Classes, Internship and very special visitors!

I have made two interesting realizations about the past (almost) three weeks that I’ve been in Chile:

1. I have spoken more Spanish than the cumulative amount I’ve spoken in my entire life!
2. I have felt more earthquakes than the total amount I’ve felt in my entire life! In fact, I feel an aftershock pretty much every day, it is an exciting life down here!

This last week has been a whirlwind of activity. I had my first full week of classes and my first day at my Internship. Finding all of the buildings and classrooms is definitely a challenge, but I managed to arrive on time to every class! For various reasons, my class schedule is still in the works, but I will be sure to update you when it is finalized.

The amazing castle where I have my Art History class

I am very excited about my Internship and would like to tell you a bit about it! I am working through a program called ‘TAC’ which stands for Community Action Workshop. It was founded in 1989 (the year I was born) when some community members decided to clean out a huge garbage dump in the middle of their neighborhood. Today it is a colorfully decorated center with a playground, amphitheater and garden of native plants. Their mission is to promote the development of the community through both informal and formal education about health, the environment, education, politics, patrimony, citizenship and culture. Most of their work involves children and families, teaching sustainability and personal health and awareness. My work includes planning and preparing lessons with the Chilean staff, walking to the school to pick up a group of kids, then leading a class in the TAC center with games, arts

& crafts and learning, of course.

TAC Center

TAC Amphitheater with kids

My first day at TAC began with a beautiful drive up through the windy, colorful hills of Valparaíso to where the center is located. About eight of us talked about ideas for games and lessons for the 6th grade class we were going to teach. Sometimes the Spanish is impossible for me to follow, as many of the volunteers are young adults and talk fast with lots of slang. However I understand most, and am gradually becoming more comfortable participating in conversation. Meeting the kids was absolutely fabulous! They were all so sweet and hilarious, all the young girls asking if my hair color was natural and the young boys asking if I wanted to date them! The kids were full of energy and excited to be at TAC, and I am so excited to work with them each week as I learn more about TAC and can be an increasingly better volunteer!

Introductions game with a string connecting everyone

Me with my new friend Sabrina

This weekend was very exciting as my mom, dad and Audrey came to visit me!!! We had a fabulous weekend touring my cities. Even in my short time here, I’ve learned a lot and was able to be their tour guide. On Saturday evening, my Chilean host family invited my real family over for dinner. Turns out my host family knows a lot more English than they speak to me (which is definitely a good thing!) so my two families were able to have some wonderful conversations about Chilean history, native birds, all of the families, and more! Below are photos and captions that capture the highlights of our time together.

Delicious lunch restaurant looking over Valpariso

Here are a few murals from the Open Air Museum

Audrey matching a mural

We rode one of the famous 'ascensores' = elevators of the hills

Mom & Dad at the hotel with tasty tortas from the local bakery

One of the many beautiful views from the Botanical Garden in Vina

See the Chilean butterfly? This flower is one of the 3,000 species in the garden.

My family is now in Southern Chile and can relax since they have seen the wonderful place I live. That’s all for now, thanks for being a loyal follower!

Tourist in Valpo

This weekend I had some free time to wander as well as the opportunity to take a guided tour of the city of Valparaíso. They were each very different experiences!

View of Valpo from the top of a hill

Valpo is an aging port city with a wide spectrum of neighborhoods. During my walks around the city, there has been a lot to see! There are plazas every few blocks with statues, playgrounds, trees, old men playing cards, and always very affectionate couples. Stray dogs and cats are everywhere, it is so hard for me to resist petting them. The streets are full of vendors selling clothes, fruits and vegetables, books, electronics, hardware, anything and everything! I bought a knitted hat and ear warmers (for only $5 total) from a very friendly Chilean woman during one of my ventures. Many of the walls and shop exteriors are decorated in murals or graffiti, it is very colorful! The stores are an eclectic mix of new and old. There is some evidence of the recent earthquake, like caution tape in certain areas, crumbled buildings, broken windows or even bent bus stops! In one of the worst areas of town I was surprised to learn that the expansive yellowish and red building is the Chilean Congress!

Such a cute stray dog

...and a photogenic stray cat

Also in that bad area of town I had a sketchy adventure exchanging U.S. Dollars for Chilean pesos. My friend Annie’s Chilean host dad took us to a place that resembled an old hardware store and in tiny letters said ‘money exchange.’ The man was very friendly and didn’t charge us any fee and we ended up with the proper amount of pesos…but this was definitely a sketchy transaction.

Interesting place where we exchanged money

On Saturday, IFSA took us on to a very different side Valpo. Our bus wound through narrow streets up to the picturesque hills that you have probably seen in photos of Valparaíso. The houses are all cute and brightly colored, with beautiful flowers and trees to add even more color. On the top of one hill we stopped to visit Pablo Neruda’s home. It was an amazing three-story house with intricate detailing in every corner. He collected unique paintings and art pieces, and had an awesome wooden room where he liked to write. He loved the sea with all of his heart, so most of the rooms had windows all around with views of the hills and the ocean.

Pablo Neruda's dining room and view of the colorful hills

We hopped back on the bus and drove to the very last of the hills in Valpo to see some beautiful views of the city. The neighborhood was just adorable with more brightly colored houses, a rainbow staircase and murals. This is definitely a place I would like to revisit independent of a tour so that I spend more time exploring and taking photos.

Walking down the colorful hillside

Rainbow staircase with a shy little boy

Butterfly mural in front of the hillside

Yet another cool house and spectacular view

This weekend I also made some friends within our group! We discovered a great place called ‘Café Baul’ which has a great atmosphere, good music, a patient waiter and happy hour until 11pm! We tried the two typical Chilean drinks, a Pisco Sour and a Terremoto (which ironically means ‘earthquake’). We also found a fun dancing club that plays a combination of Reggaeton and Salsa music. Chileans are such great dancers and love to teach us their style.

Some friends and I at Cafe Baul

It’s time to do my first homework assignment, reading a story called ‘El Hombrecito’ by José Donoso.

Ciao!

First Experiences Out & About

During my first week in Viña and Valparaíso, I have been a good explorer. Sometimes I go on intentional explorations; but usually my explorations are from taking the wrong bus or getting a little lost in the city, which have been equally fun!

My first of these adventures was attending my first class at the Casa Central, part of the Catholic University of Valparaíso. The previous day, my host mom had taken me the same route so I thought it would be no problem on my own. However, the ‘micros’ (buses) of Viña and Valpo are tricky to master. The bus stop is about a block from our apartment, so I walked over, waited and hopped on the correct bus with no trouble. The buses are short and brightly colored, on the inside there are air fresheners swaying and always 80’s music from the U.S. in the background. Anyways, we sped through the narrow streets of Viña, then drove on a road along the ocean. It is really an amazing commute! After about 15 minutes, I recognized the University and made my way to the door clinging onto the handrail tightly. However, the bus driver did not pay any attention and proceeded to accelerate in the opposite direction! About 5 long blocks later I was allowed to exit and had to run to my first class in Chile. Amazingly I was on time and learned that I should’ve gotten off just a half block earlier. Next time I will get it right!

Casa Central, hub of the Catholic University of Valpo

The universities in Chile run a little differently than in the US. The best way to make my point is by example. I signed up for Universal Art History and arrived nice and early for my first class. I waited and waited, and not a single person showed up! (except another American exchange student) I asked a secretary, and she informed me that the class was cancelled for the next two classes. Guess we didn’t get the message… Same thing happened the next day with a different class. No professor, no students, construction happening in the very room my class was supposed to be in…turns out that class was just rescheduled for another day and time, again without any contact. Fortunately I knew these types of things occur here and was able to continue on with my day in positive spirits!

An interesting aspect of being part of the University is feeling like a foreigner. I am not accustomed to being the minority, but here, with my fair skin and light hair, I am clearly a ‘gringa’ = white person, or ‘extranjera’ = foreigner. It’s not a bad thing, just an adjustment. Interestingly Chileans are known for their tendency to stare at people who are different, this definitely happens to me nearly everywhere I go!

Palm trees and apartment buildings in Viña

One afternoon I had some free time to wander, so I decided to explore Viña a little bit. I love how the streets are organized because they are in a very logical, organized grid and even I have a sense of direction! I live on 7 Norte y Libertad, which is one of the main streets. It is a very urban area with lots of cute cafes, restaurants and stores tucked away in the residential streets. The most exciting thing for me is living 5 blocks from the beach!!! The weather is usually cloudy but mild in the mornings, and sunny and warm in the mid 70’s during the afternoon. So I have definitely managed to fit in some quality sunbathing time at the beach!

Here is the beach with Valpo in the distance

Cafe break complete with tea, a nutty pastry, my map and little book of new Spanish words

It’s time to do a bit of Spanish reading and make my weekly schedule for my Chilean mamá (so she knows what time I’ll be able to eat meals and such).

Thanks for reading! Stay posted for my next blog about Valparaíso.

Photos de mi Casa

Here are the first few photos I've taken. Enjoy!

Dining room

View from my room

My cute room

Breakfast in bed! (My mom is too nice!)

I'm Here and Happy!

Hola friends and family!

Thanks for reading my blog, I hope to keep it fun, interesting and up-to-date (no guarantees on this last one, haha).

First I'll review the basics, where? what? when? who? I'm studying abroad in Chile from March - July 2010 with a program called IFSA-Butler. There are about 20 other students from all over the U.S. on my program. I am living with a host family in the city of Viña del Mar and attending classes in a sister city called Valparaíso. Some of my classes will be with my program; and others will be direct enrollment in La Universidad Católica de Valparaíso and La Universidad Técnica de Santa María. All in Spanish, of course.

I arrived in Chile last Friday after over 24 hours in airports and airplanes, talk about a long day! Our group was picked up from the airport and we drove to a town called Olmué for a few days of orientation. The highlights were getting to know the group, exploring the little town and laying in the warm sun by the pool! The program staff is extremely nice and after everything, I felt well prepared.

On Sunday, I met my wonderful host family! My host parents are Jeannie and Pato, and I have two younger brothers, Felipe and Raimundo, ages 14 and 11. We live in a rosy pink colored building about 5 blocks from the ocean. My room and bathroom are lovely, and all of the food is spectacular! We eat a lot of fruit and bread, two of my most favorite things.

Here is where the excitement begins. After our first family dinner, there was a power outage that affected most of the country. We lit candles and listened to cell phone radios (everyone has them here). Meanwhile, we witnessed a robbery of the gas station across the street, police and all. And if this is still not enough action for you, next there was a small earthquake! There have been aftershocks almost every day since the 8.8 earthquake at the end of February. My family was perfectly calm through all of this and we continued laughing and talking in the living room. I already feel so safe and at home here.

This story captures the very positive and relaxed attitude I’ve noticed in Chile. I can already tell what an amazing country this is and am so excited to actually LIVE here for five months (although I must admit I’m still feel like I’m living in a dream). The most overwhelming part is the Spanish. Chileans readily admit that they speak extremely fast, cut off the ends of words, create new words and basically speak a different language than the Spanish we learn in school. I have definitely experienced this, but am quickly learning new phrases and feeling more comfortable thinking and speaking in Spanish. I am excited for the improvement I will make throughout this semester.

More adventures coming soon!