Aventura en Chile

MY LAST BLOG FROM CHILE

2009-11-24T19:40:00.000-08:00

Hola Todas!!! How crazy is it that I am writing my very last blog from Chile!!!

Richard and Vicki’s visit was great. We did so much while they were here. I have tons of funny memories from this past week. I was so happy to have them see first hand what Tias y Tios is and for them to meet the members of the Rotary Club of Playa Ancha. We’ll be working on a matching grant to help the Puertas Negras Consultorio and also some projects with Tias y Tios. I am thrilled that our project is going to continue into the future. I also hope that the incoming scholars will be interested on spending time with the Tias y Tios kids as well.

I must say this experience has been incredible in every way…incredibly fun, interesting, fulfilling, challenging…the list has no end. I am so thankful to have had this opportunity and to have met such incredible people. My Chilean family, the Tias y Tios kids and volunteers, my host Rotary Club, my Chilean roommate, my teachers and of course Jessica Anne Gale (the other Rotarian Scholar) have all made my adventure in Chile an amazing experience. There is no doubt that Chile is a beautiful country, but for me it’s the people I’ve befriended here that make it so special. I really have no regrets and as my departure time creeps up on me I know I am leaving here with new family, new friends and new memories.

Tonight I said goodbye to the Tias y Tios kids. No one likes goodbyes, but I did my best not to cry and to keep a smile on my face. I will see them again, and I am excited to see how this experience will impact them (and me) as time passes. Thursday I head into Santiago for my last night with the Munoz family. Friday I get to meet my new Chilean niece, Matilda. I still can’t believe I was in Chile for Carla’s full pregnancy term. They have been truly like family to Jessica and I. I started my Chilean adventure with them and I plan to finish it that way too.

Before I head to bed, I want to give a shout out to Rotary for everything they’ve done for me. Words cannot describe how grateful I am that they believed in me and stuck by me even the second time around. THANK YOU ROTARY!!!!

Buenas Noches!!!!

Vicki and Richard from the Rotary Club of Thousand Oaks have ARRIVED!!!

2009-11-18T18:53:00.001-08:00

Hola Todos!! As you know, I traveled down to Patagonia last week and this week my Rotary Club sponsors Richard Williams and Vicki Arndt arrived for their week long visit. Many of the T.O. Rotarians will be following my blog this week for updates, so I will blog and post pics from Patagonia next week.

Vicki and Richard (now know as Ricardo or Ricky Ricardo) arrived late Monday night. Aside from being smashed by the elevator door and a little rain storm today, Vicki and Richard’s visit is going great thus far. Upon their arrival in Vina around 10:30 p.m. which is the exact time Chileans eat dinner, we did as Chileans do and headed to a dinner spot around the corner. Vicki tried some Chilean wine and Ricardo an Escudo (Chilean beer). He said it was a little sweet, but nonetheless drank all of it.

DAY ONE: Jessica and I picked them up and headed to the new Starbucks to grab coffee before starting our long day. Our first stop was at my university, La Universdad Catolica de Valparaiso, where we met with one of my favorite professors, Fanor Larraine. He speaks great English and has an extensive background in Chilean history, politics and culture. The charla (chat) lasted about an hour and a half and it was a great introduction to Chile for Vicki and Richard.

After that we went for a walk through the local fruit and veggie market. Vicki was the hit of the town. A vendor gave Vicki a cherimoya for free and we even took a photo of with him (see below). Meanwhile, all the other vendors teased him for being so popular with the gringas.

Then we walked over to the National Congress where there was a large protest taking place. Currently, in Chile many of the professors and public health workers are on strike. The presidential election is less than a month away and the workers are trying to demand drastic changes before the current administration leaves. I was actually really glad they could see a protest in action because protests, marches and strikes are a big part of the Chilean culture. It is the method of choice to initiate change. We didn’t stay long…no need to look for trouble, but it was cool to watch for a few minutes.

Then we headed to the port for lunch. We ordered ostiones parmesanos (scallops in a parmesan butter sauce) to share. Vicki and Ricardo ordered conger eel for their main dishes and Jessica and I had the Reineta. It was delicious. Vicki and Ricardo headed back to the hotel for nap time and Jessica and I met up with Gina to buy her new refrigerator.

Around 7:00 p.m. Vicki and Ricardo came over to my apartment for dinner. I cooked my famous casserole. Then we had Once at Lily’s house. It was lovely welcome event. Vicki and Ricardo were introduced to Pisco Sours. Vicki calls them Piso Sours which means either floor sours or piss sours…hilarious. They also had some Chilean pastries and the all too popular in Chile, potato chips. I was very impressed with Playa Ancha’s turnout. Of the 16 members, I think all but two were present. Some members brought their spouses and even the head doctor from the Consultorio (Clinic) stopped by to meet Vicki and Ricardo. Jessica and I did most of the translating which was cause for some funny moments throughout the night. I was very surprised at how many of the members of Playa Ancha tried to speak English. They did an amazing job and the effort was truly sincere.

DAY 2: Although it was rainy and cloudy today we had a fun filled day of Rotary activities. First we went to the Puertas Negras Consultorio (Black Doors) in Playa Ancha. The clinic is the poorest out of the 13 public clinics in Valparaiso. It is located at the top of the hills in Playa Ancha and has the highest rate of drug addiction, crime, prostitution and delinquency in the Valpo area. They are only open until 5:30 p.m. because it is too dangerous to be open past those hours. Puertas Negras is basically the one stop shop for health care. They treat all ages and all sicknesses including dentistry and mental health. They provide primary care, health education and many other services. The treatment is completely free of cost. There needs are great, but the staff does the best they can with what they have. They’re goal is to transform themselves into a more modern clinic so they can increase not only the quality of the treatment they provide but also the number and types of patients they can treat. We walked through the clinic and met with the Director, Ernistina, and the head doctor, Alejandro, to discuss a potential project. The staff is extremely dedicated and it is obvious they don’t work there for the money. As we walked through the waiting area was crawling with mainly babies, children and women. It was quite a sight to see.

After the clinic visit we headed to a local elementary school. My host Rotary Club of Playa Ancha does quite a bit of work with the local schools. At this particular one, they started a gardening program. They teach the children gardening along with the importance of eating healthy and working with the land. The teachers have been on strike for about 3 weeks so the garden looked neglected, but when the strike ends they’ll resume the program.

In the evening we all headed to the Rotary Club meeting of Playa Ancha. It was a great meeting with a delicious pineapple dessert. Eugenio our designated chauffeur for the week took us on a mini tour through Valparaiso on the way home. Vicki took some amazing pictures and we learned a lot about the history of Valparaiso.

Vicki and Ricardo headed out to experiment with the Chilean vino and Jessica and I went to bring stuff up to Gina’s house. Vicki brought some books in Spanish, games, puzzles and toiletries for the kiddies.

As I’m writing this I can feel my eyelids getting heavy, so I think I should head to bed. I will keep you all updated on our adventures.

Buenas Noches!!

2009-11-03T17:22:00.001-08:00

Hola Todos!!!

My Chile clock is winding down…and I am jam packing it with activities!!!

Two weekends ago Jessica and I hiked to La Mina in the national park, La Campana. It was by far the most difficult hike I’ve done. It was vertical and rocky the whole time. It took about 4 hours in all. The views were beautiful. Everything was green and there were tons of flowers. We even found flowers that look like little clogs (shoes) and a crazy colored lizard.

I also celebrated my 26th birthday last week. I am so old…j/k. My roommates sang to me and so did all my Tias y Tios kids…all in Spanish of course. I also called my Nana who sang to me as well, but in English. We ate at the Pizza Hut and had Tres Leches cake.

Halloween was next. Chile doesn’t really celebrate Halloween so we did our best to dress up. Jessica and I were birds. We only found masks with feathers and that was the extent of our costume. It’s the effort that counts right! A nice surprise was that my Chilean brother, Nacho, his girlfriend and some of their friends drove to Valpo from Santiago to go out with us. We all went to Bre and Blake’s apartment and then to a discotheque.

School has been really busy. Today Jessica and I turned in a 15 page paper for our Mexican Revolution class, yesterday I turned in an 8 page take home test for Narrativa, last week I turned in a 6 page paper for Globalizacion and the week before that a 9 page paper for Teatro. Thursday I have Teatro presentation and report due. That is just the writing part…we’re reading plays, stories and novels on top of all these “trabajos.” It just doesn’t stop. School definitely keeps me on my toes.

Tias y Tios has been incredible. The Dunes were really fun! The kids could not get enough of it. Even Julio who sometimes has trouble doing our more physical activities was a champ. They had sand in their eyes, mouth, nose, shoes, ears…everywhere. Gina said they were exhausted and filthy when they got home.

We also went up for once to check on the house. As you can see from the pics, it actually looks like a house on the inside. The kitchen is all set up and aside from some painting and lighting, things are good to go.

This Sunday we had a big beach day with them. The sun decided not to come out, but let me tell you, the kids did not care one bit! Romanet swam and boogie boarded for hours. The boys also spent most of the time in the water. We played volleyball, paddle ball and cards. Javiera taught me game called 15 which made it very clear that my math skills are below that of a 4th grader. She got a kick out of my inability to add.

I also have some big news. Jessica’s Rotary Club in Arizona is going to be donating funds for a fridge for the kids. Their fridge broke a few months back and they been running out of the house every time they need to by cold items. We surprised her with the news yesterday. She is ecstatic. Could you imagine a family of 10 living without a fridge??

I’ve also been busy planning for my Rotary Club’s visit in a few weeks. They come the 16th-23rd of November. I met with my host Rotary Club president and past president to start scheduling visits, dinners and activities. It will be a jam packed week but lots of fun!

I leave on Friday for Patagonia. I will be trekking through the national park, Torres del Paine, for 4 nights and 5 days. We are back packing which means we are carrying our food, tent, sleeping bags, everything. This will be my first backpacking experience, and I’m just praying that it doesn't rain. Send dry thoughts my way. I checked the weather today and it was 5 degrees Celsius with showers…yikes!!!

I'll blog when I get back!!! I hope all is well stateside!!

:)

Kelly

Road Trip, Mendoza, etc.

2009-10-15T17:50:00.000-07:00

Hola Todos,

It has been a whirlwind the past few weeks. I went on two big trips back to back. One was a road trip with some friends (Bre, Blake and Jessica) up the coast to Bahia Inglesa and Pan de Azucar. We camped on the beach in both places! It was incredible to say the least. I haven’t camped in long time. I had forgotten how much I love it. Mom, you'd be proud of me. I remembered how to put up the tent and roll a sleeping bag nice and tight.The fresh air, interesting people, beautiful scenery…it was definitely a highlight of my Chile experience thus far. Also, I learned how to drive a manual. What better time to learn stick than with a rental car!!! Below are some pics. As you can see it wasn’t as sunny as we had hoped; however, that didn't stop us from going swimming!

My next trip was this past weekend. We went to Mendoza, Argentina. It is a quick 7 hour bus ride, which fit perfectly into our 4 day weekend. (They celebrate Columbus Day here...ironic huh!). While in Mendoza we visited some natural hot springs, toured the wine country on bikes and visited the zoo. On the winery route we also stopped at and olive oil factory. It was by far the best olive oil I've tasted! The zoo was by far my favorite part of the long weekend. It is located in a large park, actually one of the largest parks in South America. Anyways, we went jogging and stumbled upon it. Unfortunately, we did not have a camera to document the madness that is the Mendoza Zologico. I’ve never seen so many animals “getting it on” all at one time in my life. Monkeys, goats, and even bears…yes bears….all up bright and early doing the “deed.” GROSS!!! Jessica and I being the mature Rotary Ambassadorial Scholars that we are could not control ourselves. It was a hilarious and absurd experience. I’m sure all the Argentine families thought we were highly inappropriate.

Tías y Tíos is going great as usual. Our last event at the fire station was great. The boy especially enjoyed this activity. The firefighters gave them a tour and explained how all the equipment worked. They even let the kids slide down the fire pole and try on all the uniforms. In Chile, all the firefighters are volunteers. We talked to the kids about the importance of giving back to their community and that volunteering as a firefighter would be a great future option for them. I think it made a big difference that the firefighters on duty were able to explain their role and the process of becoming a firefighter in Chile.

Our next event is this Sunday. We are taking the kids to go sand surfing at the dunes in Con Con, a town nearby. They have no idea what we have planned, but I am sure they will have a blast. Tomorrow evening, Jessica and I will also be going up to their house for a visit. I’m excited to see if they have re-arranged furniture, etc.

I got some good news last week…my old roomie Julie is coming to CHILE!!! There is also a possibility my home Rotary sponsors from Thousand Oaks will be coming to visit me too. I feel so special!!! Too bad Kevin is too tall or I’d have one of them pack him in their suitcase!!!

I have more pics than the ones posted with this blog, but I am going to post them on facebook as albums.

I hope all is well en los EEUU.

:)

Kelly

Spring in Chile

2009-09-23T18:41:00.000-07:00

Hola Todos,

I know that as of late, I have been a horrible blogger. This is a long on so hopefully all of you (probably about 3 or 4 people in total) who have been anxiously awaiting an update, here it goes:
(To the right of this post is a photo slide show entitled, Spring in Chile. These photos are from the past few weeks. Click on it and it will open up to a larger window...disfrutan!!!)

My top time consumer right now is school, school and more school. I am in a certificate program which has me writing six page papers every weekend. Long story short, but the program has been somewhat disappointing. Two main reasons are, first, we are doing a ton of work (reading and writing) and very little learning. All of my professors use a lecture style of teaching in which student participation is non-existent. Last semester, the classroom is where I felt my Spanish and understanding of Chilean culture improved greatly. You would think that with a class of 5 people, participation and discussion would be the focus. Anyways, no more whining. I’m a mover and a shaker, so rather than keep complaining about the problems I have with the program, yesterday I went and spoke to our program coordinator. I told her about our issues and we set and appointment to speak with the director next week. Three of the other four students and I are going to explain our frustrations and possible solutions. Wish us luck!!

I have also been very busy with Rotary the past few weeks. Jessica and I went to a Rotary Foundation Conference hosted by our district. My host club President, Lily Castro, gave an amazing speech about the importance of donating to the Foundation. It’s incredible that in a country where there is so much need; people like her recognize that there is greater and/or an equal amount of need in other countries. Jessica also gave a speech detailing what the role of an Ambassadorial Scholar is and the impact the scholarship has had on her. We also went to one of my Rotary club’s meetings just to catch up and hang out. Then we met with several members for once to discuss my home club of Thousand Oak’s visit to Chile. They are so excited (so am I) about the potential of working together on a project.

Tias y Tios is going GREAT!! Our first event was a folkloric theater show and playtime at the Quinta Vergara Museum. The theater show was interesting. It was about a brothel in Valpo. Good music, but prostitution and drunkenness were not themes we expected from a Chilean folkloric show. I think it went over the kids’ heads, but still it was awkward. After the show we had a big pizza lunch and played the M & M get to know you game. The kids were really cute. They kept playing with the stray dogs when people were giving their answers…so easily distracted. We also made our own hoola hoops and did gymnastics.

Our second event was a beach soccer game and movie night. The kids met up with us at our apartment, which if you didn’t know is on the beach. (I know, I’m really lucky) We made a field using cones and played soccer for about an hour and half. Playing soccer on sand is sooo hard! I was wiped out after 10 minutes and made them let me play goalie. After soccer we did a sandwich buffet and watched the Simpson's Movie.

This weekend we will be visiting a local fire station. My good friend Blake, my friend Bre’s husband, is a volunteer firefighter in Valpo and set up an activity for the kids at the station. They will be trying on the uniforms, climbing the trucks and learning about fire safety. I think this will probably end up being the boys’ favorite Tias y Tios event thus far.

Other than the big events, Jessica and I have gone up to the house to check up on the construction projects and visit with Gina. Everything is nearly done. She needs some trinkets here and there, but that’s it. To me it looks like a completely new house on the inside. She and the kids are thrilled with the finished product.

This last week was a big week in Chile: La Semana de Fiestas Patrias. We have the Fourth of July, they have a whole week of celebrating 18 de Septiembre. Jess and I went to spend the holiday with our Chilean family in Santiago. It was a much needed visit after about 3 weeks of non-stop school work. We ate empanandas, chorripan and asado. We also attempted to learn Chile’s national dance, the cueca. I wanted to teach them the U.S. national dance, but sadly we don’t have one. Diego, my one year old Chilean nephew is walking now. When I arrived he was still wearing infant clothes…now he can walk around on his own, oh how time flies!!!

There is much more to tell but this blog is ridiculously long as is and my homework awaits me. Below are some photos from around my hood…spring has arrived in Chile and the sun is shinning and the flowers are blooming!!

Segundo Semestre has begun!!!

2009-08-19T18:47:00.000-07:00

I’ve been waiting to write my blog until the sunshine decided to show itself. Today was a beautiful, clear sunny day…and therefore, a perfect day to blog.

My second semester has officially begun!!! I have received all of my grades for last semester and was pleased with all of them (see below). The scale is 1.0 – 7.0.

PRIMER SEMESTRE 2009
LCL110-01 EXPRESION ORAL Y ESCRITA - 6.2
PIIE340-01 ESPAÑOL COMUNICACIONAL Y CULTURA CHILENA – AVANZADO - 6.6
PIIE350-01 ESPAÑOL ESCRITO – AVANZADO - 5.9
PIIE360-02 GRAMATICA - 6.6

By the end of this week I will have my final class schedule for second semester. I am enrolled in a special certificate program this semester called, Certificado de Estudios en America Latina Contemporanea. I think the program will coincide quite nicely with my academic interests and background. I fear the heavy reading but predict once I’m in my grove, I’ll be just fine.

I spent quite a bit of time with the Munoz family these past couple weeks. The last two weekends I was in Santiago participating in various family activities. Sunday, August 9th was Día de Los Ninos in Chile. We celebrated by having a big family lunch and all the children received presents. I also went to Santiago last weekend to attend Martina’s 3rd birthday party. Jessica and I had a sleepover party at her house on Friday night. Saturday was her party at the nicest McDonald’s in Santiago. Unfortunately, the roof wasn’t in such good shape and the rain leaked through leaving huge puddles all over the restaurant and play area. Most people would have shut down or at least blocked off certain areas…but in Chile no…the kids were just told not to remove their shoes. I thought that was pretty funny.

Jessica and I went had “once” with our Tias and Tias kids this week. We also taught them how to play the game MASH. They are all doing amazing. Romanet is now on track to pursue a career in child care. The program includes a sort of internship followed by job placement assistance. In two years she will be a sufficiently trained to be a pre-school teacher. Jessica and I are thrilled about her plan!

The construction projects are also going great. The outside stairs leading to and from their front door are finished. Now, when it rains they won’t slide into the front door, the will actually be able to walk to it. The upstairs bedroom is done and the downstairs kitchen and living areas should be done in a couple of weeks. I will post a special blog about the construction project featuring before and after pictures once everything is complete.

Jessica and I have also started recruiting new Tías y Tíos. We’ve been visiting certain classes to spread the word. Our first meeting is next week. We hope to set up our first event as a trip to the snow up in the Andes. The kids have not seen snow, so it will be a big deal. Also, Gina’s birthday is next week; Jessica and I plan to take her and the kids out to a movie.

I hope all is well stateside…I’m going to get back to my homework. I need to review the play, Pueblecito, before class tomorrow!!!

El Fin del Semestre 1

2009-07-03T18:59:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone!

I am currently up in Arica, Chile’s most northern city. I have a great deal to report, but I am going to break the past few weeks up into a few different blogs. A girl can only blog so much in one night!

First off, Kevin is here in CHILE! He arrived to wind, rain and freezing temperatures in Vina. Despite the dreary weather, we made the best of it. Jessica and I invited some friends over for a night of Jenga, pizza and dancing (I know how to do the cupid step now…thanks to You tube). I also took Kevin to meet the Munoz family. We had a big lunch and hung out for the day. Then, we spent some time exploring Valpo. We hit the pier, a street market and my favorite cafe, Cafe Color. I took Kevin up to Con Con and Renaca as well.I finished up my classes for the semester. I am very happy with how all my final projects/papers went therefore, I am expecting good grades across the board.

We had our final Gringo dinner party for the semester last week. Jessica and I hosted a potluck of 20 people in the conference room of our building. It was great to host the final dinner because we hosted the first one and it was only 5 people. It was great to see it come full circle and how much it had grown.

Last Sunday was also our final Tias y Tios event of the semester. We went bowling at the local mall. None of the kids had ever bowled and at first they all looked awkward trying to bowl, but by their 3^rd or 4^th turn, they were all pros. Even Javiera bowled, broken leg with the cast and all. Gina, their guardora, came along too. I was so happy she could be part of our activity and meet all the volunteers. Many of our volunteers will not be returning next semester. It was bitter sweet to see the kids say goodbye to them. I will post pics of this event on my next blog…I don’t have the pics with me.

On Monday this week Kevin and I headed up to Arica. I will blog about my time in Arica and Putre in a few days. I hope all is well in states!!

Buenas Noches!

Strikes, Soccer, School and Tias y Tios

2009-06-15T19:21:00.000-07:00

Hola Todos!!

School is winding down, so I’ve been working on several final projects. One of which is about graffiti as a form of social protest. I’m not sure if many of you know, but in Chile there are constant marches, protests and strikes. Actually, these types of protests are very common in most Latin American countries. Unfortunately, I have had the opportunity to see this first hand. The public school teachers across Chile have been on strike for approximately 2 months. They have been marching and protesting on the main streets of Valpo and in areas of Santiago. The reason for the “paro” aka strike is that the various municipals across Chile were supposed to pay the teachers their bonus for the last two years. However, claiming they did not have the money, the municipal never paid them. Therefore, the teachers refused to work. The seven children we work with in our service project, Tías y Tíos, (Daniél, Romanet, María Jose, Javiera, Kevin, Diego and Julio) all attend public school. They missed a total of six weeks of school. They are also enrolled in the school lunch program which wasn’t distributing the appropriate amount of food to the children during the strike. As you can imagine, they were hungry and bored. Luckily, the teachers returned last week and the kids are back in the classroom, except for Javiera. She broke her leg 3 weeks ago. She ran into a stopped car and now has a cast from her toes to her hip…poor thing!

Despite the bad luck the kids have had with school and parked cars, yesterday we had a great Tías y Tíos event. We had a big spaghetti lunch and then played games because it was too rainy to go to the museum. Jessica and I cooked spaghetti for over 20 people. It turned out delicioso. Then we danced and played Twister, Pictionary, Jenga, etc. We turned the rainy day into a fun day. The kids had a blast. They loved playing Pictionary. It got pretty heated because we split the teams into boys v. girls and as always, boys are too competitive!!

I am also very excited to report that my home Rotary Club of Thousand Oaks, California has donated $2,205.00 toward the various construction projects we want to do at the kids’ house. THANK YOU ROTARY CLUB OF T.O.!!!! We will be constructing stairs outside their house, a kitchen floor, a kitchen wall with window, a bedroom with two walls and a door and many other things. Gina has spent hours with us going over the list of materials we need to buy and plans for building. She has many friends and neighbors that are excited to help which means we probably won’t have to hire any labor workers. I am so excited to see how much this will help her with the everyday tasks she has to do with the kids. The construction projects will practically double the usable space in the house.

Aside from school and various Tías y Tíos stuff I have had a few nights to have fun with my friends. Last week on Wednesday, we went to the Chile v. Bolivia World Cup qualifying game in Santiago. It was incredible. The stadium was packed, and the fans stood the whole time singing cheers (many of which included every bad word I know in Spanish). Chile won 4-0 and will be going to South Africa in 2010 for the World Cup!! Here is one of my favorite cheers, “Vamos, vamos chilenos, esta noche tenemos que ganar…Chi Chi Chi Le Le Le Vive CHILE!!!!” Click on the video below and you can hear it for your self.

I also experienced my first time at the Juevo. The Juevo is the biggest disco tech in Valpo. It has 4 floors with various rooms. Each room has a different theme of music. It is a dance factory. Aside from the smoke that fills every room like a dark cloud (smoking is allowed inside everywhere in Chile), it was a lot of fun. My favorite room was the 80’s music room. We danced and danced and danced!

This week is an exciting week because KEVIN is coming to visit me. He arrives on Thursday night. I can’t wait. I am going to drag him to all my classes and to meet all my Tías and Tíos kids. I want to show him off. He will definitely stick out here being a tall blonde haired blue eyed boy. I might have to put him to work building things up at Gina’s place, but he likes that stuff. On June 29th we will be flying to Arica, a city up north near Peru. We will be traveling around the area for 6 days. The entire region has a high concentration of indigenous populations and a huge national park. It will be much warmer up there too. I hope to get a sun tan!

I hope all is well state side and as always please, please, please send me e-mails and posts. They mean so much to me!!!

La Serena & Valle de Elqui

2009-05-30T18:35:00.001-07:00

Hola Todos!!

Our trip to La Serena was awesome. La Serena is about 6 hours north of Valparaíso, situated right on the coast. We left last Wednesday night and arrived in La Serena at 4:15 a.m. Luckily we arrived as scheduled because we almost missed our bus. We were waiting at the wrong terminal in Santiago until about 15 minutes before we were supposed to leave, I looked at our tickets. The main bus station in Santiago is actually split up into three different terminals. San Borja, the one our tickets were for was about 4 blocks away at the end of a shopping mall. I sprinted down the main street and through the mall with all my bags. My sweatpants kept falling down and my shoelaces came untied…I was definitely an entertaining sight for all the mall shoppers.

After we arrived we took a nap at our hostel then rented bikes. We rode all the way to Coquimbo, a small town about 4 miles outside of La Serena. Even though it was foggy (they call the thick fog “camanchaca” and cold (as you can see from the pics), we put on our gloves and scarves and peddled away. On day two we went on a group tour to Isla Damas to see penguins. Only about 12 penguins decided to show up for us, but luckily it was sea lion and dolphin play day and we saw tons of bottle nose dolphins. Olive oil is the main product in the area and Jess and I bought a bottle from the cutest Chilean woman. We wanted to take a picture with her (see below). She was so excited that she took of her hat and fixed her hair. We also saw a few lamas grazing on our drive back.

The next day we went on a tour through Valle de Elqui. Valle de Elqui is prime pisco property. There are several pisco factories throughout the area. On the tour we visited one of the oldest pisco factories in the region. I’m a fan of pisco, but my favorite part was eating the grapes from the field. The pisco was too strong for me. We stopped at a few small pueblos along the way to walk through the plazas and churches. At one of the churches, a wedding was taking place. It was really cool, especially because the bride was pregnant. One of my favorite stops was at the dam. We walked the whole length of it and saw beautiful views of the entire valley. For lunch we ate at a solar restaurant. They cook all the dishes in small solar ovens outside the front of the restaurant. I ate a goat dish. It was delicious.

That night we stayed in Valle de Elqui in a small town called, Vicuña. Vicuña is home to several of the world’s best star observatories. We did a late night tour of the Mamalluca Observatory. It was incredible. They let us look through a huge telescope at all the different stars. My favorite constellation was the Southern Cross which you can see perfectly.

On our last day, we explored on our own. We went to a spot where two rivers meet. One is a greenish grey color and the other a dark blue. Then we had lunch at an outdoor pizza café. It was a great last day to a very fun trip.

Tomorrow is a big day for our Tías and Tíos event. We are playing soccer and then taking the kids to a soccer game in Valpo. I will be sure to post again soon!

Chao!

Las primeras semanas de Mayo

2009-05-24T13:42:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone! I am in La Serena right now but I need to blog about the last few weeks, so you’ll get the La Serena scoop in a couple days.

School has been going great. Over the past few weeks I gave three big presentations and turned in a few papers. In my expression class I had to memorize, recite and analyze a Pablo Neruda poem. In my culture class I presented on short story by having the class play jeopardy. Also, Jessica and I did a group presentation on Sola Sierra (founder of the AFDD) and the Rettig Report (a comprehensive report commissioned by the government regarding the events that took place between 1973 and 1990).

All and all, the unit on Pinochet was extremely interesting and at the same time sad. Following the golpe de estado on Sept. 11, 1973, Pinochet and his followers tortured, murdered and abused human rights of innocent citizens for years and years. For example, the carabineros (police) would raid homes and neighborhoods looking for leftist activists (many times that included anyone and everyone that was in the area or interfered). They would take them to various locations such as stadiums, schools, private homes, mines, boats, etc. to be tortured, raped and/or murdered. The Pinochet regime used any method deemed necessary to keep communism out of Chile. The population was drastically polarized during this time and still is to a certain extent. Many Chileans did not know what happened or if they did, turned a blind eye. It is obvious to me that Chile is doing a great job of trying step into the future without giving proper acknowledgment to the true version of their collective past. They do not teach the subject in public schools and aside from a couple monuments and memorials here and there, one could visit Chile without ever knowing something horrible happened here.

In addition to lots of school projects, two weekends ago, Jessica and I visited our Chilean family in Santiago. As always, it was very refreshing to see our nieces and nephews and spend time talking with Tita and Tata. We went shopping in La Patronata with Mari, our Chilean sister, and visited Tita at work. Jess and I also went to the big cemetery to see the monument dedicated to the desaparecidos. You can see from the pictures that the wall has thousands of names listed. These are the names of people who went “missing” during the Pinochet era. Many of their bodies were never found, hence why they are called the “desaparecidos.” On Saturday we went to our Chilean niece’s food festival at her elementary school. I had a plate from every stand. That’s probably not surprising to anyone.

Last weekend was another big Tías y Tíos event. We took the kids to the Botanical Gardens. Not only were the botanical gardens beautiful because all the leaves were falling, but the kids had an amazing time. We played soccer, volleyball and walked around the small lake. They were stuffed full of food and exhausted by the time we took them home. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!!

On the home front, my sister, Katie, graduated from high school this past week. CONGRATS KATIE BO BATIE!!! Kevin drove out to AZ for a few days to see the ceremony and hang out with my family. My Nana, the best Nana in the world hands down, was also in AZ, so she was able to meet him for the first time. I wish I could’ve been there but Kevin gave me the scoop on everything.

Jess and I are going to head out of La Serena soon…I’ll be posting in a couple days about our trip! Chao!

Tias y Tios, Bikram and Estudios

2009-05-04T20:26:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, I have many updates!

First and foremost, our service project Tías y Tíos is officially up and running. You may be wondering why it’s called Tías y Tíos…the kids call us Tía y Tío, so it just fits.

We had our first big event this Sunday. I went to pick up the kids from the house and we met up with all the Tías y Tíos at Telepizza. First we played a get to know you game with M & M’s and ate pizza. Then we broke up into teams for the scavenger hunt. Each team had 2-3 kids and 3-4 Tías y Tíos. I was on the Los Tigres team with Diego and María Jose and Tía Angela from Columbia and Tía Julie from Indiana. We walked all through the hills of Valpo. Luckily, it was a beautiful day. I was apprehensive as to whether or not the kids would enjoy it, but not only did they have a blast, they were super intense. We jogged for an hour and 15 minutes straight so that we could check everything off the list and get back to Telepizza on time. After the scavenger hunt we did a journal activity. They had to write down a reflection about the activity along with a personal goal and academic goal they hope to accomplish before the next activity. The Scavenger Hunt surpassed my expectations, and I know the kids enjoyed every second of it. Our next activity is going to be on May 17, 2009. We will be doing a pot luck spaghetti dinner then going to a museum and doing an art project.

School is going ok. I am really enjoying my Culture class. We are learning about the Pinochet era. Pinochet is a very controversial figure in Chile. Some Chileans consider him to be the Chile’s most violent dictator in history and very similar to Hitler, while others consider him to be Chile’s saving grace. Let’s just say Pinochet is not something I’ll bring up during a dinner table chat. We haven’t finished this unit yet, but when we do I will give you a summary of who he was and what it was like in Chile during that era. Stay tuned for that!!!

My other classes are so/so. It has been a roller coaster the past few weeks on the Spanish front. One day I’ll feel really confident, and I have no problem blabbing away. Other days, I want to crawl under a rock. Also, I am not required in any of my classes to apply what I’ve learned. For example, I am used to doing worksheets or exercises in which I put into practice concepts learned during lectures. It is an extremely rare occasion that I do worksheet or exercise in class or for homework. I am learning the subjunctive, que v. cual, ser v. estar, accentuation, etc. but am not asked to put them to use. I have lectures everyday and then poof, there is a quiz or test. This is on top of the fact that there are no textbooks. I am trying to use on-line resources to do exercises, but if I have a question I don’t have a professor in front of me that I can ask. (Dr. Factor…maybe you have some suggestions???)

Our new Chilean roommate Helen is also trying to help me with my Spanish. I am very thankful that she wants to correct me, but after a long day at school it is sometimes frustrating to be corrected. It is a work in progress.

Last weekend, Jessica and I went to Santiago for our Chilean sobrino, Diego’s, baptism. It was a huge deal for the Munoz family and I was so happy that we were invited to attend such an important family event. Even though the service was an hour and a half, it was well worth the wait to eat Carla’s homemade alfajors. (Carla is our Chilean sister)

It is starting to get cold and foggy here. The season changed really fast. Jessica and I are whipping out the ear warmers and warm socks. I get so jealous when I talk to Kevin or my family because summer is well on its way in sunny LA and AZ. I felt bad that this Saturday the weather wasn't ideal because our friend Keong Te from language school came to visit us and we treked through Valpo in our winter coats and scarves.

I've started doing Bikram Yoga here. I am amazed that they have a studio!! For those of you who don't know what Bikram is, it is hot yoga and the poses are the same every class. You do each pose twice. It is hard core yoga...none of that kum-bi-ya stuff. I bought a month pass. I also am joining the PUCV's basketball team. Our first game is tomorrow and I just hope I get to play for a few minutes. There are a lot of girls on the team but I'm the only gringa :)

I also got my first piece of mail!! My sister, Katie, sent me her graduation invitation. She will be graduating from high school on May 22, 2008. Samie, my other sister, was inducted to National Honor Society last week too. GOOO PEORIA PANTHERS. I am so proud! What can I say...they learn from the best.

Well, I need to get to bed. Bikram Yoga is at 8:30 a.m. tomorrow.

La Semana Pascua etc.

2009-04-15T22:53:00.000-07:00

I know that I have been lagging in the blog arena but, this post should make up for me being a blog slacker.

SCHOOL:

I am taking 5 classes for a total of 18 credits (see below). I like all my classes, especially my professors. In the last two weeks, I had a pop quiz in Expresión, an essay and presentation due in Cultura, two heavy reading assignments in Violencia Social, an essay due in writing and next week I have an exam in Gramática. Fortunately, I am enjoying doing all my assignments, etc. and am noticing a drastic improvement in my Spanish over the past few weeks. I also enrolled in a language exchange program. I am in a group with 3 Chileans. We are going meet once a week to talk in English and Spanish and discuss Culture. Kinda corny, but hey the more Spanish the better!

Classes:

Expresión Oral y Escrita
Violencia Social
Gramática Intermedio
Español Escrito Advanzado
Communicación y Cultura Chilena

ACTIVITIES:

Aside from school work, I have been trying out the various exercise classes and sports offered at my university. I tried aerobox and danza arabe (belly dancing). Aerobox was great, but the belly dancing class confirmed my belief that latin women are definitely sexier than las gringas. Most of the girls wore jingly wraps with jewelry, etc. I was in work out pants, tennis shoes, and an old t-shirt (my everyday outfit). I stuck out like a sore thumb but, I had a blast and plan to go again to keep working on my sexiness! (Get ready Kevin!!!) I also recently joined the extranjera (foreigners) soccer team. We play teams from other departments on campus. From what I’ve heard, the extranjera team wins every game except when they play the Physical Education Department. I am confident that our team will kick butt and change History! I’ll keep you updated on that.

For the past two weekends, Jessica and I traveled to Santiago to visit our familia Chilena. Two weekends ago was our sobrina, Carolina’s, birthday party. Her dad dressed up as Rupertina (see pics) and did activities like musical chairs, bingo and a dance competition.

The next weekend was Semana Santa (Easter Weekend). On Good Friday the whole family took us to a vía de las cruces (a procession of Jesus’ walk to Calvary). To be honest, it was a bit intense and our 2 year old sobrina was crying throughout the whole thing. On Sunday morning, Jessica and I cooked a huge United States style breakfast. We made pancakes, french toast, eggs and bacon. It was so cute because our sobrinas (Catalina and Carolina) were scared to try the food but after coaxing them to try a few bites, it was a huge hit! I am so lucky to have them. Missing my family, friends and Kevin is always worse on holidays so, it was perfect timing.

Also, on Sunday night, we went with the family to a La U fútbol game. La U is our Chilean dad’s favorite team. We decked out in blue, and even though La U lost, we cheered the whole time. In the stadium there is a huge section of fans that stand and sing cheers the whole entire game. It doesn’t matter what the score is, they cheer and cheer and cheer. I love it!

ROTARY:

Rotary has been keeping me busy as well. Last week Jessica and I went to the Rotary Club of Viña del Mar. Yesterday, we went to the Rotary Club of Quilpué Oriente and today to the Rotary Club of Quilpué. And, tomorrow we are giving a presentation about Rotary to our Cultura class as well. We are meeting tons of great Rotarians and are planning activities to do with them. A majority of the clubs here have only male members, and it is interesting to see how much each club varies from the next. However, all the clubs meet very late and last about 3 hours. For example, tonight the meeting started at 9:30 p.m. and we were home at 12:30 a.m. They ask many of the same questions at each meeting like what our future goals are and what we want to do and see in Chile. Usually they ask us about Obama, and I feel a bit of dejavu. When I was in Australia spring semester of 2003, everywhere I went people asked me questions about Bush. Oh, how times have changed!!

Be sure to click play on the video so you can hear a Rotary song in Spanish!

SERVICE PROJECT:
Jessica and I are going to organize a mentorship program with 7 + kids who have been abused (sexually/physically, etc.) and were removed by the state from their homes and put into "foster care." The 7 or so children we are going to work with live with a woman named Gina in the hills of Valparaíso. Gina is trying to turn her house into an official Hogar (which is like a combo of an orphanage and foster house). We are in the initial steps of starting the program and are having our first meeting next week with Gina, ourselves and volunteers. Our plan is to set it up as a big brother/big sister type program where we have events scheduled each month. We will be matching up 2 international students to each kid. We plan to make our events both educational and interactive. I will give you more details about that after our meeting. This Sunday we are going to the house to cook a big lunch and have the kids give us a gran tur (tour) of their neighborhood.

The second aspect of our program is going to be a supply drive and a few small construction projects. The kids are in desperate need of blankets, hygiene products, school supplies, etc. We also plan to do food shopping for them once or twice a month just to make it a bit easier for Gina to make ends meet. Two of the rooms in her house are missing doors, one of the walls in her house needs to be completely re-done, and she needs some steps built outside her front door (right now you basically have to climb on all fours to get down or up from her front door.)

I am so excited about this! I know we can do A LOT with very little and it will make a HUGE impact! Below is picture of us having lunch today with three of the kids!

I almost forgot...Jessica and I have new roommate!!! Her name is Helen and she is CHILENA!!! She moves in Friday. We are so excited to have a native Spanish speaker in the apt. and to not have to pay as much rent! I will tell you guys more about her in my next post!

That is all for now. I hope everyone had a fantastic Easter and ate tons of Reese’s candies for me!

South of Chile!!!

2009-03-29T15:28:00.000-07:00

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,

2009-03-18T07:29:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-01T18:57:00.000-08:00

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!!!

Mi Semana Primera en Santiago!!

2009-02-08T16:48:00.000-08:00

Hola Todos!!! Yo he pasado 6 dias en Chile y yo he teniendo un buen tiempo. Mi familia es muy simpatica y grande. La ciudad de Santiago tiene mucho ver y yo planeo ver todos. Ok I won’t write all of this in Spanish, but its good practice for me. Anyways, I arrived in Santiago on Wednesday morning. After meeting my family and eating breakfast, I went to my first day of school at Latin Emersion. The school is only about a 10 minute walk from my house, and I really like it thus far. The neighborhood I live in is called Providencia. It is one of the nicest in Santiago.

The family I live with is incredible. Elizabeth and Roberto own the house and their daughter Maria, her husband, Emilio, and their two children Katalina (6) and Diego (7 months) live here too. There are other family members in and out all the time, so it’s basically like a family reunion everyday. I’m so thankful that they eat every meal with me. They also talk slow so I can understand them. The accent here is quite unique. It might take me awhile to get used to it. But, I already feel like my Spanish has improved immensely.

Yesterday, I went rafting with the school to a place called Cajon de Maipo. We had a blast. I’m sure you can tell from the pics. Today my family cooked a huge lunch called cazuela (meat, corn, potato and yam in a soup broth). We also had empanadas con queso. Both dishes are typical Chilean food, and they were deliciosos. They also taught me how to make Pisco Sour, the famous Chilean bebida. I only had one because it was SUPER strong. I spent the rest of the day swimming with all the kids. I love hanging out with them because we communicate on the same level.

I will post again in a week or two. I miss everyone and I hope you are all doing well. Keep posting comments for me!!! Chao!!

Bienvenidos to My Blog!

2009-01-25T19:18:00.000-08:00

I am once again embarking on an adventure to a far away land. This time I will be spending a year as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar in Valparaíso, Chile. I leave on February 3, 2009 and will be in Santiago for the first month attending language school and living with a family. After that, I will head over to Valpo to start my studies at Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso aka PUCV. I will also be getting involved in a service project through my host Rotary Club of Playa Ancha (I am SUPER excited about this!!).

In preparation for my departure, I have been soaking up as much time as possible with my family, friends and boyfriend, Kevin. I currently live in Playa Del Rey, California and will miss my apartment and of course, the beach. Since graduation from Cal Lutheran in 2006, I’ve worked at a couple different law firms and have yet to confirm whether or not law is for me. Chile, I’m hoping, will help me figure that out.

Despite my nerves, I am extremely excited and thankful to have the opportunity to serve as an Ambassadorial Scholar. I am the first from my home club of Thousand Oaks. Thanks to their support, I feel I am well prepared to be an Ambassadorial Scholar dedicated to “Service Above Self.”

I am a newbie to blogging, but I will try to update this as often as possible and please post comments!