Tuvimos el segundo tour de la ciudad hoy (we had our second city tour today, for all you gringos). I've been called a gringo a few times now. I've been told it's not a negative thing, it's just what they call white people. I'm fine with it, I embrace my gringo-ness.
Today was a great day, minus the cold weather. I caught a micro into town as soon as I got to the bus stop, then I went to my first class. Wasn't the greatest, but I'll live to see another day. I've noticed the professor is real up and down with how nice he is to us. Today he kept asking us who some well known leftist Latin American people were. We obviously had no idea since no one was responding, but he kept waiting for us to answer. This wasn't the first time he's expected us to know just as much about Latin American history as he does. I think that's what irritates me the most about him. I'll deal with it.
For our second class, we met in a different building, and then we all walked to an open air market to explore and observe, and then interview one of the vendors. On our way there, our professor kept saying "caca" (poo poo) whenever we walked by some dog poop on the sidewalk to let us know so we wouldn't step on it. There was a Chilean man in front of him though who kept turning around everytime he heard it because he didn't understand why he was saying it. Then, he proceeded to point out a dog and say "perro" (dog). He started laughing and quietly said to me "mujer" (girl) when a girl walked by. I noticed a hobo sitting along a gate a little further down and once again he quitely said "homeless" to me and cracked up. Such a funny professor, I wish I could bring him back with me. After looking around a bit, I interviewed a nice old lady who has been working as a vendor for 48 years. She said she's in her 70's and wouldn't change a thing about her life. It was really neat and I plan on going back in the future to get some fresh fruits or vegetables only available in Chile.
After class, we had our second tour of Valparaíso. We hopped on a bus and headed to Cerro Bellavista (one of the 42 hills in Valparaíso) and took a tour of Pablo Naruda's house. He is the most famous Chilean writer and won the Nobel Prize for Literature way back when. His house (one of them) was absolutely amazing though! He purposefully found a house on top of a hill with a view of the entire city. Each of the four floors of the house had big windows stretching around the sides of the house, allowing him to view the ocean and city from his dining/living room on the 2nd floor, from his bedroom on the 3rd floor, and from the 4th floor where he used to write, his study. I would love to wake up every morning and see the view he had, magnifico! In his study he had a legit map of the America's from around the 1500's. Sadly, I was unable to photograph any of the unique furniture or pieces of art he had collected over time. He even had some artifacts from the I and II centuries; I was impressed. I was, however, allowed to take photos looking out the windows on each floor. You can check them out on my facebook if you'd like.
After his house, we hopped on the bus and went to another hill that is a very touristy place, but has one of the best views in the entire city. We were able to see almost all of the 42 hills or so found in Valparaíso. I took many pictures here as well, so feel free to check them out. Afterwards, we hopped on an ascensor (the second one I've been on so far), and headed down the hill to get on the bus. This ascensor was far larger than the last one though. We had about 15 people on it compared to the 8 we had last time. Once we got back to the University, I went over to the street where the micros come by, and was able to catch one within a minute. Shortest total waiting time for micros for the whole day so far? I think so.
After arriving home, I had my leftover lunch that I missed earlier, and then watched a Zorro movie on TV. I've found I enjoy TV so much more when it's in Spanish. I feel like I'm not completely wasting my time since I'm having to work to understand what they're saying.
Oh, there's a soccer team here called Everton that's celebrating it's 100 year anniversary this year, and they had a game tonight. That has nothing to do with my main point that I could hear the crowd cheering and chanting from inside my house during dinner. It was really cool even though I'm not much of a soccer fan. I would definitely like to go to a game, hopefully I'll have the chance to.
Well my thoughts are getting more and more scattered as I go. It's late, I'm tired, and I'm cold. I miss sun.
Buenas noches amigos, chao.
24 June, 2009
Frio Frio Frio
Hace muy frio hoy! It's about 34 degrees here this morning, tell me again why I decided to give up two of my three favorite months of the year to go back to winter? This definitely will be up there for my favorite August yet...
Fun fact: It's so cold that after I'm done taking a fairly quick and warm (not extremely hot) shower, the bathroom has become so full of steam that yesterday I couldn't clearly see my towel on the ground five feet or so away from me.
Yesterday was just another day, I understood my first professor and he let us out ten minutes or so early. It was very warm and sunny outside so we ate lunch in the plaza right across from the campus. I still need to take some pictures of the campus, it's really unique. Our second class the professor had to be somewhere at 3:30 so he let us out a half hour early. A few of us went into the city a bit to find an open air market and I bought myself a sweet iPod case for 1.500 pesos (a little less than three bucks). After, we were supposed to have an excursion with our Chilean students at 4, but by 4:25 we hadn't seen anyone. Luckily, my group's leaders showed up just as we were about to leave so we headed through the city to the Natural History Museum of Valparaíso. It wasn't what I was expecting, but it was very interesting to say the least. They had a two-headed baby in a glass jar. Right across the street, there was a really neat plaza that we went and checked out. I love the plazas here, they're so beautiful and relazing. I took photos of the day and posted them on my facebook if you care to see.
To get home, I hopped on a micro and ended up getting stuck in a huge taco (traffic jam). It was so backed up, and our micro kept blocking other lanes of traffic so finally he just went and cut off tons of angry cars. It really was the smartest thing though because if he hadn't, they would've been waiting even longer to get by him. It turns out, there was an accident up ahead that was only taking up one lane, but I guess they're just like Americans in that whenever there's an accident, everyone has to drive by really slowly to see what's going on, which causes everyone behind them to slow down and stop.
After dinner, Rodrigo Jr. asked if I could help him study English. I said of course and so we worked a while and I helped him learn some of the irregular verbs in past tense. Gabriela also asked if I could help her out by going over a test she took, and then going over the use of any-, every-, some-, and no-. It felt good to actually know something here, haha.
It's cold here, except it's supposed to get up to 62 today. It's very strange. I need to get to class soon. My culture and conversation class is going to a fruit and vegetable market today, I think it should be exciting. I love how with my classes here, the professors will just take us walking through the city to experience first hand what we're learning about. I guess Spokane just isn't full of as much life as Valparaíso is, haha.
Chao mis amigos.
Fun fact: It's so cold that after I'm done taking a fairly quick and warm (not extremely hot) shower, the bathroom has become so full of steam that yesterday I couldn't clearly see my towel on the ground five feet or so away from me.
Yesterday was just another day, I understood my first professor and he let us out ten minutes or so early. It was very warm and sunny outside so we ate lunch in the plaza right across from the campus. I still need to take some pictures of the campus, it's really unique. Our second class the professor had to be somewhere at 3:30 so he let us out a half hour early. A few of us went into the city a bit to find an open air market and I bought myself a sweet iPod case for 1.500 pesos (a little less than three bucks). After, we were supposed to have an excursion with our Chilean students at 4, but by 4:25 we hadn't seen anyone. Luckily, my group's leaders showed up just as we were about to leave so we headed through the city to the Natural History Museum of Valparaíso. It wasn't what I was expecting, but it was very interesting to say the least. They had a two-headed baby in a glass jar. Right across the street, there was a really neat plaza that we went and checked out. I love the plazas here, they're so beautiful and relazing. I took photos of the day and posted them on my facebook if you care to see.
To get home, I hopped on a micro and ended up getting stuck in a huge taco (traffic jam). It was so backed up, and our micro kept blocking other lanes of traffic so finally he just went and cut off tons of angry cars. It really was the smartest thing though because if he hadn't, they would've been waiting even longer to get by him. It turns out, there was an accident up ahead that was only taking up one lane, but I guess they're just like Americans in that whenever there's an accident, everyone has to drive by really slowly to see what's going on, which causes everyone behind them to slow down and stop.
After dinner, Rodrigo Jr. asked if I could help him study English. I said of course and so we worked a while and I helped him learn some of the irregular verbs in past tense. Gabriela also asked if I could help her out by going over a test she took, and then going over the use of any-, every-, some-, and no-. It felt good to actually know something here, haha.
It's cold here, except it's supposed to get up to 62 today. It's very strange. I need to get to class soon. My culture and conversation class is going to a fruit and vegetable market today, I think it should be exciting. I love how with my classes here, the professors will just take us walking through the city to experience first hand what we're learning about. I guess Spokane just isn't full of as much life as Valparaíso is, haha.
Chao mis amigos.
22 June, 2009
Life In a Refrigerator
I feel like I'm living in a refrigerator. I thought I'd be able to adjust fairly quickly but everyday seems to get colder and colder at night. Probably because it is, since winter is just setting in here, but that's not important, ha. I think my house is especially cold since it's still being worked on so we don't have carpet or real ceilings in parts of the house to help contain the heat (in fact my room is the only one with carpeting). The main part outside of the rooms on the second floor is just tin roofing and such, so there's no insulation to keep it warm. I did discover that because of the constant temperature, I can leave any type of drink I want chilled such as my water bottle in my room and it will be just the right temperature next time I drink it =) But seriously, my hands and nose are definitely not fans (if either of those had a facebook page and they had those stupid fan pages for the temperature here, they would not become fans). I can't wait to defrost in California on my way home.
Yesterday was Father's Day. I was a bad son and didn't do anything for my real dad or my host dad. Poo. I did, however, enjoy a wonderful barbecue for lunch with my family. Once everyone woke up I went with Rodrigo to a few nearby shops to buy carbon (charcoal as we so call it, though the charcoal here really is carbon, it doesn't come in small coals like we're used to), small sausages, some tomatoes, and some superbueno salsa. (I found out today in class that they don't like things spicy here, something I'm very happy about) For our lunch we had their traditional salad with lemon juice, olive oil, and salt (it's got a very interesting flavor), a Chilean salad that just consisted of tomatoes and onions (very good indeed), the small sausage on a piece of bread with the salsa, rice, pork, and steak. Oh how I loved having steak. I finished off one plate of the steak and pork and they asked if I wanted seconds and I said sure assuming it'd be just a half a piece or so. Much to my surprise, I ended up getting two more pieces of steak, each bigger than my first. Well, I tried my best but could only get through one and left the other on my plate. They sure know how to eat lunch here...
After, we all got in the car and went down to the beach to walk along and check out the vendors. My mom kept showing me stuff I could buy for my pelola and I saw quite a few things that I want to go check out again. While there, Rodrigo got himself an illegal copy of Wolverine: X-Men Origins for Father's Day (which explained how they already had a copy of Fast and Furious [not the first, but the 4th {yeah, real unique name right? (is this how you do this many thoughts in one sentence? I'm not sure...oh well)}]). It was just about time for the sun to set when we arrived and luckily I had my camera with me this time so I was able to catch some amazing photographs of the beautifully colored sky. You can check them out on my facebook if you want: http://www.facebook.com/matthewluttrell
Boy how I love the ocean. Other than Rodrigo, my family didn't really seem to care that much about the beautiful sight in front of us. I still don't understand how they don't appreciate their city...or at least it doesn't seem like it. I guess they're just used to it.
After walking back through downtown Viña, we hopped in the car and picked up some completos on our way back. A completo is Chile's type of hotdog, complete with mayonaise, cheese, and guacamole. It's better than it sounds, though hotdogs aren't that good to begin with. After, we all watched Wolverine and then went to bed. Very good day and a really fun weekend. Next weekend I'm going to Papudo =)
Today, I woke up and shaved for the first time since arriving. I really am not a fan of shaving but I don't like looking like a bum. Life is tough, let me tell you...ha. I was a little worried today since I only had 870 pesos in change and I knew that most micros are between 430 and 500 pesos. Luckily, I hopped on a micro for 430 in the morning and decided that I'd go to Easy (the Wal Mart of Chile) after class to get change for my 10.000 pesos bill.
First class was horrible. I hardly understood anything he was trying to tell us, and I don't think anyone else in class did either. It's not that I couldn't understand him; it's just difficult to comprehend a difficult concept in general, yet alone in your second language. Luckily we had enough time to eat lunch today though. Second class was a lot of fun again. We learned about a Chilean identity, and if one exists or not. After, our professor took us to the first week of the graffiti workshop. We met his friend whose nickname is charquipunk, and he talked to us about how graffiti emerged as it is today in Valparaíso about 10 years ago (actual murals instead of just simply tagging buildings), and then talked about the different types of graffiti and some of the more famous artists. He also showed us some of his own work and boy is it amazing. I'm so super stoked to watch him work and be able to do it myself =) If you want to see some of his work, you can see it here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/charquipunk/
His signature is a cat, if you can't tell, hehe.
After class I walked over to the Jumbo/Easy complex and wandered around for a bit before picking something out for my pelola =) I thought for sure I'd be able to pay for a 990 peso thing with a 10.000 peso bill (about equal to $20) with no problem, but sure enough the cashier didn't have enough cash and had to have a manager come give him change. Luckily, I have enough money for the micro for a few days. After leaving, I hopped on another micro for another 430 pesos so I didn't have to use any of my new billetes (bills) and had just enough moneda (coins) to pay for it. The driver was also really nice and made sure he told me how much it would be in a way I could understand rather than using slang terms. He then asked how to say 430 in English and proceeded to say "Four thousand right? Four thousand." I kindly corrected him and he smiled and thanked me and I took my seat. Best driver I've had so far? I think so.
Speaking of the micros, I've decided I'm a huge fan. Not only are they fairly cheap (about 80 cents each way), but they're also super exciting. Where else can you get a sweet view of the ocean (I saw the sunset again today), an exciting ride weaving in and out of traffic like Jason Bourne, and a firsthand view of the city every day, all in about twenty minutes or so? I think my favorite part is not knowing what route it'll take, just where I'm going to end up. There are hundreds of different micros, and they all take different streets and routes, but as long as they have one of two different street names for my way to school, or one name for my way back, I'm good to take it. Every day I discover a new part of town as the adventure unfolds before my very eyes. Oh micros...how crazy you are. Fun fact: Rodrigo told me the drivers work 7 days a week, from about 7 AM-7 PM (I dont know how long of a break they get, if one at all, but I imagine it's not very long), and they just drive the same route back and forth, back and forth. The only salary they have depends on how many tickets they hand out to customers so it kinda explains why they're so aggressive. Know you know..
After returning to a locked gate and waiting for a few minutes for my family to show up, my mom made me eat the lunch I wasn't able to eat earlier since I stayed after class. Immediately following, they brought out all the food for their once and I had some bread with the amazing Cougar Cheese I brought, and then finally had some Chilean pastries. I've heard from all my other classmates that they have desserts all the time, but I'm sure it's better for me in the long run =) I watched part of Shrek 3 then another movie about Werewolves, and then came to my room to relax. I just now finished downloading and listening to Coldplay's free new live album. Me gustó mucho. Now, it is midnight and time for bed. It's supposed to be 60 tomorrow, I'm hoping so...
Chao and buenas noches.
Yesterday was Father's Day. I was a bad son and didn't do anything for my real dad or my host dad. Poo. I did, however, enjoy a wonderful barbecue for lunch with my family. Once everyone woke up I went with Rodrigo to a few nearby shops to buy carbon (charcoal as we so call it, though the charcoal here really is carbon, it doesn't come in small coals like we're used to), small sausages, some tomatoes, and some superbueno salsa. (I found out today in class that they don't like things spicy here, something I'm very happy about) For our lunch we had their traditional salad with lemon juice, olive oil, and salt (it's got a very interesting flavor), a Chilean salad that just consisted of tomatoes and onions (very good indeed), the small sausage on a piece of bread with the salsa, rice, pork, and steak. Oh how I loved having steak. I finished off one plate of the steak and pork and they asked if I wanted seconds and I said sure assuming it'd be just a half a piece or so. Much to my surprise, I ended up getting two more pieces of steak, each bigger than my first. Well, I tried my best but could only get through one and left the other on my plate. They sure know how to eat lunch here...
After, we all got in the car and went down to the beach to walk along and check out the vendors. My mom kept showing me stuff I could buy for my pelola and I saw quite a few things that I want to go check out again. While there, Rodrigo got himself an illegal copy of Wolverine: X-Men Origins for Father's Day (which explained how they already had a copy of Fast and Furious [not the first, but the 4th {yeah, real unique name right? (is this how you do this many thoughts in one sentence? I'm not sure...oh well)}]). It was just about time for the sun to set when we arrived and luckily I had my camera with me this time so I was able to catch some amazing photographs of the beautifully colored sky. You can check them out on my facebook if you want: http://www.facebook.com/matthewluttrell
Boy how I love the ocean. Other than Rodrigo, my family didn't really seem to care that much about the beautiful sight in front of us. I still don't understand how they don't appreciate their city...or at least it doesn't seem like it. I guess they're just used to it.
After walking back through downtown Viña, we hopped in the car and picked up some completos on our way back. A completo is Chile's type of hotdog, complete with mayonaise, cheese, and guacamole. It's better than it sounds, though hotdogs aren't that good to begin with. After, we all watched Wolverine and then went to bed. Very good day and a really fun weekend. Next weekend I'm going to Papudo =)
Today, I woke up and shaved for the first time since arriving. I really am not a fan of shaving but I don't like looking like a bum. Life is tough, let me tell you...ha. I was a little worried today since I only had 870 pesos in change and I knew that most micros are between 430 and 500 pesos. Luckily, I hopped on a micro for 430 in the morning and decided that I'd go to Easy (the Wal Mart of Chile) after class to get change for my 10.000 pesos bill.
First class was horrible. I hardly understood anything he was trying to tell us, and I don't think anyone else in class did either. It's not that I couldn't understand him; it's just difficult to comprehend a difficult concept in general, yet alone in your second language. Luckily we had enough time to eat lunch today though. Second class was a lot of fun again. We learned about a Chilean identity, and if one exists or not. After, our professor took us to the first week of the graffiti workshop. We met his friend whose nickname is charquipunk, and he talked to us about how graffiti emerged as it is today in Valparaíso about 10 years ago (actual murals instead of just simply tagging buildings), and then talked about the different types of graffiti and some of the more famous artists. He also showed us some of his own work and boy is it amazing. I'm so super stoked to watch him work and be able to do it myself =) If you want to see some of his work, you can see it here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/charquipunk/
His signature is a cat, if you can't tell, hehe.
After class I walked over to the Jumbo/Easy complex and wandered around for a bit before picking something out for my pelola =) I thought for sure I'd be able to pay for a 990 peso thing with a 10.000 peso bill (about equal to $20) with no problem, but sure enough the cashier didn't have enough cash and had to have a manager come give him change. Luckily, I have enough money for the micro for a few days. After leaving, I hopped on another micro for another 430 pesos so I didn't have to use any of my new billetes (bills) and had just enough moneda (coins) to pay for it. The driver was also really nice and made sure he told me how much it would be in a way I could understand rather than using slang terms. He then asked how to say 430 in English and proceeded to say "Four thousand right? Four thousand." I kindly corrected him and he smiled and thanked me and I took my seat. Best driver I've had so far? I think so.
Speaking of the micros, I've decided I'm a huge fan. Not only are they fairly cheap (about 80 cents each way), but they're also super exciting. Where else can you get a sweet view of the ocean (I saw the sunset again today), an exciting ride weaving in and out of traffic like Jason Bourne, and a firsthand view of the city every day, all in about twenty minutes or so? I think my favorite part is not knowing what route it'll take, just where I'm going to end up. There are hundreds of different micros, and they all take different streets and routes, but as long as they have one of two different street names for my way to school, or one name for my way back, I'm good to take it. Every day I discover a new part of town as the adventure unfolds before my very eyes. Oh micros...how crazy you are. Fun fact: Rodrigo told me the drivers work 7 days a week, from about 7 AM-7 PM (I dont know how long of a break they get, if one at all, but I imagine it's not very long), and they just drive the same route back and forth, back and forth. The only salary they have depends on how many tickets they hand out to customers so it kinda explains why they're so aggressive. Know you know..
After returning to a locked gate and waiting for a few minutes for my family to show up, my mom made me eat the lunch I wasn't able to eat earlier since I stayed after class. Immediately following, they brought out all the food for their once and I had some bread with the amazing Cougar Cheese I brought, and then finally had some Chilean pastries. I've heard from all my other classmates that they have desserts all the time, but I'm sure it's better for me in the long run =) I watched part of Shrek 3 then another movie about Werewolves, and then came to my room to relax. I just now finished downloading and listening to Coldplay's free new live album. Me gustó mucho. Now, it is midnight and time for bed. It's supposed to be 60 tomorrow, I'm hoping so...
Chao and buenas noches.
21 June, 2009
Casablanca Vineyards
Yesterday we went to the vineyards of Casablanca, some of the most well known in the world. The entire trip was sweet from the moment we left until the moment we got back. When I woke up, the sun was shining and the birds were chirping (and the rooster was crowing, somewhere close by, haha). It was so much nicer than the rainy day before. We met at the Teatro Municipal in downtown Viña, and then hopped on a bus to drive the hour or so to the vineyard. Waiting for us on each seat was a water bottle, phamplet for the vineyard we were going to, some information about different types of wines, and then a chocolate bar with either the word "Chile" or "Exclusivo" written on it. It was quite a welcome, and it was nice to finally have just plain water.
Once we arrived to the vineyard, we all hopped onto a huge horse drawn carriage and took a tour of the vineyard. The two horses together were like the size of a minivan, they were huge! Next, we got off and a tour guide described the 26 different varieties of wine they produce. Afterwards, we went inside to the wine tasting room. It was so big and there was a beautiful fountain inside. Though I'm not a fan of wine, the cheese they had to go along with it certainly tasted good =) After listening to him talk for a while and teaching everyone how to taste wine, we moved on to the wine history tour, or into the time machine as they called it. Our guide walked us through this room full of actual restored equipment from as far back as around 1850. It was pretty interesting seeing how wine used to be made, and our guide was pretty funny too. Next, we went outside to this big arena and watched a Chilean rodeo show. It was really cool, and interesting to see how their rodeos differ from ours. Finally, we went back inside for my favorite part of the day, lunch.
This was definitely the fanciest meal I've ever eaten (though not the best). When we sat down we had three knives, three forks, a spoon, two different sized glasses (they later brought out a third smaller one), and a plate. They brought out some really good pre-appetizers (I say pre-appetizer because much to my surprise we ordered another one as well) for us to eat before we ordered. We then got to choose an appetizer, main course, and dessert. I went for the Chilean appetizer and dessert, and then a normal type of beef for the main course. The appetizer was alright, except I couldn't really tell what kind of meat it was. It also had some breadsticks with it which were exactly that, sticks of bread. The main course was really good, except it came with a shot glass with some chocolate-colored liquid in it with whipped cream on top. Very deceiving, let me tell you. I had tasted the cream and so I decided I'd drink away, except it ended up being another type of gravy for my meat. Gross. I then decided to let others share the fun with me, so I asked another student if he had his chocolate mousse shot yet, and he said no, so we said cheers and I let him discover the joy that was the gravy. Hahaha, wonderful. My meal also had some potatoes wrapped in bacon, and then zuchini with carrots in it. Finally, they brought out our dessert and I went for the traditional Chilean dessert of dried peaches and a type of corn. It was shaped in a pyramid and looked really cool (their presentation of every meal was fantastic). I know corn and peaches don't sound good together, but the corn was more like barley or something other than corn, and the peaches were soaked in Papaya juice and the taste was strong enough that the corn didn't affect it at all. It was surprisingly good and I'm glad I ordered it. The best part was that the entire day and the grand meal was included in the price of the ISEP trip, so we just got up and left.
On the way back to Viña, some of the other students were talking about going to the mall later in the evening at around 6:30 and I figured I'd see if my family had anything planned and if not, that I'd tag along as well. Well as soon as I got back, my mom told me that they were going to her sister's birthday party and that I'm coming too. I was really confused because I thought she meant really soon so I figured I'd have to skip the mall, but they just went on with their evening as usual, and then we had our "dinner" meal at around 8:30. Afterwards, they rushed off to the store and I was left at home with my two siblings. I noticed Gabriela looked like she had gotten ready to go somewhere though, so I figured she had plans for the evening. The parents came home and didn't say anything about leaving so at this point I assumed I hadn't heard her correctly and that the party would actually be today. Well, at about 10 PM Rodrigo came up to my room and said, "Alright let's go, make sure you bring a jacket". Boy was I a little surprised, haha. I guess they like to start parties late here.
Although it was a little weird being in a house full of their other family members, they were all very nice to me. In fact, the first thing they asked when I got there is if I wanted any rum or whiskey, haha. I opted for the apple juice instead (I dont know what it is but their juice tastes so much better than in the US...). The party was just a few different families sitting around in the living room talking, nothing too big. One of the other families had a newborn baby and another had a two year old daughter. She probaby spent half the night dancing to the music they had on, it was really cute =) At around 12, my family decided that I was probably tired so we all got in the car and took off. On the way home, a cop pulled up behind us with his lights on, but Rodrigo made no attempt to pull over or anything. In fact, we drove for a few blocks with the cop behind us (I thought for a second, are we really running from the cops right now?) before it finally went a different way. I guess I don't understand how the police and traffic stops work here...
It's 11:30 AM, and I think my mom is the only one up right now. They weren't kidding when they said they sleep in on Sundays. If I understood correctly, I think we're going to the beach later today. I'm pretty excited, it sounds like fun. But for now, my fingers are super cold and can't type much more. Enjoy the warmth.
Chao.
Once we arrived to the vineyard, we all hopped onto a huge horse drawn carriage and took a tour of the vineyard. The two horses together were like the size of a minivan, they were huge! Next, we got off and a tour guide described the 26 different varieties of wine they produce. Afterwards, we went inside to the wine tasting room. It was so big and there was a beautiful fountain inside. Though I'm not a fan of wine, the cheese they had to go along with it certainly tasted good =) After listening to him talk for a while and teaching everyone how to taste wine, we moved on to the wine history tour, or into the time machine as they called it. Our guide walked us through this room full of actual restored equipment from as far back as around 1850. It was pretty interesting seeing how wine used to be made, and our guide was pretty funny too. Next, we went outside to this big arena and watched a Chilean rodeo show. It was really cool, and interesting to see how their rodeos differ from ours. Finally, we went back inside for my favorite part of the day, lunch.
This was definitely the fanciest meal I've ever eaten (though not the best). When we sat down we had three knives, three forks, a spoon, two different sized glasses (they later brought out a third smaller one), and a plate. They brought out some really good pre-appetizers (I say pre-appetizer because much to my surprise we ordered another one as well) for us to eat before we ordered. We then got to choose an appetizer, main course, and dessert. I went for the Chilean appetizer and dessert, and then a normal type of beef for the main course. The appetizer was alright, except I couldn't really tell what kind of meat it was. It also had some breadsticks with it which were exactly that, sticks of bread. The main course was really good, except it came with a shot glass with some chocolate-colored liquid in it with whipped cream on top. Very deceiving, let me tell you. I had tasted the cream and so I decided I'd drink away, except it ended up being another type of gravy for my meat. Gross. I then decided to let others share the fun with me, so I asked another student if he had his chocolate mousse shot yet, and he said no, so we said cheers and I let him discover the joy that was the gravy. Hahaha, wonderful. My meal also had some potatoes wrapped in bacon, and then zuchini with carrots in it. Finally, they brought out our dessert and I went for the traditional Chilean dessert of dried peaches and a type of corn. It was shaped in a pyramid and looked really cool (their presentation of every meal was fantastic). I know corn and peaches don't sound good together, but the corn was more like barley or something other than corn, and the peaches were soaked in Papaya juice and the taste was strong enough that the corn didn't affect it at all. It was surprisingly good and I'm glad I ordered it. The best part was that the entire day and the grand meal was included in the price of the ISEP trip, so we just got up and left.
On the way back to Viña, some of the other students were talking about going to the mall later in the evening at around 6:30 and I figured I'd see if my family had anything planned and if not, that I'd tag along as well. Well as soon as I got back, my mom told me that they were going to her sister's birthday party and that I'm coming too. I was really confused because I thought she meant really soon so I figured I'd have to skip the mall, but they just went on with their evening as usual, and then we had our "dinner" meal at around 8:30. Afterwards, they rushed off to the store and I was left at home with my two siblings. I noticed Gabriela looked like she had gotten ready to go somewhere though, so I figured she had plans for the evening. The parents came home and didn't say anything about leaving so at this point I assumed I hadn't heard her correctly and that the party would actually be today. Well, at about 10 PM Rodrigo came up to my room and said, "Alright let's go, make sure you bring a jacket". Boy was I a little surprised, haha. I guess they like to start parties late here.
Although it was a little weird being in a house full of their other family members, they were all very nice to me. In fact, the first thing they asked when I got there is if I wanted any rum or whiskey, haha. I opted for the apple juice instead (I dont know what it is but their juice tastes so much better than in the US...). The party was just a few different families sitting around in the living room talking, nothing too big. One of the other families had a newborn baby and another had a two year old daughter. She probaby spent half the night dancing to the music they had on, it was really cute =) At around 12, my family decided that I was probably tired so we all got in the car and took off. On the way home, a cop pulled up behind us with his lights on, but Rodrigo made no attempt to pull over or anything. In fact, we drove for a few blocks with the cop behind us (I thought for a second, are we really running from the cops right now?) before it finally went a different way. I guess I don't understand how the police and traffic stops work here...
It's 11:30 AM, and I think my mom is the only one up right now. They weren't kidding when they said they sleep in on Sundays. If I understood correctly, I think we're going to the beach later today. I'm pretty excited, it sounds like fun. But for now, my fingers are super cold and can't type much more. Enjoy the warmth.
Chao.
19 June, 2009
Rain
Dios mio, la lluvia fue muy fuerte!
I think I now understand the phrase, "When it rains, it pours". Whoever said it must've lived in Chile. The rain here was so strong and continuous today, it woke me up in the morning because of how loud it was. (I later realized it's because part of my house is only covered by a tin roof, so it was amplifying it majorly). Seattle ain't got nothin' on Chile! I'm not exaggerating when I say the streets literally had rivers flowing down them. I don't know where all of the rain was coming from, but it just rushed down every street as if it were being chased by a giant ShamWow ready to soak it all up. (Did you know that ShamWow guy was arrested for some hardcore drug use or something? Go figure) On that same note, I think we stepped on a ShamWow today to wipe our feet as we were going to one of our classes. Today was the day that the ShamWow ruled supreme in my world I guess. Anyways, the water ended up making small lagoons all over the city. Some so deep that they filled the streets, went up over the curb, and had the sidewalk under about an inch or so of water. You know all those movies and TV shows where people get splashed? So totally happened all day today. Buses and cars came flying down the streets as usual, and would splash through these lakes sending water flying ten feet up onto and over the sidewalks. Luckily I was able to avoid this unpleasant occurence, but I know it happened a lot today. I still feel like I'm drying off.
Classes were good, nothing too special happened today. I finally was able to instant message mi polola (Alyssa) today for the first time. It was good to communicate (and by communicate I mean more than an email or facebook post) with someone from back home.
My family and I all played the Scattergories type game tonight. It was super fun, even though I did horrible. I did manage to beat my mom though =) I found out I do not know any fruits/vegetables or animals/birds. The whole time Rodrigo kept hiding his answers and changing them at the last minute, and I dont know why but I found it hilarious! The family was laughing so much and I really enjoyed my time.
Oh, that brings me to my final and happiest point thus far from Chile. Before we began playing, Rodrigo was asking me how the other ISEP students' families were and if they had any problems. I said no since as far as I know everyone has super awesome host families. But then he continued to tell me how happy they are because they got such a great student to host. They were worried that I wouldn't get along with them, or that I wouldn't be willing to change how I live to how they live, or that I just wouldn't be a nice person. But he said I'm very relaxed, super nice, intelligent, and that they couldn't have asked for a better person to host. They also are really appreciative that I've gotten accustomed to how they live so quickly. It was really nice to hear, and I'm so glad I got such an awesome family. He already is introducing me as his son to people I've met =) It's wonderful.
And I'll leave you on that happy note since I need to sleep now. Buenas noches mis amigos.
I think I now understand the phrase, "When it rains, it pours". Whoever said it must've lived in Chile. The rain here was so strong and continuous today, it woke me up in the morning because of how loud it was. (I later realized it's because part of my house is only covered by a tin roof, so it was amplifying it majorly). Seattle ain't got nothin' on Chile! I'm not exaggerating when I say the streets literally had rivers flowing down them. I don't know where all of the rain was coming from, but it just rushed down every street as if it were being chased by a giant ShamWow ready to soak it all up. (Did you know that ShamWow guy was arrested for some hardcore drug use or something? Go figure) On that same note, I think we stepped on a ShamWow today to wipe our feet as we were going to one of our classes. Today was the day that the ShamWow ruled supreme in my world I guess. Anyways, the water ended up making small lagoons all over the city. Some so deep that they filled the streets, went up over the curb, and had the sidewalk under about an inch or so of water. You know all those movies and TV shows where people get splashed? So totally happened all day today. Buses and cars came flying down the streets as usual, and would splash through these lakes sending water flying ten feet up onto and over the sidewalks. Luckily I was able to avoid this unpleasant occurence, but I know it happened a lot today. I still feel like I'm drying off.
Classes were good, nothing too special happened today. I finally was able to instant message mi polola (Alyssa) today for the first time. It was good to communicate (and by communicate I mean more than an email or facebook post) with someone from back home.
My family and I all played the Scattergories type game tonight. It was super fun, even though I did horrible. I did manage to beat my mom though =) I found out I do not know any fruits/vegetables or animals/birds. The whole time Rodrigo kept hiding his answers and changing them at the last minute, and I dont know why but I found it hilarious! The family was laughing so much and I really enjoyed my time.
Oh, that brings me to my final and happiest point thus far from Chile. Before we began playing, Rodrigo was asking me how the other ISEP students' families were and if they had any problems. I said no since as far as I know everyone has super awesome host families. But then he continued to tell me how happy they are because they got such a great student to host. They were worried that I wouldn't get along with them, or that I wouldn't be willing to change how I live to how they live, or that I just wouldn't be a nice person. But he said I'm very relaxed, super nice, intelligent, and that they couldn't have asked for a better person to host. They also are really appreciative that I've gotten accustomed to how they live so quickly. It was really nice to hear, and I'm so glad I got such an awesome family. He already is introducing me as his son to people I've met =) It's wonderful.
And I'll leave you on that happy note since I need to sleep now. Buenas noches mis amigos.
18 June, 2009
I'm Getting A Cold
I'm getting a cold, or at least that's what my family thinks. They sent the kids out tonight to get me some medicine to take at night and in the morning. They think it's because I'm getting accustomed to the weather. I think it's because my body misses the 90 degree weather I had at home...ha. But seriously, they're right about my body having to adjust. It's a big difference going from 90 degrees in a very dry city to 50 degrees in a very humid city, so it's to be expected that my nose would act up. I love how they get stuff for me before I even realize I may need it.
Day 2 of bad professor went much better. I could actually comprehend what he was saying today, and he was a lot nicer and accepted our opionions as that and then offered any corrections if necessary rather than just say we were wrong. Although I still think the class will be hard, I dont think it will be because of a bad professor.
I still love my other professor. Today he went over words and expressions only used in Chile, including a very bad word that is used in more ways than any word he knows. It's used positively to greet friends, negatively towards enemies, as a verb, a noun, an adjective, and it's used so much that it's even included in their dictionaries. It was really funny to hear him explain it, and then he had us ask him about any words we've heard so far. It was really cool because after explaining a unique way in which they use the vosotros informal you form, and then the absence of S's in many words, I heard my host family use the same form tonight and I totally understood how them saying "I am" really meant "you are". Ha, I guess you probably have to speak Spanish to know what I'm talking about...
After class, I came home and Gabriela reheated some lunch for me. I'm still getting used to the gender roles here and how I have to let others do everything for me. I did however carry my plates over to the sink when she wasn't around =) haha! I talked with her a bit too and found out her pololo (boyfriend [I found out that novio is only used when you're engaged to someone, so now I say I have a polola named Alyssa]) of a year and four months is coming to visit this weekend. He lives in Santiago about an hour and a half away and they see each other about two or three times a month, I'm not sure exactly. It'll be cool to finally meet this talked about guy.
We had a meeting today between my two classes and I found out that we're all going to the vineyards of Casablanca this weekend. We'll have a tour, learn about different wines, and then have lunch. The wines are very well known throughout the world so it'll be pretty cool to visit there.
Tomorrow, my fellow classmate David and I are possibly going to go explore the city together after class. We both have the same classes and we get done by 3:30 so I was like, hey why don't we go explore this sweet place? I'm pretty excited for that.
Finally, Rodrigo just asked me if I play a game en los estados unidos (US) where it says something and you write down a word that starts with a certain letter for each one, and I was like "Oh yeah, Scattergories!!! I like that one!" He said the family will all be playing it tomorrow to practice our Spanish and such since they don't have work on Saturday. I'm so stoked, little do they know that I'm a certified pro at this game...haha, I'm going to get rocked in Spanish though. Oh well, it'll be fun nonetheless (I always feel weird writing that word, it just doesn't look right, but it looks worse spaced out)! Well I think my medicine is starting to kick in. Have a wonderful time getting tan and such.
Ciao.
Day 2 of bad professor went much better. I could actually comprehend what he was saying today, and he was a lot nicer and accepted our opionions as that and then offered any corrections if necessary rather than just say we were wrong. Although I still think the class will be hard, I dont think it will be because of a bad professor.
I still love my other professor. Today he went over words and expressions only used in Chile, including a very bad word that is used in more ways than any word he knows. It's used positively to greet friends, negatively towards enemies, as a verb, a noun, an adjective, and it's used so much that it's even included in their dictionaries. It was really funny to hear him explain it, and then he had us ask him about any words we've heard so far. It was really cool because after explaining a unique way in which they use the vosotros informal you form, and then the absence of S's in many words, I heard my host family use the same form tonight and I totally understood how them saying "I am" really meant "you are". Ha, I guess you probably have to speak Spanish to know what I'm talking about...
After class, I came home and Gabriela reheated some lunch for me. I'm still getting used to the gender roles here and how I have to let others do everything for me. I did however carry my plates over to the sink when she wasn't around =) haha! I talked with her a bit too and found out her pololo (boyfriend [I found out that novio is only used when you're engaged to someone, so now I say I have a polola named Alyssa]) of a year and four months is coming to visit this weekend. He lives in Santiago about an hour and a half away and they see each other about two or three times a month, I'm not sure exactly. It'll be cool to finally meet this talked about guy.
We had a meeting today between my two classes and I found out that we're all going to the vineyards of Casablanca this weekend. We'll have a tour, learn about different wines, and then have lunch. The wines are very well known throughout the world so it'll be pretty cool to visit there.
Tomorrow, my fellow classmate David and I are possibly going to go explore the city together after class. We both have the same classes and we get done by 3:30 so I was like, hey why don't we go explore this sweet place? I'm pretty excited for that.
Finally, Rodrigo just asked me if I play a game en los estados unidos (US) where it says something and you write down a word that starts with a certain letter for each one, and I was like "Oh yeah, Scattergories!!! I like that one!" He said the family will all be playing it tomorrow to practice our Spanish and such since they don't have work on Saturday. I'm so stoked, little do they know that I'm a certified pro at this game...haha, I'm going to get rocked in Spanish though. Oh well, it'll be fun nonetheless (I always feel weird writing that word, it just doesn't look right, but it looks worse spaced out)! Well I think my medicine is starting to kick in. Have a wonderful time getting tan and such.
Ciao.
17 June, 2009
City Tour
I knew I had to come down from cloud 9 eventually. I had my first bad experience today, my Social and Political Themes of Chile professor is going to be super hard and is a little rude. We have an oral quiz and a 6 page essay that are each worth 40% of our grade. He also speaks faster than anyone I've heard yet, and he acknowledged that he speaks fast and it's hard for us, but he didn't make any effort to slow down. I feel like I'm trying so hard to concentrate on actually hearing and understanding him that I can't comprehend what topics he's talking about. It's going to be a long six weeks with him. Oh, he also decided for no apparent reason to push our class back from 11:45 till 12:10 so now I only have 20 minutes for lunch between classes, poo. Oh well, at least everyone else in the class will be able to struggle together, they all agreed he was super rude (he got mad at some students for not knowing what Latin American movements weren't revolutions...). But I guess I need a little challenge while I'm here, I just hope I pass...
Welcome to my home =)
On a lighter note, I absolutely love my Conversation and Culture of Chile professor. He is hilarious, and his laugh is so contagious! It starts out really soft, and then he'll burst out really loud and then he'll cover his mouth because he realizes he's laughing so hard, then it makes him burst out again. I wish everyone could experience this class. He also makes the greatest facial expressions ever, and is always telling short little jokes (he forgot someone's name today so he just kept calling him Juanito and the kid didn't even realize until he admitted that he just kept calling him that since he couldn't remember it). It's just so much more relaxing, and the greatest thing is he told us he doesn't want to give a grade but he has to so he'll just grade mostly on participation and that we don't have to worry about it. Such a wonderful class...
We also had our first city tour today, and I finally had my camera with me to take pictures of this wonderful place. You can view them here if you'd like: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/album.php?aid=85941&id=729001888 (I think it should work as long as you have a facebook you can log into. If it doesn't, just go to my facebook and look at my photos) It was really cool. We got to check out some really neat streets and see some of the graffiti that is literally everywhere. It's so insanse, and some of it is so impressive. After walking around and exploring the hilly streets, we stopped by a cafe and I had some hot milk with chocolate and cream (basically hot chocolate). It was really good and super rich, and then we all walked back to the buses to head home.
One thing I haven't mentioned yet that I'm sure you'll be able to spot is the stray dogs (we had one follow us for about half an hour today). They are everywhere. It's a little sad, though I have been told stories of the dogs forming circles around a group of girls when they were out at night almost as if they were guarding them until their bus came. And just today, I was lucky enough to witness a pack of about 10-12 dogs all wait for the crosswalk sign to turn green for them to cross the street in the middle of downtown.
Oh, and update on the Helen Keller building. We drove by it again today, and someone said they saw a sign saying the Institute of Helen Keller. It turns out it really is an institute for the blind, so they do know who she is (or at least have an institue named after her).
Finally, I took the micro home from school for the first time today. I was with a few other ISEP students for a part of it, but I found out I live a couple miles or so further than anyone else, so I rode it alone for a while as well. Interesting fact: though the micros only have seats for about 34 people, they can cram as many as they want on. People were literally hanging out the door, and yet the driver kept piling more and more on. And unfortunately, no one was getting off, so it made things extremely difficult for when my stop came. I did manage to make it off alive though, and Rodrigo drove by shortly after to come pick me up (I think he was worried since it was my first time alone). I told him I can do it in the morning too, and I could tell his wife was a little worried but I insisted that I can manage and that he doesn't have to take any more time off from work just to ride with me. They're extremely nice, but I feel more than ready to go on my own, especially since the only reason I wasnt ready to go today was because I couldn't remember which street name I have to look for on the buses. I have that information now though and will be good to go tomorrow, finally =)
It's getting really late here so I must sleep. I hope you enjoy the photos I've taken of the beautiful city. Unfortunately, I think you need to actually be here to appreciate it as much as I do. Oh well, until next time, ciao
Welcome to my home =)
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