Tarea, tarea, tarea

Tarea = homework

Unfortunately, life hasn't been too exciting here for the past couple of days. However, I think we've all appreciated the time to relax, get to know our families better, explore the cities and relax.

On Sunday, I slept in! It was the first chance we've had to sleep in, which was super nice. Over the weekend, from my film and literature class, we had about 65 pages of reading. It was pretty intense. So, on Sunday I read about 40 pages (all in Spanish) cause I'd read the rest on Friday and Saturday. I also got to watch some TV and read, for leisure, which made me happy. We had a huge family lunch with our Chilean grandfather, grandmother from the other side of the family, host brother and his friend, Christine, host dad, host mom and María. I tried mini-shrimp in an avocado with salad. They were pretty good and super fresh! However, something about the seafood here doesn't sit too well with my stomach. Everything in moderation! I hung out with María a bit and organized all my things a bit better at night.

On Monday, classes again! In my film and literature class, we were assigned a short reading with comprehension questions and a paper. We were all surprised that our paper had to be 4-6 pages, 1.5 spaced cause we only had four days to do it. The expectations are so different here than in the United States! For my Spanish classes this past year, I had about a month to write a paper that long! It's crazy, but I worked on that basically all afternoon Monday and Tuesday. I'm done early, so that's great!

On Tuesday, Rachael, Tori and I went to get our student metro cards officially! I think it's so funny here because when people realize we're from the United States, they want to try speaking English with us, so they're speaking English to us and we're speaking Spanish back to them. But, like I said, I worked on my paper for basically the rest of the afternoon. I reorganized a bit and edited it myself.

Today has been really good! I should mention that the sun has been shining brightly since Monday morning! The ocean after the rain was absolutely incredible. I didn't really get any great pictures because I only saw it when I didn't want to take my camera out, like on the metro, but the waves were huge and it was beautiful. Anyway, in my conversation and culture class today we went to "la feria." This is an outdoor market of a size I have never seen. The fruits, vegetables and flowers are so big, cheap and fresh! The prices in the supermarket here, Jumbo, are two times what they were in the market! We got to go around and see fruits/vegetables we hadn't seen before and talk to people. It was great. Then, Rachael and I went to Jumbo to buy some things we've been craving (for me-chocolate and juice). I also found a loofah here! I know that's silly, but I could not find one ANYWHERE, and I got so excited. Hahaha.

Rachael and I worked on our essays at her host family's house after that, and we edited each other's. We had some delicious pasta and vegetables with JUICE. My family only really drinks water and tea, so I was excited. Then we read the first 20-30 pages of a novel called "El cartero de Pablo Neruda" or "The Mailman of Pablo Neruda." It's a fictional work that's about 130 pages in all. We have to read it all for Tuesday. Crazy, crazy professors! It's a lot of work, but it does help our Spanish. I Skyped my mom and brother a bit. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KEVIN!!! Then, I had dinner with my host family and am now updating this! Rachael and I may go out to a café, but it's hard on school nights cause we're all so exhausted! We'll see.

I hope that everyone is doing well, and I can't wait to here from you all! Have a great last day of May :)

Sorry for the lack of pictures, as well.

Rainy Days in Valpo

Buenas noches!

Today was a great day despite the intense rain that's been occurring for the past two days. First off, the rain makes the waves HUGE and really awesome. I also like hearing the rain against the roofs here. It's interesting though because they don't have great drainage on the streets so there are gigantic puddles everywhere or it falls down the hills.

Anyway, last night was super relaxing. I went to bed very early and got quite a bit of sleep. This morning Rachael and I took the metro to our university to meet our ISA group. We took a tour bus about 2 hours to the small town of Pomaire. Everything there was SUPER cheap and cute. I got lots of presents for people and some things for myself too. I was really excited. I also got to eat a delicious cheese empanada.

After Pomaire, we went to "la Isla Negra" the oceanside house of Pablo Neruda.

The view was absolutely incredible, even though the rain was slightly crazy. The house itself had tons of cool stuff inside it, as well. There were collections of shells, glasses, ships and other stunning things. I wish the pictures could really express how beautiful this was.

We had to take another lengthy bus ride to get back to Valparaíso, but it had stopped raining when we got back which was nice. It's raining super hard again now, but I like it cause I'm inside! I've done some reading, Skyped with my Mom, chatted with her and Mrs. Perles online, added pictures to Facebook and updated this blog. I'm glad to relax and to sleep in tomorrow! It's our first really free day cause our beaches trip was cancelled due to rain. Hope everyone's doing well!

My First Week of Classes

Sorry for my lack of updating this week, everyone! It has been crazy busy starting classes and going on tours in the afternoon. I have lots of new pictures to show and lots to tell about my classes though!

On Wednesday, we started classes. Rachael, Taryne and I took the metro to Valparaíso where our university is. My first class of the day starts at 10:05 am and lasts until 11:35 am. It's called "Latin American Film and Literature" with my professor, Marisol Galilea. It seems like it'll be an interesting class, although there's quite a bit of reading. We're going to be focusing on the idea of "the other"and how they've been portrayed in literature and film, which I think is really interesting. We're starting by reading selections from Rigoberta Menchú's book, "Me llamo Rigoberta Menchú y así me nació la conciencia."

In my next class, "Chilean Conversation and Culture," my professor, Virna Díaz, is super bakán (cool). We just talked about where we're from, what we like to do and why we decided to come to Chile on Wednesday. After class, we went to the ISA office, which is across the street from our university, to eat lunch that our families packed. We also rode the metro to the Viña del Mar station to try to get our student metro cards for way cheaper. It's kind of complicated though, and we have to wait to get them for a little bit. We returned to Valparaíso to walk around the university some, and then we took a tour of Viña with ISA.

First, we went to "el Parque Quinta Vergara." It's a beautiful park that was founded by the Vergara family. There's a huge house that they used to live in, as well as an amphitheater for huge music concerts. It was really cool and gorgeous.

Parque Quinta Vergara-walkway

The same day we also went to an artisan market in Viña where they had lots of cool scarves, sweaters, mugs and other touristy things. We took a tour bus to Reñaca, also, and watched the sunset on the beach. It was a little chilly, but very nice.

Yesterday, we took the metro again to class. We discussed geography and climate in my conversation class. Rachael, Liz and I hung out at the ISA office for lunch and to do homework. Thank goodness I finished it cause it was quite a lot! Then we got to go on a tour with our university in small groups. Karen, our Chilean student who took us around, brought us up "Cerro Alegre." It took us up one of the large hills in Valparaíso with beautiful views. We walked along many streets to see shops, churches, boutiques and coffee shops. Then we took "Cerro Concepción" down to ride the trolleybus back to the ISA office.

Rachael and I went out to a really cool, cheap bar last night with Christine, my American roommate, her friend, Melissa, and Melissa's Chilean host brother. We watched some of the Chilean soccer game against Paraguay, tried the drink called "terremotos," and learned how to take the micros and colectivos. I liked watching soccer and the "terremotos" were pretty good, but very sweet. Overall, it was a really fun night, and I liked getting to know Christine and Melissa more.

Finally, our last day of class for the week! We talked about all the cultural differences between the United States and Chile in my conversation class. It was an in-depth conversation that really made me consider why we have different customs. It was very interesting. It's been raining like crazy today, so Taryne and I went with Rachael to buy an umbrella. Then we took the metro to the Miramar station. We walked quite a bit to find a good, open place to eat. I had a pizza with beef, eggs, tomatoes and bacon on top. It was delicious! Rachael and I hung out for a bit at my house, trying to plan weekend trips, but it proved to be much more difficult than we expected. We're not sure what we'll be doing yet tonight because of the rain and because we're so tired. However, I'm excited to relax for now and rest. Sorry for the long update! Miss you all.

First Day at the University

This morning I took "el metro" with my host mom to the university, which they call "La Católica" here. The full name is the "Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso." Taking the metro was WAY easier than I thought it would be. I'm a little nervous about doing it on my own tomorrow, especially because I'm not totally sure how to put more money on my card by myself. My host mom helped me out today, haha. I'm really excited though because my close friends here, Rachael and Taryne, live super close to me so we can do it all together.

This is the courtyard of my university! Very, very cool. 

We had a nice welcome session with the staff for international students at the university here in the morning. Then we had to take a language proficiency test to determine our placement for classes here. I was a little nervous about that, but I ended up in all the classes I wanted, which is great! I'll be taking Latin American Film and Literature and Chilean Conversation and Culture. They should be really interesting classes! We start tomorrow, and we're really only in class for 3 hours a day, which is less than I thought it would be. 

This is the view of my university from the terrace on top of the ISA office. Gorgeous!

The rest of the day was dedicated to tours around the university and surrounding areas. They gave us usernames and passwords to the computer and internet there. We also learned where to go in case of an earthquake or tsunami (don't worry mom!). They showed us how to get to the ocean, as well, which was very cool. 

My host mom and sister picked me up from the ISA office at about 4:30, and we went back to our house. María José held my hand the entire way back; it was adorable. I Skyped with my parents and Jacob a little bit before having dinner with my host family. Then I just hung out and chatted with them for a bit. I'm currently preparing to start classes tomorrow by organizing all my stuff. Hope everyone is doing well! Miss you. 

First Day with the Host Family

Hola, mis amores! Yesterday and today were very interesting, to say the least. We arrived in Valparaíso and Viña del Mar at about 6 pm yesterday. We were picked up from la "Universidad Católica de Valparaíso" by our host families. I had dinner with the entire family and my American housemate, Christine. She is incredibly sweet, and I'm so grateful that she's here to help me out. It's super overwhelming speaking in Spanish at all times, but I can already tell that I'm improving and learning a ton!

This is across the street from my host house in Viña del Mar. It's very pretty, and I'll post more pictures of the house itself and my family soon. 

My host family is so sweet. I told them that I had never seen the ocean before yesterday so they brought me to the prettiest views today. It was a national holiday, so there was no school for everyone and we got to travel around to beaches and areas near Valparaíso and Viña del Mar. It was gorgeous. 

This is my host sister, María José. She is adorable, although I sometimes have a bit of trouble understanding her. She was singing Adele this morning and said that she liked Shakira, hahaha. It's so interesting because the large majority of the music that I've heard here is in English and usually artists from the United States. 

Here's another gorgeous view. We went to Reñaca and Concón - lovely areas near Valparaíso and Viña del Mar. I tried an empanada with cheese and meat, which was delicious! I'm working down my list of typical Chilean foods :)

I actually got to see dolphins through the water today! We saw them while we were driving along the highway next to the ocean. We stopped to take pictures. I couldn't grab a good picture, but it was very cool. 

This is simply an exceptional view. I'm so excited for the next four and a half weeks, but I also miss everyone a lot! My brother's graduating tonight, so I'm thinking about him a lot and can't wait to see you all! I had dinner with my host mom, sister, grandpa and Christine. Their sugar here is liquid and delicious! I might bring some home with me! After that, I hung out in my room a bit and watched Lady and the Tramp 2 with Marís. Tomorrow I'll have a long day of orientation at the university, but I'm excited to see all my fellow ISA people again. Off to bed soon!

Traveling to Valparaíso and Viña del Mar

Hello! Last night was super fun. Rachael, Taryne, Kate and I went to a small pub that was full of Chileans and incredibly busy. It was really nice and fun! We also got to sleep in this morning for the first time since arriving!

My breakfast this morning! Not too different from yesterday, but I loved the raspberry pie. 

Our kitchen where we attempted to light a gas stove and cook on Friday! It went very well, actually, after a few tries.

Today, we went to "El Pueblo de los Dominicos." It's an arts and crafts market. It was super cute!

I had a "completo" today. This is typical Chilean food-a hot dog with mayonnaise, tomatoes, sauerkraut and cheese. It was pretty good, but not my favorite thing here so far.  

Gorgeous Cerro Santa Lucia. Loved it. This is where Santiago was founded in the early 1500s. 

Rachael and I in front of the fountain at Cerro Santa Lucia!

They tend to have lots of important parties and events here. It was seriously an incredible place.

After visiting "El Pueblo de los Dominicos" and Cerro Santa Lucia, we took a bus ride for about an hour and half to Valparaíso and Viña del Mar. They were much bigger than I expected them to be! I met my host family, which was really scary but exciting! My host mom, Claudia, said that my Spanish was good, so that made me feel comfortable. We had a good dinner and now I'm relaxing in my room. 

Final Day in Santiago!

Hey, everyone!

Tomorrow we're leaving Santiago to go to where we'll actually be studying-Valparaíso and Viña del Mar. I'm excited to meet my host family, but it's been really fun to explore this huge city. 

This was my breakfast this morning! Not too different from the United States, but quite delicious anyway.

Then we took a bus to Viña Cousiño Macul, a gorgeous vineyard right outside Santiago.

We tried two wines there and got to explore where they make them! They also gave us a free complimentary glass, which was very nice. 

We had lunch in Patio Bellavista, which is a very nice neighborhood full of shops and restaurants. It was absolutely delicious. This soup was similar to an egg drop soup, but they just called it a vegetable soup.

This is called "bistec a lo pobre." Any food item that has "a lo pobre" attached to it means that it will have eggs on top, onions and potatoes. This was incredible and is a typical Chilean dish. 

Finally, we had a raspberry mousse type thing. No one was quite sure what it was, but it still tasted great. 

Our last adventure of the day was to Pablo Neruda's house, "La Chascona." We weren't allowed to take pictures inside, but I took plenty outside and in the surrounding area. It was very cool. He built it as a secret hideaway for his mistress while he was still married. Diego Rivera, a famous Mexican muralist, has paintings in their house and everything is still in great condition.

We had two orientations today preparing us for meeting our families, classes and other excursions. We have more free time tonight, so my friends and I are planning on going out to eat and hang out near our hotel. Chao! 

Day 2 in Chile

Hola!

Day 2 of my trip has been great! After a long night's rest, I felt much better and was super ready for the day. Breakfast was delicious and had an incredible view (below). Their juice here is great. We think it's because they have real sugar in it. They also had some really good fruit, pastries and toast.

We had a three-hour orientation about Valparaíso and Viña del Mar in our hotel. Then we drove to downtown Santiago and had lunch in "El Mercado Central" (Central Market).

 

Our "appetizer" was bread with butter and "pebre" (below). It is like our salsa. It is seriously great!

 Next, we traveled to "La Plaza de Armas." There we saw the beautiful "Correo" (Post Office-below). There are also tons of stray dogs that roam the street!

We also saw the "Catedral de Santiago" (below). It is obviously incredible.

We also traveled to the Palacio Presidencial La Moneda (Presidential Palace). This is similar to our White House. However, the president does not live in this building. He has his own wing of the building to work, and the first lady has her own, as well!









This is inside the Presidential Palace.

Rachael and I took a picture with "la policía" (police)! They were super friendly at the Presidential Palace.

















We took the metro back to an area near our hotel. Rachael, Taryne, Kailee and I went to the "supermercado" (supermarket) and made dinner in our hotel! It was an adventure with a gas stove, ingredients in Spanish and tiny kitchen. It was a great day!

Hello, everyone!

I have safely made it to Santiago, Chile as of 8 am this morning. Our first flight from Grand Rapids to Atlanta, Georgia was super short and quick. We met up with a bunch of other ISA (International Studies Abroad) students once we got to the Atlanta airport and ate our last bit of "American" food.

This is the view from our plane to Atlanta.

Yesterday was the opening of Atlanta's international terminal, but it was super nice! There was the "plane train" that took us to our gate where we waited for about an hour to board. Rachael and I tried to sleep, but there was a student from the University of Michigan who would not stop talking in front of us! The descent into the Santiago airport was beautiful, and we were all really excited to see the gorgeous mountains. 

This is the view of the mountains from our side of the plane. The other side had very tall, snow-covered mountains!












This is the Santiago airport. It was quite a ways outside of the actual city, which was interesting.

We met the ISA representatives after going through customs at the airport. Then we waited around for everyone to arrive and got to know the other students until we took a short bus ride to our hotel.










This is our room until Sunday, and it has excellent internet and a beautiful view (above).












We went to lunch as a group at the "Morning Cafe." I had a typical Chilean dish called pastel de choclo. It has corn, chicken, ground beef and onions in it. It was soo good.

Then we took the metro to Cerro San Cristobal and took a "funicular" to the top of the mountain. It was an incredible view although it was quite smoggy/cold. It was quite chilly all day! 

The view from the top of the "funicular" was amazing, and it really couldn't be captured by picture. Plus the smog/fog blurred it a bit.


The statue of the Virgin Mary was gorgeous.


I also tried "mote con huesillos," thanks to the recommendation of Kaylea See! It's like iced tea with peaches and this grain type thing. It was delicious!


Finally, we went back to the hotel and had a free night. However, most of us were exhausted from the flight so me and four other girls decided to eat dinner at "Baco." Now we're in the hotel relaxing and ready for bed! Miss you all!