Our days have been jampacked full recently, and I've used every spare moment to catch up on sleep. We went to Valpo yesterday, and are headed to Isla Negra tomorrow..as soon as I can, I'll post pictures and a nice long post to make up for it. Yay for the (almost) weekend!
Ciao!
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Yo soy una gringa
Gringa is the affectionate (or not so affectionate--we're not sure?) term that chileanos have given to Americans. How sweet of them.Today at school, we learned about the typical stereotype of Americans to Chileanos: Tall, blond, blue eyed, and sometimes obese. Basically me, and sometimes me if I were to gain some pounds. That being said...
Today we were at the beach, watching a game of paddle ball (think tennis, minus the net with wooden paddles and no rules--not at all like tennis) that was going on behind us, and I was pretty intently watching--this is something I haven't ever seen before!--when someone tapped me on the shoulder and asked me if I wanted to play..My immediate response was no. I lack hand-eye coordination to do things like that in public. Aften and Casey egged me on, saying this was the only time I would get to make a fool of myself in front of people that I will never see again. So I figured, what do I have to lose?, and decided to play.
I wasn't half bad, if I do say so myself, but it was REALLY hard, mostly because it's like playing tennis in the sand. I don't have pictures to post, but I might when I get them from Casey. I was too focused on the game and trying to make as least possible fool of myself, but instead, I heard someone yell, "The gringa is playing paddleball!" and instead of people carrying out their business as usual..they were staring. I'm not even kidding. They were staring at me playing their sport.
I am a gringa.
Today we were at the beach, watching a game of paddle ball (think tennis, minus the net with wooden paddles and no rules--not at all like tennis) that was going on behind us, and I was pretty intently watching--this is something I haven't ever seen before!--when someone tapped me on the shoulder and asked me if I wanted to play..My immediate response was no. I lack hand-eye coordination to do things like that in public. Aften and Casey egged me on, saying this was the only time I would get to make a fool of myself in front of people that I will never see again. So I figured, what do I have to lose?, and decided to play.
I wasn't half bad, if I do say so myself, but it was REALLY hard, mostly because it's like playing tennis in the sand. I don't have pictures to post, but I might when I get them from Casey. I was too focused on the game and trying to make as least possible fool of myself, but instead, I heard someone yell, "The gringa is playing paddleball!" and instead of people carrying out their business as usual..they were staring. I'm not even kidding. They were staring at me playing their sport.
I am a gringa.
Mochilla Rosada and 5 Norte
I usually take the bus to school when I'm running late. (literally, running after the bus). There's several different buses that go almost the same route, but I know that one of them is always at the bus stop at 9:15. And sometimes, I'm not at the bus stop at 9:15. Buses will usually stop for you if you hail them, no matter where you are. Last week, I was almost at the bus stop, and saw the bus coming, but he didn't stop for me when I hailed him. He stopped at the bus stop, and I took off down the street after him. I made it to the stop and when I stepped on, he recognized me. I mean, how many blue eyed blonde hair girls get on chase after that bus everyday? He takes one look at me, I hand him my money and he says "Gracias, mochilla rosada." Pink bookbag.
The next day, I was running even later, (this seems to be a trend I developed in this country--I'm usually never late) and I was running to the bus stop, but before I got there, the bus stopped for me without me hailing it. The driver has maybe 5 teeth, and he was grinning and says, "Get on, mochilla rosada!" I love the bus driver, he makes sure I get to school on time and he makes fun of my pink bookbag.
Moving on...
The streets here are very logical. It's 1 Norte (North), 2 Norte, 3 Norte, etc. It's a grid system, and I love it. Yesterday, when I was going to meet Aften to go to the beach, I we decided to meet in front of Casey's house because it's the half way point between her bus stop and my house. Casey's house is on 4 Norte, and I've been there probably 3 times by myself, with no problem. Yesterday, I walked FOREVER, and I didn't see her house. I did the, "well maybe I just don't remember seeing this stuff before, but her house is coming up soon" thing. I got almost to the beach, and I knew I had passed it. I finally asked someone for directions (in Spanish), and he replied (in English), "You're on the wrong street. You need to go over 1 block and go back about 12 blocks." Yeah, I was on 5 Norte the whole time. Sigh.
The next day, I was running even later, (this seems to be a trend I developed in this country--I'm usually never late) and I was running to the bus stop, but before I got there, the bus stopped for me without me hailing it. The driver has maybe 5 teeth, and he was grinning and says, "Get on, mochilla rosada!" I love the bus driver, he makes sure I get to school on time and he makes fun of my pink bookbag.
Moving on...
The streets here are very logical. It's 1 Norte (North), 2 Norte, 3 Norte, etc. It's a grid system, and I love it. Yesterday, when I was going to meet Aften to go to the beach, I we decided to meet in front of Casey's house because it's the half way point between her bus stop and my house. Casey's house is on 4 Norte, and I've been there probably 3 times by myself, with no problem. Yesterday, I walked FOREVER, and I didn't see her house. I did the, "well maybe I just don't remember seeing this stuff before, but her house is coming up soon" thing. I got almost to the beach, and I knew I had passed it. I finally asked someone for directions (in Spanish), and he replied (in English), "You're on the wrong street. You need to go over 1 block and go back about 12 blocks." Yeah, I was on 5 Norte the whole time. Sigh.
Monday, January 12, 2009
An acquired taste
I found out today at lunch that I don't hate the foods as much as I used to. Apparently it's an acquired taste.
Things I think are weird:
Corn with mayonnaise (the mayo is yellow--i mistaked it for butter, and asked for some. BIG mistake)
Eating scrambled eggs on bread
Eating scrambled eggs with tomatoes on bread
Eating tomatoes with butter on bread
Drinking warm milk
Drinking cereal (yes, drinking)
However, the soup we had at lunch that I used to think was weird is something I look forward to after some other things I have tried.
Yesterday I spent the afternoon sulking that Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice (or any ABC show for that matter) are not available outside of the united states because they don't broadcast their station outside of the US (hence, american broadcasting co.). It's tragic, I know.
However, don't fear, we are rotting the minds of Chilean teens with MTV and Comedy Central. They like Colbert, by the way. (I prefer him in English).
I spent the better part of today at the beach (the lesser part was spent at school), working on my tan. I won't post pictures, I don't want to rub it in that I'm in 85 degree weather, while it's rainy and cold at home. (I actually don't have pictures to post, that's the real reason).
Things I think are weird:
Corn with mayonnaise (the mayo is yellow--i mistaked it for butter, and asked for some. BIG mistake)
Eating scrambled eggs on bread
Eating scrambled eggs with tomatoes on bread
Eating tomatoes with butter on bread
Drinking warm milk
Drinking cereal (yes, drinking)
However, the soup we had at lunch that I used to think was weird is something I look forward to after some other things I have tried.
Yesterday I spent the afternoon sulking that Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice (or any ABC show for that matter) are not available outside of the united states because they don't broadcast their station outside of the US (hence, american broadcasting co.). It's tragic, I know.
However, don't fear, we are rotting the minds of Chilean teens with MTV and Comedy Central. They like Colbert, by the way. (I prefer him in English).
I spent the better part of today at the beach (the lesser part was spent at school), working on my tan. I won't post pictures, I don't want to rub it in that I'm in 85 degree weather, while it's rainy and cold at home. (I actually don't have pictures to post, that's the real reason).
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Valparaíso
Reader's warning: This post is long and contains a lot of pictures for your enjoyment, but mostly because I have to get them off my camera. :)
Yesterday we went to the city next door, Valparaíso (affectionately called Valpo by the locals--and by me because I have a hard time doing the í on my computer). It's a really pretty city in the tourist district, but really old and poor in the residential parts. Valpo is made up of hills, cerros, and it's COVERED in houses. Everywhere a house could fit, there is one. There's also a lot of kids in the street, and dogs and cats are often homeless and allowed free roam over the city. It's not pretty.
We took a bus from Viña to get there, and stopped along the way to learn some of the history of Valpo and to take pictures, of course:
The Wofford Girls:
The Wofford Group:
The Parliament Building of Chile:
The hillside (look at all the houses):
The Chileans solve the problem of the hills with the "Chilean way". The Chilean Way is this: do what you have to do to make it work, regardless of what it looks like or how pretty it is or what anyone else thinks about it (read:the way my dad does things). So, they built these elevator type things to get themselves up and down the mountain. It's also well known that the Chilean women with the best legs live in Valpo (because they walk up and down the cerros a lot). We visited two different elevators:
The first:
The inside of the elevator that pulled us up the mountain:
The second elevator was more like a real elevator, only built in a rock instead of a building:
The view from the elevator:
Some more random pictures:
Graffitti on the street:
The boat house:
Home of the Chilean Armada (Navy):
We took a boat ride around the inlet of Valpo, and I was glad to be in this boat:
And not this one:
The Chilean Navy:
A sea lion, who at first, liked to show off:
But, apparently had a long night of partying and was not up to showing off:
More sea lions:
The boat ride:
We spent around six hours touring Valpo and I was so tired after we walked back home. I have a cold today, and haven't done anything but hang out around the house and read. I think my cold probably has something to do with falling in the (very) cold ocean on Thursday and then being in the hot weather for six hours yesterday.
I found out that my Nana and Papa read my blog (hey, y'all!), and that's exciting. Hopefully tomorrow will be better than today (cause I have lots of homework/studying to do). Ciao!
Yesterday we went to the city next door, Valparaíso (affectionately called Valpo by the locals--and by me because I have a hard time doing the í on my computer). It's a really pretty city in the tourist district, but really old and poor in the residential parts. Valpo is made up of hills, cerros, and it's COVERED in houses. Everywhere a house could fit, there is one. There's also a lot of kids in the street, and dogs and cats are often homeless and allowed free roam over the city. It's not pretty.
We took a bus from Viña to get there, and stopped along the way to learn some of the history of Valpo and to take pictures, of course:
The Wofford Girls:
The Wofford Group:
The Parliament Building of Chile:
The hillside (look at all the houses):
The Chileans solve the problem of the hills with the "Chilean way". The Chilean Way is this: do what you have to do to make it work, regardless of what it looks like or how pretty it is or what anyone else thinks about it (read:the way my dad does things). So, they built these elevator type things to get themselves up and down the mountain. It's also well known that the Chilean women with the best legs live in Valpo (because they walk up and down the cerros a lot). We visited two different elevators:
The first:
The inside of the elevator that pulled us up the mountain:
The second elevator was more like a real elevator, only built in a rock instead of a building:
The view from the elevator:
Some more random pictures:
Graffitti on the street:
The boat house:
Home of the Chilean Armada (Navy):
We took a boat ride around the inlet of Valpo, and I was glad to be in this boat:
And not this one:
The Chilean Navy:
A sea lion, who at first, liked to show off:
But, apparently had a long night of partying and was not up to showing off:
More sea lions:
The boat ride:
We spent around six hours touring Valpo and I was so tired after we walked back home. I have a cold today, and haven't done anything but hang out around the house and read. I think my cold probably has something to do with falling in the (very) cold ocean on Thursday and then being in the hot weather for six hours yesterday.
I found out that my Nana and Papa read my blog (hey, y'all!), and that's exciting. Hopefully tomorrow will be better than today (cause I have lots of homework/studying to do). Ciao!
Friday, January 9, 2009
Gypsies and Pizza
So, we were at the playa yesterday (a touristy beach, think Myrtle Beach or somewhere that's really crowded in Florida). We had gotten ice cream and were sitting on the wall looking at the ocean when some old lady dressed really elaborately but in really dirty clothes and came up and said, "Tienes suerte?" Which means, Do you have luck? She had some kind of cards with her, but the four of us knew right away she was probably bad news.
Casey had read a book about Gypsies in Chile, and this lady was definitely a gypsy. They are also notoriously known for robbing people. We all grabbed our bookbags and purses, but this lady would not go away. Finally, Keenan said, "No Molesta, por favor", which is basically "leave us alone." Many more gypsies came by in a span of five minutes asking for money and other things. We finally decided to leave the area because it was starting to get scary (they obviously knew we weren't from there).
We kept walking down the length of the wall, and a lady took a picture of the four of us girls. As she was taking a picture, we were laughing and talking, and this man and his wife came up to us, and the man exclaims, "YOU SPEAK ENGLISH! I'M FROM SWITZERLAND!" Apparently he had been here for almost a month and hadn't heard anyone speaking English and he was very excited about seeing someone that spoke the same language he did. We said Ciao! and moved on to get something for dinner.
We went to a pizza place, with a menu that had been directly translated into English. Thus, it made no sense. I had a pizzeta, and this is what the menu read:
We returned home and I had an hour (!) long conversation in Spanish with my host family. Right before I went to bed, my sister said, "Don't worry, it's easier for me to learn English than it is for you to learn Spanish." Gee, thanks. I didn't know my spanish was that bad.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Exhaustion
I never got around to posting last night; yesterday was packed full of events so I didn't get a chance to blog before my eyes shut.
I started off the day going to my two classes (read: walking forever) and then I came back here for lunch (read: walking some more). On the way home, I walked with my friend, Casey, which made the walk a whole lot more enjoyable. We ate lunch, and I quickly returned back to school. I took a bus this time, which was a terrifying experience because of the road systems here. More on that in a second. So, I return to school and we went kayaking in a town a little ways away called Con-Con (translated: with-with. Don't ask, I don't know). Kayaking was HARD. First of all, the only time I've kayaked (that I remember?) was at Girl Scout camp when I was like, seven. That was in a lake. With no wind. Yesterday, we went kayaking in the ocean. With a lot of wind. They put the girls two to a kayak because the wind was so strong. At first, we all wanted to go by ourself, but when we were struggling against the wind to get back to shore, I was thankful Whitney was with me. I didn't think we were going to make it back. Aside from the rocks, the people who wouldn't move, and the boat flipping over when Whitney got out (with me still in it), it was really cool and REALLY pretty.
So back to the roads. They don't have lanes. It's literally just a strip of pavement. Therefore, people go wherever they like, whenever they like. So there may be enough room for two lanes, but it turns into three. Think cab drivers in New York, without specified lanes and they're everyday people. On top of that, the street signs are just a suggestion. There are only one and a half road laws in this city: 1. A pedestrian has the right away in a crosswalk. Always. 2. You have to stop at a red light. Only when you feel like it. I bet they have a really easy permit test.
On my bus ride, I had to know where to get off the bus, so I sat up front, thinking I would have a better view. I learned my lesson, and I'm never doing that again. It was terrifying because we would be a foot from the car in front of us when he decided to stop. Oh, another thing, fender benders are an everyday occurrence. But they're not a big deal because everyone's car is already beat up so it doesn't really matter anymore (read: don't drive a nice car). People bump each other, and keep on going. It's like a huge game of bumper cars. On the street.
Also, the buses don't have designated stops. Basically, you see your bus, you catch the drivers eye, and he might pull over to the curb, or you might run across the street to get on the bus. And you can ring a bell and get off wherever you like.
It's a strange, strange city.
I started off the day going to my two classes (read: walking forever) and then I came back here for lunch (read: walking some more). On the way home, I walked with my friend, Casey, which made the walk a whole lot more enjoyable. We ate lunch, and I quickly returned back to school. I took a bus this time, which was a terrifying experience because of the road systems here. More on that in a second. So, I return to school and we went kayaking in a town a little ways away called Con-Con (translated: with-with. Don't ask, I don't know). Kayaking was HARD. First of all, the only time I've kayaked (that I remember?) was at Girl Scout camp when I was like, seven. That was in a lake. With no wind. Yesterday, we went kayaking in the ocean. With a lot of wind. They put the girls two to a kayak because the wind was so strong. At first, we all wanted to go by ourself, but when we were struggling against the wind to get back to shore, I was thankful Whitney was with me. I didn't think we were going to make it back. Aside from the rocks, the people who wouldn't move, and the boat flipping over when Whitney got out (with me still in it), it was really cool and REALLY pretty.
So back to the roads. They don't have lanes. It's literally just a strip of pavement. Therefore, people go wherever they like, whenever they like. So there may be enough room for two lanes, but it turns into three. Think cab drivers in New York, without specified lanes and they're everyday people. On top of that, the street signs are just a suggestion. There are only one and a half road laws in this city: 1. A pedestrian has the right away in a crosswalk. Always. 2. You have to stop at a red light. Only when you feel like it. I bet they have a really easy permit test.
On my bus ride, I had to know where to get off the bus, so I sat up front, thinking I would have a better view. I learned my lesson, and I'm never doing that again. It was terrifying because we would be a foot from the car in front of us when he decided to stop. Oh, another thing, fender benders are an everyday occurrence. But they're not a big deal because everyone's car is already beat up so it doesn't really matter anymore (read: don't drive a nice car). People bump each other, and keep on going. It's like a huge game of bumper cars. On the street.
Also, the buses don't have designated stops. Basically, you see your bus, you catch the drivers eye, and he might pull over to the curb, or you might run across the street to get on the bus. And you can ring a bell and get off wherever you like.
It's a strange, strange city.
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