So this is my final half hour...I am driving to Santiago airport with my host mom, brother, and sister and will probably be sitting in the airport for quite some time until my 9pm flight. I'll be stuck in Canada from 5am-10am and then in Cleveland by 11 or 11:30am....to rush into the awaiting paws of my beautiful doggy! (and parents/brother...of course). I'm not looking forward to the temperature change from 85 to 35 and will probably suffer some kind of withdrawal, but I'm excited to get back into the holiday spirit. The waterworks haven't started yet, but after spending all day at the botanical gardens with my family yesterday (my WHOLE family, including both sisters and ex-husband/dad), I can't imagine a better way to go. I'll post one more time with more complete reflections on the experience overall, but I should probably start zipping up those suitcases. Hasta Luego,
Lorena
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Thursday, December 8, 2011
The Last 3 Sunsets
Puesta del Sol: "pway-stuh dell soul" n. sunset
I've began counting sunsets. I have two left after tonight's, which will happen in a few short hours.
The sky has been playing tricks on me recently and I suppose Mother Nature gets the last laugh. When I planned for the past two days to be lazy beach days, getting some last minute rays before I go repeat winter all over again (remember I just recently survived winter and made the transition into summer within the last month), the sun has refused to come out until six p.m. and has chosen instead to give me a cold, overcast sky.
I haven't done anything dramatic in my last week here in Chile, as I mentioned in my previous post. However, the past few days have been uneventful, boring, and wonderful. I've lost all pretense and pressure to be doing something grand and memorable, choosing instead to be a happy bum who embraces spontaneous activities but is happy without them as well.
Most days I wake up late (I can't seem to sleep until 4am lately), hang out in my room until lunchtime before eating almuerzo with my family. I'll go to the gym for a Spinning class in the evening and try to squeeze in something from my bucket list someone in between or afterwards.
On Monday, I attended a friend from Frisbee's birthday party in downtown Valparaíso on Calle Ecuador (where all the best bars are) with Rochelle. It was very easy and simple, just a big group of foreigners and a few Chileans sitting together for a few hours. The birthday boy may have gotten a bit sick, but I suppose thats a rite of passage for most.
On Tuesday, Rochelle and I visited the sand dunes between the cities of Reñaca and ConCon. There has recently been a big uproar to save and protect the dunes from high rise apartment/condo development that has been grossly popular along that stretch of beach. I even signed a petition my host brother was passing around. My friend Felipe also came along with us after he finished his day of classes at the history building of PUCV near my house. (hold your wedding bells ladies we're just friends...and I've got at least 5 inches on him). Felipe is in fact my ONLY friend from my University, and we didn't even meet through school because he has been on strike the entire semester until just recently. Once we got to the dunes, it took ten difficult minutes just to climb to the top of them before we could look out at the stunning (however overcast) view toward Valparaíso on one side and ConCon on the other. It felt as if we were in Egypt and also reminded me of the Sleeping Bear Dunes in Michigan. There were some stray cardboard boxes left behind after past sledding adventures (we didn't try it though, the thought of climbing back up was too daunting) as well as scattered bottles from late night drinking adventures no doubt.
On Wednesday I did my last round of Christmas shopping (done so early this year!?) around Viña del Mar with my wonderful host mom for the majority of the day. I could say what I bought, but then I'd spoil the surprise for many of you! Mamá Sonia and I also ran some other errands around town, from buying a new broom and dustpan for under $5 to bags of funny little mini-peach looking fruit to make into marmalade. She even put up with my characteristic indecisiveness when it came to picking out gifts, bless her soul. After a double round of spinning class I came home and realized I STILL had a box of USA style (gringo) pancake mix! I decided to make banana pancakes á la grina for my host siblings while listening to Christmas music to get in the mood. My host brother Dani had never seen them before and exclamed: "Ah son como los wafles!" (they're just like waffles!). We ate every last one.
Today, my mamá made home-made empanadas neopolitana as a surprise. They have oregano, cheese, and tomato inside. The best. To make the overcast day even better, I had my very first massage. It wasn't quite as relaxing as I had hoped, however, due to my uncontrollable ticklish spasms every time she touched my lower back or forehead or pretty much anywhere else! She told me the more often I have a massage the less it happens, but lady you are crazy if you think I'll ever pay US prices! I'll stick to bribing my friends or massage circles I think, but it was still something everyone should experience.
I've began counting sunsets. I have two left after tonight's, which will happen in a few short hours.
The sky has been playing tricks on me recently and I suppose Mother Nature gets the last laugh. When I planned for the past two days to be lazy beach days, getting some last minute rays before I go repeat winter all over again (remember I just recently survived winter and made the transition into summer within the last month), the sun has refused to come out until six p.m. and has chosen instead to give me a cold, overcast sky.
I haven't done anything dramatic in my last week here in Chile, as I mentioned in my previous post. However, the past few days have been uneventful, boring, and wonderful. I've lost all pretense and pressure to be doing something grand and memorable, choosing instead to be a happy bum who embraces spontaneous activities but is happy without them as well.
Most days I wake up late (I can't seem to sleep until 4am lately), hang out in my room until lunchtime before eating almuerzo with my family. I'll go to the gym for a Spinning class in the evening and try to squeeze in something from my bucket list someone in between or afterwards.On Monday, I attended a friend from Frisbee's birthday party in downtown Valparaíso on Calle Ecuador (where all the best bars are) with Rochelle. It was very easy and simple, just a big group of foreigners and a few Chileans sitting together for a few hours. The birthday boy may have gotten a bit sick, but I suppose thats a rite of passage for most.
On Tuesday, Rochelle and I visited the sand dunes between the cities of Reñaca and ConCon. There has recently been a big uproar to save and protect the dunes from high rise apartment/condo development that has been grossly popular along that stretch of beach. I even signed a petition my host brother was passing around. My friend Felipe also came along with us after he finished his day of classes at the history building of PUCV near my house. (hold your wedding bells ladies we're just friends...and I've got at least 5 inches on him). Felipe is in fact my ONLY friend from my University, and we didn't even meet through school because he has been on strike the entire semester until just recently. Once we got to the dunes, it took ten difficult minutes just to climb to the top of them before we could look out at the stunning (however overcast) view toward Valparaíso on one side and ConCon on the other. It felt as if we were in Egypt and also reminded me of the Sleeping Bear Dunes in Michigan. There were some stray cardboard boxes left behind after past sledding adventures (we didn't try it though, the thought of climbing back up was too daunting) as well as scattered bottles from late night drinking adventures no doubt.
On Wednesday I did my last round of Christmas shopping (done so early this year!?) around Viña del Mar with my wonderful host mom for the majority of the day. I could say what I bought, but then I'd spoil the surprise for many of you! Mamá Sonia and I also ran some other errands around town, from buying a new broom and dustpan for under $5 to bags of funny little mini-peach looking fruit to make into marmalade. She even put up with my characteristic indecisiveness when it came to picking out gifts, bless her soul. After a double round of spinning class I came home and realized I STILL had a box of USA style (gringo) pancake mix! I decided to make banana pancakes á la grina for my host siblings while listening to Christmas music to get in the mood. My host brother Dani had never seen them before and exclamed: "Ah son como los wafles!" (they're just like waffles!). We ate every last one.Today, my mamá made home-made empanadas neopolitana as a surprise. They have oregano, cheese, and tomato inside. The best. To make the overcast day even better, I had my very first massage. It wasn't quite as relaxing as I had hoped, however, due to my uncontrollable ticklish spasms every time she touched my lower back or forehead or pretty much anywhere else! She told me the more often I have a massage the less it happens, but lady you are crazy if you think I'll ever pay US prices! I'll stick to bribing my friends or massage circles I think, but it was still something everyone should experience.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
T-5 Hasta el Invierno
Invierno: "in-vee-air-no" Winter
T-5 Days Until Snow!?
So I'm down to the final countdown. I will be a "citizen" of Chile for five more days until I fly Santiago-Canada-Ohio (flights never make sense, do they?) on the 11th, arriving at last on the 12th. As some of you have asked, yes this means if you had that letter sitting on your desk, avoiding asking the post office for international stamps, that you meant to mail me weeks ago, you should probably mail it to my house in Ohio rather than to Chile. Oddly enough, the mail has swallowed an unidentified amount of mail intended for me here in Chile so if I didn't write some of you back, it was unintentional I promise!
In the last week I've finished all of my exams, my giant final paper for my independent study of Juegos Mapuches (indigenous games), and have started crossing off things around Valparaíso and Viña del Mar that I always meant to do but never quite got around to it. One of my favorites has been going to my super fancy gym on the water--I've developed an obsession with Spinning classes, so hard but you lose track of the time!
Furthermore, for example, I've learned how to KNIT. Yes kids, I have officially become a grandmother and I sat around at night knitting with my host mom (who is the master) on Saturday night knitting instead of going out on the town. For those of you whose reaction included "Oh lord, that's boring," you're just jealous, and I will not be gifting you a scarf this Christmas! I don't know how to fix my mistakes when I mess up so I'll probably be a bit lost once I go home to the states, but you'd be surprised how many of my friends at Tulane I discovered that know how to knit as well.
Last Thursday I also finally visited Casino Enjoy, Viña del Mar that has been an integral part of my running path for the past four months. I always ran around, behind, in front of the casino but never went into it even though the legal age here in 18. A lot of the older ladies of Viña spend their evenings in the casino livin' la vida loca and therefore rack up points and invitations to fun events, including the one my host mom invited me to which was a wine tasting held by the vineyard Tierra Vientos (Earth Winds). It was a white tablecloth event with beautiful plates of cheese and three full glasses of wine to try for each lady in the room. It was an event just for the girls (and therefore 2 of the glasses were white wine). We had their Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, with the Chardonnay being my favorite. The Red wasn't too bad, I think I've finally grown to like wine (or at least not make a face at it, like I used to do before I discovered the wonderful world of coffee). We ended up chatting with several of my host mom's friends after the event (everyone knows everyone at that place) but didn't gamble. Paula and I instead ran away to McDonalds for some sinful gringo sandwiches. Such a classy evening.
Moving on, all of my friends have been traveling in the South this week, but Machu Picchu sucked my bank account dry and I chose to stay in town. I've been spending quality time with my host sister Paula and my mom as well as my brother Dani when he's not studying for his finals. The kids all went to see Happy Feet 2: El Pingüinito and I loved being able to understand all of the Spanish spoken, evident by laughing at the correct moments. I can't wait to see it in English, though, so I can see the banter between Brad Pitt and Matt Damon who each play krill. I always said that my PURPOSE and goal for traveling to South America was to see penguins. Well folks, this was how I accomplished my mission.
On another positive note as well, I've been spending time at the beach or the mall or shopping in downtown Valparaíso with my friend Rochelle who goes to Tulane but we had never met before Chile and I'm genuinely happy to have found someone else who wasn't traveling and who I could continue to be friends with once this adventure comes to a close. There are several people, in fact, from Tulane that I have come to consider friends and I look forward to seeing how things play out once we're normal students again. I continue to hear news from Tulane, like the Green Wave Basketball has a record of 9-0 and have caught National attention for it. I look forward to getting back to work with the team and seeing how things are different with so many new players and a new training facility. I still have to find another job as well once I get back (basketball managers are not well paid), so that's a scary prospect...real life is calling!
Anyways, I'm off to the sand dunes in ConCon- the best way to go sledding in the summertime!
T-5 Days Until Snow!?
 |
| Mural in Cerro Concepción Valparaíso |
In the last week I've finished all of my exams, my giant final paper for my independent study of Juegos Mapuches (indigenous games), and have started crossing off things around Valparaíso and Viña del Mar that I always meant to do but never quite got around to it. One of my favorites has been going to my super fancy gym on the water--I've developed an obsession with Spinning classes, so hard but you lose track of the time!
Furthermore, for example, I've learned how to KNIT. Yes kids, I have officially become a grandmother and I sat around at night knitting with my host mom (who is the master) on Saturday night knitting instead of going out on the town. For those of you whose reaction included "Oh lord, that's boring," you're just jealous, and I will not be gifting you a scarf this Christmas! I don't know how to fix my mistakes when I mess up so I'll probably be a bit lost once I go home to the states, but you'd be surprised how many of my friends at Tulane I discovered that know how to knit as well.
 |
| Mamá Sonia & me at the Casino |
 |
| the beautiful cheese plate :) |
 |
| Recently went to one last Demonstración for Educación! |
Moving on, all of my friends have been traveling in the South this week, but Machu Picchu sucked my bank account dry and I chose to stay in town. I've been spending quality time with my host sister Paula and my mom as well as my brother Dani when he's not studying for his finals. The kids all went to see Happy Feet 2: El Pingüinito and I loved being able to understand all of the Spanish spoken, evident by laughing at the correct moments. I can't wait to see it in English, though, so I can see the banter between Brad Pitt and Matt Damon who each play krill. I always said that my PURPOSE and goal for traveling to South America was to see penguins. Well folks, this was how I accomplished my mission.
 |
| Grandmothers for Education! |
 |
| My sister Paula and I outside our house |
Anyways, I'm off to the sand dunes in ConCon- the best way to go sledding in the summertime!
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