I often find myself comparing life here to life at home. it's just so different that it's hard not to. so i have decided to devote this post to two things: those things that i love about being here and those things that i do not.
LOVES
el mar= the ocean -- i live right on the coast. it takes about half an hour to walk to the beach from my house. it's much shorter by micro. i also take the micro right past the coast every time i go to valpo, which is almost every single day. it is absolutely gorgeous and i can't think of a better way to prepare myself for the day or recover from it than by gazing out at the waves as they come in and thinking.
my host family is pretty much awesome and each day i love them just that much more.
el Jumbo -- basically WalMart or Fred Mayer, but better.
crazy chilean spanish -- definitely not what we learn in class, significant portions of the vocabulary is "chileanismos" which is basically the word they use here and no where else in the spanish speaking world. i am going to be screwed in spanish for the future but i love how it's so chilean and so cute. cachai?
las frutas, vegetales y pan= the fruit, veggies and bread -- i think i might have already mentioned this once or twice
the fact that my house is right by the bus stop
graffiti and pretty murals
pisco sours
the awesome friends i have made
nature -- if you drive out of the city there are lots of cool places to go hiking and enjoy the outdoors. it's pretty awesome
colectivos -- these are basically taxis that run on a fixed route and pick up passengers along the way. they are almost as cheap as the micro and if you pay them a bit more they will take you directly to where you want to go.
the efficiency of the micros
chileans are for the most part really helpful and welcoming and i will not let the few who haven't been change this opinion because the majority are so kind
my electric blanket
coffee at every meal
empanadas= like a calazone without the cheese, cheap and delicious
sunsets are absolutely amazing here
la misa=mass -- i love the mass. i love how i can understand so little of what is being said yet i always know exactly what is going on. each week i understand more and more and one of my friends gave me a copy of the mass in spanish so we can know how to say everything :)
public transportation all night long
DISLIKES
fleas
the noisy cars outside my window make it hard to sleep at night
men whistling as i walk by because i am gringa
being obviously gringa (northamerican/european) -- i have never been in a place where i stick out so obviously as being different. i am surprised that they are not more used to foreigners here. but when we speak english all the chileans stop and stare. at the discotecs people just want to dance with the gringos. i guess i don't mind, i just don't really understand why it matters.
things i like that are way expensive here: makeup, soap, shampoo, etc. packaged food AKA brownie mix, peanut butter, batteries(they are terrible too), water, milk, tampons
micro drivers who give questioning looks but don't tell me what they want
things i like they don't have here: oreos
worrying about getting robbed -- i should be glad that there isn't more violence here, but i dislike that i can't take out more than exactly what i need just in case i get robbed, which is much more common than at home.
not knowing what micros to use or where they go
being cold -- it's my fault for not bringing more warm clothes but that doesn't mean i have to like it.
mullets
the idea of being just friends with the opposite gender not existing
street people -- i have never had to go this long in a place with people on the streets. its not that i don't like them, i don't like walking past them everyday and not being able to do anything to help. sometimes i give them money or food, but not to all. i really wish i could do more.
having to turn on the hot water 30 minutes before a shower
no hot water to wash hands with
the plumbing stinks at my house. if the toilet gets messed up again i am going to give up on using it.
spanish can be frustrating to use at times. some mornings i wake up and get sad because i know i have to speak spanish all day. sometimes when i get home i go into my room and look for english movies on tv or listen to music. i know i am here to learn and practice which i am. it would just be nice to have a break every once in a while.
not having a school id
home still isn't home -- no matter how much i love it here it still isn't the same
8.26.2007
8.23.2007
dragging myself back to bed...
nothing like sleeping through the first hour of class, getting up and rushing to get ready, riding the micro to catch the second half, getting there and then finding out that today´s class was actually canceled. ah sad, i could have just stayed in bed and slept some more.
here in chile it is not uncommon to have classes moved or canceled without prior notice. oh well, here are worse things that could happen i suppose.
here in chile it is not uncommon to have classes moved or canceled without prior notice. oh well, here are worse things that could happen i suppose.
8.21.2007
comida!
food is something that is very central to our lives. we use it to celebrate, we use it to grieve, we use it to cope, we use it to socialize. because of this it seems obvious that i would write more about the food and eating customs here in chile. that, and maybe i just like to eat :)
first of all, if i come home fatter than before, blame my host mom. i think it's well known that i am a good eater. i will eat what's given to me with no complaints. i am not picky and i eat plenty..... for some reason my host mom does not seem to understand this. she is constantly pushing me to eat more and "no tengo mas hambre" (i'm not hungry anymore) and "estoy bien" (i'm fine) do not seem to work. it's a fine balance between not offending her and stuffing my face every single meal and standing firm and not eating more than i can handle everyday. that and i know she serves me more than she serves everyone else. ah chilean women. i know that i am not the only one here with this problem.
second of all, table manners. now i do not know if this is true for all of chile or just my family, but reaching across the table for something you want is not rude. neither is getting up from your seat to walk to the other side of the table to get what you want. i have yet to decide if asking someone to "please pass the ____" is rude. i hope not. that's usually what i do. although, my reaching skills have gotten a bit better and ventured a bit farther. i just don't know about it though.
chileans don't drink with their meals. well they do, but our cups are tiny tiny and with the exception of me who fills it constantly throughout the meal because i get thirsty, they are good with just one glass. of soda. and not just any soda. fruit soda. pineapple. orange. papya. you name it we have probably drank it. scratch that, i have drank it. the rest of my family just puts their glasses on the table to look pretty i think. it's a wonder to me that they aren't more dehydrated.
i have been thinking a lot lately about the eating and exercising habits of chileans. first of all, working out here is not a big thing at all. i have friends that go running in the streets and get really weird looks from the people around. i went to the gym one day at like 6 and there were just a few people there. still, there are few really overweight people here. which makes even less sense when you think of what they eat: hot dogs, lots of bread, mayonnaise, avocado, and pretty much everything is cooked with a ton of oil and salt. even as a college student who loves pizza and cougar country, my body has taken some time to adjust to all the extra oil in my diet. at the same time however, chileans consume far less meat and dairy then we do in the states. so while they are seemingly consuming more excess fat, they are consuming more vegetable based fats than animal based. this of course equals less saturated fat and cholesterol. i am definitely looking forward to exploring the eating habits of the people here more and think about the impact it has on their health. possible honors thesis?? who knows.
in other news: i am going to machu picchu in october! woohoo i am most excited.
first of all, if i come home fatter than before, blame my host mom. i think it's well known that i am a good eater. i will eat what's given to me with no complaints. i am not picky and i eat plenty..... for some reason my host mom does not seem to understand this. she is constantly pushing me to eat more and "no tengo mas hambre" (i'm not hungry anymore) and "estoy bien" (i'm fine) do not seem to work. it's a fine balance between not offending her and stuffing my face every single meal and standing firm and not eating more than i can handle everyday. that and i know she serves me more than she serves everyone else. ah chilean women. i know that i am not the only one here with this problem.
second of all, table manners. now i do not know if this is true for all of chile or just my family, but reaching across the table for something you want is not rude. neither is getting up from your seat to walk to the other side of the table to get what you want. i have yet to decide if asking someone to "please pass the ____" is rude. i hope not. that's usually what i do. although, my reaching skills have gotten a bit better and ventured a bit farther. i just don't know about it though.
chileans don't drink with their meals. well they do, but our cups are tiny tiny and with the exception of me who fills it constantly throughout the meal because i get thirsty, they are good with just one glass. of soda. and not just any soda. fruit soda. pineapple. orange. papya. you name it we have probably drank it. scratch that, i have drank it. the rest of my family just puts their glasses on the table to look pretty i think. it's a wonder to me that they aren't more dehydrated.
i have been thinking a lot lately about the eating and exercising habits of chileans. first of all, working out here is not a big thing at all. i have friends that go running in the streets and get really weird looks from the people around. i went to the gym one day at like 6 and there were just a few people there. still, there are few really overweight people here. which makes even less sense when you think of what they eat: hot dogs, lots of bread, mayonnaise, avocado, and pretty much everything is cooked with a ton of oil and salt. even as a college student who loves pizza and cougar country, my body has taken some time to adjust to all the extra oil in my diet. at the same time however, chileans consume far less meat and dairy then we do in the states. so while they are seemingly consuming more excess fat, they are consuming more vegetable based fats than animal based. this of course equals less saturated fat and cholesterol. i am definitely looking forward to exploring the eating habits of the people here more and think about the impact it has on their health. possible honors thesis?? who knows.
in other news: i am going to machu picchu in october! woohoo i am most excited.
8.19.2007
it's a small world after all
i went skiing in the andes yesterday and it was amazing! we went to Valle Nevado which is 45 minutes and 2 hours away from Santiago. it's a pretty touristy place, which i definitely experienced given that i talked to a million people while i was there and not one of them was chilean. i even ran into a woman from seattle. not just that, but her sister lives in pullman and her niece graduated from pullman this year! definitely a small world. the mountain was gorgeous, there was a ton of snow and no trees because we were above the tree line. still it was way cool. i am no skier, but i managed to do just fine and had a great time being out with my friends having fun and enjoying another piece of what chile has to offer.
pictures! http://wsu.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2093922&l=a5224&id=27214436
in weather news: no one wore a scarf to dinner today. i think it's finally getting warmer.
Some random pictures of Vina & Valpo: http://wsu.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2093915&l=fe86f&id=27214436
pictures! http://wsu.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2093922&l=a5224&id=27214436
in weather news: no one wore a scarf to dinner today. i think it's finally getting warmer.
Some random pictures of Vina & Valpo: http://wsu.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2093915&l=fe86f&id=27214436
8.17.2007
more than just a language barrier...
damn the united states and its standards for measuring. nowhere else in the world does such a standard exist. i wish i had paid a little more attention in 7th grade life science, the first time we learned about using the metric system. i hate feeling completely out of the loop in terms of how big or long something is or the temperature outside. i have slowly been recalling methods for converting, but it takes me a few minutes of sitting at the table pondering the math while everyone waits for me to tell them just how big a gallon is. luckily my family, namely my dad or my brother, usually knows the rough equivalent and can tell everyone else. but i feel like they shouldn't have to do that the entire time, that i should be able to figure out and use the same standards. so i have been working on it. but really mostly i have been frustrated with the fact that the united states uses the american system that only works in america. i bet the french kids aren't having this problem.
8.16.2007
las micros
if i make it out of this country without being involved in a micro accident or getting hit by an auto i am going to be very grateful. probably not very encouraging words to those at home, but traffic here is truly on another level than traffic in the states.
first we will begin with the buses, or micros as they are called. unlike in the us, where the bus system is created for the benefit of the people, the micros here are independently owned and function to earn a profit. there are many pros and cons to this arrangement, but it is definitely different. first of all, no schedule. the micros run. and run and run. sometimes there are a lot, sometimes there are less. i haven't quite figured out the system. that's the good part about living with a family. they are good about letting me know when and where there are more micros. they are also especially good about letting me know here the micros go. there are no maps of where the micros go and what routes they take. i have to rely on taking the bus my family recommends or reading the overall destination and determining if it goes where i want. this generally works, however i have yet to find a micro to get me home from the mall. i have gotten lost every time :S it's an experience and i hope that by the time i leave here i will have finally figured it out.
once making it onto the micro getting to your destination is just as fun. all of the autos, micros and autos included, swerve in an out of traffic going incredibly fast for all the lane changes and sudden stops they are making. this is in between all the people who are crossing the streets where and when they aren't supposed to. the micros are especially bad as they are pretty rickety and probably feel a lot worse than they are. they also like to swipe by a puente-bus stop without actually stopping. i have not worked off the nerve to hop on and off a moving bus like the chileans. i always wait for some stoppage before putting my feet out in no mans land.
the system here seems much less secure but far more efficient. people don't even have to be at a puente but if they just stick out an arm as in hailing a taxi there is a good chance the micro will pull over. i don't really know what works best. but i do know that i love walking out my door in the morning and not having to worry about whether or not i just missed the last micro for at least 15 minutes. even if i go by, there is another right behind. ah the micro, such a love hate relationship we have.
first we will begin with the buses, or micros as they are called. unlike in the us, where the bus system is created for the benefit of the people, the micros here are independently owned and function to earn a profit. there are many pros and cons to this arrangement, but it is definitely different. first of all, no schedule. the micros run. and run and run. sometimes there are a lot, sometimes there are less. i haven't quite figured out the system. that's the good part about living with a family. they are good about letting me know when and where there are more micros. they are also especially good about letting me know here the micros go. there are no maps of where the micros go and what routes they take. i have to rely on taking the bus my family recommends or reading the overall destination and determining if it goes where i want. this generally works, however i have yet to find a micro to get me home from the mall. i have gotten lost every time :S it's an experience and i hope that by the time i leave here i will have finally figured it out.
once making it onto the micro getting to your destination is just as fun. all of the autos, micros and autos included, swerve in an out of traffic going incredibly fast for all the lane changes and sudden stops they are making. this is in between all the people who are crossing the streets where and when they aren't supposed to. the micros are especially bad as they are pretty rickety and probably feel a lot worse than they are. they also like to swipe by a puente-bus stop without actually stopping. i have not worked off the nerve to hop on and off a moving bus like the chileans. i always wait for some stoppage before putting my feet out in no mans land.
the system here seems much less secure but far more efficient. people don't even have to be at a puente but if they just stick out an arm as in hailing a taxi there is a good chance the micro will pull over. i don't really know what works best. but i do know that i love walking out my door in the morning and not having to worry about whether or not i just missed the last micro for at least 15 minutes. even if i go by, there is another right behind. ah the micro, such a love hate relationship we have.
8.13.2007
oh yeah, that thing called school...
so i have finally had all of my classes at least once so far. i have yet to have a full week however. this week we have wednsday off for the feast of the assumption, yay for catholic school!
i think that classes won't be too bad. i am signed up for 20 credits so far. that might drop down a bit. but i think i can handle it. as i said before, they are pretty easy on international students and that has been apparent. i haven't had one bit of homework so far. and luckily i can understand my professors. i had my sports nutrition class today. it was really interesting. i especially liked how half of the slides were in english. apparently thats where much of the information and visual aids come from. it did make understanding easy. that and all the vocab is pretty much the same. add an -ia or -ada to the end of the english word and you have it in spanish. maybe a science class wouldn't be too hard here....
outside of class i have done plenty of exploring. this weekend some friends and i went exploring the streets of the city which was really interesting. vina, where i live, is really touristy and organized. but valparaiso, which is right close by, is much older and has so much character. i love the combination of the two. vina is much less frusturating, but i feel like i am getting a glimpse of "real" chile when i am in valpo. i am looking forward to doing even more exploring and getting to know everything even better.
and to end on an even better note. the beach is amazing. i walked down to it on sunday and just sat there listening to the waves and writing in my journal. i really am quite lucky.
i think that classes won't be too bad. i am signed up for 20 credits so far. that might drop down a bit. but i think i can handle it. as i said before, they are pretty easy on international students and that has been apparent. i haven't had one bit of homework so far. and luckily i can understand my professors. i had my sports nutrition class today. it was really interesting. i especially liked how half of the slides were in english. apparently thats where much of the information and visual aids come from. it did make understanding easy. that and all the vocab is pretty much the same. add an -ia or -ada to the end of the english word and you have it in spanish. maybe a science class wouldn't be too hard here....
outside of class i have done plenty of exploring. this weekend some friends and i went exploring the streets of the city which was really interesting. vina, where i live, is really touristy and organized. but valparaiso, which is right close by, is much older and has so much character. i love the combination of the two. vina is much less frusturating, but i feel like i am getting a glimpse of "real" chile when i am in valpo. i am looking forward to doing even more exploring and getting to know everything even better.
and to end on an even better note. the beach is amazing. i walked down to it on sunday and just sat there listening to the waves and writing in my journal. i really am quite lucky.
settling in, in Vina
August 9...
I would just like to thank you all for your birthday wishes and your
words of support and love these past few days. It has been a rough
week, but I am coming closer to understanding the situation and coming
more to peace with it. Each time I start to feel sad, I try to
remember that she is heaven now, and that is a million times better
than being here on earth could ever be. Please keep her, her family
and all of her friends in your prayers.
I guess I should give a little update on life here. We had an
earthquake this morning! It was just a baby one. I had just woken up
and then suddenly my bed was shaking from side to side. Then like 5
minutes later it happened again. It was kind of exciting. After I
ate breakfast my host mom was watching the news and was like "did you
know we had an earthquake?" She was taking a shower and didn't even
feel it. I however, was quite happy to have experienced my first
earthquake.
I haven't had much class here so far but what I have been to is pretty
good. I am taking a few classes with international students and a few
with Chileans. Luckily I haven't had too much trouble understanding
my professors so far. I have two more classes with Chileans that I
have yet to go to, so I will let you know about those at a later date.
I am signed up for 20 credits right now, I haven't decided if I will
drop a class to take it down a bit. I have a month to decide. Plus,
I heard that classes here are pretty easy for international students
and that the professors are understanding. That is really nice. Here
they realize that the most important thing is that we are here in the
country wanting to learn and that is considered an accomplishment in
itself. It definitely is a different, and more positive, attitude
towards exchange students than in the US. I think in the States we
could certainly learn from that.
I have been getting lots of questions about the food so I think I will
answer a few of those here. First of all, the fruit is cheap and
delicious. Yesterday I bought a kilo of clementines for 300 pesos
(roughly 75 cents). I think proceeded to eat about half of that kilo
(7 clementines) in one sitting. The avocados here are amazing and
really cheap as well. So is the bread. The bread is so good. I
don't think I have ever just gone downstairs and grabbed a piece of
bread to eat before. Now I do it all the time. Meals here aren't
extraordinary. It's pretty normal stuff. Rice, bread, chicken,
pasta. Not a ton of exciting flavors, but it's okay. They love some
interesting things here. Like hot dogs. I am pretty sure that in
some form I end up with some hot dog everyday. I even found it in my
pasta which was strange. The favorite way though is in a "completo"
which is a hot dog with avocado, tomato, and mayonnaise. Mayonnaise
is really big here. I think my host dad puts it on everything. I
politely decline. My biggest disappointment has been in the lack of
milk here. Powdered milk is the most common. Also, it seems that it
is rare to actually sit and drink a glass of milk. I asked my host
mom for one once and I got a strange look before I got the glass. I
do think that I am going to have to ask her for some real cow milk to
drink, and even offer to pay for it if I have to, because I am really
tired of drinking pop and water with my meals already. They drink
coffee every meal here, which is kind of cool. I am becoming
accustomed to the instant coffee that we drink. It appears that all
the good coffee in South America is imported other places because no
one drinks it. Today I went with some friends to go find some over
priced and too small espresso. Still, it was delicious. There is so
much more I could say about the food, but I will leave that for
another day.
I hope that you all are doing well. Please continue to keep Michaela
and her family in your thoughts and prayers. Love you and miss you all.
I would just like to thank you all for your birthday wishes and your
words of support and love these past few days. It has been a rough
week, but I am coming closer to understanding the situation and coming
more to peace with it. Each time I start to feel sad, I try to
remember that she is heaven now, and that is a million times better
than being here on earth could ever be. Please keep her, her family
and all of her friends in your prayers.
I guess I should give a little update on life here. We had an
earthquake this morning! It was just a baby one. I had just woken up
and then suddenly my bed was shaking from side to side. Then like 5
minutes later it happened again. It was kind of exciting. After I
ate breakfast my host mom was watching the news and was like "did you
know we had an earthquake?" She was taking a shower and didn't even
feel it. I however, was quite happy to have experienced my first
earthquake.
I haven't had much class here so far but what I have been to is pretty
good. I am taking a few classes with international students and a few
with Chileans. Luckily I haven't had too much trouble understanding
my professors so far. I have two more classes with Chileans that I
have yet to go to, so I will let you know about those at a later date.
I am signed up for 20 credits right now, I haven't decided if I will
drop a class to take it down a bit. I have a month to decide. Plus,
I heard that classes here are pretty easy for international students
and that the professors are understanding. That is really nice. Here
they realize that the most important thing is that we are here in the
country wanting to learn and that is considered an accomplishment in
itself. It definitely is a different, and more positive, attitude
towards exchange students than in the US. I think in the States we
could certainly learn from that.
I have been getting lots of questions about the food so I think I will
answer a few of those here. First of all, the fruit is cheap and
delicious. Yesterday I bought a kilo of clementines for 300 pesos
(roughly 75 cents). I think proceeded to eat about half of that kilo
(7 clementines) in one sitting. The avocados here are amazing and
really cheap as well. So is the bread. The bread is so good. I
don't think I have ever just gone downstairs and grabbed a piece of
bread to eat before. Now I do it all the time. Meals here aren't
extraordinary. It's pretty normal stuff. Rice, bread, chicken,
pasta. Not a ton of exciting flavors, but it's okay. They love some
interesting things here. Like hot dogs. I am pretty sure that in
some form I end up with some hot dog everyday. I even found it in my
pasta which was strange. The favorite way though is in a "completo"
which is a hot dog with avocado, tomato, and mayonnaise. Mayonnaise
is really big here. I think my host dad puts it on everything. I
politely decline. My biggest disappointment has been in the lack of
milk here. Powdered milk is the most common. Also, it seems that it
is rare to actually sit and drink a glass of milk. I asked my host
mom for one once and I got a strange look before I got the glass. I
do think that I am going to have to ask her for some real cow milk to
drink, and even offer to pay for it if I have to, because I am really
tired of drinking pop and water with my meals already. They drink
coffee every meal here, which is kind of cool. I am becoming
accustomed to the instant coffee that we drink. It appears that all
the good coffee in South America is imported other places because no
one drinks it. Today I went with some friends to go find some over
priced and too small espresso. Still, it was delicious. There is so
much more I could say about the food, but I will leave that for
another day.
I hope that you all are doing well. Please continue to keep Michaela
and her family in your thoughts and prayers. Love you and miss you all.
Michaela
This blog does not come from an email that I sent out earlier. But it is important to understand much of what has been going on while I am here and some of the things I will most likely discuss later on.
My friend Michaela Farnum died while we were hiking the 3rd of August.
We went to el Parque Nacional de La Campana. It is roughly an hour by metro/micro from where we live in Vina. There were five of us total. We had heard about this day hike from another group of friends from our program who had gone the week before. So bright and early we set out, the hike is supposed to take seven hours so we wanted to make sure we had enough time.
The hike was gorgeous and it was good to be out. After hiking for several hours SK decided to speed up and go ahead because she was afraid we wouldn't make it to the top before we had to turn back. The 4 of us left continued on together. A bit later, as we were so close to the top, MA and I decided to turn back. As you know, I am incredibly afraid of heights and was terrified. So as we turned back, EM decided to come with us. That left Michaela. Determined to make it to the top, she decided to continue and we let her go. It was expected that she would meet up with SK who was already there.
A while later, as MA & I were going down we heard the sound of voices. We stopped to listen, thinking that SK & Michaela were on their way down as well. Suddenly a huge rock comes flying down the side of the mountain, nearly hitting me. We become concerned and start calling for Michaela & SK but get no reply. Not too long after, SK starts coming down and meets up with us. She hasn't seen Michaela at all.
Immediately we are concerned. SK goes back up to search for her. EM has already gone down the mountain to catch up with the French Boy Scouts who has passed by. MA & I start making phone calls: to the park rangers, to our program, basically anywhere we can get help. After about an hour SK comes back. We are told to return down the mountain by the rangers. We do so with the help of a nice Bolivian we met. We do so calling her name and her phone the entire way down.
We waited all night at the ranger station while they looked for her. We found out the next morning that they had found her body. She had gotten on the wrong trail and fallen, roughly 75 feet. She died instantly.
It has been rough. This certainly is an event that is going to mark the rest of our lives. We did not know her well but that short time was enough to realize what a cool person she was. An awesome person with an incredible amount of energy and zest and love for life. I am thankful for the time I did get to spend with her. Heaven has a new angel who is looking down with a big smile. Now she can see all the world.
http://wsu.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2091883&l=f7fad&id=27214436
My friend Michaela Farnum died while we were hiking the 3rd of August.
We went to el Parque Nacional de La Campana. It is roughly an hour by metro/micro from where we live in Vina. There were five of us total. We had heard about this day hike from another group of friends from our program who had gone the week before. So bright and early we set out, the hike is supposed to take seven hours so we wanted to make sure we had enough time.
The hike was gorgeous and it was good to be out. After hiking for several hours SK decided to speed up and go ahead because she was afraid we wouldn't make it to the top before we had to turn back. The 4 of us left continued on together. A bit later, as we were so close to the top, MA and I decided to turn back. As you know, I am incredibly afraid of heights and was terrified. So as we turned back, EM decided to come with us. That left Michaela. Determined to make it to the top, she decided to continue and we let her go. It was expected that she would meet up with SK who was already there.
A while later, as MA & I were going down we heard the sound of voices. We stopped to listen, thinking that SK & Michaela were on their way down as well. Suddenly a huge rock comes flying down the side of the mountain, nearly hitting me. We become concerned and start calling for Michaela & SK but get no reply. Not too long after, SK starts coming down and meets up with us. She hasn't seen Michaela at all.
Immediately we are concerned. SK goes back up to search for her. EM has already gone down the mountain to catch up with the French Boy Scouts who has passed by. MA & I start making phone calls: to the park rangers, to our program, basically anywhere we can get help. After about an hour SK comes back. We are told to return down the mountain by the rangers. We do so with the help of a nice Bolivian we met. We do so calling her name and her phone the entire way down.
We waited all night at the ranger station while they looked for her. We found out the next morning that they had found her body. She had gotten on the wrong trail and fallen, roughly 75 feet. She died instantly.
It has been rough. This certainly is an event that is going to mark the rest of our lives. We did not know her well but that short time was enough to realize what a cool person she was. An awesome person with an incredible amount of energy and zest and love for life. I am thankful for the time I did get to spend with her. Heaven has a new angel who is looking down with a big smile. Now she can see all the world.
http://wsu.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2091883&l=f7fad&id=27214436
pictures of vina
to see pictures of where i live go here...
http://wsu.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2090928&l=ac43f&id=27214436
http://wsu.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2090928&l=ac43f&id=27214436
primer dias en vina del mar
July 30...
Hello All!
I hope that all of you are doing well. I have been with my family now
for almost a week and they are all awesome. It's taken me a while to
get used to living with a family again, especially one that I just met
but they have been really great. They are very patient with me and
really try hard to help me feel at home. I think that it is going to
work out really well here, My host dad, Jorge, is a businessman and he isn't home
much but when he is it is always fun. He likes to ask me a lot of
questions about the US. My host mom, Marianella, is pretty much home all day being a
housewife. She is very sweet and even cleans my room for me everyday!
I think you all know I need that :) I have two host sisters. Valentina, is 20
and goes to the engineering school here and Daniella is 14 and is in
high school. Daniella is quite precocious and very
cute. My brother, Jorge Andes, is 18 and is studying law in the same university as
me. He speaks fluent English so I like having him around when I am
trying to explain things.
As far as the city I live in, it is BEAUTIFUL. I live in Vina del Mar
and go to school in Valparaiso which is like a 15 minute bus ride.
They are right by the water and in some ways my ride to school reminds
me freakishly of the beach along Alkai. But as you know thats a good
view. I had a four day weekend this weekend but opted to no go out
and travel but rather to stay here and get acquainted with the two
cities. Today I went out with my mom and sister and they showed me
the downtown area. It is full of stores and shops which are cool. We
even got our legs waxed which was only 5$!!! Here they do that
instead of shaving because it is so cheap. I am totally looking
forward to that. We pretty much walk or take the bus here because gas
is so expensive. The bus system is great. I live on a major street
so I am lucky because so many buses come by. I rarely have to wait
more than 5 minutes for a bus. That is certainly going to be really
nice in the morning when I am trying to get to class.
It's interesting being here. It's almost like things in Chile are a
decade behind. They are really into 80s & 90s American music and the
hip fashion is total grunge. One of my friends asked their family why
they were into such old things and their family told them that they
were new in Chile. For being one of the most forward and
industrialized countries in South America they certainly are behind
where we are. I haven't really seen too much poverty since I've been
here. I imagine that it is here but I haven't been exposed to it yet.
I do think that the whole standard of living is indeed lower. My
family has pretty good financial status here but in the US they would
definitely be in the low-middle class range. One definite difference
is the way that animals are viewed here. I know that seems weird but
you would be amazed to see the number of stray dogs that are around.
They are absolutely everywhere. Even weirder is the fact that so many
of them are nice purebred good looking dogs. Apparently people buy
them as cute puppies and just let them go when they are older because
they aren't as cute or are too expensive or too much work. I asked my
sister's boyfriend how they could stand to leave them like that
without homes and he told me "there are people without homes, don't
you think that is worse?" Very valid point, but the number of
homeless people compared to the number of homeless dogs is quite
small. It is interesting getting different perspectives on things
like that from the people here.
I went to mass last night for the first time and that really was a
different experience. It is difficult enough for me to understand
what people are saying if they are talking at normal Chile speed and
in a large church with a huge echo it was nearly impossible. But I
still enjoyed it. I know the mass well enough that I generally knew
where we were and what we were doing. There was no book to follow in
but it wasn't too bad. When it came time to respond to things I
responded in English because I couldn't form the Spanish response fast
enough. Still it was good. Chile is an incredibly Catholic country
but from what I understand from my family there are few people that go
regularly just to go, many people that go go simply out of obligation.
My family is Catholic but they don't go to church. My sister did
take me last night though which was nice. I look forward to continue
going and one of my friends here and I are going to join the Catholic
student group at our school which should be fun.
I know that this was very long with a lot of information. There
is just so many new and interesting things here. It's definitely an
adjustment but I really do like it here and I think when I become most
accustomed to the way of life here I will like it even more. School
starts Wednesday and that certainly will be an adventure. I am still
working on getting the rest of my pictures up but I will let you know
when I do. Please let me know if you don't want me to include you in
my massive emails or if there is someone you want me to add to the
list. I will try to keep updated. I hope that all of you are doing
well. Love and miss you all!
Hello All!
I hope that all of you are doing well. I have been with my family now
for almost a week and they are all awesome. It's taken me a while to
get used to living with a family again, especially one that I just met
but they have been really great. They are very patient with me and
really try hard to help me feel at home. I think that it is going to
work out really well here, My host dad, Jorge, is a businessman and he isn't home
much but when he is it is always fun. He likes to ask me a lot of
questions about the US. My host mom, Marianella, is pretty much home all day being a
housewife. She is very sweet and even cleans my room for me everyday!
I think you all know I need that :) I have two host sisters. Valentina, is 20
and goes to the engineering school here and Daniella is 14 and is in
high school. Daniella is quite precocious and very
cute. My brother, Jorge Andes, is 18 and is studying law in the same university as
me. He speaks fluent English so I like having him around when I am
trying to explain things.
As far as the city I live in, it is BEAUTIFUL. I live in Vina del Mar
and go to school in Valparaiso which is like a 15 minute bus ride.
They are right by the water and in some ways my ride to school reminds
me freakishly of the beach along Alkai. But as you know thats a good
view. I had a four day weekend this weekend but opted to no go out
and travel but rather to stay here and get acquainted with the two
cities. Today I went out with my mom and sister and they showed me
the downtown area. It is full of stores and shops which are cool. We
even got our legs waxed which was only 5$!!! Here they do that
instead of shaving because it is so cheap. I am totally looking
forward to that. We pretty much walk or take the bus here because gas
is so expensive. The bus system is great. I live on a major street
so I am lucky because so many buses come by. I rarely have to wait
more than 5 minutes for a bus. That is certainly going to be really
nice in the morning when I am trying to get to class.
It's interesting being here. It's almost like things in Chile are a
decade behind. They are really into 80s & 90s American music and the
hip fashion is total grunge. One of my friends asked their family why
they were into such old things and their family told them that they
were new in Chile. For being one of the most forward and
industrialized countries in South America they certainly are behind
where we are. I haven't really seen too much poverty since I've been
here. I imagine that it is here but I haven't been exposed to it yet.
I do think that the whole standard of living is indeed lower. My
family has pretty good financial status here but in the US they would
definitely be in the low-middle class range. One definite difference
is the way that animals are viewed here. I know that seems weird but
you would be amazed to see the number of stray dogs that are around.
They are absolutely everywhere. Even weirder is the fact that so many
of them are nice purebred good looking dogs. Apparently people buy
them as cute puppies and just let them go when they are older because
they aren't as cute or are too expensive or too much work. I asked my
sister's boyfriend how they could stand to leave them like that
without homes and he told me "there are people without homes, don't
you think that is worse?" Very valid point, but the number of
homeless people compared to the number of homeless dogs is quite
small. It is interesting getting different perspectives on things
like that from the people here.
I went to mass last night for the first time and that really was a
different experience. It is difficult enough for me to understand
what people are saying if they are talking at normal Chile speed and
in a large church with a huge echo it was nearly impossible. But I
still enjoyed it. I know the mass well enough that I generally knew
where we were and what we were doing. There was no book to follow in
but it wasn't too bad. When it came time to respond to things I
responded in English because I couldn't form the Spanish response fast
enough. Still it was good. Chile is an incredibly Catholic country
but from what I understand from my family there are few people that go
regularly just to go, many people that go go simply out of obligation.
My family is Catholic but they don't go to church. My sister did
take me last night though which was nice. I look forward to continue
going and one of my friends here and I are going to join the Catholic
student group at our school which should be fun.
I know that this was very long with a lot of information. There
is just so many new and interesting things here. It's definitely an
adjustment but I really do like it here and I think when I become most
accustomed to the way of life here I will like it even more. School
starts Wednesday and that certainly will be an adventure. I am still
working on getting the rest of my pictures up but I will let you know
when I do. Please let me know if you don't want me to include you in
my massive emails or if there is someone you want me to add to the
list. I will try to keep updated. I hope that all of you are doing
well. Love and miss you all!
primer dias in santiago
From July 22...
Hola Amigos!
I am having a wonderful time in Chile so far. It got off to a rough
start with some lost luggage, but all has been recovered and I have
been out and about having a great time. Right now I am in Santiago
with all of the people from my program. There are about 45 of us and
all are from the United States. It has been nice getting to spend
time with everyone and get to know each other. We have been exploring
the city, seeing cool things and learning about the culture. Santiago
is absolutely huge. Huge and smoggy. But despite that in many ways
it seems like it could just be any old city anywhere. It's really not
too much different. Other than the fact that people speak Spanish.
However, there are lots of people that speak English, especially
working at stores. You have to try really hard to get them to speak
to you in Spanish if you want practice. It's not too bad but a bit
frustrating at times.
It is absolutely beautiful here. We are so close to the Andes and I
can't believe how huge they are. There is going to be a ski trip in a
few weeks and I think I will go just so that I can say that I have
snow skied here. Thursday we visited el Cerro San Cristobal. It is a
huge huge hill in the middle of the city upon which is a ginormous
statue of the Virgen Mary. From the top you can look down over much
of the city and really get a picture of just how huge it is. Santiago
spreads out really far. There are roughly 8 million people. However,
there aren't nearly as many tall buildings and skyscrapers as I
expected. Instead there are just tons of smaller buildings. That
probably is one of the reasons there is so much smog. To get down
from the top of el Cerro San Cristobal we rode in gondolas. It was
absolutely amazing as the sun was setting as we were going down and it
looked beautiful against the Andes. The smog probably helped, it was
a gorgeous red color. We went to a bar later that night to watch the
Chile vs. Argentina soccer game which was on and very popular. While
Chile didn't do that great it was still fun to watch it with all the
Chileans who take their soccer very seriously.
Yesterday the group went to downtown Santiago to see the presidential
district. We went to see the changing of the guards at "La Moneda"
which is the presidential palace. It is also the location where the
military coup occured in the 70s which led to the dictatorship of
Pinochet. While we were down there we spend more time in the city,
looking at the original plaza, a beautiful church and even a trip to a
fish market. It reminded me a lot of Pikes, even if it was a bit
dirtier. We went to visit the Museum of Precolombian Art which was
really cool. I am not an art fan at all but there were some really
old pieces that I liked. This place had the oldest mummies on earth,
7000 years old. They were babies whose flesh had been pulled off and
between the skin and the bones they put sticks. Then they were
painted and buried. Gross I know, but it was still cool to see even
if we couldn't take any pictures. Later we went out to a discotec
with a Chilean that one of the girls knew from home. It was nice to
get the lowdown on how to do things from someone who lives here.
Especially getting a taxi at night.
Today I woke up bright and early to make it to the bookstore with a
friend so that we could buy Harry Potter. Very luckily they have it
here and we were able to get it right away. Any chance I have had I
have been reading it and I can't wait to see what happens. It's nice
that there are some other fans in the group here, one of the girls and
I have been discussing our theories as reading along. After getting
Harry Potter we headed off to the vineyard Cousino Macul with the
group. It was really cool to see where they make and store the wine.
We even a few glasses to try. It was fun and informative, certainly
an interesting way to start the day. After that we went to the old
house of Pablo Neruda, the most famous Chilean poet, in Santiago. It
was absolutely amazing. I knew that he was certainly an eccentric
character, he was exiled from Chile during Pinochet's regime for being
communist, and his house certainly exemplified this. It was full of
bright colors and a variety of different objects and furniture. I
wish that I could have taken pictures on the inside as it was just so
interesting but sadly that was not allowed. I have a few good ones of
the outside.
Tomorrow we are going to see a bit more in Santiago before heading
down to Valparaiso and Vina del Mar where we will be meeting our host
families. I am very excited and nervous at the same time. Mostly I
just can't wait. I have had a lot of fun here, but in many ways being
here in Santiago with so may other Americans is far different then it
will be living down there. So far I haven't had too much trouble
communicating with people and understanding the language. I can tell
though that it will get more difficult, but I look forward to learning
more and improving my Spanish skills.
If you want to see my pictures you can get the link to my facebook
albums at http://wsu.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2090436&l=c344a&id=27214436 & http://wsu.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2090439&l=8f5fe&id=27214436. This has pretty much all my pictures from Santiago, some of which I "borrowed" from my other friends albums. Enjoy!
Hola Amigos!
I am having a wonderful time in Chile so far. It got off to a rough
start with some lost luggage, but all has been recovered and I have
been out and about having a great time. Right now I am in Santiago
with all of the people from my program. There are about 45 of us and
all are from the United States. It has been nice getting to spend
time with everyone and get to know each other. We have been exploring
the city, seeing cool things and learning about the culture. Santiago
is absolutely huge. Huge and smoggy. But despite that in many ways
it seems like it could just be any old city anywhere. It's really not
too much different. Other than the fact that people speak Spanish.
However, there are lots of people that speak English, especially
working at stores. You have to try really hard to get them to speak
to you in Spanish if you want practice. It's not too bad but a bit
frustrating at times.
It is absolutely beautiful here. We are so close to the Andes and I
can't believe how huge they are. There is going to be a ski trip in a
few weeks and I think I will go just so that I can say that I have
snow skied here. Thursday we visited el Cerro San Cristobal. It is a
huge huge hill in the middle of the city upon which is a ginormous
statue of the Virgen Mary. From the top you can look down over much
of the city and really get a picture of just how huge it is. Santiago
spreads out really far. There are roughly 8 million people. However,
there aren't nearly as many tall buildings and skyscrapers as I
expected. Instead there are just tons of smaller buildings. That
probably is one of the reasons there is so much smog. To get down
from the top of el Cerro San Cristobal we rode in gondolas. It was
absolutely amazing as the sun was setting as we were going down and it
looked beautiful against the Andes. The smog probably helped, it was
a gorgeous red color. We went to a bar later that night to watch the
Chile vs. Argentina soccer game which was on and very popular. While
Chile didn't do that great it was still fun to watch it with all the
Chileans who take their soccer very seriously.
Yesterday the group went to downtown Santiago to see the presidential
district. We went to see the changing of the guards at "La Moneda"
which is the presidential palace. It is also the location where the
military coup occured in the 70s which led to the dictatorship of
Pinochet. While we were down there we spend more time in the city,
looking at the original plaza, a beautiful church and even a trip to a
fish market. It reminded me a lot of Pikes, even if it was a bit
dirtier. We went to visit the Museum of Precolombian Art which was
really cool. I am not an art fan at all but there were some really
old pieces that I liked. This place had the oldest mummies on earth,
7000 years old. They were babies whose flesh had been pulled off and
between the skin and the bones they put sticks. Then they were
painted and buried. Gross I know, but it was still cool to see even
if we couldn't take any pictures. Later we went out to a discotec
with a Chilean that one of the girls knew from home. It was nice to
get the lowdown on how to do things from someone who lives here.
Especially getting a taxi at night.
Today I woke up bright and early to make it to the bookstore with a
friend so that we could buy Harry Potter. Very luckily they have it
here and we were able to get it right away. Any chance I have had I
have been reading it and I can't wait to see what happens. It's nice
that there are some other fans in the group here, one of the girls and
I have been discussing our theories as reading along. After getting
Harry Potter we headed off to the vineyard Cousino Macul with the
group. It was really cool to see where they make and store the wine.
We even a few glasses to try. It was fun and informative, certainly
an interesting way to start the day. After that we went to the old
house of Pablo Neruda, the most famous Chilean poet, in Santiago. It
was absolutely amazing. I knew that he was certainly an eccentric
character, he was exiled from Chile during Pinochet's regime for being
communist, and his house certainly exemplified this. It was full of
bright colors and a variety of different objects and furniture. I
wish that I could have taken pictures on the inside as it was just so
interesting but sadly that was not allowed. I have a few good ones of
the outside.
Tomorrow we are going to see a bit more in Santiago before heading
down to Valparaiso and Vina del Mar where we will be meeting our host
families. I am very excited and nervous at the same time. Mostly I
just can't wait. I have had a lot of fun here, but in many ways being
here in Santiago with so may other Americans is far different then it
will be living down there. So far I haven't had too much trouble
communicating with people and understanding the language. I can tell
though that it will get more difficult, but I look forward to learning
more and improving my Spanish skills.
If you want to see my pictures you can get the link to my facebook
albums at http://wsu.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2090436&l=c344a&id=27214436 & http://wsu.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2090439&l=8f5fe&id=27214436. This has pretty much all my pictures from Santiago, some of which I "borrowed" from my other friends albums. Enjoy!
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