The Ultimate Post...farewell Chile, mi amor

Una Noche "Full Circle"

The last week of the trip definitely had a different feel to it, but it was probably one of the best weeks I had in Chile. On Monday night, I went out for Una Noche "Full Circle" (full circle night), kinda like we did that first Monday night in Chile with my host sisters & cousins and Gannon. We went to Ston for a bit then headed over to Cafe Journal, where we met up with Luna & her friends. Afterward, we headed to Tuki (Luna's boyfriend's) apartment in Recreo, which was fun. At the end of the trip, especially that last week, I was really big into repeating the things we did early on the trip (full circle) for oldtime's sake.

At Beto's preparing the gifts

 On my last Tuesday morning, I went to the Hogar as usual, where we delivered Christmas gifts to the kids. The week before my last week in Chile, we had gone shopping at Jumbo (basically a gigantic Walmart or Target, including tons of groceries, clothes, toys, etc) for the Hogar & the Sanatorio, both which recieved $4000 from an anonymous donor to CSB/SJU. One night that week, I went to Beto's house to wrap the Hogar gifts. Oh so conveniently, his host dad used to work retail & is a pro-wrapper. It was great and we had a lot of fun! The kids LOVED the gifts. One of the gifts was Elefun, the game where butterflies come out of a plastic elefant's trunk. We opened it with the Hogar kids, and they went wild with all the butterflies, Pablito especially.

Us- "Pablito, cuantas cachaste?" (How many butterflies did you catch?)
 Him- "Muuuuchas, muchas." (Many, many!!)

Hogar kiddos playing with the Elephant game!!

316 class with our prof Veronica @ farewell dinner

It was adorable. On Tuesday night, the whole group got together at a restaurant in Valpo for our farewell dinner. I met Lauren at her house before the dinner (finally met her sweet family) and we met others to ride the metro together. We had SO many courses to our dinner- it was ridiculous but very yummy, especially the gigantic plate of fries! At one point on our trip, we all went to Alexis & Dustin's apartment for once. We all had to pose in their house for a picture and at the dinner we voted for the best. Our group (me, Gannon, Ellen, & Corey) ended up winning- a big surprise! There were a bunch of speeches at the dinner, and I started to feel really sad about being done. How crazy that our time had passed so quickly. After the dinner, a bunch of us went out in Valpo for one last time to Coyote Quemado & another place across the street. It was a lot of fun.

Bennie check! Our Mendoza group at the farewell dinner.

Surfing group! Hang loose :)

We had our last Wednesday in Chile off! A group of us girls ended up taking a bus to Maitencillo to see the beaches and go surfing. The bus ride was awfuuuul. The bus was full (packed actually) so we had to stand nearly the whole trip there (about an hour and a half). It was beautiful that morning in Vina, but it was cold and gloomy in Maintencillo. Surfing was challenging but a lot of fun. I just barely stood! After getting sub-par empanadas & missing the bus back, we headed back to Vina about an hour later, just in time to meet the Sanatorio group @ Alexis' apartment. We picked up the gifts we were going to deliver & headed off there. I left a little early to pick up a delicious pastry from the panaderia (bread store) next to the Sanatorio and shower before the get together at Alexis & Dustin's apartment that night, which was great fun! Nearly the whole group came. Afterward, me & Gannon walked Steph home (quite a venture, she lives so far away). It was a reminiscent time for us.

Me & Maggie with Bella :)

On Thursday night, I paid one last emotional visit to the Sanatorio. Throughout my time there, I had  bonded quite a bit with Bella's (one of the adorable little girls there) likely soon to be adoptive parents, Ignacio & Dalscen. They are amazing, and we are keeping in touch. On my last day there, they took photos of me with all of the kids & adults living there. I am so happy to have met them! It was so hard to say goodbye, especially to my special Rosita. We were really close throughout my time there, and she said more to me the last day than she had any of the other times. When I said "nos vemos" (see you) to her, she repeated it back to me for the first time, which touched my heart so much. She gave me the biggest smile. I miss her so much!!!

Me & Rosita <3

After the Sanatorio, I went to Cafe Journal with Brenna for the last time. Don't have any pictures, because by this time both of our cameras had been stolen. HA. We had a creeper that night- one guy couldn't keep his eyes off of us. I was ready to be done with that by the end of the trip. One day while walking down Alvarez with Shannon (the street I lived on), we got a full round of applause from a group of 50-60 construction workers on break. It was insane- it started off as comments, lead to whistles, which lead to clapping and cheering. That time was pretty hilarious but usually it was annoying.

On Friday, we had our last Grammar & Cine classes. Afterward, I said goodbye to quite a few people :( and headed home. I picked up some sunscreen on the way back & headed to the beach. I was waiting for Lauren and Simone, but I was in a different area of the beach as they were, so they never found me! As I waited, I switched off between napping, journaling, and listening to beach music. I enjoyed my time there immensely- it was a great time of solitude. I had no idea what time it was, since I had lost my cell phone, camera, and all other technologies by this point. As I left, I looked at the Reloj de Flores (giant flower clock in Vina!)- I had been at the beach alone for nearly four hours! I decided to take a micro (mini bus) home. As I got on, I tripped!! My money went flying everywhere & I hurt my toe big time. A really nice lady offered me a band aid and told me to clean my toe when I got home. It hurt a TON and combined with my emotions about leaving the next day, it was a lot to deal with. I ended up treating myself to an ice cream bar from a shop by my house - I thought I deserved it. :) That night, our family friends (Miriam, Jorge, & Pablo) came over for a big final dinner. They gave us cute little gifts & we conversed a ton in Spanish. After the dinner, Simone helped me copy my pictures from the family computer to DVD & we (me, Simone, and Lori) listened to lots of songs about goodbyes. The one that I will always remember with this night is "Sunrise." It was such a sad, quiet evening after the dinner. I didn't want to go to bed.

Here he is!

The next morning, we had to say goodbye to Simone because she was going to Santiago with friends. Lori, Lesley, & I went out into Vina one last time. We stopped at some cute shops & I got one last Mocha Frappucino at Starbucks. I said goodbye to my favorite employee I had come to know. We stopped at the beach before taking our last micro rides home. There, Lori & I packed and had our last lunch with Cesar and Gladys, who shared with us the "10 Stereotypical People of Chile" or something like that. She had told us about the article back in September & was finally sharing it with us. She is so cute and enthusiastic. Cesar & Glady sat silently on the couch together while we prepared our bags. I cried a bit as we drove out of Los Lagos for the final time, saying goodbye to my favorite Consierge. Gannon & I were going to ride with Lauren to the airport, so we all got to say goodbye together. Glady was really strong. I thought she would breakdown crying, but her and Cesar hugged us and stood there together until our bus pulled out. Goodbye Vina- it was amazing.

One of my favorite consierges at Los Lagos

Our travel adventures home were something else. Due to weather, we weren't able to get back until two days later. We changed our connection to Texas (instead of Atlanta) and ended up spending the night at LORI'S house :) after a full day on layover, trying to get on any flight to Minnesota. Gannon & I were number 2 & 3 on the list after not getting on 5 different flights. The night was a lot of fun, however, and the next morning we got Chic-Fil-A, a restaurant in TX Lori had told me sooo much about! After another 1 hour delay on Sunday morning, we got home to MN successfully. We were welcomed back by family & friends and a big welcome back poster. First stop? Chipotle. :)

My families :)

Part of our welcome home! :)

Despite really missing Chile (like a lot), I am glad to be home. I thank everyone who made my trip what it was - both the people in Chile AND at home. I thank all of the amazing people I encountered on my journey- whether it be my host family, my group members, a funny waiter, or a kind person I encountered on the metro on my way to school. This was SUCH a great experience, and it would have never been the same without you. So I conclude in the lovely words of Simone Olmos...ya fin besitos chau.

some in-betweens

La Moneda!!

That next weekend I believe we went to Santiago. One word for santiago = EXHAUSTING. We left really early on Friday. We started with a guided tour of La Fundación de La Vicaría de Solidaridad, where files are kept about human rights violations by the dictatorship documented by the Catholic Archdioses in Santiago. Afterward, we went to a park, Villa Grimaldi, that used to be a concentration camp during the dictatorship. It was really beautiful but so sad to hear about. Lastly, we went to a huge famous cathedral in Santiago and then LA MONDEDA!! (which is the Chilean equivalent of the white house)! We got a guided tour, which was super cool to me for some reason! We were all EXHAUSTED after it. Me, Gannon, Ellen, Aly, Brenna, & Lauren went to dinner at a Mexican restaurant - got a TON of food. After, we chilled in the hotel for a tiny bit. I collapsed around 11 - SO so tired. I had such a beautiful night of sleep! :) On Saturday, we visted a cemetary where lots of famous chileans are buried (like President Salvador Allende & his family), enjoyed a nice lunch (delicious AMERICANLIKE hamburger...YESSSSS!!!!!! jugo natural and a frozen yogurt), and visited a somewhat dull pre-colombine art museum. The metro is SO fast and SO huge in santiago...it is seriously frightening! After getting home from Santiago, I spent the rest of the weekend relaxing at home. They really tuckered us out on those excursions!

Outside of La Moneda

At the cemetery in Santiago- names of those who died during the Dictatorship in Chile.

Masita Rica

That Tuesday, I volunteered at the Hogar as usual. Every Tuesday after going to the Hogar, the group of us that worked there would go to Masita Rica (Little yummy dough, loosely translated), a little cafe in Recreo. It is my favorite little spot in Vina. They have the greatest baked empanadas (we always got them fresh out of the oven!) and natural juices. It is the most precious little place - quaint would be a good word to describe it. We came to know the man who owned it quite well and we were definitely known as regulars. He read us each a poem on our first visit and also on our last. Masita Rica is such a special part of my time in Chile!

GOOOO rodrigo...#20!

On the Wednesday after Santiago, we all headed back to Santiago for a National futbol game - Chile vs Uraguay. That was a BLAST!!! The game was SO much fun & Chile WON! I even got to see my favorite player that I watched in the World Cup, Rodrigo Millar, play. I was soooo psyched when he got on the field. After the game, we had a bit of a mishap when we lost our bus, but eventually we all got on it. We saw the Uraguay team drive off in their bus & a few of them waved to us. It was so cool! We got home really late that night, and the next day I went with a group of people to see HARRY POTTER (!!!!) in the local Vina mall. Afterward, me and Shannon went shopping until our service learning at the Sanatorio. We went to Zara (amazing store we should totally have in the US), browsed, & tried on lots of outfits we couldn't afford. :) Although I don't remember the details of the Sanatorio that day, it was (no doubt), another fantastic experience. I loved working there, and I miss everyone SO much.

Lori, Camila, Simone, Me

That Friday night, I went out dancing with my host sisters Simone & Lori and my host cousin Camila at La Sala in Valpo. There were a bunch of different themed rooms & I liked it a lot better than Huevo. It was good bonding time & a great opportunity to practice my Spanish! On Saturday, I went to an Acrobatic show at Pajaritos in Valpo, then out to Thai food at this great restaurant called Samsara, then to Bar89, a discoteque near the beach in Vina. It was a lot of fun, but I ended the night early because I was SO tired once again. That Sunday, I went to my Vina church (Union Church) one last time. I never fully understood the sermons but got the gist of things. Although I only went about four times, it was still a great faith opportunity for me. I really enjoyed my time there.

The next week, Lori's family visited from Texas! We had them over for lunch on Sunday and I saw them a few other times throughout the course of the week. Their apartment in Valpo (near UAI) was just GORGEOUS. It had such an amazing view of the beach. On Monday, Shannon & I went shopping on the beach (TONS of little booths to get gifts at) & got empanadas at Entre Masas (she tried Manjar y Queso...basically caramel and cheese...REALLY good). I went with Rey to the gym next door that night & tried to get some homework done. Tuesday night I went with Brenna & Aly to Tutix, where we did karaoke. That was a blast, definitely one of my favorite nights in Chile! On Wednesday, Brenna & I explored little cafes in Valpo. We found one road with tons of super cool, unique ones. That night, as we were about to board a micro, I got mugged. A man came behind me, snatched my purse, and ran off with it. I lost my camera and iPod. It was a bummer but more scary than anything, because afterward, a mini riot broke out. Several people had run after the man who stole it, and one of them had gotten stabbed with a pen or something. He had a small puncture wound on his back and was crying to us about it. Then, two people pulled out these massive stakes from the ground and lifted them above their heads, and started to go after each other with them. Brenna and I were standing right between them! We hopped on the micro as quickly as we could. The micro wasn't actually a micro, but some sort of special, expensive taxi bus, that also happened to be really creepy. The bus took foreverrr to leave, and I just sat there crying by Brenna. Then, the man who got "stabbed," came on with his cousin & starting pestering us. At one point, the bus stopped, and two men jumped off the bus. One of the men went chasing after the other with a glass bottle, tackled him to the ground & started hitting him. THEN, he came back on the bus and sat BEHIND US. I was so freaked out. This night was beyond bizarre. After finally getting back to Vina on a strange path, Brenna & I made it home safely. Thank goodness!! Although it was a mess, it was nice to see how kind the Chileans were to me after I was mugged. I remember one man in particular being extremely kind. They offered to call the carabineros (police), but it was useless by that point. Even so, it was a really nice gesture.

At Thanksgiving!

The next day I was still pretty shooken up. I ended up getting a few of my items recovered, after a nice man contacted UAI when he found my bus pass. I got my keys back, which was really nice. I gave the man a bar of Sahne-Nuss (my favorite chocolate in Chile) & a Christmas ornament (Glady's idea) as a gift in return for his kind gesture. He politely refused it, but of course we insisted. It was the least I could do. Although the incident certainly wasn't fun, it became clear to me that for every person who is out there doing something bad, there is someone who is out there doing good that is usually not acknowledged. It was Thanksgiving that day, and it taught me to recognize & appreciate the good in people as well as the non-material things in life that are so much more precious. It also made me pay more respect for the people who are out there asking for money instead of just stealing to get it. It is easy to frown upon them, but then you think of what they could be doing on the flipside. Thanksgiving dinner that night was really enjoyable. Glady & I made Almond Puff, and while it didn't turn out exactly like it does in the US, it was still really good. Glady & Simone came to the dinner & we sat with Gannon & Rey's families. It was so fun to hang out with Simone- I love her!!

Outside the Lider Christmas tree- before La Gatita

On Friday, I ended up going to the beach for a looooong time, which was super nice. I went with Shannon again after (more Zara) and then out with a group for dinner in Con Con at La Gatita, a restaurant our 316 professor Veronica reccomended to us in class. Funny story- we went into the restaurant, sat down, and started perusing the menu. Only then did we realize the name on the menu was not La Gatita- we had gone to the place next door. We politely got up & left but I felt terrible! La Gatita was great though. I got an amazing salmon dish. Afterward, Gannon came over for a bit & we took ridiculously silly pictures on my balcony.

On Saturday, we went to Santiago again. It was an AMAZING trip! We toured a vineyard and then went to a Human Rights Museum, my favorite part of the day. The focus of the museum was the dicatorship. It was so engaging & informative...very sad at times but it left you with a hopeful message. After getting back to Vina, Brenna & I hung out & went to Valpo. The next week was full of trying to do everything I could in the last two weeks. I had lunch @ Ellen's for her birthday, went out to pizza with Aly, Donald, & Caroline, & spent a lot of time volunteering. Funny story- before pizza, I saved a McDonalds drive thru sign from oncoming traffic. I dived into the street to get the sign, with Donald yelling "Liiiiiiiz! Noooooooo!" because he thought the coming car would hit me. It was a really funny moment that we quoted throughout the rest of the night.

Chorillos girls during the tour

In Algarrobo

After Grammar & Cine classes on my second to last Friday in Chile, our group visited the biggest pool in the world, San Alfonso del Mar in Algarrobo, Chile. The trip was paid for by our pooled Student Activity funds from CSB/SJU! The place was gorgeous, and our rooms were extremely nice. We had a delicious group spaghetti dinner, stayed the night, and had a big breakfast come morning. After breakfast, a group of girls & I swam the length of the pool - 1 km/about 0.62 miles. It was such a fun time to be with the group and get some sun. I didn't realize how burnt I got until the bus ride back- it was nearly as bad as Atacama...oooops.

Girls at Christmas!

That Saturday evening, my Chilean family celebrated Christmas, which was a blast. We had anticuchos (basically kabobs) & lots of yummy appetizers. We listened to a mix of traditional Chilean Christmas music in Spanish and our American classics. ;) The gift exchange was a blast. My Chilean sis Simone gave me an adorable necklace with a turtle (like our pet turtles Pin & Darwin) & girl charm (representing sister). My other sister gave me a cute pillow case. From my host mom, Lori & I got matching dresses and earrings. When opening gifts, we would all chant "Que lo abra!!" which translates to "Open it!" basically. It was a really fun tradition. Afterward, I went to Gannon's for a bit of the previa he was hosting. The next day a huge group of girls (including me, Lori, Simone, her friend, Lori's friends, and Brenna) went kayaking in Quintero. It was SO cold & I thought I would flip when we rowed into the beach. Thankfully we didn't! Afterward, we went to the family restaurant in Quintero & enjoyed some delicious warm food. After, I said my first goodbye, to the extended family. It was pretty sad...but only the beginning of a long string of goodbyes yet to come on my final week in Chile.

Kayakin in da Quintero.

Another pic from Algarrobo.

Greece & Rome...en Chile

The girls around Felipe...errr Cupid!

The week we got back from Atacama, quite a few people headed off on trips to Buenos Aires & Mendoza, Argentina. I stayed behind with a handful of others, and while it was a quiet week, it certainly wasn't lacking in fun times. The Friday after getting back, UAI (my university in Chile) hosted a Greco-Romano banquet for all students. A group of us girls got together at Ellen's house & togafied ourselves! We dressed in white sheets, gold jewlery & flowers, and did our hair. It was a very girly, fun time. We met up with Felipe outside the university and went into the event together. When we got there, we were confused because nobody was wearing costumes. We figured it was a trick to get the Gringos to dress up & look silly. However, people soon started arriving, some in very bizarre costumes. People were dressed in Arabian outfits and even in animal suits - there was someone dressed as a very furry brown bear! Apart from our small ticket fee, there were lots of appetizers and drinks free of charge. The main meal was a huge piece of lasagna, which looked as if it were made of the exact ingredients as the mini $1 pizza so many of us always ordered at the school cafe. It tasted weird and we were all pretty iffy about it. I only had a bit of mine. After, we ate some ice cream, watched a dramatic poetry reading, and danced a ton a ton. Throughout the rest of the weekend, nearly everyone who attended the banquet started feeling really sick. Turns out we had all gotten food poisoning from bad cheese in the lasagna. Kind of humorous actually, but it sure wasn't fun being sick (again). On Saturday, I went to the beach with Shannon and Brenna. We rented a little cart and drove it along the streets in San Martin. I felt like the biggest dork & loved it! Afterward, we got ice cream at Bravissimo and headed home to get ready to go out. That night a group of us girls went out to Valparaiso, first to a place called Coyote Quemado and then to Huevo, a four story dance club I had been wanting to visit since the beginning of the trip. It wasn't as amazing as I was expecting, but I still had fun.

Ellen, Mary, Me, Shannon, Brenna, & Karley at UAI

beautiful atacama...lost in the desert

Per my mother's request, I have decided to finish my blog. Better late than never I suppose? I am now back home in Minnesota, currently sitting in the comfort of my living room, a cozy shelter from this blustery snow storm we have been facing lately. I left off on my blog nearly two months ago, right after my family's visit to Chile and my "athletic weekend" climbing and kayaking. We headed to the Atacama Desert in Northern Chile the following week. It was truly an amazing trip, easily one of my top Chile experiences.



girls in glasses - waiting to get on the bus to santiago



I'm going to attempt to recall the week without my journal and simply though pictures & memories, so this mayyy be kind of weak. We'll see. We left for Atacama on a Monday morning bright and early.  We took a radio taxi (which we had called in for the night before) to our meeting spot. I actually ended up leaving my cell phone IN the radio taxi (typical), but thankfully I got it back when the same taxi brought other people from our group to the site. I hadn't even realized it was gone! First we took a bus ride to Santiago, which the majority of us slept through. At the airport, Gannon realized he had lost his Nalgene on the bus. When shopping with my mom before the trip, Gannon & I insisted on buying Nalgenes instead of their cheaper counterpart despite my mom's insistance that we would lose them anyway. We were positive that wouldn't happen and thus we made a bet. She said she would buy us dinner at Granite City if we both didn't lose them. Gannon was so bummed about losing his and in effect, the bet! So much for the dinner!

Todd being chased by goats

We flew into Calama, which was about a three hour bus ride from San Pedro de Atacama, where we would be staying. The airport in Calama was really small. We had to take a small bus to the bigger bus station within the city. While waiting for our TurBus, we walked around the town looking for food, settling on some cheap granola bars. The bus ride was RIDICULOUSLY hot. It was terrible. There was a bit of a scandal too with this drunk man and he ended up getting kicked off in the middle of the desert! Craziness. After we got to our hostel in San Pedro, we settled into our rooms, which were actually extremely nice. The hostel had a main office/eating area and then a bunch of rooms that led straight outside. I ended up rooming with Rey, Shannon, and Steph. Our group decided to have an asado that night, so we all grouped up and went off looking for meat and other things to make. Me, Todd, & Sean-Michael ran into a herd of goats during our meat search! The food at the asado was reallllly good.

the group of us bikers at La Pukara de Quitor

The next morning, I decided to rent bikes with some people and go explore. We biked through the desert and ended up at some Atacamenian ruins! There was a little museum where you could read up on the history of the Atacamenians. I hiked a bit but decided to stop because I was running low on water. With the heat and altitude combo, water is absolutely crucial. Thankfully, the museum sold huge bottles and I refueled before heading back to the hostel for empanadas. That afternoon, the group went to Valle de La Luna (Valley of The Moon), which was gorgeous! It seriously looks just like you're on the moon. We saw quite a few sights (Tres Marias, a mini salt mine) and enjoyed the sunset. Oh, and there were a lot of pictures involved. That was probably the primary activity.

CHILE!

Me, G, Shanny :)

Geysers de Tatio

The next day, Wednesday, was great. We got up really early and huddled into our vans for a trip to the geysers. It was FREEZING. Thankfully, I  heed notice to the warnings we had gotten about the cold & was bundled up accordingly. I had more layers than a lot of people did (warm fleece, two layered winter coat, leggings and pants, gloves, scarves, etc) and was still ridiculously cold. The geysers were really fun to see though. I guess a couple of people have gotten killed by them in the past, which was a little freaky to hear. We loved watching their spurting, and Todd & I enjoyed doing a modified "Let's Dance" in front of them. :) We were given warm tea/coffee and cookies for a little breakfast. Afterward, we went to swim in a hot spring - SUPER fun. It was freezing peeling off all the layers into our swimsuits but so vale la pena :) It was really steamy & extremely hot in certain parts. We were all exhauste on the way home & kind of cranky too. A lot of us just wanted to get back to the hostel, but it seemed we made a million stops- to see the alpacas, to admire a little stream through the desert, and get food in a little village. We all rested when we got back and then a group of us decided to try & find a pool we had heard about. Most of the group took a taxi there, but Donald, Brenna,Corey, and I decided to brave it through the desert and walk. It was an adventure, because we truly had no idea how long it was going to take. We found a shortcut which looked a lot shorter than it actually was. We saw the pool in the green distance and counted 19 powerline polls til we got there. It ended up being wayyy more than 19. The water was cool and refreshing though, well worth the walk despite the bad sunburn I was starting to get. That evening, we had a group dinner at a really nice restaurant where we ate out at the patio. The soup was amazing & the tres leche cake was delicious (we all agreed). That night I hung out & explored the town's nightlife (basically nonexistant).

with Lauren in the hot spring!

Our adventure to the pool

at the salt flats (see the flamingos?!)

Thursday was definitely my favorite day of the trip. We left later than the day before (thank goodness) and went to see the salt flats, which were out of this world gorgeous. Gannon & I were in a really goofy mood and were singing Goodnight Moon throughout the flats. We got to see some of the most beautiful sights ever...oh and flamingos too! After the flats, we went to a number of really, really random stops. Among them, a church (which was actually pretty interesting to see), an alpaca in someone's backyard (there was a dog too..), and an artificial forest (??? there was also a dog and rooster you could see). We were visiting a salt lake that day and we were all really excited for that. Finally that stop came. I have wanted to float in a salt lake ever since I can remember, and I had just found out a few days earlier that that was one of our stops. I was so ectastic! The lake was beautiful. It was FREEZING when we got there and really windy too, so we all struggled getting into the water. I decided to just push myself in because this was an experience I did NOT want to miss. It was incredibly cool. You float no matter what! We all tried a variety of floating positions & were just in awe of how neat it was. I had a burn on my neck, which just killed in the salt water, but it was worth it. We all had such a great time. After we got out (still freezing), we rinsed off with water and did our best to get dressed again in the open land. Then, we headed off to another gorgeous sight. I don't even know what you would call it, but it was a really, really big pool of shallow water. The water was so clear and the mountains framed the background. It was so much fun to play in. Just thinking about it makes me want to go back SO badly. Afterward, we all got free snacks & drinks. I went on the first bus back, because a group of us were going to go on a star tour. When I got back I started to feel really sick. The sick feeling lasted throughout the tour and into the night. It was terrible, but the tour itself was really neat still. We were given a lengthy speech about the constellations & other various components of our night sky & then got to see for ourselves through telescopes. It felt so good to sit down & sip our hot cocoa at the end. Back at the hostel, the other part of our group was celebrating Caroline's birthday so a group of people came to our room for awhile. Looking back at pictures, I was the most burnt I have EVER been in my life, so I am pretty sure sun poisoning was the likely cause for my enfermedad :)

salt lake. GORGEOUS

FLOATING in the salt lake :)



with a couple of my lovely Chorillos ladies!




our looooong day.



Friday was our last day in Atacama, a day I spent almost completely in the hostel lobby sick! We had to leave our rooms by 11, so that was the only place to go til our bus left for Calama around 4. The whole travel process was terrible. I could barely eat - I just had crackers and some toast at the airport (bad idea- Chile's idea of toast is more butter than bread). I felt so sick the whole way back. I was so thankful to be back in my bed in Vina (although it wasn't until around 5 am). The next few days consisted of me taking the weekend off to recover. It was rough but I made it through. Regardless of my sickness, it was still an amazing trip, one of my all time favorite parts of Chile!!

More to come after lunch break...