Orienting to Chile-Algarrobo Style/Bella Vista

Hola Mis Amigos,

So just when I get into Santiago, our program sends us off to another town! But seriously, I spent a great last couple of days in Algarrobo, a small beach town about an 1 1/2-2 hours outside Santiago. Wednesday morning I had my oral portion of the diagnostic test, which went pretty well.It really helped that it was a group test,because we could bounce ideas off each other if one of us ran out of something to say! It was just like having a casual conversation for 15 minutes,because the instructors just told us to pretend they weren't there. So anyways, we left for Algarrobo a couple hours after, and we were the only group at our Hotel Pacifico! We had a big welcome by our program director, who I'm glad to say is awesome! He described himself as our mentor,cheerleader, tour guide,etc. He genuinely cares about the well being of everyone. We had dinner pretty late the first night and everyone joked how it was the first time they were hungry in Chile,because their host families feed them so much! It's actually true...there's always bread on the table! The next day we had an overwhelming amount of information about everything,but there was two interesting things I got out of it. 1. We can do an internship for class credit at a local organization, school, newspaper, etc. I will definitely seek one out! 2. There is a group on my campus (La Cátolica) that reaches out to foreign students like me and goes on trips. They even do a trip to Mendoza,Argentina complete with horseback riding for a decent price! I will definitely take advantage of that. Later we walked towards the biggest pool in the world,but we couldn't find it! It was a nice walk anyway. After more orientation stuff we tried again and found it! Turns out you had to walk on the beach a bit to get to it. It was pretty cool,but completely empty,because it's only used in the summer. The security guard even let us inside the gate to snap better photos. But really, you can't capture the immensity of a mile long pool in a photo.The next day we had orientation sessions for each separate school(because some are going to U de Chile), lunch,and then we left. I knocked out on the bus,which is good,because we got stuck in traffic(which they call "taco" here by the way). Overall, it was a great time to meet everyone in the program. We have about 45 people in our program, and everyone is just so open and ready to explore/learn. I'm glad we're an adventurous bunch :)

La Gran Piscina. One mile long!

Our hotel for the retreat!

Ok what I did after getting back yesterday just shows that I still never know what to expect in Chile. Instead of unpacking, I spent an hour and half just chatting with my host mom's daughter and friend,translating the lyrics to Adele songs and Sean Kingston's "Fire Burning." It's funny what they hear as the lyrics. For example, my host mom's  friend thought "Somebody call 9-1-1" was "Somebody come now now now." It makes sense! Lyrics go so fast and if English(or in my case Spanish) isn't your first language, you don't always pick up on what is actually being said.You just hear what makes more sense to you. Oh yeah and defining what "shawty" meant was quite an experience in itself. My host mom's daughter lived in the U.S. for a year,so it helped to have her translate a bit too.

Then on a whim, I went with an EAP friend, her host sister, and host sister's friends to a discoteca(a club), in a cool,artsy area called Bella Vista. We didn't even leave until about 1:30.They played a lot of the same stuff in the U.S., with some reggaeton splashed in the mix.It was pretty fun for my first experience of Chilean night life! After we left, we stopped at an outdoor food vendor called Pikachu(yup like the Pokemon character.) and I had my first completo. It's basically like a hot dog,but with a spicy italian sausage slathered with a thick layer of smashed avocado, a ridiculous amount of mayo, and relish-like toppings to choose from. (At one point or another I will dedicate a blog post to the food here!) It was tasty,but really messy. It's not a good food to eat when you are walking around!We all took a cab back and got in finally around 5:00,which apparently is an early night for Chileans. The metros don't open until 6:00 am,so some will not come back till about 7-8!  

So today I decided to spend a relaxing day,since I'm pretty beat and it's really gloomy out.I went for a little run around my neighborhood, to see the shops and restaurants around. As long as I'm keeping busy I don't feel homesick,but there are definitely lonely moments when I think about my family all together. However, I really am enjoying the company of my host family more and more. Which brings me to...

cosa chilena #2: Family is important! We don't have a t.v. downstairs,so when everyone is together we really are together,as in talking and eating together. My host mom is good at giving me space,but I really do enjoy when we can have time during at least one meal a day to enjoy each others company. This may not be a cosa chilena so much as it is an observation of everyday life in my homestay.

Eso es todo para ahora! Hasta luego amigos!

The hotel staff said their goodbyes, with the flag. So nice!

I'm a Big Kid Now

Hola chicos,
Ok so I honestly didn't think I'd be updating my blog already....but I figure in the beginning when everything is so new and exciting, it's good to share what's going on. Plus a lot happened today! "I'm a Big Kid Now," because I felt very proud to go to the store and get my cellphone "pre-pago" (prepaid). I had to ask questions about putting money on it and everything, and it seemed like I got my point across to the sales guy well enough. Prior to this,we had an orientation which laid out the schedule of the next few weeks. We also go introduced to the instructors for ILP(intensive language program), who gave us a list of topics for our "examen oral" tomorrow. We have 15 minutes to discuss a topic they pick with our group, and according to this and our written exam(i took a couple months ago) we are placed into one of three levels. I'm not stressing to much about what level, because I have no doubt that my Spanish skills are gonna take off in the next few months no matter the original level they put me in. My host mom and her friend helped me with some topics,like the cultural and socioeconomic implications of food and drink and advantages/disadvantages of study abroad programs. But we got off topic somehow, and began discussing the history of Chile, and the period of Pinochet's dictatorship. From about 1973-1989, Chile was under a right-wing dictatorship,which was a time period that has left people here with many mixed opinions of protests and politics. Mi mama chilena had a lot to say about violent protests...it was so interesting to hear her perspective! Wow, but I just completely veered off course...
So anyway, after orientation stuff, we met for lunch with our "monitores culturales," who are basically our Chilean buddies from the university,who show us the ropes.It reminds me of being an Activity Lead for ESL at UCI! I hope I can come back with a better understanding of the extension students' struggles with learning a new language.My group leader, Angie, is very nice and she gave everyone in our group a little card with her number and email. We have trips planned, such as a visit to La Moneda(basically the Chilean white house) and a winery. Estoy tan emocionada! Then after lunch is when a couple other EAPers and I went to an area Los Leones to buy our phones. With our name tags,accents and matching paper bags we got at orientation, we definitely stood out!  We got the phones in  a store that looked kind of like a Target...so basically upon entering I felt like I was back in the U.S. for a moment.,with Katy Perry playing over the speakers. And finally, after everything I'm back home putting off preparing for the examen...oh and I have to pack for the retreat that we leave for tomorrow, not this weekend like I thought before! Hasta luego amigos!

And now a parting gift...My host mom has a live-in maid (which is actually very common with middle-class families in South America)who has two dogs that just had puppies! So here's a video of the little "chachorros"(puppies) stampeding my room! So cute!!!

First Impressions

Hola amigos,
Well I made it! I flew in to Chile yesterday morning after a 5 hour flight to Miami, then another 8 hours to Santiago. oof.Going from the plane, to baggage claim, to immigration and finally the shared van I took kind of felt like a trance...I was pretty tired since I didn't sleep much on the flight. I took the shared van to an apartment of a UCI student who is just finished her year here.We had been in contact through email for a few months, since I had tons of questions about Chile, and she offered up her place for the night which was really nice of her. I also got to meet her old host mom and brother for "once." From what I gather,it's a small meal in the evening,since lunch is typically the biggest meal. We had tea, rolls with ham, jelly, and cheese, and oatmeal with yogurt poured over it...it was actually really tasty! This morning, I took a cab to the "Campus Oriente," which is the part of campus where I'll be doing the Intensive Language Program. It's so beautiful and calm compared to the rest of the city. Santiago is definitely a busy city! I got to meet the other students in my program. Then all the host families showed up to pick us up.We had looks on our faces like preschoolers, waiting to be picked up by our moms! So after that, my host mom took me home, where we had lunch. She even told me I could walk home for lunch,between classes(since the main campus is only two blocks away!) That's so sweet of her!After,she had to go to work,so I have been unpacking and relaxing in my room, which has a view of the Andes!

The campus where I will take classes the first 3 weeks. Muy bonita!

The view from my room.I can see the Andes :)

So, I know this post sounds like the transition has been pretty easy,but I still have a lot to get used to. Speaking and listening to Spanish means I always have to be  attentive,which is mentally exhausting. Then there's other day to day things, like kissing people on the cheek to greet them, grabbing toilet paper before entering the stall, and understanding bus routes that will take some getting used to(also the bus drivers drive crazy fast and take off pretty much right when you get on!) In time, it will become natural. Tomorrow is orientation,Wednesday is our diagnostic exam, and after we leave for  a retreat to Algarrobo, a town on the beach. Exciting events coming my way! Chau!

cosa chilena #1: Apparently there are dogs that live on the streets throughout Santiago. You begin to see the same dogs in the same area,because each has a sort of territory. They're very calm and I guess people around the city feed them.

Uno de los perros de las calles

The Best Piece of Paper in The World

Welcome to the blog!I thought this would be a nice place for family,friends, and people who are considering studying abroad to check out. I personally really found a lot of benefit looking into other's travel blogs,because each one has a unique, honest perspective. I got my Visa yesterday(June 8),so it just felt right to start with an intro post to my Chilean study abroad. After months of running around getting all the paperwork,checkups, and what not the actual visit to the L.A.  consulate was pretty quick. The whole thing took less than half an hour and the Chilean visa lady was super sweet.She remembered me from just a couple phone conversations. Then it was just  sign here, here, and here.Fingerprint there and there. Boom done. Here's your Visa.Wow. After I put it in my purse I checked it about 10 times on the drive home, just to make sure it was still there. Of course it was! It just didn't feel real. Before, when I told people I'm going to Chile, those words felt strange and uncertain to me.But now that I have it, I know this is happening. 
So for those who need a recap, here's the basic lowdown of my time in Santiago,Chile...I applied for the fall program and found out about an extension option for the year, so I jumped at the opportunity(after just  a bit of consideration maybe haha...) I've heard people who go to study abroad just getting comfortable after 6 months with the language and everything...but then they have to leave. So I'm going to take the opportunity to seriously  work on my Spanish and embrace Chilean culture (like how I kinda snuck in the blog title? how clever of me!) Next time you hear from me I'll be in Chile!In the next two weeks, I'll be enjoying the company of family,friends,and the California sun(it's winter in Chile now and will be till about November. brrrrr!). Hasta luego!


p.s. Funny side story-When I was waiting at the consulate I was telling another woman in the waiting room the bathroom was locked. "Aquí," she said. "Where?," I asked wondering what exactly was "here(aquí)." After a moment of confusion she pointed to a bathroom key on the counter...ohhh "A KEY"! Haha, guess I'm already preparing myself to pick up on Spanish rather than English words! 

After I got my Visa. So happy!