Dear Friend,
It was outside on a basketball court on a summer evening that I found my Christmas Spirit. While little kids ran around playing tag in summer dresses and t-shirts, I stood in plain view of the manger and baby Jesus as the Spanish priest delivered “Misa de Gallo,” Chile’s Christmas Eve Mass.
For days and weeks I listened to out-of-place Christmas music as I walked the sidewalks of Santiago and sat in nameless cafés sipping iced coffee to kill the heat. Day by day, Santiago transformed into the merriest version of itself that it could. Christmas trees lit up the windows of hotels, decorations hung from street lamps and street vendors exchanged their watches and nail-clippers for Christmas cards and wrapping paper.
Getting back from the Pirate Journey left me anxious to see friends in the city and to get prepped for Christmas. Three weeks on the road without sleeping in the same bed for more than two nights can do that to you. I probably sound like a coked-out musician on tour, but the truth is that I really did miss Santiago, so to come back to the city as it was preparing to celebrate Navidad was a really good feeling.
I only had a few days alone to recover from my 48-hour bus ride back to Santiago before Nate got into town. I picked him up from the airport on a hot Monday morning. Actually, every morning is hot now. It’s ridiculous. But we had a good time seeing the city, meeting my friends and touring a little bit. Trying to be active in the city during the day is hard though because of the heat. Nate wasn’t used to it… especially having come from the Harbor where it snowed recently… and even I wasn’t used to it having had time to “get used” to it. After a week of catching up, Nate took off, and I was left to prep for the Holidays.
Before I tell you about how I spent Christmas in Chile, let me first tell you, my friend, about how good it is to be in the company of those you love. Having Nate here for a little while was a fresh reminder of my friends back in Washington. Although I feel as though I’ve done an alright job of staying in touch with everyone back home, it is also amazing to find out everything I haven’t heard about over the past few months. Anyways, it was good to see a familiar place from back home.
As for Christmas, well, while Nate was here we hung out with Taylor and Courtney after they got back from their tour of the south. We made cookies and decorated their apartment with a fire place with a mantle and stockings and a menorah. We also made a Christmas tree with decorations and presents and we cut out a few snowflakes as well. Just have to say… I discovered that I am a boss at making snowflakes. In case you were curious. We also watched some of Christmas Vacation but Taylor and I fell asleep in the middle of it and we never did finish the movie. But we made sure to rock out to Christmas music all day and the next day when we made breakfast. Good times.
The 22nd was Patty’s Christmas Party and her surprise party. Not here, but back home. I was luckily able to skype at the Christmas party and talk to everyone and see their brilliant faces. The undoubted highlight of the party was playing Catch Phrase with my friends as we sat in a circle. I got to blurt out answers to my team over the skype connection, and when it was my turn, Mark was kind enough to hold up the catch phrase thingy in front of the screen so I could read it. It was tough, and my team lost. I’ll take that blame, haha. But it really was fun. That same night was Patty’s surprise going-away party. Bummed I missed out, but I’m thankful that the planning team (mostly some amazing Moms) let me record a video for Patty. What I’m not thankful for is the Gateway and their news prioritization. If you’re reading this, Gateway editorial staff, I have issues with what you choose to run in your paper.
Anyways, my own bitching aside, on the 23rd I got invited by Court and Tay to go out to dinner with them and their families that visited them here in Santiago for Christmas. It was a bit awkward but the food was amazing and it was great to talk to their families for a bit. They’re all traveling right now so here’s to hoping that they’re having an amazing time. It was funny because after dinner we had a small desire to go out, so we took Taylor’s and Courtney’s families to a bar in Bellavista and had a few drinks.
Christmas Eve definitely didn’t feel like Christmas Eve. I made it a point to listen to as much Christmas music as I could, but it didn’t exactly make the day feel any different. Later that day I went to my host family’s house to celebrate. Traditionally, Chileans celebrate on Christmas Eve with a late meal and with all the family in the home. Dinner is normally a turkey but a lot of families opt for other dishes. We had a lot of seafood and it was all delicious. The Christmas drink is “Cola de Mono” or Monkey Tail and it reminds me a lot of eggnog minus the egg and with a hint of coffee, and also with a strong hint of alcohol. It’s kind of tasty but it’s hard to drink a lot of it. After dinner the family stays up until midnight; at that time everyone opens presents. Gift-giving is simplified to a tradition of thoughtfulness and need instead of extravagance and competition like I have known. It was actually quite nice. We opened gifts around the Christmas tree decorated in blinking colored lights and decorations that didn’t include any snow themes. My family got me two tech shirts to run in and I got them a hanging decoration for their house; it was of the style that my host mom is very fond of. The real Christmas gift was the kitten that my host sister Andrea found across the street in a gift bag. The cat was dehydrated and fatigued when we found it; it was also absolutely covered with fleas. After some water, milk, and a ton of flea spray, the little cat slept for a long time. It was obviously a Christmas gift gone wrong, as so many pets-as-gifts are; and it also looked like it was too young to be taken away from its mother. I think the family might keep it; if not they have a friend who is looking to adopt a cat.
While we were cooking my host mom dropped everything and says, “Crap! Christmas Eve mass!” and my brother and sister just laughed and said how they weren’t going anyways and blah blah blah. But Mamá seemed really intent on going so she and I washed the vegetable peelings from our hands and walked across the street to where the church is. The doors to the church were closed, but after walking around to the front gate of the school where the church is housed, we saw that mass was outside. It was there that I found a huge crowd of people overflowing from the rows of school chairs that were set up. We got there a few minutes late and the four priests at the front were in mid-sentence; but a lot of people were still arriving and since mass was outside on a spectacularly comfortable summer night, little kids had no hesitation running around the sports court squealing in excitement. It was on that basketball court, with the sunset’s pink lemonade rays shining upon the snowless Andes peaks, that I found my Christmas Spirit. I realized that Christmas isn’t about a nation or a state or a city, or the experiences that I have in those places. No. It’s about love and Jesus and family and those things are more international than the swine flu. I suppose that Christmas can be about an individual place; in my case Gig Harbor; but I’d like to think that, in fact I know and I feel, that Christmas, the celebration of God’s Love and His son, has to be a holiday without borders; it has to be something that can be celebrated anywhere under any circumstances. Without that condition, where would we be as followers of this religion and belief?
Anyways, Christmas Day ended up being very chill; which I was OK with. I would have loved to have had a day full of plans and commitments, but the truth is that by not being able to experience Christmas in the way I wanted to, the most familiar and traditional of ways for me, it made me realize what aspects of Christmas I love and miss. That means, first and foremost, you. In the end, my friend from the exchange program, Kari, and I made Christmas lunch out of homemade Enchiladas (homemade tortillas and sauce) and homemade individual apple pies from Pink Lady apples. So tasty. We ate pie while watching Elf and it made for a great way to spend the day. That night I skyped with my family back home, which means the WHOLE family- aunts, uncles, cousins, Grandma, everyone! It was so great to see them and talk to them.
In the end, it was a very relaxed holiday. Everything was a new experience, and everything was enjoyable. Can’t complain.
Hoping your Christmas was full of love and celebration,
Derek
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Pirate Journey- Peru
Dear Friend,
In the second installment of the Pirate Journey post, I’m going to tell you the story about Peru and how the country hated me. I was cursed from the beginning.
Crossing the border from Arica, Chile, to Tacna, Peru, was actually pretty easy. We got in a taxi with all of our backpacks barely fitting in the trunk and went through customs where our tasty apples and oranges were confiscated to our dismay. But, on arriving to Tacna, we found a bustling city, very different from Chile, which is interesting given the proximity, full of street vendors and markets. In the maze of curbside booths and shops we found one woman selling coconut cookies… just straight coconut cooked and molded together. THEY WERE SO TASTY. We went nuts on them, and I ended up buying three packages… for only 1 sol ($0.33). After sitting in the sun and enjoying some snacks, we got on our bus to Puno where Lake Titicaca is.
The majority of buses in Peru, at least the ones we rode on, were very different from those in Chile. In Chile the crew is normally in uniform and rather attentive. The air conditioning or the heat is normally always on and they usually play a few movies during the trip. In Peru, there were no movies, no heat on our frigid overnight bus, and it smelled horrible. Horrible! I guess I really can’t complain since we paid about $8.00 for a 10-hour bus ride which in Chile would probably go for $20.00. Despite not sleeping at all because of the cold and being so uncomfortable, we bucked up and booked a tour of Lake Titicaca on boat for two days. The plan was to go see Urso, the floating islands made from reeds that grow in the lake. Then we went to Amantani, and island where a small community of people live who take in foreigners for a night and cook for them and show them what it’s like to live on the island and in their culture. The following day the tour went to Taquile Island where there is a nice hike to a small village. There the tour stays for the large part of the day shopping and eating lunch and interacting with the locals.
That’s what was SUPPOSED to happen. None of that, for me at least, did happen. Either because of the altitude or because of some sort of virus, I was inopportunely sick for the entirety of the trip. It started when got on the boat. I felt tired and fatigued, but I passed it off on altitude and the horrible trip. But then, I just knew that I was sick. You just get that feeling sometimes. Brit tired to convince me it was mental. Last time she did that, I had tonsillitis. I slept for three hours on the boat, then when we got to Amantani in the early afternoon, I slept, and I didn’t really wake up until the next morning when I tried to eat breakfast. The nice woman who hosted us made me a special blend of tea using coca leaves, thyme, and some other herb. She also thought Brittany and I were a married couple. It was apparently really funny. I wouldn’t know since I was hidden away in a mass of blankets trying to decide if my fever was making me hot or cold. From what I heard, the trip was amazing, even with the thunder storm right over our heads and the waves on the lake the morning after the storm.
On the trip we met Brandon from Colorado who was going back to Cusco the same day we were so we all stayed together and made a balling group of travelers. I was really glad that we met him because Brit had someone to hang with while I slumbered. The bus terminal in Puno offered these ramshackle, filthy bedrooms that you could rent out, like a hotel. They smelled like socks and all-purpose cleaner. I almost died. But it gave me a place to lie down and take it easy while Brittany and Brandon explored Puno. Anyways, we three took a bus to Cusco that night. Our upgrade from semi-bed to full-bed chairs on the bus was a great decision and I slept a little on the ride. Unfortunately we got in to Cusco at 4 a.m., so we had to wait for a few hours before going to our hostel… which was ridiculous!
The climb alone to the top of the hill where our hostel was located was exhausting, especially given the altitude and our backpacks. It was kind of worth it, I suppose. The place is called Loki and they have several hostels in Peru and Bolivia. It is GIGANTIC. The place is a historical site… completely antique… and it has a labyrinth of rooms that are mainly dorm-style. I would say that maybe 60 people could stay there at one time, give or take. The only downside is that it was filled with Europeans and North Americans and it was completely catered to making us feel like we were in a familiar environment. It was hard to really feel like we were staying in Cusco the whole time. But it was fun- the hostel had a bar and a kitchen, so we didn’t even really have to leave if we didn’t want to. Also a downside.
From Cusco on our second day we launched in a taxi to the town of Ollantaytambo where we caught the PeruRail train to Machu Picchu. We were lucky to catch a community party in Ollantaytambo where they were singing and dancing and serving up some disgusting chicha drink, but we sipped on some nonetheless. It was fun, even though we were the only foreigners to venture into the party. The train takes about two hours to get there… even though it could be much faster. It was the slowest train I’ve ever experienced. I think the idea is to give people the opportunity to see the mountain scenery, which is spectacular, but since we were on the night train, we couldn’t see anything. In Machu Picchu, the town, a tributary cuts the community in half, almost dividing perfectly the segment of hostels and restaurants for tourists with the school and houses of the people who live there. Bridges span the river in the shadow of huge cliffs and mountains that jut rudely and abruptly from the base of the water. When we got there that night we bought our tickets to the park, then got a hostel which we talked down to $4 for the night, and then we ate pizza. We needed the fuel for the morning.
At 4:30 a.m. we woke up so that we could get in line for the bus around 5 a.m. We were told that if we got there at that time, we would be assured one of the 500 daily tickets that allow you to climb Wayna Picchu, the mountain that looks over the Lost City. We were sixth and seventh in line. A little bit early, maybe, but whatever, we got our tickets to Wayna Picchu. The bus winds up 8 kilometers of switch backs before reaching the park. On the way we passed a handful of badasses who hiked up to the park, and when we got to the entrance, there were about 50 people who had made the trek before sunrise and were already waiting. Getting to the park that early is also a bonus because you can catch views of it with no one in it. Literally, you can see nearly the entirety of the ruins and everything without a single person in sight. It’s amazing.
Machu Picchu is spectacular. It really is. It oozes spirituality, tranquility and intrigue. Hundreds of people enter the park each day, but everyone is pretty mellow as they quietly take in the amazing sights and as they trek around the ruins and trails. By the end of the day, after walking and climbing so much, we were exhausted.
Back in Cusco, we only had two more days, so we spent our full day picking up some souvenirs and also taking a tour of the campo on horseback. It was amazing.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=167517&id=629949459&l=dfb40811e7
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=167519&id=629949459&l=9bed741632
In the second installment of the Pirate Journey post, I’m going to tell you the story about Peru and how the country hated me. I was cursed from the beginning.
Crossing the border from Arica, Chile, to Tacna, Peru, was actually pretty easy. We got in a taxi with all of our backpacks barely fitting in the trunk and went through customs where our tasty apples and oranges were confiscated to our dismay. But, on arriving to Tacna, we found a bustling city, very different from Chile, which is interesting given the proximity, full of street vendors and markets. In the maze of curbside booths and shops we found one woman selling coconut cookies… just straight coconut cooked and molded together. THEY WERE SO TASTY. We went nuts on them, and I ended up buying three packages… for only 1 sol ($0.33). After sitting in the sun and enjoying some snacks, we got on our bus to Puno where Lake Titicaca is.
The majority of buses in Peru, at least the ones we rode on, were very different from those in Chile. In Chile the crew is normally in uniform and rather attentive. The air conditioning or the heat is normally always on and they usually play a few movies during the trip. In Peru, there were no movies, no heat on our frigid overnight bus, and it smelled horrible. Horrible! I guess I really can’t complain since we paid about $8.00 for a 10-hour bus ride which in Chile would probably go for $20.00. Despite not sleeping at all because of the cold and being so uncomfortable, we bucked up and booked a tour of Lake Titicaca on boat for two days. The plan was to go see Urso, the floating islands made from reeds that grow in the lake. Then we went to Amantani, and island where a small community of people live who take in foreigners for a night and cook for them and show them what it’s like to live on the island and in their culture. The following day the tour went to Taquile Island where there is a nice hike to a small village. There the tour stays for the large part of the day shopping and eating lunch and interacting with the locals.
That’s what was SUPPOSED to happen. None of that, for me at least, did happen. Either because of the altitude or because of some sort of virus, I was inopportunely sick for the entirety of the trip. It started when got on the boat. I felt tired and fatigued, but I passed it off on altitude and the horrible trip. But then, I just knew that I was sick. You just get that feeling sometimes. Brit tired to convince me it was mental. Last time she did that, I had tonsillitis. I slept for three hours on the boat, then when we got to Amantani in the early afternoon, I slept, and I didn’t really wake up until the next morning when I tried to eat breakfast. The nice woman who hosted us made me a special blend of tea using coca leaves, thyme, and some other herb. She also thought Brittany and I were a married couple. It was apparently really funny. I wouldn’t know since I was hidden away in a mass of blankets trying to decide if my fever was making me hot or cold. From what I heard, the trip was amazing, even with the thunder storm right over our heads and the waves on the lake the morning after the storm.
On the trip we met Brandon from Colorado who was going back to Cusco the same day we were so we all stayed together and made a balling group of travelers. I was really glad that we met him because Brit had someone to hang with while I slumbered. The bus terminal in Puno offered these ramshackle, filthy bedrooms that you could rent out, like a hotel. They smelled like socks and all-purpose cleaner. I almost died. But it gave me a place to lie down and take it easy while Brittany and Brandon explored Puno. Anyways, we three took a bus to Cusco that night. Our upgrade from semi-bed to full-bed chairs on the bus was a great decision and I slept a little on the ride. Unfortunately we got in to Cusco at 4 a.m., so we had to wait for a few hours before going to our hostel… which was ridiculous!
The climb alone to the top of the hill where our hostel was located was exhausting, especially given the altitude and our backpacks. It was kind of worth it, I suppose. The place is called Loki and they have several hostels in Peru and Bolivia. It is GIGANTIC. The place is a historical site… completely antique… and it has a labyrinth of rooms that are mainly dorm-style. I would say that maybe 60 people could stay there at one time, give or take. The only downside is that it was filled with Europeans and North Americans and it was completely catered to making us feel like we were in a familiar environment. It was hard to really feel like we were staying in Cusco the whole time. But it was fun- the hostel had a bar and a kitchen, so we didn’t even really have to leave if we didn’t want to. Also a downside.
From Cusco on our second day we launched in a taxi to the town of Ollantaytambo where we caught the PeruRail train to Machu Picchu. We were lucky to catch a community party in Ollantaytambo where they were singing and dancing and serving up some disgusting chicha drink, but we sipped on some nonetheless. It was fun, even though we were the only foreigners to venture into the party. The train takes about two hours to get there… even though it could be much faster. It was the slowest train I’ve ever experienced. I think the idea is to give people the opportunity to see the mountain scenery, which is spectacular, but since we were on the night train, we couldn’t see anything. In Machu Picchu, the town, a tributary cuts the community in half, almost dividing perfectly the segment of hostels and restaurants for tourists with the school and houses of the people who live there. Bridges span the river in the shadow of huge cliffs and mountains that jut rudely and abruptly from the base of the water. When we got there that night we bought our tickets to the park, then got a hostel which we talked down to $4 for the night, and then we ate pizza. We needed the fuel for the morning.
At 4:30 a.m. we woke up so that we could get in line for the bus around 5 a.m. We were told that if we got there at that time, we would be assured one of the 500 daily tickets that allow you to climb Wayna Picchu, the mountain that looks over the Lost City. We were sixth and seventh in line. A little bit early, maybe, but whatever, we got our tickets to Wayna Picchu. The bus winds up 8 kilometers of switch backs before reaching the park. On the way we passed a handful of badasses who hiked up to the park, and when we got to the entrance, there were about 50 people who had made the trek before sunrise and were already waiting. Getting to the park that early is also a bonus because you can catch views of it with no one in it. Literally, you can see nearly the entirety of the ruins and everything without a single person in sight. It’s amazing.
Machu Picchu is spectacular. It really is. It oozes spirituality, tranquility and intrigue. Hundreds of people enter the park each day, but everyone is pretty mellow as they quietly take in the amazing sights and as they trek around the ruins and trails. By the end of the day, after walking and climbing so much, we were exhausted.
Back in Cusco, we only had two more days, so we spent our full day picking up some souvenirs and also taking a tour of the campo on horseback. It was amazing.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=167517&id=629949459&l=dfb40811e7
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=167519&id=629949459&l=9bed741632
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Pirate Journey - Northern Chile
Today is election day. The city is empty because all the businesses are shut down, including my Starbucks. I was looking forward all morning to a cup of coffee and a cool corner in which I could write this blog post. No luck.
To substitute, I’m hiding in the only shady part of my patio with a cup of chocolate milk while the muggy 86F weather swarms around me.
Anyways, I’ve been back in Santiago for a couple of days after getting back from my Pirate Journey of the north of Chile and of Peru. Since it was a three-week thing and it was packed full of pirate action, I’m going to split up the posts, and for now, I’ll just tell you about what went down in Chile.
Amiga Brittany and I started our trip on a Saturday night with an overnight bus to Copiapó. That was one of our mistakes. Being the pirate journey, we had a list of cities we wanted to check out, but no real plans, just rough ideas and huge backpacks. The 12-hour bus ride to Copiapó was pretty mellow, although the crew left the heat blaring all night long and we were cooking in the cabin of the bus. Not the best. When we arrived the next morning we started walking to the Plaza de Las Armas, the center of town, to sit down and make our plan. It turns out that Copiapoopoo has nothing to do, at all. It has a few awesome national parks a few hours outside the city, but the $200-$300 tour price tag was a bit out of range. An hour later, we got on another bus heading west to Caldera, a small port/beach town, which ended up being a lot of fun.
In Caldera, we stayed at this ramshackle hostel which, despite its dirty outdoor kitchen, offered clean beds and hot showers. The first day we went to Bahía Inglesa, a white-sand beach a bit south of the city. Brit and I had nothing more than our music, a six-pack and a bottle of 20SPF sunscreen. After marveling in our brilliance at being able to get out of school so early and then be able to relax on a beach like this, we decided to go swimming…with all of our gear… out to these flat rocks where we ended up falling asleep while our beers cooled in the ocean while being tied up to a rock. We woke up a while later, burnt, but very content. We ended up watching the sunset that night while drinking wine straight out of boxes. It was classy. The next day we took a tour to Parque Nacional Pan de Azucar (National Park Sugar Bread) which is a super dry desert along the coast, which provides an amazing contrast between the makeup-colored mountains and the deep blues of the beach. The moist clouds coming in from the ocean don’t rain, but they provide enough moisture for diverse species of cactus that grow in the region, the reason for the park. Instead of going back to the ramshackle hostel, we camped on the far side of the bay on the beach with, not a tent, but a beach shelter… the girl who replaced Brittany’s tent after she lost it wasn’t the most intelligent. But it was really enjoyable to camp on the beach, even though our dinner and breakfast consisted of ham sandwiches (no cheese, just ham and bread) and cereal. CEREAL MONSTER!
From Caldera, we left to Antofogasta, juiced on the idea of going to the second-largest city in the country after seeing all the tourism posters in the Metro. The images of canyon hiking and lounging in clear rivers had us fooled. The city, at least the part we saw of it, wasn’t the greatest, it was actually put us off a little bit. But we did have a good time checking out the architecture and the port. That night we introduced ourselves (actually Brittany manned up and introduced us) to a tourist group of Australians and Europeans. We ended up going to a bar with them that night before heading out the next morning to San Pedro de Atacama. (On my trip back from Arica to Santiago, we passed again through Antofogasta and I have to admit that the southern part of the city is really nice and actually would have been pretty fun to visit.)
San Pedro de Atacama is arguably THE tourist destination of Chile. The village exists solely to serve tourists who want to see the beauties of the desert. It’s totally worth going to see it, but it was weird seeing sooooo many European and North American tourists in one place, especially after having spent five months in Santiago where it isn’t like that at all. After checking in to our camp site, which was little more than an open lot with some trees and few barbeques, we went sand boarding! We rented mountain bikes and snowboards for about $10 and took off into the desert- a hand-drawn map led us to a huge dune where we repeatedly hiked up and then attempted to ride down. Brit had a few really solid runs. I did not. Awkwardly, we ran into the Australian tourist group again there at the dunes, but it ended up being a good time. Since I’m not the greatest of boarders, I took a break and hiked up this huge monster dune hill mountain to a mesa that had an awesome view of the dune and the valley (Valley of Death). That afternoon we took the Moon Valley tour which included a lot of geological spots like dried up river channels, caves, mines and salt formations. The tour ended with a sunset at the Moon Valley, which looks incredibly unearthly. That was Thanksgiving Day. To celebrate, Brit and I went out to dinner at a pizzeria. I had a “family” sized Hawaiian pizza. It wasn’t actually that big, because we both practically finished the pizzas without problem. In the morning we woke up at 3:30 for our 4a.m. tour of the Tatio Geysers. It’s important to be up that early while it’s still cold out so that you can still catch the dramatic steam coming up from the geysers. The tour also includes stops at some thermals which weren’t as warm as we were hoping, as well as a small town which only has four permanent residents. There we bought llama kabobs which ended up proving to Brit and I that llama is THE BEST TASTING MEAT EVER. That afternoon, after coming back, we met up with Brittany’s best friend Jackie, who I now know and who I recognize because she goes to Humboldt State (represent), and a few of our other friends (shout out) from Santiago for the rest of the day. Unfortunately, after our choripan BBQ, we had to roll out to get to Arica the next morning. Also very awkward, we met the Australians again on the bus to Arica.
When we got there, we got separated, and we followed the two girls from the USA from the Australian group to a surf hostel where we checked in. The tour group left from there immediately to Peru after deciding not to stay in the “dirty” city. We actually liked Arica a lot. It has a bunch of a really cool buildings and awesome beaches. We spent the day on the beach relaxing and swimming which was an awesome break from the relentless heat of San Pedro. In the morning we took our bus to Parque Nacional Lauca, our baby, our prized possession in the North of Chile. To get there we had to get on a bus headed to La Paz, Bolivia, and then we asked to get dropped off at Lago Chungará (Lake Chungará). We read that there was a park ranger station there with camp sites. We got off the bus with an amazing view of the lake the volcano, but a desolate set of buildings and a few camp sites with rock walls blocking the cold winds had me nervous and uncertain. At over 14,500ft. elevation and with the Bolivian winter bringing cold winds to the area, we were stranded in the middle of nowhere with no way of getting to any sort of familiar civilization. We set up our tent and camp site, hiked around, ate dinner, attempted to take rum shots, but ended up going to bed super early since we both had headaches from the altitude. The sunset that night, however, was the most beautiful and spectacular sunset I have ever witnessed. In contrast to that beautiful image, we slept horribly. The cold didn’t help, but I think the altitude affected us both more than we thought it would. We got up early grumpy and tired, but a nice German couple gave us a ride in the back of their truck to our next stop in the park, the town of Parinacota, named for the snow-capped volcano that towers over the area. We set up camp at one of the lagoons and then took a hike through the shallow hills and around the streams and lagoons that cover the area. The town has a only a few permanent residents, the town normally fills for religious and community celebrations while most people actually live in more populated and connected towns. The people we did see (a total of four or five) worked at little shops that sold tea and snacks and artesanía. We bought coca tea which is supposed to help with altitude adjustment. Later that evening, after a few rounds of cards and a solid nap, we walked bored through the town until we saw a few people walking down the road towards us, obviously tourists. They ended up being a German and two French girls who were all really cool. They were looking for the hostel that their tour book said would be open, but it definitely was closed. Since we were camping, we didn’t have that problem, but we did see (and read) that the ranger station for the national park has beds for visitors that they usually let out for free. Unfortunately for our European friends, the station was closed. Never ones to give up, we found a small window to one of the bathrooms that we could open. One of the French girls who is a climber shimmied into the window and opened up the front door for us, it was amazing. We spent the night huddled up on bunk beds playing cards and eating pita bread. It was actually a really good time. We got up really early to avoid encountering any park rangers or townies walking by. To get back to Arica, which is where we launched to Peru, we had to go out to the highway, a 2-mile hike uphill with our huge backpacks and at altitude. It took a long time and was very tiring. We tried hitchhiking to Arica, to save money and to get there faster, but nobody picked us up for two hours. At that point, a bus heading back from La Paz rolled by and we took it to Arica, despite the $15 price tag.
Check out photos of the North of Chile in these albums:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=167404&id=629949459&l=5821d5841a
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=167447&id=629949459&l=5f83c44c19
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=167515&id=629949459&l=9f9db8c95a
To substitute, I’m hiding in the only shady part of my patio with a cup of chocolate milk while the muggy 86F weather swarms around me.
Anyways, I’ve been back in Santiago for a couple of days after getting back from my Pirate Journey of the north of Chile and of Peru. Since it was a three-week thing and it was packed full of pirate action, I’m going to split up the posts, and for now, I’ll just tell you about what went down in Chile.
Amiga Brittany and I started our trip on a Saturday night with an overnight bus to Copiapó. That was one of our mistakes. Being the pirate journey, we had a list of cities we wanted to check out, but no real plans, just rough ideas and huge backpacks. The 12-hour bus ride to Copiapó was pretty mellow, although the crew left the heat blaring all night long and we were cooking in the cabin of the bus. Not the best. When we arrived the next morning we started walking to the Plaza de Las Armas, the center of town, to sit down and make our plan. It turns out that Copiapoopoo has nothing to do, at all. It has a few awesome national parks a few hours outside the city, but the $200-$300 tour price tag was a bit out of range. An hour later, we got on another bus heading west to Caldera, a small port/beach town, which ended up being a lot of fun.
In Caldera, we stayed at this ramshackle hostel which, despite its dirty outdoor kitchen, offered clean beds and hot showers. The first day we went to Bahía Inglesa, a white-sand beach a bit south of the city. Brit and I had nothing more than our music, a six-pack and a bottle of 20SPF sunscreen. After marveling in our brilliance at being able to get out of school so early and then be able to relax on a beach like this, we decided to go swimming…with all of our gear… out to these flat rocks where we ended up falling asleep while our beers cooled in the ocean while being tied up to a rock. We woke up a while later, burnt, but very content. We ended up watching the sunset that night while drinking wine straight out of boxes. It was classy. The next day we took a tour to Parque Nacional Pan de Azucar (National Park Sugar Bread) which is a super dry desert along the coast, which provides an amazing contrast between the makeup-colored mountains and the deep blues of the beach. The moist clouds coming in from the ocean don’t rain, but they provide enough moisture for diverse species of cactus that grow in the region, the reason for the park. Instead of going back to the ramshackle hostel, we camped on the far side of the bay on the beach with, not a tent, but a beach shelter… the girl who replaced Brittany’s tent after she lost it wasn’t the most intelligent. But it was really enjoyable to camp on the beach, even though our dinner and breakfast consisted of ham sandwiches (no cheese, just ham and bread) and cereal. CEREAL MONSTER!
From Caldera, we left to Antofogasta, juiced on the idea of going to the second-largest city in the country after seeing all the tourism posters in the Metro. The images of canyon hiking and lounging in clear rivers had us fooled. The city, at least the part we saw of it, wasn’t the greatest, it was actually put us off a little bit. But we did have a good time checking out the architecture and the port. That night we introduced ourselves (actually Brittany manned up and introduced us) to a tourist group of Australians and Europeans. We ended up going to a bar with them that night before heading out the next morning to San Pedro de Atacama. (On my trip back from Arica to Santiago, we passed again through Antofogasta and I have to admit that the southern part of the city is really nice and actually would have been pretty fun to visit.)
San Pedro de Atacama is arguably THE tourist destination of Chile. The village exists solely to serve tourists who want to see the beauties of the desert. It’s totally worth going to see it, but it was weird seeing sooooo many European and North American tourists in one place, especially after having spent five months in Santiago where it isn’t like that at all. After checking in to our camp site, which was little more than an open lot with some trees and few barbeques, we went sand boarding! We rented mountain bikes and snowboards for about $10 and took off into the desert- a hand-drawn map led us to a huge dune where we repeatedly hiked up and then attempted to ride down. Brit had a few really solid runs. I did not. Awkwardly, we ran into the Australian tourist group again there at the dunes, but it ended up being a good time. Since I’m not the greatest of boarders, I took a break and hiked up this huge monster dune hill mountain to a mesa that had an awesome view of the dune and the valley (Valley of Death). That afternoon we took the Moon Valley tour which included a lot of geological spots like dried up river channels, caves, mines and salt formations. The tour ended with a sunset at the Moon Valley, which looks incredibly unearthly. That was Thanksgiving Day. To celebrate, Brit and I went out to dinner at a pizzeria. I had a “family” sized Hawaiian pizza. It wasn’t actually that big, because we both practically finished the pizzas without problem. In the morning we woke up at 3:30 for our 4a.m. tour of the Tatio Geysers. It’s important to be up that early while it’s still cold out so that you can still catch the dramatic steam coming up from the geysers. The tour also includes stops at some thermals which weren’t as warm as we were hoping, as well as a small town which only has four permanent residents. There we bought llama kabobs which ended up proving to Brit and I that llama is THE BEST TASTING MEAT EVER. That afternoon, after coming back, we met up with Brittany’s best friend Jackie, who I now know and who I recognize because she goes to Humboldt State (represent), and a few of our other friends (shout out) from Santiago for the rest of the day. Unfortunately, after our choripan BBQ, we had to roll out to get to Arica the next morning. Also very awkward, we met the Australians again on the bus to Arica.
When we got there, we got separated, and we followed the two girls from the USA from the Australian group to a surf hostel where we checked in. The tour group left from there immediately to Peru after deciding not to stay in the “dirty” city. We actually liked Arica a lot. It has a bunch of a really cool buildings and awesome beaches. We spent the day on the beach relaxing and swimming which was an awesome break from the relentless heat of San Pedro. In the morning we took our bus to Parque Nacional Lauca, our baby, our prized possession in the North of Chile. To get there we had to get on a bus headed to La Paz, Bolivia, and then we asked to get dropped off at Lago Chungará (Lake Chungará). We read that there was a park ranger station there with camp sites. We got off the bus with an amazing view of the lake the volcano, but a desolate set of buildings and a few camp sites with rock walls blocking the cold winds had me nervous and uncertain. At over 14,500ft. elevation and with the Bolivian winter bringing cold winds to the area, we were stranded in the middle of nowhere with no way of getting to any sort of familiar civilization. We set up our tent and camp site, hiked around, ate dinner, attempted to take rum shots, but ended up going to bed super early since we both had headaches from the altitude. The sunset that night, however, was the most beautiful and spectacular sunset I have ever witnessed. In contrast to that beautiful image, we slept horribly. The cold didn’t help, but I think the altitude affected us both more than we thought it would. We got up early grumpy and tired, but a nice German couple gave us a ride in the back of their truck to our next stop in the park, the town of Parinacota, named for the snow-capped volcano that towers over the area. We set up camp at one of the lagoons and then took a hike through the shallow hills and around the streams and lagoons that cover the area. The town has a only a few permanent residents, the town normally fills for religious and community celebrations while most people actually live in more populated and connected towns. The people we did see (a total of four or five) worked at little shops that sold tea and snacks and artesanía. We bought coca tea which is supposed to help with altitude adjustment. Later that evening, after a few rounds of cards and a solid nap, we walked bored through the town until we saw a few people walking down the road towards us, obviously tourists. They ended up being a German and two French girls who were all really cool. They were looking for the hostel that their tour book said would be open, but it definitely was closed. Since we were camping, we didn’t have that problem, but we did see (and read) that the ranger station for the national park has beds for visitors that they usually let out for free. Unfortunately for our European friends, the station was closed. Never ones to give up, we found a small window to one of the bathrooms that we could open. One of the French girls who is a climber shimmied into the window and opened up the front door for us, it was amazing. We spent the night huddled up on bunk beds playing cards and eating pita bread. It was actually a really good time. We got up really early to avoid encountering any park rangers or townies walking by. To get back to Arica, which is where we launched to Peru, we had to go out to the highway, a 2-mile hike uphill with our huge backpacks and at altitude. It took a long time and was very tiring. We tried hitchhiking to Arica, to save money and to get there faster, but nobody picked us up for two hours. At that point, a bus heading back from La Paz rolled by and we took it to Arica, despite the $15 price tag.
Check out photos of the North of Chile in these albums:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=167404&id=629949459&l=5821d5841a
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=167447&id=629949459&l=5f83c44c19
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=167515&id=629949459&l=9f9db8c95a
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Excuse my absence
Dear Friend,
Like always, it has been a long time. Very, very long. And I apologize for that. But as you will soon read, I do have excuses. But first, be sure to check out the hyperlinks I’m experimenting with in this post.
Today is the day of the Epic Journey. So epic I can barely even tell you about it. This being the case, there are two things you need to know. 1) I am dying with excitement for my trip through the North of Chile and to Peru, and 2) I am feeling an extreme sense of relief at being DONE WITH THE SEMESTER. Before I embark on telling you about my trip, I’m going to tell you what else has been going on in my life.
I’ll start with Halloween because that’s the most significant event that happened closest to my last-posting. Chileans don’t exactly celebrate Halloween. They definitely go out and use it as a reason to party (don’t we all?), but they don’t dress up as much and there’s obviously no trick-or-treating. I, however, along with my friend Brit, dressed up as Luigi and she, Mario. As a duo, we were obligated to go to her party on Friday and my party on Saturday and thus the explanation for the most relaxed and subdued Sunday in the history of my life.
My work at Revolver magazine has been very rewarding and engaging. Although it’s a volunteer job and I wish I could be getting paid for my work, it’s been a great experience and it has provided me with creative outlets, things to keep me busy, opportunities for portfolio building, exposure, and an excellent way to get to know Santiago better, in all the ways that I was hoping. I’ve walked through street fairs talking to merchants and shoppers, sat in hazy bars reviewing alternative rock bands, conversed over politics with theater design professors and I have gone to the ever-controversial Panic! At The Disco concert. Now, anyone who knows Panic! At The Disco from the United States and who is reading this undoubtedly dislikes the band, save for a select few. I typically don’t hang out with crowds who would generally like the rock-pop spectacles. Generalizations aside, I did use the excuse to cover the concert for the magazine as a way to check out the band, given my limited interest in their work. It turns out that, while their song pool is quite small, they know how to put on a great show, and I think my review was pretty favorable. Anyways, the point is that the experience has definitely affirmed my desire to pursue features/culture/magazine writing in the future. End.
A few weekends ago I got to go hiking with a few gringa friends. We met up and set out in the extreme sun to summit Cerro La Cruz in Santiago, entering through Parque Mahuida in La Reina. What we thought would be an easy two or three hour hike to the summit ended up being a six-to-seven hour endeavor, or so they say. We never found out because we never got that far. The sun, our limited water and our unpreparedness got the better of us and ended up turning back after two-and-a-half hours of hiking. It was a great time and we had some spectacular views, especially of the smog layer that blanketed the city. The surroundings were great, though, and it was a fun day.
The past two or three weeks in school have been terrible. Terribly wonderful. I’ve been giving myself ulcers because of worry and coffee as I tried to ensure my passing of all classes. I threw my grade expectations out the window for a few of my courses this semester which is very uncharacteristic of me, but at the same time, it was necessary given the circumstances. I had a final in my Spanish class; a final in my Chilean culture class, a final paper and presentation (which got cancelled) in my immigrant literature class; a final paper, presentation AND oral exam in my media ethics class and a volleyball tournament for my P.E. class which, of course, my team won. I studied pretty hard for culture final (three essays), literature (10-page paper on a book I didn’t read and 10-minute presentation) and for my ethics final (20-minute interview-style oral exam). Everything I was confident about EXCEPT ethics in which I had been failing for the first 12 weeks of the semester. I honestly didn’t think I was going to pass. I was sure the professor hated me (I still think she does). And I strongly disagreed with the way she taught the course. It wasn’t until after my exam when she told me I got a 6.0 (A) on the test that I relaxed and realized that I’d be passing the class. It was a great relief and, being my last final of the semester, cause for celebration.
All of that studying was also the cause of my encounter with Starbucks. I feel extremely guilty for giving in to Starbucks while in Santiago but I literally couldn’t help it. Their cool, shaded lounge areas and their familiar coffee made it irresistible given the circumstances and my energy-deficiency. At the end of the day, I chalk it up to my pride in Northwest-based companies. However, soon I’ll be posting a column I wrote for the Lumberjack back in Humboldt about Chilean perceptions of “Americans” based on an interview that ironically took place in a Starbucks.
Oh, and a great story: My toilet broke in the middle of the night on its own accord while I was sleeping last week. I was literally in my bed when the tank fell off of the wall, crashed, spilled water, and continued to spew water all over my bathroom and bedroom. It was Friday the 13th and I'm determined to make some sort of connection between the day of bad luck and the fact that a ghost straight up broke my toilet. It was a horrible ordeal in reality.
Anyways, because a lot of us in my exchange program are leaving to travel and a lot of them are going to the Manu Chao concert on Thursday, our group’s Thanksgiving dinner got pushed up a week to last Thursday. We all met up at a North American-style restaurant and we had turkey and stuffing and pumpkin pie. It was all soooo delicious. We were divided into three tables, but my table and one of the other tables all went around and we individually said what we were thankful for. It was very cute.
So I think that sums up the last month or so of my time here. Today, however, I start an exciting new chapter known as “Summer.” I’m so juiced.
Today I leave to start touring the North of Chile, including a lot of beach towns, the driest desert in the world and an awesome national park. Then we’re planning on crossing into Peru to see Machu Picchu and Lake Titicaca. I’m so excited. Firm plans for our city stops haven’t been set up yet, but I plan on taking a ridiculous amount of pictures to keep you updated. As for the rest of my summer, I’m hoping to be “working” at a winery in January. And then in February, I’ll be working on a nature reserve called Añihue in the south coast in Patagonia. I’ll be working on their organic farm which provides for the visitors and researchers who are based out of there. I’m so excited. Then school starts in March, which I’m less excited for.
Ok, friend, I have rambled enough. I need more coffee and cereal. Until next time.
Like always, it has been a long time. Very, very long. And I apologize for that. But as you will soon read, I do have excuses. But first, be sure to check out the hyperlinks I’m experimenting with in this post.
Today is the day of the Epic Journey. So epic I can barely even tell you about it. This being the case, there are two things you need to know. 1) I am dying with excitement for my trip through the North of Chile and to Peru, and 2) I am feeling an extreme sense of relief at being DONE WITH THE SEMESTER. Before I embark on telling you about my trip, I’m going to tell you what else has been going on in my life.
I’ll start with Halloween because that’s the most significant event that happened closest to my last-posting. Chileans don’t exactly celebrate Halloween. They definitely go out and use it as a reason to party (don’t we all?), but they don’t dress up as much and there’s obviously no trick-or-treating. I, however, along with my friend Brit, dressed up as Luigi and she, Mario. As a duo, we were obligated to go to her party on Friday and my party on Saturday and thus the explanation for the most relaxed and subdued Sunday in the history of my life.
My work at Revolver magazine has been very rewarding and engaging. Although it’s a volunteer job and I wish I could be getting paid for my work, it’s been a great experience and it has provided me with creative outlets, things to keep me busy, opportunities for portfolio building, exposure, and an excellent way to get to know Santiago better, in all the ways that I was hoping. I’ve walked through street fairs talking to merchants and shoppers, sat in hazy bars reviewing alternative rock bands, conversed over politics with theater design professors and I have gone to the ever-controversial Panic! At The Disco concert. Now, anyone who knows Panic! At The Disco from the United States and who is reading this undoubtedly dislikes the band, save for a select few. I typically don’t hang out with crowds who would generally like the rock-pop spectacles. Generalizations aside, I did use the excuse to cover the concert for the magazine as a way to check out the band, given my limited interest in their work. It turns out that, while their song pool is quite small, they know how to put on a great show, and I think my review was pretty favorable. Anyways, the point is that the experience has definitely affirmed my desire to pursue features/culture/magazine writing in the future. End.
A few weekends ago I got to go hiking with a few gringa friends. We met up and set out in the extreme sun to summit Cerro La Cruz in Santiago, entering through Parque Mahuida in La Reina. What we thought would be an easy two or three hour hike to the summit ended up being a six-to-seven hour endeavor, or so they say. We never found out because we never got that far. The sun, our limited water and our unpreparedness got the better of us and ended up turning back after two-and-a-half hours of hiking. It was a great time and we had some spectacular views, especially of the smog layer that blanketed the city. The surroundings were great, though, and it was a fun day.
The past two or three weeks in school have been terrible. Terribly wonderful. I’ve been giving myself ulcers because of worry and coffee as I tried to ensure my passing of all classes. I threw my grade expectations out the window for a few of my courses this semester which is very uncharacteristic of me, but at the same time, it was necessary given the circumstances. I had a final in my Spanish class; a final in my Chilean culture class, a final paper and presentation (which got cancelled) in my immigrant literature class; a final paper, presentation AND oral exam in my media ethics class and a volleyball tournament for my P.E. class which, of course, my team won. I studied pretty hard for culture final (three essays), literature (10-page paper on a book I didn’t read and 10-minute presentation) and for my ethics final (20-minute interview-style oral exam). Everything I was confident about EXCEPT ethics in which I had been failing for the first 12 weeks of the semester. I honestly didn’t think I was going to pass. I was sure the professor hated me (I still think she does). And I strongly disagreed with the way she taught the course. It wasn’t until after my exam when she told me I got a 6.0 (A) on the test that I relaxed and realized that I’d be passing the class. It was a great relief and, being my last final of the semester, cause for celebration.
All of that studying was also the cause of my encounter with Starbucks. I feel extremely guilty for giving in to Starbucks while in Santiago but I literally couldn’t help it. Their cool, shaded lounge areas and their familiar coffee made it irresistible given the circumstances and my energy-deficiency. At the end of the day, I chalk it up to my pride in Northwest-based companies. However, soon I’ll be posting a column I wrote for the Lumberjack back in Humboldt about Chilean perceptions of “Americans” based on an interview that ironically took place in a Starbucks.
Oh, and a great story: My toilet broke in the middle of the night on its own accord while I was sleeping last week. I was literally in my bed when the tank fell off of the wall, crashed, spilled water, and continued to spew water all over my bathroom and bedroom. It was Friday the 13th and I'm determined to make some sort of connection between the day of bad luck and the fact that a ghost straight up broke my toilet. It was a horrible ordeal in reality.
Anyways, because a lot of us in my exchange program are leaving to travel and a lot of them are going to the Manu Chao concert on Thursday, our group’s Thanksgiving dinner got pushed up a week to last Thursday. We all met up at a North American-style restaurant and we had turkey and stuffing and pumpkin pie. It was all soooo delicious. We were divided into three tables, but my table and one of the other tables all went around and we individually said what we were thankful for. It was very cute.
So I think that sums up the last month or so of my time here. Today, however, I start an exciting new chapter known as “Summer.” I’m so juiced.
Today I leave to start touring the North of Chile, including a lot of beach towns, the driest desert in the world and an awesome national park. Then we’re planning on crossing into Peru to see Machu Picchu and Lake Titicaca. I’m so excited. Firm plans for our city stops haven’t been set up yet, but I plan on taking a ridiculous amount of pictures to keep you updated. As for the rest of my summer, I’m hoping to be “working” at a winery in January. And then in February, I’ll be working on a nature reserve called Añihue in the south coast in Patagonia. I’ll be working on their organic farm which provides for the visitors and researchers who are based out of there. I’m so excited. Then school starts in March, which I’m less excited for.
Ok, friend, I have rambled enough. I need more coffee and cereal. Until next time.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Moved.
Dear Friend,
It’s a Sunday afternoon, so naturally nothing is happening. I’m outside on my new patio listening to the birds flit around in the ivy and the bush next to the pond. I don’t know what kind of bush it is. It has leaves.
It’s a shady patio. It only gets a few hours of sun a day since it’s enclosed by our apartment building. But when it does get sun it’s amazing. When it doesn’t get sun, it’s just a really nice patio. I imagine it being a prime location for parties some night in the future.
My new apartment is splendidly imperfect. I can’t complain about the neighborhood. It’s tucked away off of the main, downtown avenue but still extremely close to the center of the city. I ran through the capital last week; it wasn’t too great since it’s congested as eff, but regardless it was an experience to say that I went on a run… through the nation’s capital. And I live 3 minutes away. The building is super old. The streets are made of cobble stone and everything is really antique-like. I can roll with that, though, it has nice character. It’s a very international neighborhood. There aren’t that many Chileans, which is unfortunate, but there are people from everywhere. I live with a guy form England, a guy from Germany and a guy from California. Despite them not being native Spanish speakers, which is a slight turn-off, I am being exposed to different cultures and different people, which, at the heart of my study abroad experience, is what I’m looking for.
The apartment is self is actually kind of big, thanks to some remodeling. Our kitchen isn’t huge, but we each have our own rooms and we have a nice living room with comfy sofas and chairs. Positive: I have my own bathroom. Negative: My room’s windows open up to the wall of my roommate’s room. Shoddy remodeling plans. Positive: We have lots of windows and doors to the patio. Negative: They’re single pained and without door-jams.
But what’s a definite positive is that I can walk to class on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Save some money, burn some calories… that’s called efficiency.
Since I moved from living with a family, I basically had to start from scratch as far as food and amenities go. My trip to the outdoor market with $25 yielded a ton of fruits and veggies: apples, bananas, oranges, kiwis, lemons, cilantro, zucchini, cucumber, onion, carrots and more. It’s ridiculous.
While I write to you, friend, my body feels so old. So incredibly tired and sore. Why? Because yesterday was the Ultra Marathon of the Andes 2009 in Santiago. Me and some teammates from school went up into the hills and raced what the event organizers call “North Face’s Endurance Challenge.” I ran 10K (6.25 miles) and won. It was nuts. It was awesome. I was super pumped. I got free North Face shoes and a Gore Tex duffel bag. And a head lamp. With batteries. (Results- http://www.ultramaratondelosandes.cl/resultados.html -- Listado por distancia-- 10K Masculino) (Photos of the race in general - http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=560830685#/album.php?aid=148049&id=95079952639&ref=mf and http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=560830685#/album.php?aid=148205&id=95079952639 )
The race categories included 5K, 10K, 21K (half marathon), 50K and 80K. Cesar got 2nd in his category and 3rd overall in the 21K and Nacho got 3rd overall in the 50K. Beast. He started at 5 a.m. and finished a little after 11 a.m. Over 6 hours of running. Sounds enticing, right? The 80K competitors started at 2 a.m. Ick.
The winner was a guy from Massachusetts who runs for team North Face. I talked to him and his wife after the race for a bit (gringo connection). I think her name was Lisa… or Linda… maybe, I can’t remember. Regardless, she knew where Monson is. Shout out to the Sweeneys!
The first 3 men and women in the 80k and 50k races got money as well as other prizes. I was holding out for my check for a long time until I found out had to have run one of those races. Boo that.
But overall the race was fantastic. It was really hard. I was shuffling up the mountainside wheezing. And I admit/confess/confide in you that I walked for about 50 meters. I’m not proud of it. But I did it. Running in that countryside in the hills was such a good experience, though. To be out of the city running in trees and grasses and over creeks and alongside cows and through groups of horses… I want to go back and explore.
So those are the two big things that have been going on in my life. School ends in about 6 weeks. I’m pumped more than you can believe. I’m going to plan my first vacation trip up North today or tomorrow.
Also! Check out some work I’ve been doing with the Revolver Magazine (www.santiagomagazine.cl). I haven’t written anything significant yet, but I have a few stories in progress and some photos in their albums.
Carnaval Album: http://photos.santiagomagazine.cl/main.php?g2_view=slideshow.Slideshow&g2_itemId=12815
Feria Album: http://photos.santiagomagazine.cl/main.php/v/venues/Ortuzar+Feria/
Event Preview: http://www.santiagomagazine.cl/index.php/en/agenda/featured-events/23-agenda/416-preview-panic-at-the-disco.html
It’s a Sunday afternoon, so naturally nothing is happening. I’m outside on my new patio listening to the birds flit around in the ivy and the bush next to the pond. I don’t know what kind of bush it is. It has leaves.
It’s a shady patio. It only gets a few hours of sun a day since it’s enclosed by our apartment building. But when it does get sun it’s amazing. When it doesn’t get sun, it’s just a really nice patio. I imagine it being a prime location for parties some night in the future.
My new apartment is splendidly imperfect. I can’t complain about the neighborhood. It’s tucked away off of the main, downtown avenue but still extremely close to the center of the city. I ran through the capital last week; it wasn’t too great since it’s congested as eff, but regardless it was an experience to say that I went on a run… through the nation’s capital. And I live 3 minutes away. The building is super old. The streets are made of cobble stone and everything is really antique-like. I can roll with that, though, it has nice character. It’s a very international neighborhood. There aren’t that many Chileans, which is unfortunate, but there are people from everywhere. I live with a guy form England, a guy from Germany and a guy from California. Despite them not being native Spanish speakers, which is a slight turn-off, I am being exposed to different cultures and different people, which, at the heart of my study abroad experience, is what I’m looking for.
The apartment is self is actually kind of big, thanks to some remodeling. Our kitchen isn’t huge, but we each have our own rooms and we have a nice living room with comfy sofas and chairs. Positive: I have my own bathroom. Negative: My room’s windows open up to the wall of my roommate’s room. Shoddy remodeling plans. Positive: We have lots of windows and doors to the patio. Negative: They’re single pained and without door-jams.
But what’s a definite positive is that I can walk to class on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Save some money, burn some calories… that’s called efficiency.
Since I moved from living with a family, I basically had to start from scratch as far as food and amenities go. My trip to the outdoor market with $25 yielded a ton of fruits and veggies: apples, bananas, oranges, kiwis, lemons, cilantro, zucchini, cucumber, onion, carrots and more. It’s ridiculous.
While I write to you, friend, my body feels so old. So incredibly tired and sore. Why? Because yesterday was the Ultra Marathon of the Andes 2009 in Santiago. Me and some teammates from school went up into the hills and raced what the event organizers call “North Face’s Endurance Challenge.” I ran 10K (6.25 miles) and won. It was nuts. It was awesome. I was super pumped. I got free North Face shoes and a Gore Tex duffel bag. And a head lamp. With batteries. (Results- http://www.ultramaratondelosandes.cl/resultados.html -- Listado por distancia-- 10K Masculino) (Photos of the race in general - http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=560830685#/album.php?aid=148049&id=95079952639&ref=mf and http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=560830685#/album.php?aid=148205&id=95079952639 )
The race categories included 5K, 10K, 21K (half marathon), 50K and 80K. Cesar got 2nd in his category and 3rd overall in the 21K and Nacho got 3rd overall in the 50K. Beast. He started at 5 a.m. and finished a little after 11 a.m. Over 6 hours of running. Sounds enticing, right? The 80K competitors started at 2 a.m. Ick.
The winner was a guy from Massachusetts who runs for team North Face. I talked to him and his wife after the race for a bit (gringo connection). I think her name was Lisa… or Linda… maybe, I can’t remember. Regardless, she knew where Monson is. Shout out to the Sweeneys!
The first 3 men and women in the 80k and 50k races got money as well as other prizes. I was holding out for my check for a long time until I found out had to have run one of those races. Boo that.
But overall the race was fantastic. It was really hard. I was shuffling up the mountainside wheezing. And I admit/confess/confide in you that I walked for about 50 meters. I’m not proud of it. But I did it. Running in that countryside in the hills was such a good experience, though. To be out of the city running in trees and grasses and over creeks and alongside cows and through groups of horses… I want to go back and explore.
So those are the two big things that have been going on in my life. School ends in about 6 weeks. I’m pumped more than you can believe. I’m going to plan my first vacation trip up North today or tomorrow.
Also! Check out some work I’ve been doing with the Revolver Magazine (www.santiagomagazine.cl). I haven’t written anything significant yet, but I have a few stories in progress and some photos in their albums.
Carnaval Album: http://photos.santiagomagazine.cl/main.php?g2_view=slideshow.Slideshow&g2_itemId=12815
Feria Album: http://photos.santiagomagazine.cl/main.php/v/venues/Ortuzar+Feria/
Event Preview: http://www.santiagomagazine.cl/index.php/en/agenda/featured-events/23-agenda/416-preview-panic-at-the-disco.html
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Long Week
Hello Friend,
Grown men with their arms around each other’s necks jumped in unison and sang their battle cries in the stands at the Stadium San Carlos de Apoquindo last night. When I say “sang,” I should probably clarify that the chants at fútbol games exist somewhere between a normal yell and a song. Where the two meet, you get a hoarse, tone-deaf sound that vaguely carries a tune.
The irony about the whole thing is that you have half of a stadium full of dudes waving flags, hugging each other and singing in unison about how the other team is “gay.”
My first fútbol game was full of surprises and education into the Chilean sport culture. It started on the bus ride to the stadium when I naively took my seat amongst a bus full… literally full… people hanging out the windows and the doors…all “Cruzados,” or fans of La Católica. I sat looking out the windows wondering how long it would take to get to the stadium when a lonely voice somewhere behind me shouted “Oooooooh soy Cruzadooooooo,” and then the rest of the bus exploded in completing the song while people banged on the bus walls and doors creating a sloppy percussion beat to accompany their lyrics.
One of the biggest signs of a good fútbol team in Chile is the size and personality of their “hinchada”… their crew, their club, their fan base. If you represent Colo-Colo, you’re fundamentally different than the fans of La U (de Chile), and you’re perhaps even more different than the hinchada of La Católica. These three teams are undoubtedly the country’s best teams, but when it comes to choosing sides, things get dicey. The teams regularly compete against each other for the championship in whatever tournament they’re competing in. Although I might be a Cruzado at heart, it’s obvious that Colo-Colo and the University of Chile’s fútbol teams are the two best in Chile; but don’t tell that to the hinchada of La Católica.
“Los Cruzados,” as they are called, show up to La Católica games dressed in their crisp white jerseys and scarves, waving flags and shouting their chants, just like most hinchadas. And like any good fan base, they’re always ready to talk shit to the referees, the other team’s goal keeper or even to each other.
Pride, undying spirit, an unnatural obsession for fútbol- any of those things, or maybe all of those things, describe a true Cruzado.
By the end of the game, La Católica won 5-1 against the Rangers. It’s really funny to hear some Chileans say the word “rangers” because they can sometimes sound like Alpha from Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers.
My Friday trip to the stadium was a nice break from the long week I had.
In school, I had my hardest day yet of the semester. I first bombed a test in my Media Ethics class. There were two essay questions- one I answered completely, I feel, and the second was on a current event which I had heard nothing of. My professor was kind enough to let me write about a different event, but it was really embarrassing to consider myself a “journalism student” and not have heard about this significant piece of news. In all reality, it wasn’t that significant. A sportscaster’s son committed suicide. It’s tragic and awful, but really… he’s a sportscaster. Maybe I need to let go of some of my American presuppositions about what is important and what’s not. Like the Olympics. If you’re seriously one of the people hung up on the fact that Chicago missed out on hosting the 2016 games, we might need to talk.
Regardless, after apologizing to my professor as I handed in my test, I then went to my literature class where I handed in a 12-page paper that my group and I wrote on Jewish and Lebanese literature in Mexico and its messages of immigration being a shared experience in community and isolation. We then gave a presentation, in Spanish, during which I think I saw a few Chilean students shake their heads at my poor use of grammar.
Aside from that, I was running around looking at apartments in between and after classes. I finally settled on a cool place in El Centro with other international students. I’ll for sure post pics after I move in next week.
Until next time.
Grown men with their arms around each other’s necks jumped in unison and sang their battle cries in the stands at the Stadium San Carlos de Apoquindo last night. When I say “sang,” I should probably clarify that the chants at fútbol games exist somewhere between a normal yell and a song. Where the two meet, you get a hoarse, tone-deaf sound that vaguely carries a tune.
The irony about the whole thing is that you have half of a stadium full of dudes waving flags, hugging each other and singing in unison about how the other team is “gay.”
My first fútbol game was full of surprises and education into the Chilean sport culture. It started on the bus ride to the stadium when I naively took my seat amongst a bus full… literally full… people hanging out the windows and the doors…all “Cruzados,” or fans of La Católica. I sat looking out the windows wondering how long it would take to get to the stadium when a lonely voice somewhere behind me shouted “Oooooooh soy Cruzadooooooo,” and then the rest of the bus exploded in completing the song while people banged on the bus walls and doors creating a sloppy percussion beat to accompany their lyrics.
One of the biggest signs of a good fútbol team in Chile is the size and personality of their “hinchada”… their crew, their club, their fan base. If you represent Colo-Colo, you’re fundamentally different than the fans of La U (de Chile), and you’re perhaps even more different than the hinchada of La Católica. These three teams are undoubtedly the country’s best teams, but when it comes to choosing sides, things get dicey. The teams regularly compete against each other for the championship in whatever tournament they’re competing in. Although I might be a Cruzado at heart, it’s obvious that Colo-Colo and the University of Chile’s fútbol teams are the two best in Chile; but don’t tell that to the hinchada of La Católica.
“Los Cruzados,” as they are called, show up to La Católica games dressed in their crisp white jerseys and scarves, waving flags and shouting their chants, just like most hinchadas. And like any good fan base, they’re always ready to talk shit to the referees, the other team’s goal keeper or even to each other.
Pride, undying spirit, an unnatural obsession for fútbol- any of those things, or maybe all of those things, describe a true Cruzado.
By the end of the game, La Católica won 5-1 against the Rangers. It’s really funny to hear some Chileans say the word “rangers” because they can sometimes sound like Alpha from Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers.
My Friday trip to the stadium was a nice break from the long week I had.
In school, I had my hardest day yet of the semester. I first bombed a test in my Media Ethics class. There were two essay questions- one I answered completely, I feel, and the second was on a current event which I had heard nothing of. My professor was kind enough to let me write about a different event, but it was really embarrassing to consider myself a “journalism student” and not have heard about this significant piece of news. In all reality, it wasn’t that significant. A sportscaster’s son committed suicide. It’s tragic and awful, but really… he’s a sportscaster. Maybe I need to let go of some of my American presuppositions about what is important and what’s not. Like the Olympics. If you’re seriously one of the people hung up on the fact that Chicago missed out on hosting the 2016 games, we might need to talk.
Regardless, after apologizing to my professor as I handed in my test, I then went to my literature class where I handed in a 12-page paper that my group and I wrote on Jewish and Lebanese literature in Mexico and its messages of immigration being a shared experience in community and isolation. We then gave a presentation, in Spanish, during which I think I saw a few Chilean students shake their heads at my poor use of grammar.
Aside from that, I was running around looking at apartments in between and after classes. I finally settled on a cool place in El Centro with other international students. I’ll for sure post pics after I move in next week.
Until next time.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Rain
Dear friend,
Rain pitter-patters. Pit-pat, drip drop, on my head. I’ve got a slow jam playing in my ear as my feet dodge puddles on the sidewalk. I can see my breath, rising up to meet the top floor of whatever building I’m standing by. A cold breeze wafts off of the concrete and picks up the fragrance of the cherry blossoms I approach. But suddenly, my cold hands, runny nose and wet socks remind me of home and I’m suddenly not so irritated with the absence of street drains or the fact that my jeans will be wet for the rest of the day. No… no that’s a lie, I’m still upset with wet jeans. But Santiago rain was a nice dose of a familiar winter. Although I can’t have the familiarity of a broken defrost system or the comfort of riding in my own car, being able to wipe the condensation off the bus window as I stand shoulder-to-shoulder with whoever is an experience. I’m not sure what kind of experience it is, but it definitely is one.
That was Monday and Tuesday.
Today, however, was the complete opposite.
Getting on the bus was like entering a dirty, public sauna. My brow was already sweating and the stagnant air of the bus almost made me cry. I picked a spot near a window. Standing. The seats were taken by old women, pregnant ladies and men with canes… or sleeping toddlers. The warm weather (26C) and sun combined with Weezer and a pair of shorts and a t-shirt made the day feel like summer. I think the rest of Santiago felt that way, also. Either way, winter here is nothing like “winter” as I have known it. I think we’re starting to transition into spring. I can’t imagine what summer will be like if I can barely take the heat now.
Anyways, not much has been going on. I am, however, settling into my schedule for the semester. I know it’s week 6 of school, but just now have things firmed up. First… week 6 of school! I’ve been here for 2 months, but I feel like I’ve done so little, seen so little, experienced so little. I can’t wrap my mind around that. I just hope the next 10 months don’t pass so quickly. I’m going to be moving out of my home stay in October. It’s really expensive. One of my Chilean friends told me he was really surprised that I had to pay that much, which I think must mean that I’m paying a lot even by their standards. Plus having to live with a family (other than my biological family) after being more or less on my own for two years is extremely difficult. So, I’ll be starting my apartment search sometime very soon.
Yesterday was Sept. 11, which marks the anniversary of the 1973 coup d’état that brought Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship into power. It’s a sore subject for a lot of Chileans. The government used to give Chileans the day off as a way of remembering all the people killed during Pinochet’s regime, but not anymore. So a lot of people protest/demonstrate/cause chaos for different reasons- some march to remember killed family members, some wave flags in support of making the day a national holiday and others (a majority of demonstrators nowadays) just burn things and throw bottles because they can. Some parts of the city get really crazy and really dangerous, apparently. We were all told to be home before dark and not to go out and to be really careful. In my opinion, everything was severely exaggerated. I didn’t see any demonstration. It was nearly disappointing.
Also somewhat interesting… I got suckered into saying yes to running a half-marathon in October. I have a month until race day. It’s the North Face Endurance Challenge in the Andes. It’s going to be sick. Check it out here http://www.ultramaratondelosandes.cl/english/index_english.html. Anyways, now I’m starting to bump up my mileage and do some hill training so I don’t die on October 12th. One of the guys on my team here ran it last year and got 5th, so I’m hoping for a top 3 finish… but I feel like running at altitude at the crack of dawn for 21km up and down hills won’t be as easy as I’m trying to convince myself it will be.
Also, this coming Friday, the 18th, is Chile’s Independence Day, which means lots of barbeques, lots of parties, and not many classes—all of which I like. I’m hoping to go into El Centro to see some Cueca (Chile’s national dance) and then have a barbeque with the family and then a party later on that night. Since the whole week is kind of a celebration, I’m going to cook some 4th of July food for my family and some friends, I hope.
“I have realized that the past and future are real illusions, that they exist in the present, which is what there is and all there is" -Alan Watts
Rain pitter-patters. Pit-pat, drip drop, on my head. I’ve got a slow jam playing in my ear as my feet dodge puddles on the sidewalk. I can see my breath, rising up to meet the top floor of whatever building I’m standing by. A cold breeze wafts off of the concrete and picks up the fragrance of the cherry blossoms I approach. But suddenly, my cold hands, runny nose and wet socks remind me of home and I’m suddenly not so irritated with the absence of street drains or the fact that my jeans will be wet for the rest of the day. No… no that’s a lie, I’m still upset with wet jeans. But Santiago rain was a nice dose of a familiar winter. Although I can’t have the familiarity of a broken defrost system or the comfort of riding in my own car, being able to wipe the condensation off the bus window as I stand shoulder-to-shoulder with whoever is an experience. I’m not sure what kind of experience it is, but it definitely is one.
That was Monday and Tuesday.
Today, however, was the complete opposite.
Getting on the bus was like entering a dirty, public sauna. My brow was already sweating and the stagnant air of the bus almost made me cry. I picked a spot near a window. Standing. The seats were taken by old women, pregnant ladies and men with canes… or sleeping toddlers. The warm weather (26C) and sun combined with Weezer and a pair of shorts and a t-shirt made the day feel like summer. I think the rest of Santiago felt that way, also. Either way, winter here is nothing like “winter” as I have known it. I think we’re starting to transition into spring. I can’t imagine what summer will be like if I can barely take the heat now.
Anyways, not much has been going on. I am, however, settling into my schedule for the semester. I know it’s week 6 of school, but just now have things firmed up. First… week 6 of school! I’ve been here for 2 months, but I feel like I’ve done so little, seen so little, experienced so little. I can’t wrap my mind around that. I just hope the next 10 months don’t pass so quickly. I’m going to be moving out of my home stay in October. It’s really expensive. One of my Chilean friends told me he was really surprised that I had to pay that much, which I think must mean that I’m paying a lot even by their standards. Plus having to live with a family (other than my biological family) after being more or less on my own for two years is extremely difficult. So, I’ll be starting my apartment search sometime very soon.
Yesterday was Sept. 11, which marks the anniversary of the 1973 coup d’état that brought Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship into power. It’s a sore subject for a lot of Chileans. The government used to give Chileans the day off as a way of remembering all the people killed during Pinochet’s regime, but not anymore. So a lot of people protest/demonstrate/cause chaos for different reasons- some march to remember killed family members, some wave flags in support of making the day a national holiday and others (a majority of demonstrators nowadays) just burn things and throw bottles because they can. Some parts of the city get really crazy and really dangerous, apparently. We were all told to be home before dark and not to go out and to be really careful. In my opinion, everything was severely exaggerated. I didn’t see any demonstration. It was nearly disappointing.
Also somewhat interesting… I got suckered into saying yes to running a half-marathon in October. I have a month until race day. It’s the North Face Endurance Challenge in the Andes. It’s going to be sick. Check it out here http://www.ultramaratondelosandes.cl/english/index_english.html. Anyways, now I’m starting to bump up my mileage and do some hill training so I don’t die on October 12th. One of the guys on my team here ran it last year and got 5th, so I’m hoping for a top 3 finish… but I feel like running at altitude at the crack of dawn for 21km up and down hills won’t be as easy as I’m trying to convince myself it will be.
Also, this coming Friday, the 18th, is Chile’s Independence Day, which means lots of barbeques, lots of parties, and not many classes—all of which I like. I’m hoping to go into El Centro to see some Cueca (Chile’s national dance) and then have a barbeque with the family and then a party later on that night. Since the whole week is kind of a celebration, I’m going to cook some 4th of July food for my family and some friends, I hope.
“I have realized that the past and future are real illusions, that they exist in the present, which is what there is and all there is" -Alan Watts
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Woof
Dear friend,
The smells of the dog shelter overwhelmed me. I tried taking shallow, slow breaths to avoid having to experience the reality of the shelter in full. But my gasp at what I saw meant taking in one huge, strong gulp of putrid air.
Yesterday was my first day volunteering with the Asociacion de Ayuda al Animal Abandonado… roughly, “the association to help the abandoned animal.” The group takes in, cares for, and adopts out about 15 dogs at any given time. Their facility is a small shack in the corner of the University of Chile’s Veterinary School campus. I was naively expecting a fully enclosed facility with tile floors, a drainage system and maybe some coveralls or aprons for the volunteers. The reality is that, with such little funding and the formation of animal rights in Chile a relatively young, progressive idea, the organization can’t afford a lot of what we would consider “necessities.” But, the reality also exists that the dogs there are fed and given water, they have shelter, and most importantly, they have people to show them love and a chance at being adopted out into a home.
The kennels are small and dirty. Each kennel has a small door that leads to an outside pen where the dogs normally eliminate. The recent rain meant that we new volunteers got to clean up a lovely mixture of mud, feces and urine using brooms and dustpans. Because the outside pen is a flat piece of earth, water sits and stagnates instead of running into a drain or downhill somewhere. It was honestly one of the most disgusting things I’ve ever had to do. To walk in feces and inhale and be a part of that environment was difficult. But to think that these dogs have to live in these conditions was appalling. But then, I got to thinking that in spite of these conditions, the dogs at the shelter have food, a dry place to sleep when it rains, and they have a group of volunteers who sincerely care for the dogs individually. Plus, they have a higher likelihood of finding a permanent home with the shelter than they do on their own roaming the streets for scraps and digging through trash. Each dog is named, has their own personality, and has to be treated accordingly.
After cleaning their kennels, we fed the dogs, gave them water, and then took them for walks. Each dog gets a minimum of 15 minutes of one-on-one time with a volunteer. It was fun to take a few dogs out around the campus. It’s hard work there, but I’ll probably work there one or two days a week for the semester. I just hope I can keep up the energy to be committed.
Also, next week I start my English Opens Doors job. I say job like I’m getting paid for it, but it’s also a volunteer position. I’ll be working in under-resourced public schools with an English teacher helping her to develop lesson plans and activities that can support language and culture exchange with her students. Of course I’ll be in the classroom, too, helping with pronunciation and helping out in other general ways. I’m pretty excited for it.
In other news, it turns out that I won’t be running at nationals here in Chile. Whatever organization governs intercollegiate athletics requires that foreign students be in the country for a year or more before competing. But I’m still planning on training with the group and running in some open races. It’s probably for the best in all honesty. Running has a way of taking over your life very quickly and very easily, and I’m not sure if I’m I a position to want that right now. Until I can find the balance between training/competing and being able to fully experience this study abroad adventure, running will move further down the list of my priorities… at least in comparison to where it has been for the past 6 years.
I have also come to the difficult conclusion that life in another city is just that… life. It’s not a vacation or a break from drama or whatever I could have possibly escaped back home. Life for me is busy and quick and full of mistakes. But for every mistake and failure, there is one more opportunity to stand up and grow. The only challenge I face is to define life. What does it mean to live?
“I am not a thing, a noun. I seem to be a verb, an evolutionary process, an integral function of the universe.” –Richard Buckminster Fuller
The smells of the dog shelter overwhelmed me. I tried taking shallow, slow breaths to avoid having to experience the reality of the shelter in full. But my gasp at what I saw meant taking in one huge, strong gulp of putrid air.
Yesterday was my first day volunteering with the Asociacion de Ayuda al Animal Abandonado… roughly, “the association to help the abandoned animal.” The group takes in, cares for, and adopts out about 15 dogs at any given time. Their facility is a small shack in the corner of the University of Chile’s Veterinary School campus. I was naively expecting a fully enclosed facility with tile floors, a drainage system and maybe some coveralls or aprons for the volunteers. The reality is that, with such little funding and the formation of animal rights in Chile a relatively young, progressive idea, the organization can’t afford a lot of what we would consider “necessities.” But, the reality also exists that the dogs there are fed and given water, they have shelter, and most importantly, they have people to show them love and a chance at being adopted out into a home.
The kennels are small and dirty. Each kennel has a small door that leads to an outside pen where the dogs normally eliminate. The recent rain meant that we new volunteers got to clean up a lovely mixture of mud, feces and urine using brooms and dustpans. Because the outside pen is a flat piece of earth, water sits and stagnates instead of running into a drain or downhill somewhere. It was honestly one of the most disgusting things I’ve ever had to do. To walk in feces and inhale and be a part of that environment was difficult. But to think that these dogs have to live in these conditions was appalling. But then, I got to thinking that in spite of these conditions, the dogs at the shelter have food, a dry place to sleep when it rains, and they have a group of volunteers who sincerely care for the dogs individually. Plus, they have a higher likelihood of finding a permanent home with the shelter than they do on their own roaming the streets for scraps and digging through trash. Each dog is named, has their own personality, and has to be treated accordingly.
After cleaning their kennels, we fed the dogs, gave them water, and then took them for walks. Each dog gets a minimum of 15 minutes of one-on-one time with a volunteer. It was fun to take a few dogs out around the campus. It’s hard work there, but I’ll probably work there one or two days a week for the semester. I just hope I can keep up the energy to be committed.
Also, next week I start my English Opens Doors job. I say job like I’m getting paid for it, but it’s also a volunteer position. I’ll be working in under-resourced public schools with an English teacher helping her to develop lesson plans and activities that can support language and culture exchange with her students. Of course I’ll be in the classroom, too, helping with pronunciation and helping out in other general ways. I’m pretty excited for it.
In other news, it turns out that I won’t be running at nationals here in Chile. Whatever organization governs intercollegiate athletics requires that foreign students be in the country for a year or more before competing. But I’m still planning on training with the group and running in some open races. It’s probably for the best in all honesty. Running has a way of taking over your life very quickly and very easily, and I’m not sure if I’m I a position to want that right now. Until I can find the balance between training/competing and being able to fully experience this study abroad adventure, running will move further down the list of my priorities… at least in comparison to where it has been for the past 6 years.
I have also come to the difficult conclusion that life in another city is just that… life. It’s not a vacation or a break from drama or whatever I could have possibly escaped back home. Life for me is busy and quick and full of mistakes. But for every mistake and failure, there is one more opportunity to stand up and grow. The only challenge I face is to define life. What does it mean to live?
“I am not a thing, a noun. I seem to be a verb, an evolutionary process, an integral function of the universe.” –Richard Buckminster Fuller
Friday, August 14, 2009
crisscross
Hello friend,
It's a cloudy, balmy day in Santiago. We're expecting rain today and through the weekend. I like the rain, especially here in the city, because I can jump over little rivers along the sidewalks as they cascade down the street looking for a storm drain.
This week went by really fast, probably because I've been more than occupied with life here. Classes are in full-swing, more or less. On top of volleyball and literature, media ethics and Spanish class started this week. Chilean culture starts in two weeks, which should be interesting, but this week I felt swamped, so two other class sessions every week might put me close to the edge. So far, I don't have a ton of work in my classes, except for literature. My professor, who looks like a Latin American version of Albert Einstein, decided to assign a Spanish novel for us to read by Tuesday. Granted, a book in a week isn't too bad, I suppose, but in a foreign language, it's going to be brutal. My professor is horrible, absolutely dreadful. He knows way too much about literature. He just rambles, for three hours, about absolutely nothing. He comes in to the class all disheveled with half of his shirt un-tucked and then when he thinks about things, he scratches one side of his head, so that his gray-black hair sticks out on one side of his head but not the other, normally it's the side opposite the un-tucked shirt. And, as if the class were super interested in what he has to say, he adds the sound "hmm" after sentences that he wishes to emphasize; I think it's as if he wanted to ask if we understand what he just said. A) No, I don't. B) It likely has nothing to do with our readings or Chilean culture or literature. It's very annoying.
Besides classes, I've been attempting to assimilate into Chilean culture. My attempt at sneaking myself into social circles comes in a 3-step plan.
Step 1: Live with a Chilean Family. Check.
Step 2: Join a team of some sort. First is volleyball class, which isn't really a team, but it has the same principals. It's easier to make friends without having to take lecture notes and read diagrams on a white-board. We played a few games today in class. I did one good thing and one bad thing in the midst of acceptable things. The good thing- I got to spike a ball and score a point. The bad thing- I watched a ball drop four feet in front of me. Secondly, Cross Country is going good. We had a really hard workout yesterday, my lungs have never burned so bad. Everyone on the team is super cool and really welcoming. I think we all might head to the beach for a weekend sometime soon. I also heard something about a time-trial next week. The Chilean Nationals race is in early September, so I have a feeling that it's to see who will compete. It would be sooooo awesome if I could compete, but since I'm technically not from this country, I'm not sure if I'll be able to. We'll see, though.
And Step 3: Volunteer. I have two programs in mind right now, and I'm hoping they will work out with my schedule so I can work with them both. The first is called English Opens Doors and it involves me working in an elementary school or high school teaching English with a Chilean teacher for 4 hours a week. The second is a shelter for abused and abandoned animals, primarily dogs. I'd have to feed them, bathe them, and take them for walks. I have trainings for both next week, so I've got my fingers crossed.
Today is Alexander's birthday. I bought him beer and chocolate... since I know no one who doesn't like beer and/or chocolate.
Tomorrow or Sunday I'm hoping to get out to Yerba Loca, a nature sanctuary about 20km. outside of Santiago. I just have to find out how to get there. You can check out this link to read up on it. It's in Spanish but I think it has pictures. http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santuario_de_la_Naturaleza_Yerba_Loca
As for right now, I need food and a nap, and then I have to read, a ton. Bye!
It's a cloudy, balmy day in Santiago. We're expecting rain today and through the weekend. I like the rain, especially here in the city, because I can jump over little rivers along the sidewalks as they cascade down the street looking for a storm drain.
This week went by really fast, probably because I've been more than occupied with life here. Classes are in full-swing, more or less. On top of volleyball and literature, media ethics and Spanish class started this week. Chilean culture starts in two weeks, which should be interesting, but this week I felt swamped, so two other class sessions every week might put me close to the edge. So far, I don't have a ton of work in my classes, except for literature. My professor, who looks like a Latin American version of Albert Einstein, decided to assign a Spanish novel for us to read by Tuesday. Granted, a book in a week isn't too bad, I suppose, but in a foreign language, it's going to be brutal. My professor is horrible, absolutely dreadful. He knows way too much about literature. He just rambles, for three hours, about absolutely nothing. He comes in to the class all disheveled with half of his shirt un-tucked and then when he thinks about things, he scratches one side of his head, so that his gray-black hair sticks out on one side of his head but not the other, normally it's the side opposite the un-tucked shirt. And, as if the class were super interested in what he has to say, he adds the sound "hmm" after sentences that he wishes to emphasize; I think it's as if he wanted to ask if we understand what he just said. A) No, I don't. B) It likely has nothing to do with our readings or Chilean culture or literature. It's very annoying.
Besides classes, I've been attempting to assimilate into Chilean culture. My attempt at sneaking myself into social circles comes in a 3-step plan.
Step 1: Live with a Chilean Family. Check.
Step 2: Join a team of some sort. First is volleyball class, which isn't really a team, but it has the same principals. It's easier to make friends without having to take lecture notes and read diagrams on a white-board. We played a few games today in class. I did one good thing and one bad thing in the midst of acceptable things. The good thing- I got to spike a ball and score a point. The bad thing- I watched a ball drop four feet in front of me. Secondly, Cross Country is going good. We had a really hard workout yesterday, my lungs have never burned so bad. Everyone on the team is super cool and really welcoming. I think we all might head to the beach for a weekend sometime soon. I also heard something about a time-trial next week. The Chilean Nationals race is in early September, so I have a feeling that it's to see who will compete. It would be sooooo awesome if I could compete, but since I'm technically not from this country, I'm not sure if I'll be able to. We'll see, though.
And Step 3: Volunteer. I have two programs in mind right now, and I'm hoping they will work out with my schedule so I can work with them both. The first is called English Opens Doors and it involves me working in an elementary school or high school teaching English with a Chilean teacher for 4 hours a week. The second is a shelter for abused and abandoned animals, primarily dogs. I'd have to feed them, bathe them, and take them for walks. I have trainings for both next week, so I've got my fingers crossed.
Today is Alexander's birthday. I bought him beer and chocolate... since I know no one who doesn't like beer and/or chocolate.
Tomorrow or Sunday I'm hoping to get out to Yerba Loca, a nature sanctuary about 20km. outside of Santiago. I just have to find out how to get there. You can check out this link to read up on it. It's in Spanish but I think it has pictures. http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santuario_de_la_Naturaleza_Yerba_Loca
As for right now, I need food and a nap, and then I have to read, a ton. Bye!
Monday, August 3, 2009
Getting Settled
Hello friend. Last week I told you how there wasn’t a lot going in my life so I had to dig for little pieces of treasure to show you. But this week, I have a chest full of all sorts of treasure just for you. It’s so mesmerizing that I have no idea where to begin, what to look at or grab first.
Last week was the first week of classes for my siblings. Alexander started classes at the “U” (Universidad de Chile) taking all kinds of crazy difficult classes within his civil engineering major. I can’t even pronounce half the names of his classes. Anibal and Andrea started their classes across the street at their Colegio, Calasanz. They have the best deal in the whole neighborhood. They wake up in the morning, take a shower, eat a short breakfast and then walk across the street to their school. They literally cross the street and walk through the gate. I wish my commute was that easy. Now that classes have started for me (I’ll get back to that in a minute), I have classes at multiple campuses during the day, so I have to commute a little more than normal… or a lot more than normal. Anyways, at Anibal and Andrea’s school, they just finished a week full of inter-school competition called “Alianzas,” or “Alliances.” They basically divide the school into three teams, A, B and C, and have them compete in a bunch of different activities like putting on a fashion show, putting on a comedy show, singing, dancing, volleyball, relays and cheerleading, among others. I went to a bunch of the activities to see Anibal and Andrea perform. The first night was horrible. I was dying of boredom and embarrassment for the kids. They tried really hard, which is what counts, I suppose, but it was the most horrific show I’ve ever witnessed. One group had not one, not two, but three Michael Jackson imitations within their show, and none of them could dance. My host mom and I were joking about needing to go to the bar to drink. I wasn’t kidding as much as she was. But, she was the one who suggested that for every time we have to cover our eyes, we owe ourselves 2 drinks. We never followed through, but I thought it was a good plan. The second night was the fashion show which was not only fun but very impressive as well. The kids made some very interesting and professional things to wear. The theme of the show was “The Four Seasons,” so they had to make clothes that represented different times of the year. It was fun. Anibal’s team won one and lost one in volleyball, and Andrea’s team won the cheerleading competition, even after they had to replace one of their teammates after she dislocated her knee playing soccer earlier that morning.
Thursday was our last day of the Spanish preparation program, so I had my first exam, which I think went well. It seemed pretty straight-forward so I’m hoping I did everything right. But the best part was what happened after the exam. First, we were lucky enough to see some of the University staff perform the Cueca, which is Chile’s national dance (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvGURVqOmH0 ), and we got a short lesson in doing the steps. It’s not too hard, but I’m guessing we all looked like fools. After that, the two classes met up in a classroom for a party. We had music and cookies and sandwiches and chocolate and wine. Having our professor drink with us was very interesting, but something that’s not too out of the ordinary for here, I think.
Friday we had our orientation for the University. It wasn’t anything too exciting. There were a bunch of people from other universities there. When they called the group from Harvard who was rolling only 4-deep, amateur status compared to our 30, the whole room got quiet. It was pretty funny. Our Cal State group wasn’t too happy that morning after we all received letters from the system notifying us of our 20% tuition increase. That’s 32% this year if my math is right. So much for affordable education, CSU. After that we got to talk to students from each individual major and ask them questions about classes. I talked to the editor of the school’s student magazine and got on board with contributing some stuff to them. I’ve got a 200-word blurb about studying internationally coming out next week. Let me know if you want a collector’s edition ;).
Right now, my class schedule consists of Volleyball, Ethics of Communication, Chilean and Latin American Literature, Chilean Culture, and a Spanish class. Today I had volleyball which was simple enough, and my Ethics class doesn’t start until August 10th. My culture and grammar classes don’t start for another 2 weeks. Awesome.
I was able to get out to the coast for the weekend and explore the very sketchy city Valparaiso and the very touristy and affluent city Viña del Mar. Both are extremely beautiful, but they’ve got their turn-offs, like thieves stealing one of our friend’s fanny packs (they’re stylish here) and chain smoking which begins 20 minutes after waking up. There’s a ton to do and see there, though, and it’s relatively inexpensive for U.S. standards.
Getting there ~ $4
Hostel ~ $12 a night x 2 = $24 lodging
Food ~ varies depending on what you want and how nice you want it, but I bought fresh groceries Sunday morning for our breakfast and we each paid close to $1.25 for fresh toast with butter and hand-made jam, apples and bananas.
Bus to Viña del Mar from Valparaiso ~ less than $0.50
Getting back ~ $4
Basically I spent about $60 for a full-weekend getaway with boat tour, snacking, and home-made mittens included. Bomb.
They’re both port cities, more or less. Puerto Montt is in Valparaiso and there are huge cargo ships as well as navy vessels anchored there. We took a tour of the port on a boat for pretty cheap, which was awesome. In Viña we spent the day on the beach, then we ate hella hot dogs and French fries, and then we got to watch the sunset. Being back on the beach made me miss Humboldt a lot, but it was super fun, we all want to go back.
We met a group of Americans, Canadians and Mexicans on the beach. Our group was debating whether or not they were from Berkeley because they all dressed like they were. Saying “dressed like they were” sounds judgmental. I mean to say that they had Berkeley style. Upon talking to them, we found out that they were from the Maryland, Wisconsin, Canada and Mexico. Not exactly the bay area residents we thought they were, but they were cool either way.
Friday night we went to a club and the dude who works at the hostel we were staying in got us in with a discount. It was a huge basement of this building that looked like a dungeon or a cellar, I don’t even know… but it had three rooms, one with pop music, the second with electronic music, and the third with reggae. Saturday night we saw the band of some of our friend’s play. If you like instrumental post-rock with heavy bass (I think that’s how they described it), then you should check out Santiago’s Joven Abuelo. There’s also another band that, in my opinion, is much better, but I forgot their name.
I basically just napped most of the day yesterday, either on the beach or on the bus on the way back home. There was an amazing blood-orange sunset last night over the beach mountains. I woke up just in time to catch the last bit of it before we entered the light-polluted city.
Today was a little different. I was up at 7 a.m. to make my 8:30 volleyball class. I wasn’t expecting to do much today, but our “profe” had us running drills and passing, it was nuts. Not only that, but he’s assigning readings for us during the semester. They don’t mess around.
Other than that, tomorrow is my first day of cross country practice. I’ve got my fingers crossed that I don’t make myself look like a fool with how out of shape I am. Right now, I need to walk to the Jumbo… the Santiago equivalent of a Wal-Mart with Target quality. I can dig it.
See you soon.
Derek
P.s. Uploading pictures to the blog takes a lot of time and even more space on this page. So, for your convenience, and mine, I’m going to list direct links to some photos. Just paste the links into your browser and see all sorts of mischief I’ve been up to.
Picture of our hostel: http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c346/D-Lisch/DSC_0044.jpg
City of Valparaiso: http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c346/D-Lisch/DSC_0149.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c346/D-Lisch/DSC_0168.jpg
Boat Tour: http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c346/D-Lisch/DSC_0234-1.jpg
Viña del Mar by Day: http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c346/D-Lisch/DSC_0311.jpg
By night: http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c346/D-Lisch/DSC_0407.jpg
Last week was the first week of classes for my siblings. Alexander started classes at the “U” (Universidad de Chile) taking all kinds of crazy difficult classes within his civil engineering major. I can’t even pronounce half the names of his classes. Anibal and Andrea started their classes across the street at their Colegio, Calasanz. They have the best deal in the whole neighborhood. They wake up in the morning, take a shower, eat a short breakfast and then walk across the street to their school. They literally cross the street and walk through the gate. I wish my commute was that easy. Now that classes have started for me (I’ll get back to that in a minute), I have classes at multiple campuses during the day, so I have to commute a little more than normal… or a lot more than normal. Anyways, at Anibal and Andrea’s school, they just finished a week full of inter-school competition called “Alianzas,” or “Alliances.” They basically divide the school into three teams, A, B and C, and have them compete in a bunch of different activities like putting on a fashion show, putting on a comedy show, singing, dancing, volleyball, relays and cheerleading, among others. I went to a bunch of the activities to see Anibal and Andrea perform. The first night was horrible. I was dying of boredom and embarrassment for the kids. They tried really hard, which is what counts, I suppose, but it was the most horrific show I’ve ever witnessed. One group had not one, not two, but three Michael Jackson imitations within their show, and none of them could dance. My host mom and I were joking about needing to go to the bar to drink. I wasn’t kidding as much as she was. But, she was the one who suggested that for every time we have to cover our eyes, we owe ourselves 2 drinks. We never followed through, but I thought it was a good plan. The second night was the fashion show which was not only fun but very impressive as well. The kids made some very interesting and professional things to wear. The theme of the show was “The Four Seasons,” so they had to make clothes that represented different times of the year. It was fun. Anibal’s team won one and lost one in volleyball, and Andrea’s team won the cheerleading competition, even after they had to replace one of their teammates after she dislocated her knee playing soccer earlier that morning.
Thursday was our last day of the Spanish preparation program, so I had my first exam, which I think went well. It seemed pretty straight-forward so I’m hoping I did everything right. But the best part was what happened after the exam. First, we were lucky enough to see some of the University staff perform the Cueca, which is Chile’s national dance (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvGURVqOmH0 ), and we got a short lesson in doing the steps. It’s not too hard, but I’m guessing we all looked like fools. After that, the two classes met up in a classroom for a party. We had music and cookies and sandwiches and chocolate and wine. Having our professor drink with us was very interesting, but something that’s not too out of the ordinary for here, I think.
Friday we had our orientation for the University. It wasn’t anything too exciting. There were a bunch of people from other universities there. When they called the group from Harvard who was rolling only 4-deep, amateur status compared to our 30, the whole room got quiet. It was pretty funny. Our Cal State group wasn’t too happy that morning after we all received letters from the system notifying us of our 20% tuition increase. That’s 32% this year if my math is right. So much for affordable education, CSU. After that we got to talk to students from each individual major and ask them questions about classes. I talked to the editor of the school’s student magazine and got on board with contributing some stuff to them. I’ve got a 200-word blurb about studying internationally coming out next week. Let me know if you want a collector’s edition ;).
Right now, my class schedule consists of Volleyball, Ethics of Communication, Chilean and Latin American Literature, Chilean Culture, and a Spanish class. Today I had volleyball which was simple enough, and my Ethics class doesn’t start until August 10th. My culture and grammar classes don’t start for another 2 weeks. Awesome.
I was able to get out to the coast for the weekend and explore the very sketchy city Valparaiso and the very touristy and affluent city Viña del Mar. Both are extremely beautiful, but they’ve got their turn-offs, like thieves stealing one of our friend’s fanny packs (they’re stylish here) and chain smoking which begins 20 minutes after waking up. There’s a ton to do and see there, though, and it’s relatively inexpensive for U.S. standards.
Getting there ~ $4
Hostel ~ $12 a night x 2 = $24 lodging
Food ~ varies depending on what you want and how nice you want it, but I bought fresh groceries Sunday morning for our breakfast and we each paid close to $1.25 for fresh toast with butter and hand-made jam, apples and bananas.
Bus to Viña del Mar from Valparaiso ~ less than $0.50
Getting back ~ $4
Basically I spent about $60 for a full-weekend getaway with boat tour, snacking, and home-made mittens included. Bomb.
They’re both port cities, more or less. Puerto Montt is in Valparaiso and there are huge cargo ships as well as navy vessels anchored there. We took a tour of the port on a boat for pretty cheap, which was awesome. In Viña we spent the day on the beach, then we ate hella hot dogs and French fries, and then we got to watch the sunset. Being back on the beach made me miss Humboldt a lot, but it was super fun, we all want to go back.
We met a group of Americans, Canadians and Mexicans on the beach. Our group was debating whether or not they were from Berkeley because they all dressed like they were. Saying “dressed like they were” sounds judgmental. I mean to say that they had Berkeley style. Upon talking to them, we found out that they were from the Maryland, Wisconsin, Canada and Mexico. Not exactly the bay area residents we thought they were, but they were cool either way.
Friday night we went to a club and the dude who works at the hostel we were staying in got us in with a discount. It was a huge basement of this building that looked like a dungeon or a cellar, I don’t even know… but it had three rooms, one with pop music, the second with electronic music, and the third with reggae. Saturday night we saw the band of some of our friend’s play. If you like instrumental post-rock with heavy bass (I think that’s how they described it), then you should check out Santiago’s Joven Abuelo. There’s also another band that, in my opinion, is much better, but I forgot their name.
I basically just napped most of the day yesterday, either on the beach or on the bus on the way back home. There was an amazing blood-orange sunset last night over the beach mountains. I woke up just in time to catch the last bit of it before we entered the light-polluted city.
Today was a little different. I was up at 7 a.m. to make my 8:30 volleyball class. I wasn’t expecting to do much today, but our “profe” had us running drills and passing, it was nuts. Not only that, but he’s assigning readings for us during the semester. They don’t mess around.
Other than that, tomorrow is my first day of cross country practice. I’ve got my fingers crossed that I don’t make myself look like a fool with how out of shape I am. Right now, I need to walk to the Jumbo… the Santiago equivalent of a Wal-Mart with Target quality. I can dig it.
See you soon.
Derek
P.s. Uploading pictures to the blog takes a lot of time and even more space on this page. So, for your convenience, and mine, I’m going to list direct links to some photos. Just paste the links into your browser and see all sorts of mischief I’ve been up to.
Picture of our hostel: http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c346/D-Lisch/DSC_0044.jpg
City of Valparaiso: http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c346/D-Lisch/DSC_0149.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c346/D-Lisch/DSC_0168.jpg
Boat Tour: http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c346/D-Lisch/DSC_0234-1.jpg
Viña del Mar by Day: http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c346/D-Lisch/DSC_0311.jpg
By night: http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c346/D-Lisch/DSC_0407.jpg
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Mindless Thoughts
Hello, friend.
I haven't posted in a while, I apologize. But the truth is, not a whole has been going on. I don't remember where I left off last time, so I'll just pick up with what seems like the most pertinent information within the past week or so.
First, I more or less nailed my first class assignment which was a speech/presentation over Chile's 10th region, Los Lagos. It's a beautiful pocket of God's Green Earth with a ton of rich history, culture, and tons of things to see. I really want to spend a lot of time down there this summer before second semester starts. Speaking of traveling, a few of us have kind of set some plans for the summer. They include Peru, Bolivia, (Ecuador??), Paraguay, Uruguay and all of Chile. They're really ambitious plans, and if I can see half of those countries I'd be pretty pumped. But that's a long way off... and first I have to finish a semester's worth of classes.
The language program I'm in right now isn't that difficult, but it's kind of intense. Three and a half hours a day worth of culture and grammar. I love it! But I always get super hungry and tired in class so to keep from eating my pencil or falling asleep, I normally eat all of my lunch before the class is over. It's a good thing my mama here packs me a lot... usually a huge tupperware full of leftovers from the night before. This has included lentils and rice, chicken and rice, spaghetti, and normally a lot of random, cooked vegetables. I eat really balanced meals here. Their meals seem to always represent each of the food groups, which I like a lot. Anyways- the language program- it ends this Friday with a test, I think. I'm pretty sure it's a placement test to determine which grammar class we enter once classes start.
I'll start taking classes on August 3rd, but I won't be enrolled in them until two weeks after that. For the international students, that period of time is called "Shopping Week," and it's designed for students to be able to sit in on classes and make sure they like them before they register. My program requires me to take a Chilean Culture class and a grammar class, and then we can take two full classes of our choice and an additional one-unit course. I'm hoping to take a journalism class, a literature class and then a sports class. I was thinking ultimate frisbee, tai chi, or a salsa class. Who knows.
Wednesday last week we took a field trip to Cerro Santa Lucia. It's basically a hill with a castle built into/on top of it, but it's crazy cool looking. The architecture is very European and it's gorgeous. I'll post pictures at the bottom of the entry. We made it to the top of the castle to catch the sunset, but there were too many clouds to make it a perfect sunset. Two days later on Friday we went to two museums, the first one was the Museum of Arte Precolumbino.... basically art before European influence, all by the indigenous peoples of Central and South America. It was very interesting. The second one was the Museum of Bellas Artes, which was also very interesting, but a large majority of the paintings and sculptures were, from what I saw, made from the 1970s or later.
On Saturday, a group of people from the program went up to the mountains to go snowboarding. A few friends and I stayed closer to town to go check out the National Reserve, Rio Clarillo. We took a bus to Pirque about 30 minutes outside of Santiago. From there we passed through the town and got dropped off at the last bus stop, which, unfortunately, was about 5km. before the entrance to the park. We walked about 2km. before a truck came up behind us and pulled over to give us a ride. The back of the truck wasn't too comfy, but it was fun, and it gave us a good way to see the park before we started hiking. The day, before we left, couldn't have been better. It was really mild and clear and out in the park, there wasn't any smog, which was a nice relief. It clouded over and cooled down on our way out, but "asi es Chile." We got a student discount at the gate to the park so it only cost us 700 pesos (less than $1.50) to get in. The river Clarillo is pretty shallow, at least right now, but it's beautiful and there was some snow cover from the storm that passed a few days before. The hike was definitely a ton of fun and we want to go back to conquer the Chile trail which takes about 6 hours to do round trip.
I got home and took an awesome nap yesterday, ate dinner, and then went over to a friend's apartment with the intention of pregaming before heading out for the night. We ended up sitting on the floor until 4 in the morning talking and drinking boxed wine. It was awesome.
I think that's all the news right now. My Spanish is definitely improving, I can understand my family a lot better and I can talk better, I think. Plus it's a lot less awkward around the house, which is always good.
I haven't posted in a while, I apologize. But the truth is, not a whole has been going on. I don't remember where I left off last time, so I'll just pick up with what seems like the most pertinent information within the past week or so.
First, I more or less nailed my first class assignment which was a speech/presentation over Chile's 10th region, Los Lagos. It's a beautiful pocket of God's Green Earth with a ton of rich history, culture, and tons of things to see. I really want to spend a lot of time down there this summer before second semester starts. Speaking of traveling, a few of us have kind of set some plans for the summer. They include Peru, Bolivia, (Ecuador??), Paraguay, Uruguay and all of Chile. They're really ambitious plans, and if I can see half of those countries I'd be pretty pumped. But that's a long way off... and first I have to finish a semester's worth of classes.
The language program I'm in right now isn't that difficult, but it's kind of intense. Three and a half hours a day worth of culture and grammar. I love it! But I always get super hungry and tired in class so to keep from eating my pencil or falling asleep, I normally eat all of my lunch before the class is over. It's a good thing my mama here packs me a lot... usually a huge tupperware full of leftovers from the night before. This has included lentils and rice, chicken and rice, spaghetti, and normally a lot of random, cooked vegetables. I eat really balanced meals here. Their meals seem to always represent each of the food groups, which I like a lot. Anyways- the language program- it ends this Friday with a test, I think. I'm pretty sure it's a placement test to determine which grammar class we enter once classes start.
I'll start taking classes on August 3rd, but I won't be enrolled in them until two weeks after that. For the international students, that period of time is called "Shopping Week," and it's designed for students to be able to sit in on classes and make sure they like them before they register. My program requires me to take a Chilean Culture class and a grammar class, and then we can take two full classes of our choice and an additional one-unit course. I'm hoping to take a journalism class, a literature class and then a sports class. I was thinking ultimate frisbee, tai chi, or a salsa class. Who knows.
Wednesday last week we took a field trip to Cerro Santa Lucia. It's basically a hill with a castle built into/on top of it, but it's crazy cool looking. The architecture is very European and it's gorgeous. I'll post pictures at the bottom of the entry. We made it to the top of the castle to catch the sunset, but there were too many clouds to make it a perfect sunset. Two days later on Friday we went to two museums, the first one was the Museum of Arte Precolumbino.... basically art before European influence, all by the indigenous peoples of Central and South America. It was very interesting. The second one was the Museum of Bellas Artes, which was also very interesting, but a large majority of the paintings and sculptures were, from what I saw, made from the 1970s or later.
On Saturday, a group of people from the program went up to the mountains to go snowboarding. A few friends and I stayed closer to town to go check out the National Reserve, Rio Clarillo. We took a bus to Pirque about 30 minutes outside of Santiago. From there we passed through the town and got dropped off at the last bus stop, which, unfortunately, was about 5km. before the entrance to the park. We walked about 2km. before a truck came up behind us and pulled over to give us a ride. The back of the truck wasn't too comfy, but it was fun, and it gave us a good way to see the park before we started hiking. The day, before we left, couldn't have been better. It was really mild and clear and out in the park, there wasn't any smog, which was a nice relief. It clouded over and cooled down on our way out, but "asi es Chile." We got a student discount at the gate to the park so it only cost us 700 pesos (less than $1.50) to get in. The river Clarillo is pretty shallow, at least right now, but it's beautiful and there was some snow cover from the storm that passed a few days before. The hike was definitely a ton of fun and we want to go back to conquer the Chile trail which takes about 6 hours to do round trip.
I got home and took an awesome nap yesterday, ate dinner, and then went over to a friend's apartment with the intention of pregaming before heading out for the night. We ended up sitting on the floor until 4 in the morning talking and drinking boxed wine. It was awesome.
I think that's all the news right now. My Spanish is definitely improving, I can understand my family a lot better and I can talk better, I think. Plus it's a lot less awkward around the house, which is always good.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
I'm shaking.
And I don't know if it's from the cold (no central heating). So it's probably from the cold, but it also might be the nerves or the excitement from being in my new family's home for the first night.
In all seriousness, I think it's just because the room is really, really cold.
Anyways, I'm writing this second paragraph the day after I wrote the first, so the references to days might be a bit messed up. At any rate, yesterday I moved in with my familia nueva. They're super cool and super nice. They live in ñuñoa which is a large area... kind of like a neighborhood. I guess the equivalent would be to say that University Place is in Tacoma= ñuñoa is in Santiago. I live with mi mama whose name is Evelyn, her oldest son Alexander (19, Engineering Major), Andrea (18) and Anibal (16). They're all super bacan (cool) and nice. In all honesty it's still a bit awkward at home because I don't know them really well, yet. It should pass within a week or two, fingers crossed. I get my own room here, which is really big. Mom and Dad, if you're reading this... my room is really, really big here. It actually has space in it. It's not a few pieces of furniture interspersed by carpet.
Yesterday, my siblings went to eat lunch and spend the afternoon with their dad (the parents are separated), so mi mama and I went to her friend's house. She coincidentally hosts a bunch of exchange students. Joshua is from North Carolina and he just finished his semester last week and will leave next week. Matt arrived yesterday a few hours before we got there and he's from Illinois, but goes to school in Wisconsin. "Lunch," as it's called, starts around 1 or 2, and is the principal meal of the day. But yesterday we had lunch for about 5 hours. Not all of it was spent eating, but it's the equivalent of going to someone's house for dinner. I was spent, but I kept my game face on and tried to keep in the conversation. Matt, on the other hand, who probably spent close to 24 hours traveling before sitting down to eat, practically fell asleep at the table. Been there, done that... last week.
There was a ton of food and I got uncomfortably full which I hadn't felt for about a week. There is hardly any obesity here in the city and I’m not sure if it’s because of all the walking and commuting that the locals do or if it’s their diet or both. The interesting thing about their meals is that they don’t look very big, but they fill you up just perfectly. I feel a little hungry after eating a meal, but if I wait for 5 or 10 minutes, I feel completely satisfied. It’s awesome.
After lunch, we hung around at home and talked for a while. Chileans here in Santiago call themselves "penguins" because they stand around their huge space heaters and talk, it's really funny, but I of course found myself doing the same. The days here are really mild and almost warm. I could be in a t-shirt and shorts without a problem during most of the days. But in the mornings and after the sun sets, it's muy, muy cold. The other day it was so warm that I fell asleep on a park bench in a pair of shorts and a “tuition relief now!” t-shirt while everyone else in the park was bundled up in their big coats and scarves. Que raro!
Also, today Anibal and I went running. No, that’s very inaccurate. I went running, Anibal rode his bike next to me weaving through pedestrians on the sidewalk. It was fun, it was a short run though, but it was good to get out and do something.
So it’s a new day today… by that I mean it’s two days since I started writing this post, which should give you an idea of how busy I am. I have class everyday besides weekends and holidays starting at 9 a.m. and going to 12:30 p.m. This is just the intensive preparatory language program, actual classes start in early August. But I’m still super busy running around trying to get the country to recognize my physical presence in Santiago and also checking out local places like the Concha y Toro vineyard. We went there today after class, and it was a good experience. I’ve never been to a vineyard, and I guess it wasn’t that exciting, but it was kind of cool to see the dungeon where they keep some special kind of wine called “Casillero del Diablo.” Apparently you can get it at Trader Joes. If you go buy a bottle, 2007 is supposed to be a good year ;). I was talking to my host mom about wine and the vineyard and I had to explain to her what a “Wine-O” was and how there’s a whole Wine-O-feminist culture back in the states.
Oh- something else interesting that you might like to hear about is how I get to school. My commute to school takes anywhere from 30-40 minutes or so. I walk a few blocks down the street, get on a bus for 10-15 minutes, and then take the subway (which they call the Metro) for the rest of the way; it stops right in front of the main campus. The whole concept of using public transportation is new to me, but I totally think it’s a great idea. Right now, I pay 400 pesos to go one way (you can change methods of transportation for free as long as it’s within 2 hours of getting on the first time). That’s about 80-90 cents I think. And then I have to pay to get back. But once I get my student I.D. card I’ll pay 130 pesos, which, for all intensive purposes, is about 25 cents. Awesome, right?!
Now that I’m writing this a day later, I’m very happy to say that things are much less awkward at home. I had a great conversation over dinner with mi mama and my younger brother. My sister was organizing some school event and my other brother was with his girlfriend… three years of dating and they’re still a long ways away from marriage. Here in Chile, and in South America I would imagine, long-term relationships between young people are common. It’s not like you date for a few months and break up and that’s it. I’m sure that happens here, but it’s not rare or extraordinary for 16-year-olds to date the same person for a few years at a time.
We have Thursday and Friday off from school- Thursday is a holiday and schools here actually have common sense so they take Friday off, as well. There’s a possibility that some of us might go explore the area outside the city- I think it’d be really fun, but who knows what will happen. All I know is that I want a little bit of rest and then a lot of fun and exploration of Chile. Cross your giners for this one- we might go see Harry Potter tomorrow after class! I just hope that A) there are tickets, and if there are, that B) the movie is in English with Spanish subtitles and not the other way around. I’d die.
I also sent an e-mail to the guy on campus in the Physical Education department who deals with Cross Country. La Catolica has a program- but it might be a class, or a club, or a team, I’m completely unsure. I think it would be awesome to get involved with running here. It would expand my social network, which is lacking, and, at the same time, necessary. But it would be interesting to hang out with people my age involved in the same sport since I have this feeling that distance runners, on a universal level, are somewhat similar.
I’m probably forgetting hella stuff. Let me know if there are things you want to hear about. I take requests.
Derek.
And I don't know if it's from the cold (no central heating). So it's probably from the cold, but it also might be the nerves or the excitement from being in my new family's home for the first night.
In all seriousness, I think it's just because the room is really, really cold.
Anyways, I'm writing this second paragraph the day after I wrote the first, so the references to days might be a bit messed up. At any rate, yesterday I moved in with my familia nueva. They're super cool and super nice. They live in ñuñoa which is a large area... kind of like a neighborhood. I guess the equivalent would be to say that University Place is in Tacoma= ñuñoa is in Santiago. I live with mi mama whose name is Evelyn, her oldest son Alexander (19, Engineering Major), Andrea (18) and Anibal (16). They're all super bacan (cool) and nice. In all honesty it's still a bit awkward at home because I don't know them really well, yet. It should pass within a week or two, fingers crossed. I get my own room here, which is really big. Mom and Dad, if you're reading this... my room is really, really big here. It actually has space in it. It's not a few pieces of furniture interspersed by carpet.
Yesterday, my siblings went to eat lunch and spend the afternoon with their dad (the parents are separated), so mi mama and I went to her friend's house. She coincidentally hosts a bunch of exchange students. Joshua is from North Carolina and he just finished his semester last week and will leave next week. Matt arrived yesterday a few hours before we got there and he's from Illinois, but goes to school in Wisconsin. "Lunch," as it's called, starts around 1 or 2, and is the principal meal of the day. But yesterday we had lunch for about 5 hours. Not all of it was spent eating, but it's the equivalent of going to someone's house for dinner. I was spent, but I kept my game face on and tried to keep in the conversation. Matt, on the other hand, who probably spent close to 24 hours traveling before sitting down to eat, practically fell asleep at the table. Been there, done that... last week.
There was a ton of food and I got uncomfortably full which I hadn't felt for about a week. There is hardly any obesity here in the city and I’m not sure if it’s because of all the walking and commuting that the locals do or if it’s their diet or both. The interesting thing about their meals is that they don’t look very big, but they fill you up just perfectly. I feel a little hungry after eating a meal, but if I wait for 5 or 10 minutes, I feel completely satisfied. It’s awesome.
After lunch, we hung around at home and talked for a while. Chileans here in Santiago call themselves "penguins" because they stand around their huge space heaters and talk, it's really funny, but I of course found myself doing the same. The days here are really mild and almost warm. I could be in a t-shirt and shorts without a problem during most of the days. But in the mornings and after the sun sets, it's muy, muy cold. The other day it was so warm that I fell asleep on a park bench in a pair of shorts and a “tuition relief now!” t-shirt while everyone else in the park was bundled up in their big coats and scarves. Que raro!
Also, today Anibal and I went running. No, that’s very inaccurate. I went running, Anibal rode his bike next to me weaving through pedestrians on the sidewalk. It was fun, it was a short run though, but it was good to get out and do something.
So it’s a new day today… by that I mean it’s two days since I started writing this post, which should give you an idea of how busy I am. I have class everyday besides weekends and holidays starting at 9 a.m. and going to 12:30 p.m. This is just the intensive preparatory language program, actual classes start in early August. But I’m still super busy running around trying to get the country to recognize my physical presence in Santiago and also checking out local places like the Concha y Toro vineyard. We went there today after class, and it was a good experience. I’ve never been to a vineyard, and I guess it wasn’t that exciting, but it was kind of cool to see the dungeon where they keep some special kind of wine called “Casillero del Diablo.” Apparently you can get it at Trader Joes. If you go buy a bottle, 2007 is supposed to be a good year ;). I was talking to my host mom about wine and the vineyard and I had to explain to her what a “Wine-O” was and how there’s a whole Wine-O-feminist culture back in the states.
Oh- something else interesting that you might like to hear about is how I get to school. My commute to school takes anywhere from 30-40 minutes or so. I walk a few blocks down the street, get on a bus for 10-15 minutes, and then take the subway (which they call the Metro) for the rest of the way; it stops right in front of the main campus. The whole concept of using public transportation is new to me, but I totally think it’s a great idea. Right now, I pay 400 pesos to go one way (you can change methods of transportation for free as long as it’s within 2 hours of getting on the first time). That’s about 80-90 cents I think. And then I have to pay to get back. But once I get my student I.D. card I’ll pay 130 pesos, which, for all intensive purposes, is about 25 cents. Awesome, right?!
Now that I’m writing this a day later, I’m very happy to say that things are much less awkward at home. I had a great conversation over dinner with mi mama and my younger brother. My sister was organizing some school event and my other brother was with his girlfriend… three years of dating and they’re still a long ways away from marriage. Here in Chile, and in South America I would imagine, long-term relationships between young people are common. It’s not like you date for a few months and break up and that’s it. I’m sure that happens here, but it’s not rare or extraordinary for 16-year-olds to date the same person for a few years at a time.
We have Thursday and Friday off from school- Thursday is a holiday and schools here actually have common sense so they take Friday off, as well. There’s a possibility that some of us might go explore the area outside the city- I think it’d be really fun, but who knows what will happen. All I know is that I want a little bit of rest and then a lot of fun and exploration of Chile. Cross your giners for this one- we might go see Harry Potter tomorrow after class! I just hope that A) there are tickets, and if there are, that B) the movie is in English with Spanish subtitles and not the other way around. I’d die.
I also sent an e-mail to the guy on campus in the Physical Education department who deals with Cross Country. La Catolica has a program- but it might be a class, or a club, or a team, I’m completely unsure. I think it would be awesome to get involved with running here. It would expand my social network, which is lacking, and, at the same time, necessary. But it would be interesting to hang out with people my age involved in the same sport since I have this feeling that distance runners, on a universal level, are somewhat similar.
I’m probably forgetting hella stuff. Let me know if there are things you want to hear about. I take requests.
Derek.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Hello Friend,
The latest drama in Chile, of which there is a lot, is housing. There's turmoil surrounding where I will live (especially as it pertains to the proximity to the school), who I will live with and how I will pay for it.
I came here originally thinking I wanted to do a home stay with a Chilean family. It was a very romantic idea and it involved a lot of naive ideas about what families are like here. I imagined big houses sitting on hillsides with huge glass windows and lots of white furniture and white carpet. And they'd have a dog and a cat and maybe some kids and we'd play cards after dinner and they'd love me forever. And then I heard the horror stories. I heard about students living in laundry rooms or I heard about students flat-out disliking their new family's personality. So I thought that maybe an apartment with students might be better, and cheaper, and less risky.
So in a rage of mental indecision, I went to work out. I thought I'd do some drills, but then I got bored and went running. I thought maybe 20 minutes would be great, but I ended up running to the top of a mountain just before sunset. At the top was a huge statue of the Virgin Mary with arms outstretched, cradling her city just like the Andes did tonight, the mountains painted pink and green like terrible cotton candy. I stopped at the top and wondered what I should do for housing. And then I realized, with La Virgen welcoming me into her arms, into her life, into peace, that I wanted a family to do the same for me.
So for now, I've decided to live with a family for a few months. I don't know who they are or where they live, but I should know by early next week.
Cross your fingers.
Derek.
P.S. I didn't take this picture, but hopefully I'll get some of the same spot sometime soon.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Impressions
It’s been a whirlwind. I hate that term, but it’s the only thing I can think to say that can tell you what the first 36 hours have been like here in Santiago. This city is so alive- everywhere, all the time.
We got into the airport yesterday morning around 8:30 and it was pretty easy getting through customs and security. I was lucky enough to meet up with a bunch of people from my program at the Mexico City Airport so I didn’t have to be alone waiting for 6 hours. After we landed we got a taxi to take us to the hotel. It’s a small place in the Providencia neighborhood. It’s really antique-ish and quaint, but the staff is awesome and really friendly. They gave us the scoop on some bars in Bella Vista and told us that we should come back to the hotel before their shift ended so we could go dancing. They were joking, but still it was really funny.
The food has been an experience. My first meal was surprisingly disappointing, kind of. It started with a salad which was two slices of tomatoes with sliced string beans- at least that’s what I thought they were. But the beans had a very fishy taste, which was big turn off. The meal itself wasn’t that bad, it was pot roast with rice. Nothing fancy, but tasty. Dessert, however, was half of a canned peach. It was quite the shock. But one of the Chilean beers Escudo was very good. I didn’t really eat dinner, but we went out and had drinks. A “Pisco Sour” which is their version of whiskey and then the sour part is fruit mixed in. I nibbled on someone’s empanada which was also delicious.
Before that I went for a run down Providencia in the “Parque Forestal Piniente.” It was my first run in a long, long time, but it was awesome. I’m sure a lot of it had to do with adrenaline from being in a new place and the fact that everything right now is really stimulating, but at any rate, it was a really good run. They have tons of statues and fountains and big toys in the park, even though it’s surrounded by highway. There’s a lot of PDA here. Which isn’t a bad thing at all. It’s just very interesting to come from a culture which normally sends public displays of affection within closed doors.
As most of you know, el futbol is muy popular. Last night the University of Chile (“La U”) beat La Union Española, or something along those lines, but the city went nuts afterwards, I think it was the championship game of some huge tournament. Basically, there were people walking the streets, singing, and waving flags the entire time we were having drinks. So after, we went out to the streets and followed them back into Providencia and met at the Plaza Italia where people were running around with their flags, but this time they had lit flares and were climbing on statues. There was a helicopter overhead, but I thought it was for the news. Apparently, it was for the armed forces who showed up in several armored vehicles. They unloaded in their riot gear and I thought they were just there for damage control. So me and another girl from my program August went up into the center of the crowd and took in the experience. Then the police broke out their fire hoses and started spraying the crowd… so we took off. We ran in the opposite direction of our hotel for a while, and everybody else started walking, so we did, too. We turned down some side streets so we wouldn’t have to walk back through the masses. I think everybody had the same idea because there were broken bottles everywhere when we got closer to the hotel, no doubt from people launching them at police cars. To our surprise, there was tear gas in the air, we couldn’t even see it, but when we started crying and coughing and everybody around us had tears streaming from the eyes, we figured we should probably turn back. Anyways, we ended up having to backtrack several times to avoid the tear gas, which was not so awesome, especially when we ended up walking through more of it a second time. We kind of got lost for a few minutes, too, but we found our way soon enough and were very relieved to get back into the hotel… which they had locked down. The news this morning said that officials detained 245 people, caught 30 people looting including two 12-year-olds, and found one person stabbed, but not dead.
Anyways, it was a crazy first night, and intense welcome, and a memorable experience. I’m probably missing a ton of details but I’m really tired from today’s run.
A lot of the students are here now so it’s cool to meet everyone and see what they’re interests are. Most of us are scrambling for housing and it’s very stressful trying to find a place in this city, but I get the feeling that there are a lot of people are age who need people to live with them, so I’m not too worried for them, or even for me if I decide to not do a home-stay.
I don’t even know what else to tell you guys, I’m so tired.
Oh, I got a cell phone. It’s nice. And I met a stray dog last night and we played for a little bit outside of a church, but he lost interest after I gave him some water.
That’s all.
We got into the airport yesterday morning around 8:30 and it was pretty easy getting through customs and security. I was lucky enough to meet up with a bunch of people from my program at the Mexico City Airport so I didn’t have to be alone waiting for 6 hours. After we landed we got a taxi to take us to the hotel. It’s a small place in the Providencia neighborhood. It’s really antique-ish and quaint, but the staff is awesome and really friendly. They gave us the scoop on some bars in Bella Vista and told us that we should come back to the hotel before their shift ended so we could go dancing. They were joking, but still it was really funny.
The food has been an experience. My first meal was surprisingly disappointing, kind of. It started with a salad which was two slices of tomatoes with sliced string beans- at least that’s what I thought they were. But the beans had a very fishy taste, which was big turn off. The meal itself wasn’t that bad, it was pot roast with rice. Nothing fancy, but tasty. Dessert, however, was half of a canned peach. It was quite the shock. But one of the Chilean beers Escudo was very good. I didn’t really eat dinner, but we went out and had drinks. A “Pisco Sour” which is their version of whiskey and then the sour part is fruit mixed in. I nibbled on someone’s empanada which was also delicious.
Before that I went for a run down Providencia in the “Parque Forestal Piniente.” It was my first run in a long, long time, but it was awesome. I’m sure a lot of it had to do with adrenaline from being in a new place and the fact that everything right now is really stimulating, but at any rate, it was a really good run. They have tons of statues and fountains and big toys in the park, even though it’s surrounded by highway. There’s a lot of PDA here. Which isn’t a bad thing at all. It’s just very interesting to come from a culture which normally sends public displays of affection within closed doors.
As most of you know, el futbol is muy popular. Last night the University of Chile (“La U”) beat La Union Española, or something along those lines, but the city went nuts afterwards, I think it was the championship game of some huge tournament. Basically, there were people walking the streets, singing, and waving flags the entire time we were having drinks. So after, we went out to the streets and followed them back into Providencia and met at the Plaza Italia where people were running around with their flags, but this time they had lit flares and were climbing on statues. There was a helicopter overhead, but I thought it was for the news. Apparently, it was for the armed forces who showed up in several armored vehicles. They unloaded in their riot gear and I thought they were just there for damage control. So me and another girl from my program August went up into the center of the crowd and took in the experience. Then the police broke out their fire hoses and started spraying the crowd… so we took off. We ran in the opposite direction of our hotel for a while, and everybody else started walking, so we did, too. We turned down some side streets so we wouldn’t have to walk back through the masses. I think everybody had the same idea because there were broken bottles everywhere when we got closer to the hotel, no doubt from people launching them at police cars. To our surprise, there was tear gas in the air, we couldn’t even see it, but when we started crying and coughing and everybody around us had tears streaming from the eyes, we figured we should probably turn back. Anyways, we ended up having to backtrack several times to avoid the tear gas, which was not so awesome, especially when we ended up walking through more of it a second time. We kind of got lost for a few minutes, too, but we found our way soon enough and were very relieved to get back into the hotel… which they had locked down. The news this morning said that officials detained 245 people, caught 30 people looting including two 12-year-olds, and found one person stabbed, but not dead.
Anyways, it was a crazy first night, and intense welcome, and a memorable experience. I’m probably missing a ton of details but I’m really tired from today’s run.
A lot of the students are here now so it’s cool to meet everyone and see what they’re interests are. Most of us are scrambling for housing and it’s very stressful trying to find a place in this city, but I get the feeling that there are a lot of people are age who need people to live with them, so I’m not too worried for them, or even for me if I decide to not do a home-stay.
I don’t even know what else to tell you guys, I’m so tired.
Oh, I got a cell phone. It’s nice. And I met a stray dog last night and we played for a little bit outside of a church, but he lost interest after I gave him some water.
That’s all.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Departure
My stomach hurts. Ok, so it doesn’t hurt, but it’s knotted and twisted and anxious and restless and it’s letting me know it. Until 20 seconds ago, I was worried. I wasn’t worried for my flight or my family, or even the year ahead. I was worried because up until that point, I wasn’t feeling anything. I was worried that an unemotional disposition was a bad omen. I was nervous, I’ll admit that. But I was expecting a huge emotional upheaval to consume me sometime before my flight. That can still happen. That probably will happen. But, at this point, the tears haven’t scorched my eyes, the memories haven’t flooded my mind and the “what if’s” haven’t danced off my tongue.
20 seconds ago I got an e-mail. It wasn’t much. Its Courier New font made it remarkably ordinary. But within its words and spaces was a message of friendship, excitement and possibility. I found out that there might be people from my program on my connecting flight. Finding that out jumpstarted the excitement, and I’m relieved and somewhat excited to feel it.
Of course, with about 5 hours until I leave the house, I’m realizing how much I love this place. I speak generally of “this place,” but take it to mean what you want, because it probably means “wherever you are.” Home is what I’ll miss, and you’re a big part of it. But since I’m leaving during the summer, I’m going to miss these things a lot:
-Hadley
-Picking berries
-Running at odd hours
-Docks
-Bon fires
-Jumping off of things
I’m not going to miss these things at all:
-Working at 5 a.m.
-Sunburns
-Mostly cloudy days
-Flaky people
Getting back to everything, I’ll tell you a story: I left Target last week like I normally do- angry because people don’t know how to use the roundabouts, but as I crossed the overpass and leaned into the second roundabout, I didn’t turn off to hit the freeway, I made a full circle, and I went back up to Target, and I went through two more roundabouts, and then I went through the Harbor. I almost cried. I could tell you that I did, and it would be a better story, but I didn’t. But I wanted to. I wanted the beautiful view to be clouded by tears. It would have made for a very memorable moment, as if the Harbor with its sailboats and their masts weren’t memorable enough. As if every smile and hug and picture from that place weren’t memorable enough.
I’m going to miss both of my homes, Humboldt included. Humboldt is the only college home I’ve known. It was my first step into adulthood, and to know that I get to go back to that place after this journey is over is reassuring and comforting.
Summary: I’m nowhere near being emotionally prepared, but I feel like with these things, there’s not really a solid way to get to that place. So what’s the next step? Wake up. It always is and always will be the next step.
“You don’t need to give up yourself to belong or fit in. Make the world yours… Dare to walk the path that is right for you” – Patty Ley
20 seconds ago I got an e-mail. It wasn’t much. Its Courier New font made it remarkably ordinary. But within its words and spaces was a message of friendship, excitement and possibility. I found out that there might be people from my program on my connecting flight. Finding that out jumpstarted the excitement, and I’m relieved and somewhat excited to feel it.
Of course, with about 5 hours until I leave the house, I’m realizing how much I love this place. I speak generally of “this place,” but take it to mean what you want, because it probably means “wherever you are.” Home is what I’ll miss, and you’re a big part of it. But since I’m leaving during the summer, I’m going to miss these things a lot:
-Hadley
-Picking berries
-Running at odd hours
-Docks
-Bon fires
-Jumping off of things
I’m not going to miss these things at all:
-Working at 5 a.m.
-Sunburns
-Mostly cloudy days
-Flaky people
Getting back to everything, I’ll tell you a story: I left Target last week like I normally do- angry because people don’t know how to use the roundabouts, but as I crossed the overpass and leaned into the second roundabout, I didn’t turn off to hit the freeway, I made a full circle, and I went back up to Target, and I went through two more roundabouts, and then I went through the Harbor. I almost cried. I could tell you that I did, and it would be a better story, but I didn’t. But I wanted to. I wanted the beautiful view to be clouded by tears. It would have made for a very memorable moment, as if the Harbor with its sailboats and their masts weren’t memorable enough. As if every smile and hug and picture from that place weren’t memorable enough.
I’m going to miss both of my homes, Humboldt included. Humboldt is the only college home I’ve known. It was my first step into adulthood, and to know that I get to go back to that place after this journey is over is reassuring and comforting.
Summary: I’m nowhere near being emotionally prepared, but I feel like with these things, there’s not really a solid way to get to that place. So what’s the next step? Wake up. It always is and always will be the next step.
“You don’t need to give up yourself to belong or fit in. Make the world yours… Dare to walk the path that is right for you” – Patty Ley
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Step 1
I’ve always wanted to study abroad. From the moment I knew I could one day do it, I decided that it was something I wanted to experience. What is life, after all, if not a collection of experiences? I dreamt of a time when I would be older and more hip and wise and confident and I would travel to some exotic country and learn their language and customs and traditions and I would go to school and assimilate into their daily lives; and then one day, I would pack up and move back to the states and tell everyone about this amazing experience and nobody would ever get tired of hearing my stories. When I began looking at studying abroad, it was just another goal. It was something Mom and Dad could be proud of and something Grandma and Grandpa could tell their friends about. That was the dream then. But now, since studying abroad is a “for sure” instead of a “hope,” it’s become so much more than just another tally mark, another thing to check off the list. Studying abroad has evolved into an opportunity which makes sense as the next step in my life in many different ways. The more real that Chile becomes and the closer I get to leaving, the more I see going to Chile as something necessary for my individual growth as well as something that I truly want to do and am excited to experience.
Now that studying abroad is a reality, I’m experiencing a myriad of emotions that make me excited for my trip, but they also make me unsure and wary of the path in front of me. It’s uncanny how easily studying abroad fell into place. I’d be surprised if it were anything less than fate at this point; but at the same time, Chile as my destiny doesn’t invalidate what I feel in regards to those people and things that I will miss for a year.
You see, I found out about my study abroad opportunity three days before my application was due. In a panic, I “somehow” got all of my materials in on time and they were good enough to get me accepted into the study abroad program. When I say “somehow,” I don’t really mean “somehow,” I know it to be by the will of God. I’m a spiritual person. Not necessarily religious. But I’m spiritual enough to believe in a God, and without Him, I wouldn’t be here right now (spatially, at this point in my life, and accepted into a study abroad program). Applying to study abroad came at a point in my life where I ran in a rut of questioning my identity. I continuously came back to the question, “Am I really living my life in a way that will make me happy now and in the future?” And without any real, clear goals for my post-graduate future, how could I answer that question? All I knew was that the track I was on wasn’t fulfilling me enough, and didn’t feel like it was satisfying my true self; I felt like I was forcing an identity upon myself without having any real reason to accept the labels I was trying to wear. Studying abroad, as it became a more feasible possibility for my future, began to look more attractive than ever.
Getting accepted to study abroad went like this. I ran shitty at a track meet. I dropped out of a race. It was the first and only time I’ve ever done that. I literally just stopped running mid-race. I could write for a long time about that, but I’ll save my self esteem and your sanity by not telling that story. The bus got home late after the meet. I was tired, pissed off, and again questioning my future athletic success should I continue on the same path I was then on. Walking into my house, one shoulder dropped a little lower from the weight of the duffle bag which smelled like dirt and sweaty socks, I checked the mail box. One lonely letter stood leaning against the inside of the black metal box. A bill. Junk mail. A letter for a roommate. Maybe even some money from Mom and Dad. When I lifted the letter out of the mailbox it felt different. The cool, smooth texture of the envelope under my fingers and the weight of a few pieces of paper within it signaled something worthwhile. Addressed to: Me. From: California State University International Programs.
Oh. Hell. Yeah.
I walked calmly, but quickly, to my room, threw my bag on the floor, sat down, and opened the letter. About five pages fell out, but I wanted to read one. It would either start with “Congratulations!” or “We’re sorry to inform you that…” Thankfully, it was the former. I didn’t need to know what the other pages said. I just knew that I had made it, and that things would change. I was profoundly moved and ecstatic, but as Nick walked by in the hallway, I hid the excitement. I wasn’t ready to tell him, I wasn’t even ready to tell myself. There were (are) so many loose ends to tie up, I didn’t even know where to begin.
Even right now, I feel like celebrating my departure for an experience which those around me won’t get to be a part of is a slap in the face to those I care about. I feel like if I celebrate, I’m ignoring the great experiences I could have had with those back at home that I care about. I feel like I’m abandoning those groups that for so long I’ve identified with and committed myself to. There’s also the fact that studying and travelling abroad is nearly exclusively reserved for privileged (financially) individuals. It’s hard for me to wrap my mind around what kind of sacrifices my parents have made for me in this regard as well as countless others, and this is just another example of their love and selflessness, something I feel like I’m unworthy of, and must repay. I realize that I’m luckier than most… much luckier… and, God, I am thankful for it, but I’m a firm believer that if a positive opportunity presents itself, and it’s something you truly believe will you will enjoy and that will benefit you and/or those close to you in some way, you should always take that opportunity.
Sidenote: Love—true love—is something that nobody is truly worthy of. Nobody deserves to be loved so wholly and fully like God loves us. Like our parents love us. I don’t care if you disagree about God, but if you can understand what a healthy parent-child relationship looks like, you know what true love looks like. You know how difficult it is to describe and define and so to be thankful to be loved is an action and a feeling which requires a great deal of introverted speculation and outward emotional expression. Don’t confuse what I’m saying to mean that love means money. That’s not what I want to get at. What I do want to point out is my parents’ willingness to give up a lot of money and time so that I can have the best life possible… obviously studying abroad is something that will impact my life, and I can only pray that it’s for the best. In many ways, I see studying abroad as an investment in my future. Cheesey, cliché, but accurate.
As I write this, I realize how ridiculous it is to conceal happiness and joy. I should be juiced about studying abroad. And I am. But having absolutely zero expectations of what Chile will be like, I guess I have nothing at the moment to be concretely excited about which leaves me to embody the opposite reaction—disappointment at what I’ll miss out on.
Here’s where it gets heavy.
First- running. For 7 years, running has defined me as well as my social circle. I have done the training, ran the races, travelled with the team and lived the lifestyle. For about a third of my life, I have been a runner. But lately, I’ve been questioning if I really am a runner. Yes, I know; I run, so I’m a runner. I wish it were really that easy. Am I a runner? Does running define me or do I run because it’s who I am? I don’t know. But if you do—any help would be appreciated. Don’t get me wrong. Not once have I ever regretted running with a team. But I do wonder how long God has given me to run competitively and be happy with it. That said, studying abroad in Chile seems like the perfect chance to be able to get away from external pressures and figure out running for myself. Whether or not I find the zeal to run competitively like I used to have… well that’s still up in the air. But I’m hoping that being in a place where running is completely optional (And for anyone from my Gig Harbor team, I really mean “optional,” not like Patty meant “optional”)will help me to rediscover my true love and joy for running. When I think about the act of running—of propelling forward stride for stride breathing in the outdoor air and being completely aware of my entire self—I think of a way I’d like to model my life, and so I don’t see myself completely escaping the sport or the lifestyle altogether.
Regardless of what running means to me physically, it has always meant (and I’m sure it will continue to mean) friendship. The bonds I’ve made through running are the strongest I’ve ever made and they’re the ones that made the decision to travel abroad so hard. Looking to my year in Chile, I know that leaving my family will be hard. Leaving my dog will be hard. Leaving the Redwoods and the coast and leaving the Harbor and the hills… it will be hard. But leaving my team—that’s a whole new set of internal conflicts I’m still not sure I’ve completely processed.
If I ever competed with you (or for you), I want you to know that you’re the biggest thing that I had to grapple with in coming to the decision to go to Chile. One might say that you almost held me back. I would agree with that terminology, but not necessarily with its implications. Holding me back from Chile would only mean a continued ride on this rollercoaster we call running. I wouldn’t mind it that much to be honest.
The other thing I’m sure I’ll miss out on is the Lumberjack Newspaper. There are so many things I want to see that paper do in the future that leaving it behind after three semesters is also difficult to do. When we’re just beginning to scratch the surface of our potential and capabilities as a reporting staff, I up and leave and somehow have this crazy idea that I can just pick back up when I return. And maybe it will be that easy, but something about leaving for a year to a foreign country just makes me think that it won’t be. And if I want to reach all of my journalistic goals (which, in case you were wondering, are much more tangible and exciting than the vague outlines of goals I talked about earlier), I’m going to have to work a lot harder than I am right now. That doesn’t sound very attractive, but it’s true.
But perhaps the thing I’m most interested in when looking forward to studying abroad is this concept of abandonment, of leaving everything behind. Abandoning myself, as I know myself to be, will be hard to do, because there are so many things I love about what I’m doing right now. But, there is something strangely attractive about moving to a place where no one knows you, or your friends… or (thank God) your facebook. In a way, I’m abandoning the labels and ideas I had about myself and I can only hope to learn more about who I am.
"We are none of us alone.
Even as we exhale, it is inhaled by others.
The light that shines upon me shines upon my neighbor, as well.
In this way, everything is connected to everything else.
In this way, I am connected to my friend, even as I am connected to my enemy.
In this way, there is no difference between me and my friend.
In this way, there is no difference between me and my enemy.
We are none of us alone."
-Anonymous
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)