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.