Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Day 8

Hola mis amigos! So, I've been rereading my blog posts and I feel like when I write them after dinner with my parents (as I am doing now) my English is super simple and my writing is very different compared to when I have been thinking in English and taking in English....it is so weird. Today we were given a tour of my university--all of the different parts and then we went to ISA where we ate lunch and had a lecture on the history of Valpo y Vina..it was super boring, mainly because I was having a really hard time focusing today. It's hard to translate quickly anyways but today we were watching a video that was in French and had Spanish subtitles----talk about a language mess fest in my head!

After the lecture we got on a bus to go to Vina del Mar, the city that is ten minutes away from us---lots of the kids in my program live there. Vina is the tourist city and is more expensive, but also prettier--as far as beaches go anyways. We went around the market and stopped at a couple different beaches that were super nice (can't wait to go there fin de samana) however, the Pacific is super COLD. Don't worry, I'll totally still swim in it, but compared to the gulf it's like swimming in ice. Our papa picked us up from Vina and we took the metro back to Valpo then came home and had dinner--tonight it was roast with rice and potatoes, que rico! My parents also know that I love ice cream so there is usually some in the freezer for after dinner--it tastes like sorbet because it isn't made with milk I don't think.

This weekend my friends and I plan on spending all day on the beach--I am actually already pretty tan considering the short amount of time that I have been here. Our mom tells us all the time to make sure and wear sunscreen (there is a hole in the ozone layer above Chile).

My list of fun facts about my life here:

-with every meal we have bread aka pan--there is also usually sandwich meat and cheese on the table if you want to make a sandwich as well
-my mama hand-washes all of our laundry, isn't she amazing!?
-no dishwasher, and all of the water knobs are like the ones we have outdoors in the US
-many of the streets are one way, it's like driving in downtown Austin, but all over the city
-fresh fruits, meats, and vegetables everyday--it's like a farmer's market on steriods
-dogs are EVERYWHERE because spading or neutering your animals is seen as cruelty--almost never happens, but the dogs that are everywhere are SUPER healthy
-all the drivers honk at everyone, literally the horns never stop
-when it's windy, I feel like I live in the Panhandle again, except in a port city
-lots of tv shows are in English with Spanish subtitles
-almost everyone listens to American music
-a local bus ticket costs 220 pesos (about 50 cents)
-putting your toilet paper in the toilet is a no no (don't worry it's definitely not as bad as it seems at all)
-I put my iPhone in Spanish last night--the challenge never ends


Tomorrow I register for courses, hopefully that will go well--and then Friday we go to Neruda's house in Valpo that is up the hill from mine--I will take pictures then. I will also definitely put pictures of my house and the city up, it's just too difficult and busy to take a bunch of photos this week.

Thank you all for reading each day, I hope you are enjoying my posts--if you have any questions or anything, feel free to comment!

Chao po!

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Day 7

Today was a  tiring but simple day. In the morning our papa walked us to school. We had orientation at the university with all of the other international students and then we went back to the ISA house where we figured out what courses we would take for the rest of the time. Afterward we went on a tour of the city where we walked up and down the hills and took a boat around the port. Then we returned to ISA where papa was waiting to take us home. We were so tired today, but our parents are so loving and sweet that it's easy to come home---their house really feels like it is my own. We sit at the dinner table and eat and talk for long hours--it is my favorite part of the day but definitely the most difficult. Our parents ask us not to speak in English to each other so we can learn Spanish quicker and we have to practice, at home especially. We try our best, but sometimes we have to ask each other questions. Tonight our mama made a dish with chicken and potatoes--we also had bread and tomatoes (I love having both of these at every meal). Today I am definitely the most tired that I have been since I have arrived in the city. I do know for sure that God gave me the best parents in Valpo though--they are some of the most loving and caring people that have ever came into my life, each day they help me learn so much about the Chilean culture and language, and of course about life in general. Mama told us tomorrow was the last day that they would take us to school...have to grow up sometime I guess! :-) Tomorrow we get to sleep in, and for that I am glad.

Chao.

Day 6

Today was my first day a la Potifica Universidad Catholica de Valparaiso....well kinda--it was orientation and stuff. We woke up this morning and had breakfast then mama took us to school on the bus with our packed lunches...it was like kindergarten all over, it was great! We got to the school and took a written Spanish exam, don't worry, I did AWESOME..... after that we went down to the pier, then to the ISA house to eat lunch and take pictures for our IDs. Around midday we went to the police station to get our visas registered, you have to do it within 30 days of arriving to the country. Afterwards, me and two other girls went around the city by the university looking at all the stores. I bought some slippers because my mama said it wasn't good for me to go barefoot...I'm trying not to be obstinate. Then we had an oral exam and our parents came to pick us up from school. We sat at the dinner table eating and talking for about three hours after we got home--it was great. Hopefully I can write more soon, tonight I am tired!

Chao. 

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Day 5

Today we finally left Santiago. As great as it was, I was ready to leave the big city and head to Valparaiso to meet my Chilean family. We left our hotel around one and then arrived at an arts and crafts market where we had lunch. I had empanadas con carne--they were delicious except for having too many onions. Afterwards we were on our way to Valpo. I pretty much slept the entire time and soon we arrived, the drive is about an hour and a half. We got off the buses and our families were waiting inside to meet us. My mama Chilean is named Gabriela and my papa Chilean is named Jose Manuel, Gabriela got us a taxi to take back to the house. We arrived in the house and they showed us our bedrooms. They were super sweet, but don't speak any English--it works out great because I don't speak any Spanish. They had hung a crucifix on my wall because they knew I was Catholic (they are as well) and Gabriela told me anything that she fixed that I didn't like I didn't have to eat---they had been told I was a picky eater as well.

For dinner we had spaghetti, salad, and of course bread. We talked for a long while at the table afterwards. Jose also showed us how to get in and out of the house with our keys. We talked for a very long time and they helped me and my roommate with our Spanish, showing us different things and then telling us what it was--we also told them in English so they could learn too.

They are super sweet and my room is so nice and comfortable--I definitely feel at home here. That's all for now.

Chao po.

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Day 4

I'm annoyed--I had almost finished this blog then accidentally deleted it, my life is awesome. OKAY, so today we went to a vineyard--it started off being the best day here so far. The weather was overcast and I absolutely loved it! Here is the view...



The grapes were used to make the cabernet and had been planted in 2006, they were super sweet! The tour guide told us that to make red wines they only use the juices of the grapes but for whites they use everything, it was a super interesting tour.



We got to see inside the wine cellars where the barrels were:



And don't worry, we got to taste the wine, as you can see, I obviously enjoyed the winery.



Leaving there we traveled to Pablo Neruda's house, the part of the trip I have been waiting for--I wasn't disappointed at all. The only catch was that we couldn't take photos inside the house because of copyright laws, when a girl asked about it the tour guide said, "Sorry, it's your country's fault you know!" This was the walkway up to the house, the walls were filled with beautiful art!






The houses were beautiful, nooks everywhere, wonderful art on the walls, secret passageways, it was a writers dream house!!

 



Neruda was obsessed with the sea and it was evident all over the house. The artwork outside and all around was just too cool.



Neruda, the man who only wrote in green....the color of hope.



From there we went to lunch where I had steak and rice with salad. I absolutely love Chilean salads, interesting because I hate salads in the states. Chilean salads are simple: tomatoes and ice berg lettuce. After that we went to this hill....yeah don't know the name sorry...but on the top is a statue honoring the Immaculate Conception, also it is a very long ways up!




So far today has been the very best day of my Chilean adventure.



You can find the rest of my photo: here.  

Ciao po!

Friday, February 24, 2012

Day 3

Last night we went out to get something to eat and drink after we had rested for a bit. In Chile, happy hour lasts all night...not just an hour, crazy huh? I went with the girls I am rooming with and we sat out on a patio for about three hours talking, eating, and drinking--the weather was perfect and the sun was up until about 9:30, it was great! I tried a new dish last night, those of you who know me would've been so proud because me and the girl who I was sharing with had no idea what we were getting, except for the fact that it had potatoes in it. The dish was called chorrillanna--potatoes, meat, grilled onions, egg, and cheese, it was so delicious!



I slept decently last night, and this morning we got up, took a shower, and had breakfast before our first orientation meeting. Breakfast in Chile consists of smaller breads, boiled eggs, a little cereal, yogurt and such--no bacon and sausage or anything heavy at all....oh also, they don't refrigerate their milk or eggs here. After breakfast we had the meeting where our director told us more about our home cities and different cultural things to be aware of.

After the meeting we had lunch in the mercado. Totally forgot it was Lent and had fried chicken, totally bad Catholic, but the chicken was great! The mercado was indoors with a couple of restaurants all in the same place and then a fish market on the east side, so the whole place smelled like fish. There were also two men playing guitars who came to us and played. It's hilarious though, because the street musicians will be playing their music and then once they see our group of gringos they immediately start playing some song widely known in America--yesterday at the hill it was "Amazing Grace", today it was "Stand By Me." After lunch we went to the first bathroom that I have had to pay for so far--the restaurant took care of it, but still, it's weird to pay to go pee to me; however, my after this past semester at college my roommate probably thinks it's a good thing and I'll be learning more self control with my peanut sized bladder.

Side-note: I know I had said I was going to Pablo Neruda's house today, but I was mistaken and that is tomorrow; therefore, my pictures still aren't that great because I have yet to purchase the adapter for my camera and don't want to miss out on any photo opportunities that day. I should hopefully be able to purchase the adapter soon.

We left the market and went to the plaza where the Cathedral was conveniently located, Jesus was obviously being funny about the Lent thing. It was gorgeous and super cool. This is a statue of the first saint from Chile to be canonized, St. Teresa:


She was nineteen when she died from helping the sick overcome typhoid. Also, they don't mess around with their altars:


Then came the really funny part...confessionals were all around the church--old school style. In Chile, confession is still a super public thing, there wasn't a priest in the booth, so I took it as Jesus just making a joke rather than condemning me for forgetting it was Lent.


They also don't mess around about adoration here. There was a side chapel for adoration:

 

We then left the plaza and went to the Presidential Palace--the equivalent to our White House. Right outside the palace was probably my first Texas pride moment of this trip. A girl from Washington looked at me and said I don't think I have ever met anyone from Texas, you guys must be serious about state pride--I smiled and said yeah, and compared to some of the kids I go to school with mine is very mild. I mean but when you see this, can you blame me?



The picture doesn't even do it justice...it was huge--the biggest in all of Chile. A guy I was with said he doubted that there was a flag bigger than that anywhere and I laughed and said, oh yeah for sure...in Texas, which is totally true.

Leaving there we stopped to exchange currency and saw two guys get into a huge fight! This older gentleman and his wife were trying to steal something from a vendor and the vendor punched the guy in the head, the police threw the man and his wife into their truck and drove off. I asked the director what would happen to them, she said nothing. 

After the palace we came back to the hotel where me and one of my roommates decided we wanted to go to the super mercado to get water and then to a produce stand. Going to the grocery store was easy...the price was on a screen in front of us, at the produce stand we definitely had a learning experience interacting with the Chilean women who were super sweet helping us pick out our fruit.

Now we are back in the hotel just hanging out. I"m still pretty tired and not yet adjusted to the time, but I know that will come soon enough.

Ciao po!

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Day 2

When I left you all I was fixing to be picked up from the airport, so let's start there. Around 8:30 six women come up to me in the coffee shop and introduce themselves with a big hug and kiss on the cheek, the customary Chilean greeting. From there we exchanged currency at the airport. A US dollar is worth about 500 pesos, I am working on adjusting to the money--it's definitely taking a minute. A nice man named Ramon took us to our apartmento (hotel) in Santiago. There were six of us who had arrived much earlier than most of the other kids and we couldn't check into our rooms yet so the directors let us hangout in theirs--I took the best nap of my life...no really.

At one-thirty (more like two, Chileans are always late) we all went to lunch together. I had chicken and rice and bottled water...nothing too crazy on the menu for food options yet. After lunch we took the subway to this place:



It is a hill overlooking the entire city--it is also the location that the city was first founded upon. Conveniently, Charles Darwin had left his John Hancock in one of the rocks....



All of the people I am with are very nice, but most of them are pretty fluent, which definitely challenges me to communicate consistently--blessing in disguise. There are also stray dogs everywhere and my heart absolutely melts every time I see one, which is like all the time....

The city of Santiago is very hilly, my calves are burning from all the hiking we have been doing...I mean it's in the city, but believe me it's definitely a hike. At the top of the hill we hiked today, I could see all around the city, the Andes are absolutely majestic...one of the girls I became friends with today and I agreed that we couldn't wait until they were covered in snow.


Tonight we have the night off, so the girls that I am rooming with have decided to rest for a bit then go out for dinner and drinks a little later. Tomorrow is a jam packed day for sure....I am so ready for bed, but I am staying up so I can adjust to the time difference more quickly. I also plan on taking a number of pictures tomorrow because we are going to one of Pablo Neruda's homes I believe. I will probably post a couple on here but the majority I will make available on Facebook. I am super excited to see his home! Sunday I get to meet my host family.

Anyways, the city is awesome so far, and I couldn't be happier with my decision to come. I know there are struggles that lie ahead of me, and I definitely miss home and my people, but God sure had something beautiful in mind when sending me to this place.

Day 1

Yesterday I embarked to the biggest journey of my life so far to Santiago, Chile. My mom came down to hug me before I left, laugh with me at my packing stresses, take my car back home, and tell me she loved me before I left. The day started with early morning Ash Wednesday mass, good byes, and boarding the plane in Austin at 10:46. I arrived in Houston shortly after where I then departed to Panama City....I had a moment and thought I was headed to Panama City, Florida--totally shocked when I landed seeing this out my window:



Obviously wasn't in Florida...literally the volcano was doing its thing out my window. Once in Panama, my awesome (grain of salt) Spanish speaking skills had to come into play because of course....very few people speak English in a Spanish speaking airport. Come to find out they had overbooked my flight from Panama to Santiago and I was on standby.... DO WHAT--mild panic attack. I absolutely had to get on the flight otherwise I would be stranded in Panama overnight (it was 9 PM) and would miss my ride and entire group in Santiago. Needless to say, I was super annoyed--I'd had this flight booked since November, like are you kidding me? So me and Jesus had a talk about it and then out of nowhere I met the sweetest girl in the entire world who had also been put on standby. She lives in northern Chile and had moved from San Salvador a few years earlier just as a free spirit move so we understood each other. She was also bilingual which was great for me. There was a nice family of six who gave up their seats for the second night in a row (it's summertime, bonus miles for six people? YOU BET) and we were able to get on the flight.


The flight from Panama to Santiago was the longest flight of the day for me and I was and still am pretty exhausted. Somehow, I had landed a seat in the exit isle...PROS: leg room, CONS: the chairs don't lean back. I was also starving and they weren't able to serve food until about two hours into the flight because there was so much turbulence. However, it ended up working out for me because it was spaghetti or chicken for dinner and it was after midnight when we were served so I was able to eat the meals--thanks Jesus.

I fell asleep off and on, caught myself drooling a bit (hey, like I said I was exhausted) and then after five long hours we landed. I waited for Leslie to get off the plane because I thought she would be taking another flight to her city, alas, she wasn't and we ended up going through immigration and customs together--God totally sent me an angel. Best part is, she gave me all her contact information and told me to come visit. She was adamant about me making sure to get into touch with her when I was settled. She told me her roommates surf, the city is beautiful, and I was welcome to come anytime! I made it through immigration and customs no problem, then I found the coffee shop I am supposed to be waiting at.

So, that's where I am  now, sitting here waiting for my ISA director. I have absolutely no clue what we are doing today, hopefully there is a siesta scheduled in somewhere!

Things I have observed so far:

I am an awesome packer, right, Teague?!
Communication is just like everyone says, nonverbal.
There are SO MANY bilingual people.
I am obviously experiencing culture shock already...
Alcohol is served free of charge from Panama to Chile.
In Time (the movie that played on two of my flights) is absolutely terrible...even when I can't understand hardly any of it.

That's all for now!

Ciao!

Thursday, February 16, 2012

I Was Here

It's finally here--I leave the country Wednesday. Tonight is my last night at work and I am slowly saying good-bye to people here in Austin. I know it's only four months, and in the grand scheme of things that isn't very long at all; however, I'm comfortable here. This trip is something I am doing for my self, to make my self uncomfortable, to learn and to grow. Preparing to leave has been everything everyone said it would be--a crazy roller coaster of stress, excitement, and emotions. I've never gone thousands of miles away from home where I can't speak the native language, but going somewhere knowing no one is something I have done multiple times before. I love to meet new people and have the freedom of the "start fresh" kind of feeling. Don't get me wrong, I don't need a fresh start from the people I am with in Austin, but I am excited for the one that I am approaching. I leave Wednesday morning and will be on a plan for around 24 hours. Besides small things, I am packed, have my visa, and am ready to leave.

I know I am only saying good-bye for a short time, but I hate good-byes, period. I love being around people I love and who love me and saying good-bye to those people is always hard for me. I know that they will be here when I come back, but it doesn't make leaving them any less difficult. I live with a great group of girls who have absolutely made my college experience that much more worthwhile, and as much as my job annoys me sometimes, I work with a great group of people who are so much fun to be around.

The day I leave is conveniently Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent. I'm not ever really a "give something up" type of person, but more of a do something else. I have no clue what I am going to do yet but I am sure of one thing, February 22 is the start of lots of things in my life.

I like to think into the future like any other person, and when I do at this moment, I am so shocked. When I get back into the country, I will be starting my senior year of college...it feels like I just started. I will need to start applying for grad schools and a million other things to get started on entering the "real world," crazy town, I know. I am also so excited for my senior year and everything that will come.



SOTD