Diez

Diez: n. "dee-ace" Ten.

1. August 20th marked my one month anniversary of living here in Viña del Mar/Valparaíso, Chile!!
The time has flown by more quickly than I could have ever imagined. While it is still winter freezing, the temperature is no longer the only thing on my mind. I've met some great people through my program. I've had many conversations with kids that are amazingly well-educated and opinionated about their interests, sports, hometowns, and their experiences in other countries (one of my friends actually did a several week journey along the slave route in Africa, experiencing some of what the African slaves went through...with my minor in African Diaspora Studies it sounded like such an eye-opening, heartwrenching, important experience that I may look into it myself).
2. I've gotten to play some more Ultimate Frisbee here.
There is actually a club team here organized by Chileans that many gringas and gringos like myself join during their time abroad to play some pickup Ultimate every Sunday afternoon in the "Sporting Club de Valparaíso" which is actually a horse track and a bunch of futbol fields behind it where you are guaranteed to see people playing at any time. Playing here is lighthearted yet competitive--perfect and free of the stress and pressure of the Tulane Ultimate team that I once was a member of (and quickly dropped after only one semester of constant low self-esteem in the face of a clique of BEASTLY good players).
3. I participated in an "autodescenso en rappel" last Sunday
"Ow-toe-dee-sen-so N rappel": self descent by rappelling from a tall surface toward the ground.

A few of the people in my program woke up bright and early last Sunday morning to make the journey over to Playa Salinas in order to sneak up the big Rocas on the coast. What was apparently once boulders completely free of human influence turned out to be blocked off by a barbed-wire fence and a tattered, illegible banner on one face of the largest rock. Once we hopped some fences and climbed many stairs (followed all the way up miraculously by the pack of friendly stray dogs that are a near-constant presence in Valparaíso), the view was breathtaking. We had a perfect, sunny, clear day so clear you could see the lazy sea lions ("lobos del mar") swimming in the ocean directly below and out in the distance (some of us say they were whales, as 98% of all species of whale must pass by Valparaíso in their migrations). I did two different descents, which consist of belaying yourself down the rock from a rope connected at the top. I love this part of rock climbing, so it was perfect for me as I didn't have to actually climb UP the rock (complete lack of upper body strength...Irish Dancers Represent.).
4. My host brother and I TRIED to go see "Violeta se fue al cielo" (Violet went to the heavens) an independent yet incredibly popular film about the life of Violeta Luna, a very famous musician here in Chile (look her up!). Valparaíso actually has a huge festival in her honor called "mil tambores," or "one thousand drums" in October, and the parental unit will be here to see it so note to them- look up this movie with subtitles online- ask your son how to do it *cough* illegally, online. Unfortunately due to our DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME CHANGE (yes East coast, we are now an hour ahead of you, and Central time we are two hours apart now) last Sunday, we missed the movie, but we're going to try and see it tonight!
5. I went to my first asado and had my first choripan! (this is very odd that it's taken me until yesterday to accomplish these things...)
Asado: Ah-sah-do n. barbeque
Choripan: chore-ee-pahn n. chorizo sausage hot off the grill on a fresh slice of baguette bread
Asados are incredibly popular and common here, basically the same potato salad, grill, chips scenario as any barbeque in the United States. Food here is pretty normal and not spicy or obscure at all. In fact, several of my friends have gone to the huge Walmart-esque store here called "Jumbo" in order to buy $8 Tobasco sauce for their food.
6. I am signed up to volunteer at the girls "hogar" next door to my house!
Tulane requires all students to complete two tiers of 20 or 40 hour service projects, and I am going to complete mine at the girls home where youngsters are awaiting adoption (shoutout to momma) and need help with homework and other activities after school or preschool. With the national strike now spread to elementary schools and even transportation workers (there has been a national strike of transportation and government workers for the past two days in order to participate in demonstrations in the capital, the idea being that the entire nation be frozen and feel what its like to be out of work or without school)
7. I'm DONE with my first big assignment
I had to write a 10 page paper that counts for 15% of two of my classes and finally turned it in today. We'll see how it goes!
8. My Dad called me on my Chilean cell phone
Somehow, Mark has pulled it off folks. While he could never seem to figure out Skype in my past two years in New Orleans, he has figured out a program that only costs $0.19/min in order to call me...and all incoming calls in Chile are free so props to papa. And props to the momma for putting up with him...and my incessent vacilation about which classes to take (yes, that little issue is still not quite solved...)
9. I'm going to Santiago tomorrow for the first time (outside of the airport area, that is)
Though only for one night and with my program, I'm excited to finally see the capital and what it has to offer
10. I'm beginning to make plans. Lots of plans.
I have several things brewing. Including Machu Piccu (I would look up how to spell this but my internet is so moody I do not currently have the good fortunate to perform this action). Possibly Argentina and the Atacama Desert (the driest in the world) as well...we'll see how quickly the bank account dries up as well.

Until next time-
Lorena

America's Take on Our Protest

For those of you who have been just as confused as the rest of us...perhaps this Washington Post article can shed a bit of light for you: (shoutout to Popsicle for sending this to me!)
"the most serious and sustained protest in a generation of democracy"

Fin de Semana Update

Fin de Semana: (n) "feen day say-mahn-ah" Weekend (literal: end of the week)

Rizado: (adj) "ree-zah-doe" Curly

Greetings from the tail end of a long weekend! As you can see from above, it was filled with many adventures. First, on Thursday my group of CIEE program friends plus a few Chileans went to Oasis, a karaoke bar directly below Cerro Castillo where I live, and it was my first time singing! (though I did have about ten backup singers....and it was in English which may be considered cheating...). Before heading out, I had a lot of down time, which seems to be a theme thus far due to my lack of jobs and schoolwork, so I decided to try my hand at curling my frustratingly straight hair. Apparently having twice the voltage really helps! Anyone coming to Chile should note, however, that any electronic hair styler you bought in the states will not work here, and unfortunately all electronics in Chile are extremely expensive as well (I blame this for the rapid descent of my bank account), as are all cosmetics .My host mom wanted to play photographer so here I am, reppin' Michigan (GO BLUE!) all the way down here in Chile. 

BREAKING NEWS! 

As I sit in my bed writing this post, the whole wall I'm leaning against has begun to shake. At first it feels like someone slamming a door nearby in anger, but lasts long enough that it feels more like the house is about to collapse. You freeze, unsure whether you should move to safety, questioning where exactly that would be. Ladies and gentlemen, I have experienced my first, apparently tiny, "temblor." These tremors of the Earth are very common here in Chile, but with the horrible Terremoto (earthquake) of 2010 which lasted  over three and a half minutes, you need not worry about me. I shuffled into my host mom's room (where I still am now) after the temblor like a puppy during a thunderstorm and she just lauuughed and shook her head, telling me I could sleep in her room tonight if I really was afraid. I think I'll be alright though, thanks ma. 

Returning to what I've been up to this weekend- I spent a lot of time sleeping (a splendid pastime kids, no matter what your parents tell you!) and exploring at night. I went out dancing with a group of Chileans and a few exchange students (one from Germany) in Valparaíso, and again it was nice to separate from my usual CIEE program crowd. On Saturday we all embraced the (North) American in us and hit the mall for the end of season sales (it's ALMOST spring...I can't see my breath anymore so I suppose that is a  good sign?) and I bought a heavy wool sweater which I will probably wear every day until the end of winter. We continued our spree by getting "Telepizza" and watching Pineapple Express in my living room. Verdict: Telepizza certainly isn't Donato's or Papa John's, and Pineapple Express is still just as ridiculous if you watch it again in another country. The best part of our movie night of course was the "FRAC," a cookie company that makes a variety of Oreo-esque cookies here in Chile, expect lots of them in your gift bags when I come home. 

Unfortunately, now I'm sick. I have a head cold. Per usual. Blowing my nose like a crazy person and almost out of my cold meds from the United States, but I refuse to let that stop me from enjoying my long weekend so on Sunday I organized a group to go Horseback riding! You can see my incredibly bored (shoutout to my Nana who says "bored people are boring") and lazy horse above, but I had so much fun trying to find the right beach with black sand in ConCon where you can rent horses for less than $8/hour and you don't have to sign a single release form or follow a guide around in a circle. Though our originally perfect sunny day turned to clouds, the sunset was gorgeous nonetheless and we enjoyed delicious empanadas right on the waterfront afterwards. I experimented with new flavors and got one Hawaiian and the other Creole (for my New Orleans, of course).  

Finally, today, Monday, I have done absolutely NADA. In fact, I'm still in the very pajamas I woke up in. Before I bore you with the details of my day sitting around blowing my nose, I will just let those of you who have been asking know that it seems I finally have some answers: 

I will probably never be a student at the Pontifica Universidad Católica de Valparaíso. The students refused the latest revision of the government proposal for improved university education, and alas, the strike continues. Even if the strike were to break tomorrow, the students still need to finish the 3 weeks they have yet to complete from last semester. Waiting for them would put me into October without beginning any PUCV classes and the semester stretching until February. 

The University of Viña del Mar has opened up certain departments to us, with the only department applicable to me being "Environmental Engineering." I may be an environmental major...but I'm not an engineer by a long shot...so I'm going to sign up for Forestry and see how I do. If I'm absolutely drowning I will drop it and be left with zero courses with Chileans. So strange how things turn out, but I'm optimistic that I'll be able to make Chilean friends,  however fewer than originally imagined, in my many months remaining here in Chile!

20 Días

CIEE group scavenger hunt (can you see it?)

Carretear: "carr-et-ey-arr" v. to go out, to party, to have fun en masse 

Sorry for the week-long respite, its been a busy one! Where to start....

I want to rectify any insinuation that my host brother is a complete crazy-man, because he has turned out to be a great ally and friend here in Chile (and I think I have somehow agreed to go to the next "active energy release" session?). He and I went running along the beach toward Reñaca (about 8k...I can't believe I survived in the 40 degree night) to see the lights of Valparaíso across the water. (Here I'd like to make a note that no, dearest actual brother Ben, I have not replaced you and I love you most. I'd also like to remind my family and friends that yes, you must continue to give up all hope of wedding bells...no short Chilean husbands for this gringa). After lamenting my lack of Chilean friends due to the university strike, he invited me to meet his friends last Friday at a get-together in Concón, another small city on the outskirts of Valparaíso. It was wonderful to finally get to talk to Chileans with no other Americans around, no escape route for when I get tired of maneuvering the jungle of self-expression in a foreign language. They certainly know how to carretear in style...we made two veggie dips ourselves, experimenting with a bunch of different fresh herbs and spices in the food processor,  peeling carrots and celery by hand (a common thing in Chile, they remove the skins from all fruits and vegetables) as munchies. His friends had also already prepared grape tomatoes encrusted in a cream cheese mixture with chopped nuts rolled on top as well (to die for...and I don't even like grape tomatoes!). Most of his friends are in their upper 20s, finishing out psychology school as well, but I didn't find it hard to talk with them. Its much easier for me to find things in common with a crowd who doesn't need to go to a loud bar and drink excessively in order to have a good time.

 One of the funniest things about hanging out with Chileans is their fascination with the pronunciation of my name. Spanish does not have the syllable "OR" because you roll the majority of your R's, therefore when someone says "Lauren" it sounds like they have a huge bread roll stuffed in the back of their mouth that they are about to swallow. I usually tell people my name is Lorena, something easier to pronounce. I haven't met one Chilean, my host family included, who can pronounce the OR sound in my name, as it typically comes out "Laahhorhin"...or something to that effect. I make fun of my family because often they call me Rayna, a girl they had a few years ago from Hawaii who apparently looked exactly like me, and they typically laugh at themselves each and every time they attempt saying my name as well. My host brother also finds the name of my school, Tulane, hilarious because apparently "Tula" in spanish is crude slang for a certain part of male anatomy...sorry girls in the TULA a Capella Choir back in New Orleans! (note to parents: bring my host brother a Tshirt to force him to wear around Valparaíso when you visit, I can see the embarrassment already....)

On to actual activities I've been participating in. As you can see above, my program had us divide into teams (Oh yes, we were team Bieber Fever...name chosen by one of the guys, no lie.) to compete for ice cream. We had to look for and take photos of different locations in the city, translate Chilean "modismos" by asking people on the street, and complete challenges at different checkpoints within a two hour time span. Gloriously and with dignity, we came in last. In the end, kindergarten style, everyone got heaping mounds of free ice cream at Bravíssimo (delicious local franchise) anyway. 

I've also been exploring Valparaíso a bit more, taking the metro (much cleaner and easier than the crowded "micro" buses) downtown at night with friends to walk around the cobblestone streets looking for hole-in-the-wall bars, restaurants, bakeries, and gelato shops (including a return to Entre Masas for more empanadas). My latest mission is to find a wool llama sweater at one of the numerous artesanía vending booths. While it is still frigid by my standards, things are starting to slightly and slowly warm up. I have even graduated from regular to fingerless gloves (also with llamas on them). 

Changing subjects- update on the strike: protests are getting closer to home. People have taken to the streets, banging pots and pans galore up and down the main drag and even up here in my secluded hill. Chileans love a good excuse to make some noise, so many non-students as well as younger students have enjoyed participating. More than 130 people were arrested in Santiago last week and many of my friends have experienced the tear gas mixed with water used to disperse student protestors, but it is slowly dying down as the government continues drafting a new proposal for improved public university education. We'll see if I have classes with Chileans any time soon. In the meantime, I'm going to start planning what to do with my 4 day weekend! I'm going rock climbing on Friday (despite my complete lack of upper body strength...) and I've joined a local group that plays frisbee every Sunday so I hope to keep going to that as well. Any day trip ideas, previous visitors to my great country of Chile? 

Flujo

Flujo: (n) Flow "floo-ho"

As we speak, my host brother and an unknown number of mysterious people are behind the cloaked, closed doors of the formal living room practicing what I'm assuming is "Zen Flow." This is the first time I've ever seen him bring friends over, let alone heard him shouting commands over blasting, euphoric music (it all seems like an acid trip to me) immediately followed by pristine silence. Apparently he's been studying this practice for a few years, as a student of psychology, and he completely disapproves of religion and prefers this instead, something I originally feared involved sacrificial lambs, dancing around fire, and war paint. I have yet to talk to him about it (he's very friendly and normal,  you wouldn't be able to guess what his hobbies are by looking at him. I even showed him Zappos.com last night and it was as if I'd handed over the map to the Holy Grail) and get the true facts because he is still in there...meditating for God knows how long, but what I can gather from his mother, he takes it very seriously and I shouldn't joke about it...so I apologize now for anything I may say about it later...
Anyways, my classes are slowly getting started, with the strike still going, tear gas still being pummeled into buses and students protesting outside of "Casa Central," or the main campus building of my university, I'm not entirely sure when my normal, non- "gringo" classes will start. For now we've been offered select classes that are held at Casa Central through a secret side entrance (yes, it's all very esoteric and I'm not sure the Católica students would be happy about it...). We received an email about an hour ago saying that all of our classes would be held at an elementary school elsewhere in the city from now on...so I guess the protestors found out or our program fears more of us will be tear gassed (no, thankfully this did not happen to me). I'm taking "Juegos Mapuches' in the morning, which is a class solely devoted to the sports of the indigenous Mapuche people. I'm told the main sport is somewhat like hockey and recently the Chilean government has invested a lot of money in recognizing it and organizing Championship games.
My host mother just asked me if I take any "injections".... (I think she means of vitamins, etc.) so now I'm off to continue learning about all the other weird things going on in my house...