PUCÓN

PUCON

Weekend trip #3: April 11^th to April 14^th. Deidre and I kept our trend of taking a weekend trip every other weekend (though this trip also concluded that trend, when our bank accounts told us to calm down on the spontaneity and adventure- for another month or so at least). One day at the office, we heard a group of girls talk about their amazing trip to a place south of Santiago called Pucón. I hung on to every word as they recalled how they took amazing hikes, soaked in natural hot springs, and climbed a VOLCANO.

This volcano, in fact.

I looked at my friend Amy- and we were sold. We were originally going to plan the trip for the weekend of April 4-7, but as we literally just got back from Valparaiso, we figured we should spend a little more time in Santiago before we traipse off again. That is the great thing about living in this city though- it is fairly easy to do just that- buy a round trip bus ticket, book a cheap hostel online, and take off for the weekend. The bus tickets round trip came to about only $50 USD, and the hostel was super cheap as well. It was fairly small, but cabin like and cozy and the staff was extremely friendly and helpful. If anyone goes there, I highly recommend it: http://www.hostalelrefugio.cl/en. They had two options for sleeping: either in the dorms or double rooms (which were a little pricier) or tents outside (the cheaper option). Feeling adventurous, Deirdre and I opted to stay in the tent. We consulted with the girls who went before us and they recommended it. In addition, one of the girls from our company actually WORKED at that hostel before finding a job with TLC (the lang. co) and she assured us that we would be warm enough and our belongings would be safe there. They had lockers in the tent and there were multiple down comforters on the bed, and they gave us a hot water bottle to use! For someone who is ALWAYS cold at night I was worried, but it was actually really comfortable!

To get there, we took an overnight bus with the company Tur Bus. So on Thursday night around 10, Deidre, Amy, Amy’s boyfriend John (who was visiting from Canada) and I took the metro about 8 stops or so. The bus “station” was literally connected to the subcentro, so we waited right there for a little while until our bus rolled in at 11. This was also quite a comfortable experience- they had “semicamas” (cama=bed), which meant the seats reclined a great deal. The bus also had T.Vs that aired a movie, and breakfast snacks in the morning. They even had someone come around and place a pillow behind our head and a blanket on us, stopping just short of tucking us in. South America- I’m impressed!

We rolled into our hostel around 9 but unfortunately couldn’t check in our rooms- er, um, tent- until the afternoon. However this gave us time to talk with the staff and plan our weekend. We originally wanted to hike the park Herquehue Friday, climb the Volcano Saturday, and relax and soak in the hot springs on Sunday. This didn’t quite go as planned. We were unable to make the bus that left for Herquehue in time, so we had to push that to a later date. Also, the hostel runs the tours for the Volcano, and they only do it when the weather cooperates. Unfortunately this meant we had to do the Volcano on Sunday, our last day in town. We decided to do Herquehue on Saturday and check out the hot springs that night. We hopped to go horseback riding too, but alas, that tour was already full.

So we explored the town a little and took in the fresh air our lungs so craved after being smoggy Santiago for so long. The town is so quaint- it reminds me a lot of the Adirondacks in upstate New York. We stopped for lunch at a restaurant that was recommended to us by the staff, and ordered Cazuela- a typical Chilean soup. It’s made with a light chicken broth, beef, lots of veggies (a quarter of a corn on the cob, carrots, potatoes, and others). Oh, and cilantro. Lot’s of cilantro. A little much for my liking, but other than that the soup was good. Not my favorite dish ever, but in that moment it hit the spot. We also had sopapilla- fried delicious bread- then, which sparked a subsequent (though unfortunate in regards to how my jeans have been fitting!!!) obsession.
 

Our journey to the hot springs was interesting. The bus driver didn’t quite know where we were going, despite our attempts to explain. We certainly ended up at a beautiful location with hot pools of water- but the fact that it was more expensive than we were told it would be and the presence of lockers and showers pretty much indicated that it was a spa. But hey- who’s a girl to turn down a hot tub?! And MAN was it HOT! It was almost a little unsettling at first, but once I adjusted I absolutely loved it. There was a nearby pool that was a little cooler, so when it did become a little much with the sun beating down too, we would switch back and forth.

After we arrived back at the hostel, Deirdre and I began our quest for one of our favorite things- finding somewhere to go out to dinner. We asked several people where we could find good salmon- yet we were so hungry we literally stopped at the first Italian restaurant we saw. Hey- it’d been a long time since we had good pasta- ya know, higher quality than the cheapest brand of spaghetti Lider (aka Chile’s walmart) has to offer. It was a really cute place- clearly a family run business as two teenagers brought us to the table and picked up their pace when their adult family members returned. They even had Friends on the TV! Dinner itself was a little strange though. We were literally the only ones there, on a Friday night at 8 p.m. Thus, we could hear the microwave ding. Yes, you heard that correctly, they heated up our food in the microwave, and unfortunately, you could tell. Don’t get me wrong, I’m no chef, but when you go out to eat you just don’t expect that. Then after they served us, the entire large family proceeded to sit down and have something like a family dinner of their own. It led us to wonder if they were really open, and we felt a little bit like intruders.

When we returned to the hostel we played some cards with Amy and John, which I recommend that no one ever do if you want to retain any ounce of dignity you have, because, as everyone in our program knows, Amy is a hardcore CARD SHARK! It’s always the quiet ones…. But seriously, when I stopped her from “shooting the moon” or doing something dangerous and complicated sounding when playing Hearts I though this seemingly sweet little French Canadian girl was going to cut me!!!

Copihue- Chile's national flower

We were up bright and early to catch a bus Saturday morning for Parque Herquehue. It is a rather large park and consequently long hike, but with beautiful forests and views of lakes. We didn’t do nearly all of it as we wanted to conserve some energy for the Volcano the following day, but we still had a great time. We saw lots of animals along the way too, and had to exert great strength not to take these three little kittens home with us. Luckily John was there to be the heartless soul who scarred the cats enough so they would eventually give up following us and return home.

We had a meeting at the hostel in the evening for everyone who planned to climb the Volcano the following day. It was a little nerve wracking, as we essentially had to sign our life away in case anything happened, but the instructors seemed very friendly and gave us detailed instructions about what would happen the following day.

Basically we had to get up at the crack of dawn and meet in the hostel lobby to wait for the tour guides to arrive. Then they handed out gear, and we tried our shoes and backpacks on to make sure everything was a good fit. We loaded up our snacks and water in our bags, and hit the road. Nearly everyone slept on the way there, but when we finally arrived, the majestic sunrise over the mountains woke me up, and a rush of adrenaline replaced the butterflies that were previously fluttering away inside me. Here we are, let’s do this.

We made our way to the base of the Volcano, and here came the first fork in the road: take the chairlift for 7,000 CLP ($14 USD) or an additional couple of hours up the steepest part of the mountain. Several people we talked to about the Volcano advised us to just take the chair lift as the energy we would save would be well worth it. So while a few of the fitter members of the group opted to climb their way up to meet us, Deirdre, John, Amy, and I enjoyed a nice smooth ride up a significant part of the mountain and the beautiful views it allowed. Okay, perhaps that was a little generous. We basically sat as still as statues with our gear on our laps, because unlike normal ski lifts, this one did not have a safety bar, so one wrong move, splat, you’re a volcano pancake.

The view from this point was even more beautiful, but we had little time to enjoy it as our guides were eager to begin the hike. After resituating a little, we began our ascent. For the first hour or so we made a couple stops periodically, and I thought to myself, okay, so far so good, this isn’t bad at all. However, we later learned this was definitely not the precedent for the rest of the hike, it was more of an opportunity to adjust clothing as the weather conditions changed rapidly.

The last leg of the hike was by far the hardest. We hiked for what felt like hours, though in reality it was probably little more than an hour straight. The wind made it especially difficult- people were literally blowing over and falling down (my knees were scarified many times because of this). Several songs were running through my head at time, among them “Just keep swimming, just keep swimming” and “put one foot in front of the other”. It’s amazing how a task like this focuses you. While the wind was blowing at my face, my nose was incessantly running, and my stomach was starting to rumble, the entirety of my mental capacities was focused on doing exactly what those songs said. Keep going. Left foot, right foot. After what seemed like an eternity, we finally stopped for a lunch break. Everyone huddled around some large rocks to sit while they ate- but frankly, the ten extra feet to get to said rock was out of the question for me. I literally plopped down and sat on my backpack in the middle of the snow. No Amy I don’t want to come over and sit with you to eat. I love you, I’m sorry, but I’m NOT moving!!! No tour guide I don’t care that my snow pants are getting wet!!!!

Once I had some peanut butter in me, my mood improved, and after readjusting my gear I took and posed for some great pictures. I’m sure you’re tired of hearing me say how beautiful the view was, so rather than try to consult a thesaurus in vain, I’ll just show you:

Everyone stopping for a much deserved break.

Some random commercial or marketing company also tried to interview me, once in English then again in Spanish, both of which we equally interesting, seeing as how I still had difficulty walking and breathing.

However, after I was fed and rehydrated my adrenaline perked back up a litte. This was it, I thought, the last part until we get to the crater! To see actual lava! Okay then, why aren’t we going? Why are all the tour guides just standing there talking. When I asked why we weren’t going, he sighed exasperatedly to indicate his frustration at my apparent lack of listening (okay- did he not realize the necessities of wallowing in my exhaustion/eating/drinking/posing for pictures? Those were very time consuming activities.) He pointed to a man at the top of the mountain who literally was billowing in the wind.

This pretty much said it all- no ascent to the crater today. The weather conditions were such that it wouldn’t be safe to do so. Not only was it extremely windy, but apparently it was also very icy at the top. Seeing my disappointed face, he said with annoyance that it is a serious matter and that people have died before when the conditions weren’t safe. Clearly I had the utmost respect for their abilities and knowledge, and I had no interest in falling in a crater, but I couldn’t deny my disappointment. Those who have reached the top described the views and experience as unbelievable. And we just climbed up for hours up this mountain, only to turn around now. But, such is life. I reveled in the view and the amount we had already accomplished that day and resolved I would find another mountain to climb, start to finish, that may or may not include a crater at the top.

When we got back into the shuttles to take us back to the hostel, I couldn’t believe it was only 1 pm. Are you kidding me?!? We were only hiking for a couple of hours!? While it was a huge slice of humble pie to learn this, it was nice to know we had the rest of the day to relax and enjoy the town before our overnight bus took off. Our tour guides asked if we would like some adult beverages on the way back, but I thought they were kidding as no one really responded. However, they certainly came through. After we returned our gear at the hostel we saw several one liter bottles of Escudo, a popular Chilean beer, on the picnic table. Well don’t mind if I do! It was pretty cool of them to provide this for free, and after the hike we had we certainly deserved it!

Some of our awesome guides!

We spent the rest of the day relaxing, and watched the sunset on the lake. If anyone reading this ever goes to Chile, I can’t recommend Pucón enough! It reminds me so much of the Adirondacks, and after spending so much time living and working in a big city, it was great to get away.

Just be ware of eruptions….

….just kidding!

Viña and Valpo

Valparaíso y Viña del Mar: March 28-31

Day 1: Adiós Santiago, Hola Valpo.

The day we left for our trip was quite a whirlwind. We knew when we came back we wouldn’t be living in our hostel anymore (Deirdre [her blog is here. Check out her entry “Easter weekend family vacation” for what is most likely a much more detailed entry than this, she is much more timely with her blog than me!!] was moving into Nelly’s and I would be staying with friends until the second bedroom in Nelly’s house would be free two weeks later). So not only did we have to pack for the long weekend, we had to pack up ALL our belongings, lock them up, and pray they stayed safely bike locked to the hostel bunk beds while we were gone (don’t worry- they were).

Once we were all set to go, we shoved our duffels over our shoulders, and made our way down Vicuña Mackenna (the street the hostel was on) to metro Baqedano. From there we were faced with our first challenge- switching lines to get to the stop Sandra agreed to meet us at. It seemed fairly simple, get off at Los Heroes, and switch to the yellow line until we arrived at Cementerios. Only we blew right past that stop and arrived at the following one- Einstein. Dazed and confused, we kept trying to ask people how it was we missed the stop- but they only were kept making references to “green line” and “red line”. But we were on the yellow line!!!! I found out later as someone tried to explain to me that during rush hour, certain lines only stop at certain points to make commuting faster. Apparently it depends on what specific train you get on in regards to whether it will stop at “green” stops, “red” stops, or estación communes (stops where all trains stop- basically red/green). It’s very confusing because there is also the green LINE and red LINE- totally different from this system. I still don’t think I fully understand it…

Anyway, Sandra’s husband (well, former husband. We found out later they are separated) Juan Eduardo found us despite our navigation troubles and drove us to their house. We packed up the car, picked up the older daughter Lia from a friend’s house and we were off. It was nearly midnight when we finally arrived. The family has their own apartment there- so moving in for the weekend went very smoothly. Once we finished though we were all tired and hungry and, just in time, Juan Eduardo introduced us to “picoteo”- it’s basically a little mini meal- similar in nature to appetizers. Much to our delight we found out later this prelude would be a common feature in our meals.

Day 2: Exploring Valpo

Friday we slept in late and had a late breakfast of coffee and toast. Juan Eduardo was not feeling well, so Sandra took her daughters (Lia and Valeria) and Deirdre and myself out to show us some key sights in Valpo. It is a very interesting city. It is undeniably beautiful in many regards- the houses are all different colors and is a photographers dream come true. However, it is also a bit rundown and dirty in parts.

Even much of the graffiti, though, is quite beautifully done. We took a little trolley car up a hill to get a better view, which led to a whole host of artisan markets  or “ferías”.

Because our breakfast was so light Sandra suggested we stop for a “tentenpie”- a quick meal when you’re out to keep you on the go, or literally, on your feet. It was simple but delicious- coffee or tea and cookies- one of my favorite combinations! Sandra and Juan Eduardo had already been quite financially generous- so I resisted the urge to order a latte and opted for a more affordable- “Americano”- which I later found out was a euphemism for “weak coffee”. I take offense to that, Chile!! It was quite funny to see little Valeria drink down a latte though!

We stopped back to the house for a delicious lunch of fish, rice, vegetables, and white wine. After we went back out and shopped at some more affordable souvenir stands (you’ll all just have to wait and see what you get!). We met up with some family members of Sandra, had a pre-dinner cocktail at a very quaint restaurant that overlooked the city, and had dinner back at the apartment with them. Much of the conversation was lost on me- but Juan Eduardo, who was feeling better by this point, always made a point to keep me included by switching into English occasionally and encouraging me to use my Spanish, and for that I was very grateful. Everyone in that family is incredibly kind. It melted my heart watching little Vale salsa dance with Juan Eduardo. It made me miss my family but I was so grateful to be in such loving company.

Day 3: Valpo Continued and Viña del Mar

We were happy to learn that Juan Eduardo was feeling much better and would therefore be accompanying us on our adventures this morning!

We explored one of Pablo Neruda's houses.

And learned about the Congreso Nacional de Chile.

We weren’t sure what the plans were for the rest of the day, as Sandra had mentioned we would go to Viña del Mar today. The older daughter Lia ended up taking us there (a short bus ride) and gave us a little tour. The weather wasn’t exactly ideal for this beach town- much too cold for swimming and uncharacteristically cloudy (at least compared to the way Santiago had been thus far), but we still managed to take lots of pictures (Lia was so patient with us!) and had a great time. I managed to stick my feet in the Pacific ocean for the first time, and nearly lost my shoes from the tide in the process! The sunset was beyond gorgeous, and we found some DELICIOUS churros! Reunited at last! We also shopped at another fería and I bought some more great gifts and souvenirs.

We went out for a late dinner once we returned from Viña, which was a fun way to spend out last night here. It was called El Cinzano and was a really cool place. The decorations were great and there was live music- always a plus. We had to wait awhile, which was funny because it was nearly 11 pm! The food was more than worth it though. I had a delicious salmon dish and tried some of the clams Sandra and Juan Eduardro recommended, “machas a la parmesana”. Delicious!

Day 4:

Happy Easter! We awoke bright and early (okay- 10 am) for an Easter Egg hunt! We were warned the night before this would be happening- and Vale in particular warned she would bring her a-game! However, we were all a little lackadaisical as we hunted for our “huevitos” (little chocolate eggs- basically the main source of Easter candy here. I don’t believe the Easter Basket tradition that is common in the United States is as common here) especially since there were so many!! However- a girl’s gotta have her chocolate- so like the other’s I loaded up! I indulged in a few with breakfast- man were they good! I couldn’t help but think back to Easter 2006 when I was also away from family. It was over the week I went to Spain on my high school trip, and where this whole traveling bug was sparked. While I missed my family a lot, I managed to talk to my parents briefly given the grace of the app Viber, and I thought about how grateful I was to have this opportunity and how lucky I was to spend Easter with such a kind family.

After breakfast we packed up the car and headed back to Santiago. We briefly stopped at a relatives house, and then stopped at a well known restaurant for lunch. We had to wait a little while- but man was it worth it! Juan Eduardo ordered a delicious steak dish for us, and we shared French fries, ensalada chilena, pebre, and warm soft delicious bread. Definitely different from my usual Easter dinner, but wonderful nonetheless.

I can’t stress again how lucky I was to spend this weekend in such good company. As it is my first time on a long term trip abroad, I underestimated how lonely it can be on holidays when you miss your family, and Sandra, Juan Eduardo, Lia and Vale took Deirdre and me in with open arms. Hopefully we will get to see them again before the end of our trip to attempt to repay their kindness!

Livin' on a Prayer...We're Half Way There

¡Hola a todos!

Yes I am still alive and well here in Santiago, Chile. I know it has been a very long time since I have written, but the past month here has been a whirlwind! It’s hard to believe the half way point in my time in Chile is just days away (May 15^th). On one hand I can’t believe how fast the time is going, on the other hand, the past month, at times, has felt like years!

As many of you know, Deirdre and I have had our fair share of housing troubles here. The goal when we came here was to live together with a host family, or at least other Chileans to get the full cultural experience. Little did we know that when we arrived in the beginning of March (roughly the equivalent of the beginning of September for us season-wise, back to school and all) EVERYONE would be looking to rent apartments. We quickly realized the host family situation would likely not work out, as there were very few options available and we needed to be near la línea roja (the red line on the metro) to get to work everyday, which made looking for an apartment a better option. We consulted countless CompartoDepto, Craiglist and newspaper ads and sent message upon messages with no luck. Either there would only be one room available, the pictures wouldn’t match the actual place, or, surprise, it’s no longer available (take your darn ad down then!!!!).

Eventually we moved in with a Chilean woman and her daughter who were renting two rooms, and May 15 will mark me staying here for one month. However, this day will also mark the day we move into a different apartment. Many of you know the silly story about why, so I won’t go into detail. Let’s just say we have a lot of recipes planned for next week!

I’ve also had a bit of personal bad luck within the last month as well. I got my debit card “eaten” by an ATM here. Ironically, I was trying to take out a large sum of money for my security deposit for the first apartment when this happened. Apparently I had gone over my allotted limit that I could withdraw for the day, and thus when the transaction was completed no pretty pesos came popping out. I was familiar with the concept of the withdraw limit, having an ATM in Patagonia tell me very clearly on the screen that I reached the limit. However, I saw no such message this time, so I kept double checking to make sure the money wasn’t in the little box (they warned us that sometimes people manipulate the ATMS to make it “hide” the money) all while the screen keep telling me to take my card. No I won’t take my card!!! I had thought the transaction was processed and that my money should still be on its way and that if I took my card, the transaction would end and leave me without money. Well, that was the worst possible thing I could do, because, as a security measure, if you don’t take your card quickly enough, the machine will take it so someone else can’t come by and swipe it. I knew nothing about this at the time, so there went my card. I had a slight glimmer of hope as the screen told me to go to the nearest Santander Bank (I was using a Santander ATM in a gas station) to get it back. As it was Sunday night, I knew it would have to wait until tomorrow. I enlisted the help of the Teaching Chile program coordinator, and she called first to see if it would even be there, but was doubtful as she has only heard of cards being destroyed immediately when this happens, and sadly she was right.

But, after some panic, I realized it’s the 21^st century and I’m living in a big urban center- clearly these things happen and thus there are solutions. I called my bank to make sure money I attempted to take out wasn’t actually charged on my account, and thankfully it was not. In hindsight, I don’t remember the ATM asking if it could apply the $3 CLP fee to process the transaction, so that was a sign that it didn’t go through, even though I never got the message that the limit was reached- I guess all ATMs are different. I had them place a hold on the account just in case, and they sent my parents a new card which they in turn express mailed here, and within a week and a half I had a new card! However- I still needed money for rent! Like- right then! So after talking with some friends I realized Western Union was my best bet. It allows you to wire money internationally. The only slightly annoying part was that I had to write and sign a letter to my Dad giving him permission to take the money out of my checking account so he could wire it to me. Thankfully I was still at the hostel at the time, and they were extremely helpful with allowing me to use their scanner and fax machine for this, and had a service to make international calls free via a Skype application on the landline phone. Within the next day or two, I went to a Western Union location called Chileexpress and had the money safely in my hands.

I had about a month grace period until, of all nights, the night of my birthday. I had a great night with some friends eating a taste of home for dinner from Applebee’s (boneless wings and cheesy chicken penne pasta) with CHURROS for desert (how funny to see that on the menu at Applebee’s!). Then we went dancing at one of my favorite clubs: Club Urban. On the way back though near the crowded Baquedano metro area, a very clever thief ran by and literally cut my wristlet OFF my wrist. Thank God he didn’t cut ME by accident and that my house key was attached to the part that remained on my wrist. It’s my own fault for not having a better hold on it, but Chile also had one of the highest rates of petty crime in South America. Nothing violent at all- in terms of actual violence it is by far the safest country on the continent, but pickpockets and thieves thrive here- several people from our program have had similar experiences. So that clearly put a damper on my birthday- I had to cancel my card AGAIN, replace my Chilean phone, and when I go home I will have to get a new license. But there was nothing of real value thank goodness- no electronics and no money other than a few 100 peso coins (worth twenty cents in USD).

But still- all I can do is chalk it up to experience. I have a much tighter hold on my purses and bags now- who knows, if this didn’t happen I could still be as lax as I was and someone could have made off with my entire purse at any time. I learned that my bank is literally available 24/7 and that if you call via Skype it’s free! (And this is true for calling any 800 number with Skype, fyi.) I had the experience of finding and purchasing a new Chilean phone, which was a little awkward with my still developing Spanish but great practice and a confidence booster once I left with it in my hand. And I never really liked my license picture anyway.

There are definitely days here when I think why. I could be in my nice air conditioned car right now cruising along to work with steady hours and a much fatter paycheck instead of sweating while speedwalking to class and praying the buses cooperate. I could be coming home, relaxing with my family and not having to worry about budgeting enough money for food/rent/my metro card (which I also had to replace, but it cost the equivalent of $2 USD). I could be using my trusty GPS to guide me to new places instead of the precarious google maps and transantiago bus guides.

But at home I can’t practice Spanish everyday with actual Spanish speakers. I don’t have that feeling of excitement when I’m rushing through crowds of people to get to the metro or bus. I can’t casually go off to Viña del Mar, Valparaíso or Pucón for the weekened (that blogpost is coming soon too, I promise) and I certainly can’t take in the breath-taking cites of the Andes every morning or see the beautiful view of the city lit up in lights every night.

I know even while I am still here that this trip has had and will continue to have a profound effect on me. I don’t necessarily “feel” different now, but I think I’m starting to see things with a greater sense of clarity. I used to stress so much about every. little. thing. I felt like I had to do and see and be everything all at once right now, and if there is anything I’ve learned from Chilean lifestyle, is that it’s okay to SLOW DOWN. You can’t see the good things right in front of you if you’re always racing towards the finish line.

 I have about a month and a half like in Santiago, and then Deirdre and I and possibly our friend Amy are planning on spending our last three weeks traveling. I’m compiling a “bucket list” about the things I want to do here that is still in the works…but here are some things I’ve done so far that quite Chilean:

-Experienced a “terremoto”! This means “earthquake” in Spanish, and is also the name of a rather strong adult beverage. I quite enjoyed the latter, but as for the actual earthquake…I slept through it! There has only been one so far since March so I’m hoping to at least feel another small one (I know- what a thing to wish for). Though I was aware of it on some level. I woke up because I felt like someone jumped on my bed but assumed it was just a dream. I went back to sleep and then proceeded to have two dreams about earthquakes: one where I experienced one and one where I was back home and lamenting the fact that I didn’t feel one at all here. How weird is that!

-Went to an “asado”. It essentially is a BBQ here and most commonly happens on Saturday nights. Deirdre and I met a woman on our Patagonia trip who invited us to her house the following weekend. We had delicious carne and chorizo (steak and sausage), ensalada chilena (tomato and onion- don’t even get me started on how obsessed I am with onion now), pebre (a salsa like spread), rice, a typical green salad, and, of course, pisco sour to drink (a VERY Chilean drink which is made from a type of pisco- a type of liquor that is technically a brandy and similar to wine and made form grapes-  lemon juice and sugar. Some people also use a raw egg to make it “frothy” but thankfully our generous hosts did not- no salmonella please!) After dinner we enjoyed a typical Chilean dessert called Mote con Huesillo. It’s an interesting drink consisting of a sweet nectar-like liquid from a peach with the remain of a dried peach in it and husked wheat at the bottom. We then had dulce de leche ice cream (very similar to caramel, but made from condensed sweetened milk, hence the name, though it is also known as “manjar”). This was much more extravagant than a typical “asado” but it was absolutely amazing.

-Climbed Cerro San Cristóbol! At the top is a statue of the Virgin Mary that can be seen from pretty much anywhere in Providence as she is lit up at night. Consequentially, you can see all of Providence from the top, and the view is breathtaking.

-Experienced a variety of nights out in Bellavista, Santiago’s bohemian “barrio” (neighborhood) that has lots of great nightlife including restaurants, cafes, bars and “discotecas” if you’re like me and love to dance!

-gone out for Miércoles po’. It’s essentially designed for foreigners to go out on a Wednesday night at different semi-elaborate locations that changes every week. Entrance is free up until a certain point, but extranerjas generally can always get in for free. The last one I went to was literally on Cerro San Cristóbal. The view was unbelievable!

-Bought an enormous amount of produce for dirt cheap at La Vega- a giant market just north of Providencia. Produce markets are one of the things I will miss most about Chile. The selection is so vast, everything is cheap, and the quality is amazing. I’ve noticed in particular the grapes are amazing, but then again, it’s a huge wine capital!

-Eaten lots and lots and lots of empanadas. I’ll do a longer entry on food soon, but they’re basically similar in nature to a crepe, but with much thicker bread folded over, and have generally specific fillings (cheese, ham and cheese, pino [shredded beef with onion, part of a hardboiled egg, and an olive]). They’re super cheap and great for a quick meal or for comfort food.

Now that life has calmed down a little, I really do want to try to post more, so be on the look out! Until then-

¡Ciao!

PATAGONIA: The 3 Day Tour!

¡Hola!

So I apologize for the ridicuously long delay. This is now the third time in the past few weeks I have tried uploading this post. The reason's why I've been unsuccessful thus far include both unreliable wifi and the plethora of pictures I am ATTEMPTING to share from our amazing trip to Patagonia but it seems to wreck havoc on the already precarious internet connection.  So let's hope this works, third try is a charm, ya?

Deirdre and I arrived in Punta Arenas just after midnight, and thankfully were able to take a shuttle from the airport that took us straight to our hostel. Deirdre did an AMAZING job planning everything literally in one day while I was in class. We tiptoed in our room that was supposed to be a 5 person room, but much to our delight, it was empty! A whole room to ourselves?! With a clean bathroom?! We were in heaven, but resisted the urge to jump up and down on the beds and went right to sleep.

We woke up around 9 to get breakfast and see if the hostel had any tours going. The hostel was very homey but small, so they didn’t have anything specific arranged. However, they helped us book our taxi for the trip we had later to Isla Magdalena to see the penguins. Breakfast was simple but very welcomed after all our travels yesterday. Basically just bread and an assortment of butter, jam, and cheese. We explored the town on our own, taking pictures by the water and enjoying the cooler weather. We had a delicious lunch at La Marmita of salmon and stuffed zucchini.

 After a diet mainly of bread, fruit, and pasta, it was heaven. Our good mood quickly deflated though, when we tried to find an ATM to take out money for the night’s excursion and the following days trip to Torres del Paine. Apparently every bank that day decided to have a breakdown. Finally I found one, and took out as much as I could for the day. The tension rose further though, when our taxi was a half hour late! The other ladies in our hostel were perfectly relaxed while they waited, but we were far more agitated- we only had 3 days in Patagonia-  every minute had to count!

Finally the hostel owner came down and confirmed where our taxi was, and we made it on the boat in plenty of time.  

It was slightly bad timing, as I was reading Life of Pi, which, if you didn’t already know, centers around a ship sinking. It was a long ride, but very beautiful and relaxing. We even saw dolphins swimming literally beside the boat!

It was incredible to see all the penguins inhabited on the island. It was also mating season, so there was some interesting noises as well! My camera unfortunately died within about 10 minutes of being there, but we only had an hour there anyway. Deirdre got some great pictures though, and we were able to get pretty up close and personal with the penguins. 

We went to bed early that night and dragged ourselves out of bed at the ungodly hour of 4:30 am the next day for our Torres del Paine tour. We managed to get dressed and eat breakfast by 5:15 or so, but once again our ride, a tour bus this time, was nearly an hour later than they said they’d be. We were a little surprised to see it was a small van instead of an actual tour or “coach” bus, but at least we were on our way. In between cat naps I caught a beautiful picture of the sunrise. 

We stopped for gas and coffee before we headed to the actual park. When we arrived at the outskirts you could see the mountains in the distance, and we knew all the travel was forth it. The views were incredible, and we knew as we got closer it’d only get better.

 

We spent the remainder of the day driving through the park, stopping several times at various lakes to take pictures of the mountains up close

 

and catching some great shots of native animals. We had a few more surprises in store as the day was winding down. We saw a gorgeous waterfall near the end of the park

and glaciers!

and even a cave!

We also stumbled upon a museum we didn’t notice when we arrived, and when the guy working the front desk wasn’t able to break the $10,000 peso bill I had tucked away (the equivalent of $20 USD) as I had used up my smaller bills and change on souvenirs, he let us in for the only change I had- $300 pesos, the equivalent of about 60 cents! So nice! They had some really cool artifacts and we read a little about some ceremonies and rituals that took place in the local area long ago. And of course took more silly pictures!

We arrived back to our home away from home in Santiago at about 3 am, but thankfully we had no classes to teach Monday (our admin team is still working on finishing our schedules) so we were able to finally sleep in! It was nice to have a weekend trip, but I found myself actually missing Santiago quite a lot- the warm weather here and the friends we’ve made at the hostel. It was good to be back.

Lots more pictures are on Facebook so check them out!

Since Patagonia, I have taken another weekend trip to Valparaíso and nearby Viña del Mar, and I am planning a trip to Púcon next weekend. Also, I will be officially and finally moved in to my apartment on April 15 and wifi will no longer be an issue! So get ready for blog posts and skype dates galore!!

¡Hasta Luego!

ESL 101

¡Hola!

The last week has gone by so fast, yet I only have one class to show for it (well, that and a trip to PATAGONIA!! but that’s for a whole other post) It went pretty well overall, I had so much time to prepare for it and practice the commute that it almost seemed anti-climatic by the time it was over. It went pretty well overall. I had a group of three siblings, triplets no less! However, I worked with each of them individually, so instead of planning an hour and a half lesson, I planned one thirty minute lesson and did it for each of them. It sounds like it’s super easy, and believe me it is strangely unnerving after student teaching to only have to prepare thirty minutes of material. I’ve realized after this last class that I will seldom ever run out of material, but it will be tough to make those thirty minutes count. I arrived super early last week, and out of fear for showing up to early (not something Chilean culture typically approves of) I walked around the neighborhood for a while and explored some local markets. However, I think in the future getting early will be helpful, because by the time you get in, say hi, negotiate which kid goes first, and get all your materials out, you’ve lost at least 5 if not 10 minutes. It also took more effort than I thought to get them engaged. But you can’t blame them, their class wasn’t until 6 pm, after they’ve had a full day of school, and who knows what other extracurricular, plus one girl had just gotten back from the dentist!

Another thing that surprised me was how tempting it was to speak to them in Spanish. We talked a lot during orientation about how it is difficult with young learners at a starting level, because their English abilities are so limited. Many of the stronger Spanish speakers in our group inquired if we should start off speaking in Spanish to them to make them feel more comfortable or use it to explain a game or concept they couldn’t understand in English. Our bosses strongly encouraged us to refrain from Spanish completely if at all possible, to make it a full English immersion experience. I thought this wouldn’t be an issue for me, as my Spanish skills are far from stellar. Yet when they were staring at me with confusion asking, “¿qué? I found myself, albeit quickly and with a twinge of guilt, explaining in Spanish what I was trying to get them to understand in English. Apparently my innate need to comfort the kids I work with transcends language! It’s interesting, but something I need to be aware of. They are there to learn English, so I need to remember to be firm about only using English as much as possible.

It was definitely a humbling experience. I’ve been working towards being a teacher my whole life, and have worked with countless kids in the process among various settings. I’ve become pretty confident in my ability to teach, but transitioning to ESL is a whole different ballgame. All the tricks up my sleeve I had when teaching early childhood and literacy are completely inapplicable here. I took a TESOL course before arriving, but while it taught me about the actual structure of grammar and language, I wish it did more to prepare me for actually teaching English as a second language. I’ll have to keep doing research on my own, and I believe our company holds workshops regularly which will definitely help. One things for sure, I’ll definitely be a better teacher by the end of this!

Next post will be a long one! My partner in crime, Deirdre, and I took on Patagonia in 3 days. Look out for pictures from that trip on Facebook soon and a post about it after my class tomorrow.

¡Buenas Noches!

Gringa Adventures

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Hola mis amigas!

So, if anyone actually even reads this, I apologize for the delay! The past week has been a whirlwind. I know I haven’t written much, or at all, about what I have actually DONE here so far. I don’t anticipate that this blog will work like a journal; I want to share a combination of my experiences here, but also my observations and reflections about traveling/living abroad and Chilean culture as a whole.

Having said that though- I do want to share what I’ve been up to. So without further ado, here are the highlights of the past week:

Orientation with Teaching Chile:

Okay, so this was over a week ago (actually it was our second day here…) but this was when we met with our program coordinators, Andrea and Bruce. They gave us the run down about what to expect here and they focused mainly on safety. Chile is the safest documented country in South America, HOWEVER, it, ironically, has the highest rate for petty theft. Pick-pocketing, snatching phones or cameras out of peoples hands, etc. They gave us a free strap that buckles that allows ones bag to be secure to your belt loop. Too bad I wear a lot of skirts and dresses! But no worries, I am a master of guarding my bag like gold on the subway, and I use a lot of cross body bags, which are much harder for thieves. I never carry more money than I need on me and I only bring my camera when I feel the journey may lead to new photos. I also lock up my valuables in my room in my locked suitcase, and have a bike lock that attaches to the foot of my bed. It may sound a little overboard, but better safe than sorry! And so far so good! I had a scare earlier today when I couldn’t find my iPod, but I realized it was tucked away in my computer case. But of course, why would I think to check where it should be?!

We also got our Chilean cell phones- it’s so tiny and basic! Figures, I get an iPhone for Christmas and within 2 months I’m back to an old school phone. But it was super nice of them to purchase them for us and put some money on them and it is a relied not to have to walk around using an expensive phone. We also got our BIP! Card which functions both as a subway and bus card. But man that money goes fast. I was thinking at first how nice it would be not to drive and worry about gas, but it probably evens out considering how much money I’ve already put on and used with this card! 

Exploring Cerro San Cristóbal:

We were told that are two “hills” (cerros) here that are very well known and beautiful places to visit in Santiago. The “little” one, Santa Lucía, we planned to explore first, but once we learned there was a pool halfway up the bigger one, Cerro San Cristóbal, we were sold. However, everyone was so exhausted after our first weekend in Santiago (more about that later!) that we all slept in, and didn’t really get to the base of the hill until 4. The pool closed at six, and as it cost $6,000 CLP ($12 USD) we figured we would wait until we could make a full day out of it to go to the pool. But we hiked on until we got to the top! Two hours later, after stopping to take pictures and take in breathtaking views, we made it to the top and stood under the towering Virgin Mary statue. Us “Gringas” (Spanish word for foreigner that can vary from derogatory to endearing, depending on how it is used) stood out like a sore thumb among the Chileans, who clearly took a taxi to the top, as many of them were dressed up. For many it was their last day of summer, it’s back to school time here! We took a bit of a short cut back down and made it home before dark. The following Sunday we planned better. We got up early (well, before noon) packed some sandwiches, and spent the day at the pool. It was glorious. There are gorgeous trees all around and you can see the mountains all around you while you swim in the giant pool or bask in the sun. Speaking of the latter, I got quite the interesting sun burn! But it wasn’t awful- I tried to reapply sun screen as much as I could, and by the next day it had calmed down. Unfortunately the pool closes for Fall on the 14^th, and as I have my first class to teach tomorrow (more about that later, too!) it looks like it’s adios to paradise for now!

The Language Company:

Okay, so now we’re at why exactly I’m here! I will spend my time here in Santiago, Chile as an English teacher for The Language Company. They serve both youth and adults in Santiago who wish to learn English to broaden their opportunities in life. Currently Chile has about a 3% English fluency rate. The President has made it a national agenda to make Chile a bilingual country. This is where we come in. Teaching Chile is a company that started as a purely volunteer organization called English Opens Doors. It expanded when a past participant, our coordinator Bruce, decided to put his business background to use. He founded Teaching Chile where native English speakers would come to Chile to teach English and earn a teacher’s salary, thus making it more accessible to young people who wish to travel and work abroad while simultaneously benefitting more Chileans as with more teachers, they will have more exposure and opportunities to learn English. They send teachers to work in schools (“colegios”), universities, or other agencies (TLC!!) to receive teaching placements. There are about 65 Teaching Chile participants at the moment, and 15 of them, including myself, are directly employed with The Language Company.

 Within TLC, you will either work with children or adults/businessmen to wish to learn English. I believe I will be teaching mostly if not all children, which I am very excited about! It’s been awhile since I’ve been in the classroom and I’m excited to get back at it! Though technically, that “classroom” may be their living room. TLC sends teachers to the clients’ home or office, which is a pretty cool concept when you think about it. Remember taking a foreign language class in school? Trying to memorize things and engage in dialogues when there are 20 other people around, either distracting or judging you, and you have a million other things on your mind instead of conjugating verbs. TLC makes learning both organic and fun. Children will feel comfortable learning in their home environment and generalizing their English skills to objects in their home and activities they do- (and likewise businessmen in their offices) it makes it so much more personal! Plus a full analysis is done on each “client” so you know exactly what level they are at, what areas they need improve, and the areas either they or their parents wish to be focused on. TLC also encourages games, as sessions generally meet only once or twice a week. To maximize retention, children (and adults!) need to be fully present and engaged, and what better way to do that then to make it fun? I planned my first lesson which is happening tomorrow from 6:00-7:30. It is a group of 3^rd grade triplets! I was told though that I would work with each student one on one for 30 minutes, so it will be nice to get to know each of them on a personal level. I will definitely post about how that goes later this week!

Last week we had a full week of orientation. The TLC office is absolutely beautiful. Everyone who works there was once a teacher themselves, and thus they are extremely friendly, helpful, and quite funny as well! I really can’t say enough good things about these people, especially the HR manager, Emily. The woman is a saint. Everyone took turns doing various presentations on everything from icebreakers/getting to know you games to behavior management and logistics such as paperwork and tax forms. Emily though has also held several (both official and impromptu) sessions on apartment-hunting, a topic that is the bane of my existence at the moment I can’t even bare to elaborate on it! She has called people for us, set up appointments, and for those who speak no Spanish, gone or arranged for other admin. workers to go with them. At the end of the week, we had a “social event” mixer at a bar/restaurant near our hostel. They graciously told us the first round was on the house, but as we proceeded with the night, continuing to buy food and drinks, one of the founders showed up, and further extended the company’s financial generosity. Have I mentioned how much I love these people?!

Food, Drinks, Nightlife and Hostel Fun!
While there are times when sharing a room with four other girls is difficult and the lack of privacy and, more importantly wifi and hot water, at times, are rather annoying, I am really enjoying my rent free time at our hostel. I’ve never stayed at a hostel before, but I had pretty bleak expectations. Our place is really pretty beautiful though. Everything is painted in vibrant covers, we get free breakfast, staff who clean our rooms daily (usually..) and a beautiful courtyard and backroom that host both planned parties and hang out spots on the week night. It’s like being back in the dorms in college again! I really will miss everyone once we find our own apartments.

The food to eat: empanadas. It is similar in nature to a crêpe, in that it’s a breaded substance that you can stuff with anything, but they are so much thicker! They don’t have quite as many kinds (at least not that I’ve seen) but two popular ones are Queso (cheese) and Pino (a combination of beef, onion, a part of a hard boiled egg, and an olive). They are delicious quick and cheap meals!

The drink to drink: pisco sour. It’s essentially a popular type of liquor that you can mix with virtually anything, though the two popular ones are sprite or coke (“pisco sour” or “pisco coke”). I haven’t explored greatly the vino here (Chile is quite famous for their wine!!), though I did find a delicious Sauvignon Blac that I enjoy- that is from a local vineyard. The hostel hosts Bike & Wine tours, where you literally bike in the vineyards. I definitely want to try that!

I’ve also found coffee rather strange here. It seems like it’s either instant coffee (NesCafe) or espresso. There is no middle ground! There is a dunkin donuts at the sub centro of our metro and I didn’t even see just “coffee” on the menu. So far the hostel coffee is so-so, resulting in my severe undercaffination until I get to the TLC office. BUT the instant coffee here is actually pretty good. Not as strong as the real stuff, but much better than the instant I had back in the states

The place to go at night: Barrio Bellavista. There are tons of restaurants, clubs, and bars to go to within walking distance. The hostel got us in for free at this great club called Urban on both Friday and Saturday night of our first weekend AND gave us a one free drink voucher. We had so much fun both nights. We got some salsa lessons on Saturday, and later danced the night away to a combination of both Spanish and English dance songs. I instantly knew I was at home when EVERYONE freaked out when Danza Kuduro came on!!

Subways, Buses, and Spanish, oh my!

Now, those of you who know me, know that directions aren’t exactly my forte. And my Spanish is rusty and so-so at best. Good thing I chose to live in the capital of a Spanish speaking country where I am totally dependent on pubic transportation! But I also love a challenge. The first few days were super overwhelming, and I’d be lying if I said I still wasn’t overwhelmed, but I never expected this to be easy. Every teacher knows that’s now how you learn! The metro is pretty straightforward though. It’s actually a beautifully run system, it is clear and color coordinated, and very clean, as they close around 11:30 to keep it looking nice. There is one large exception though: rush hour. Oh sweet Jesus. This is not for the faint of heart, overly polite, and definitely not for the claustrophobic. Imagine the most crowded you have been on a subway and multiply that by at least 10. I experienced this after my first day of orientation when Deirdre and I decided to check out the mall after work. Mind you, that put us about 4 or 5 stops from our destination instead of 8 as the mall was in between “work” and “home”.  We were warned that it would be crowded during rush hour, but I never expected the extent to which it would be. Countless people pushed their way on at every stop we made, pushing us farther and farther back from the one and only door that opens. I practically took some poor bystander out with my hangers that I had purchased. Luckily a lot of people seem to get off at our stop, so we didn’t have to shove too hard to get off. But- the solution to this we learned, is obviously to avoid traveling at this time OR just get to the side of the door, grab the bar, and hold on for dear life- don’t move!!

I’ve had less experience with the buses, but they will soon become a part of my daily commute as I begin my lessons. I rode it for the first time today as I did a trial run about how to get to my first class just to make sure I knew where everything was (which was a success!). We were told the buses could be equally crazy- in that they don’t always stop at every stop if people aren’t there. Thus, you must be very vigilant about when you need to get off, either pushing the button ahead of time, telling the driver when you get on where you need to get off, or both. However, I had an absolutely lovely time on the bus today! Granted I rode it around 4, which is far before rush hour and far before when my class will be tomorrow… But it was very pleasant. One of my bosses advised when helping me plan the route that I get off a few stops before the actual stop where I NEED to get off, incase for some reason the driver were to fly past it (the next stop for this route would be very far away, in which case, good bye class). So I simply asked the driver when getting on if he would stop there, he said yes, and then he reminded me as we were getting close. All in Spanish I might add, haha. I know it’s pretty basic, but it’s good to know I can ask for and receive directions when I am traveling around the city. I don’t always get 100% of what is said back to me, so sometimes gesturing is necessary, as is smiling and nodding, and asking another person a little while later. We learned that it is typical of Chilean culture to want to help people so much they may give false directions as it is more favorable to them than saying they don’t know. So always ask at least two people! But it’s true that Chileans are so eager to help. Later when getting back on a different bus to go home, the driver told me when I enquired that it wasn’t in fact the correct bus, but he gave me detailed instructions about how to get to the correct one. Then while on the correct bus, the person sitting next to me asked where I was going, and as we approached it, he along with another person who overheard us, reminded me we were close. Sometimes it pays off to be a Gringa!

My class schedule is extremely light this week, so before I get more work in the weeks to come, I may take a weekend trip with some friends to a nearby beach town called Viña del Mar and it’s neighboring famous town Valparaiso. Stay tuned for updates about how my first class went, and how this weekend adventure pans out.

¡Hasta entonces!