Tuesday, September 29, 2009

this is what happens when you take notes in spanish

  • RRII = International Relations
  • ONU = United Nations
  • OMC = World Trade Organization
  • DIMA = Environmental Law
  • BM = World Bank
  • FMI = International Monetary Fund
  • ONG = Non-governmental Organization
  • DDHH = Human rights
  • 1° GM = World War One
The best part? After I decode all of that, every single one of the other words is still in a different language. FML (or should it be...CMV?)

Monday, September 28, 2009

things i am missing right now

  • CHIPOTLE CHIPOTLE CHIPOTLE CHIPOTLE
...I could go on, but everything else pales in comparison.

even though i know you can't possibly be tired of reading this awesome blog...

I'm going to throw in some pictures for you since it's been a while.


Chile turns 200 next year! So everyone is anticipating the bicentenario, and the decorations during Chilean Independence Week were especially epic.



La Moneda, decked out with festive balloons.



The night before the official Día de Las Fiesta Patrias (Independence Day), there was a free concert in front of La Moneda. It was a lot like the inauguration concert...except a lot warmer, and with a bunch of songs I didn't know.



The cueca, Chile's national dance. It's pretty much obligatory during La Semana de Fiestas Patrias. People even did it at a dance club that I went to over the weekend...and considering the fact that it involves handkerchiefs and stomping and pretending to be a rooster, that's some serious commitment.



Oh hey, did I mention that I SAW THE PRESIDENT?!? Aaron, Alex, and I happened to be passing by La Moneda right before she was getting ready to leave, so we waited for about ten minutes to witness her exit. Michele Bachelet is the first female president of Chile --she's also divorced, atheist, and has family ties to the former Allende administration. And she still got elected in conservative, Catholic, post-Pinochet Chile! It kind of makes Barack's middle name seem lame in comparison.

Sunday, September 27, 2009

chile may be a decade or two behind?

Walking around the streets of Santiago, it's interesting to note the latest fashion trends. Chileans definitely love their skinny jeans just as much as we do in the U.S., but they also make some more questionable choices -- such as mullets, rattails, acid-washed jeans, and fanny packs. Seriously.

Last night, I was at a party full of Chileans and they all went crazy when the "Macarena" came on...and then they topped it off with some classic Backstreet Boys. I think this may be the last straw. I have to accept that I'm living in the 90s.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

AHH THERE'S A SPIDER IN MY ROOM

It's times like these when I wish I didn't live in this awesome casita all by myself. I really really reeeeeally need someone to kill my bugs.

OH MY GOD GUYS IT'S HUGE

things my chilean mother did today

  • drove me across the city, ran five red lights, and almost gave me a HEART ATTACK
  • gave me a detailed explanation of what honey is
  • told me that Hanukkah commemorates the 7 days that Jews survived without food
  • changed my sheets for the third time this week
  • told the neighbors that I am very observant of my Amish faith (something definitely got lost in translation)

how to tell if your host father is a soccer-crazed south american.

  1. He throws things at the TV and uses swear words you've never heard before.
  2. He talks to you for an hour about Chile's current standing in the league with no encouragement except for the blank look on your face.
  3. He calls you for once (evening tea), prepares all of the food, and then leaves you to eat alone at the table so he can watch the game.
  4. He casually mentions that he used to be a professional player for La Universidad de Chile in the 1970s and your life starts to make a little more sense.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

weird things i eat in chile: the soup edition

I eat tons of soup in Chile. They're definitely good at the comfort food thing here.

During the week of Fiestas Patrias, I pretty much ate nothing but cazuela, which is the Chilean version of chunky chicken soup -- consisting of a chicken leg, a potato, rice, green beans, and slices of pumpkin. And today, my parents served me what they referred to as "Chile's hangover cure." It was basically a beef, potato, and onion stew. My host father told me that it's a typical dish to eat right after the end of Fiestas Patrias. "Everyone drinks a lot of alcohol during Fiestas Patrias," he informed me. "They need something hearty, something to help with their bad hangovers."

College students everywhere, take note!

Monday, September 21, 2009

24 hours in valpo

Aaron wanted to see the coast during his visit to Chile, so we hopped on a $6 bus and wandered to one of the hostels that was recommended in Alex's guidebook. We didn't really know what we were getting into -- but luckily our hostel ended up being amazing. You can see our excitement about landing a place in the center of the city with a private bedroom, a relatively clean bathroom, and free breakfast!


Photo credit: Alex

The rest of our short time in Valparaíso included free drinks at a five-story club, tons of walking up and down hills, eating some amazing seafood while listening to live guitar music, stumbling upon some cueca performances (the national dance of Chile that's modeled after the mating ritual between roosters and hens -- no joke), and taking a nap in a sunny park. All in all, a success.

Aaron may have a lot of Argentinean pride, but don't let him tell you he doesn't love Chile!

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Saturday, September 19, 2009

aaron comes to santiago

One of my friends from AU is spending the semester in Buenos Aires, Argentina, so he got a bus ticket to Santiago and decided to visit me for a couple days. This is his first time in Chile, so I have to show him all the sights. It's funny to think that I've been living in Santiago for a whole month by now -- at the beginning, it seemed like I would never get comfortable in this strange city, but now I definitely know it well enough to show Aaron around.

We're doing all the big Santiago sights today: La Moneda, Plaza de Armas, Cerro San Cristoból, basically all the stuff that I've already posted pictures of on this blog (so I'll spare you a second round). And tonight, we're heading to the coast and staying overnight in Valparaíso! This past week has been a whirlwind and it's hard to wrap my mind around the fact that I have to go back to classes on Monday...

Thursday, September 17, 2009

a peanut butter story

There is no peanut butter in Chile. Apparently you can buy it in some special grocery stores, though, because my host mom bought some before I arrived. "This is the special butter that the gringos like!" she told me. "I thought you would want some!"

So every single night when we have tea and bread, she pulls out the peanut butter for me. I usually pass because there are so many other delicious Chilean things to put on my bread. But tonight, two of my host aunts were over, and they were fascinated by the unfamiliar jar.

They bombarded me with peanut butter questions: "What IS this? Do they mix butter with peanuts? What do you put it on? Where do you get this? Does every gringo eat this?" I tried to explain that it's just made out of peanuts and we like to eat it with jelly, which seemed to confuse them further. (IMPORTANT SIDE NOTE: "preservativo" does not equal jam. It means condom. If you're trying to say jam or jelly, use "marmelada" insetad.)

Finally, we all broke out spoons and ate peanut butter straight from the jar. And after they each tried it and determined that it was in fact an okay thing to eat, the conversation moved to angels and miracles and the hand of God and other intensely Catholic things.

Sometimes I can't even believe the things that happen when you're an exchange student.

la semana de fiestas patrias

Chileans definitely know how to celebrate. Since September 18th is their national independence day, the entire month of September is full of festivities. Starting on the first day of the month, the city is draped in flags and the supermarkets start carrying special foods and drinks. And because September 18th falls on this Friday, this whole week is a holiday week -- work and school is cancelled, lots of Chileans go on vacation, and there are tons of parades, parties, and concerts all over the city.

It's fun to be in Chile during this time of intense national pride! My host parents keep feeding me special Chilean desserts that are only available during September. I've eaten so much manjar I think I might explode...this is so much better than July 4th!

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

the driest desert in the world

I never knew that a desert could be so beautiful, but my trip to San Pedro de Atacama included some of the greatest scenery I've ever experienced. It's really hard to pick just a couple pictures for this blog, so you should look at the rest on Facebook!



The tiny pueblo of San Pedro, where our hostel was located. It's full of small shops and restaurants and tourists. It was weird to see so many other gringos and hear so many languages other than Spanish.


El Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley). We hiked all over the rocks and squeezed through a tiny, pitch-black cave.



This is a giant sand dune that we trekked up.


Our awesome tour guides surprised us with wine and cheese at the end of our first day. We drank our wine while watching the sun set over the mountains in the Atacama desert. I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried.



On our second day, we went to a salar (a wildlife reserve with lots of salt deposits). It was weirdly beautiful.



And we saw flamencos there!! The last thing I expected to find in the Chilean desert was flamingos, but hey, this country is full of surprises.



Then we went to see some gorgeous lakes at a ridiculously high altitude. I love the contrast between the desert, the water, and the snow on the mountains! Crazy.



On the third day, we woke up at 3:30 am to go see geysers. It was way too early and way too freezing, but getting to see the sunrise over the geysers was worth it.



We stripped off all our winter clothes and swam in a hot spring near the geysers. It was SO COLD, but the water was about 80 degrees and kept us from dying. Getting out was pretty painful, though...



And of course one of the best things about South America is llamas. During this trip, I saw tons of llamas, fed a llama, and even tried some llama meat (which may seem kind of cruel after the previous llama bonding....I'm sorry...but it was delicious).



On our last day in San Pedro, we had some free time so we decided to go sand boarding. It's like snow boarding down the side of a dune!


I was a huge wimp at first and absolutely terrified of going down the steep dune. But everyone else told me to suck it up -- so I finally did, and it was awesome. This is a picture of me being a badass sandboarder. Since sand is soft and warm, it's not really that risky of a sport. After a couple hours of this, we had to hop on a plane back to Santiago without any time to shower...I think I'm still removing sand from some parts of my body...

back home... safe & sound & sandy

I'm back from the desert!!! It was an absolutely incredible trip. I'm still a little bit in awe. I have so many stories to tell and I took WAY too many pictures, so look out for some epic blog posts soon...

Friday, September 11, 2009

see you in 5 days!

Tomorrow morning, my group is leaving for San Pedro de Atacama, a desert in northern Chile. It's our first big trip, so I'm excited! (I'm not so excited that I have to wake up at 4:00 am to catch a bus to the airport, but whatever.)

As far as I know, our trip will include:
  • waking up at an obscene hour and feeling like death
  • exploring an indigenous pueblo community and eating traditional food
  • dune surfing (!!!!!)
  • geysers
  • hot springs
  • el Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley), a desert terrain that is supposed to look like a lunar landscape
  • intense group bonding
  • taking lots and lots and lots of pictures for this blog
Have a great weekend, everyone!

september 11

Even though I'm not in the US, I'm thinking about it on this day. But I'm also grateful for this time in Chile, because it's helping me step outside of myself and realize that September 11 is significant for other people and for other reasons.

In Chile, today is the anniversary of the 1973 coup that overthrew Salvador Allende, the democratically elected Socialist president, and installed Augusto Pinochet, the military dictator who had control over the country for the next 18 years. Chile's September 11th is a painful day for the country. There are protests, demonstrations, and riots in downtown Santiago near Chile's version of the White House. Chileans have mixed feelings over the Pinochet regime, and not everyone you meet will automatically condemn him; however, there is a general sense of uneasiness about Chile's dark past. Now that Chile is a democratic country with the most stable economy in South America and its first female president, it's easy to forget what it was like under Pinochet just 30 years ago -- human rights abuses, censorship, fear. But just like in the US, this is a day to ensure that Chileans don't forget, that they honor their history while simultaneously moving forward.

My afternoon classes at my university are cancelled because my school is located just a mile away from the Chilean White House, and university officials are worried about the demonstrations leading to potential violence. It will be interesting to see what the city is like on this day. This, more than ever, reminds me why I came to South America -- and why it's important not to get wrapped up in a North American view of the world.

Remember the victims of 9/11 -- in the United States and in Chile.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

está llegando la primavera!

...or, spring is coming!!


Flowers are beginning to pop up in my front yard.



The trees are blossoming...just like in DC!




Since it was such a beautiful day, I went for a long walk in my neighborhood.



This is a pretty park down the street from my house. It's a clear day, so you can see the mountains pretty well from here.

Viva Chile!

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

sorry my blog has been lacking in the photo department lately....

but I'm not really having any picture-worthy adventures. I've been doing boring things like going to class, doing homework, and applying for a Chilean ID card. Life is starting to settle into a routine here, and this is starting to feel more and more like my home (weird).

This weekend, my group is taking a trip to San Pedro de Atacama, a desert in northern Chile. (I know, I know -- being in the southern hemisphere really plays with your mind, but I promise it really does get hotter and drier when I go north). So expect some epic documentation of that. In the meantime, I can offer you another picture of the beautiful sunset in Viña to tide you over.


P.S. Notice the pololos -- the word they use in Chile for boyfriend and girlfriend -- on the beach. You can't go anywhere in Chile without running into half a dozen couples on romantic dates. They loooove their serious relationships here.

Monday, September 7, 2009

weird things i eat in chile: the jam edition

Eating Chilean food hasn't been as big of an adjustment as I thought it would be. They eat a lot of familiar things here (por ejemplo, last night I had some DELICIOUS fettucine alfredo), but they have a couple of strange habits that I am slowly picking up.

One of the weird things I do in Chile is eat jam on everything. My host mother makes fresh jam out of different Chilean fruits (apparently there are several berries that are distinct to Chile -- most of them resemble blackberries, but they're a lot sweeter) and serves it at every meal. We put jam on top of cereal, bread, crackers, and even cheese. We go through about a bowl of jam every day, and it's always magically refilled the next morning. I'm already preparing a list of foods that I will be completely addicted to by the time I get back to the US, and homemade jam is at the top...

i thought this day would never come!

estufa + sweatpants + sweatshirt + socks + all of the 7 layers of blankets on my bed = I am actually a little bit too warm.

And this is even despite the cold, gloomy rainstorm that's been going on all weekend. I have finally conquered Santiago.

------------------------------------------------------------------
UPDATE

24 hours later, the temperature has dropped 10 degrees and I have added a winter coat and a scarf to my bedroom attire. I am forced to retract all of my previous statements of victory. Damn. We'll keep trying.

Sunday, September 6, 2009

why santiago > dc, part II

It is perfectly normal to sleep away half of the day here. Because everything happens so much later here (dinner at 8 or 9 p.m., going out for the night at 12 a.m., staying out until 5 a.m.), no one will judge you for sleeping past noon. This weekend, I stumbled out of bed around 1 p.m. both days, and my host family remarked that I probably needed to get more sleep to get rid of my cold.

Even the weekdays start a little later in Chile. My earliest class this semester is at 9:40 am, and my host family gasped when I told them what time I had to be at school. My host mom tried to sympathize with me by remarking, "Que temprano (how early)!!" If only she could have a chat with my real mom...

Saturday, September 5, 2009

things i am missing right now

  • watching TV shows online
  • chocolate bars (it seems like everything in Chile is made with wafers and I just want some plain old chocolate)
  • a public transportation system that stays open past 11 p.m.
  • free tap water in restaurants
  • living in the same building as all of my friends
  • being able to understand entire dinner conversations
  • central heating (duhhh. I know you already knew that, but I just couldn't leave it out.)

it's a small world... even in a different part of the world

Yesterday, I kept experiencing weird coincidences.

I found out that the last exchange student who lived with my host family was also from Lancaster, PA. Of all the places in the US, it's weird that they keep getting students from Amish country!

When I was on my way home on the bus, the two young guys in front of me were speaking English. It's rare to hear English around Santiago, so I assumed they were fellow exchange students and asked where they were from. It turned out that both of them knew Dan, one of the AU students in my program, through a mutual friend. And when they found out I was from AU, they told me that they knew someone who was a student there -- one of them went to middle school with Steph, one of my friends from college! So crazy. I couldn't believe that I was making so many connections with random strangers on the micro.

Later that night, I went out to Bellavista with a group of people from my program. One of my friends brought along some people from another exchange program in Santiago...and one of them turned out to be a college student from Franklin & Marshall, which is the college down the street from my house in Lancaster where my dad and stepmom both teach math.

Next thing you know, I'll run into a Mennonite. Apparently anything is possible in this city.

Friday, September 4, 2009

um.

I can see my breath in my bedroom.

NOT COOL SANTIAGO NOT COOL

Thursday, September 3, 2009

viña and valpo

Our group just got back from a 2-day trip to the coast, where we visited two of Chile's famous port cities, Viña del Mar and Valparaíso. It was absolutely beautiful, and it sort of made me wish that I lived by the ocean instead of in smoggy Santiago (and I'm pretty sure my lungs and throat agree). Since Chile is such a skinny country, it only takes about an hour to get to the coast...so I'm hoping there will be a lot of beaches in my future!

I probably took about 200 photos, but I tried to narrow it down for this post. There are a lot more pictures on my Facebook if you're dying to see more (and you should be, since Chile rocks).



First we went to Isla Negra, where one of Pablo Neruda's houses has been turned into small museum.



This is the view that Neruda had from his house...lucky man



We spent the night in Viña del Mar.




We watched an amazing sunset on the beach!



The next morning, we took a bus to Valparaíso, which is the older and more historically significant of the two cities. Ten years ago, Valparaíso was the poorest city in Chile and Chileans didn't have very much interest in trying to improve it. But now it's making a serious comeback -- in the past decade, a lot of its former beauty has been restored and new shops, restaurants, and hotels are popping up everywhere.



We took a two-hour walking tour through the city, and everything we saw was amazing. So many colorful little houses and beautiful murals.



Our tour guide referred to Valpo as "an urban jungle" -- because the 500-year-old city was never officially founded, it's not laid out in any sort of grid. Instead, buildings popped up all over the place, and the city adjusted along the way. Now Valpo is full of tiny alleyways, winding streets, and tons of awesome and varied architecture.



The city is spread out over more than 20 hills, so the views are great.



We ate an incredible 4-course almuerzo (lunch, the biggest meal of the day in Chile) at this restaurant that overlooks all of the city! I should have taken pictures of the food because it was equally amazing.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

an actual conversation with my host dad

Álvaro: Do you need anything? More bread? Tea?
Tara: No thanks, I think I'm okay.
Álvaro: Are you sure? Can I get you anything at all? A piece of fruit? How about a boyfriend?
Tara: Uh....no, it's okay. Really.
Tara: Can you help me turn on my estufa? It's getting a little cold.
Álvaro: But Tara! I offered you a boyfriend to help with that problem, and you turned it down!