South of Chile!!!

Our trip to the south was fantastic. We saw a whole different side of Chile. We flew to Puerto Montt but stayed in the nearby town of Puerto Varas. The town sits on Lake Llanquihue, which is at the base of Volcan Osorno. While in Puerto Varas, we hiked to waterfalls, took a boat tour of Lago Todos Los Santos and spent a day in the nearby town of Frutillar (which means to strawberry). The whole area has a ton of German influence. It was very interesting to see the mix of Chilean and German culture and architecture. As you can see from the pictures, the houses and churches all look very German. (All my pictures are to the right of this page in slideshow format. You can click on it to make the images larger.)

After Puerto Varas, we bused over to the Island of Chiloé. We stayed two nights in Castro. We spent a full day hiking through the national park. The trails winded through thick forest and then down to a huge strip of empty beach. There were cows and horses grazing everywhere, and we also saw a fluffy mouse. At the end of the last trail that led to the beach, we made lunch (turkey, cheese, peanut butter, crackers and apple) on a log while we watched the waves.

I have a funny story about our hike that I have to tell everyone. I apologize if you don’t find it funny, but we thought it was hilarious. Along the first trail we hiked, there were several large signs indicating an Artenesia (arts, jewelry, etc.). Girls being girls, of course we wanted to check it out. We trekked a good 20 minutes out of the way to the so called “Artenesia” and at the end of the path found a small house with a wood shed in the front yard. We assumed we were lost or that it had closed for the rainy season. But no, an adorable one toothed elderly woman came outside to greet us. Grinning from ear to ear, she led us to the “Artenesia” (aka the shed). Jessica could barely fit inside; she is 5’7. Aside from the tools, buckets, firewood, and animal food the woman had approximately 6 items on display. A few wood carved utensils, a beanie, and two ear warmers. We couldn’t leave without buying something. So, we bought a wooden spoon and an ear warmer. To top it off, after we paid, she invited us to come inside for bread!!! Ahh…I love the south of Chile!!!

The weather was amazing the entire week up until Friday when we had planned to take a trip out to see the penguins. The penguin tours take off out of Ancud, but because of rain and wind, the port was closed. Although we didn’t get to see penguins, we did see seals and sea lions from the ferry.

The whole week was a big breath of fresh air. The landscape was beautiful as were the people. We spoke a lot of Spanish and spent most of our time outside. Two very important things to do while in Chile…right!

Also, before our trip, Jessica and I went to an activity hosted by the President of my host Rotary Club of Playa Ancha. We had an “once” (snacks before dinner usually around 6). We ate sandwiches, drank tea, talked about Chilean and U.S. culture and service opportunities. We will be working with one of my club’s members to set up volunteer positions at a public school in Playa Ancha. Unfortunately, I called him today to set up a meeting and it turns out he was in a car accident while we were away, so it might be a week or two before we can visit the school.

This week classes are supposed to start picking up in work load. The weight room and excise classes are open to students starting Monday. I need to work off some of the pan blanco I stuffed myself with while traveling J I will be sure to blog in a few weeks…I have some grammar homework to get to…I miss you all, and please write me!!!

Clases, Rotaria, Cerros y Ascensors,

Happy St. Patrick’s Day Everyone!!! All is well in Chile. I just came back from a bout of food poisoning this weekend and am ready for a busy week. I’m in my second week of school now and have officially decided what classes I am going to take: español escrito, gramática, español comunicación y cultura chilena, historia urbana de valparaíso, y violencia social. My favorite class thus far is violencia social.

Last week was also a very busy week with Rotary. I went to two meetings in one day and also spent some time with my host sponsor, Marguerite. My club has about 20 people with an equal amount of men and women members, which is not common here. The president is also a woman. I will be talking with her over the next few weeks about my role in a project with them. I also went to the Rotary Club of Reñaca’s meeting. That is Jessica’s host club, so we were both able to spend time talking with them about their club activities and projects.

On Sunday, Jessica and I went on an adventure through Valpo. The city is basically a port surrounded by hills or “cerros.” Each cerro is a different neighborhood and most have and outdoor elevators or “ascensors” that you can pay about 300 pesos to take to the top. Some of the hills can take about an hour to walk up. When we visited Pablo Neruda’s house, La Sebastiana, we cheated and took a cab. There was no way we were walking up that hill. We also took a boat tour through the port and saw two huge cruise ships. I wanted to sneak on one of them and see if they sold JIF peanut butter.

My Spanish is creeping along. I have moments of extreme frustration with it, but I guess that means I’m learning. Pablo Neruda, a famous Chilean poet and writer (he won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971) once wrote, “Chile es una Isla”/ “Chile is an Island.” In my Chilean Culture and Communication class, we discussed the reasons why he said this. In the North is the Atacama Desert which spans 600 miles along the Pacific Coast and separates Chile from its neighbors Peru and Bolivia. According to NASA it is the driest desert in the world. To the south are freezing temperatures, glaciers, iceberg, etc…check out a map it almost hits Antarctica. To the east of course are the Andes, and to the west the Pacific Ocean. Once I really started thinking about this, the things that had puzzled me so much when I first arrived, started to make sense. For example, Chileans speak their own version of Spanish, hence my frustration. I’m not just talking about a different dialect. They have hundreds of words for things that already have words in Spanish and they also speak in “Modismos/Chilenismos,”(slang). Here are my top 5 so far: 1) Al tiro – immediately, now 2) Bacán – awesome, cool 3) ¿cachaí? – Do you understand? 4) Pololo/Polola (Polear) – Boyfriend/Girlfriend (to date). Novio/a is used when you are referring to your fiancé. 5) Buena Onda – “Good vibe”

Next week is “semana mechona/novata.” It is the initiation week for the freshman at my university, and classes are canceled. Jessica and I will be taking trip to the south of Chile to explore a few national parks, volcanoes, and the island of Chiloé. I will post when we get back. I miss everyone and please send me e-mails or posts, I love hearing from family and friends.

Goodbye Santiago, Here I Come Valparaiso and Vina del Mar

Aside from hanging out a lot with my Chilean family the past couple weeks, I’ve been studying and trying to be as active as possible. Every year Vina del Mar puts on a week long music festival called Festival de Vina. Last Tuesday, myself and 5 other girls went to the festival and saw JUANES perform. It was a blast. We danced and sang (as best we could) and then took the bus home to Santiago. I also went to a winery called Causino Macul. We had 3 tastings and learned how the wine was made and bottled. Jessica and I also hiked Cerro San Cristobal last weekend. At the top of the hill is a huge pool that overlooks the whole city. You can see the view from the top in some of my pics. Language school at ECLA wasn’t what I had hoped it would be, especially for the price. However, we did get placed with a great family. I felt like my Spanish was improving more at home than in school. It might be one of those things that make an impact a few weeks or so after you’ve learned it…vamos a ver (we’ll see). I also spent a lot of time in the parks throughout Santiago. Many of which have study cafes and running paths. The park is where many young Chilean couples go to make out and lay on the grass. Most Chileans live at home until marriage, so they have to find somewhere to “suck face.” It’s actually really funny to see so much PDA going on in one place at one time. After awhile you get used to it. Between the PDA and the stray dogs walking around, my 30 minute jogs have been quite interesting.

The past few days have been bitter sweet. Yesterday, my Chilean Family loaded Jessica and I up in their car and moved us to Vina Del Mar. We spent the day driving from apartment to apartment in search of a place that was safe, clean, and reasonably priced. Once we found an apartment, they helped us read through the contract and sign all the paperwork. We were incredibly lucky to have been placed with such an amazing family. I don’t know how I would’ve gotten through this last month and found an apartment without them. They really did treat me like part of the family. As you will see from my pics, I became very close with my Chilean nieces and nephew; Catalina (6 yrs.), Carolina (7 yrs.), Martina (2 yrs.) and Diego (7 months). Catalina came to Vina with us and when we had to finally say goodbye, both of us were in tears. I wish I could’ve moved their whole family to Vina to live with us. I plan to try to go see them about once a week. The hour or so drive is well worth a home cooked Chilean meal and time with the kids. (You’re probably wondering what my apartment looks like, but for now I’m just going to say it is AMAZING!! My next post will be all about my new home…so you have to stay tuned.

Tomorrow, I start orientation at PUCV. I am really looking forward to getting started with school and all my Rotary stuff. I will be sure to keep the posts coming!

P.S. Congrats to Samie Tiller for making National Honor Society and to my boyfriend, Kevin, for kicking butt at the fire academy!!! I’M SO PROUD!!!