i dare you to read this.

here we go now! haven't updated in ages. this post may tend to drone on a bit, so feel free to skip any not-so-interesting parts (or just not read it at all). i believe the last time i legitimately updated was before i left for mendoza. we'll take off from that point...

MENDOZA, argentina.

pretty mendoza.

what a trip this was. since mendoza is a relatively touristy city in argentina, i was not expecting it to be too radically different from vina. i was really wrong. the vibe there was completely distinct. it felt like a quaint little fairy tale village. i especially loved the trees. there were tons of them, big and beautiful, edging the downtown roads creating some nice sunshade and some beautiful light effects in the mornings. the buildings felt much more historical, like there was a purpose and story behind each one. i wish we would have gotten more of an opportunity to explore the city during the day. the only time we were able to walk around were the first and last mornings there.

hostel independencia.

we left vina on a friday night after going to a speaker at our university. we took a bus to mendoza, which first stopped in santiago. the bus ride was relatively comfortable, and i probably could have gotten some pretty decent sleep had we not been interrupted by customs (lights on suddenly - "get off the bus and bring all your stuff!!!!") so many times from 1-3 am. also, i left my chocolate under the bus which was a bummer...ha. we got to mendoza really early in the morning and after much discussion, decided to take a cab to our hostel. we weren't allowed to check in yet, but the hostel provided us with breakfast and let us all crash in their living room, where we watched average joe: jared returns (quality 5am entertainment). around 8, i went out exploring with aly and shannon, where we discovered the northface store (?!), an atm (always good despite the high service charge), and a few adorable shops. we all dressed up in ridiculous (ly awesome ;)) outfits, including crazy patterned leggings and fanny packs (classic chilean style, not so stylish in argentina).

us girls in mendoza.

we went on a bike tour of local vineyards, olive oil, and chocolate shops. the bikes were rode were super retro. i noticed as we biked around how vintage all of the cars were. i seriously felt like we were transported to the 1970s, and i enjoyed pretending like i was in "my girl." we had lunch at a vineyard, which felt like a magical little french countryside retreat. the food was delicious, and we ran into some other girls from minnesota (one of which lives in my apartment complex in vina?). after the tour, there was a big bouncy thing set up for us to play on, which provided a good hour of entertainment. that night we went to a big buffet, where we were pretty much in bennie heaven. we were there for a pretty decent chunk of time (like 2-3 hours?!). afterward, we went out for a little bit, but i was exhausted and starting to freak out about the next day's activities, so i was ready for bed.

me, caroline, brenna, and steph and the skydiving place!

sunday...got up really early to head out for SKYDIVING! wow was i freaking out! i went with brenna, steph, and caroline. the guy (i'm definitely blanking on his name...) ran into our hostel while we were finishing up breakfast, telling us to hurry up and get in the car to go. we picked up two other couples on the way and made it out to the middle of nowhere, where the jump would happen. we got our tutorial, became best friends with the photographer, facundo, stopped at a cute (and ridiculously cheap) little almacen, and basically waited all day for our turn to go (which was last). caroline was the first to go. she was so ecstatic afterward, which made me really psyched to go.

now i'm free, free fallin...

it was quite the experience. we all wrote "hi mom! hi dad!" on our hands, and my ink was starting to wear off while going up because my hands were sweating so much. facundo and the other guys were comforting me, but i was seriously just ready to do it! stepping onto the plane wing was definitely the most intense part. all of your extra skin blows against your face in the wind and you can barely breathe. since you're attached to the guy, you dangle your feet off the plane until he swings off the wing and you're off! the free fall is impossible to explain unless you've experienced it. after falling for 20-30 seconds, he pulls the shoot and you go shooting into the air. my ears kinda freaked out at this point. it was really fun to steer the parachute down. i got a little distracted in the landing because i was excited to see everyone, but i got down okay! :) the bus ride back was hilarious. we were all really high off the experience and were laughing SO much! brenna did this funny little hand motion during her free fall video which we dubbed "the brenna." we did a lot of that during the ride back, talked about how "nobody would understand" our experience, and even made a secret skydivers handshake. it was a good time!

right after the landing!

all dolled up at the hostel.

we spent that night checking out the feria and dressing up for an even better buffet (tenedor libre=free fork) experience at las tinajas. we all agreed it blew the first place out of the water. we headed to bed and woke up early the next morning to explore before catching the bus straight back to vina. it was such a wonderful weekend away!

my chanchito <3

the next weekend was donald's infamous birthday party followed by pomaire. pomaire was interesting, but it was a weird experience being shoved all together into this remote little pottery village for a full day. we had a humungo pot of meat for lunch. i also got some chocolate covered strawberries and a jumbo marshmallow cone (don't let it's ice cream cone appearance deceive you) covered in hard chocolate. my favorite part about pomaire was the chanchitos (little pig figurines). they were everywhere in all different sizes! i'm such a sucker for cute little things like that, and they supposedly bring good luck (all the better). i even got the chance to make one of my own during our clay sculpting play time! my other favorite part of the excursion was calling my host family, only to have my real mom come on the line and tell me she was at their apartment! i got SO excited when i heard her voice! when i got back, i stopped quickly at the apartment, gathered my things, and headed to the best western hotel to meet up with my mom and brother!!!

mom & owner of a restaurant - we were their last customers!

it was SO wonderful seeing mom and david! the best part of their visit was just getting the chance to spend time with them. i definitely enjoyed all of the fine dining as well. we hit up a good amount of the restaurants in vina. i also introduced them to the vina starbucks, where one of the employees asked me how mendoza was (now that's good customer service). my mom got to go to the gym two mornings with glady, which they both seemed to really enjoy!

my fam!

outside of a great choriana joint!

fuerza mineros de chile!

on tuesday night, i went out with my brother and a big group of friends to tutix in vina. tutix is a karaoke bar, and tuesday is the night to go, especially that night since it happened to be the night they started the miner rescue. the place was full of anticipation, and we were all ecstatic when the first miner, florencio avalos, was brought to the surface in the capsule. the rescues continued throughout the next day. it was so incredible when they pulled the last miner out. i am amazed at how much this experience brought everyone together in chile. this has been such a challenging year for the country but has also been so full of joy and accomplishment.

lori and an adorable baby that stayed with us!

the next few weeks up until atacama truly flew by. i have really enjoyed getting to experience a church congregation in vina. my host sister lori introduced me to a place called union church, and i have gotten the opportunity to go quite a few times. a couple of weeks ago we went to their evening coffee house bible study, which was wonderful. it's hard to maintain a spiritual lifestyle while abroad, so i definitely have enjoyed having this church available for me. the people there are really fascinating. one of the lead pastors is from ireland, met his chilean wife while studying in california, and moved here without knowing a lick of spanish. now he's fluent and is raising his family here. another girl we talked to studied abroad in chile during college, met her husband here, and has lived here for 5 years now teaching english. everyone there is so kind and welcoming! i have also been busy working at the hogar and sanatorio, both of which have been the perfect volunteer experiences for me. i love all of the people, kids and adults alike, that i have been able to work with. they are really inspiring.

top of cerro mauco!

the weekend before atacama, i got the opportunity to have some major chilean family time, which i LOVED. on saturday, i climbed cerro mauco in quintero with cesar, glady, simone, and a family friend, leopaldo. i was expecting the whole climb to take about 3 hours, but it took double that! we were all SO exhausted afterwards. i didn't bring enough water, and my shoes were less than ideal for the hike. it was still a blast though and an amazing time to spend some time alone and reflect. on sunday, i went kayaking with cesar in quintero. it was way harder than i was expecting it to be. the kayaks were open so the the water could flow freely in. i thought it was going to be freezing, but the hot sun made it really enjoyable. i got some entertaining tan lines from my wet suit. everyone there was so nice! after getting back and eating, the family made a trip to jumbo with ellen to get some atacama supplies. despite trying to get to bed early, it was a late night with all the packing involved. the next morning, the group left for ATACAMA (next post)!

cesar & i!

hello!!

so, i used to be pretty decent at updating this thing but now i´m just terrible. not sure if anyone was reading anyway, but i apologize if you were! the past month has been ridiculously busy. the first weekend in october i went on a girl´s weekend to mendoza, argentina. this morning (at about 4am), i got back from an exhausting (yet extremely interesting) week in the atacama desert with the whole chile group. i´ll write more later...

mocha frappuccino

starbucks is evil...

that is all.

Lori, Gladys, & Simoné at our apartment complex's party.

yo! so i'm still in chile (obviously). last weekend was chile's fiestas patrias celebration, which is was a blast. i had off from classes thursday-monday. it was basically one gigantically long party! lots of food, especially empanadas, anticuchos, and choripan (all delicious). i went to the fondas at the sporting club a few times, which is made up of a bunch of separate little booths (/mini restaurants) with lots of food and drink. There were also booths with random trinkets and lots with games. They were PACKED, especially on the 18th (chile's actual independance day). it was impossible to find a place to sit!

Small portion of the food at the asado.

on the 18th i went to a 6 hour asado at a family friend's. it was probably one of my top days in chile so far. i had TONS of delicious food (like probably more than i have ever had in one day)...a ridiculously huge amount of meat, loads of pan & pebre, etc etc etc. the night of the 18th we went to "fuegos artificiales"/ fireworks. not sure why, but for some reason i was expecting them to be not-so-amazing compared to our fourth of july fireworks. definitely blew those way out of the water. they even made disney world fireworks seem puny. there were three sets of them shot of from boats in the ocean, and they were huuuuge! on the 19th, i went to quintero with my family to meet glady's family. it was a really relaxed late lunch with her siblings. her brothers played guitar and the whole family sang songs. there was a lot of victor jara. simoné gave me a lot of the songs the next day, so i have a huge supply of spanish music now. on the 20th (last day on break), lori & i went to a boat show in valpo. it was cool and all, but not exactly my thing. the metros were SO packed. people were packed in there so tightly that when lori opened the door to try to squeeze us in, people fell out! oops!

At the asado

Glady and her siblings!

today i am going to con con and am possibly going to attempt surfing in the sand dunes? not really sure how that's going to work out...but i'm going to give it a try!

<3

today was another very relaxed day. i spent quite a lot of it sitting around, as i'm in the final stages of the recovery process. i feel a million times better than yesterday. since lori left for la serena on saturday, it has just been me, gladys, and simoné. the apartment has been very quiet, and while that should be optimal environment for study time, it just makes me extremely lazy. for once, gladys and i had hot dogs (she actually called them hot dogs versus completos) and teacito. afterward, she offered to read to me tejas verdes, the book we are reading right now for sem. all day i have been complaining (maybe not complaining, but i can't think of a milder way to say it) about how i have to read a ton and how much i struggle with understanding the spanish. glady read to me for at least an hour after once. it was SO sweet. i understood a lot better because she explained things i didn't get and emphasized certain words (and at times, included actions) to get across the message. plus, it gave us a valuable opportunity to talk about some important (and controversial) issues in chile's history. i enjoyed hearing her viewpoints - she is a very wise, compassionate person. because gladys is always commenting on my dry cracked hands, after reading together, i bought some of the oriflame hand lotion she sells. i can already feel my hands getting softer. :)

laterrrrrr.

things i enjoy:

1) "cómo amaneciste liiiiiiz?" every morning, without fail.

2) the pull down ceiling light i always hit my head on.

3) how much gladys says "adelante."

4)  how quickly this home's apple supply is depleted when i'm here.

5) the concierges at the entrance to the apartment. adorable.

note from a sicko.

what i have been having lots of.

greetings from my bed.

i have been sick this whole weekend, and as exhausting and dull it has at times been, i've enjoyed taking a full weekend just to sit around and relax. i can be super lazy and actually have an excuse for it. it's pretty nice. my host mom is taking such good care of me- it's the cutest thing ever. she has been giving me lots of teas and juices and is now having me keep a temperature log at my bedside. i am pretty amused by it. the thermometer here confuses me...i am not used to using a traditional mercury thermometer. when i was done with it, i wasn't sure how to read it. not only is it hard to read where the mercury ends, but it's also in celsius (of course). i have a bit of a fever now but i'm hoping it will go away soon. this week is the week to be in chile, and i would hate to miss out on any of the festivities. i'm taking it easier than i ever do when i'm sick, so cross your fingers that it works and i get better soon!

xoxo

p.s. i felt my first earthquake today (from bed)!

lots of stuff.

me in the andes!

I'M ALIVE! yesterday i spent the day skiing at el portillo in the andes. and by day i mean a little bit of the morning (for me at least). ha! it was a terrifying experience, both mentally and physically. however, i did it and it was one of the most amazing experiences. i wasn't expecting the slopes to be as big as they were, but i suppose i should have expected more of a challenge because 1) i hadn't been skiing since 6th grade and 2) the only place i had ever gone was powder ridge which, when compared to the andes, is like comparing a pea to a watermelon. terrible analogy but whatever. the sights were gorgeous and the lodge was the coziest place ever. the lodge has the most adorable st. bernard dog as their mascot. i want a dog just like him some day - big and beautiful! after skiing rey and i hung out in the "hotel guests only" lounge upstairs and chilled for a few hours, sipping hot chocolate just as we had planned! i was completely soaked through due to the snow, but shannon was nice enough to lend me an extra layer of pants. we met a super nice guy that teaches snowboarding lessons each year at the lodge. he has a place in viña and a cafe in maitencillo. pretty sweet stuff!  the ride back to viña took a little over three hours, but it felt even longer. we were all completely shot from the day, and i was aching and starting to get sick. however, it was still a pretty fun time. we stopped a little truckstop type place, and i got chocolate and an empanada so that was pretty good. the drivers left the car unlocked and running while we were in there for at least twenty minutes...bizarre. we got back around 9:30, but it felt like 4 in the morning...i slept 11 hours last night and still woke up exhausted!

top of a slope in the ANDES!

yum.

so i am aware that i haven't blogged in a really long time. this time it isn't because i haven't done anything exciting; it's because i have been too busy doing exciting things to blog! the past few weeks/weekends have been a blast. last week a group of us went out to dinner at Margarita (Mexican food) and then the casino (i lost 2 mil/4 dollars). last weekend was a weekend of discotecas. on friday (sept 3rd) night shannon and rey came over for a bit after photo class and then we headed out to a karaoke bar where we were going to meet some people. on the way we ran into lori & her friends at bravissimo, so naturally, we decided we needed to get ice cream. after that, we headed to the karaoke place and ate more...we had this delicious french fry dish just loaded with lots of good food (cheese, eggs, steak, chicken, peppers, onions, etc). it was fantastic. after that we went to hollywood and rocked out for a good 20 minutes to a queen cover band. it was SO fun. at hollywood we got free passes (designed as golden tickets) to ovo in the casino, which was super classy compared to the other discotecas around here. apparently after we left balloons and glow sticks fell from the ceiling! haha. i'm such a sucker for flashy things like that.

golden tickets!

at juana's asado

on saturday night (the 4th), we went to an asado at juana, our grammar professor's, house. it took us forever to finally get there. we made "banana bread pudding," which took ages to finally be done. we ended up walking there from the miramar metro stop and ended up nearly two hours late. it was perfect though, because the food was just being served when we arrived. it was delicious- huge slabs of steak, potatoes, great salad, and the best cherry (?) ice cream ever. i had two bowls of it. :) people danced cueca and did this interesting dance around a bottle that i think is a tradition in chile. so embarrasing, but i totally had no idea there was an exact routine to the cueca. i thought it just involved freestyling with a specific foot pattern and waving of the napkin. guess not. hahaha. there were a few irritating happenings at the asado, but overall it was wonderful.  afterward, gannon and i stopped at his place quickly and then went to journal and later the discoteca stingray. i was so tired by the end of the night. on sunday morning i joined lauren for church, which was extremely long but great. the order was completely reverse of what i'm used to and communion was done all at once. it was very different to me. afterward, we had a huge enjoyable lunch to usher in the month of september. cesar put up streamers and gladys put out the chile napkins she had bought with me at jumbo the week before. it was SO fun. i can tell september is just going to be a blast.

first big weekend lunch of september!

beautiful.

last tuesday (the 7th) was an extremely full 8 hour day. i started my service learning at the sanatorio and volunteering at the hogar de niños. the hogar de niños was adorable. i went with merideth, who will also be there on tuesdays. there were three little ones there (the older kids are at school): pablito, mai, and luis. normally there is a little girl named britania there too. they are all super cute. pablito is quite the talker! he just rambles on and on. he has the cutest little chubby cheeks. merideth thinks mai is a little trouble maker, but i just think he's misunderstood since he's not as outgoing as pablito (and probably doesn't get as much attention). the other little one is super quiet, probably because he's a lot younger. he seemed really serious at first but started to smile and laugh a lot when we picked him up and played with him. he cried when we left. :( i think i'm going to really love being a part of their lives! pablito mentioned how his mom brought him an orange (he says naranza) and an apple that morning, so i think for some of them their parents may still be around but not be able to keep them at home? i'm not exactly sure. they didn't give us an introduction or orientation or anything - we just jumped right in! it's funny because pablito's at the age where he talks SO much, but when we ask him to explain what something means he has no idea how to. he just repeats it over and over again and laughs when you can't get it right. it's so cute. in class we talked about the 33 miners. we are trying to figure out something we can do to show our support, and we are hoping to get people involved back home at csb/sju too. after class i headed out to the sanatorio. it took forever to get there and was pricy because we had to pay for a colectivo, micro, and a micro back. it took like 30 minutes to get out there and 30 to get back. i think the sanatorio is going to be an awesome experience, right up my alley. it's me, shannon, lauren, maggie, and donald working there. we will be working in one specific wing of the sanatorio, where children and adults with mainly developmental and intellectual disabilities live. a lot of them are in wheelchairs too, but the people with severe medical problems are in a different wing we won't be in. i'm excited to get started. we are supposed to go for the first time on monday, but since i'm sick i won't be able to unless i'm better in time.

pretty view by the museum.

wednesday the 8th was a busy day. after lunch, gannon's mom, marlene, took us on a beach tour in reñaca and con con. it was BEAUTIFUL. the day was terribly foggy and cleared up only for the length of our tour. what perfect timing. i love it when things happen like that. afterward, we went to simoné's dance show. it was in valpo. it took forever to get to (we had to use a micro from viña central, walk a ton, then take a colectivo up a hill) but was really worth it. i was expecting more of a traditional dance show with separate acts, but it was actually a dramatic dance interpretation of a story. it was very abstract and fascinating. after, i went to gannon's for a little bit for a "secret operation" and then out with some people. we went to journal (obviously) and then a club called mascara in valpo. i was so shot by this point. i think it was wednesday night that did me in for getting sick due to the lack of sleep.

in castillo wulff

on thursday (the 9th), we went to valpo and got our carnés (chilean id cards). SO cool, but i totally looked drugged in mine. my family is always saying i look drugged, because apparently my eyes are always red and tiny looking in the evenings from exhaustion. hahaha drogas? after getting our cards, we went to a meeting about the ski trip at uai and to get empanadas. after that we met at the reloj de flores for a field trip to castillo wulff for the arte class. i'm not in arte but i decided to stick along since i thought it would be cool. it was neat to see the art, but it was too much for me. i like museums but not enough to spend an hour and a half looking around a really, really small one. afterward we had to prepare for our field trip by getting food and warm gear. we made the long walk to lider (after a pitstop at bravissimo) and then finally home. i got to bed around 11, knowing i had to get up at 4:15 the next day for skiing. iiiick. this week was fun but exhausting. when i look back at this it makes complete sense that i'm sick now. haha.

me & g on our beach tour.

i can't believe i've already been here a month! it's so crazy, but i'm used to it. i love everyone here but i miss everyone at home too. it's like having two completely different lives. cesar sneezed the other night while i was in bed trying to fall asleep, and for a second i totally thought i was in my bed at home and that it was my dad sneezing. it was bizarre. i love lunches here. glady, lori, and i have a running joke going on. whenever i say something well, gladys always says "bien dicho, liiiiiiiz." eventually she started giving me "bien escrito," "bien pensado," "bien hecho," etc etc etc. lori always acts pretend jealous because glady gives me so many and not her. it's pretty hilarious. sometimes i feel like my spanish is improving immensely (like while talking to the ski instructor yesterday on the chair lift), but other times i feel like i know absolutely nothing. it's hard to gauge my true understanding of the language because my understanding depends on so many different factors. i haven't been making enough of an active effort to speak. i need to change that soon, because before i know it the trip will be over!


xoxo

chile chile chile

Hi!

Hangin' out in Valpo, yo.

So, I'm aware that I haven't been updating this regularly. It's not that I've been forgetting; it's just that I haven't had a whole lot to write about. Not that my week has been boring in the least, but I have been settling into a routine which, although really enjoyable, doesn't give the best substance for blogging. I have already been here for a little over two weeks. It's so weird to think about. On one hand, it feels like it has just flown by, but on the other I feel as if I've been here forever (or just a really, really long time). The concept of time is just so strange. It always seems distorted when you start a new stage of something.

Lori being studious

This week has been mainly dedicated to classes. The first week here I focused a little too much on having fun and too little on schoolwork, so this week I decided to be a stickler and get stuff done. I spent a few evenings at Starbucks reading House of Spirits in English (yes, I know this is a super Gringa thing to do) with some others from my group. A couple of us went to Entre Masas two times and enjoyed their delicious (and super cheap) empanadas. I remembered it from my last trip and was able to find it & share it with everyone after a short detour in the opposite direction. :) I also paid Bravissimo a few visits at two of their different locations. I am still obsessed with the chocolate/frambuesa combination, but I LOVE how they have a third flavor free with their current promo. Gives me a chance to try other flavors without missing out on my favorite combo! I am so bad when it comes to ice cream, especially here! I never used to like ice cream much before I visited David two years ago.

This week I joined a gym that is literally right next door! I've gone to three aerobics classes: Baile, Powerfly, and Danza Arabe. Powerfly was definitely the coolest. It's really hard to explain, but basically there are these rope/cords that hang from the ceiling that have different levels you can place a bar on and then you do a bunch of different exercises from them and swing around. That was probably the least basic explanation I have ever given of something and terribly confusing also. Ah well. I can take a picture sometime. This week I also went to see Hermanos (Brothers) with Lori and her cousin Lesley. I have been wanting to see it since it came out, so I was super excited to get the chance AND with spanish subtitles. It was so amusing to me to read the subtitles and learn new words. Plus I really enjoyed the movie and the McDonalds I snuck in.

Pondering what to get at McDonalds

This weekend has been really chill but incredibly fun. On Friday evening after classes, Shannon, Brenna, and I went to a photography seminar at UAI. I didn't know what it was going to be like, but it sounded right up my alley. The class was long but really relaxed and enjoyable. It basically focused around the basic point-and-shoot camera and taking advantage of all the features they have. I definitely didn't expect that! We were set loose on the UAI campus for about an hour to take pictures. The prof wanted us to take pictures of objects from unexpected angles, which was really fun. I'm curious what next week's class is going to be like! After the class, we went to Cafe Journal for dinner. Kind of random, I know. I had empanadas and french fries, super greasy and super delicious. We headed over to Gannon's house afterward. It was hilarious; he invited just a few people over originally and the "small gathering" grew to a full blown party of 20! Almost all of our group was in attendance. It was super chill. Afterward a group of us went to McDonalds (another Gringo thing to do...ah well) and gorged on french fries, mcflurries, chicken nuggets etc etc.

Yesterday Ellen and I spent a good three and a half hours making a trip to the mall and back. Transportation here is super frustrating at times, but I'm learning to deal with it and trying to be more patient. Whenever possible, I like to take the metro. It's super easy and cheap. The mall adventure was pretty exciting- I got Bravissimo and got to check out Zara! Amazing! I was in there for probably fourty-five minutes checking everything out and trying stuff on. I'm definitely going to be paying it another visit in the near future. Oh, and another amusing thing was Ellen trying to pay with Argentinian money in Chilean stores. :) She kept asking people if they would accept 10 mil pesos, since sometimes they don't have change, and everyone kept saying no. Finally, she asked at Blockbuster video, and the man said yes, but it would have to be in Chilean money. Hahahaha. A bunch of people came to my house later that evening to watch A Little Princess, which we ended up downloading online after renting Titanic. Ha. It was super charming, as it always has been. :) Gladys & Cesar are so kind to let me have that many people over - I really think I lucked out with a host family. They are the greatest!

Simoné, Lori, and me at the 10K!

This morning was amazingly fun! The family got up early to compete in a 10K bike race celebrating Chile's bicentenario. The Bicentenario is a HUGE deal here. It sounds like the whole month of September is basically going to be a gigantic celebration! I love that. Anyway, it was probably a 20 minute ride just to get to the start, and Lori and I were already aching from uncomfortable bike seats. After we registered and started biking though, it wasn't bad. The ride went more quickly than I thought, and it was wonderful to see so many beautiful sights while in transit. After we finished (38:14, we definitely took our sweet time), we had lots of free bananas, oranges, and powerade. All GRATIS (mine and Lori's favorite word)!!! Lori and I got our photo taken for the Mercurio (the local paper in Viña). I'll be checking the paper early tomorrow. Hopefully it's in there - that would be the ultimate souvenir! :)

La ganadora, GLADY!

After a while, they started doing a drawing of numbers for prizes. I figured none of us would win anything since the place was just packed with people. They called the third number and Simoné read off Glady's number realizing it was the same! She had won!! We were all super ecstatic and laughing. Glady ran on stage and was presented with a giant play check. She won a trip to Santiago next weekend (including lodging) to participate in the bike race there next weekend. It's perfect for her - she is a biking fanatic and has told us how much she loves the "aire libre." She was so cute up there and we were all on a high as we left. We enjoyed another delicious lunch today, and later I plan on going to Starbucks again (ahaha) to read more House of Spirits and do other homework.

I am really looking forward to the week ahead. I've been making lists of things I want to do while I am here, and I am going to try and do plenty of them over the course of this week. I want to take advantage of the time I have here, because before I know it it will be December and I will be heading home! However, I don't want to be TOO busy. I need to be sure I still have enough time to relax and enjoy - that is a huge part of the Chilean culture and experience! I'm working on listening and speaking Spanish a lot more as well. I bought a little notebook in Valpo that I've been putting tons of random vocab words in. Everyone in this family thinks I'm crazy, but it's great. Lunch is always an ideal time to speak Spanish - Lori and I get really excited every time Gladys tells us "Bien dicho." :)

Paz!
Esperanza

P.S. Looking back on this I've noticed how much I've used the word super. They use it a ton here, and Lori has been commenting on how we've also incorporated it into our English vocabulary. Super amusing. ;)

As we go on

Hello again!

The past few days have been really busy and very exhausting but extremely fun. I think I'm still recovering from the lack of sleep while traveling. I am exhausted a lot of the time, and it is hard to make time to sleep because there is always so much going on I'd rather do! The weather here is super sporadic and changes really quickly. It might be super cold when I leave for school but be really hot on the way home. The walk up the hill to class doesn't help - I layer up trying to avoid getting cold and have to slowly remove layers as I go along! Other days (like yesterday), it will start out relatively warm in the morning and get colder as the day goes on. I never know how to dress! I'm excited for spring to come along, because I'm guessing (hoping?) the weather will be a little more predictable then.

I've gone to a few really interesting events the past couple days. Wednesday was an incredibly fun day! I went shopping after class (finally got to Bravissimo) and then to salsa dancing lessons at the university. Wednesday night we went to Cafe Journal again and unsuccessfully searched for a discoteca for a couple of hours. On Thursday night, a bunch of us went to a marionette show in Valpo. I had absolutely no idea what to expect, but it was really cool. It was in very authentically chilean pub- we were the only gringos there. The show was really different than anything I have seen and very much a dark sort of humor. The puppets talked to me a few times, which was sort of entertaining and confusing at the same time, because I didn't completely understand what they were saying.

Yesterday afternoon I went on a tour by car (paseo) with Kelsey and our chilean buddy Bruno. We went all throughout Valpo and Viña. The tour lasted about three and a half hours. It was cool to see all of the sights from a native's perspective - we saw a LOT of different things. It was SO cold though. Afterward, I went to a play at Simoné's university with her and Lauren. It was really cool. I didn't entirely understand it, but I think it was about some birds that were trying to find God...only to learn that God is in all of them? Something along those lines. The costumes were really creative and the acting was great. Afterward we went to a little cafe in Valpo with Simoné and her friends and later to Luna's apartment for a bit. It was really cool to see how college kids hang out here, but it was a struggle for me to keep up with them. Lately I've been realizing how little Spanish I actually know. I'm going to have to force myself to keep trying because it's so easy to have a mental block and give up.

Today we went to a barbeque at a local lake with a bunch of UAI students. It was really fun - there wasn't a whole lot of food but there was music and dancing! We went to Bravissimo after (again yummm) and now I'm going to attempt some homework. I have very little motivation for school work - it seems pointless to try to learn out of a book when I can just go out and experience it! But then again, I don't want to trash my GPA, so homework it is.

Hasta luego!

xoxo

4 days in!

Holaaaaaaa!

So my goal in writing this is to not make it simply a list of things I've done and more-so a collection of thoughts and stories, but this post is most likely going to be like a list because I'm really tired and want to get it all down before I forget what I did!

Friday evening I went out with my host dad & sister to get a cell phone at the mall. It took over an hour! At first I thought I needed a chip for an old phone I had, when I actually needed a completely new phone because the other wouldn't work any more. We went to like five places in the mall looking, and we ended up buying it from the first place we went to. Simoné was presenting me with lots of different options - it was really hard to take in all the different prices and services each company offered. I'm already bad at making decisions in English, so you can imagine what it would be like for me in Spanish. Right after we got back to the apartment I looked for my phone but couldn't find it. César went to go look for it in the car, and we called it, only to find it in the lining of my purse along with tons of other lost objects. It was really funny, because I'm pretty much known back home for losing my phone all the time. It's no different here in Chile apparently!

After going to the mall, me and my host sister went to a fiesta that some students at UAI were hosting. On the way, Lori and I stopped at Cafe Journal to check it out. We took a colectivo to the general area and walked to the party - we were surprised we were able to find it! I would have never been able to if it weren't for her. The party was SO cool. It was at a really swanky apartment- i am surprised that it belonged to a university student! The view from the balcony was gorgeous. It overlooked the ocean, and there was even a jacuzzi! It was really fun to be out with (almost) the whole group. There was a good mix of Chileans and Americans (de Oklahoma y Minnesota :)), and Lori and I met a really nice guy that goes to UAI. When Lori and I returned to the apartment, César and Gladys were up in bed waiting for Simoné to return. It was really cute and reminded me of my parents at home. :)

The next morning my family and I left the apartment around 12. Glady had told me that we were going to take a tour, but I thought it was just going to be around Viña. We all got in their Suzuki and headed out- we drove for about an hour and a half before finally stopping. They had planned an afternoon tour of playas (the beaches). We went to several places: Maintecillo, Laguna de Zapallar, Horcón, Ventanas, Quintero, y Ritoque. Each place we went was more beautiful than the last. Horcón was a really neat place. It's a small fishing village "una caleta de pescadores" with a bunch of ex-hippies living there. An old man selling jewlery asked us if we wanted to smoke grass with him. Haha. No. In Quintero we went to a restaurant that their family owns and operates. Me and Lori got to meet all of the family, including Baby Lukas that we had heard about. So adorable!! The servings were HUGE. I was so exhausted from the combination of food and lack of sleep the night before.

Ritoque was by far my favorite stop - it was SO gorgeous and felt magical. There is a cliff we climbed to overlook the ocean. The waves there were so calm and peaceful, unlike the other beaches we had visited. During the car ride there, we listened to traditional music that seemed to fit the atmosphere quite nicely (my favorite song lyrics were "lo bueno se queda, lo malo se va"). On the way back, we listened to Radio Disney in Spanish - it's Glady's favorite because, in her words, "Soy joven de corazón (young at heart)." It was fun hearing all the English songs in Spanish. My favorite: Si yo fuera un chico (Beyonce's If I Were a Boy). :) Lots of the music popular here is in English too.

After the day trip, I went to Mara's house with Todd, Ellen, and Shannon. We hung out with Mara's host sister and her friends in the basement. They taught us a ton of Spanish words and Chilean slang. It was really good practice for speaking. We left sort of early because the next day we had class. I had four classes on Monday, because I wanted to see which ones seemed the best for me before I picked which to take. Originally I was planning on taking Political Science, History, 316 (prereq), and sem, but now I'm going to take Advanced Grammar, Literature, 316, and sem. I think this will be much better for me, and I have Thursdays off! In 316 we got to design t-shirts about ourselves and in Literature we got to draw for twenty minutes. Pretty sure I'm going to love these classes!

I took a colectivo home with Todd and Mara, because we are all in Chorillos. I told the driver I needed to stop at Hospital and not at Colegio Aleman like Todd and Mara, because it's a good 20 minute walk from my house. He must not have heard me, because we passed the Hospital and he kept going! I started yelling "Aquí, aquí, aquí" until he finally heard me. However, he thought aquí meant in a neighborhood we were passing, that goes up a long winding hill. He drove the whole way up the hill before stopping, so I had to make the long descent back down to get to my apartment. It was super funny. The driver was trying to help but only made the trip longer. It was a good chance to see more of the city though, because I was on the top of a really big hill.

Yesterday after lunch I got a metro card! I went with Glady y Lauren, and we had to wait for nearly an hour to get it. But now that I have it, it's fantastic! So much easier than the micro and a TON cheaper, which is always good. Yesterday evening I went out with my sisters (Simoné y Luna), two cousins of ours, Lauren, and Gannon. We went to a little cafe called "La flor de Chile" first. We stayed for a good two hours, first outside then in. Afterward we went to Cafe Journal (the American hangout, I've heard) and met up with some other people from our group. It was really, really fun. We got back home a little after one (really early here in Chile, but it was a Monday!). Today I had 2 classes, with a really long break between them. After class I returned to my apartment.

When I arrived, Gladys and Lauren were standing at the door holding something behind their backs. Suddenly they pull out leather belts and start pretend whipping me! I was super confused about what was going on, haha. They had been waiting for me to come home for nearly two hours, because when I told Gladys I'd be home at two (son las dos), she heard that I'd be back at twelve (son las doce). They were scared when I didn't return, and had called me a good ten times on my celular, which I turned off because I was in class. César had gone out to look for me on the metro, because they thought I had missed my station and gone too far. In the morning Gladys had told me that cell phones don't work in the metro - she thought this was why I wasn't answering! I felt really bad about the whole situation & was super embarrassed, but Gladys said the only thing that matters is that I'm safe. We joked about it the rest of the day and knowing this family, probably will for the rest of the trip. We laugh constantly here - it's a very happy home!

Tomorrow I have three classes again, but I don't know what I will do after. I think some of us might go shopping! I really want to join the local gimnasio, but it's pretty expensive. I would love to try aerobics classes in Spanish!

Adios,
Liiiiiiiiiz (how Gladys pronounces my name, the i in Spanish sounds like an e in English in case you didn't know!)

Mis padres chilenos, César y Gladys

Laguna de Zapallar

La familia sin Lori y Luna :)

Ritoque

and this is how it began.

This has been quite the adventure so far! It was pretty stressful up until today, but things are beginning to relax a lot. We had a few mishaps on the way here. 1) Gannon's luggage getting taken in Minneapolis before entering the plane and being put in Atlanta baggage claim. His bag had both his travel documents (passport, visa info, etc) and boarding pass inside. He had to go get it from Atlanta baggage claim and go through security once again, barely making it in time for boarding. So much for a relaxing layover...not to mention really pathetic customer service. Pretty frustrating. I figured the flight to Santiago wouldn't be too terrible. Bad assumption. 2) I took 2 benadryl to help me sleep on the flight, only to find that my seat was broken and wouldn't recline! I tried a million different ways to sit, but none of them really work when your seat won't move. I sat upright and drowsy for the nine hour flight.

When we got to the airport, we struggled with finding the right place to go...we ended up waiting in the line for Chileans only for a good 20 minutes until a Chilean woman was kind enough to politely ask us if we were Chilean and direct us to the right line. A bunch of people from our group showed up then. It was good to see familiar faces. I got to have my first empanada soon after- pino! It was cold but delicious.

After the group was all together, we left on the bus for Viña. It was a nice bus ride, but we were all freaking out as we approached the museum we would meet our host families at. I saw my host mom, Gladys, pretty much right away. She had on a cute little name tag with my name on it. There were some dancers from Easter Island performing that we watched. My host mom is so adorable and nice! We waited awhile for my host dad, César, to drive us home because he was at an English class. We stopped at the grocery store and picked up some goodies (I found out I'm the first host student they've had that likes Coca-cola?), then headed home. On the way home, I found out there is another exchange student living with them. When we got home, I met Simoné, my 18 year old host sister, and Lauren (or Lauri as they say), the other student. We enjoyed some Coca-cola on the balcony then headed in for dinner. It was delicious food. After dinner I retreated to my room for quite some time for a much needed shower and nap combo.

Afterward, I hung out with Simoné, Lauren, her friend, and her cousin and watched Glee in Spanish. Lauren & her friends told me about the mini excursions they are going on w/their program and welcomed me to join them for any of them. They sound great - zip lining, paint ball (?!), and more. They told me I should come with them to Macchu Piccu too during their break too, but who knows. They have a lot more breaks than we do, which I am jealous of! I am looking forward to Fiestas Patrias in the end of September - it's their 200th birthday!

Today the group met for desayuno (breakfast) at the university, which was really fun. Gladys brought me there on the micro. Everyone was swapping stories in Spanish, which was cool to see. Afterward we got a tour of the campus. It was a lot bigger than I thought. It had a lot of different layers to it. I doubt I'll be able to find my way around right away. Afterward, we had a presentation on Chilean buddies and the many activities we are being offered (camping, ski trips, surfing, etc). It was really exciting, although I didn't understand a lot of what was being said. Afterward I called my host mom for a ride. Simoné ended up coming, and Mara and I rode back with her on the subway. We walked Mara home, which took a surprisingly long time (we're both in Chorillos), but it was a really great opportunity to talk in Spanish. Simoné is so great! She is 18 and in her first year at a different university. On the 20ish minute walk back, we talked a ton. She taught me a lot about the city and surrounding areas, and we talked about how we're both interested in Psychology. She is really interested in dance therapy, which I think is incredibly interesting. It was really great talking to her!

When we got back we had lunch w/the rest of the family including Luna, the older sister who is 25. They all talk so quickly that it can be difficult to understand. Whenever I'm with just one of them it is easy, but when you get them together they speed up a ton! They are really patient though and have taught me a ton already. It already feels sort of instinctual to speak Spanish here, which is crazy considering it's only been a day. I feel like I've known this family for way longer than a day! The mom listens to Radio Disney all day - it's hilarious and so cute. She said it's because her "corazón es joven" :) Today I heard Beyonce's If I were a boy in Spanish - "Si yo fuera un chico" :) Simoné says it's in both Spanish and English here. Pretty much all I hear during meals is Miley Cyrus, Jonas Brothers, and Justin Beiber. It's pretty entertaining.

Tonight I think my group is going out together but I'm not completely sure. I feel pretty out of the loop, because I still don't have a chip for my cell phone, as we haven't gone to the mall yet. Hopefully sometime today or tomorrow?

Chau!

xoxo, Esperanza

tomorrow, tomorrow

i leave tomorrow. what.

next time i update i will be living in chile!!


kind of hard to comprehend?

p.s. shout out to ANABEL, as promised. :)

& so it begins.

why hello!

here begins my study abroad blog. last time i had a blog i was 15 & hooked on xanga. hopefully this one will be a bit more exciting? i leave for viña del mar, chile in a short six days. SIX! pretty crazy considering it seems like the countdown was just at 130 some days. i am definitely anxious to go, in more than one way. i'm both anxious nervous and anxious excited, which seems pretty standard. my pre-departure to-do list is insanely long, and i have no idea how i will manage to get everything done. i struggle majorly with packing and even more with packing light. buuut i'm sure everything will work itself out as it always does. one week from today and it will be our first friday night in chile! wow! be sure to become a follower of mine & check back regularly for thrilling updates, as there will surely be many. ;)

xoxo.