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
Friday, May 21, 2010
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
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)