Eso Es

Yesterday, I remembered why I love Chile. I think that after spending four months in one place and getting into a weekly routine, it becomes difficult to fully appreciate where you are and what you are experiencing. It becomes easy to complain about all the things that bother you about not being in the States and easy to forget to appreciate the country in which you are currently studying abroad -- key words being abroad, aka: the experience of a lifetime. Four months is a long time (five even longer!), and it had become a bit difficult for me to continue to see my time in Chile as an experience, as an adventure every single day, rather than just a normal day-to-day existence. However, yesterday truly slapped those feelings out of me and re-introduced me to the country that has already given me so much and will continue to make every single day a new and amazing experience for the next 5 weeks during which I will be living in it.

I woke up at 6:15 in the morning in order to get up and take the metro to a bar in Vina in order to watch the first game for Chile in the mundial, vs. Honduras. Who would have thought that #1 a bar would be open at 7 in the morning, and #2 that the entire country of Chile (who, let's face it, aren't the earliest risers) would drag their asses out of bed to watch it. Why aren't people in the States that cool? So I dragged myself to this bar in Vina and spent the next two hours clapping, screaming, cheering (Chi! Le! Chi chi chi! Le le le! Viva Chile!), and being on the edge of my seat alongside a bunch of Chileans doing the same as we watched Chile soar to victory. Oh, and did I mention that I ate a delicious breakfast at the bar? Legit. After cheering loudly in the bar for Chile's win, we proceeded to walk to Plaza Vina to see if anything was going on, and boy was there. Despite the fact that it was raining, there was a huge mob of Chileans screaming and cheering, all decked out in Chile gear with flags and banners in tow, along Calle Valpo.

After standing around in a big group and jumping into the back of people's trucks and banging on the sides of colectivos and people's cars as they drove by, the group decided to start parading down Calle Valpo, then along Alvares, then down Avenida Espana (I though they were headed to Valpo, to be honest!), cheering "Viva Chile!" and "Chilenos de Corazon" and calling out to all the people leaning out of shops and apartment windows to celebrate Chile's win (which, mind you, was just one game....imagine if they won the whole thing?!). It was so crazy to see an entire city (and later on the news an entire country) coming together to celebrate so extensively and excitedly a futbol game. Complete strangers marching together, hugging and sharing a beer in the street to celebrate something that happened across the globe...in a sports game....It's a kind of national spirit and pride I often wish I felt for the US, and something I am definitely beginning to feel for Chile. Viva Chile CTM. That's all I have to say.

Moving on, since I absolutely fail at updating this blog as often as I should, let me add a quick update about what I've been up to for the past...month or so...oops. Two weekends ago I went with some friends (amazing girls!) from ISA to Mendoza, Argentina. It was probably one of my favorite things that I have done since coming to Chile, it was absolutely the trip of a lifetime. Probably the best part of the trip was the bus ride there -- about eight hours from the Vina bus station, half of which was through the Andes....absolutely stunning. I probably took 50 pictures of those mountains, as they were some of the most amazing natural views I've ever seen. Awe-inspiring, breathtaking, absolutely, positively, incredibly wondrous and gorgeous. Love.

We took the bus on Thursday night and came back home on Sunday. The perfect amount of time for a weekend getaway to Argentina (though of course I could have used more time in that amazing country). Our hostel was called Oasis and was the cutest place ever. When we arrived on Thursday evening we were greeted by the cutest Argentinian man who was so friendly and helpful the entire time we were there. In fact, all the people we met while in Argentina were extremely friendly and helpful. It was a nice change...oops am I allowed to say that? Also, the Argentinian accent is so much easier to understand than the Chilean one, I could understand everyone we talked to so well, it was such a confidence booster. After four months of adjusting to Chilenismos, unfinished words and slurred sentences, I had almost forgotten how crazy Chileans actually speak and how hard they are to understand. While it was cool to hear a new accent (love the way they pronounce the "y" and "ll" sound, too) and nice to be able to understand so well, I felt pretty excited that I have gotten so used to Chilean Spanish that it seems like normal Spanish to me now. Someone told me before I came to Chile that if you can understand Chilean Spanish, you can understand any Spanish. I am starting to feel like I can really understand Chilean Spanish, which means I'm good to go! I feel so accomplished!

During our time in Mendoza we walked around the city, which definitely felt a lot different from Chile -- much more European (crazy how eight hours can put you in a whole new world). We also went to a dinner and tango show, ate a lot of great meat and amazing Italian food, went on a bike and wine tour of a bunch of vineyards (Mendoza is famous for its wine), and shopped at some really interesting artesanias. Overall, great trip. One more country stamped on my passport.

Well....119 days (17 weeks) in Chile so far, and 37 more days (5 weeks) to go. Better make those last 37 days (wait, how can that be true???) count -- I know the first 119 really have.

Oceánico amor, Valparaíso,/ reina de todas las costas del mundo,/ verdadera central de olas y barcos,/ eres en mí como la luna

I can't believe how fast my time here in Chile is passing. How is it already May? I have been here for almost two and a half months now, which is just crazy. It is so hard to describe my feelings about the way that time has passed here. On the one hand it feels like I just got here yesterday, but on the other hand when I think about all the amazing things I have done and how accustomed I have become to my life here, it feels like I have been here forever. Regardless, after two and half months I have to say that my semester in Chile has been and continues to be one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had in my life -- and it just gets better each and every day.

The things that I am having the opportunity to do here just boggle my mind, and every day is a new adventure. I am loving every second of it. I am reaching the point in my study abroad semester, however, where I am beginning to see an end. Although there are things that I really miss about home and people to whom I will be excited to come home, I don't know how I will ever leave this place. I am starting to develop fears that I will not accomplish everything I wanted to do while I was abroad, or see everything in Vina or Valpo or Chile or South America that I wanted to see...but I just have to keep telling myself that anything and everything I get to do here is amazing, and whatever I miss out on I can do another time (hopefully!).

However, with these developing fears, I am consciously reminding myself to appreciate each and every second I have here in Chile. One of the experiences I will remember most about my time here in Vina and Valpo -- though it is such a small thing -- is my daily metro ride to Valparaiso from Vina del Mar. I have seven stops on the metro between my house and school, and half of the ride is in the tunnel and half of it is above ground. There is a moment each day after the Miramar station (for those of you who know what I am talking about) when the metro emerges from the tunnel to the light of day and a stunning view of the Valparaiso bay. Looking out the window of the metro, I can see the endless expanse of ocean extending to the west, dotted with cargo ships, navy vessels, fishermen, and sail boats. To the north, I can see the hotels and beautiful beach of Vina del Mar, with the dunes of Concon in the distance behind them. To the South the beautiful cerros (hills) of Valparaiso, overflowing with colorful houses, ascensores (elevator things that go up the hills), and windy roads, with the vast harbor of the port of Valparaiso in front of them. It is this sight, as well as the amazing sunset and twinkly lights of the Valpo cerros on my way home that makes every single day in this beautiful city something worth appreciating. No matter what my mood each day, these sights and the realization of what an amazing city in which I am currently living make me happy. I am going to miss it so much when I leave.

Oh my there is so much to update on this blog about the activities I have been doing over the past month...I'll try to make it not too obnoxiously long. The weekend before last I went to the Superclasico, which is one of the biggest soccer (futbol) games of the season between Colo Colo and the University of Chile. I think that after that experience, I can go home to the U.S. happy and feeling like I experienced South America -- it was an absolutely unforgettable time. I only wish that sports in the U.S. were half as exciting as that game. The futbol fans in Chile are absolutely crazy, and it's amazing. They are on their feet screaming, singing, and cheering the ENTIRE game, and they eat, sweat, sleep, and breathe their team. It was so much fun to be in that atmosphere, and the game was great to watch as well. Getting there was a bit sketchy, though. The fans are so intense that the bus and the metro and the stadium are kind of unsafe, especially for us gringas. Luckily, we had our Chilean protector Al with us to help us get there safely.

The carabineros (police) were absolutely insane for this game. There were so many of them dividing the U of Chile and Colo Colo fans as well as guarding the garra blanca (the place where all the crazy Colo Colo fans sit). Al told us that the carabineros really abuse their power during the game because they have to deal with so much from the fans. They are especially harsh with the garra blanca. I remember one point during the game when I looked up at the garra blanca and every single person all of a sudden started running down the stands, followed by carabineros in full riot gear hitting them with their night sticks. I found out later that two people died before and during the game because of police brutality -- crazy. Overall, however, the game was so much fun and such a great experience, I am so glad I had to opportunity to go! CHI CHI, LE LE, CHI CHI CHI! LE LE LE! COLO COLO DE CHILE! CHUCHA CONCHATUMADRE!!! Haha. (Sidenote: shouting CONCHATUMADRE at every opportunity you have is the most satisfying thing I have ever done).

This past weekend I had another amazing experience, which was going to the sixth region (one region to the south of the one in which I am living) to a town called Marchigue to build emergency shelters (called mediaguas) for earthquake victims with the organization Un Techo Para Chile (which means a roof for Chile). I had been feeling really weird about being here in Chile when this huge natural disaster hit and affected so many people's lives, yet not doing anything to help, so this weekend was such a great way to finally get to help reconstruct this amazing country. The weekend was one of the best I have spent here in Chile (though I probably keep saying that for every weekend I spend here). I met so many amazing people, made a lot of new Chilean friends, and did more manual labor than I have ever done in my entire life. I got to use a hammer, shovel debris, carry heavy wooden walls, dig holes for the supporting beams, and even use an electric saw! I did everything! It was so rewarding and so much fun.

One of the best parts of the weekend was a personal accomplishment that I achieved. My goal for the weekend was to try to speak as much Spanish (and as little English) as possible -- and I definitely succeeded. As we were picking our groups with which to build the mediaguas, I decided to take the plunge and leave the security of my gringa friends and go join a group of completely Chileans -- I was the only gringa! At times it was a bit overwhelming and of course there were moments of completely confusing and lack of understanding, but I was so proud of myself for putting myself in a situation that may not have been completely comfortable but which was great for my personal growth and my Spanish language skills. Everyone in my group was so incredibly nice to me, and they made me feel really good about trying to speak Spanish the whole time. It was the kind of immersion experience I needed to keep improving my Spanish, so I felt very accomplished by the end of the weekend. Overal, Techo was absolutely fantastic -- an unforgettable experience.

Only two and a half months left here...and I know it is going to fly by. I will continue to try my very best to get absolutely everything I can out of the time I have left here, and appreciate every moment.

With undying love for Colo Colo, Un Techo Para Chile, new friends, personal growth, appreciating every day, the ocean, learning a new language, having new adventures, Vina del Mar, Valparaiso, and Chile.

How I fell in love with a country called Uruguay...

This past week I traveled with six of my friends from ISA to Uruguay. The trip as a whole was absolutely fantastic -- it was so amazing to experience another culture and see another South American country. The group of people with whom I traveled was great as well, it was so fun to travel with people my own age and be hanging out with those people constantly. That is definitely something that I have been lacking here in Chile. I love living with my host family and it is great for improving my Spanish skills, but there is just something about that college campus atmosphere, of living on campus in an apartment with your best friends that just makes life so much more enjoyable. Going from being around people your own age constantly to living a normal life with a family is an interesting change, for sure. Anyways, it was nice to have some semblance of "normal" college life again. Also, staying in hostels is probably the coolest thing I've ever done. We met so many amazing people staying at our hostels (well mainly the one in Montevideo), from all different walks of life, all different countries and backgrounds, who were traveling to all different places for all different reasons. I am always amazed by the things that people my age are capable of doing. We met so many people who were just traveling by themselves for months and months with no concrete plans. I hope someday I have the "ganas" or even the opportunity to do something like that.

On Monday we flew into Montevideo and we stayed in a hostel called "Unplugged" for three nights. Unplugged was fantastic, so much fun with so many great people. During those three days I fell in love with the city of Montevideo. Although it is a large city, it really does not even compare to the feeling I have in cities like L.A., Santiago, Vina or Valpo. Granted Uruguay itself only has about 3 million people living in it, but the vibe in Montevideo was unlike any large capitol city I've ever experienced -- it was just so relaxed. The architecture and the overall feel of the city seemed more European than South American, which was an interesting change from Chile, which to me feels very Latin American. Over the three days we were there we explored the coastal area near Pocitos, which was where our hostel was located, as well as went into the ciudad vieja and el centro to see the busier parts of the city, which still had that relaxed feel. Also while in Montevideo, I ate my first (though definitely not last) chivito, which is possibly the most amazing thing I have ever eaten, and perhaps also the most unhealthy -- essentially a cheeseburger on steroids, complete with bun, tenderloin beef, ham, bacon, peppers, onions, and more mayonnaise than you would probably ever need or should ever have on one bun (Uruguayan food resembles Chile's in that respect). Heaven on a plate.

After Montevideo we headed to Punta del Este, which is the city in Uruguay aside from Montevideo that it seems everyone has heard about. It definitely had the feel of a tourist town, although it was a bit eerie because it is fall in Chile (not summer) so there weren't any tourists there -- in fact it seemed like there was no one there...a ghost town of sorts. The beaches were extremely beautiful, however, despite the touristy feel of the town. We went to see "la mano" which is a huge statue of a hand sticking up through the sand, apparently a drowning person grasping at their last chance for life...creepy much? Someone else told me that it was a commemoration of the idea of human life originating from the land (a basic Chilean ideal, which would make sense since the statue was made by a Chilean artist), which is much less creepy, so I think I'll go with that one. That night in Punta del Este, we went out to a bar called Moby Dick's, which other than the amazing name was not all that exciting.

After only one night in Punta del Este, we got on a bus and headed to a small coastal town about four hours from Montevideo (2 from Punta del Este) called La Pedrera. I loved Montevideo and enjoyed Punta del Este, but La Pedrera was probably my favorite place in Uruguay. The town of La Pedrera is an extremely small town in the absolute middle of nowhere. Again, since it wasn't summer, there were no people in the town, and almost everything that was there was closed. However, this was exactly the escape from civilization that we needed, and a great way to close out the trip. Shortly after our arrival, we walked along the beach and saw quite possibly the most beautiful sunset I have ever witnessed. The colors of the sky over the small town of La Pedrera painted a picture I have only before seen in picture books or on postcards. Welcome to paradise. Our hostel, Casa de la Luna, was amazing and had so much character. The owner, Paula, was so friendly and helpful. She showed us all around the town, helped us get meat and cook an asado (bbq) and hung out with us as we ate it. Since we were the only ones staying there, it honestly felt like we were just staying at this woman's house for a night. The next day, we explored the wilderness around our hostel a bit and then headed to the beach, which was gorgeous and had water that was even warm enough to swim in (the Atlantic ocean at that!). After that we hopped on another bus back to Montevideo, ate our last chivito, and left on our plane the next morning.

From the moment I stepped off the plane, rode the bus to Montevideo, and met my first Uruguayans, I fell in love with the country. I was just overwhelmed by this feeling of connection, a vibe, from the country, its culture and its people that I will never forget. Seeing a different culture in Latin America was also such an awesome experience -- listening to the zsha (I'm not sure how to convey this sound through letters but it is the more French like sound they use instead of saying the y sound), hearing people say "vos," a completely new verb form that doesn't exist in Chile, seeing absolutely everyone with their mate cup and thermos, and meeting Uruguayans, who are incredibly friendly, kind, and helpful. Despite how much I loved Uruguay, it was a great feeling to return to Chile and feel like I was home again. I actually missed things about Chile, like my host family and avocado (first thing I ate when I returned). It was just a nice feeling to feel like I belonged here in Chile and to have somewhere to miss that wasn't home or Willamette.

Me extraño, Me encanta

Things I miss about the US...

1. Thai and Mexican food
2. Having a car
3. Fountain drinks, free refills, free water
4. Understanding everything people say to me, participating in a conversation without exerting any mental energy
5. Pedestrians having the right of way, not being almost run over even when you have a green light to walk
6. Syllabi, classes that are organized and planned out in advance
7. A university that has a campus (rather than random buildings spread out throughout two cities)
8. People at home
9. Hot showers (rather than just warm)
10. Regular meal times

Things I love about Chile...

1. Avocado...bread...Chilean mustard
2. Completos, empanadas, chorillana...etc.
3. Speaking spanish
4. Living next to the ocean, watching the sunset over the water on the metro ride home
5. New friends, both Chileans and gringos
6. Having a new experience or adventure every single day
7. Chilean nightlife, terremotos, pisco sours, reggaeton
8. Walking a lot, easy public transportation
9. Old buildings, new buildings, Valpo, Vina
10. Learning about and experiencing a new culture

Casi un mes!

So I've been in Chile for almost three and a half weeks and I'm finally starting to feel like I have a normal life here. I am adjusting more to my host family, who are still so great! I am also feeling more comfortable going places in Vina and feeling like I know where I am -- yesterday I traveled four times to places completely by myself, which was a first. Feeling like I could find my way around on my own was a great personal accomplishment. I am also starting to immerse myself a big more in the culture, hanging out with more Chileans and meeting more new people.

Last night I went with a few other gringas to a party at a Chilean's apartment with a bunch of other chilenos, and it was so much fun! I spoke Spanish essentially the entire night and got to know some really cool chileans. All the people I met and talked to were really nice and had a lot of insight to share with me about chilean culture, politics, etc. What was really interesting as well was the way in which we talked to one another. A few of the chilean guys that I was talking to knew English pretty well and wanted to practice speaking in English, so they would speak to me in English and I would respond in Spanish. It was such an interesting language experience, especially when I step back and think about the complexity of what was going on. The mixture of English and Spanish that has been occuring in my brain since I have been here is absolutely astounding. I find myself switching between languages while speaking, while thinking, even while writing this blog entry. Spanglish seems to be my new official language. I also find myself talking to people from home and actually struggling to think of words in English, which is never something I expected to experience, but is an interesting development. I am so interested in the way that these two languages are relating to one another within my brain, and I am excited to see what kind of developments will occur next.

I also started classes last week, which contributed to my developing feelings of normalcy. My Spanish classes are absolutely amazing. I am taking a grammar class and a Chilean culture class, both with amazing professors and both of which seem extremely interesting. I am also taking traditional dances of Chile, paper making, and Latin American history of the 20th century. The only class I have with Chileans is the paper making one, which is a little unfortunate, but I am participating in volunteer work and an intercambio buddy program (in which I am matched up with a Chilean buddy and we speak Spanish half of the time and English the other half so we can both practice), so those should provide opportunities to interact with chileans more.

Overall, things are going well! The tremors have calmed down, as well, which is always nice.

Run for the hills!

Oh my goodness...Chile is quakin'! This past week has been absolutely ridiculous. There have been at least 2 or 3 (a lot of times more!) earthquakes (or tremors "temblores" as they call them here) every single day! It's definitely not something you can get used to very easily. It's like we can never have a normal day here. Something is always changing (and not just the tectonic plates!). Today, however, was by far the worst one yet. I was at la Catolica (my university) taking a tour of the central buildling and we were on the fourth floor when a really big temblor hit (epicenter about an hour south of Santiago at a 6.9). The buildling shook for at least thirty seconds. Then two more quakes of similar strength struck about ten minutes and a half an hour after. Everyone seemed relatively calm, thinking that this was just a particularly strong temblor for the day but nothing to worry about. However, then everyone started running and they sounded the tsunami alarm. Everyone in my group walked up the fourth floor of the building we were in, but a lot of other students and staff ran for the hills....literally. I mean, when does that actually happen outside of the movies? After waiting on the fourth floor for an hour or so to wait for the threat to be lifted, we went down to the international office only to find out that those of us who live in Vina del Mar (meaning me) couldn't get home because the buses weren't running (assumably all the bus drivers also ran for the hills). And to top it all off, my cell phone wasn't working so I couldn't call my host mom to tell her I was ok. Fun times, no? So that was my day...interesting to say the least. I'm not sure if I'll ever get used to these daily quakes...but I surely won't get used to these tsunami threats. Hey, Chile, take a chill pill!

First Week (ish) in CHILE!

So I've been in Chile for almost a week now...and what a week it has been! Who would have thought that I would be welcomed to my study abroad experience by an 8.8 earthquake! In fact, the fifth largest earthquake ever recorded in the world! Bienvenido a Chile! lol. So I got to Santiago on Thursday after a really long flight during which I definitely couldn't sleep and I met up with the ISA staff and the other students in the program. The ISA staff members are so amazing and nice and patient with us, they are great! Our orientation was good for those first two days. We went on some tours around Santiago; we went in a funicular, which is like a train that goes up a hill (there are apparently a lot of them in Valpo as well but I haven't really seen any yet), saw views of the city, went out to a bunch of restaurants, and even went out to a bar. It was fun to get to know the city a little bit and also to get to know the other students in the ISA program.

But on Friday night, or I guess it was Saturday morning, the fun really began. We had just gotten back from going out to a bar (by the way, pisco sour is my new friend) about an hour earlier and were asleep in bed when all of a sudden the beds start shaking violently and hey there's an earthquake! We were on the sixth floor of the hotel so it was pretty strong and it went on for a long time. It was definitely the strongest earthquake I've ever experienced, even living in So Cal. The funny part about the whole situation, however, was mine and my roommates' reactions to the "terremoto." Ironically, that same day our ISA staff told us in orientation that there are tremors all the time in Chile that can be up to like a 6 or 7 magnitude but they still aren't considered earthquakes because they happen like twice a day. She specificlaly told us that we would think it was an earthquake but it really was just a tremor. So when the 8.8 hit on Saturday, I definitely thought it was one of those tremors--which is wasn't. So me and my roommate Abigail (also from Willamette) just stayed in bed and didn't even go to the doorway because we thought it was something we were going to have to get used to happening every day. Then after it was over we decided we should just go back to sleep and not worry about evacuating or anything (so smart, right?). About ten minutes later an ISA staff member came to our room and told us that it had in fact been a real earthquake and we needed to grab our valuables and a jacket and go oustide and that we might be there for the whole night. So that was definitely interesting and made me feel pretty stupid.

The next day we had to leave Santiago and go to a city called Olmue because the hotel building we were in wasn't structurally sound (which is funny because they definitely let us sleep there for the rest of the night). We were going to go to our host families one day early and just settle in on Saturday, but because of the earthquake there were tsunami threats on the coast, which is where Vina and Valpo are located. So we spent two nights in a fancy resort in Olmue which wasn't too bad, although we didn't have internet for a while and we didn't really have much information about what was happening in Chile or with our program or anything so it was kind of stressful. I definitely felt isolated from my family/friends in the US and also from the rest of Chile. It felt kind of weird to be eating amazing food and relaxing by the pool at a fancy resort when there were at least 700 people dead and many more suffering from the earhquake all throughout the country. It was also really strange to look on facebook that same day and see an ad asking for help for Chile....the country that I was in. Crazy!

Yesterday we got to leave Olmue and finally meet our host families. My host family is one mom, Tere, and two sons, Franco (16) and Mauro (22). They are all really nice and I am getting along with them well so far--although I have trouble understanding them talking really fast but I'm getting better. They told me my Spanish is good though which is exciting! Well I better finish this up since it's getting pretty long but I just thought I'd update everyone on my situation. It's funny because this was really hard for me to write in English. I kept wanting to write things in Spanish or like do weird grammatical constructions, haha. Muy interesante. Entonces, hasta luego!