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!