Hey everyone, sorry for the long wait. I´ve been faithfully journaling everyday, waiting for the chance to upload them onto the blog. i´m in the library at La Católica before my 11:30 class about the Social Doctrine of the Church. Anyway, here is what i´ve been up to the last few weeks. Keep in mind this is turning into a short novel, so please don't feel obligated to read everything!
I´m going to upload it in (reverse) chronological order like i did last time. If you want to catch up, start at Wednesday, July 25th (right after Chilean Sayings Translated). I´m hoping to get internet for good sometime this week so i should be able to update more regularly.
Much love, Kayla
Monday, August 6, 2007
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Sunday, August 05, 2007
We slept in till 2 pm (again) and woke up to eat almuerzo. Then we went back down to the beach to see the sights. Today in Chile is Dia de los Niños (Kid’s Day), the equivalent of Mother and Father’s Day, expect for kids. They get presents and cake and get to do fun things like fly kites at the beach or go to the zoo. Cartagena was packed with families and little kids running everywhere. The man painting in the sand was back and tried to speak to us in English. We got Rellenos, churros filled with manjar. Manjar is a thick, carmel/butterscotchy type flavored deliciousness that Chilean’s put on anything they can. The rellenos will kill ya’, but they are delicious.
We headed back to Sylvania’s house and watched the end of the Colo Colo vs. Coquimbo futbol game. I realized I was witnessing a very Chilean, yet strangely USA day when the mom’s told us that Sundays are only futbol. Most of the men are on futbol teams that have games in the morning. Then they come home and watch the professional games all day. Chile has 20 teams spread out through its 14 regions, including 3 teams in Santiago. It reminds me of the White Sox vs. Cubs rivalry on how each person routes for one of Santiago’s teams. Colo Colo is the best, then Católica University, then University of Chile (they have no association with the schools. Strange right?). The women told us that every Chilean man loves futbol more than anything else and Calli’s dad, Nelson, said that futbol is was part of who he is as a man as he lovingly held his hands over his heart. It totally reminded me of watching my dad watch football (Americano) on Sunday’s.
We drove back to Santiago around 6:30 and I slept the whole way. Olga was happy to see me home and I filled her in on everything I did this weekend. We ate once, including arroz con leche (rice with milk) for dessert. I asked her how she makes arroz con leche and she went on to tell me how to make all her favorite desserts, including one called leche asada (loosely translated, barbequed milk. It actually sounds really good!). But don’t worry, Olga usually cooks really healthy and I eat tons of fruits and veggies.
I’m going to bed early because I have class tomorrow at 8:30 am at La Chile, another 45 minute trek. My schedule still isn’t 100% set because when I emailed the professor in charge of study abroad credit transfers for the Spanish department at Tulane about my classes, she told me that my classes were close enough to the Spanish department classes and I probably won’t get major credit for them. Arrrgggghhh. So all weekend I’ve been debating whether stick with the schedule I have (classes I want to take, including 2 theology classes, and only on Monday and Wednesdays) and not get many Spanish credits, or try to change my schedule to take more literature classes (which will end up being difficult classes I don’t want to take). If anyone has any advice, let me know!
I hate to end on a sad note, but I’m sure some of you heard about the American study abroad girl who died this weekend in Valpariaso. I don’t know who it was or exactly how it happened, but apparently she went hiking with some friends. They wanted to go back but she decided to climb to the top on her own. It was getting dark and she fell from the top of the hill. When she didn´t return, her friends sent a park ranger to find her and they found her body in a ditch. Please pray for this girl’s family, friends, school, and study abroad program during this unimaginably difficult time. I know everyone’s worst fear is to lose a loved one, especially when they are so far away. This really hit close to home for me and definitely made me think about how blessed I am to be here yet how much responsibility I have. Please know that I am having fun, being safe and making smart choices. Your thoughts, prayers, and entertaining comments are greatly appreciated and keep me going!
Overall this weekend made me think about a lot of things. Perhaps all the time staring at the waves or something. A few things I realized:
We slept in till 2 pm (again) and woke up to eat almuerzo. Then we went back down to the beach to see the sights. Today in Chile is Dia de los Niños (Kid’s Day), the equivalent of Mother and Father’s Day, expect for kids. They get presents and cake and get to do fun things like fly kites at the beach or go to the zoo. Cartagena was packed with families and little kids running everywhere. The man painting in the sand was back and tried to speak to us in English. We got Rellenos, churros filled with manjar. Manjar is a thick, carmel/butterscotchy type flavored deliciousness that Chilean’s put on anything they can. The rellenos will kill ya’, but they are delicious.
We headed back to Sylvania’s house and watched the end of the Colo Colo vs. Coquimbo futbol game. I realized I was witnessing a very Chilean, yet strangely USA day when the mom’s told us that Sundays are only futbol. Most of the men are on futbol teams that have games in the morning. Then they come home and watch the professional games all day. Chile has 20 teams spread out through its 14 regions, including 3 teams in Santiago. It reminds me of the White Sox vs. Cubs rivalry on how each person routes for one of Santiago’s teams. Colo Colo is the best, then Católica University, then University of Chile (they have no association with the schools. Strange right?). The women told us that every Chilean man loves futbol more than anything else and Calli’s dad, Nelson, said that futbol is was part of who he is as a man as he lovingly held his hands over his heart. It totally reminded me of watching my dad watch football (Americano) on Sunday’s.
We drove back to Santiago around 6:30 and I slept the whole way. Olga was happy to see me home and I filled her in on everything I did this weekend. We ate once, including arroz con leche (rice with milk) for dessert. I asked her how she makes arroz con leche and she went on to tell me how to make all her favorite desserts, including one called leche asada (loosely translated, barbequed milk. It actually sounds really good!). But don’t worry, Olga usually cooks really healthy and I eat tons of fruits and veggies.
I’m going to bed early because I have class tomorrow at 8:30 am at La Chile, another 45 minute trek. My schedule still isn’t 100% set because when I emailed the professor in charge of study abroad credit transfers for the Spanish department at Tulane about my classes, she told me that my classes were close enough to the Spanish department classes and I probably won’t get major credit for them. Arrrgggghhh. So all weekend I’ve been debating whether stick with the schedule I have (classes I want to take, including 2 theology classes, and only on Monday and Wednesdays) and not get many Spanish credits, or try to change my schedule to take more literature classes (which will end up being difficult classes I don’t want to take). If anyone has any advice, let me know!
I hate to end on a sad note, but I’m sure some of you heard about the American study abroad girl who died this weekend in Valpariaso. I don’t know who it was or exactly how it happened, but apparently she went hiking with some friends. They wanted to go back but she decided to climb to the top on her own. It was getting dark and she fell from the top of the hill. When she didn´t return, her friends sent a park ranger to find her and they found her body in a ditch. Please pray for this girl’s family, friends, school, and study abroad program during this unimaginably difficult time. I know everyone’s worst fear is to lose a loved one, especially when they are so far away. This really hit close to home for me and definitely made me think about how blessed I am to be here yet how much responsibility I have. Please know that I am having fun, being safe and making smart choices. Your thoughts, prayers, and entertaining comments are greatly appreciated and keep me going!
Overall this weekend made me think about a lot of things. Perhaps all the time staring at the waves or something. A few things I realized:
- I really miss my family and friends back home.
- My difficulty with Spanish continues to frustrate me. Part of me wants to give up. The other part of me knows that all the frustration and mistakes and constant what?s will all be worth it if I can ever reach some level of fluency.
- I hate being wrong and making mistakes. But I hate not being able to express my thoughts. I need the confidence to just speak my mind, knowing that I will screw up. Just because I can’t speak fluent Spanish doesn’t mean I’m stupid.
- Despite my difficulty with speaking Spanish, it’s the understanding others that is absolutely most difficult. As many of you know, I have a tendency to ask “what?” after someone says something to me in English. I think that is because I don’t really listen the first time. So now I have to try to listen in Spanish. Wait, not Spanish, Chilean. I’m sick of not knowing what people around me are saying.
- I could totally get by in Chile by going to class and hanging out with my American friends. Even if we speak to each other in Spanish, I will never gain the level of fluency that I want. I have to make Chilean friends.
- Things always seem impossibly difficult before you actually do them (going to class the first time, navigating my way through Santiago alone, asking random people directions, etc.)
- Although I enjoy staying out all night dancing and drinking (but not too much, don’t worry!), I can’t do it very often. Not only is it unhealthy, but it ruins the next day. I want to do more than party. I want to go to museums and parks and go running and hang out with all types of different people and volunteer and study and go to mass and everything. You can’t do all those things if you are going out all the time.
- I hate cliques. I don’t mind being a part of one but I hate not being a part of another. Strange dichotomy right? Why do they form? How can we avoid them?
Alright, enough reflecting. I need to get to bed! All my love, Kayla
Saturday, August 4, 2007
Saturday, August 4, 2007
Saturday we woke up around 10, ate breakfast, and walked down to the beach. The weather was beautiful and while we walked around, I realized that I absolutely love the ocean. We watched the huge waves crash against the rocks below for almost an hour and lit candles at the Virgen del Suspiro (Virgin of the Sigh) sanctuary (see photos). As we walked along the sand, watching the little kids avoid getting soaked by the coming waves, we decided that we are going to buy one of the many old, abandoned homes in Cartagena and fix it up. We picked one on the top of the hill looking out over the ocean. I can see it now when we are done. I think it will give Pablo Neruda a run for his money! (See photo and read on!).
Calli’s mom and dad picked us up and droves back to the house where we ate almuerzo then drove to Pablo Neruda’s third house, Isla Negra (Black Island). This was his favorite house and I can see why. As I wrote before, Neruda was absolutely obsessed with the sea and built his homes to resemble boats. This was the only house Neruda designed himself and the quirky genius-ness of the poet is evident. Every view from the house paints a new picture of the immense Pacific Ocean. He also adamantly collected all types of crazy objects: glass bottles in all shapes, sizes, and colors, pipes, masks, ships in bottles, porcelain, glass cups (Because “Even water has a better taste when drunk from a pretty glass”), exotic shells, maritime equipment, statues, on and on. We spent a really long time wondering the house and the beach. I bought some postcards with poems and sayings by Neruda that I hung up on my wall. They are worth sharing, although they aren’t nearly as beautiful in English. Enjoy the Chilean poetry:
Saturday we woke up around 10, ate breakfast, and walked down to the beach. The weather was beautiful and while we walked around, I realized that I absolutely love the ocean. We watched the huge waves crash against the rocks below for almost an hour and lit candles at the Virgen del Suspiro (Virgin of the Sigh) sanctuary (see photos). As we walked along the sand, watching the little kids avoid getting soaked by the coming waves, we decided that we are going to buy one of the many old, abandoned homes in Cartagena and fix it up. We picked one on the top of the hill looking out over the ocean. I can see it now when we are done. I think it will give Pablo Neruda a run for his money! (See photo and read on!).
Calli’s mom and dad picked us up and droves back to the house where we ate almuerzo then drove to Pablo Neruda’s third house, Isla Negra (Black Island). This was his favorite house and I can see why. As I wrote before, Neruda was absolutely obsessed with the sea and built his homes to resemble boats. This was the only house Neruda designed himself and the quirky genius-ness of the poet is evident. Every view from the house paints a new picture of the immense Pacific Ocean. He also adamantly collected all types of crazy objects: glass bottles in all shapes, sizes, and colors, pipes, masks, ships in bottles, porcelain, glass cups (Because “Even water has a better taste when drunk from a pretty glass”), exotic shells, maritime equipment, statues, on and on. We spent a really long time wondering the house and the beach. I bought some postcards with poems and sayings by Neruda that I hung up on my wall. They are worth sharing, although they aren’t nearly as beautiful in English. Enjoy the Chilean poetry:
- Hoy es hoy, ayer se fue. No hay duda. Today is today, yesterday is gone. There is no doubt.
- Mi deber es vivir, morir, vivir. My duty is to live, to die, to live.
- Yo vine aquí para cantar y para que cantes conmigo. I came here to sing and for you to sing with me.
- Para mi corazón basta tu pecho. / para tu libertad bastan mis alas. / Desde mi boca llegará hasta el cielo / lo que estaba dormido sobre tu alma. For my heart, your chest is enough. / For your freedom, my wings are enough. / From my mouth will rise up to heaven / that what was sleeping over your soul.
- And my personal favorite: En mi tierra desierta, eres la última rosa. In my desert earth, you are the last rose.
After falling in love with poetry, we went to mass in Cartagena. We are all Catholic, but Calli hadn’t been to mass in months. But since Natalie and I both wanted to go, we all went together. It was probably one of the most beautiful masses I’ve ever been to. At 8 pm Saturday night, the church was packed with people of all ages. The priest spoke clearly and slowly and they even sang the Our Father. During the homily the priest spoke about the importance of trying to live your life to reach the perfection of Christ. He said that we are all humans and we will continue to fail but that the important thing is to avoid things keep us from Christ. Then he talked about using our wealth for the good of the community. If we only use our money to try to make ourselves happy, we will end up alone with all our crap. I know I’ve heard homilies like that before, but the priest’s passion and the fact that I had to pay 100% attention to understand, I really enjoyed it. Calli, Natalie and I even talked about it afterwards because we all enjoyed it so much. During the sign of the peace, Alejandro showed up, which was a pleasant surprise.
After mass we went ate dinner (which finished about 10 pm!) then got ready to go out. We went out with Alejandro, Sebastian (my buddy from last time), and two of their other friends. When Sebastian saw me he gave me a big hug and said, “Mi amor!” to which I quickly reminded him that I still have a boyfriend at home. He told me he hadn’t forgotten and after that, everything was cool. One of their other friends, Raphael, was born in Chile but raised in Miami. He enjoyed speaking English with us and told me that I was very excited to see a true blonde again. Calli and Alejandro (Ale) despite the fact that they are “cousins” are pretty much in love and the whole night Natalie, Sebastian, their other friends and I had a great time making fun of them. We danced the night away (at the same club we went to two weeks ago) and came back and crashed around 5:30 am.
Friday, August 3, 2007
Friday, August 03, 2007
I slept till 10:45 and enjoyed the fact that I have no class on Fridays!! I am going to the beach (again!) with Calli and our friend Natalie today at 5. First I have to go register my theology classes with U Católica. Of course the theology campus is about 45 minutes (a metro and a bus and walking) away. But it should be a relaxing weekend. I’m hoping that when I get home on Sunday, I will have internet and that my friend Courtney will be done reading Harry Potter so I can steal it from her!
Getting to the U Católica Oriente campus was quite an ordeal because I couldn’t find the bus stop I needed, despite the fact that looking back now, Olga had explained it to me perfectly, I just didn’t understand. Arggh, the language barrier. I broke down and took a taxi about 10 blocks before I realized we were on the bus route. We stopped at a stoplight right next to the one of the bus stops I needed, so I said thanks, paid the $2, and jumped out of the taxi! I then missed my bus stop and had to walk and extra ¼ mile to the campus. But all said and done it was an adventure and I got everything taken care of. The Oriente campus is beautiful. I think it used to be a monastery and I absolutely loved walking around.
I took the bus and a metro to Calli’s house and we headed out for the beach around 5:30. We got in around 7, went to Sylvania’s house (the niece of Calli’s mom) to have once because there wasn’t any gas to use the stove at our house. Sylvania is one of the million relatives in the family and is incredibly nice. She has two adorable kids and her husband drives a taxi. Sylvania’s 5 year old daughter, Nadia, told me that I look like Barbie because of my hair! We hung out there for a long time and Alejandro, Calli’s “cousin”, came over. Friday night we ended relaxing and going to be around midnight. Calli and Natalie and I kept each other warm by cuddling in the bed under 7 blankets.
I slept till 10:45 and enjoyed the fact that I have no class on Fridays!! I am going to the beach (again!) with Calli and our friend Natalie today at 5. First I have to go register my theology classes with U Católica. Of course the theology campus is about 45 minutes (a metro and a bus and walking) away. But it should be a relaxing weekend. I’m hoping that when I get home on Sunday, I will have internet and that my friend Courtney will be done reading Harry Potter so I can steal it from her!
Getting to the U Católica Oriente campus was quite an ordeal because I couldn’t find the bus stop I needed, despite the fact that looking back now, Olga had explained it to me perfectly, I just didn’t understand. Arggh, the language barrier. I broke down and took a taxi about 10 blocks before I realized we were on the bus route. We stopped at a stoplight right next to the one of the bus stops I needed, so I said thanks, paid the $2, and jumped out of the taxi! I then missed my bus stop and had to walk and extra ¼ mile to the campus. But all said and done it was an adventure and I got everything taken care of. The Oriente campus is beautiful. I think it used to be a monastery and I absolutely loved walking around.
I took the bus and a metro to Calli’s house and we headed out for the beach around 5:30. We got in around 7, went to Sylvania’s house (the niece of Calli’s mom) to have once because there wasn’t any gas to use the stove at our house. Sylvania is one of the million relatives in the family and is incredibly nice. She has two adorable kids and her husband drives a taxi. Sylvania’s 5 year old daughter, Nadia, told me that I look like Barbie because of my hair! We hung out there for a long time and Alejandro, Calli’s “cousin”, came over. Friday night we ended relaxing and going to be around midnight. Calli and Natalie and I kept each other warm by cuddling in the bed under 7 blankets.
]Th
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Another day of trying to figure out what the crap I’m doing this semester. I went to a class called Teatro Hispanoamericano Contemporeano (Contemporary Hispanicamerican Theater), hoping I would enjoy it. I’m sure it will be a very interesting class, except that the students are all 8th semester, ready to graduate seniors and they will be reading one play a week with a quiz every two weeks. Plus they have a 15 page final paper. When I found that out, I knew it wasn’t for me. After that class I went to the Medieval Spanish Literature class again. We actually didn’t have class because all the first year Literature students had some kind of test/final over Spanish Grammar at the same time. But there were 4 other students in the class along with myself and one other extranjero. The professor came in a we all talked for about an hour. They asked me about New Orleans and how it is doing, what I thought about Chile, what I’m studying, etc. Then we talked about the epic Spanish poem Mio Cid that we are reading in the class. Well, they are reading. I decided not to take the class for a few reasons: 1. They are changing the time so that it would interfere with my volunteer hours. 2. They have class at 8:30 am on Fridays. 3. It was going to be way too much work.
So after a short panic because I still didn’t know what classes would take, I went to the computer lab where I ran into a bunch of other CIEE kids. We started talking and I sat down to try to iron out my schedule. I think I’ve got it all figured out now and I feel much better. Basically I’m taking 2 theology classes, one Education class, one Politics of Latin America, and the Poverty class.
After class I came home, ate, exercised, and showered. Then I went to a meeting at the CIEE office about volunteer opportunities and internships. After that a bunch of us went to a party a U. Católica for extranjeros. We drank Piscolas (Pisco and Cola) and ate Choripan, a delicious chorizo sausage on a bun. U Católica has an organization of Chilean students to organize events and trips for extranjeros. It was really fun and I met a lot of very nice Chileans.
After the party we hung out at a house for a while before heading out to the discotheque. The house we were at has students and other young people from all over the world staying there. It has 16 rooms, a couple small kitchens and a common room. We were all hanging out in the common room and I realized that we were truly an international group. There were kids from Chile, USA, Columbia, France, Sweden, and Korea. And everyone was speaking Spanish! A few times I looked around the room at the other kids from the US and we just smiled. It was completely surreal and amazing! Around 1:15 we headed out to the club. U Católica’s engineering program through a huge party at a discotheque called Blondie and we decided to take advantage of the opportunity to hang out with Chileans, so we bummed along. It was really fun and we danced until 3:15 am. We left early; everyone else was dancing the night away. But I was exhausted and didn’t want to sleep all day Friday, so I shared a cab home and crashed.
Another day of trying to figure out what the crap I’m doing this semester. I went to a class called Teatro Hispanoamericano Contemporeano (Contemporary Hispanicamerican Theater), hoping I would enjoy it. I’m sure it will be a very interesting class, except that the students are all 8th semester, ready to graduate seniors and they will be reading one play a week with a quiz every two weeks. Plus they have a 15 page final paper. When I found that out, I knew it wasn’t for me. After that class I went to the Medieval Spanish Literature class again. We actually didn’t have class because all the first year Literature students had some kind of test/final over Spanish Grammar at the same time. But there were 4 other students in the class along with myself and one other extranjero. The professor came in a we all talked for about an hour. They asked me about New Orleans and how it is doing, what I thought about Chile, what I’m studying, etc. Then we talked about the epic Spanish poem Mio Cid that we are reading in the class. Well, they are reading. I decided not to take the class for a few reasons: 1. They are changing the time so that it would interfere with my volunteer hours. 2. They have class at 8:30 am on Fridays. 3. It was going to be way too much work.
So after a short panic because I still didn’t know what classes would take, I went to the computer lab where I ran into a bunch of other CIEE kids. We started talking and I sat down to try to iron out my schedule. I think I’ve got it all figured out now and I feel much better. Basically I’m taking 2 theology classes, one Education class, one Politics of Latin America, and the Poverty class.
After class I came home, ate, exercised, and showered. Then I went to a meeting at the CIEE office about volunteer opportunities and internships. After that a bunch of us went to a party a U. Católica for extranjeros. We drank Piscolas (Pisco and Cola) and ate Choripan, a delicious chorizo sausage on a bun. U Católica has an organization of Chilean students to organize events and trips for extranjeros. It was really fun and I met a lot of very nice Chileans.
After the party we hung out at a house for a while before heading out to the discotheque. The house we were at has students and other young people from all over the world staying there. It has 16 rooms, a couple small kitchens and a common room. We were all hanging out in the common room and I realized that we were truly an international group. There were kids from Chile, USA, Columbia, France, Sweden, and Korea. And everyone was speaking Spanish! A few times I looked around the room at the other kids from the US and we just smiled. It was completely surreal and amazing! Around 1:15 we headed out to the club. U Católica’s engineering program through a huge party at a discotheque called Blondie and we decided to take advantage of the opportunity to hang out with Chileans, so we bummed along. It was really fun and we danced until 3:15 am. We left early; everyone else was dancing the night away. But I was exhausted and didn’t want to sleep all day Friday, so I shared a cab home and crashed.
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Wednesday August 1, 2007
I’ve now been in Chile for 3 weeks. Observations thus far:
I’ve now been in Chile for 3 weeks. Observations thus far:
- My Spanish is not improving as far as I can tell.
- Olga can cook more types of food than anyone I know. (I have yet to eat the same thing twice, except for the carrot omelet she makes because I like it so much.)
- Studying abroad in a foreign language is thus far the most humbling experience of my life.
- It’s not about how much time you’ve been away from your loved ones that makes you miss them. It’s about how much longer it’s going to be before you can see them again.
- If I went to a Catholic school, I would get a theology minor. There is nothing more interesting or exciting to me than to talk about God, faith, life, etc.
- I totally take central heating for granted.
- I never want to live in a city with lots of smog.
- I am way more dependent on the internet than I would like to admit.
Today was my first day of class at Universidad de Católica. I decided that studying abroad will give me a rare chance to take a theology class, so today I went and checked out as many as I could. I went to Lo feminino en Dio y ser humana (The Feminine in God and Humanity) then Doctrina Social de la Iglesia (Social Doctrine of the Church), then El hombre y el trabajo (Man and Work), then Topicos de etica social cristiana (Topics of Social Christian Ethics), then Iniciación a la lectura de la Biblia (Introduction to the Readings of the Bible). I closed out the day with a class that I know I am taking through the CIEE program called Pobreza y desarrollo en Chile y America Latina: Teoría y práctica (Poverty and Development in Chile and Latin America: Theory and Practice). I enjoyed/somewhat understood each class. I’m not sure which one(s) I will take, but hopefully I’ll have it all worked out soon. Some funny/memorable occurrences of today:
1. In the Lo feminino en Dio y ser humana (The Feminine in God and Humanity), the profesora was talking about gender and sexual identity. She said the way she views her “womanhood” and sexual identity might be different from…then points to me and asked my name. Luckily I was paying attention and understood what she said, so I quickly responded, “Kayla”. “Kauga?” “No, Kayla”. She then looked to the whole class and said (en Español), “Of course I asked the only extranjera in the entire class!” I of course se pongo rojo (blushed) and she continued with the example simply saying “she”.
2. The professor for El hombre y el trabajo (Man and Work) is a priest and said the 1 pm student mass that I went to right after class got out! Mass was packed, with students even standing in the back. It felt great; like I was back at Our Lady of Wisdom in Lafayette! The funny thing is I understand the Chileans about as well as I understood the Cajuns!
3. I know I would absolutely love the Topicos de etica social cristiana (Topics of Social Christian Ethics) if I could understand the professor. L Interestingly, I wasn’t the only one in the room who looked like they had no idea what was going on. The professor started talking about how mysteries are mysteries because language isn’t sufficient. He went on to say that you could be listening to someone speaking Chinese and all you would hear was mumbling despite the fact that the person could be reciting the most beautiful poem ever written or reveal deep truths. Such sweet irony. The tiny bit I did understand throughout the 80 minute lecture/discussion is worth noting:
a. There is theology because there is Revelation
b.Theology is a discussion of the absolute but it is not an absolute
c. Theology is not the word of God
d. Theology is not ration nor irrational; it is a-rational.
4. In Iniciación a la lectura de la Biblia (Introduction to the Readings of the Bible), again the professor talked about different connotations of words, phrases, actions between different cultures. Language defines culture and vice versa. Ultimately, the language of God is the world.
5. The professor in Iniciación a la lectura de la Biblia (Introduction to the Readings of the Bible) said that he likes to get to know his class and that we should all go out for a drink sometime. One kid yelled out “Monday after class” so apparently (If I still take this class), we are all going to have a beer Monday evening after discussing the Bible for 80 minutes!
6. I could actually follow my Pobreza y desarrollo en Chile y America Latina: Teoría y práctica (Poverty and Development in Chile and Latin America: Theory and Practice) since it was Hector, our Resident Director, not from Chile. We have a mandatory 6 hours/week internship/volunteer job with one of 5 different organizations in Santiago. We start in 2 weeks and I can’t wait.
After class, which didn’t end till 8:30 pm, I came home, ate dinner, and then walked about 10 minutes to Natalie´s house to use her internet. I brought my computer hoping to use Skype to call home, but of course it didn’t work. ARRRRGGGGHHH! Olga said we should be getting internet this weekend. So I just have to hold out till then!
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
It’s inevitable. I actually had to go to class today. Why did I have to break my 20 year streak of never going to school in July? First of all, I had my first real commute using public transportation. I walked to the metro, took the metro one stop, then took the micro or bus about 35 minutes east, still very much in the city, and then walked a bit to campus. It total, it took me 45 minutes to get to the main campus of La Chile (Universidad de Chile). Every class I went to today was just to check it out and see if I want to take it. I’ll be doing that for the next week or so until I figure out exactly what classes I can/want to take. My first class of the semester was Transgresiones Sociales, Criminalización, y la locura a traves la historia de Chile, or Social transgressions, crime, and insanity through the history of Chile. Interesting right? I assume it will be, but I highly doubt I’ll take the class. First of all, my friend Courtney and I were the ONLY students in the class. Apparently older Chilean students don’t go to class the first day or something. Second, the professor seemed nice, but not too excited to have two gringas, with an undetermined level of fluency in her lecture/discussion based class of only 12 almost graduating seniors.
Next Courtney and I went to Historia Sócial de Latinoamerica. This also sounded really interesting and I sure it was except that I couldn’t understand the professor. He spoke clearly enough, but so fast that he could probably fuel a small motor. Imagine Mr. Jewel (history teacher at my old high school- I think Jamie will have him this year?) in Spanish. So unfortunately I don’t think I’ll take that class either.
After that came Literature Española Medieval. Sounds boring right? The teacher was very well organized, class well attended, and she even read the syllabus out load to the class despite the fact we were holding it in our hands. All that and she spoke slowly and clearly. Plus, at the end of class, the TA asked all the extranjeros to come talk to her. She asked us for our email addresses and told us that she would keep in special contact with us to ensure that we were able to keep up with the material. She was very friendly and within 1 hour, we had gotten an email from her with all the materials we went over in class. So despite the fact that I’m not a huge fan of Medieval Lit., I think I might take the class.
After almuerzo, the last class I could handle for the day was Poesia Chileana Contemporeana or Contemporary Chilean Poetry. I thought it was be a fun class because all the students seemed friendly, my age, and it was small. The professor spoke very slowly and clearly, but it was so boring I don’t’ think I can take an entire semester of it. But we’ll see. If I really need another class, I might have to take it.
After class I went and hung out at Courtney’s house. She lives in a really pretty neighborhood in a two story house. It’s quite a change from my urban apartment. I used her internet to email my Spanish professor at Tulane to hopefully get some advice to narrow down what classes I should take. After the 35 minute trek home, I went to mass, than had dinner with Olga. We ate slowly and talked for about an hour. We shared scar stories: I told her about breaking my wrist and she told me about the huge scar she has on her elbow from when she fell down some stairs when she was 17. She told me how it got really infected and swollen and nothing they did could easy the pain. We then talked about times in our lives when we’ve felt very close to God. She has some amazing stories; it’s no wonder she is so faithful. I feel so blessed to have her as a role model and care taker. It’s like I have my own personal spiritual guide with a new lesson or advice every night! I told her how I’m stressed out about what classes to take and she told me that since I am a prayerful woman, everything will work out fine. Remember, she said, that no one said it would be easy, but everything will work out if you continue praying.
With that in mind, I am going to class tomorrow at La Católica (Universidad de Católica) from 10 am to 6 pm, one theology class after another to decide which one (maybe two?) I want to take. From there, I am going to work out my schedule. I figure that I’d might as well take advantage of the fact that I can take theology classes and if that is the base of my schedule, everything else should fall into place.
P.S. Happy Feast Day of St. Ignacious (sp?) of Loyola to all my family (Sara) and friends (Compass kids) at Jesuit institutions. I thought of you today at mass!
It’s inevitable. I actually had to go to class today. Why did I have to break my 20 year streak of never going to school in July? First of all, I had my first real commute using public transportation. I walked to the metro, took the metro one stop, then took the micro or bus about 35 minutes east, still very much in the city, and then walked a bit to campus. It total, it took me 45 minutes to get to the main campus of La Chile (Universidad de Chile). Every class I went to today was just to check it out and see if I want to take it. I’ll be doing that for the next week or so until I figure out exactly what classes I can/want to take. My first class of the semester was Transgresiones Sociales, Criminalización, y la locura a traves la historia de Chile, or Social transgressions, crime, and insanity through the history of Chile. Interesting right? I assume it will be, but I highly doubt I’ll take the class. First of all, my friend Courtney and I were the ONLY students in the class. Apparently older Chilean students don’t go to class the first day or something. Second, the professor seemed nice, but not too excited to have two gringas, with an undetermined level of fluency in her lecture/discussion based class of only 12 almost graduating seniors.
Next Courtney and I went to Historia Sócial de Latinoamerica. This also sounded really interesting and I sure it was except that I couldn’t understand the professor. He spoke clearly enough, but so fast that he could probably fuel a small motor. Imagine Mr. Jewel (history teacher at my old high school- I think Jamie will have him this year?) in Spanish. So unfortunately I don’t think I’ll take that class either.
After that came Literature Española Medieval. Sounds boring right? The teacher was very well organized, class well attended, and she even read the syllabus out load to the class despite the fact we were holding it in our hands. All that and she spoke slowly and clearly. Plus, at the end of class, the TA asked all the extranjeros to come talk to her. She asked us for our email addresses and told us that she would keep in special contact with us to ensure that we were able to keep up with the material. She was very friendly and within 1 hour, we had gotten an email from her with all the materials we went over in class. So despite the fact that I’m not a huge fan of Medieval Lit., I think I might take the class.
After almuerzo, the last class I could handle for the day was Poesia Chileana Contemporeana or Contemporary Chilean Poetry. I thought it was be a fun class because all the students seemed friendly, my age, and it was small. The professor spoke very slowly and clearly, but it was so boring I don’t’ think I can take an entire semester of it. But we’ll see. If I really need another class, I might have to take it.
After class I went and hung out at Courtney’s house. She lives in a really pretty neighborhood in a two story house. It’s quite a change from my urban apartment. I used her internet to email my Spanish professor at Tulane to hopefully get some advice to narrow down what classes I should take. After the 35 minute trek home, I went to mass, than had dinner with Olga. We ate slowly and talked for about an hour. We shared scar stories: I told her about breaking my wrist and she told me about the huge scar she has on her elbow from when she fell down some stairs when she was 17. She told me how it got really infected and swollen and nothing they did could easy the pain. We then talked about times in our lives when we’ve felt very close to God. She has some amazing stories; it’s no wonder she is so faithful. I feel so blessed to have her as a role model and care taker. It’s like I have my own personal spiritual guide with a new lesson or advice every night! I told her how I’m stressed out about what classes to take and she told me that since I am a prayerful woman, everything will work out fine. Remember, she said, that no one said it would be easy, but everything will work out if you continue praying.
With that in mind, I am going to class tomorrow at La Católica (Universidad de Católica) from 10 am to 6 pm, one theology class after another to decide which one (maybe two?) I want to take. From there, I am going to work out my schedule. I figure that I’d might as well take advantage of the fact that I can take theology classes and if that is the base of my schedule, everything else should fall into place.
P.S. Happy Feast Day of St. Ignacious (sp?) of Loyola to all my family (Sara) and friends (Compass kids) at Jesuit institutions. I thought of you today at mass!
Monday, July 30, 2007
Monday, July 30, 2007
Technically, today was my first day of class. However since I’m an extranjera or foreign student and have no idea what classes I’m taking, I didn’t go. I had a meeting with Hector, one of our resident Directors about what classes to take. He told me my grade from the Spanish exam, which sounded about like “eeeehhh” with a so so shake of the hand (you know, palm down, rocking back and forth). Basically I did well enough to not be required to take the Español para extranjeros, but it would still be a good idea. Basically what I’ve been saying all along: that my Spanish isn’t nearly as good as it should be after 7+ years of studying the darn language (told you Dad!). After my meeting I spent 3 hours searching through huge binders of course reviews from previous CIEE students.
Once I couldn’t take it anymore, I went with some other CIEE students to a marketplace near the metro stop Estación Central to see the sites and help Tom buy a hat. Then I went home and went for a nice long run. This is the first time I’ve been able to run more than 30 minutes and it felt great. I ran around the old, still functioning horse racing track and Parque O’Higgins, a HUGE park, Santiago’s equivalent of City Park in NYC.
I ate dinner with Olga then headed out to Salsa Class with all the girls that went out dancing for Calli’s birthday. The class was a lot of fun and great exercise. I learned a few moves but really just realized that as long as the girl can keep the beat and has a general idea of what’s going on, the only thing she needs to do is follow the boy! But I did get to watch a type of Salsa square dancing. The dancers stand in a circle with their partners than the leader calls out different moves and every dances in and out and around and through and across, the whole time switching partners. It is incredible to watch and unbelievable how well all the dancers moved together. I’d love to learn! After class I came home and spent another 2+ hours trying to figure out my stupid schedule before I fell asleep with the course catalogue in my hands.
Technically, today was my first day of class. However since I’m an extranjera or foreign student and have no idea what classes I’m taking, I didn’t go. I had a meeting with Hector, one of our resident Directors about what classes to take. He told me my grade from the Spanish exam, which sounded about like “eeeehhh” with a so so shake of the hand (you know, palm down, rocking back and forth). Basically I did well enough to not be required to take the Español para extranjeros, but it would still be a good idea. Basically what I’ve been saying all along: that my Spanish isn’t nearly as good as it should be after 7+ years of studying the darn language (told you Dad!). After my meeting I spent 3 hours searching through huge binders of course reviews from previous CIEE students.
Once I couldn’t take it anymore, I went with some other CIEE students to a marketplace near the metro stop Estación Central to see the sites and help Tom buy a hat. Then I went home and went for a nice long run. This is the first time I’ve been able to run more than 30 minutes and it felt great. I ran around the old, still functioning horse racing track and Parque O’Higgins, a HUGE park, Santiago’s equivalent of City Park in NYC.
I ate dinner with Olga then headed out to Salsa Class with all the girls that went out dancing for Calli’s birthday. The class was a lot of fun and great exercise. I learned a few moves but really just realized that as long as the girl can keep the beat and has a general idea of what’s going on, the only thing she needs to do is follow the boy! But I did get to watch a type of Salsa square dancing. The dancers stand in a circle with their partners than the leader calls out different moves and every dances in and out and around and through and across, the whole time switching partners. It is incredible to watch and unbelievable how well all the dancers moved together. I’d love to learn! After class I came home and spent another 2+ hours trying to figure out my stupid schedule before I fell asleep with the course catalogue in my hands.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Saturday July 28, 2007
Saturday we played hard core tourist. Mom- you’d be proud of me. I’m the only one who brought my tour guide book (I ripped out the pages for Valparaiso from the huge South America book), so I basically guided everyone around. First we went to La Sebastiana, another of Pablo Neruda’s 3 homes. It was incredible, inside and out, including the view of Valpariaso. Courtney, who is an Art, Spanish, Biology triple major (no wonder we get along well right?), took our time and read almost everything. The rest of them rushed through then waited for us. I now appreciate all my childhood experiences of going through museums painfully slow. We then headed down the hill towards El Aire Libre Museo, or Open Air Museum. This is a “museum” or collection of 20 huge murals of well respect Chilean artists painted on buildings and retaining walls spread through about 5 blocks. We enjoyed finding the different murals than trying to understand what they meant. Next time I go to Valpo I hope to return and find the paintings we missed. Once we reached the bottom of the hill, near the ocean, we walked towards down town Valpo. We took Ancensor Concepción (for about $.40) up to the top of Cerro Concepción. We ate at an adorable, tiny, artistic, Valpo style restaurant called Color Café. The walls and ceiling were covered with random posters, artwork, photos, everything. Courtney drew an amazing sketch of the hilly streets of Valpo with a group of gringos shouting “Gracias!” When we were about to leave, the waiter gave her tape to hang it up. We than snaked our way around Cerro Concepción and over to Cerro Alegré. I took tons of pictures because around every corner was a new view, a new graffiti, a new unique, wonderful sight. Valpo is a so full of life, beauty, grim, hills, everything.
I think the best way to describe Valparaiso is to mix the geography and look San Francisco with the unique, strange beauty of New Orleans’s French Quarter, fill it 3/4 with Chileans and 1/4 with European tourists and more bakeries and street vendors than you could imagine.After winding our way down Cerro Alegré (it’s rumored Charles Darwin said that the best day of his life was when he climbed Cerro Alegré), we walked around the Plaza Justicia (Justice Plaza) and Plaza Sotomayer, both full of important historic buildings and memorials. Then we check out the wharf, walked back up the hill to the hostel, and head to the bus station. We left Valparaiso around 5:30 and I slept on the way back.
Back in Santiago, I headed home, cleaned up a bit, and took the metro to Calli’s house. Her host family was celebrating her 10 year old cousin Mateus’s birthday and her mom was throwing the party in their apartment. Calli’s mom invited me to come since I’ve hung out with their family a lot now and she knows that I only have Olga at home. Anyway, this birthday party was definitely a new experience for me. When I got to the apartment, Calli was out buying tequila (you’ll see why soon) with her “cousin”/Chilean pololo Alejandro. So I walk in the apartment stuffed with aunts, uncles, cousins, grandkids, great grandkids, everyone. Calli’s mom quickly introduced me to everyone and I did my best to remember everyone’s names and who belonged to whom. Calli eventually came back and we did our best to keep up with the bustling conversations and laughter. Around 9:30 pm food started circling around the room and at 10:30 we each got a plate of home made Japanese food. (Did I mention last week that Calli’s mom is an amazing cook?) After food, Mateus opened his gifts and we sang happy birthday. I assumed that after presents and singing, there would be cake than everyone would head home. It was about 11:30 and I figured all the little kids running around would be hustled home to go to bed. But instead of cake, a plate of lemons, a bowl of salt, and the bottle of tequila, and four shot glasses were placed on the table. The family than starting taking turns taking shots of tequila until the whole bottle was finished! They enjoyed making the gringas take a few shots and after my third, I pulled myself out! Interestingly, none of the dads had any. It was only the moms (they are all sisters) and the college kids. Needless to say, I told them “En mi familia, los cumpleaños no son como esto!” or, “In my family, birthday parties aren’t like this!” After they emptied the bottle of tequila, the cake was cut and pisco sours passed around for the adults. Welcome to family gatherings in Chile!
At 12:30, the college kids and the youngest, still single aunt, met up with some friends (3 more Chileans and Nicole and Samantha) at a discotheque called Punta Brown. It was a really cool club with a comedy/Irish pub type bar upstairs and a crazy dance floor below. They played great music, including Reggaeton, Rock, and random US songs (Grease lightening, RESPECT, I Will Survive…) We danced the night away until 4:30 in the morning and then I shared a cab with Calli, Alejandro and the drunk, single aunt back to my apartment. Olga woke up when I came in and when I apologized for being so late, she chuckled and said “I’m not worried, you know best!”
Saturday we played hard core tourist. Mom- you’d be proud of me. I’m the only one who brought my tour guide book (I ripped out the pages for Valparaiso from the huge South America book), so I basically guided everyone around. First we went to La Sebastiana, another of Pablo Neruda’s 3 homes. It was incredible, inside and out, including the view of Valpariaso. Courtney, who is an Art, Spanish, Biology triple major (no wonder we get along well right?), took our time and read almost everything. The rest of them rushed through then waited for us. I now appreciate all my childhood experiences of going through museums painfully slow. We then headed down the hill towards El Aire Libre Museo, or Open Air Museum. This is a “museum” or collection of 20 huge murals of well respect Chilean artists painted on buildings and retaining walls spread through about 5 blocks. We enjoyed finding the different murals than trying to understand what they meant. Next time I go to Valpo I hope to return and find the paintings we missed. Once we reached the bottom of the hill, near the ocean, we walked towards down town Valpo. We took Ancensor Concepción (for about $.40) up to the top of Cerro Concepción. We ate at an adorable, tiny, artistic, Valpo style restaurant called Color Café. The walls and ceiling were covered with random posters, artwork, photos, everything. Courtney drew an amazing sketch of the hilly streets of Valpo with a group of gringos shouting “Gracias!” When we were about to leave, the waiter gave her tape to hang it up. We than snaked our way around Cerro Concepción and over to Cerro Alegré. I took tons of pictures because around every corner was a new view, a new graffiti, a new unique, wonderful sight. Valpo is a so full of life, beauty, grim, hills, everything.
I think the best way to describe Valparaiso is to mix the geography and look San Francisco with the unique, strange beauty of New Orleans’s French Quarter, fill it 3/4 with Chileans and 1/4 with European tourists and more bakeries and street vendors than you could imagine.After winding our way down Cerro Alegré (it’s rumored Charles Darwin said that the best day of his life was when he climbed Cerro Alegré), we walked around the Plaza Justicia (Justice Plaza) and Plaza Sotomayer, both full of important historic buildings and memorials. Then we check out the wharf, walked back up the hill to the hostel, and head to the bus station. We left Valparaiso around 5:30 and I slept on the way back.
Back in Santiago, I headed home, cleaned up a bit, and took the metro to Calli’s house. Her host family was celebrating her 10 year old cousin Mateus’s birthday and her mom was throwing the party in their apartment. Calli’s mom invited me to come since I’ve hung out with their family a lot now and she knows that I only have Olga at home. Anyway, this birthday party was definitely a new experience for me. When I got to the apartment, Calli was out buying tequila (you’ll see why soon) with her “cousin”/Chilean pololo Alejandro. So I walk in the apartment stuffed with aunts, uncles, cousins, grandkids, great grandkids, everyone. Calli’s mom quickly introduced me to everyone and I did my best to remember everyone’s names and who belonged to whom. Calli eventually came back and we did our best to keep up with the bustling conversations and laughter. Around 9:30 pm food started circling around the room and at 10:30 we each got a plate of home made Japanese food. (Did I mention last week that Calli’s mom is an amazing cook?) After food, Mateus opened his gifts and we sang happy birthday. I assumed that after presents and singing, there would be cake than everyone would head home. It was about 11:30 and I figured all the little kids running around would be hustled home to go to bed. But instead of cake, a plate of lemons, a bowl of salt, and the bottle of tequila, and four shot glasses were placed on the table. The family than starting taking turns taking shots of tequila until the whole bottle was finished! They enjoyed making the gringas take a few shots and after my third, I pulled myself out! Interestingly, none of the dads had any. It was only the moms (they are all sisters) and the college kids. Needless to say, I told them “En mi familia, los cumpleaños no son como esto!” or, “In my family, birthday parties aren’t like this!” After they emptied the bottle of tequila, the cake was cut and pisco sours passed around for the adults. Welcome to family gatherings in Chile!
At 12:30, the college kids and the youngest, still single aunt, met up with some friends (3 more Chileans and Nicole and Samantha) at a discotheque called Punta Brown. It was a really cool club with a comedy/Irish pub type bar upstairs and a crazy dance floor below. They played great music, including Reggaeton, Rock, and random US songs (Grease lightening, RESPECT, I Will Survive…) We danced the night away until 4:30 in the morning and then I shared a cab with Calli, Alejandro and the drunk, single aunt back to my apartment. Olga woke up when I came in and when I apologized for being so late, she chuckled and said “I’m not worried, you know best!”
Friday, July 27, 2007
Friday, July 27, 2007
If it makes you feel better to know, the US isn’t the only country with ridiculous amounts of Red Tape. I had to wake up super early (6:45) and go to the Registro Civil, or the Civil Registry, to get our Cedulas or Chilean ID cards. We got to the building at 8:30, waited outside in line till 9, and then got numbers. It took over 3 hours for our whole group to get processed. Luckily I wasn’t too far back. Anyway, after I got fingerprinted and photographed, I had a retina screen, DNA sample and a urine sample. Just kidding. But they are pretty detailed and I’m glad I only have one more step in this 4+ step process before I am legitimate.
We headed out for Valparaiso around 1:30 pm. I went with Courtney Wilson and Nicole Amaral. Valparaiso, with its bohemian flair and charming old buildings, is the busiest port in Chile. Almost the entire town is crammed on a series of Cerros or hills overlooking the bay. We got in around 3:30, met up with Eric, then walked up a HUGE hill to our hostel. Some other kids in the CIEE program, Brandon, Samantha, and Kristen, found the place and we ended up hanging out with them most of the time in Valpo. We stayed in a French owned hostel with people from all over Europe. In fact, the owner told us we were some of the few North Americans to stay there. Once we got settled, we jumped on a bus and headed to near by Viña del Mar, the posh, resort beach town about 20 minutes north of Valparaiso.
In Viña, we walked to the beach and watched the sunset over the ocean. Amazingly, it was relatively warm, so I took over my shoes, rolled up my pants, and waded into the ocean. Check out the photo! Unfortunately, while the photo was being taken, a huge wave unexpectedly came and soaked the bottom of my pants. They didn’t dried till the next morning, but I somehow never got too cold.
After sunset we walked around Viña and finally found a place to eat. Courtney, Nicole, Eric and I shared a huge order of fajitas in a totally touristy tex-mex place. But don’t be disappointed. Chile really doesn’t have that amazing of food except for really fresh seafood. But no of us were in the mood and we are cheap, so the tex-mex was perfect. Despite the fact that we’d stuffed ourselves and we were wearing winter coats, we got delicious Chilean ice cream and sat on the wave breaker rocks under the full moon. It was so great to hang out with Eric and have him meet my friends. It’s amazing, but not surprising how well they got along. We discussed everything, in the usual Eric style, until we couldn’t stand the cold anymore. We caught a bus back to Valpo, put on some more layers, then found a great Cuban dance club/bar. We somehow snagged the last table, had a drink and watched people Salsa, Cumbia (sp?), and even some Chilean versions of line dancing (including the electric slide to Salsa music!)! We joined in for a few songs, but the dance floor was packed and we didn’t really have boys to dance with. Plus we were by far the youngest in the whole join. Despite that, it was still a blast. We headed back up the hill to the hostel and slept with the three of us in two twin beds pushed together.
If it makes you feel better to know, the US isn’t the only country with ridiculous amounts of Red Tape. I had to wake up super early (6:45) and go to the Registro Civil, or the Civil Registry, to get our Cedulas or Chilean ID cards. We got to the building at 8:30, waited outside in line till 9, and then got numbers. It took over 3 hours for our whole group to get processed. Luckily I wasn’t too far back. Anyway, after I got fingerprinted and photographed, I had a retina screen, DNA sample and a urine sample. Just kidding. But they are pretty detailed and I’m glad I only have one more step in this 4+ step process before I am legitimate.
We headed out for Valparaiso around 1:30 pm. I went with Courtney Wilson and Nicole Amaral. Valparaiso, with its bohemian flair and charming old buildings, is the busiest port in Chile. Almost the entire town is crammed on a series of Cerros or hills overlooking the bay. We got in around 3:30, met up with Eric, then walked up a HUGE hill to our hostel. Some other kids in the CIEE program, Brandon, Samantha, and Kristen, found the place and we ended up hanging out with them most of the time in Valpo. We stayed in a French owned hostel with people from all over Europe. In fact, the owner told us we were some of the few North Americans to stay there. Once we got settled, we jumped on a bus and headed to near by Viña del Mar, the posh, resort beach town about 20 minutes north of Valparaiso.
In Viña, we walked to the beach and watched the sunset over the ocean. Amazingly, it was relatively warm, so I took over my shoes, rolled up my pants, and waded into the ocean. Check out the photo! Unfortunately, while the photo was being taken, a huge wave unexpectedly came and soaked the bottom of my pants. They didn’t dried till the next morning, but I somehow never got too cold.
After sunset we walked around Viña and finally found a place to eat. Courtney, Nicole, Eric and I shared a huge order of fajitas in a totally touristy tex-mex place. But don’t be disappointed. Chile really doesn’t have that amazing of food except for really fresh seafood. But no of us were in the mood and we are cheap, so the tex-mex was perfect. Despite the fact that we’d stuffed ourselves and we were wearing winter coats, we got delicious Chilean ice cream and sat on the wave breaker rocks under the full moon. It was so great to hang out with Eric and have him meet my friends. It’s amazing, but not surprising how well they got along. We discussed everything, in the usual Eric style, until we couldn’t stand the cold anymore. We caught a bus back to Valpo, put on some more layers, then found a great Cuban dance club/bar. We somehow snagged the last table, had a drink and watched people Salsa, Cumbia (sp?), and even some Chilean versions of line dancing (including the electric slide to Salsa music!)! We joined in for a few songs, but the dance floor was packed and we didn’t really have boys to dance with. Plus we were by far the youngest in the whole join. Despite that, it was still a blast. We headed back up the hill to the hostel and slept with the three of us in two twin beds pushed together.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Thursday, July 26, 2007
First of all, I’m starting to think that Global Warming isn’t that bad after all. Today was a BEAUTIFUL spring day in sunny Santiago. By 2 pm, I’d striped off my many many layers to just my tank top and soaked up the long due sun. But only 4 hours later I was back to shivering despite the 3 layers plus coat, gloves, and scarf. The magnificent few hours of warmth and sun were just enough to make me realize what I’m missing right now. This morning we had an orientation at Universidad Catolica. Everything seems pretty nice and the campus we were at is beautiful. The most exciting part is that the Student Ministry group gave a short presentation about their exchange student program. They have parties, service events, trips around Santiago, and outside the city. They even have what seem to be bible study/prayer groups and “language partners”. I signed up to be involved and I think this is going to be a great way to find community and Chilean friends. The youth minister and students seemed excited and friendly and I’m really looking forward to being on the participant side of the activities as opposed to the leader/planning side.Between orientation and our last class we had a few hours to kill. Six of us girls went to Cerro Santa Lucia, a beautiful castle on a huge hill smack in the middle of the city. It’s like a city park and you can walk all the way up to the top. From there you can get a 360 view of the city. Absolutely incredible. Class was a last chance gathering to discuss any loose ends and make some final comments about what we’ve learned. Our tutor, Gabriel, is an Engineer turned music composer and professor. He is studying Chilean Culture right now so he has some fascinating perspectives and insights. Some of my favorites: 1) Chile is an adolescent: Unsure of its identity, full of dichotomies, sometimes hostile, but absolutely full of potential. 2) Chilean men are really just boys. Chilean woman are really just mothers. Chilean women like their men like boys because then they can treat them like children, therefore fulfilling their motherly role. (this possibly extends to most of Latin America.) After class, Nick and I checked out the Bernardo O’Higgins tomb and museum. O’Higgins was one of the most important liberators of South American during the Wars of Independence. The only more important liberator was Simon Bolivar. We than went to an exhibit in the museum underneath the plaza in front of La Moneda, Chile’s capital building. The exhibit had all kinds of art from the different regions of Chile. It wasn’t until I was about ¾ through the exhibit that I noticed that all the plaques were written in both Spanish and English.
Thursday evening was chill. I went to mass with Olga then ate dinner. She cooked some kind of strange seafood in an omelet. I liked (or at least I didn’t hate) the first few bites but I just couldn’t eat it. We then watched Alquien Te Mira. Now I’m going to sleep because I had a late night last night and another early morning tomorrow. We are going to Valpariaso after we get our Chilean Cedulas, where I’m hoping to see Eric Couper (my friend from Tulane that is studying there for the summer)! Buenos Suenos! Sweet Dreams!
First of all, I’m starting to think that Global Warming isn’t that bad after all. Today was a BEAUTIFUL spring day in sunny Santiago. By 2 pm, I’d striped off my many many layers to just my tank top and soaked up the long due sun. But only 4 hours later I was back to shivering despite the 3 layers plus coat, gloves, and scarf. The magnificent few hours of warmth and sun were just enough to make me realize what I’m missing right now. This morning we had an orientation at Universidad Catolica. Everything seems pretty nice and the campus we were at is beautiful. The most exciting part is that the Student Ministry group gave a short presentation about their exchange student program. They have parties, service events, trips around Santiago, and outside the city. They even have what seem to be bible study/prayer groups and “language partners”. I signed up to be involved and I think this is going to be a great way to find community and Chilean friends. The youth minister and students seemed excited and friendly and I’m really looking forward to being on the participant side of the activities as opposed to the leader/planning side.Between orientation and our last class we had a few hours to kill. Six of us girls went to Cerro Santa Lucia, a beautiful castle on a huge hill smack in the middle of the city. It’s like a city park and you can walk all the way up to the top. From there you can get a 360 view of the city. Absolutely incredible. Class was a last chance gathering to discuss any loose ends and make some final comments about what we’ve learned. Our tutor, Gabriel, is an Engineer turned music composer and professor. He is studying Chilean Culture right now so he has some fascinating perspectives and insights. Some of my favorites: 1) Chile is an adolescent: Unsure of its identity, full of dichotomies, sometimes hostile, but absolutely full of potential. 2) Chilean men are really just boys. Chilean woman are really just mothers. Chilean women like their men like boys because then they can treat them like children, therefore fulfilling their motherly role. (this possibly extends to most of Latin America.) After class, Nick and I checked out the Bernardo O’Higgins tomb and museum. O’Higgins was one of the most important liberators of South American during the Wars of Independence. The only more important liberator was Simon Bolivar. We than went to an exhibit in the museum underneath the plaza in front of La Moneda, Chile’s capital building. The exhibit had all kinds of art from the different regions of Chile. It wasn’t until I was about ¾ through the exhibit that I noticed that all the plaques were written in both Spanish and English.
Thursday evening was chill. I went to mass with Olga then ate dinner. She cooked some kind of strange seafood in an omelet. I liked (or at least I didn’t hate) the first few bites but I just couldn’t eat it. We then watched Alquien Te Mira. Now I’m going to sleep because I had a late night last night and another early morning tomorrow. We are going to Valpariaso after we get our Chilean Cedulas, where I’m hoping to see Eric Couper (my friend from Tulane that is studying there for the summer)! Buenos Suenos! Sweet Dreams!
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Wednesday July 25, 2007
This morning we had an interesting lecture about immigration, racism, gender issues, and fertility issues in Chile. I unfortunately am getting exhausted and had a hard time focusing despite the fact that I am intensely intrigued by the subject. I thought paying attention in college was difficult. When it takes 100% of your brain focused solely on what the speaker is saying, complete comprehension yet alone note taking because near impossible.
We then watched Machuca, a great Chilean film made in about 2005 about Allende’s government and the resulting (US backed) military coupe from the eyes of a child. Highly powerful and incredibly entertaining. I recommend it to all of you if you interested in learning more about the social impacts of the Chilean government.
This afternoon our tutor gave us the seemingly terrifying task of talking with complete strangers in Plaza Armas. (I’ve talked about it before, when I went to see Harry Potter: Sat. July 14.) We got into partners and were told to simply go up to people and ask them about anything we were interested about in Chilean society, government, etc. We’ve learned so much in class that we had a lot of ideas of what we could discuss, but I was absolutely terrified. My partner Nick (from St. Louis!) and I first talked to a couple around our age. It was a good warm up for us while they told us about President Bachelet, where they stood politically and how that compared to other kids their (our) age. The girl told us that her parents are “of the right” and therefore she agreed. She complained about President Bachelet and the new public transportation system TranSantiago. It was interesting to speak to a young person who considers themselves rightist.
We then approached an older couple and an old lady all sitting on a bench. They were all nicely dressed and seemed well off. We again asked them to tell us what they thought about Chile’s current government and the sweet old man (named Enrique, or Henry as he gleefully explained) went on a 20 minute monologue/tirade about how if you have money are you on the right and if you don’t’ have money you are on the left. And no one on the right wants to change but all they do is exploit the workers. All they care about is money and they use they’re power to get more money. The poor people are on the left because they are sick of being exploited and want social and economic change to improve their situation. On and on. It was pretty amazing.
We than talked about women in power and working outside the homes; about how women are better in power because they are more honest, loyal, think about saving money for the future, etc. while men are rash, greedy, power hungry etc.; about racism in Chile (according to Enrique, the reason the US has some much money about power is because of all the Jews. Apparently Jews control all the wealth in the world. (This was the only think I didn’t really agree with…)) When we asked Enrique about immigration and Peruvians, he said that they are less cultured and less educated than Chileans. He spoke in a demeaning but not condescending tone of voice.
When we were getting ready to find other people to talk to, Enrique told us about his wife’s family being from Croatia and Russia (when I noticed her blue eyes, she seemed very proud). He then told us that his grandfather came over from Spain. Immediately, the woman next to them (who had been listening but had yet to say too much) let us know that her father was from Spain. Amazingly, just this morning we had a talk about immigration into Chile and about how the people are always very very proud of their European descent and pretend their indigenous descent never happened, despite the fact that 86% of the Chilean population is mestizo (mixed indigenous and European descent).
Next we spoke with two Peruvian women sitting outside on the side of the Cathedral (the Peruvians are known for congregating around churches and our tutor told us to go there if we wanted to find some to talk to!) They came to Santiago to work. Because the economic situation in Peru is very bad. There are many Peruvians working and living in Chile (very similar to USA/Mexico immigration, including Enrique’s perspective about Peruvians). The women were very nice and willing to speak to us yet they seemed shy and (this may be a bias on my part, but…) and less educated that the Chileans we had spoken to. They told us that the only jobs for they can find are as Nanas, nannies/maids for wealthy people. We asked them if it was hard to find work and got two different answers. One woman told us that you could find work but it didn’t pay well, but it was better than nothing. She also said that she liked living in Santiago. The other woman wasn’t as optimistic. She said it was difficult to find work and that she hated living in the city. Nevertheless, they both hoped and planned to one day return to Peru. Goes to show that you can never fully understand a situation because everyone has a different perspective.
((I sat and talked to the happier, more optimistic woman for a while. She has three children in college back home. I asked her if she was Catholic (because she was sitting outside the Cathedral) and with a big smile she told me she wasn’t Catholic but that she loves God.))
Nick and I had about 15 minutes left and had talked to each type of person our tutor had recommended. We started looking around the plaza for someone different when we saw with three black men sitting on a bench. We approached them and started chatting. Two of the men were from Columbia and one from Equador (!). They were living and working in Santiago (for various lengths of time) but they wanted to go to Europe. The friendliest man explained to us that is easier to get to Europe from Chile and that he can study here to learn English. He wants to work on Cruise ships but has to learn basic English first. It was a very interesting conversation and it poignantly displayed the vast array of the Spanish accent (the Columbians and Ecuadorian were much easier to understand). A few interesting points: 1) one of the men from Columbia said he never wanted to go back. The other, who had only been in Santiago for one month, said he hoped to return. 2) They asked Nick and me where we are from in the US. Nick said Missouri, and then explained that it was close to the Mississippi River. The man recognized the word Mississippi and stated “There aren’t many people like us in Mississippi, right?” We tried to explain that there were many black people in Mississippi but he told us that he has a friend in NYC and that there are many “negros” there. 3) At the end of the conversation, the man told me that he and I should help each other: He could teach me Spanish and I could teach him English. I politefully told him I appreciated the offer but that I would be very busy with classes.
While we were talking to the black men, a well dressed older man came up and sat down right next to them. I continued talking to them but the older man pulled Nick down to speak to him. Later Nick told me that the man (in perfect English but with an accent) explained to him that Chile, historically, has been a very racist country. Apparently in the early 1900s there was a huge immigration of Asian people to Chile. The Chilean government used the pretext of preventing the spread of disease to limit/forbid immigration from many Asian and African countries. This makes sense seeing the extreme homogeny (racially) of the Chilean population.
At 8 pm, Calli’s mom threw her a surprise party for her birthday. 5 of us joined Calli’s family, and some extended family for the delicious food and comical communication. Calli’s mom is a licensed chef and takes pride in her food, which I enjoyed! Afterwards we went to a fun part of town called Bella Vista (“Pretty View”: its right next to the mountains) where we stumbled upon an amazing Salsa/Meringue bar. Between the great singer, the Chilean Happy Birthday Song on stage, and a class of Chilean wine, everyone had a great time. To top it all off, we met a dance instructor and one of his students who taught us all how to Salsa and Meringue. Calli has danced for years, including in college, and embarrassed us all. When the dance instructor, Rodrigo, and Calli danced, everyone stopped to watch. Amazing. But I had a great time dancing with the student, Glen, who was actually a dentist whose hobbies include learning to dance and learning English! Meringue is essentially Cajun dancing and was easy for me to follow. The steps for Salsa are a bit harder and apparently I didn’t move my hips enough, but by the end of the night, Glen said he was very impressed! We are going to a free dance class with Rodrigo on Monday night and this might become a weekly event!
This morning we had an interesting lecture about immigration, racism, gender issues, and fertility issues in Chile. I unfortunately am getting exhausted and had a hard time focusing despite the fact that I am intensely intrigued by the subject. I thought paying attention in college was difficult. When it takes 100% of your brain focused solely on what the speaker is saying, complete comprehension yet alone note taking because near impossible.
We then watched Machuca, a great Chilean film made in about 2005 about Allende’s government and the resulting (US backed) military coupe from the eyes of a child. Highly powerful and incredibly entertaining. I recommend it to all of you if you interested in learning more about the social impacts of the Chilean government.
This afternoon our tutor gave us the seemingly terrifying task of talking with complete strangers in Plaza Armas. (I’ve talked about it before, when I went to see Harry Potter: Sat. July 14.) We got into partners and were told to simply go up to people and ask them about anything we were interested about in Chilean society, government, etc. We’ve learned so much in class that we had a lot of ideas of what we could discuss, but I was absolutely terrified. My partner Nick (from St. Louis!) and I first talked to a couple around our age. It was a good warm up for us while they told us about President Bachelet, where they stood politically and how that compared to other kids their (our) age. The girl told us that her parents are “of the right” and therefore she agreed. She complained about President Bachelet and the new public transportation system TranSantiago. It was interesting to speak to a young person who considers themselves rightist.
We then approached an older couple and an old lady all sitting on a bench. They were all nicely dressed and seemed well off. We again asked them to tell us what they thought about Chile’s current government and the sweet old man (named Enrique, or Henry as he gleefully explained) went on a 20 minute monologue/tirade about how if you have money are you on the right and if you don’t’ have money you are on the left. And no one on the right wants to change but all they do is exploit the workers. All they care about is money and they use they’re power to get more money. The poor people are on the left because they are sick of being exploited and want social and economic change to improve their situation. On and on. It was pretty amazing.
We than talked about women in power and working outside the homes; about how women are better in power because they are more honest, loyal, think about saving money for the future, etc. while men are rash, greedy, power hungry etc.; about racism in Chile (according to Enrique, the reason the US has some much money about power is because of all the Jews. Apparently Jews control all the wealth in the world. (This was the only think I didn’t really agree with…)) When we asked Enrique about immigration and Peruvians, he said that they are less cultured and less educated than Chileans. He spoke in a demeaning but not condescending tone of voice.
When we were getting ready to find other people to talk to, Enrique told us about his wife’s family being from Croatia and Russia (when I noticed her blue eyes, she seemed very proud). He then told us that his grandfather came over from Spain. Immediately, the woman next to them (who had been listening but had yet to say too much) let us know that her father was from Spain. Amazingly, just this morning we had a talk about immigration into Chile and about how the people are always very very proud of their European descent and pretend their indigenous descent never happened, despite the fact that 86% of the Chilean population is mestizo (mixed indigenous and European descent).
Next we spoke with two Peruvian women sitting outside on the side of the Cathedral (the Peruvians are known for congregating around churches and our tutor told us to go there if we wanted to find some to talk to!) They came to Santiago to work. Because the economic situation in Peru is very bad. There are many Peruvians working and living in Chile (very similar to USA/Mexico immigration, including Enrique’s perspective about Peruvians). The women were very nice and willing to speak to us yet they seemed shy and (this may be a bias on my part, but…) and less educated that the Chileans we had spoken to. They told us that the only jobs for they can find are as Nanas, nannies/maids for wealthy people. We asked them if it was hard to find work and got two different answers. One woman told us that you could find work but it didn’t pay well, but it was better than nothing. She also said that she liked living in Santiago. The other woman wasn’t as optimistic. She said it was difficult to find work and that she hated living in the city. Nevertheless, they both hoped and planned to one day return to Peru. Goes to show that you can never fully understand a situation because everyone has a different perspective.
((I sat and talked to the happier, more optimistic woman for a while. She has three children in college back home. I asked her if she was Catholic (because she was sitting outside the Cathedral) and with a big smile she told me she wasn’t Catholic but that she loves God.))
Nick and I had about 15 minutes left and had talked to each type of person our tutor had recommended. We started looking around the plaza for someone different when we saw with three black men sitting on a bench. We approached them and started chatting. Two of the men were from Columbia and one from Equador (!). They were living and working in Santiago (for various lengths of time) but they wanted to go to Europe. The friendliest man explained to us that is easier to get to Europe from Chile and that he can study here to learn English. He wants to work on Cruise ships but has to learn basic English first. It was a very interesting conversation and it poignantly displayed the vast array of the Spanish accent (the Columbians and Ecuadorian were much easier to understand). A few interesting points: 1) one of the men from Columbia said he never wanted to go back. The other, who had only been in Santiago for one month, said he hoped to return. 2) They asked Nick and me where we are from in the US. Nick said Missouri, and then explained that it was close to the Mississippi River. The man recognized the word Mississippi and stated “There aren’t many people like us in Mississippi, right?” We tried to explain that there were many black people in Mississippi but he told us that he has a friend in NYC and that there are many “negros” there. 3) At the end of the conversation, the man told me that he and I should help each other: He could teach me Spanish and I could teach him English. I politefully told him I appreciated the offer but that I would be very busy with classes.
While we were talking to the black men, a well dressed older man came up and sat down right next to them. I continued talking to them but the older man pulled Nick down to speak to him. Later Nick told me that the man (in perfect English but with an accent) explained to him that Chile, historically, has been a very racist country. Apparently in the early 1900s there was a huge immigration of Asian people to Chile. The Chilean government used the pretext of preventing the spread of disease to limit/forbid immigration from many Asian and African countries. This makes sense seeing the extreme homogeny (racially) of the Chilean population.
At 8 pm, Calli’s mom threw her a surprise party for her birthday. 5 of us joined Calli’s family, and some extended family for the delicious food and comical communication. Calli’s mom is a licensed chef and takes pride in her food, which I enjoyed! Afterwards we went to a fun part of town called Bella Vista (“Pretty View”: its right next to the mountains) where we stumbled upon an amazing Salsa/Meringue bar. Between the great singer, the Chilean Happy Birthday Song on stage, and a class of Chilean wine, everyone had a great time. To top it all off, we met a dance instructor and one of his students who taught us all how to Salsa and Meringue. Calli has danced for years, including in college, and embarrassed us all. When the dance instructor, Rodrigo, and Calli danced, everyone stopped to watch. Amazing. But I had a great time dancing with the student, Glen, who was actually a dentist whose hobbies include learning to dance and learning English! Meringue is essentially Cajun dancing and was easy for me to follow. The steps for Salsa are a bit harder and apparently I didn’t move my hips enough, but by the end of the night, Glen said he was very impressed! We are going to a free dance class with Rodrigo on Monday night and this might become a weekly event!
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