Week 9

Another week in Chile gone: I can’t believe how fast it’s all passing! I’ve spent my first weekend needing a winter jacket, and the Andes are snow-capped and gorgeous, as always. Unfortunately I didn’t have a huge amount of time to enjoy these natural wonders during the week, as I had three different tests, but the weekend was a much-needed break on the island of Chiloé, in Southern Chile.

To get to the island itself we were required to take a plane, and then a ferry. Neither of these passages was very eventful.

The first day, we got a tour of the countryside by bus, as we were driven to the beach on the Northwest side of the island. There we ate a delicious lunch next to a breathtaking view of the beach and the ocean. Following this we were taken out in a small motorboat to view the local wildlife and rocky monuments of the national park we were in. Getting onto the boat was an interesting experience, as they didn’t have a dock: rather, we were piled onto a cart with high wheels, and pushed out to the boat manually! (The boat wasn’t very far offshore, but they didn’t want to have to make the tourists get their feet wet!) Following the boat tour we were given a talk about the ecotourism practices of the region, and how they had developed into the thriving businesses they are today.

Saturday we were given the option between two ‘talleres’: one was to work on a sheep farm, the other to work with local women artisans. Seeing as I’m not particularly fond of animals, I went to the artisan workshop, and learned of the independence these women gained from being able to make their own products, all with minimal environmental impact, and sell them to make a living. We also got to try our own hand at woodworking, and I made a tree cookie coaster.

Sunday we enjoyed an extra hour of sleep, as daylight savings was pushed to April 28^th. Upon rising we got a brief tour of Castro, a larger town in Chiloé where our hostel was, and then continued on to some artisan markets. Though not a particularly eventful day, I got to see even more of the scenery and get to know the other students in my program better. 

Week 8

It’s hard to believe that I’ve been in Chile for a week: time has literally flown by, and I can’t fathom where it all went! However, I’m still having a wonderful time, and look forward to many more weeks of culture and new experiences.

This past Monday I had the privilege of going on a tour INSIDE the ‘White House’ of Chile, which is called “El Palacio de La Moneda”. Chile is very focused on keeping politics an integrative part of society and allowing people to participate, it is not very heavily guarded, and getting in was extremely easy, despite the fact that the Chilean president and Canadian Prime Minister were both there at the same time as us. La Moneda was originally constructed as a mint for the government, and over time became the workplace as well as living quarters for the Chilean president. These days it’s only a place of work, but relics still exist from the time when it was a home, including a small door that was installed for informal entrance, and was later used to carry out the body of Allende.

 

Friday a few friends and I took a trip to Isla Negra, about 3 hours south of Santiago, and on the coast. It’s a quaint little town whose main (and only) attraction is one of Pablo Neruda’s three houses. Though small, the area was gorgeous and right on the water, with bright blue waves crashing over black rocks. It was fun to tour the house as well as bring some empanadas to the beach to enjoy as lunch!

Saturday I spent in Valparaiso, exploring more of what the city has to offer. Our first destination was a jail that had been converted into a haven for artists of all kinds (visual, musical, dancing, etc). Unfortunately we were denied entry due to the fact that there are no guided tours on weekends, but it was a cool area. From there we commenced a destination-less trek up the steep hillside that constitutes the city of Valpo.

After about 2 hours of walking uphill, we reached that which could be considered the summit, and were rewarded with amazing views, although a bit foggy. Very few tourists go this high, and the difference in lifestyle was stark: close to the harbor houses are nice and roads are paved: the higher you go the shabbier the houses get, and the more it seems that erosion has taken a toll. Although we saw garbage trucks at the higher altitude, people tend to just dump their trash onto the hillsides, and the steep incline makes it virtually impossible to clean up. It was like a different city altogether, but a unique sight to see.

 

Saturday afternoon we went on a boat tour of the harbor, getting to see the complete opposite view of the city than we had had that morning. It was breathtaking, the sprawling massiveness of it all. We also got to see some sea lions up close!

That night I was invited out dancing with some Chilean friends, who taught me how to dance more ‘suave’, especially to reggaeton music, where moving ‘las caderas’ is the key! It was a lot of fun, and I hope to have a repeat experience in the future!

Week 7

This week was another low-key time in Santiago, going to class and doing homework, as usual. However, there were a few fun events over the weekend and a lot of good times just chillin with friends, so as always, I am enjoying myself.

Friday I met up with my tandem partner and we went to the annual mining expo. This event is usually intended for people in the mining business, who want to discuss new technology, contracts, and other business deals. However, they have large displays set up all over the place, including some of the machinery used in mining and some simulators, giving you a feeling of what it would be like to driving the gigantic machines. Unfortunately we were unable to find said simulators, but even just seeing the machines was pretty cool!

Friday evening was the annual “World Party”, put on by the exchange student club at La Catolica. Students could make food and displays for their country, to share with all the guests. Having a crazy sweet tooth (and because I found fluff in the grocery store!) I made fudge, which was a huge hit with people from all nations! The best food I tried was from France, some kind of sweet bread: very tasty. Chile was also represented, with terremotos (an alcoholic drink that includes ice cream: very delicious.) The wine they used for terremotos comes in huge jugs: since I got there early they taught me how to drink from them! You kinda twist your arm to lift it, and then tilt your elbow to take a swig. It’s definitely a skill, but was a lot of fun to learn! Unfortunately I didn’t have my camera, so I don’t have a picture of me drinking, but I’ve added an internet photo of the wine jug.

Saturday I went to a fútbol game with my host brother and sister. While it wasn’t my first live game, it was a lot scarier than before: for whatever reason, it’s common for fans to get into violent fights at these games, before, during, and after. Because of this, they have tight security to get into the stadium, and even have separate entrances for the fans of each team! It was crazy, but luckily none of us got hurt, and it was fairly mild, all things considered. I was rooting for La Universidad Catolica: cheers included a lot of stuff about crusades and other religious references, which I found fairly amusing. The game ended in a tie.

That evening a Chilean friend invited me to get drinks with him and some other Chilean friends, which was a lot of fun. I had an entire terremoto (Friday night was just a sample). I now fully understand why they call it what they do! It was a great time to practice my Spanish and meet new people, and I hope to do it again sometime soon!

Week 6

This week was an incredibly uneventful week: no fun trips, no exciting events; nothing really. Thus, I will sum up my week fairly quickly, and then talk about a few cultural things I've noticed in Chile. All pictures are from previous weeks, but are super pretty and ones I didn't put into this blog earlier.

Wednesday I had my first test with Sociology. While it was extremely difficult to do an essay test in Spanish, I knew all the material, so answering the questions themselves wasn't too hard. I just hope my professors have the patience to read my awful grammer! (They both know that I'm an exchange student, and even gave me the aid of a Spanish-English dictionary on the test.)

Thursday I met with my tandem (intercambio) partner again. He told me about a whole variety of things, including the educational system in Chile and that, apparently, avocados grow on trees! (Honestly didn't know that: he laughed at me for this lack of knowledge, which is apparently fairly universal in Chile.)

That's pretty much it for outstanding events of the week. If you're interested in some Chilean fun-facts and culture, continue reading! (However if you just read to see what I do, the next part isn't so much for you.)


A dictionary of 'Chileanismos':
pololo(a)=boyfriend/girlfriend
bakan=cool!
pacos=police
¿cachai?=understand?
choqulo=corn
Cueca=national dance of Chile
micro=public transportation busses around the city
palta=avocado
Que fome=that's boring
carretear= to go out (drinking, dancing, etc)
manjar=dulce de leche
flaite=creepy/sketchy
joto=a guy who is a 'player'
mino/mina=an attractive

Semana Santa is the week leading up to Easter. Since the country is 6_% Catholic, kids get out of high school early, universities cancel classes, and people stay home from work on the Thursday and Friday leading up to Easter. Unfortunately, this also means that everything is closed, which is a really strange feeling: you can be walking through downtown Santiago and there are very few people, and almost all the stores are closed. While this is a nice change, it makes it hard to go places! It reminded me of the week before the end of summer vacation for the Chileans: the streets were far more empty, and you could actually get places in the morning. With the start of the school year a ton of cars came out of no-where, and traffic got horrible! It was a really stark contrast.

As you may know, Chileans greet each-other with a kiss to the cheek if one of the parties is a female, and usually a shake/hug if the greeting is between two males. My first time experiencing this greeting was with my host siblings, upon my arrival. Although it wasn't unpleasant, I certainly wasn't expecting to get kissed by total strangers, and was luckily able to override my reflex to duck out of the way! However, I have come to enjoy this custom, as I feel it brings people closer together through the physical contact. The one aspect I'll never be totally comfortable with though is the kiss (on the cheek) of total strangers. I may be talking with a Chilean friend and their amiga comes up: she kisses them, and to be courteous, kisses me as well. I don't think I'll ever get over the fact that I've been kissed by a total stranger, whose name I don't know, and who I'll probably never see again.

 Fun fact: in Chile it's illegal to buy, sell, or consume marijuana. However, if a carabinero catches you on the street with an amount less than 3grams, you can say that you are taking it to your house, and they cannot legally fine/incarcerate you for it!

That's all I have off the top of my head, but if you have questions about Chilean culture and traditions, please don't hesitate to contact me, as I'd love to talk to you about it! As always, thanks for reading my blog, and make sure you look for next week's installment!

Week 5

 What a week it’s been! I’ve seen my first fútbol (soccer) game, taken my first test, and visited on of the most beautiful places in the world. Chile continues to inspire and amaze me, and I can’t believe I’ve been here a whole month!

To my faithful blog readers: I must apologize for posting a day late. I took a bus from Pucón to Santiago overnight, and since I was climbing a volcano all day (more about that to come!) I didn’t exactly have a chance to post.

Anyway, Tuesday night I experienced the excitement of a live fútbol game! University of Chile (which is actually a team of professional, paid players, not university students) was playing a team from Uruguay. We went to the National Stadium early, as there were hundreds of fans, all converging in the same area. We had decent seats with a view of the entire field, and next to lots of hard-core U-Chile fans. There is a series of cheers specific to the U Chile team, and while I’m still not sure what the words are it was a lot of fun to shout along! Soccer games are a serious matter here: we were checked for anything that might constitute a weapon, and there were crowd control police as well as Carabineros everywhere. No drinks of any kind are allowed in, and if you buy coca-cola inside it is given to you in a paper cup, so that bottles are not available to fans/fanatics. Altogether it was kinda scary to try to get in, but totally worth it!

The game was tied until the last few minutes when U Chile scored their second goal: the crowd went wild, all the fans jumping up and down, cheering for their team, banging on the chairs, etc. It was a very exciting night, to say the least!

Thursday presented my first test at the Universidad Catolica. I don’t really have much to say, except that it was really weird taking a test in a class that was not “Spanish”. The day got more exciting when I met my ‘tandem’ partner for the first time! For those who are familiar with the club IC Intercambios it is the same as a community match. For those who are not familiar with said program, tandem partners are a Chilean student and a foreign student, who meet once a week to converse in each language with the hope that each will improve their second language. He was super nice, and I’m looking forward to meeting him in the weeks to come!

I arrived Friday morning in Pucón (I took an overnight bus), a small town about 11 hours South of Santiago. The only appropriate word to describe this area is GORGEOUS. There are lakes and mountains and rivers and volcanoes and forests all mixed into one area which is simply breathtaking. That first day, breathing in the clean air that was a welcome break from smoggy Santiago, my friend and I decided to go hidrospeeding. Unfortunately I don’t have pictures yet (the company will be loading them onto their facebook page within the next few days) but I will describe to you what this adventure sport is:

Picture yourself holding onto an oversized kick-board while going down class 2-3 rapids with flippers on your feet. That’s what hidrospeeding is. The trip was terrifying but amazing, and tons of fun!

Saturday we went zip-lining, known here as ‘canopy’. After the thrill and speed of Costa Rica’s zip-lines I was fairly disappointed with Chile’s, but the slow velocities gave you a chance to really take in the scenery, and it was especially enjoyable to zip-line over a river! That afternoon we took a short trip to the nearby “Ojos de Caraburgua”, a series of waterfalls with hiking. These too were beautiful, but not especially exciting. (Especially since you couldn’t go gorge jumping!)

The most physically taxing activity I have performed since arriving in Chile occurred on Sunday, with my ascent of Vólcan Villarica. (Note: the volcano IS currently live, and while it’s not dangerous most days you can still see the smoke coming out of the crater, even from Pucón.) The day begins at 6:30am, when you put on the boots and gaters you were fitted for previously, and get into a van to drive to the base of the volcano. From there you are driven to the base of the volcano and given a choice: for an extra $12 you can take the chairlift and shave an hour of straight uphill ascent off your trip, or you can walk the entire way. Much to the surprise of the 3 guides (and the other members of my party) I opted to climb the entire way. Being the only one who chose to do this, I got my own ‘personal guide’, who accompanied me almost to the top. (We managed to catch up to the whole group about ½ way up, but since I got there as they were leaving I continued separately until the last leg, where I was sad to say good-bye to my guide, Juan-he had to accompany one member of the party back down, as she wasn’t able to continue.) Juan is part Malpuche (a native tribe of Chile) so he tried to teach me some words on the way up. While this was not very successful, the pieces of culture he shared with me are memorable and interesting!

 

The volcano can be broken down into 3 general geological areas: straight uphill ascent on a sandy slope, straight uphill ascent on ice/snow, and straight uphill ascent through larger, more precarious rocks. The higher you go the windier it gets, making everything that much harder. I’ve never used a pick-ax or complete crampons before, so going up the ice was a cool new experience! Along the way we noticed what looked to me like tracks for a luge, to be used in our descent. While this looked terrifying, we actually went really slowly down them, and I wish they had been faster!

The crater was really neat, but unfortunately we were unable to go around to the side from which you can see magma, due to the wind blowing volcano smoke in that direction. However, the top also afforded a gorgeous view of the surrounding valleys and lakes, and even into Argentina! It took a ton of energy, but climbing the volcano was amazing, and completely worth it.

I have many, many more pictures that I'd like to share, but can't fit. If you're interested in seeing more, please look on Facebook, or if we're not 'friends' let me know and I'll e-mail you some compressed files!