shmied around for a bit then went to the hotel. We signed up for dinner and a show! That was really cool. The show was of traditional folklore dances from Chile. I liked it because it is exactly what I am learning in my folklore dance class!!! Daddy even participated! He danced Cueca, which is the national dance. Steph and I did too. Then Randy and Steph did Rapa Nui which is from Easter Island. Overall we had a nice time. We documented Daddy dancing too of course! On Tuesday we decided to do an all-day hop on/hop off tour of Santiago. We went on a double decker bus for a tour for about 2 hours then chose some places to get off and sightsee. We got off at a feria and went souvenir shopping. Then us three walked real quick to another one of Neruda's houses while daddy waited for the bus. After that we went to the Plaza de Armas where theres a lot of old buildings. There were also painters selling their art. Then we went back to the hotel to chill before dinner. We ate at a nice Italian restaurant and enjoyed hanging out before I had to leave in the morning. When we went back Steph and I decided to investigate the "wine therapy" bath. We then decided they were absolutely necessary! I got one first...The lady came in with a carafe of merlot and drew the most amazing bath i ever did see. I took pictures! It smelled delicious and had lots of bubbles!!!!! After i put on the shmancy bathrobe i found in the bathroom haha. Then Steph got one. We were soft after and smelled yummy!! Daddy passed out naturally, but the three of us got to hang out which was really nice. Then we woke up early, so I could come home for classes. Overall, it was a terrific visit, and I am glad they were here!!!!
When I got home I had an oral presentation and a take-home exam hahaha. Let's not go there :) The weekend has been nice despite the aftershocks. Two yesterday and a nice strong one today. Tomorrow is back to the swing of things.... I won't wait as long to post again!!!! Love to the grieving fam, and good luck to my Clarkies in finals!
Besitos,
Carolina
It has been forever, hasn't it??? I have been pretty busy here in Viña. Well, not necessarily in Viña because I had some visitors who did some traveling with me ;). I will tell you all about Daddy, Steph, and Randy's visit!
They got in on April 22, but I didn't get to see them until later because I had a meeting at school :(. But when I did get there I got lots of hugs and Reese's Pieces, yay! We walked a little and had lunch at a Mexican restaurant because I knew where it was and I honestly don't know much about restaurants in vina because we don't ever use them! It was short but sweet because I had class. Then after class I got some work done while mama prepared a feast. It was really great when they came for dinner that night. mama cooked soooo much! and it was fancy! i swear i have never seen stephanie eat so much, hehe. mama prepared hors d'ourves (lets just prentend i spelled that right) and bought champagne and white wine for steph. she also prepared guacamole for daddy, but it was too spicy for him, oops. She made chicken stuffed with spinach and almonds and potatoes and salad and then she made dessert!!! so much food, and sooo delicious! everyone got along great too! mama and dad found a way to understand each other despite the language barrier. i was a little nervous for the dinner, but it turned out being one of the best nights. we all laughed and had a good time. I also got a whole bunch of stuff that night including a jacket and season 2 of Grey's! Daddy bought me a brand new coffeemaker for the DD he brought. Who knew it needed a voltage converter? Its burnt. I almost cried....
Wednesday I booked a tour for them while I enjoyed a full day of classes. They went to some of the cerros (hills) of Valparaiso and La Sebastiana which is one of Pablo Neruda's 3 houses. The tour was basically what I did in one of my orientation classes. They said they had a great time, so I was happy! I took Thursday off to show them around Vina. We walked from my house to the CIEE office where they met some of the staff. Daddy did very good, that was a bit of a long walk. From there we went to the Reloj de Flores (Flower Clock) to take pictures. It was a beautiful day, and they came out nice. From there we headed into Valparaiso so they could see the Casa Central of La Catolica. My school is all spread out, but that is the main building. Steph liked that it is virtually a building without a ceiling. A lot of the buildings here are like that, kindof inside but outside too. We bought some stuff that have the school logo on them. It wasn't that eventful, but everyone liked seeing where I am learning :). From there we went back into Vina and had lunch on the beach at this really cool restaurant. After lunch i dropped Daddy back at home to chill with Mama while Steph Randy and I walked to the feria to do some shopping and see more of the area. We made out like bandits!!!! I showed them the history building of La Catolica then we took the Micro back home. Steph and Randy got a full experience haha. When we got home Mama had been preparing once (own-seh) for us before the bus to Mendoza. She made a cake and jam and bread, among other things!!!! Then we took allllll of the luggage and made way to the bus terminal for the ride to Santiago. From there we took an overnight bus to Mendoza, Argentina. The ride wasn't too bad at all, it was customs in the mountains which sucked. It was freeeezzzinnggggg. Despite customs, we got there in about 6 hours. We went right to the hotel and slept for a bit. Actually, Randy slept more than the rest of us...even I got up! We hung around for a bit then took a tour of two wineries and an olive oil factory. It was really cool to see the difference between a big company winery and a family owned business. I bought a bottle of wine :). Mendoza makes 90% of the wine from Argentina. It was fun, but needless to say we were tired. it was an early night, and our tour Saturday was starting at 7...
Saturday was my favorite day by far, we saw so much! We took a tour of the mountains, because Mendoza is in fact in the mountains more or less. Unfortunately Steph was sick, but she had fun anyway. First we stopped in a little town called Uspallata (as the Argentines say: Uspashata). I bought a thing for mate. Mate is like tea, but reversed. You put in the herbs and water, then sip it through a straw thing, called a bombillo, to filter it. From there we continued on and saw really gorgeous sites and learned about the railroad that used to go through the mountains from Chile to Argentina. Then we stopped to see the San Martin bridge. It is basically the trail where San Martin and his armies marched in from Chile. Randy and I took 3 sips from the river, which is supposedly good luck. Then we continued on higher! We stopped to see Aconcagua, which is the highest peak in South America. It didn't look high from where we were but it is ;). It was covered in snow and really beautiful. I definitely didn't dress for the weather of the high altitudes, I was freezing all day! We continued on for a while and Marcos, our bilingual guide told us the history of the area. Everything we saw was gorgeous. Then we drove up one of the mountains! It was long and twisty, and kinda creepy, but i really loved it. When we reached the top, we were at the statue of Jesus (ahaha) which marks the border of Chile and Argentina. It was by far my favorite part, although i couldn't feel my fingers or really any of my extremities. I took pictures between the 2 flags, and of the Carabineros (Chilean police) who were at the border. The only thing I didn't get was the sign that said Bienvenidos a la Republica de Argentina, but luckily Steph did. Then we drove down the mountain and had a quick lunch. After lunch we went to the Inca Bridge which is actually completely naturally made. I was freezing still! It was cool, though. We did a bit of shopping at the bridge too. After that, it was time to make our way back to Mendoza. It was a long, but fabulous day!
Sunday we slept in for a bit and went for a nice lunch in town. Then we decided to take a city tour because life shuts down in Argentina on Sundays. Marcos was our tour guide again which was fun. The tour wasn't too special really, we couldn't get out much to take pictures. But then we went to Cerro de La Gloria which is a big monument which appears on the back of the 5 Peso bill. I took lots of pictures. After the tour we killed some time at the hotel and ate dinner before our ride back to Santiago. This time for customs i wore 2 pairs of pants, and it was inside...go figure.
We slept once we got to the hotel...Stephanie and I got to cuddle haha. Then we woke up and went to the big mall and had lunch. We kindof shmied around for a bit then went to the hotel. We signed up for dinner and a show! That was really cool. The show was of traditional folklore dances from Chile. I liked it because it is exactly what I am learning in my folklore dance class!!! Daddy even participated! He danced Cueca, which is the national dance. Steph and I did too. Then Randy and Steph did Rapa Nui which is from Easter Island. Overall we had a nice time. We documented Daddy dancing too of course! On Tuesday we decided to do an all-day hop on/hop off tour of Santiago. We went on a double decker bus for a tour for about 2 hours then chose some places to get off and sightsee. We got off at a feria and went souvenir shopping. Then us three walked real quick to another one of Neruda's houses while daddy waited for the bus. After that we went to the Plaza de Armas where theres a lot of old buildings. There were also painters selling their art. Then we went back to the hotel to chill before dinner. We ate at a nice Italian restaurant and enjoyed hanging out before I had to leave in the morning. When we went back Steph and I decided to investigate the "wine therapy" bath. We then decided they were absolutely necessary! I got one first...The lady came in with a carafe of merlot and drew the most amazing bath i ever did see. I took pictures! It smelled delicious and had lots of bubbles!!!!! After i put on the shmancy bathrobe i found in the bathroom haha. Then Steph got one. We were soft after and smelled yummy!! Daddy passed out naturally, but the three of us got to hang out which was really nice. Then we woke up early, so I could come home for classes. Overall, it was a terrific visit, and I am glad they were here!!!!
When I got home I had an oral presentation and a take-home exam hahaha. Let's not go there :) The weekend has been nice despite the aftershocks. Two yesterday and a nice strong one today. Tomorrow is back to the swing of things.... I won't wait as long to post again!!!! Love to the grieving fam, and good luck to my Clarkies in finals!
Besitos,
Carolina
Friday, April 16, 2010
New Phone!
Hello today,
Not much has happened this week, but since I haven't been updating too often, here is a treat! I have been swamped with work. I failed my test on Monday, I'm pretty sure, but I won't find out for sure until next week. I also started my volunteer work this week! It's only been one time, but I love it already. I teach an English workshop on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at a school next to one of La Catolica's campuses. My students are all boys ages 14-16. They are lots of fun, and super dorky. One of them was all up in my grill because his grandmother is from England so he knows English and is good at it. hahaha. his only interest is music. all my other students like computers, soccer (futbol), and science. perfect. They were all really interested though, in hearing about Thanksgiving and other American holidays. I think it will be a lot of fun. Some of them refuse to speak and are really shy and embarrassed about their English. The point of the workshop is for them to practice their conversational skills. It's nice to be the one who isn't fumbling for words, even if its only twice a week for 45 minutes.
In other news, I managed to lose my little Chilean phone that Lindsay so kindly gave me before I left. So much for saving money, because I needed to buy one after all. I got a really cute blue one for 20 dollars and it included minutes, yay! It was cheap, and not ghetto like the other one (no offense Lindsay) or the one Martin was originally going to give me. I just have to go through the process of getting everyone else's numbers again and handing out my new one. Some how, on my way to the school where i teach, I managed to drop my phone on the micro and not notice until later when i looked for it in my bag and it wasn't there. I'm sure it wasn't robbed, because 1, who would want it, and 2, i had my wallet still. Oh well, it called for an outing with Mama which was really fun. We bought my phone, then went into her favorite store. Then, to shake this cold I have she took me to this little juice bar where they make fresh juice and explain the medical benefits of each fruit. I had orange/mango and she had orange/carrot which sounds nasty but was surprisingly delish.
I had another test Thurs morning that should have been easy but I didn't study the class notes so it was a little tough. Instead I did the reading, which was what I was supposed to do for my other class. I guess I'm still learning the system. On Monday I have a test in my dance class. Although the practical part (where we dance) was moved to another week cuz of my damn group. I woke up this morning to meet my group at 10 and was stood up. as i was leaving they all show and was like sorryyyy we went to eat. then we stood around and there were no empty rooms, so they emailed the prof saying we needed more time. I was so mad, and they kind of got a kick out of it which made me madder. A couple of them are nice, and were nicer about it but I am supposed to grade my group members, so I might just have a field day with that. In case you are wondering, I waited 45 minutes for them.
Last night I wrote a paper for a class that doesn't exist. One of the orientation profs assigned a 6-12 page partner paper on indigenous tribes. It took me forever to do my half, but its done now :) We have another one this week but its only 500-700 words which I believe to be a little more reasonable. For my Psych of Learning class we have a group project for this week. There is one girl who is always really nice to me and let me join her group. we are researching language communication in deaf students. something to that effect. she broke the assignment down for me so i knew exactly what to do and exactly what topics i was in charge of. my goal is to become better friends with her. then ill actually have a chilean friend, yay!
In a few minutes I am going with Martin and CIEE to see the tall ships that are in Valparaiso this week. I saw them all lit up on my way home from class yesterday, and it was so pretty. I think we can go on them this afternoon, so that should be fun. There's tons of sailors and marines in Valpo this weekend. Tomorrow I think I am hiking La Campana with CIEE, which is a mountain nearby. Meanwhile Martin is hustling me along.
Besitos,
Caroline
Not much has happened this week, but since I haven't been updating too often, here is a treat! I have been swamped with work. I failed my test on Monday, I'm pretty sure, but I won't find out for sure until next week. I also started my volunteer work this week! It's only been one time, but I love it already. I teach an English workshop on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at a school next to one of La Catolica's campuses. My students are all boys ages 14-16. They are lots of fun, and super dorky. One of them was all up in my grill because his grandmother is from England so he knows English and is good at it. hahaha. his only interest is music. all my other students like computers, soccer (futbol), and science. perfect. They were all really interested though, in hearing about Thanksgiving and other American holidays. I think it will be a lot of fun. Some of them refuse to speak and are really shy and embarrassed about their English. The point of the workshop is for them to practice their conversational skills. It's nice to be the one who isn't fumbling for words, even if its only twice a week for 45 minutes.
In other news, I managed to lose my little Chilean phone that Lindsay so kindly gave me before I left. So much for saving money, because I needed to buy one after all. I got a really cute blue one for 20 dollars and it included minutes, yay! It was cheap, and not ghetto like the other one (no offense Lindsay) or the one Martin was originally going to give me. I just have to go through the process of getting everyone else's numbers again and handing out my new one. Some how, on my way to the school where i teach, I managed to drop my phone on the micro and not notice until later when i looked for it in my bag and it wasn't there. I'm sure it wasn't robbed, because 1, who would want it, and 2, i had my wallet still. Oh well, it called for an outing with Mama which was really fun. We bought my phone, then went into her favorite store. Then, to shake this cold I have she took me to this little juice bar where they make fresh juice and explain the medical benefits of each fruit. I had orange/mango and she had orange/carrot which sounds nasty but was surprisingly delish.
I had another test Thurs morning that should have been easy but I didn't study the class notes so it was a little tough. Instead I did the reading, which was what I was supposed to do for my other class. I guess I'm still learning the system. On Monday I have a test in my dance class. Although the practical part (where we dance) was moved to another week cuz of my damn group. I woke up this morning to meet my group at 10 and was stood up. as i was leaving they all show and was like sorryyyy we went to eat. then we stood around and there were no empty rooms, so they emailed the prof saying we needed more time. I was so mad, and they kind of got a kick out of it which made me madder. A couple of them are nice, and were nicer about it but I am supposed to grade my group members, so I might just have a field day with that. In case you are wondering, I waited 45 minutes for them.
Last night I wrote a paper for a class that doesn't exist. One of the orientation profs assigned a 6-12 page partner paper on indigenous tribes. It took me forever to do my half, but its done now :) We have another one this week but its only 500-700 words which I believe to be a little more reasonable. For my Psych of Learning class we have a group project for this week. There is one girl who is always really nice to me and let me join her group. we are researching language communication in deaf students. something to that effect. she broke the assignment down for me so i knew exactly what to do and exactly what topics i was in charge of. my goal is to become better friends with her. then ill actually have a chilean friend, yay!
In a few minutes I am going with Martin and CIEE to see the tall ships that are in Valparaiso this week. I saw them all lit up on my way home from class yesterday, and it was so pretty. I think we can go on them this afternoon, so that should be fun. There's tons of sailors and marines in Valpo this weekend. Tomorrow I think I am hiking La Campana with CIEE, which is a mountain nearby. Meanwhile Martin is hustling me along.
Besitos,
Caroline
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Pucón
Hello trusty followers,
This past weekend CIEE took us to Pucon, which is in the IX Region. Generally it takes about 9 hours by bus, but seeing as the earthquake did a little bit of damage, it took 12. So, last Thursday night we boarded the bus, and got there Friday morning. Martin came with us, which was actually really fun. So here's the low down on my weekend:
We got there around 9am on Friday and went to our super nice cabins. I was in a cabin with a really chill bunch of girls, so that was good. They gave us breakfast then we were on our way already, we wasted literally no time. We went to a Mapuche village for the whole day. The Mapuches are an indigenous group here in Chile, the most populated and well known group. We divided up into two groups, and I got to go into the museum first. I took lots of pictures! I found their language to be one of the most interesting parts of the tour. The Mapuches believe in the holiness of land and the earth, so their views on things are also super interesting. Their art and instruments are beautiful, pictures to come. The tour ended in a room with a huge stove where they were cooking "sopaipillas". Pretty much, its fried bread. It was soo good. and the other group didn't get any, hehe. They also explained how you have to throw the first bite of a special bean they have to the ground first, in thanks for the food it provides. Then we got to go to the little souvenir shops. I bought a lil sumthin sumthin, but I haven't decided who its for, so I won't say what it is! After that we went for a traditional Mapuche lunch. They gave us mashed potatoes and lots of fresh vegetables. Not bad, but I missed Mama's cooking, actually. Then we went to play Palin (not like Sarah, theres an accent on the i), which is a Mapuche game like field hockey. I did not participate, obviously. When we finally got home, my cabin made dinner then went to bed early because most of us had signed up to climb a volcano Saturday.
So its Saturday at 7am and the guide told us it was a shitty day to climb the volcano. However he had assured us it was going to be a gorgeous day, so when he said that about Sunday we didn't believe him. It rained for a lot of Saturday which sucked, but I signed up to do canopy. We were all pretty upset about not being able to climb, we had heard its amazing. The sun came out so we went into the center of town to kinda explore and shmy around. It was cute and fun. Then it was time to canopy. I was so brave!!!!!!!! The first time I went with the guide because I was terrified of the height and, you know, flying over a river. Then it was really fun. Until i pulled the cable too early and was dangling over the river on one of the runs. Then, around the second to last run i got the hang of it hahaha. My friend took a video, so hopefully that will get on facebook soon for you all to marvel at. So that was Saturday. Sunday we went hiking and to hot springs!!!! The hike was gorgeous, I have tons of pictures of waterfalls. The hot springs were so cool! I have never been to any before, so it boggled my mind how these little pools were like natural jacuzzis. We we there for at least 2.5 hours and it was super relaxing. When we returned to the cabins i was forced to play a game of soccer. Big weekend for me, eh??? Then we ate dinner and boarded the bus for the journey home. We made it back at around 830 monday morning. Perfect because I had class at 1145 then a test at 520, ha!!
I failed the test, fyi.
Today, I had practice with my group for my folklore dance class cuz we have a test monday. I am dancing Diablada. Its me and 5 chilean phys ed majors, all guys. Its interesting, but they have been really nice so far. Then I went to CIEE class which was dumb. The Gloria took me to the school where I'll be volunteering. I am assisting an English workshop for 15 and 16 yr olds on Tues and Weds. I think its going to be really fun!!! On the way to the school i dropped my phone on the micro, way to go me. So i need to go buy another, terrific. i should be reading for the test I have thursday, or researching for the paper due friday :). On that note, please keep on sending me things. oh wait, no one does except mommy. So facebook me things about life and exciting news!!!!! miss everyone!
love,
line
This past weekend CIEE took us to Pucon, which is in the IX Region. Generally it takes about 9 hours by bus, but seeing as the earthquake did a little bit of damage, it took 12. So, last Thursday night we boarded the bus, and got there Friday morning. Martin came with us, which was actually really fun. So here's the low down on my weekend:
We got there around 9am on Friday and went to our super nice cabins. I was in a cabin with a really chill bunch of girls, so that was good. They gave us breakfast then we were on our way already, we wasted literally no time. We went to a Mapuche village for the whole day. The Mapuches are an indigenous group here in Chile, the most populated and well known group. We divided up into two groups, and I got to go into the museum first. I took lots of pictures! I found their language to be one of the most interesting parts of the tour. The Mapuches believe in the holiness of land and the earth, so their views on things are also super interesting. Their art and instruments are beautiful, pictures to come. The tour ended in a room with a huge stove where they were cooking "sopaipillas". Pretty much, its fried bread. It was soo good. and the other group didn't get any, hehe. They also explained how you have to throw the first bite of a special bean they have to the ground first, in thanks for the food it provides. Then we got to go to the little souvenir shops. I bought a lil sumthin sumthin, but I haven't decided who its for, so I won't say what it is! After that we went for a traditional Mapuche lunch. They gave us mashed potatoes and lots of fresh vegetables. Not bad, but I missed Mama's cooking, actually. Then we went to play Palin (not like Sarah, theres an accent on the i), which is a Mapuche game like field hockey. I did not participate, obviously. When we finally got home, my cabin made dinner then went to bed early because most of us had signed up to climb a volcano Saturday.
So its Saturday at 7am and the guide told us it was a shitty day to climb the volcano. However he had assured us it was going to be a gorgeous day, so when he said that about Sunday we didn't believe him. It rained for a lot of Saturday which sucked, but I signed up to do canopy. We were all pretty upset about not being able to climb, we had heard its amazing. The sun came out so we went into the center of town to kinda explore and shmy around. It was cute and fun. Then it was time to canopy. I was so brave!!!!!!!! The first time I went with the guide because I was terrified of the height and, you know, flying over a river. Then it was really fun. Until i pulled the cable too early and was dangling over the river on one of the runs. Then, around the second to last run i got the hang of it hahaha. My friend took a video, so hopefully that will get on facebook soon for you all to marvel at. So that was Saturday. Sunday we went hiking and to hot springs!!!! The hike was gorgeous, I have tons of pictures of waterfalls. The hot springs were so cool! I have never been to any before, so it boggled my mind how these little pools were like natural jacuzzis. We we there for at least 2.5 hours and it was super relaxing. When we returned to the cabins i was forced to play a game of soccer. Big weekend for me, eh??? Then we ate dinner and boarded the bus for the journey home. We made it back at around 830 monday morning. Perfect because I had class at 1145 then a test at 520, ha!!
I failed the test, fyi.
Today, I had practice with my group for my folklore dance class cuz we have a test monday. I am dancing Diablada. Its me and 5 chilean phys ed majors, all guys. Its interesting, but they have been really nice so far. Then I went to CIEE class which was dumb. The Gloria took me to the school where I'll be volunteering. I am assisting an English workshop for 15 and 16 yr olds on Tues and Weds. I think its going to be really fun!!! On the way to the school i dropped my phone on the micro, way to go me. So i need to go buy another, terrific. i should be reading for the test I have thursday, or researching for the paper due friday :). On that note, please keep on sending me things. oh wait, no one does except mommy. So facebook me things about life and exciting news!!!!! miss everyone!
love,
line
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
La Serena!!!
Hi everyone,
I hear its nice and warm, and a little soggy back home. Its starting to get chile here (get it?!). Boy, I'm just a riot. I'm sitting on my bed with my guatero which is just a big bag of boiling water. Central heating is a concept this country doesn't seem to want to understand so we have guateros. When it gets really cold then there are estufas, which sounds like a space heater stove thing. So when we last left off I was getting ready to go to La Serena. I will now fill you in!
Last Wednesday at 11:15 I boarded the bus with my bag of Passover food. We sat on the second floor of the bus which i thought was cool in itself. Busses here are super comfy. We traveled on a semi-cama (semi-bed) bus, so we had recliners and pillows and blankets. Airlines should learn from Chilean bus companies. I slept a decent amount. It took between 7-8 hours unfortunately. We got there and walked to our hostel. We rented, like, an apartment pretty much for about 40 dollars. We slept till about 11 then decided to go grocery shopping. No sense in eating out when we had a stocked kitchen. After that we made lunch and then hit up the beach. We definitely didn't make it to the right beach but it was beautiful and fun. I collected some shells. Then we walked back home and cooked a yummy dinner of stir fry. We were pretty tired so didn't go anywhere. Then, on Friday, Chris decided to sleep the whole day while the girls decided to explore the city of La Serena. It's pretty tiny so we just walked around and explored. It was a beautiful day. I also rocked my fannypack, pictures soon to follow. There were lots of ferias artesanales (like, marketplaces of local art). I bought some things for people :). We took lots of pictures and just enjoyed the weather. It is a gorgeous town with pretty architecture. I found out that there are 29 churches there. We also went to a restaurant for lunch thats in all the guide books for its seafood. I ate fried fish while the girls all got like, shellfish soup. I tasted theirs and it was delish, but I don't regret my decision haha. Then they got shellfish empanadas, which I also tried. Very good, but I would never eat my own obviously. We also made reservations for tours of Valle del Elqui and the observatory, ridiculously cheap ones too! That night we made steak and choripan. I was in charge of grilling the steak hahah!!!! We went to bed early to prepare for our long Saturday of tours.
Saturday was amazing. Our tour left at 830 to go to Valle del Elqui. Valle del Elqui is just a region up north where there's a lot of cool stuff, which I will tell you about. We stopped first to see papayas growing; this region is known for their fruit, mainly grapes and papayas. As we drove the weather got to be gorgeous! We stopped at the side of the road to buy grapes. We got 4 kilos for 1mil!!!!!!!! Translation: 8 lbs for 2 bucks. Valle del Elqui is where pisco is made, and some wines. Pisco is distilled grapes. They are so sweet, we divided them up and I still have some left. We stopped at a big dam to look around, I got some great pictures. Then we continued up to Gabriela Mistral's school and bedroom, which is now a museum. Gabriela Mistral is from Vicuna (part of Valle del Elqui). She is a writer, and the first Latin-American to win the Nobel Prize which she did in 1945. Practically every road in Valle del Elqui is called G. Mistral! The museum was cute. Then we rolled onto a pico distillery. We went to the oldest one in the area, opened in 1860. We learned how pisco is made, and we saw some old machinery. They gave us some to taste, which I happily passed along to Chris. It was fun, and very hot. But the climate is mediterranean, meaning its very toasty but no humidity! Then we drove to the centre of the town to poke around and chill. There was a feria there too. They're all over the place here! Then we finally went for lunch. We went to a restaurant started by two women that decided they wanted to cook with solar energy. All of the ovens are outside. It takes about 4 hours for everything to cook. It was absolutely delicious though, I had salmon. I took pictures of things cooking :). I also kept the label of my homemade juice. Then, our trusty tour guide dropped us off at the tour office for the observatory. We had about three hours to kill. There was another couple from our hostel so we hung out with them too. We walked around the feria in their plaza, where I bought a fun souvenir. We had gelato then completos for dinner. So healthy! Completos are hot dogs with tomatoes and avocado. Soooo good! After chilling and waiting it was finally time to go to the observatory. We had a moody, crazy driver but we made it there in one piece. It was a perfect night to look at the stars cuz there was a small moon. The light from the moon makes it hard to see the stars. But since there is a hole in the ozone, Chile has some of the clearest skies. You can see the Milky Way and the Magellin clouds with the naked eye. I took a picture of Saturn through the telescope! The guide also pointed out and explained the Southern Cross, which is like the North Star for this side of the world. You can see Orion here, but not the Big Dipper, cool eh? He also pointed out the astrological constellations and some Aztec constellations. Then we looked through the telescope to see that a star that we see is actually a whole lot of stars!!!!! It was so pretty, and it made me feel very small. When we got home we all fell asleep right away! Sunday was kinda shitty weather, so we hung around the hostel and made a big lunch. Some of the group went out, but I stayed in cuz I was having an upset stomach. Its just as well that I didn't go, cuz they ended up at a sketchy area and never got to a club! Then on Monday we cleaned the place, paid the guy, and went on our merry little ways. We spent the whole day on the bus, and I was thrilled to be home. Not that I didn't have fun, but I missed my home-cooking and seeing mama. I guess I got used to the idea that Vina del Mar is home. And strangely enough, that night, my stomach was fine after mama's cooking.
This week is Semana Novata, which is like initiation week for the freshmen. There are only morning classes. Yesterday I had my CIEE class. Then I went out for a little while. Today I went to get my Chile ID (yay!) then realized I have tons of work for a test on Monday, yikes. Tomorrow night at 8 CIEE is taking us to Pucon, which is south. We get back Monday at 8am. I think I am going to climb a volcano! There are other options but that one sounds coolest. Sounds like a jam packed (and expensive) weekend. Tonight I need to read and study. Monday I have class then my test. In two weeks I am getting some visitors, i am very excited! I'm about ready for some familiar faces.
In other news, I went to Dunkin Donuts. They don't sell coffee. Bummer. I also helped mama make dinner. How do you make guacamole?! I'll teach you! Pictures coming shortly of everything, I swear!!!
Miss yous,
Carolina
I hear its nice and warm, and a little soggy back home. Its starting to get chile here (get it?!). Boy, I'm just a riot. I'm sitting on my bed with my guatero which is just a big bag of boiling water. Central heating is a concept this country doesn't seem to want to understand so we have guateros. When it gets really cold then there are estufas, which sounds like a space heater stove thing. So when we last left off I was getting ready to go to La Serena. I will now fill you in!
Last Wednesday at 11:15 I boarded the bus with my bag of Passover food. We sat on the second floor of the bus which i thought was cool in itself. Busses here are super comfy. We traveled on a semi-cama (semi-bed) bus, so we had recliners and pillows and blankets. Airlines should learn from Chilean bus companies. I slept a decent amount. It took between 7-8 hours unfortunately. We got there and walked to our hostel. We rented, like, an apartment pretty much for about 40 dollars. We slept till about 11 then decided to go grocery shopping. No sense in eating out when we had a stocked kitchen. After that we made lunch and then hit up the beach. We definitely didn't make it to the right beach but it was beautiful and fun. I collected some shells. Then we walked back home and cooked a yummy dinner of stir fry. We were pretty tired so didn't go anywhere. Then, on Friday, Chris decided to sleep the whole day while the girls decided to explore the city of La Serena. It's pretty tiny so we just walked around and explored. It was a beautiful day. I also rocked my fannypack, pictures soon to follow. There were lots of ferias artesanales (like, marketplaces of local art). I bought some things for people :). We took lots of pictures and just enjoyed the weather. It is a gorgeous town with pretty architecture. I found out that there are 29 churches there. We also went to a restaurant for lunch thats in all the guide books for its seafood. I ate fried fish while the girls all got like, shellfish soup. I tasted theirs and it was delish, but I don't regret my decision haha. Then they got shellfish empanadas, which I also tried. Very good, but I would never eat my own obviously. We also made reservations for tours of Valle del Elqui and the observatory, ridiculously cheap ones too! That night we made steak and choripan. I was in charge of grilling the steak hahah!!!! We went to bed early to prepare for our long Saturday of tours.
Saturday was amazing. Our tour left at 830 to go to Valle del Elqui. Valle del Elqui is just a region up north where there's a lot of cool stuff, which I will tell you about. We stopped first to see papayas growing; this region is known for their fruit, mainly grapes and papayas. As we drove the weather got to be gorgeous! We stopped at the side of the road to buy grapes. We got 4 kilos for 1mil!!!!!!!! Translation: 8 lbs for 2 bucks. Valle del Elqui is where pisco is made, and some wines. Pisco is distilled grapes. They are so sweet, we divided them up and I still have some left. We stopped at a big dam to look around, I got some great pictures. Then we continued up to Gabriela Mistral's school and bedroom, which is now a museum. Gabriela Mistral is from Vicuna (part of Valle del Elqui). She is a writer, and the first Latin-American to win the Nobel Prize which she did in 1945. Practically every road in Valle del Elqui is called G. Mistral! The museum was cute. Then we rolled onto a pico distillery. We went to the oldest one in the area, opened in 1860. We learned how pisco is made, and we saw some old machinery. They gave us some to taste, which I happily passed along to Chris. It was fun, and very hot. But the climate is mediterranean, meaning its very toasty but no humidity! Then we drove to the centre of the town to poke around and chill. There was a feria there too. They're all over the place here! Then we finally went for lunch. We went to a restaurant started by two women that decided they wanted to cook with solar energy. All of the ovens are outside. It takes about 4 hours for everything to cook. It was absolutely delicious though, I had salmon. I took pictures of things cooking :). I also kept the label of my homemade juice. Then, our trusty tour guide dropped us off at the tour office for the observatory. We had about three hours to kill. There was another couple from our hostel so we hung out with them too. We walked around the feria in their plaza, where I bought a fun souvenir. We had gelato then completos for dinner. So healthy! Completos are hot dogs with tomatoes and avocado. Soooo good! After chilling and waiting it was finally time to go to the observatory. We had a moody, crazy driver but we made it there in one piece. It was a perfect night to look at the stars cuz there was a small moon. The light from the moon makes it hard to see the stars. But since there is a hole in the ozone, Chile has some of the clearest skies. You can see the Milky Way and the Magellin clouds with the naked eye. I took a picture of Saturn through the telescope! The guide also pointed out and explained the Southern Cross, which is like the North Star for this side of the world. You can see Orion here, but not the Big Dipper, cool eh? He also pointed out the astrological constellations and some Aztec constellations. Then we looked through the telescope to see that a star that we see is actually a whole lot of stars!!!!! It was so pretty, and it made me feel very small. When we got home we all fell asleep right away! Sunday was kinda shitty weather, so we hung around the hostel and made a big lunch. Some of the group went out, but I stayed in cuz I was having an upset stomach. Its just as well that I didn't go, cuz they ended up at a sketchy area and never got to a club! Then on Monday we cleaned the place, paid the guy, and went on our merry little ways. We spent the whole day on the bus, and I was thrilled to be home. Not that I didn't have fun, but I missed my home-cooking and seeing mama. I guess I got used to the idea that Vina del Mar is home. And strangely enough, that night, my stomach was fine after mama's cooking.
This week is Semana Novata, which is like initiation week for the freshmen. There are only morning classes. Yesterday I had my CIEE class. Then I went out for a little while. Today I went to get my Chile ID (yay!) then realized I have tons of work for a test on Monday, yikes. Tomorrow night at 8 CIEE is taking us to Pucon, which is south. We get back Monday at 8am. I think I am going to climb a volcano! There are other options but that one sounds coolest. Sounds like a jam packed (and expensive) weekend. Tonight I need to read and study. Monday I have class then my test. In two weeks I am getting some visitors, i am very excited! I'm about ready for some familiar faces.
In other news, I went to Dunkin Donuts. They don't sell coffee. Bummer. I also helped mama make dinner. How do you make guacamole?! I'll teach you! Pictures coming shortly of everything, I swear!!!
Miss yous,
Carolina
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Pesaj en Chile
Yo yo,
Again, it has been a while and this will be a short post because I am leaving in a bit to go north to La Serena for semana santa, which is just a long weekend for Easter. Since the last time, I have gone clubbing a little, and to all of my classes. So far that Learning class is tough. We have a group project. I have no group. La profe said she would help me out though.
Meanwhile, I celebrated Passover here! The first night I went to another host family's house, who are non-practicing Jews. They expected me to lead seder, ha! The food was yummy though and we had a great time. Then last night, thanks to the girl who lived her last semester I met a Jewish family who included me in their seder. They live in Renaca (lil squiggly over the n) which is super nice. The rich part of Vina del Mar. There had to have been at least 40 people there, all with Hebrew names. I never saw so much Judaica in one house. The bobe (bubbie) lived really close to me and also invited me for Shabbat. I was overwhelmed, not only cuz I didn't know a soul, but because I didn't know all the songs! We did the ENTIRE seder, even after the glorious festive meal which included matzo ball soup, latkes, and brisket. The daughters who lived in the house were all very sweet. Every one started speaking in English and asked if I knew Spanish. Personally I think that is a stupid question, seeing as I'm here. They also do a Yankee swap, which i was included in as well. I got a pedicure set. It was nice to be in the company of a big happy Jewish family. However, las nanas (nannies) did all the cooking! Yeah, they have 3 nanas. Slightly unnecessary if you ask me, seeing as the two older daughters live in Santiago.
In terms of classes, I am going to re-add one of my exchange student-only classes. I need an easy, lenient class. To be a student here at La Catolica you need 16 credits, and most of my classes are only 2 or 3. Luck of the draw. So I'm enrolled in 6. One is dance and one is CIEE and 2 others are for exchange students. Monday is course registration at Clark!! Time to finally fulfill my math perspective, blech! Its shaping up to be a busy year, shocking.
Last Friday we took a day trip to Rabuco, which is a farm town. It was absolutely gorgeous and we did not know it would be so hot!! We took a tour of the vineyard, which is actually part of Dole. The grapes were almost the size of plums. We also learned a little bit of Cueca, the traditional dance of Chile. The food was also soooo good. We tried new fruits, of which I really liked the pepino. Its like melon, but with more juice. Delish. They also made empanadas, which is one of the more traditional dishes here. All in all it was a good day. Long, but good. I took pictures which are all on my laptop, just not uploaded yet onto FB or Snapfish. Soon to come, I promise!
I taught mama to make charoset for passover. She tried to make it without me the first time. She mixed apples with honey and put them in a jar of merlot. oops. sounds like a treat Sandra Lee would make ;). I showed her how to do it correctly and she really liked it. We found matzo in the market today and passover cookies. Here they sell "matza dulce" (sweet matzo) instead of egg matzo. Its pretty good actually. I'm bringing it to La Serena even though I'm sure I won't be keeping passover in the hostel. If I plan on living off cheap food for a few days i'll be eating lots of sandwiches and pasta. No worries though. I should be packing because I am leaving in a half hour! I'll update when I get back!
Love,
Carolina
Again, it has been a while and this will be a short post because I am leaving in a bit to go north to La Serena for semana santa, which is just a long weekend for Easter. Since the last time, I have gone clubbing a little, and to all of my classes. So far that Learning class is tough. We have a group project. I have no group. La profe said she would help me out though.
Meanwhile, I celebrated Passover here! The first night I went to another host family's house, who are non-practicing Jews. They expected me to lead seder, ha! The food was yummy though and we had a great time. Then last night, thanks to the girl who lived her last semester I met a Jewish family who included me in their seder. They live in Renaca (lil squiggly over the n) which is super nice. The rich part of Vina del Mar. There had to have been at least 40 people there, all with Hebrew names. I never saw so much Judaica in one house. The bobe (bubbie) lived really close to me and also invited me for Shabbat. I was overwhelmed, not only cuz I didn't know a soul, but because I didn't know all the songs! We did the ENTIRE seder, even after the glorious festive meal which included matzo ball soup, latkes, and brisket. The daughters who lived in the house were all very sweet. Every one started speaking in English and asked if I knew Spanish. Personally I think that is a stupid question, seeing as I'm here. They also do a Yankee swap, which i was included in as well. I got a pedicure set. It was nice to be in the company of a big happy Jewish family. However, las nanas (nannies) did all the cooking! Yeah, they have 3 nanas. Slightly unnecessary if you ask me, seeing as the two older daughters live in Santiago.
In terms of classes, I am going to re-add one of my exchange student-only classes. I need an easy, lenient class. To be a student here at La Catolica you need 16 credits, and most of my classes are only 2 or 3. Luck of the draw. So I'm enrolled in 6. One is dance and one is CIEE and 2 others are for exchange students. Monday is course registration at Clark!! Time to finally fulfill my math perspective, blech! Its shaping up to be a busy year, shocking.
Last Friday we took a day trip to Rabuco, which is a farm town. It was absolutely gorgeous and we did not know it would be so hot!! We took a tour of the vineyard, which is actually part of Dole. The grapes were almost the size of plums. We also learned a little bit of Cueca, the traditional dance of Chile. The food was also soooo good. We tried new fruits, of which I really liked the pepino. Its like melon, but with more juice. Delish. They also made empanadas, which is one of the more traditional dishes here. All in all it was a good day. Long, but good. I took pictures which are all on my laptop, just not uploaded yet onto FB or Snapfish. Soon to come, I promise!
I taught mama to make charoset for passover. She tried to make it without me the first time. She mixed apples with honey and put them in a jar of merlot. oops. sounds like a treat Sandra Lee would make ;). I showed her how to do it correctly and she really liked it. We found matzo in the market today and passover cookies. Here they sell "matza dulce" (sweet matzo) instead of egg matzo. Its pretty good actually. I'm bringing it to La Serena even though I'm sure I won't be keeping passover in the hostel. If I plan on living off cheap food for a few days i'll be eating lots of sandwiches and pasta. No worries though. I should be packing because I am leaving in a half hour! I'll update when I get back!
Love,
Carolina
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Sorry for the delay...
Hello everyone!
I really fell down on the job this week, my apologies. It is 1:50am my time, and I ought to be sleeping or doing my new homework. I just got home from a really cool night club, but I'll get to that at the end. I'll start with last weekend. We went to this town which is one inch by one inch, called Olmue. It was a lot more fun than I had anticipated. I got really burnt but only on the right side of my body.... We got there on Friday and had time to chill by the pool then we got down to business with our first orientation session. Saturday was all orientation all day, except for that time we made up one of the CIEE intro classes that we missed cuz of the tsunami alert. It was a long, semi-informative day. Marcia (the director) is married to Glenn, who is American and has lived here for 7 years. His Spanish is pathetic and he gave the orientation, so much of the day was in English for a change. Where we were, there is really nice weather, so Friday night a bunch of us climbed the playground to see the stars. You can see the Milky Way here really easily. I also saw the Southern Cross, which is like the North Star of this hemisphere. It was gorgeous. There was also real coffee, which made my day!
We got home on Sunday afternoon and Kayla was visiting from Santiago. Mama insisted that she have lunch with us which was nice. I tried to take Kayla to a party thing that was going on for all of the exchange students at the Botannical Gardens of Vina del Mar. However, only one bus goes there and we waited for 35 minutes before giving up. It was gorgeous out so we decided to walk around Vina. It was an unlucky day however, cuz we were almost robbed. Twice. But I still have all my things :). I won't go into detail, but I will have you know that I am a champion, and next time any sketchball or gypsy comes up to me ill kick them. However, after that ordeal i'm seriously considering making like a Chilean and buying a fanny pack. A lot of them are really cute and not worn like fanny packs, if that helps. But I was definitely a target with my Vera Bradley, so I think I might try to fit in a little better. I bought a nice satchel in Olmue so I might start using that. Its very cute and it says Chile on it. But it has a flap over the zipper, ensuring that whoever wants my shit has to work for it.
I also went to the synagogue this week. Security here for the Jews is ridiculous. I wasn't allowed on the grounds. The man at the door took my info and phone number and when I asked to see the temple he told me no cuz I have to be accompanied by a member of the community. I am still waiting for them to get back to me. I might even have Mama call them for me tomorrow. I talked to my Jewish professor about it too, cuz he is a member there. He said he would vouch for me and also took my number so I hope he comes through. I guess its good to know the Jews are safe with all those measures they take!
I decided to drop three classes as well. I dropped Modern Chilean History, Urban and Regional History of Valparaiso, and some art class I never wanted. I added Pedagogical Psych of Learning and Universal Themes in Lit. I still haven't been to the new lit class because it was cancelled today so I need to wait until next week. I am loving my Literature class that I am in now with the Jew Prof. Last class I didn't look at my watch once! It's interesting but there is a ton of reading. However, we don't really discuss it in class; we're just tested on it. But I was assured all the exchange students do well, and there's quite a few of us. The girl who I was sitting next to was super nice and offered to show me where to find the photocopies. Remember, here they don't buy books, you need to know where the teacher leaves the material. There's photocopy places everywhere and it's really cheap! I took down the nice girl's email just in case I had any questions. A step in the right direction I think. In my new Learning class I am the only exchange student, talk about intimidating. The students here enter college in a certain "carrera" (track, I guess) and don't take other classes. So, when other students are in the class it's weird for them. The first thing we had to do was work in groups. So, I politely asked the girls next to me if I could work with them and they were very nice. I took down one girls phone number and email, again, just in case. It took me a while to figure out what the hell we were doing, but the class seems good and a good step toward 5th year. I like it a lot, its just tough cuz I don't think the teacher has ever had an exchange student. Today was a little better. We had to work in groups again and I must have looked lost because some other girls invited me to work with them which was nice for a change. They asked me if I was from another carrera and I told them I was from the US and they thought that was cool. I was also the only one in the group who new what the prof meant by "status quo" so I looked smart when I explained it to them :). One girl was very nice and asked me if I understood what Mechona was (it means first year, and they haze them like no other), and if I knew how to find the photocopies. She showed me where to go and how to ask for them. I also got her email and facebook info. She also explained how to find the assignments and announcements online for the class, which is a bonus. We have a ficha, which sounds like a fancy summary due wednesday. She added me on fbook then fbook chatted with me to see how I was doing. She ended up emailing me the assignment; needless to say I am stoked to have met her. Her last name is Hodges, which kindof made me giggle. Not the most Hispanic-sounding name.... I love my Folklore dance class. Its 2 hours in the classroom learning the history then 2 hours dancing. Theres 4 exchange students and about 50 chileans, mostly guys actually. Its in the Phys Ed Carrera, one of their required classes is Basquetbol ;). Sounds like a fake major but whatever floats their boats. The teacher is super intense but I introduced myself and she was a lot nicer. Its only 2 credits but there's a lot of work so far. I like it though! As far as school goes in general, so far so good.
I need to go to sleep because tomorrow I have to wake up because we are taking a day trip to Rabuco. I don't know much about it but we needed to bring a handkerchief for the traditional dancing we will be doing. Mama made me one special! Mama must also take me for a fatty, cuz the other day she packed me 6 sandwiches for lunch. She also gave me cake for breakfast and it was enough for 4 people. She's adorable, but feeds me A LOT. Quick note about tonight. I went to a place called La Piedra Feliz with a couple other girls. There was live jazz in one room and salsa dancing in another. They were bums and wanted to leave early but I was having a blast. The salsa guy taught Bar Mitzvah style. We all followed him on a cramped little dance floor, as I's sure you can all imagine. I loved it though! Every Thursday is salsa. I am ready to go back! I will update more soon when it isn't the middle of the night!!
Buenas Noches,
Carolina
I really fell down on the job this week, my apologies. It is 1:50am my time, and I ought to be sleeping or doing my new homework. I just got home from a really cool night club, but I'll get to that at the end. I'll start with last weekend. We went to this town which is one inch by one inch, called Olmue. It was a lot more fun than I had anticipated. I got really burnt but only on the right side of my body.... We got there on Friday and had time to chill by the pool then we got down to business with our first orientation session. Saturday was all orientation all day, except for that time we made up one of the CIEE intro classes that we missed cuz of the tsunami alert. It was a long, semi-informative day. Marcia (the director) is married to Glenn, who is American and has lived here for 7 years. His Spanish is pathetic and he gave the orientation, so much of the day was in English for a change. Where we were, there is really nice weather, so Friday night a bunch of us climbed the playground to see the stars. You can see the Milky Way here really easily. I also saw the Southern Cross, which is like the North Star of this hemisphere. It was gorgeous. There was also real coffee, which made my day!
We got home on Sunday afternoon and Kayla was visiting from Santiago. Mama insisted that she have lunch with us which was nice. I tried to take Kayla to a party thing that was going on for all of the exchange students at the Botannical Gardens of Vina del Mar. However, only one bus goes there and we waited for 35 minutes before giving up. It was gorgeous out so we decided to walk around Vina. It was an unlucky day however, cuz we were almost robbed. Twice. But I still have all my things :). I won't go into detail, but I will have you know that I am a champion, and next time any sketchball or gypsy comes up to me ill kick them. However, after that ordeal i'm seriously considering making like a Chilean and buying a fanny pack. A lot of them are really cute and not worn like fanny packs, if that helps. But I was definitely a target with my Vera Bradley, so I think I might try to fit in a little better. I bought a nice satchel in Olmue so I might start using that. Its very cute and it says Chile on it. But it has a flap over the zipper, ensuring that whoever wants my shit has to work for it.
I also went to the synagogue this week. Security here for the Jews is ridiculous. I wasn't allowed on the grounds. The man at the door took my info and phone number and when I asked to see the temple he told me no cuz I have to be accompanied by a member of the community. I am still waiting for them to get back to me. I might even have Mama call them for me tomorrow. I talked to my Jewish professor about it too, cuz he is a member there. He said he would vouch for me and also took my number so I hope he comes through. I guess its good to know the Jews are safe with all those measures they take!
I decided to drop three classes as well. I dropped Modern Chilean History, Urban and Regional History of Valparaiso, and some art class I never wanted. I added Pedagogical Psych of Learning and Universal Themes in Lit. I still haven't been to the new lit class because it was cancelled today so I need to wait until next week. I am loving my Literature class that I am in now with the Jew Prof. Last class I didn't look at my watch once! It's interesting but there is a ton of reading. However, we don't really discuss it in class; we're just tested on it. But I was assured all the exchange students do well, and there's quite a few of us. The girl who I was sitting next to was super nice and offered to show me where to find the photocopies. Remember, here they don't buy books, you need to know where the teacher leaves the material. There's photocopy places everywhere and it's really cheap! I took down the nice girl's email just in case I had any questions. A step in the right direction I think. In my new Learning class I am the only exchange student, talk about intimidating. The students here enter college in a certain "carrera" (track, I guess) and don't take other classes. So, when other students are in the class it's weird for them. The first thing we had to do was work in groups. So, I politely asked the girls next to me if I could work with them and they were very nice. I took down one girls phone number and email, again, just in case. It took me a while to figure out what the hell we were doing, but the class seems good and a good step toward 5th year. I like it a lot, its just tough cuz I don't think the teacher has ever had an exchange student. Today was a little better. We had to work in groups again and I must have looked lost because some other girls invited me to work with them which was nice for a change. They asked me if I was from another carrera and I told them I was from the US and they thought that was cool. I was also the only one in the group who new what the prof meant by "status quo" so I looked smart when I explained it to them :). One girl was very nice and asked me if I understood what Mechona was (it means first year, and they haze them like no other), and if I knew how to find the photocopies. She showed me where to go and how to ask for them. I also got her email and facebook info. She also explained how to find the assignments and announcements online for the class, which is a bonus. We have a ficha, which sounds like a fancy summary due wednesday. She added me on fbook then fbook chatted with me to see how I was doing. She ended up emailing me the assignment; needless to say I am stoked to have met her. Her last name is Hodges, which kindof made me giggle. Not the most Hispanic-sounding name.... I love my Folklore dance class. Its 2 hours in the classroom learning the history then 2 hours dancing. Theres 4 exchange students and about 50 chileans, mostly guys actually. Its in the Phys Ed Carrera, one of their required classes is Basquetbol ;). Sounds like a fake major but whatever floats their boats. The teacher is super intense but I introduced myself and she was a lot nicer. Its only 2 credits but there's a lot of work so far. I like it though! As far as school goes in general, so far so good.
I need to go to sleep because tomorrow I have to wake up because we are taking a day trip to Rabuco. I don't know much about it but we needed to bring a handkerchief for the traditional dancing we will be doing. Mama made me one special! Mama must also take me for a fatty, cuz the other day she packed me 6 sandwiches for lunch. She also gave me cake for breakfast and it was enough for 4 people. She's adorable, but feeds me A LOT. Quick note about tonight. I went to a place called La Piedra Feliz with a couple other girls. There was live jazz in one room and salsa dancing in another. They were bums and wanted to leave early but I was having a blast. The salsa guy taught Bar Mitzvah style. We all followed him on a cramped little dance floor, as I's sure you can all imagine. I loved it though! Every Thursday is salsa. I am ready to go back! I will update more soon when it isn't the middle of the night!!
Buenas Noches,
Carolina
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
I'm a Student Again!
Hola todos mis lectores fieles!
I know I'm starting to get behind. It's because life is picking up. I guess that's a good thing...
I started classes today!! But I'll start with Sunday because I don't think I told you all about my day of exploring Valparaiso. I went into the city with a couple of girls to look around and explore and get more acquainted. Martin gave us a map with a detailed route. We had a lot of fun! In order to go onto the hills of Valparaiso you need to use an "acensor" which i guess is like a lift or elevator and you go almost vertically up! A lot of them have been in use for a long time and have lots of cool old pictures of the city. We walked around this little Bohemian neighborhood and took pictures of the views and more beautiful murals! I have yet to upload the pictures but its on my list of things to do. (For those of you who haven't seen, I have lots of pictures up on Facebook, I need to add them to Snapfish or something too!) We went into a little shop too and talked with the owners, who moved from Santiago to Valparaiso. They were very nice and explained where all the things in their shop came from. A lot of indigenous stuff from Bolivia, actually. We kept walking and came across an awesome place called Color Cafe. Its super hippie-dippie and bohemian. There was a sign that said something along the lines of "Machismo Muere" which means Machismo kills. This place was all for womens rights. It was cute. We all ordered Iced Chocolates. It was a mix of chocolate milk and a milkshake, I guess. I got mine in mint flavor and it tasted like Thin Mints :). We also ordered a fruit salad which they drizzled in chocolate. I guess that defeated the purpose of a healthy snack but it was worth it. Then we all got on the Micro to go home. Since I live in East Bumfuck Vina I was on the bus for a lot longer, but I made a friend! She was about 3 years old and showed me her cute little sunglasses. She kept asking her mom to speak English with me. Naturally the lady didn't know a word of English but we talked and the girl was adorable.
On Monday I spent the day at the CIEE office. I didn't have time to run home for lunch so mama brought me food at the office. She was so proud to have packed me apples with peanut butter! Everyone in the office couldn't believe I had found peanut butter. But I did and I missed it a lot! I hadn't seen Martin all day so he asked if I wanted to see a movie. We ended up going with a bunch of his friends to see The Hurt Locker. It was in English :). How much did I pay you ask??? 4 bucks. That was on sale, usually its expensive. And by expensive, Martin told me was 7 dollars!!! I plan on seeing a lot of movies here if its that cheap! Yesterday was my first class at the CIEE office. I am taking a class on Chilean and Latinamerican short stories. There are about 8 girls and a professor who is super cool. It doesn't sound overwhelmingly hard and it seems fun. Mama also took me to Starbucks yesterday! I got a raspberry mocha cuz I know how to say that in Spanish. Skinny Vanilla Latte is not on the menu in Spanish. I'll have to figure out how to say that, haha. We also went into the dance studio to find out available classes. I wanted to take Ritmos Tropicales which is relatively cheap and only for a few months. I asked about Jazz too but thats 5-6 months and 3 times a week, including a ballet intensive, which is mandatory for all who take class that isn't one of the specials like Ritmos Tropicales. Meanwhile, when I got there only myself and an old man had enrolled so the teacher didn't show. The director lady let me try beginner contemporary even though by then it was 15 minutes into the class. It was me and two other girls and the most beautiful dancer lady i've ever seen. We did yoga, pilates, and a combination. It lasted longer than scheduled: an hour and 45ish minutes. After the teacher asked me where I was from. I told her the US and she said that's what explained my blank looks after she explained things. She also asked me what I've studied cuz it appeared I had danced before. Besides for the language barrier, I was a little more advanced than the girls which was kind of cool. I am sore today! Then last night I went to the bar with a couple people for a little bit. I probably shouldn't go out tonight because I have class at 10am but I think Wednesdays are like Thursdays at home. We'll see.
Today I had my first class at La Catolica but it wasn't until 5:20. I managed to take the bus there successfully all by myself! It was Chilean and Latinamerican Literature 3 which is Contemporary Lit. I have read a number of the texts before. It's going to be tough but the prof makes the tests a little bit easier for the international students, of which there were many. I found another CIEE girl. I went to introduce myself to the prof and he asked if I was Jewish. He happens to be the only Jewish prof at the university!!! He gave me the phone number to the temple and said that Rabbi Rosenberg was very nice. He is going to Seder with friends but said to ask about the one the temple does. I think his class will be challenging but great. He also let us two CIEE girls have the syllabus (profs here don't hand them out). I need to figure out how to use the libraries here. You don't buy books, you go to the library and they photocopy it for you! There are also no due dates, just have the books read by the test dates. We'll see how that works out! The guy seems cool, nonetheless.
Tomorrow is a busy day but I think there are CIEE people in all my classes. This weekend we are going to Olmue for the orientation we never had. Sounds dumb. Apparently this town consists of 2 streets and we go there so we don't go out at night. Which sucks, cuz my friends from Santiago are coming to Vina this weekend....
Talk to you all soon!
Love,
Caroline
I know I'm starting to get behind. It's because life is picking up. I guess that's a good thing...
I started classes today!! But I'll start with Sunday because I don't think I told you all about my day of exploring Valparaiso. I went into the city with a couple of girls to look around and explore and get more acquainted. Martin gave us a map with a detailed route. We had a lot of fun! In order to go onto the hills of Valparaiso you need to use an "acensor" which i guess is like a lift or elevator and you go almost vertically up! A lot of them have been in use for a long time and have lots of cool old pictures of the city. We walked around this little Bohemian neighborhood and took pictures of the views and more beautiful murals! I have yet to upload the pictures but its on my list of things to do. (For those of you who haven't seen, I have lots of pictures up on Facebook, I need to add them to Snapfish or something too!) We went into a little shop too and talked with the owners, who moved from Santiago to Valparaiso. They were very nice and explained where all the things in their shop came from. A lot of indigenous stuff from Bolivia, actually. We kept walking and came across an awesome place called Color Cafe. Its super hippie-dippie and bohemian. There was a sign that said something along the lines of "Machismo Muere" which means Machismo kills. This place was all for womens rights. It was cute. We all ordered Iced Chocolates. It was a mix of chocolate milk and a milkshake, I guess. I got mine in mint flavor and it tasted like Thin Mints :). We also ordered a fruit salad which they drizzled in chocolate. I guess that defeated the purpose of a healthy snack but it was worth it. Then we all got on the Micro to go home. Since I live in East Bumfuck Vina I was on the bus for a lot longer, but I made a friend! She was about 3 years old and showed me her cute little sunglasses. She kept asking her mom to speak English with me. Naturally the lady didn't know a word of English but we talked and the girl was adorable.
On Monday I spent the day at the CIEE office. I didn't have time to run home for lunch so mama brought me food at the office. She was so proud to have packed me apples with peanut butter! Everyone in the office couldn't believe I had found peanut butter. But I did and I missed it a lot! I hadn't seen Martin all day so he asked if I wanted to see a movie. We ended up going with a bunch of his friends to see The Hurt Locker. It was in English :). How much did I pay you ask??? 4 bucks. That was on sale, usually its expensive. And by expensive, Martin told me was 7 dollars!!! I plan on seeing a lot of movies here if its that cheap! Yesterday was my first class at the CIEE office. I am taking a class on Chilean and Latinamerican short stories. There are about 8 girls and a professor who is super cool. It doesn't sound overwhelmingly hard and it seems fun. Mama also took me to Starbucks yesterday! I got a raspberry mocha cuz I know how to say that in Spanish. Skinny Vanilla Latte is not on the menu in Spanish. I'll have to figure out how to say that, haha. We also went into the dance studio to find out available classes. I wanted to take Ritmos Tropicales which is relatively cheap and only for a few months. I asked about Jazz too but thats 5-6 months and 3 times a week, including a ballet intensive, which is mandatory for all who take class that isn't one of the specials like Ritmos Tropicales. Meanwhile, when I got there only myself and an old man had enrolled so the teacher didn't show. The director lady let me try beginner contemporary even though by then it was 15 minutes into the class. It was me and two other girls and the most beautiful dancer lady i've ever seen. We did yoga, pilates, and a combination. It lasted longer than scheduled: an hour and 45ish minutes. After the teacher asked me where I was from. I told her the US and she said that's what explained my blank looks after she explained things. She also asked me what I've studied cuz it appeared I had danced before. Besides for the language barrier, I was a little more advanced than the girls which was kind of cool. I am sore today! Then last night I went to the bar with a couple people for a little bit. I probably shouldn't go out tonight because I have class at 10am but I think Wednesdays are like Thursdays at home. We'll see.
Today I had my first class at La Catolica but it wasn't until 5:20. I managed to take the bus there successfully all by myself! It was Chilean and Latinamerican Literature 3 which is Contemporary Lit. I have read a number of the texts before. It's going to be tough but the prof makes the tests a little bit easier for the international students, of which there were many. I found another CIEE girl. I went to introduce myself to the prof and he asked if I was Jewish. He happens to be the only Jewish prof at the university!!! He gave me the phone number to the temple and said that Rabbi Rosenberg was very nice. He is going to Seder with friends but said to ask about the one the temple does. I think his class will be challenging but great. He also let us two CIEE girls have the syllabus (profs here don't hand them out). I need to figure out how to use the libraries here. You don't buy books, you go to the library and they photocopy it for you! There are also no due dates, just have the books read by the test dates. We'll see how that works out! The guy seems cool, nonetheless.
Tomorrow is a busy day but I think there are CIEE people in all my classes. This weekend we are going to Olmue for the orientation we never had. Sounds dumb. Apparently this town consists of 2 streets and we go there so we don't go out at night. Which sucks, cuz my friends from Santiago are coming to Vina this weekend....
Talk to you all soon!
Love,
Caroline
Sunday, March 14, 2010
i forgot a funny fact
this will make you all fall over laughing. i have made myself known to the guy that is in charge of sports for the exchange students. HA!!!!!!!!!!! I was asking him about dance teams/classes and now he knows me by name and face. But still, the man in charge of sports knows me. That's the most athletic I've ever been. hehe. I'm also listening to a Spanish version of "If I Were A Boy" by Beyonce. Extra special. Hasta luego, for real this time!
It's been about a week!!!
Hi everyone!
It's Sunday, and this time last week we were getting to the airport. Oy. And I still havent unpacked everything. I'm sorry I haven't updated in a few days. Things here are starting to pick up, so I will jam my last couple days into this one.
Friday was course registration. I have never seen a system so confusing! Pretty much they gave us a cd with a list of all the courses on it that we had to look over. no descriptions or anything. And, instead of listing what time the classes are at (cuz that would just be too easy) they put block numbers. For example, block 7-8 is 2-3:30 in the afternoon. It took me a few hours to figure everything out because of that. The university has a lot of majors but I'm sticking to my Lit classes and History. Also, the university has no campus. There are just a lot of buildings spread b/w Vina and Valparaiso. So, if I were to take a class in Valparaiso that goes till 3:50 and then wanted to take a class that is in a Vina building at 4 it would not be possible. So not only do you have to figure out what to take without understanding what the class really is anyway, and managing the time codes, you need to make sure you have time to get to where you need to be. very complex. then, the actual course registration was stressful and chaotic. all the exchange students go into this classroom where there is a rep from every department and you sit and talk with them about what you were thinking of taking and they give you advice. then they write your name on a little piece of paper and you're in! I am taking a lot of classes but I plan on dropping a bunch. We have a month-long add/drop period. They strongly recommend that we take a PIIE class which is the exchange student dept. However, the class they put me in based on my diagnostic conflicts with my CIEE class. and the other two CIEE classes conflict with two classes I want to take. So, I won't be taking a PIIE class. They had put me in Advanced Writing. Oh well. I am taking a literature class and a whole bunch of history classes. and i'm also taking a class called Folklore Dances. Should be good, I hope!
Yesterday I was in the local paper. I'm still trying to track down a copy; I was too stupid to buy one and the other girl that was in it took the copy CIEE had in the office. If I can figure out how to get it on the internet I'll post the link. The picture is god-awful but the article is cool. they interviewed me and another girl because of the aftershocks. they wanted an american perspective ;).
I went out the last couple of nights. Here in Chile when they go out, they do it up. The word here is "carratear." So, I have been carrateando. Anyway, I'm legal here which is kinda weird but awesome at the same time. Friday night we went to a club in Valparaiso called El Huevo ("The Egg"). What a terrific name for a club.... It's 3 floors with a bunch of different rooms that all play different music. At home, I go out between 10-11 and I'm generally home by 1 or 2. Here, many clubs don't open till 1 or 130 and they close at like 8am. Huevo opens earlier but doesn't get busy till 1 or 2. It's a lot to get used to. It was fun until Martin got pissy. A lot of my friends live in an area called Recreo which is super (relatively speaking) far from me. Allyse and Sonja live near me but on the other side of the city. Like, they are 2 blocks from me one way, but actually 10 blocks away. they live near the water. so even going home with them is tough. so all my friends had left and I was alone with Martin, who was acting like an asshole, and a few of his friends. I was so flustered and confused and I just wanted to leave. It was 3am. All of my friends were also dancing with locals and I wasn't, so I felt a little weird. Oh well. It was one night.
Yesterday was a great day! I had a class at the office about the history of Valparaiso. Then we all got on the Micro and went to La Sebastiana, which is one of Pablo Neruda's 3 houses. It was awesome. The day started chilly but by the time we got into Valpo it was hot out, and we were all wearing pants! anyway, the house has been turned into a museum and we took a self-guided tour. technically you are only allowed to take pictures of the views (Neruda was inspired by the amazing views from all the rooms in the house), but when the guides weren't looking I got a few pictures of the house :). It was gorgeous. In every corner of the house there is something to see. We also got a tour of the gardens around the house. After that, we went on a tour of the hills of Valparaiso. The city is very hilly, and there are murals all over the place by famous artists. So, our teacher showed us some of the important ones. I took TONS of pictures. I think yesterday alone I took over 50. Poor Chris is still really sick, so I tried to take extras for him too. When I got home I had lunch at the house and then a bunch of us had decided to go to the beach. I walked over to Allyse's and then we walked there together. Sebastian, one of the other host brothers, had been planning a jam sesh on the beach anyway. I got there and tanned for a bit (my chest is fried...) and then Sebastian and his friends brought their drums and a couple girls from the program had guitars. It was so fun and so relaxing! Then a couple of us left to buy school supplies. Mama said she would meet us, but she never leaves the house and therefore, knowing I was in a group, did not leave the house! She is adorable and sweet and takes good care of me, but literally never ever leaves the house. Then, last night we made plans to go out in Vina. We went to a place called Hollywood Pub for a birthday party of one of the peer advisors from La Catolica. Martin, naturally, was also there cuz he knows EVERYONE! We can't walk down the street without him saying hi to at least 6 people. When I got to the bar there was a Michael song on that is never played at home. I knew it was going to be a good night :)-. I tried my first Pisco-Sour which was delicious and also Mango-Sour. drinks here are about 4 dollars. And only a handful of places have cover charges. So we stayed at Hollywood for a bit then went to a club called Stingray. It was really fun. For some reason Martin only wants to teach Julia how to dance which kinda pisses me off, but I made a deal that if he teaches me how to dance I would teach him more English. I ended up leaving the club at 4 with Sonja and Allyse. They walked me halfway home. Luckily, where I live, its really safe to walk, but Martin ended up finding me when his friend drove him home. I didn't go to bed till 5! Woke up around 12:40. Good stuff. I still need to get used to how late they party here!!!
My camera battery is charging so I can post my pictures!!! I have no idea what is going on today. Not much, probably, cuz in Catholic countries Sunday is a day off. Just as well, gives me time to chill and shake this cold that I feel like I'm getting from my host mom. Oh, brace yourself for the mullets you will see in my pictures. I try to take candids. Some of them even have dreads. Don't worry, I won't get one while I'm here. Please send me emails and stuff about life.
Love,
Caroline
It's Sunday, and this time last week we were getting to the airport. Oy. And I still havent unpacked everything. I'm sorry I haven't updated in a few days. Things here are starting to pick up, so I will jam my last couple days into this one.
Friday was course registration. I have never seen a system so confusing! Pretty much they gave us a cd with a list of all the courses on it that we had to look over. no descriptions or anything. And, instead of listing what time the classes are at (cuz that would just be too easy) they put block numbers. For example, block 7-8 is 2-3:30 in the afternoon. It took me a few hours to figure everything out because of that. The university has a lot of majors but I'm sticking to my Lit classes and History. Also, the university has no campus. There are just a lot of buildings spread b/w Vina and Valparaiso. So, if I were to take a class in Valparaiso that goes till 3:50 and then wanted to take a class that is in a Vina building at 4 it would not be possible. So not only do you have to figure out what to take without understanding what the class really is anyway, and managing the time codes, you need to make sure you have time to get to where you need to be. very complex. then, the actual course registration was stressful and chaotic. all the exchange students go into this classroom where there is a rep from every department and you sit and talk with them about what you were thinking of taking and they give you advice. then they write your name on a little piece of paper and you're in! I am taking a lot of classes but I plan on dropping a bunch. We have a month-long add/drop period. They strongly recommend that we take a PIIE class which is the exchange student dept. However, the class they put me in based on my diagnostic conflicts with my CIEE class. and the other two CIEE classes conflict with two classes I want to take. So, I won't be taking a PIIE class. They had put me in Advanced Writing. Oh well. I am taking a literature class and a whole bunch of history classes. and i'm also taking a class called Folklore Dances. Should be good, I hope!
Yesterday I was in the local paper. I'm still trying to track down a copy; I was too stupid to buy one and the other girl that was in it took the copy CIEE had in the office. If I can figure out how to get it on the internet I'll post the link. The picture is god-awful but the article is cool. they interviewed me and another girl because of the aftershocks. they wanted an american perspective ;).
I went out the last couple of nights. Here in Chile when they go out, they do it up. The word here is "carratear." So, I have been carrateando. Anyway, I'm legal here which is kinda weird but awesome at the same time. Friday night we went to a club in Valparaiso called El Huevo ("The Egg"). What a terrific name for a club.... It's 3 floors with a bunch of different rooms that all play different music. At home, I go out between 10-11 and I'm generally home by 1 or 2. Here, many clubs don't open till 1 or 130 and they close at like 8am. Huevo opens earlier but doesn't get busy till 1 or 2. It's a lot to get used to. It was fun until Martin got pissy. A lot of my friends live in an area called Recreo which is super (relatively speaking) far from me. Allyse and Sonja live near me but on the other side of the city. Like, they are 2 blocks from me one way, but actually 10 blocks away. they live near the water. so even going home with them is tough. so all my friends had left and I was alone with Martin, who was acting like an asshole, and a few of his friends. I was so flustered and confused and I just wanted to leave. It was 3am. All of my friends were also dancing with locals and I wasn't, so I felt a little weird. Oh well. It was one night.
Yesterday was a great day! I had a class at the office about the history of Valparaiso. Then we all got on the Micro and went to La Sebastiana, which is one of Pablo Neruda's 3 houses. It was awesome. The day started chilly but by the time we got into Valpo it was hot out, and we were all wearing pants! anyway, the house has been turned into a museum and we took a self-guided tour. technically you are only allowed to take pictures of the views (Neruda was inspired by the amazing views from all the rooms in the house), but when the guides weren't looking I got a few pictures of the house :). It was gorgeous. In every corner of the house there is something to see. We also got a tour of the gardens around the house. After that, we went on a tour of the hills of Valparaiso. The city is very hilly, and there are murals all over the place by famous artists. So, our teacher showed us some of the important ones. I took TONS of pictures. I think yesterday alone I took over 50. Poor Chris is still really sick, so I tried to take extras for him too. When I got home I had lunch at the house and then a bunch of us had decided to go to the beach. I walked over to Allyse's and then we walked there together. Sebastian, one of the other host brothers, had been planning a jam sesh on the beach anyway. I got there and tanned for a bit (my chest is fried...) and then Sebastian and his friends brought their drums and a couple girls from the program had guitars. It was so fun and so relaxing! Then a couple of us left to buy school supplies. Mama said she would meet us, but she never leaves the house and therefore, knowing I was in a group, did not leave the house! She is adorable and sweet and takes good care of me, but literally never ever leaves the house. Then, last night we made plans to go out in Vina. We went to a place called Hollywood Pub for a birthday party of one of the peer advisors from La Catolica. Martin, naturally, was also there cuz he knows EVERYONE! We can't walk down the street without him saying hi to at least 6 people. When I got to the bar there was a Michael song on that is never played at home. I knew it was going to be a good night :)-. I tried my first Pisco-Sour which was delicious and also Mango-Sour. drinks here are about 4 dollars. And only a handful of places have cover charges. So we stayed at Hollywood for a bit then went to a club called Stingray. It was really fun. For some reason Martin only wants to teach Julia how to dance which kinda pisses me off, but I made a deal that if he teaches me how to dance I would teach him more English. I ended up leaving the club at 4 with Sonja and Allyse. They walked me halfway home. Luckily, where I live, its really safe to walk, but Martin ended up finding me when his friend drove him home. I didn't go to bed till 5! Woke up around 12:40. Good stuff. I still need to get used to how late they party here!!!
My camera battery is charging so I can post my pictures!!! I have no idea what is going on today. Not much, probably, cuz in Catholic countries Sunday is a day off. Just as well, gives me time to chill and shake this cold that I feel like I'm getting from my host mom. Oh, brace yourself for the mullets you will see in my pictures. I try to take candids. Some of them even have dreads. Don't worry, I won't get one while I'm here. Please send me emails and stuff about life.
Love,
Caroline
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Temblores Y After-chocks
Hola todos!
I'm sure you've heard, or are in the process of hearing that Chile had two big aftershocks today which caused a tsunami alert. Let me begin with the beginning of my day and we'll work from there. I had to be at La Catolica (school) in Valparaiso at 830 this morning. I had my Spanish oral diagnostic, which was kinda silly, then I had to register my visa or something. I finished everything at 1030 so I called Martin to meet me so I didn't have to ride the Micro (bus) by myself. I'm still trying to learn the system. Martin didn't get there till about 11:15 and we didn't leave Valpo till 11:30. So, when the 7.2 aftershock hit, we were on the Micro--Allyse, Michelle, Sonja, Martin, and myself. Mama called Martin to tell us, we didn't even feel it!!! However, I didn't know at the time that since the earthquake, any aftershock at a 7 or higher automatically triggers a tsunami alert. This is just as a precaution, even though they aren't always likely. Anyway, we all got off the bus, Allyse and Sonja went their way and Martin and I started walking home. When we were on 4 Norte and Libertad (very close to home) there was another aftershock, which they tell me was 6.4 or so. That was a very strange experience. I have felt aftershocks since I've been here ( I just never said it here so you wouldn't worry ;) ) but never like this. It lasted like 30 seconds, or if it was shorter it felt like 30 seconds. You could see the ground move and also the lights on the post next to me were swaying. Some cars stopped, some didn't. Some people stopped and others kept on going too. The thing with Chileans is, they are sooo used to the ground shaking because it's totally normal here. That's why after the 8.8 they didn't originally ask for help, because earthquakes here are second nature. Lots of mama's friends can't get over the fact that I don't have them in Boston. Anyway, Martin held onto my shoulders so I didn't go anywhere, ha! Not that I would have, but I was a little nervous. It feels like surfing, only not by choice (although how would i know what surfing is like, cuz i'm such an athlete...). Like sea legs. Almost immediately, cars started driving like nobody's business and lots of people were running. Martin explained to me that there was a tsunami warning and although we live in a safe place that wouldn't be affected anyway, everyone had to go to the big hill. The hill is about 3 blocks from my house and we go there cuz its high above sea level and away from the sea. So Martin and I got home without getting hit by cars, and I didn't realize we were actually leaving cuz they were speaking Spanish faster than my brain can handle. So I grabbed Marilyn and my little wallabee, my global phone and a granola bar and followed them out the door. Martin has a backpack already for emergencies and mama had packed snacks :). they also have a little radio. We stayed on the hill for a little over an hour. I took pictures, cuz the amount of people was incredible. Like nothing youve ever seen. And everyone was totally chill. No big deal... Of course I was nervous at first but then I was just annoyed cuz I was hungry and I had an advisor meeting at CIEE. Oh well. See, mom, look how calm and brave I am! Before we left the house, Martin shut off the electricity and gas and stuff. Cool, eh?
We got home and I immediately had internet which was a relief. My global phone still doesn't work, but don't stress. If you'd like, you can skype. Martin is also letting me call people's phones with his skype. We just had the most delicious lunch, and all I want to do is take a nap!! We went out last night and since Martin is the responsible one who takes us all out, we have to walk everyone home! Good exercise, but we got home sooooo late!!!!! We walked the whole city dropping people off. I had lots of fun too, I had my first taste of pizco ("peace-co").
Also, unlike other host moms who are making traditional food so we can taste it, my host mom made me falafel cuz she heard it was a "Jewish food." The girl here before me seems kinda like a super-Jew and taught mama how to make them. Isn't that funny?!
Please don't worry!
Love,
Caroline
I'm sure you've heard, or are in the process of hearing that Chile had two big aftershocks today which caused a tsunami alert. Let me begin with the beginning of my day and we'll work from there. I had to be at La Catolica (school) in Valparaiso at 830 this morning. I had my Spanish oral diagnostic, which was kinda silly, then I had to register my visa or something. I finished everything at 1030 so I called Martin to meet me so I didn't have to ride the Micro (bus) by myself. I'm still trying to learn the system. Martin didn't get there till about 11:15 and we didn't leave Valpo till 11:30. So, when the 7.2 aftershock hit, we were on the Micro--Allyse, Michelle, Sonja, Martin, and myself. Mama called Martin to tell us, we didn't even feel it!!! However, I didn't know at the time that since the earthquake, any aftershock at a 7 or higher automatically triggers a tsunami alert. This is just as a precaution, even though they aren't always likely. Anyway, we all got off the bus, Allyse and Sonja went their way and Martin and I started walking home. When we were on 4 Norte and Libertad (very close to home) there was another aftershock, which they tell me was 6.4 or so. That was a very strange experience. I have felt aftershocks since I've been here ( I just never said it here so you wouldn't worry ;) ) but never like this. It lasted like 30 seconds, or if it was shorter it felt like 30 seconds. You could see the ground move and also the lights on the post next to me were swaying. Some cars stopped, some didn't. Some people stopped and others kept on going too. The thing with Chileans is, they are sooo used to the ground shaking because it's totally normal here. That's why after the 8.8 they didn't originally ask for help, because earthquakes here are second nature. Lots of mama's friends can't get over the fact that I don't have them in Boston. Anyway, Martin held onto my shoulders so I didn't go anywhere, ha! Not that I would have, but I was a little nervous. It feels like surfing, only not by choice (although how would i know what surfing is like, cuz i'm such an athlete...). Like sea legs. Almost immediately, cars started driving like nobody's business and lots of people were running. Martin explained to me that there was a tsunami warning and although we live in a safe place that wouldn't be affected anyway, everyone had to go to the big hill. The hill is about 3 blocks from my house and we go there cuz its high above sea level and away from the sea. So Martin and I got home without getting hit by cars, and I didn't realize we were actually leaving cuz they were speaking Spanish faster than my brain can handle. So I grabbed Marilyn and my little wallabee, my global phone and a granola bar and followed them out the door. Martin has a backpack already for emergencies and mama had packed snacks :). they also have a little radio. We stayed on the hill for a little over an hour. I took pictures, cuz the amount of people was incredible. Like nothing youve ever seen. And everyone was totally chill. No big deal... Of course I was nervous at first but then I was just annoyed cuz I was hungry and I had an advisor meeting at CIEE. Oh well. See, mom, look how calm and brave I am! Before we left the house, Martin shut off the electricity and gas and stuff. Cool, eh?
We got home and I immediately had internet which was a relief. My global phone still doesn't work, but don't stress. If you'd like, you can skype. Martin is also letting me call people's phones with his skype. We just had the most delicious lunch, and all I want to do is take a nap!! We went out last night and since Martin is the responsible one who takes us all out, we have to walk everyone home! Good exercise, but we got home sooooo late!!!!! We walked the whole city dropping people off. I had lots of fun too, I had my first taste of pizco ("peace-co").
Also, unlike other host moms who are making traditional food so we can taste it, my host mom made me falafel cuz she heard it was a "Jewish food." The girl here before me seems kinda like a super-Jew and taught mama how to make them. Isn't that funny?!
Please don't worry!
Love,
Caroline
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Chile: Hogar de las Chocobandas
Hola todos!
Don' worry, you all know what a chocobanda is. Except most of you haven't seen one since probably 1995. Una chocobanda is a mullet. They are EVERYWHERE. I have some quality pictures of them. Today i saw a shaved head with a crazy party in the back. yeah. special.
So today I slept in and hung out for a while. I met Jesus, another friend of Martins. He seemed like a cool guy. Kinda reminds me of Jeff Penedo now that I think about it (those of you at school reading this, Jeff is a friend of my brother's). So mama told me we would go to the beach and it got to be 3 and we still hadn't done anything so I started to get antsy. I had been planning on going with a girl from the program, Michelle. But Martin wanted to show me around and he called some of the other host families and I ended up going with Michelle, Allyse, and another girl from the program Kayli. We had lots of fun, but I didnt realize we would be walking forever. I wore my new fabulous flip flops and my blisters are impressive. We all met up at the McDonalds...yep, Day 2 in Chile and I've already been to a Mickey-D's :)- . We walked toward the ocean and Martin pointed out the Valparaiso "skyline." I saw skyline for lack of better word, he just kindof pointed out where Vina stopped and Valpo began but the buildings were tall and pretty. The ocean was cold but not as cold as home. Still shocking to the system, though! After walking along the beach we stopped for gelato. It was super yummy. I dont remember what the flavor is called but its like a dulce de leche, i guess. We talked for a while there at the beach and compared our nifty cell phones haha. We walked back and dropped off Allyse, who actually lives 2 blocks from me, and took Michelle to the bus station. Then Kayli and Martin and I ended up walking back to our apartment. We saw a couple damaged buildings, one that was leaning. Kinda cool actually (sorry Mommy). I actually didn't realize we were at home cuz we went a new way and Kayli was a little shocked as well but her mama and mine are really good friends. Kayli stayed for dinner and we had Chilean wine and talked about travelling. She didnt end up leaving until like 1030, but it was fun! Martins friend Felipe was here too. He also works for CIEE. He and Martin are helping out with a scavenger hunt tomorrow. Its definitely advantageous (is that a word???) to live with Martin!! He's like the resident tour guide. Not to mention he has crazy connections with lots of clubs and a taxi company too.
Tomorrow I have to be in Valparaiso at 9am, ew. I have a diagnostic Spanish test, among other things. I think its going to be a long day. Everything seems to be going well, though. I should probably go to sleep soon, after I tend to my blisters. Give me updates of life at home! Oh, for those of you who think Paco is tiny, there are dogs here that make him look like a giant! Martin also showed me the Starbucks, and told me he would lead me to my heavenly Dunkin Donuts. Can't wait, cuz the coffee here is vile.
Talk to you all soon!!!
Don' worry, you all know what a chocobanda is. Except most of you haven't seen one since probably 1995. Una chocobanda is a mullet. They are EVERYWHERE. I have some quality pictures of them. Today i saw a shaved head with a crazy party in the back. yeah. special.
So today I slept in and hung out for a while. I met Jesus, another friend of Martins. He seemed like a cool guy. Kinda reminds me of Jeff Penedo now that I think about it (those of you at school reading this, Jeff is a friend of my brother's). So mama told me we would go to the beach and it got to be 3 and we still hadn't done anything so I started to get antsy. I had been planning on going with a girl from the program, Michelle. But Martin wanted to show me around and he called some of the other host families and I ended up going with Michelle, Allyse, and another girl from the program Kayli. We had lots of fun, but I didnt realize we would be walking forever. I wore my new fabulous flip flops and my blisters are impressive. We all met up at the McDonalds...yep, Day 2 in Chile and I've already been to a Mickey-D's :)- . We walked toward the ocean and Martin pointed out the Valparaiso "skyline." I saw skyline for lack of better word, he just kindof pointed out where Vina stopped and Valpo began but the buildings were tall and pretty. The ocean was cold but not as cold as home. Still shocking to the system, though! After walking along the beach we stopped for gelato. It was super yummy. I dont remember what the flavor is called but its like a dulce de leche, i guess. We talked for a while there at the beach and compared our nifty cell phones haha. We walked back and dropped off Allyse, who actually lives 2 blocks from me, and took Michelle to the bus station. Then Kayli and Martin and I ended up walking back to our apartment. We saw a couple damaged buildings, one that was leaning. Kinda cool actually (sorry Mommy). I actually didn't realize we were at home cuz we went a new way and Kayli was a little shocked as well but her mama and mine are really good friends. Kayli stayed for dinner and we had Chilean wine and talked about travelling. She didnt end up leaving until like 1030, but it was fun! Martins friend Felipe was here too. He also works for CIEE. He and Martin are helping out with a scavenger hunt tomorrow. Its definitely advantageous (is that a word???) to live with Martin!! He's like the resident tour guide. Not to mention he has crazy connections with lots of clubs and a taxi company too.
Tomorrow I have to be in Valparaiso at 9am, ew. I have a diagnostic Spanish test, among other things. I think its going to be a long day. Everything seems to be going well, though. I should probably go to sleep soon, after I tend to my blisters. Give me updates of life at home! Oh, for those of you who think Paco is tiny, there are dogs here that make him look like a giant! Martin also showed me the Starbucks, and told me he would lead me to my heavenly Dunkin Donuts. Can't wait, cuz the coffee here is vile.
Talk to you all soon!!!
Monday, March 8, 2010
Bienvenidos a Chile
Hola todos!!
It's 630pm on Monday here in Vina del Mar. I am so tired!!!! I'll give you the lowdown on the past day or two so i don't have to unpack. I got to the airport and went to Miami all by myself like a big girl. I get off the flight in Miami, which landed about 25 minutes early, to see that the monitor suggested that my flight to Santiago had been cancelled. While everyone panicked I managed to get from one side of the airport to the other :) . I sat for a number of hours by myself until I found a couple of girls from CIEE. It was nice to have company, even if we were all a little apprehensive. Then, around 10pm the other Clarkies arrived. We finally boarded and I ended up sitting with 2 girls from the program, so that was a plus. Right from the get-go, the flight was in Espanol. Surprise! I didn't end up sleeping much during the 8 hours, so needless to say, I am feelin it now!
Landing is when the real adventure starts. Since the earthquake, Customs can only handle one plane at a time. We sat for a good 40 mins on the runway until they emptied us right there on the runway. We stepped into the beautiful weather to find all the luggage in beautiful rows on the pavement. Mine was in the first row, score! You all would have laughed at me trying to lug them around also with my massive backpack (thanks Krevs) and my pocketbook and my folder of documents. Spanish comes to you real fast when that's all the personnel speaks. International Police and Customs are in big tents, also on the pavement. I took some pictures. It was a long process, but overall not too painful. There were 7 of us from my flight that all did it together. We found CIEE among the myriad taxis and signs and they brought us to our bus/van thing. I was really disappointed not to have found a bathroom, seeing as the ride to Valparaiso was going to be an hour and half. Anyway, we ended up chillin by the van while the two girls who got there last night joined us. Then a few others joined up and we were finally on our way! I forgot to mention that it's at least 70-75 degrees :)
Our driver was super cool, and we ended up stopping at this cute little store for a potty break and some dulce de leche candies. He pointed out good places to take pictures. I got lots of mountains and also of vineyards, all beautiful. It is weird, cuz every now and again you will see leaning trees. I think there may have been an earthquake...
We finally rolled into Valparaiso/Vina del Mar. The two cities are practically one. Both on the water. My pictures are awesome, I'll post them soon. We got to the CIEE office where immediately host families started showing up. Mine wasn't there yet so I went to check my email. I tried to email some of you but I couldn't figure out how to make the @ sign on their keyboards, isn't that special? I like my keyboard better. So finally it was my turn to get picked up. My mama is so cute. She is like 4'8" and very sweet. I am their 9th student and 2nd Jewish girl. They always takes girls cuz she already has a son. Martin, my brother is also very nice. He is 23, and speaks English reasonably well but he told me he would only speak to me in Spanish. He has been showing me around the city, with his friends, who are all really cool. So, apparently, here in Chile, lunch is a big deal. She made me a feast which I could only eat about 1/2 of. She gave me boatloads of rice and she made chicken. She also cut me up a tomato and made salad. Mama also makes her own juice. I don't quite know what was in it but it was so good. Then she gave me raspberries and beaches with some kinda sorbet. All delicious, but I wasn't feelin it. Then two of her friends dropped by and one of Martins friends came over too. Their house is always bustling which I think will be fun. This is the hangout spot, so its like when the band comes over :) My room is cute, although it lacks a mirror. I have a cute bed and desk and a chair, and a huge closet. Unfortunately, unlike many of the others on the program, I do not have my own bathroom. Mama and Martin provided me with a bunch of converters and a working (dilapidated) cell phone. She also gave me a lock box, which is greatly appreciated. The girl who stayed here before me wrote me a 4 page letter front and back raving about my family. Martin also works closely with CIEE. I think I lucked out!!!!
CIEE threw tons of information at us, which I only processed a small fraction of. Tomorrow we have the day off, thank goodness. Slowly but surely I am learning my way around. Everything is gorgeous!!!!!! Not to mention its a beautiful day. Martin and his friend Felipe told me that its unseasonably warm today. Fine by me. PS--I'm 8 blocks from the beach. Although I don't really know where everyone else is....
I'm going to take pictures of my room so you can see! I should probably unpack, maybe a little. I'll post again soon!
Besos (that's all they do here),
Carolina
It's 630pm on Monday here in Vina del Mar. I am so tired!!!! I'll give you the lowdown on the past day or two so i don't have to unpack. I got to the airport and went to Miami all by myself like a big girl. I get off the flight in Miami, which landed about 25 minutes early, to see that the monitor suggested that my flight to Santiago had been cancelled. While everyone panicked I managed to get from one side of the airport to the other :) . I sat for a number of hours by myself until I found a couple of girls from CIEE. It was nice to have company, even if we were all a little apprehensive. Then, around 10pm the other Clarkies arrived. We finally boarded and I ended up sitting with 2 girls from the program, so that was a plus. Right from the get-go, the flight was in Espanol. Surprise! I didn't end up sleeping much during the 8 hours, so needless to say, I am feelin it now!
Landing is when the real adventure starts. Since the earthquake, Customs can only handle one plane at a time. We sat for a good 40 mins on the runway until they emptied us right there on the runway. We stepped into the beautiful weather to find all the luggage in beautiful rows on the pavement. Mine was in the first row, score! You all would have laughed at me trying to lug them around also with my massive backpack (thanks Krevs) and my pocketbook and my folder of documents. Spanish comes to you real fast when that's all the personnel speaks. International Police and Customs are in big tents, also on the pavement. I took some pictures. It was a long process, but overall not too painful. There were 7 of us from my flight that all did it together. We found CIEE among the myriad taxis and signs and they brought us to our bus/van thing. I was really disappointed not to have found a bathroom, seeing as the ride to Valparaiso was going to be an hour and half. Anyway, we ended up chillin by the van while the two girls who got there last night joined us. Then a few others joined up and we were finally on our way! I forgot to mention that it's at least 70-75 degrees :)
Our driver was super cool, and we ended up stopping at this cute little store for a potty break and some dulce de leche candies. He pointed out good places to take pictures. I got lots of mountains and also of vineyards, all beautiful. It is weird, cuz every now and again you will see leaning trees. I think there may have been an earthquake...
We finally rolled into Valparaiso/Vina del Mar. The two cities are practically one. Both on the water. My pictures are awesome, I'll post them soon. We got to the CIEE office where immediately host families started showing up. Mine wasn't there yet so I went to check my email. I tried to email some of you but I couldn't figure out how to make the @ sign on their keyboards, isn't that special? I like my keyboard better. So finally it was my turn to get picked up. My mama is so cute. She is like 4'8" and very sweet. I am their 9th student and 2nd Jewish girl. They always takes girls cuz she already has a son. Martin, my brother is also very nice. He is 23, and speaks English reasonably well but he told me he would only speak to me in Spanish. He has been showing me around the city, with his friends, who are all really cool. So, apparently, here in Chile, lunch is a big deal. She made me a feast which I could only eat about 1/2 of. She gave me boatloads of rice and she made chicken. She also cut me up a tomato and made salad. Mama also makes her own juice. I don't quite know what was in it but it was so good. Then she gave me raspberries and beaches with some kinda sorbet. All delicious, but I wasn't feelin it. Then two of her friends dropped by and one of Martins friends came over too. Their house is always bustling which I think will be fun. This is the hangout spot, so its like when the band comes over :) My room is cute, although it lacks a mirror. I have a cute bed and desk and a chair, and a huge closet. Unfortunately, unlike many of the others on the program, I do not have my own bathroom. Mama and Martin provided me with a bunch of converters and a working (dilapidated) cell phone. She also gave me a lock box, which is greatly appreciated. The girl who stayed here before me wrote me a 4 page letter front and back raving about my family. Martin also works closely with CIEE. I think I lucked out!!!!
CIEE threw tons of information at us, which I only processed a small fraction of. Tomorrow we have the day off, thank goodness. Slowly but surely I am learning my way around. Everything is gorgeous!!!!!! Not to mention its a beautiful day. Martin and his friend Felipe told me that its unseasonably warm today. Fine by me. PS--I'm 8 blocks from the beach. Although I don't really know where everyone else is....
I'm going to take pictures of my room so you can see! I should probably unpack, maybe a little. I'll post again soon!
Besos (that's all they do here),
Carolina
Saturday, March 6, 2010
I'm On My Way!
Hi everyone!
I leave for Valparaiso tomorrow at 2:50pm!!!!! I will be having a layover for about 5 hours in Miami so feel free to call or text me :) My flight to Santiago leaves at 11:45pm and arrives on Monday around 10am Chile time which is about 8am our time. Tonight I found out some info about my host family. I will be living with a lady, Laura, and her son Martin who is 23 in Vina del Mar. He majored in mechanical civil engineering. I guess if I have any trouble with my Dell (which I love so much) he will be a good resource, hehe. Laura really likes to cook using fresh fruits and vegetables. She also teaches painting and ceramics...very cool! When I come back maybe I'll be an artist! I am going to try and update about once a week. Please comment here or facebook me, or email me (cdehaan@clarku.edu) and let me know how life is back here and if you enjoy this here blog :)
Buenas noches,
Caroline
I leave for Valparaiso tomorrow at 2:50pm!!!!! I will be having a layover for about 5 hours in Miami so feel free to call or text me :) My flight to Santiago leaves at 11:45pm and arrives on Monday around 10am Chile time which is about 8am our time. Tonight I found out some info about my host family. I will be living with a lady, Laura, and her son Martin who is 23 in Vina del Mar. He majored in mechanical civil engineering. I guess if I have any trouble with my Dell (which I love so much) he will be a good resource, hehe. Laura really likes to cook using fresh fruits and vegetables. She also teaches painting and ceramics...very cool! When I come back maybe I'll be an artist! I am going to try and update about once a week. Please comment here or facebook me, or email me (cdehaan@clarku.edu) and let me know how life is back here and if you enjoy this here blog :)
Buenas noches,
Caroline
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