This week was a difficult one classwise. Yesterday, Claudio showed up on time for the first time all week; fifteen minutes early actually. I was shocked. Unfortunately, him showing up extra early can't make up for the minutes he showed up late. But this does mean I'll be showing up next week.
Carlos didn't return yesterday either, and we found out he wont be back till Monday. Sad day. We watched the rest of Machuca. It's a wonderful, hilarious movie with an extremely sad ending. It's supposed to take place in Chile right before the military coup that overtook Allende in 1973. I really enjoyed it, and it was based on a true story.
After class, I had to go explore Avenida San Martín with my partner Erin. When we got there, we just walked along taking photos and observing the impact of globalization on the avenue. There were lots of foreign restaurants including the ever so popular McDonald's. I guess the put avocado on the burgers instead of ketchup and mustard, weird. There's also a huge casino and five-star hotel along the avenue right along the beach. I'll upload my photos when I feel like it.
We then headed to some vendors along the beach so we could be tourists and buy souvenirs. I bought my pelola something that hopefully she'll enjoy. It was really warm at this point, and the sun was beating directly on us as it was setting. I love the ocean. I def want to live near the ocean when I'm older. Zapallar anyone? Ha, I wish...
Next, we headed to her house so we could put the powerpoint together. It was assigned Wednesday and we had to present Friday, not cool. Carlos would've given us the weekend for sure. Her house sits on top of a hill on the opposite side of Viña as my house does, and she had a view of the entire city. I definitely got a case of the jealousy bug. They had a deck that I just stood in awe on. I took pictures of the marvelous city I'm living in so you can see what it's really like in a different perspective.
We finished the project within a couple hours, and after enjoying an once with her incredibly sweet mom, I headed home on the micro.
Today, I woke up and showered, ate, and got ready to leave. As I was leaving, my housekeeper Carolina stopped me much to my surprise, and then proceeded to adjust the collar on my polo for me and then said "Ok, now it's good". Ha, although she speaks way too fast and I rarely understand her, I love how sweet she is.
Class wasn't quite as difficult today, though I did have to listen to him brag about how Chile is one of the most stable countries in the world. It really is a great country, and it's def in my top 3 after studying here of course, but hearing Claudio present the facts in the way that he does just has a bit of arrogance behind it, so I just get sick of hearing about how Chile is the real Holy Land (that's all me, he never would actually say that).
Presentations went smoothly in Carlos' class. After, we discussed the movie from yesterday a bit, and then we were let out early since it's Friday. Nice.
I'm going snowboarding tomorrow morning, and as of 3:30 this afternoon, I had no clothing whatsoever that would be good for the snow. I decided I'd go wander the streets for a bit in search of a thrift store. My main goal, pants. I did find thrift stores, two or three actually. Unfortunately, I need to learn to check out the store before entering. Turns out two of them were just for women. Nice one Matthew. The third one was the jackpot. It had sky (Spanish for ski I guess?) in the window so I knew it would have what I need. Unfortunately, it was way more than I wanted to spend (about $15 for a pair of snow pants I'm only going to wear once is not worth it). I eventually gave up and headed home empty handed, and set out a desperation email to the rest of my gringo friends here.
Later, Rodrigo arrived home and asked me about my luck in finding clothes. He told me to wait a second, and returned with a perfectly sized jacket. He also had a fleece sweater for me to wear that's specifically designed for skiing (it even says ski team on it). Awesome. Then he came back with what I think he said is a neck warmer, and some gloves. Amazing. He also mentioned something about a hat, but I haven't seen it yet. Regardless, I'm super stoked since I went from nothing to everything but pants. As of now, I still dont have any, and I dont know how likely it is that I'll get any before tomorrow. My plan is to either just wear two pairs of jeans, or just deal with being wet all day. Regardless, I'm looking forward to it more now since I have everything else I need. I'm meeting the group at 4:45 tomorrow morning, then we're taking a van to Portillo (google it) about three and a half hours away.
My parents are making me a nice snack lunch to take, and I went out with Rodrigo Jr. tonight to get a big bottle of water. The mountain is around 10,000 feet so we'll get winded very easily and I was told to bring lots of water. I'm really excited, and I should probably sleep now. I'll make sure to take pictures of the beautiful lake that is right at the base of the lifts with the huge mountain peak in the background. =)
Buenas noches amigos. Chao.
10 July, 2009
09 July, 2009
Leather
Today was another warm day. I'm really digging Chile's winters. I'm not digging Claudio Rivero's Social and Political Themes of Chile class though.
Third day in a row of showing up late. If he shows up late the next two days as well, I'm not going to class anymore. I've lost all respect for him. What kind of professor tells his foreign exchange students that they shouldn't say "ok" anymore when it's a bad habit? What kind of professor tells his students not to move their hands anymore when talking? What kind of professor says "You mess up masculine and feminine words all the time"? No crap, we're here to learn and improve our Spanish, not for you to change how we communicate. Very frustrating, but que puedes hacer?
Carlos was out again, but we were told he does not have Swine Flu, just a bad cold. We read some of the confusing story, then we got to watch a very entertaining movie. I'm really excited to finish it tomorrow. Unfortunately, we were given an assignment to go observe a street in either downtown Viña or Valparaíso to see how it's been affected by American culture. Not too hard except that we have a powerpoint presentation to give on it on Friday. Since we had a workshop after class today, it meant that we really only have tomorrow after class to do it. Perfect. My partner Erin and I are heading to San Martin Avenue tomorrow after class, then I'll probably head to her house so we can put the powerpoint together. I like one day presentations. Not.
The leather workshop was really neat. When we arrived, we first practiced pounding the designs we wanted to make onto scrap pieces of leather. In order to do this, we took a hammer and hit metal nails or railroad spikes with the designs on the other end of them. Then we were handed a round piece of leather to make a keychain and a long piece of leather to make a bracelet. I didn't really know what I was going to do, but I just went for it and ended up really liking my designs. Next step was to pick out a kind of stain we wanted to use and then stain it ourselves. I went for a lighter brown color and after getting a button-snap added and the keychain hooked on, I was good to go. (I uploaded photos on facebook from the day)
In the back of the shop was the family's home. It was really cool and chill, and a nice lady with a crazy mohawk and a little two year-old son prepared us an once. I had some really good cookies, complete with honey and two types of jams, and some green tea. I love onces (though I am growing tired of my own familiy's onces since they always only consist of bread).
After everyone finished up, we hopped in the van and went back to the campus. I then headed home on a micro and had another once with my family. After eating, I went to my room to hang relax for a bit. Right now, I'm enjoying watching a stand-up comedian named John Pinette courtesy of my friend David. If you enjoy stand-up comedy, I recommend him. He's pretty great.
Fun fact: My cell phone finally died last night after three and a half weeks of use. I put my cell phone on airplane mode the first day I got here, and only turned it on at nights to use it as an alarm clock, then turned it off the next morning. At this rate, the one charge I did yesterday will be more than enough to get me home. Awesome.
That's about it from me for today. I need sleep. Enjoy summer mis amigos, chao.
Third day in a row of showing up late. If he shows up late the next two days as well, I'm not going to class anymore. I've lost all respect for him. What kind of professor tells his foreign exchange students that they shouldn't say "ok" anymore when it's a bad habit? What kind of professor tells his students not to move their hands anymore when talking? What kind of professor says "You mess up masculine and feminine words all the time"? No crap, we're here to learn and improve our Spanish, not for you to change how we communicate. Very frustrating, but que puedes hacer?
Carlos was out again, but we were told he does not have Swine Flu, just a bad cold. We read some of the confusing story, then we got to watch a very entertaining movie. I'm really excited to finish it tomorrow. Unfortunately, we were given an assignment to go observe a street in either downtown Viña or Valparaíso to see how it's been affected by American culture. Not too hard except that we have a powerpoint presentation to give on it on Friday. Since we had a workshop after class today, it meant that we really only have tomorrow after class to do it. Perfect. My partner Erin and I are heading to San Martin Avenue tomorrow after class, then I'll probably head to her house so we can put the powerpoint together. I like one day presentations. Not.
The leather workshop was really neat. When we arrived, we first practiced pounding the designs we wanted to make onto scrap pieces of leather. In order to do this, we took a hammer and hit metal nails or railroad spikes with the designs on the other end of them. Then we were handed a round piece of leather to make a keychain and a long piece of leather to make a bracelet. I didn't really know what I was going to do, but I just went for it and ended up really liking my designs. Next step was to pick out a kind of stain we wanted to use and then stain it ourselves. I went for a lighter brown color and after getting a button-snap added and the keychain hooked on, I was good to go. (I uploaded photos on facebook from the day)
In the back of the shop was the family's home. It was really cool and chill, and a nice lady with a crazy mohawk and a little two year-old son prepared us an once. I had some really good cookies, complete with honey and two types of jams, and some green tea. I love onces (though I am growing tired of my own familiy's onces since they always only consist of bread).
After everyone finished up, we hopped in the van and went back to the campus. I then headed home on a micro and had another once with my family. After eating, I went to my room to hang relax for a bit. Right now, I'm enjoying watching a stand-up comedian named John Pinette courtesy of my friend David. If you enjoy stand-up comedy, I recommend him. He's pretty great.
Fun fact: My cell phone finally died last night after three and a half weeks of use. I put my cell phone on airplane mode the first day I got here, and only turned it on at nights to use it as an alarm clock, then turned it off the next morning. At this rate, the one charge I did yesterday will be more than enough to get me home. Awesome.
That's about it from me for today. I need sleep. Enjoy summer mis amigos, chao.
07 July, 2009
Sunshine Day
Today was extremely warm (for it being the middle of winter down here). It was about 60 degrees and sunny all day. It was like that yesterday and should be for a couple more days as well. I'm loving it, although it is a little depressing knowing that the highest it gets here is still colder than the low back home. Stupid 95 degree weather....
Yesterday was a pretty good day. First class was still bad, we spent about an hour trying to review stuff we didn't understand yet. I've found that he really is horrible at explaining stuff until he's absolutely exhausted a subject until I don't even care anymore. Then, he'll suddenly explain it in a very simple way and all of us are like "Ohhhhhh!!!" Why doesn't he just start out with simple and then go from there? Goodness...
Second class, Carlos didn't show up and we realized half the class was missing so we called one of the other students and she said he was sick but we'd still have our graffiti workshop later. Neat. Since we had about an hour and a half before then, David and I decided to hit up Jumbo (Wal-Mart of Chile) so he could buy some toothpaste and deodorant. I finally splurged and got myself some snacks. For two chocolate bars, a pack of coconut cookies, vanilla flavored wafer cookies (not to be confused with vanilla wafers), and a liter of Watt's peach juice, it cost all of about 2.200 pesos (that's $4). I love the value of the dollar here.
We headed to the computer lab for exchange students and entertained ourselves by checking out some awkward family photos. You should do the same if you'd like to laugh. Just make sure you click "older posts" at the bottom of each page to continue enjoying more photos. http://www.awkwardfamilyphotos.com Sadly, I think my family has more than a few that could qualify for this site.
At 3:40, we met up with the rest of the students for the graffiti workshop. This week, we got to watch Charquipunk and a friend of his actually paint in front of us. We hopped on the trolleybus for a few blocks, then met up with him and his friend and headed to a back side street with a nice wall along it. Right away, they got to work painting. I took lots of photos throughout the time and I'll upload them later tonight on facebook if you care to check them out. I purposefully tried taking photos from the same angle every so often so you can see how it unfolds step by step. The finished work was absolutely amazing, I have doubts on our abilities as a group of being able to create something as good next week when we're allowed to give it a shot. These artists are incredible, I was so impressed and in awe just watching them go at it. Within two hours or so, they had turned this blank dirty wall into a beautiful colorful picture. I think graffiti is one of the best things that has happened to Valparaíso.
Quick story: As soon as we arrived, there was a family at the end of the street who noticed us and turned on some music as the kids came to watch up closer. The same song ended up being played about five times, and it became kind of a joke for us to hear it come on randomly after being quiet for fifteen minutes. The kids seemed really cute and nice at first, but boy were we in for a surprise. There was what looked to be like a rarely driven pickup sitting along the street, and the oldest of the kids (about 12) proceeded to use a coat hanger to break into it. They played around in it for a while, until they pulled out a super ball and started bouncing it around. It eventually came our way and seeing as how we were twice their size, some of my classmates started to play keep-a-way with them. It never was mean or too hard for the kids to get it, and they always got it after two or three passes and then they'd run and go get it laughing the entire time. Well, the kids progressively got more aggressive until the younger of the two boys (no older than 7) punched my friend Andrew in the face. I was shocked. So the next time the ball came his way, he threw it down the street rather than tossing it to someone else. Bad news. The older boy then got this really freaky look on his face and just stared at him, pacing back and forth around him. It kind of creeped us all out. They eventually lost interest in us, and then noticed all of the paint cans on the ground and started touching them all. Charquipunk told them to leave them alone, so then they got rocks and started throwing them at the cans trying to knock them over. Again, he told them to knock it off and put them all in his bag. They then grabbed a paint brush and started painting a lightpost and other parts of the wall where he wasn't painting, and once again he had to tell them to knock it off. Luckily, he was just finishing up the last of his painting. I thought the fun was finally over, but as we were walking down a staircase to get to a lower street, I noticed sticks landing around us. I looked up, and sure enough the same little punks were up there throwing sticks and rocks at us. I am usually very patient with children, even when they misbehave and get more than a little annoying. But there's a point where bad parenting (in this case, lack of parenting entirely) is so unacceptable that even I lose my patience and respect for the kids. Luckily I didn't have to deal with them at all.
After heading home, I had my once and went to my room to work on some homework (second assignment I've had the entire time). I finished it, and then was able to talk with Alyssa for a long time. It was really nice, though I did end up staying awake way longer than I should have. Oh well, it was worth it. =)
Today, I woke up and was about ready to hop in the shower until I realized there wasn't any warm water. They have to ignite a pilot light anytime they want hot water, and I guess whoever had showered before me decided to shut it off rather than leave it on for me. Darn.
First class was bad again today. We asked him about our six page paper due the last week of class, and he initially said "Don't you remember what I said the first day of class? I told you all about it then." No, of course we don't remember every single little detail from the first day of class. If we knew, we wouldn't be asking you. We also asked about our oral quiz we'll be having, and if we could know what it will be like since the majority of us have never had an oral quiz before. He just told us that we have to come and take it, and it will be a surprise. Wow. I've lost all respect for this professor. He really doesn't help his case any when he comes in late every day, even though he holds kids after class to ask them why they showed up late just one day. Hypocrisy at it's finest. After wasting another hour talking about this (which once again could have been solved in ten minutes had he explained it in simple terms from the beginning), we finally started covering other material. I'm so stoked to be done with this class. I'm even more stoked to fill out an evaluation.
Carlos was out again today, so we had the head of the foreign exchange programs teaching instead. He said that two of the professors have the swine flu, and three more have the symptoms (Carlos being one of them), so he has to be out for seven days. Darn. Too bad my other professor doesn't hang out with Carlos more, otherwise he could be gone for a week as well. We attempted watching a movie, but the sound didn't work. Instead, we read through a story that not many of us understood. I can already tell this week is going to be a long one.
I came straight home afterwards with plans of taking a nap since I didn't get enough sleep last night, but I got distracted and am now growing very tired very quickly.
Oh, great news. Some friends here are putting together a skiing/snowboarding trip to one of the local mountains. It'll be about $125-140 depending on number of people going, and so I talked to my parents and they told me I should go ahead and do it since I probably will never again have the chance to snowboard in the Andes Mountains. I'm so stoked. I just hope I can find some suitable clothes before I go... The mountain we're going to has a beautiful lake right next to the lodge so wherever you are, you can see it. It's absolutely beautiful and I'm really excited for it.
I'm done writing today. I write too much I feel. Oh well, I don't care. Have a great night everyone, chao amigos.
Yesterday was a pretty good day. First class was still bad, we spent about an hour trying to review stuff we didn't understand yet. I've found that he really is horrible at explaining stuff until he's absolutely exhausted a subject until I don't even care anymore. Then, he'll suddenly explain it in a very simple way and all of us are like "Ohhhhhh!!!" Why doesn't he just start out with simple and then go from there? Goodness...
Second class, Carlos didn't show up and we realized half the class was missing so we called one of the other students and she said he was sick but we'd still have our graffiti workshop later. Neat. Since we had about an hour and a half before then, David and I decided to hit up Jumbo (Wal-Mart of Chile) so he could buy some toothpaste and deodorant. I finally splurged and got myself some snacks. For two chocolate bars, a pack of coconut cookies, vanilla flavored wafer cookies (not to be confused with vanilla wafers), and a liter of Watt's peach juice, it cost all of about 2.200 pesos (that's $4). I love the value of the dollar here.
We headed to the computer lab for exchange students and entertained ourselves by checking out some awkward family photos. You should do the same if you'd like to laugh. Just make sure you click "older posts" at the bottom of each page to continue enjoying more photos. http://www.awkwardfamilyphotos.com Sadly, I think my family has more than a few that could qualify for this site.
At 3:40, we met up with the rest of the students for the graffiti workshop. This week, we got to watch Charquipunk and a friend of his actually paint in front of us. We hopped on the trolleybus for a few blocks, then met up with him and his friend and headed to a back side street with a nice wall along it. Right away, they got to work painting. I took lots of photos throughout the time and I'll upload them later tonight on facebook if you care to check them out. I purposefully tried taking photos from the same angle every so often so you can see how it unfolds step by step. The finished work was absolutely amazing, I have doubts on our abilities as a group of being able to create something as good next week when we're allowed to give it a shot. These artists are incredible, I was so impressed and in awe just watching them go at it. Within two hours or so, they had turned this blank dirty wall into a beautiful colorful picture. I think graffiti is one of the best things that has happened to Valparaíso.
Quick story: As soon as we arrived, there was a family at the end of the street who noticed us and turned on some music as the kids came to watch up closer. The same song ended up being played about five times, and it became kind of a joke for us to hear it come on randomly after being quiet for fifteen minutes. The kids seemed really cute and nice at first, but boy were we in for a surprise. There was what looked to be like a rarely driven pickup sitting along the street, and the oldest of the kids (about 12) proceeded to use a coat hanger to break into it. They played around in it for a while, until they pulled out a super ball and started bouncing it around. It eventually came our way and seeing as how we were twice their size, some of my classmates started to play keep-a-way with them. It never was mean or too hard for the kids to get it, and they always got it after two or three passes and then they'd run and go get it laughing the entire time. Well, the kids progressively got more aggressive until the younger of the two boys (no older than 7) punched my friend Andrew in the face. I was shocked. So the next time the ball came his way, he threw it down the street rather than tossing it to someone else. Bad news. The older boy then got this really freaky look on his face and just stared at him, pacing back and forth around him. It kind of creeped us all out. They eventually lost interest in us, and then noticed all of the paint cans on the ground and started touching them all. Charquipunk told them to leave them alone, so then they got rocks and started throwing them at the cans trying to knock them over. Again, he told them to knock it off and put them all in his bag. They then grabbed a paint brush and started painting a lightpost and other parts of the wall where he wasn't painting, and once again he had to tell them to knock it off. Luckily, he was just finishing up the last of his painting. I thought the fun was finally over, but as we were walking down a staircase to get to a lower street, I noticed sticks landing around us. I looked up, and sure enough the same little punks were up there throwing sticks and rocks at us. I am usually very patient with children, even when they misbehave and get more than a little annoying. But there's a point where bad parenting (in this case, lack of parenting entirely) is so unacceptable that even I lose my patience and respect for the kids. Luckily I didn't have to deal with them at all.
After heading home, I had my once and went to my room to work on some homework (second assignment I've had the entire time). I finished it, and then was able to talk with Alyssa for a long time. It was really nice, though I did end up staying awake way longer than I should have. Oh well, it was worth it. =)
Today, I woke up and was about ready to hop in the shower until I realized there wasn't any warm water. They have to ignite a pilot light anytime they want hot water, and I guess whoever had showered before me decided to shut it off rather than leave it on for me. Darn.
First class was bad again today. We asked him about our six page paper due the last week of class, and he initially said "Don't you remember what I said the first day of class? I told you all about it then." No, of course we don't remember every single little detail from the first day of class. If we knew, we wouldn't be asking you. We also asked about our oral quiz we'll be having, and if we could know what it will be like since the majority of us have never had an oral quiz before. He just told us that we have to come and take it, and it will be a surprise. Wow. I've lost all respect for this professor. He really doesn't help his case any when he comes in late every day, even though he holds kids after class to ask them why they showed up late just one day. Hypocrisy at it's finest. After wasting another hour talking about this (which once again could have been solved in ten minutes had he explained it in simple terms from the beginning), we finally started covering other material. I'm so stoked to be done with this class. I'm even more stoked to fill out an evaluation.
Carlos was out again today, so we had the head of the foreign exchange programs teaching instead. He said that two of the professors have the swine flu, and three more have the symptoms (Carlos being one of them), so he has to be out for seven days. Darn. Too bad my other professor doesn't hang out with Carlos more, otherwise he could be gone for a week as well. We attempted watching a movie, but the sound didn't work. Instead, we read through a story that not many of us understood. I can already tell this week is going to be a long one.
I came straight home afterwards with plans of taking a nap since I didn't get enough sleep last night, but I got distracted and am now growing very tired very quickly.
Oh, great news. Some friends here are putting together a skiing/snowboarding trip to one of the local mountains. It'll be about $125-140 depending on number of people going, and so I talked to my parents and they told me I should go ahead and do it since I probably will never again have the chance to snowboard in the Andes Mountains. I'm so stoked. I just hope I can find some suitable clothes before I go... The mountain we're going to has a beautiful lake right next to the lodge so wherever you are, you can see it. It's absolutely beautiful and I'm really excited for it.
I'm done writing today. I write too much I feel. Oh well, I don't care. Have a great night everyone, chao amigos.
05 July, 2009
Waves Crashing
Slept in fairly late today, it was nice. When I woke up, I turned on my computer and saw that the Wimbledon tennis final was happening live, so I decided to see if it was on TV since it was a pretty close game so far. Boy was I in for a surprise. I turned it on when Roger Federer had just gone up 2 sets to 1. Andy Roddick won the next set, and things were all tied up going into the final set (guys play best-of-5 sets). Well, normally they play the first to win six games in a set, and you have to win by two games. But since this was the 5th set, instead of a quick tie breaker, they continued playing game after game after game until someone finally won by two games. Well, they literally went back and forth winning games when it was their turn to serve. I thought I'd see Federer win his 15th Grand Slam title within a few minutes, but two hours later they were still playing. He eventually went up 15-14, and Roddick finally fell apart. They played an amazing game, but Federer ended up winning the 5th set 16-14. He now has more Grand Slam Titles than anyone, and I think he's by far the greatest tennis player of all time. I'm not even a big tennis fan, but have become a big Federer fan over the past few years.
When I finally went downstairs, my mom was happy to see I was alive. After watching the end of Home Alone 2 with Rodrigo Jr, we sat down to eat lunch. We had some beef and rice, and it was pretty tasty. They told me that later we'd be going to Reñeca, a town a few minutes north, so I could get to know it a little better.
After lunch, I had a nice Skype session with Alyssa. It was really nice to actually get to talk with her for longer than ten minutes. I'm really looking forward to seeing her. It's been almost two months now, that's two months too long if you ask me...
Later, we hopped in a car and drove along the coast through Reñeca for a bit. The waves were absolutely huge today. At one point, the waves crashed into the rocks and splashed water some thirty five feet or so up into the air and onto the road. I'm not even exaggerating, the road is up above the water about twenty five feet, and there's this one spot where the water would splash ten feet up above the road. We stopped the car at the base of a heavily populated mountain overlooking the water, which had a whole bunch of giant boulders and rocks attached to it. We were able to climb right out on these giant rocks which were essentially cliffs due to the steep edges all around. I took a bunch of pictures and captured some video and we just sat and watched giant waves crashing into even bigger rocks. It was absolutely gorgeous and I'm so glad my family brought me. I'll upload photos later so you can see what I'm talking about.
Later, we drove back through the main part of Reñeca and stopped along the main walkway above the beach. We got out and walked along the path, and I was just fascinated at the size of the waves. Some of the swells must have been 10 or more feet tall. It was really cool when one swell would overtake another swell just as the one in front was breaking, resulting in a huge crash of water splashing way up into the air. I took more pictures and then we got in the car and drove back.
Once home, I watched part of Speed Racer with Rodrigo. After, we had our once (burgers with cheese and tomato, definitely the most legit "burger" I've had so far). Now, I'm considering shaving since I haven't done so in over a week and it's starting to really bother me. I'm not looking forward to my first class tomorrow, it's going to be killer.
Oh yeah, my parents were talking about going to Santiago either next weekend or the weekend after so I can actually get to know the country's capital a bit before I leave. They also asked how I was getting to the airport when I leave and I said I have to find my own ride. They then got really excited because that meant they could take me =) Rodrigo also asked why I'm leaving rather than just staying with them. Ha, they're awesome. Gisela also told me that next time they're inviting me to come, all I have to do is give them a call or shoot them an email before. But she made sure to say that whether I come alone or with Alyssa, that they are inviting me and I am welcome whenever. I love my host family, they're great. If I ever have the money, I definitely will come back in the future.
On a final note, yesterday was my grandpa's birthday (I'm not sure quite how old he is, but I think he's about 87). I mentioned it in my previous entry, but that didn't do him justice. I think it's very fitting that he was born on Independence Day, he is a true American if I've ever seen one. He fought in World War II and got a purple heart after getting hit with shrapnel. He was a farmer for much of his life, until he eventually settled down in Pullman. He was very involved with politics up until a few years ago, always supporting the Grand Ole Party wholeheartedly. He loved his wife with all of his heart and was married for almost 60 years. He suffered a stroke in January of 2008 and unfortunately, he never has recovered enough to remember who I am, but he still never did forget his wife. I was at the nursing home with her one day visiting him, and he just kept staring at her rather than eating. She finally asked, "Why aren't you eating?" He replied "You're pretty." She asked, "What?" and he replied, "You're pretty, I love you." Although my grandma just ignored it and kept helping him eat, I will never forget that moment. Love, still strong and evident some 60 years later. Despite forgetting about most of his kids and grandchildren, he still knew who his wife was and that he was in love with her. I'm still not sure if he was able to comprehend my grandmother passing away last Fall, but I know that deep down he knows something's missing, and he can't wait to be with her again in heaven.
I miss you grandma. I love you and thanks for looking out for me.
That's all I can handle to write anymore.
When I finally went downstairs, my mom was happy to see I was alive. After watching the end of Home Alone 2 with Rodrigo Jr, we sat down to eat lunch. We had some beef and rice, and it was pretty tasty. They told me that later we'd be going to Reñeca, a town a few minutes north, so I could get to know it a little better.
After lunch, I had a nice Skype session with Alyssa. It was really nice to actually get to talk with her for longer than ten minutes. I'm really looking forward to seeing her. It's been almost two months now, that's two months too long if you ask me...
Later, we hopped in a car and drove along the coast through Reñeca for a bit. The waves were absolutely huge today. At one point, the waves crashed into the rocks and splashed water some thirty five feet or so up into the air and onto the road. I'm not even exaggerating, the road is up above the water about twenty five feet, and there's this one spot where the water would splash ten feet up above the road. We stopped the car at the base of a heavily populated mountain overlooking the water, which had a whole bunch of giant boulders and rocks attached to it. We were able to climb right out on these giant rocks which were essentially cliffs due to the steep edges all around. I took a bunch of pictures and captured some video and we just sat and watched giant waves crashing into even bigger rocks. It was absolutely gorgeous and I'm so glad my family brought me. I'll upload photos later so you can see what I'm talking about.
Later, we drove back through the main part of Reñeca and stopped along the main walkway above the beach. We got out and walked along the path, and I was just fascinated at the size of the waves. Some of the swells must have been 10 or more feet tall. It was really cool when one swell would overtake another swell just as the one in front was breaking, resulting in a huge crash of water splashing way up into the air. I took more pictures and then we got in the car and drove back.
Once home, I watched part of Speed Racer with Rodrigo. After, we had our once (burgers with cheese and tomato, definitely the most legit "burger" I've had so far). Now, I'm considering shaving since I haven't done so in over a week and it's starting to really bother me. I'm not looking forward to my first class tomorrow, it's going to be killer.
Oh yeah, my parents were talking about going to Santiago either next weekend or the weekend after so I can actually get to know the country's capital a bit before I leave. They also asked how I was getting to the airport when I leave and I said I have to find my own ride. They then got really excited because that meant they could take me =) Rodrigo also asked why I'm leaving rather than just staying with them. Ha, they're awesome. Gisela also told me that next time they're inviting me to come, all I have to do is give them a call or shoot them an email before. But she made sure to say that whether I come alone or with Alyssa, that they are inviting me and I am welcome whenever. I love my host family, they're great. If I ever have the money, I definitely will come back in the future.
On a final note, yesterday was my grandpa's birthday (I'm not sure quite how old he is, but I think he's about 87). I mentioned it in my previous entry, but that didn't do him justice. I think it's very fitting that he was born on Independence Day, he is a true American if I've ever seen one. He fought in World War II and got a purple heart after getting hit with shrapnel. He was a farmer for much of his life, until he eventually settled down in Pullman. He was very involved with politics up until a few years ago, always supporting the Grand Ole Party wholeheartedly. He loved his wife with all of his heart and was married for almost 60 years. He suffered a stroke in January of 2008 and unfortunately, he never has recovered enough to remember who I am, but he still never did forget his wife. I was at the nursing home with her one day visiting him, and he just kept staring at her rather than eating. She finally asked, "Why aren't you eating?" He replied "You're pretty." She asked, "What?" and he replied, "You're pretty, I love you." Although my grandma just ignored it and kept helping him eat, I will never forget that moment. Love, still strong and evident some 60 years later. Despite forgetting about most of his kids and grandchildren, he still knew who his wife was and that he was in love with her. I'm still not sure if he was able to comprehend my grandmother passing away last Fall, but I know that deep down he knows something's missing, and he can't wait to be with her again in heaven.
I miss you grandma. I love you and thanks for looking out for me.
That's all I can handle to write anymore.
Happy Birthday America
Today I had an absolutely awesome time on our second weekend excursion. After waking up and getting ready to leave, I hopped in a collectivo and rode to the Plaza Central to meet up with the group at the Teatro Municipal. There were a few vans waiting for us and another group of unfamiliar gringos standing around nearby. We were told previously that there was going to be another study abroad group of kids who all go to a university in North Carolina there as well, and since we're all exchange students at the University, they figured why not just combine them. They ended up being really cool people, and it we all bonded fairly well during the ride.
Once we arrived at the place, we had a quick meeting around a fire where they explained some things to us about where we were going, what to be careful about, and then had us sign forms saying they aren't responsible for our deaths. I didn't even bother reading it since they all say the same thing anyways.
Next, we headed out to the corral and met up with our horses. One by one, all 40 of us or so got on a horse and the majority of us just sat there wondering how the heck to get our horses to move. Luckily, I was a fast learner and got mine moving right away.
The next three hours or so were absolutely amazing. We started off by crossing through a river to get to the main sand dunes. Then we rode through some easy trails until reaching the base of the actual dunes. We rode up a huge dune and then proceeded to ride up and down dune after dune, crossing the river every so often (it reminded me of playing Oregon Trail. We obviously said screw taking a boat, we'll just ford this river!). Some dunes were crazy steep, so much so that at one point a girl's horse sat down because it didn't feel like going down anymore. She quickly hopped off and waited for a guide to come help her out. I had already made it down the dune earlier following a young boy who was one of our guides when the few of us who made it down were told that some of the others were too scared to go down, so we had to go back up another way to rejoin the group. Well, the way we decided to take was even steeper than the way we came down, and my horse bailed on it part way up, heading down a super steep bank. I managed to stop it and turn it around, and luckily got it up the hill on the second try.
I've been on sand dunes many times before, but I have never been able to ride a horse through them and it was such an awesome experience. We had great views at the top of the city and the Andes Mountains in the distance. After riding for a couple hours, we eventually crossed a railroad track and rode over the top of a small hill to see the beautiful ocean. The next part of the ride was definitely one of my favorites. Up until this point, we were only able to trot a bit on the dunes every so often. But on the beach, we were allowed to have our horses full out gallop along the ocean. I've ridden horses before like many people I'm sure have (though never through terrain like I did today), but I never have actually ridden a galloping horse before. I don't think quite as many people can say they've done that, especially along the beach. I was having such a great time that I couldn't stop laughing and smiling. I probably looked really funny with this big goofy grin while my horse was sprinting alongside some of the other horses, but I didn't care. I was having a blast.
At one point, we came across a sea lion on the beach. It was extremely weird since it was all alone and about forty feet from the water. It looked so funny, and it didn't even do anything when it was surrounded by a bunch of horses.
After riding for a while, we reached the end of our time on the beach and headed back home across a railroad bridge. After crossing another few rivers, we could finally see the end and the wonderful barbecue that was ready for us. It was a spectacular ride, but after three or so hours of being on a horse (especially while it's trotting), the pain really starts to get to you. My back, inner things, and knees are going to be super sore tomorrow...boo.
The fun didn't stop there though. Next up, the amazing barbecue complete with all sorts of salads and lots of different types of barbecued meat. I had potato salad, a traditional onion and tomato salad, corn salad, carrot salad, rice, beef, pork, and amazing cooked onions and potatoes. I also had super satisfying water (they had some wines available, but I'd choose water over wine any day since they never seem to drink it here). After, I had some good tea to help wash it all down. They had another fire going right near the tables, so we all just hung around talking by the fire for the next hour or so. It was a wonderful day, and a great way to spend the 4th of July while not actually being home.
On the way back, I was able to get dropped off right near my normal stop rather than head all the way into town just to spend money to get on a micro and head back. I had my once a little later with my mom and my two siblings, then I headed to my room to rest after the long day. I got invited to go to a discoteque (a dance club) and another group of people were going to the 'Merica party at the bar, but I passed on both since I'd much rather prefer just resting tonight than going out till super late. Plus, bars aren't my thing and I'm only a fan of dancing if I know I can just dance like a crazy fool by myself without having to worry about people getting all up in my grill.
I posted photos of the day on my facebook, and I also got the ones uploaded from the graffiti tour. But for now, I'm extremely tired and I need to get some sleep soon. Happy birthday Grandpa, hope you enjoyed it! And happy birthday to you too America, I miss you and all of the crazy things that make you what you are. Ok there's a lot of things I dont miss as well, but I figured I should sound a little patriotic since I really am proud to be American. I did wear my red, white and blue today though, so there. Speaking of being patriotic, check out one of the cheesiest videos I've ever seen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8GaO6L9WpA&feature=related
Amazing. Have a great night America, and be safe. Chao mis amigos.
Once we arrived at the place, we had a quick meeting around a fire where they explained some things to us about where we were going, what to be careful about, and then had us sign forms saying they aren't responsible for our deaths. I didn't even bother reading it since they all say the same thing anyways.
Next, we headed out to the corral and met up with our horses. One by one, all 40 of us or so got on a horse and the majority of us just sat there wondering how the heck to get our horses to move. Luckily, I was a fast learner and got mine moving right away.
The next three hours or so were absolutely amazing. We started off by crossing through a river to get to the main sand dunes. Then we rode through some easy trails until reaching the base of the actual dunes. We rode up a huge dune and then proceeded to ride up and down dune after dune, crossing the river every so often (it reminded me of playing Oregon Trail. We obviously said screw taking a boat, we'll just ford this river!). Some dunes were crazy steep, so much so that at one point a girl's horse sat down because it didn't feel like going down anymore. She quickly hopped off and waited for a guide to come help her out. I had already made it down the dune earlier following a young boy who was one of our guides when the few of us who made it down were told that some of the others were too scared to go down, so we had to go back up another way to rejoin the group. Well, the way we decided to take was even steeper than the way we came down, and my horse bailed on it part way up, heading down a super steep bank. I managed to stop it and turn it around, and luckily got it up the hill on the second try.
I've been on sand dunes many times before, but I have never been able to ride a horse through them and it was such an awesome experience. We had great views at the top of the city and the Andes Mountains in the distance. After riding for a couple hours, we eventually crossed a railroad track and rode over the top of a small hill to see the beautiful ocean. The next part of the ride was definitely one of my favorites. Up until this point, we were only able to trot a bit on the dunes every so often. But on the beach, we were allowed to have our horses full out gallop along the ocean. I've ridden horses before like many people I'm sure have (though never through terrain like I did today), but I never have actually ridden a galloping horse before. I don't think quite as many people can say they've done that, especially along the beach. I was having such a great time that I couldn't stop laughing and smiling. I probably looked really funny with this big goofy grin while my horse was sprinting alongside some of the other horses, but I didn't care. I was having a blast.
At one point, we came across a sea lion on the beach. It was extremely weird since it was all alone and about forty feet from the water. It looked so funny, and it didn't even do anything when it was surrounded by a bunch of horses.
After riding for a while, we reached the end of our time on the beach and headed back home across a railroad bridge. After crossing another few rivers, we could finally see the end and the wonderful barbecue that was ready for us. It was a spectacular ride, but after three or so hours of being on a horse (especially while it's trotting), the pain really starts to get to you. My back, inner things, and knees are going to be super sore tomorrow...boo.
The fun didn't stop there though. Next up, the amazing barbecue complete with all sorts of salads and lots of different types of barbecued meat. I had potato salad, a traditional onion and tomato salad, corn salad, carrot salad, rice, beef, pork, and amazing cooked onions and potatoes. I also had super satisfying water (they had some wines available, but I'd choose water over wine any day since they never seem to drink it here). After, I had some good tea to help wash it all down. They had another fire going right near the tables, so we all just hung around talking by the fire for the next hour or so. It was a wonderful day, and a great way to spend the 4th of July while not actually being home.
On the way back, I was able to get dropped off right near my normal stop rather than head all the way into town just to spend money to get on a micro and head back. I had my once a little later with my mom and my two siblings, then I headed to my room to rest after the long day. I got invited to go to a discoteque (a dance club) and another group of people were going to the 'Merica party at the bar, but I passed on both since I'd much rather prefer just resting tonight than going out till super late. Plus, bars aren't my thing and I'm only a fan of dancing if I know I can just dance like a crazy fool by myself without having to worry about people getting all up in my grill.
I posted photos of the day on my facebook, and I also got the ones uploaded from the graffiti tour. But for now, I'm extremely tired and I need to get some sleep soon. Happy birthday Grandpa, hope you enjoyed it! And happy birthday to you too America, I miss you and all of the crazy things that make you what you are. Ok there's a lot of things I dont miss as well, but I figured I should sound a little patriotic since I really am proud to be American. I did wear my red, white and blue today though, so there. Speaking of being patriotic, check out one of the cheesiest videos I've ever seen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8GaO6L9WpA&feature=related
Amazing. Have a great night America, and be safe. Chao mis amigos.
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