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
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
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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