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. ;)