373 Days

On June 23rd 2012 I said goodbye to my family, friends, and country for my year in Chile. I remember landing in Santiago feeling in a daze, just going through customs and finding a shuttle to get into the city. From that day on there was never a dull experience...
It is a bit overwhelming to think about all that can happen in a year when you put yourself into a completely new setting. Your adjust your comfort zone if you step out of it enough times. There was certainly a lot of stepping out first semester. For one thing navigating a spanish speaking country, even more a country where the spanish is so unique that they dubb it "Chileno" is a frustrating yet ultimately rewarding challenge. I will never forget  one of the first meals with my host family when my host mom asked if I wanted marrow and I was completely lost as to what that was until she enunciated máS arroZ (more rice)...for a while it was moments like this that left me frustrated with Chilean spanish. With time I've come to really enjoy it...the "po" splashed at the end of some words, the funny slang, and the constant swallowing of consonants. Some Chileans will tell you they speak terribly, but I beg to differ. I'm proud to say I speak "Chileno." Another experience was finding a new group of friends, something I hadn't had to do since freshmen year of college. I found comfort in the forty or so people in my study abroad group, and a handful of them I got really close to. Through our travels throughout Chile and random adventures in Santiago we bonded. And travel I did...I had the amazing opportunity to see much of what Chile has to offer. I have literally explored Chile north to south, from Arica to Punta Arenas.
In between semesters I was lucky enough to have three of my family members visit. My sister and I shared an unforgettable adventure in Peru and a once in a lifetime experience Couchsurfing in  Valparaiso for New Years. With my Dad, I was able to experience the beauty of Torres del Paine National Park on a ten-day trek. Finally, my Mom came and although our time together was only a week we shared just as many memories as the other visits. I was able to introduce her to my Chilean family I met in Maintencillo doing help exchange. When I lived with this family my spanish skills did not only improve drastically compared to the semester before (2 weeks of pure spanish does wonders), but I formed a bond with them that will last a lifetime.
Second semester brought a new, yet rewarding set of challenges. Many of the friends I made in my program had left after one semester. This forced me to obtain a new level of independence I had not achieved the previous semester. I moved out of my homestay and found a house to share with other international students, which gave me the opportunity to connect with both people outside of my country and Chile. I also got more involved in my host university by joining the Activities Commission of a volunteer organization I had participated in over summer. For the first time I was the only foreigner in a room full of Chileans, something that I had never truly experienced first semester.
I want to finish this post by answering the two most common questions I have been asked here. First, many Chileans will ask me "Viniste sola? (Did you come alone?)" I find myself answering that question with a "yes...but" and soon I launch into an explanation that although I technically came alone, that solitarily was quickly erased.I have made friendships, some lasting and perhaps some not but both worth making. Even the strangers I come across briefly can bring comfort, such as the elderly man who walked me to where I needed to go one of my first days in Chile as I navigated the streets of Santiago in a panic. So maybe I didn't have the comfort of family and friends I had been with for years, but there was never a moment I felt alone. It just goes to show no matter where you are in the world there are more people looking out for you than you think. And that becomes the answer to the other big question... "Por qué Chile? (Why Chile?)." Of course I had the prepared response of bettering my spanish, experiencing a new culture,etc. That's a given. But the true response is the fact that I have made important connections in a foreign environment heightens their significance. I have had to overcome language barriers,cultural mishaps, and reconsiderations of my personal values. In the end I leave calling Chile my second home.
See you July 3rd La Crescenta! Y Chile...¡nos vemos más pronto que tarde!

Proyecta UC Round 2-Las Palmas!

Hello All,
I wanted to give an update on what has to have been one of my best weekends in Chile. This past Monday and Tuesday were holidays, so I obviously wanted to take advantage of the break! Back in summertime I did a volunteer project through my host university. I enjoyed it so much that I signed up for the fall project as well. It was half the number of days, however it was just as if not more fun and rewarding.
We were sent to a region about 2 hours south of Santiago called Pichidegua, and the town for our group of ten within this region was called Las Palmas (the palms). We ended up getting in Friday night close to midnight, but the president of the town was still happily waiting for us to give us the key to the house we stayed in. It was very closed quarters for a group of ten, but at least it had running water (wasn't so lucky with this in summer...the well had dried up).
The next few days were busy, but amazing. We ended up constructing a small play set, soccer goals, and a few benches in the plaza. Within five minutes of beginning construction people from the community came from all corners to help us. Honestly, there were some points when there were more community members working than us! The best helper was hands down the two year old who toddled over to me with his plastic shovel and started scooping dirt out of the hole I was digging for a tree.
When we weren't constructing we had workshops and activities with the community. We had a Bingo Night, a workshop on household remedies for cuts,burns, etc., and meals. The whole weekend we ended up cooking only once! One of the days, they all pitched in to do a barbecue for us...needless to say I was not hungry once that whole weekend.
The kids in the community were just adorable and there was a pretty big age range. I felt like I was reliving my childhood a bit with them. You know all the songs you sing in elementary school with a circle? Well, they are about ten times cuter in Spanish.
The last night of the project our team had our closing thoughts, finishing with the passing on of the flag. Each community has a flag with the university logo and the name of the community, and the group has to come to a consensus for who will take the flag with them...and they gave it to me! It was one of those moments that has made the past eleven months here so worth it. Learning a new language and adjusting to a different culture is never easy. On the other end of the spectrum, the host country faces an equal if not greater challenge of wondering how to treat the outsider. Therefore, I have a lot of respect for this young group of Chileans who were able to make me feel so comfortable and even speak about my admirable qualities. I feel like I definitely had not reached this point after only one semester, where it was a novelty to spend time with a group of Chileans without other gringos and/or foreigners present. Also, within ten seconds of a conversation last semester the question "Where are you from?" came up.Now, I have had the opportunity to spend days on end with a Chilean community. Even more, people didn't pick up that I was a foreigner right away. It would come up later in a conversation and the response would usually be something along the lines of "Oh well I thought I heard an accent..." The funniest moment is when one of the young boys in the community said a bad word and I turned shocked and asked  Qué dijiste?!(What'd you say?!) and he said back "Oh it's from a song...so you understand English pretty well or something?" I laughed and said "Well, I sure hope so...I'm from the U.S.!" The looks on their faces were hilarious. Afterwards, I was quite a hit with the kids who were begging me to teach them bad words in English, although they already knew a shocking amount from the movies they had seen.
I'll leave two pieces of advice for study abroad here then. Stay a year if you can, especially in a non-English speaking country. Part of fluency in another language isn't just mastering how to put together a series of grammatically correct sentence.It's understanding pop culture references, idioms, and slang and being able to use them in a conversation. It's knowing how another culture's sense of humor functions so you can actually tell a joke that will make the locals laugh instead of looking onto a room of blank stares. My next piece of advice is step out of the box and away from your travel book when you have a long weekend before you. Go to a small town instead of a big city. Participate in a volunteer project or even local events pertaining to the holiday you have off. I love traveling just as much as any study abroad participant. But after one semester and another one before me I stepped back and figured out what I really wanted. Last semester, my breaks were spent with my American friends, seeing many beautiful sites in Chile. We formed a special bond through our travels and we met people from all over the world in every hostel. This semester, I realized I wanted less "go,go,go" and an ability to really integrate myself with Chileans. A volunteer project like the one I did allowed me to spend a whole weekend getting to know a Chilean community and peers from my host university.
When I got home from the project there was a reminder that my experience is coming to a close. My soon to be roommate and great friend had signed up for classes for me, so the schedule was in front of me on my student account. It just it strange to think that in a little over one month I will be home and in four months I will be back at UC Irvine. I am getting really anxious to see my family, friends, dog, house, and just everything that was familiar to me the first twenty years of my life. At the same time, I have come to be familiar with Chile more than I could have imagined I would. So what's  important now is to live in the moment and enjoy the opportunities I have in the weeks to come. My life in the U.S. will always be there for me, but I only have so much time for my life in Chile.

Las Palmas

Sunday in Santiago-Parks

My blog needs life and it's up to me to revive it. The best way to do so, I feel, is to start a series called "Sunday in Santiago." Ok, I admit this is a spin off of another blog of an expat in Santiago, who does "Saturday in Santiago." She is a much more experienced blogger and usually reviews a  nice restaurant. I am not an experienced blogger, but rather just someone letting her family and friends know she is alive down here via blog. Nor am I a working expat with the financial means to review restaurants every week, but rather a study abroad participant on a student visa  who lives off the boxes of macaroni  her mom brought down after a visit. So, I'll take my own approach and report on...well I suppose it will be what I encounter everyday here. The first topic...parks. Coming from a University with a giant park in the middle of campus, I have come to believe parks are some of the best reflections of culture. In UC Irvine's case, Aldrich park is the epitome of student culture, full of students doing what students do best, "studying" and napping. So I guess I could say that parks in Santiago are of a reflection of, well, Santiago culture. Take a walk with me and I'll explain...

Starting my stroll in Parque Bustamante. Biking is a surprisingly popular way to get around,given the way people drive here. The parks serve as  sanctuaries for bikers from the traffic.In the background is a skate  park, where on any given afternoon hoards of teenagers come to hang out, smoke, and conspicuously drink. Sometimes it's not so conspicuous and you get to witness the cops pulling up in their motorcycles, pouring out and stomping on the kids' boxed wine and/or beer cans, and telling them to beat it. 

In route from Parque Bustamante to Parque Balmaceda.Not uncommon to see zumba classes pop up in the middle of plazas. I was almost inspired to join, if it weren't in jeans and ballet flats.

Seeing this surprised me, because I don't really see the encouragement to recycle, nor get the trash actually into the trash can here. Ok, it's not always the case, but I'm biased coming from earth friendly, hipster, and organic SoCal, where they charge money for plastic bags. Still, it's nice to see little steps like this are being taken here. 

Yup, that's more like it. Water bottles left over from a 5k/10k race earlier that day.

I took a shot of this spot, because it shows how Santiago is a city of sharp contrasts. You are strolling through a serene, shady park and then you cross the street and  are suddenly blinded by the reflection of this monstrous building. 

I just love this place. Getting work done at home is almost impossible, so it's wonderful to have a study spot within walking distance. People of all ages come to study, read, or chat over a cup of coffee. 

Complete serenity. During the week I would be dodging bikers and rushed businessmen and women. Off to the right and not pictured, to avoid the risk of being a creeper, a couple are in their own little world. In the States, a couple having a full make out session in any public place, parks included, would be met with eye rolls and perhaps utterances of "get a room..."  Here the they are as a common as the trees...in fact like trees there can be clusters of couples in one particular area. And the  other park-goers don't seem to mind. It's the underlying "You go about your business, I'll go about mine" mentality.  

The metro station in the middle of the park. It's just strange to think how under a pretty bed of flowers lies what is basically Santiago's circulatory system, transporting 2.3 million passengers daily (thanks Wikipedia). Speaking of metros, there is growing popularity for a Facebook page called "Spotted Metrosantiago." People can anonymously write in their romantic moments on the metro hoping to reencounter this person with whom they shared a smile or lingering eye contact with over a pair of stations, before being torn away by their unshared final destination. Whether or not it actually works I haven't a clue, but it makes for some good reading...some of these people get pretty poetic.

The metro station is where the park ends and the street in route to my house begins. I chose the topic of parks for my first post, because they are honestly one of my favorite parts about this city. Parks provide an endless spectrum of opportunities to invent scenarios for the random occurrences I see and histories of the people I come across briefly. 
Thanks for taking a stroll with me. See you next Sunday! 

3/4 Done!

Hey all!
Wow, I can't believe that I have a little less than three months here! I´ve been a bit behind on the blogging lately, thanks to being sick. On a postive note, cough syrup in Chile tastes much better than cough syrup in the U.S...kinda like honey instead of nasty, artificial cherry flavor. I will obviously keep up the blog posts, but they may just be focusing on less travels and more living here. Even still, there is always something to write about.
A couple weekends ago, I celebrated an Easter Eve dinner with my California friend Andrea, her Chilean tandem buddy, and a couple more people from our year program. We had homemade gnocchi, pisco sours, and plenty of dessert. It's always hard to spend holidays away from family, but being able to share them with others here makes the homesickness less. On actual Easter Sunday, Andrea and I went to a mass in the big cathedral in Plaza de Armas. After the Eucharist a couple of guys jumped onto the altar and unfurled a sign promoting a strike. This was actually covered in the news...where Andrea and I appeared!  Here's a screen shot of us, since our screen time is literally a second long shot...

Other than making it in the news, life has been going pretty normally here with plenty of school work. I had my first test in my Chilean theatre class, and it seemed to go pretty well. Plus, we got to bring notes since it was an essay style. I touched upon this in the past post, but thankfully it's a lot easier  now to follow along with classes now and get through readings. In fact my professor came up to another foreign student and I and said "You know, foreign students usually struggle with this class for obvious reasons of language. But judging by the work on some of your quizzes, you two really seem to have a great grasp of the language." That was one of those moments that made my past few months here so worth it!
As far as my internship goes, I'm really enjoying it! A lot of it is answering phones to schedule appointments for employers to come into the office and look for maids to hire. It is definitely helping my phone skills! When they don't need help inside the office, I get to sit outside and chat with the women waiting to get hired. Some of them sit out there all day, waiting for a good offer to interview for. The older women are a bit shyer, but there are a few women I've seen around a couple times love to chat!  Many of them have come from Peru, Bolivia, and the Dominican Republic  looking for jobs. Sadly, some of them have to leave their kids behind in their home country. With Peru in particular you have to be with the same employeer for three years to have permanent residency here. A lot of times it doesn't work out with the employeer, so when they have to change jobs the three year rule starts all over again. Basically, that means  it can be really tough to be a permanent resident here since it's hard to luck out on the first job and find a great family to work for. Overall, it's really interesting to hear how the immigration situation works in Chile.
I've also stayed involved with the organization in my host university with which I did the volunteer project back in January. One of the guys from my group over summer invited me to join the Activities Committee for the fall project, so I said "Sure, why not!?" On Saturday, we had a get together at one of the student's house, with all the typical skit performing, competitions, and other team bonding activities any student volunteer group does. The difference of course, is that I was the only foreigner in a group of Chileans. I just feel really thankful to have the opportunity to be included in a campus organization. Everyone in the project is really nice and asks questions about my country and experience here. I tend  to respond and then reflect back those questions by asking what they study and where they would want to study abroad if they have the chance to(I´m not bias in anyway telling them to study in California ;) ) Oh, and apparently my nickname here is now "Eli (pronounced Ellie, not like short for Elijah!)." I will actually miss that little name when I go back, since none of my U.S. friends or family use it.
Other than classes and internship, it's just been hanging out and getting to know my housemates. Plans just tend to sporadically come together, but it's always a good time with them. Last Friday we went to a concert at University of Santiago (my housemate's host university). I was listening to the music thinking "Cool, this group is doing a really good cover of  Chico Trujillo's songs!" Chico Trujillo is a famous Chilean cumbia band, with a rock/reggae mixed style. Then, a student  nearby recognizing me as a foreigner turned to me and asked (in Spanish) "Do you like Chico Trujillo?," pointing to the stage. "Oh, it's actually them!," I responded, feeling a bit silly I didn't recognize it was them right away and thinking it was just an amazing cover band. Apparently, they play at a lot of universities, but I hadn't seen them live yet. So naturally, I was pretty excited...There are surprises here everyday!
So that's what I got for you all. I definitely feel like I'm in a different stage in my experience, but things are in no way winding down either. Chao for now!

Chile Through Fresh Eyes-Mom's visit

Last week marked the end of my "visitors season." I already had the pleasure of showing my sister and dad this wonderful country. Now it was my mom's turn!
We started our adventures in Maintencillo, the beach town where I did my help exchange for two weeks in January so my mom could meet the Chilean family that basically took me in as their own. We had a blast hanging out with them. Our first night we got in and ended up sitting around the table and chatting over 2 hours. The next day a "quick" walk on the beach with my mom ended up being a whole afternoon trek ending with her first pisco sour and empanada in Chile!

We said goodbye to the familia Monday morning and our next stop was Valparaiso. I had been there a couple of times, but I decided to put the tour guiding into someone else's hands....so we hopped on a "Tours for Tips." tour. And it was a great decision! Basically you just go to the main square and look for the guide "Wally" in the striped shirt, who leads the group on a three hour tour. In the end, you just give them the tip you think they deserve. And our guide (who was actually a gringo from Culver city) deserved an awesome tip! He took us to all parts of the city, and along the way we had free alfajores (dulce de leche cookies) and a pisco sour (her second one...starting to see a pattern).

And I finally got to see La Sebastiana, another one of the poet Pablo Neruda's houses. Two down (La Chascona and La Sebastiana), one to go (Isla Negra)! 

La Sebastiana: 5 stories!

The rest of the week was spent in Santiago. Something about showing this city to a pair of fresh eyes allows me to re-notice the day to day differences that have become common to me after nine months. A big example being the stray dogs. She could not get enough of them! Another great reason for my mom's visit was seeing parts of the city that I had been either wanting to see or had never thought to see. Let  the photos do the talking...

Wanted to see, but never got to it: Cafe Wonderful. Real coffee? Wonderful!

Never thought to see: Wine bar called BocaNariz. Each glass had a cute label.

Mom wanted pictures with every.single.dog....

Not pictured is a piano bar called Don Rodrigo. You go in and there is literally an old Chilean man playing away on the piano!
We also explored the typical spots around the city I was familiar with. Having a visitor gives me a good excuse to visit these spots, which I have to admit I've been doing less frequently the past couple of months. And it's not like L.A., where getting to certain landmarks is an afternoon's worth of traffic. Metros make everything much more accesible here!

Hiking the Cerro San Cristobal. Not part of my agenda nowadays, but always nice to climb!

Although one week flies by, it was wonderful to have my mom for at least these short period of time. Thanks for letting me play tour guide mom! Chao for now!

One more thing...these are completely unrelated to this post, but there have been interesting things going down in March...

#1: On March 1st, a law went into affect banning smoking in bars, discotecas, and casinos. Finally, I can breathe when I go out for the night and return home not smelling like an ashtray!

#2: Since the Chilean school year is March-December as opposed to September-June, a couple weeks ago was sort of like a welcome week. Apparently some form of hazing  occurs here too. I've seen "novatos" (college freshies) standing outside of metro stations in ragged, zombie like clothes and painted faces, asking for coins to buy food or beer or something along those lines... 

I didn't snap any photos, but I found an example in a popular Chilean video "42 frases típicas de Marzo" (42 typical phrases of March). 9 seconds in the student says (with a hint of irony) "Qué rico entrar a la U!" (How great to enter college!), followed by a smashing of an egg over her freshman head.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRKXaTtEASg
#3: Last Sunday marked my 9 month anniversary in Chile. How crazy that I'm 3/4 done! 

Second Semester

Hello Folks!
So after an amazing summer it's back to school. I feel so lucky to have spent a summer in Chile(and Peru!) and create such a variety of memories in such distinct places. Even more, it's amazing that over 8 months have past and there are only 4 to go! I say only, because time certainly flies by here...so 4 months feels very little to me.
Before I jump into describing this semester, here's a photo recap of my summer. One photo for each adventure doesn't do them justice, but you get the idea...

Inka Trail to Machu Picchu with Claire

Couchsurfing in Valparaiso for New Years.All these people in one house!

Proyecta UC-The playground we built for the kids of Quilico

Help Exchange in Maintencillo-This family basically adopted me!

Backpacking the Circuit in Torres del Paine with my Dad

Now, here comes second semester...As far as class load, this semester is equal to the last. I'm taking a course on Latin American Geography, Chilean and Hispanic Theatre, and a  Latin American of the 20th century seminary. I'm very happy to say it's already much easier to follow along with classes. That's especially good for my Chilean Theatre class, since my very enthusiastic professor rambles on and uses a lot of chilenismos(Chilean slang).
I'm also on board to do an internship at CIAMI(translated-Integrated Center of Attention to Migrants)which I'm getting excited since I kind of sought it out myself. Our study abroad office usually has a list of internships, but I heard about this place off the record from a doctorate student I met doing her Fulbright research on immigration here. My first day is this Tuesday, so we'll see how that goes!
My living situation is also really different this semester. I found a house that is shared by international students here on typically a semester basis. The majority of my housemates are from France actually. Since they don't speak much English and I can't speak any French(not counting oui and merci), Spanish is the shared language!  It's also a great location, right by a metro station, two parks, and a fruit and veggie market every Thursday and Sunday. I'm also getting used to cooking for myself and doing my own laundry  again. Certainly different from living with a family and having all my meals and laundry done! On Friday, we had a merged welcome party for the people in my house and another house a couple blocks down. There ended up being people from France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, England, Mexico, Germany, Ireland and Chile of course. As far as I knew, I was the only American there!
At this point, I am definitely  in a new phase of my study abroad experience. I am used to living in this country, especially in Santiago. I can navigate some bus routes in my sleep. I have traveled far north(San Pedro de Atacama) and far South(Patagonia). I understand the concept of Chilean time and shrug it off when professors don't show up to class without warning. Is it the end of everything fresh and exciting? Absolutely not! I continue to search for new experiences, whether it be a different internship or a living situation. A little routine is important (go to class!), but it's also important to surprise yourself even in a familiar environment. That's a mindset I hope to bring back and use the rest of my life.
Chao for now!
p.s. My mom comes next Saturday!! I'm getting excited! There is something so wonderful about showing Santiago to a fresh pair of eyes.

The "OW" in Torres del Paine

Elihc? No...Chile!

I finally did it. I visited place pictured on the cover of my Chile guide book... Torres del Paine National Park! Located in the Patagonia region in southern Chile, this place is a trekkers and nature lovers paradise. Thanks to a lot of planning on my Dad's part, we were able to backpack the famous circuit trek, or the O, and include all parts of the shorter, more popular W trek . Therefore you have  the "WO," to express our amazement at the beauty here or the "OW" to express our pain after the trek of 9 days. I decided the best way to approach this post is to do the classic day by day breakdown, to create a timeline and prevent myself from rambling on(which I may still do!).

There was obviously some build up to getting to the park. My dad flew into Santiago first to spend a few days to see the sites. It felt pretty amazing after 8 months apart to see him coming through the sliding doors after customs :). Then we woke up reallyy early the 14th(his birthday!) to catch our flight to Punta Arenas. Once we got there it was a few hours exploring before a 3 hour bus to Puerto Natales, the closest city to Torres del Paine. After a night in Puerto Natales, it was another bus ride (2.5 hours) to the actual park. So over 2 days it was about 9 hours of traveling to get there! So now the adventure begins... 

 

Day 1: Laguna Amarga to Puesto Seron

We opted out of the shuttle that takes people to the normal start (Hotel Las Torres) and hiked an extra hour. From this first day I noted two things: 1. It is incredibly windy! 2. You can drink the water straight from the stream, without getting sick! This is not possible in California's national parks, where you can get giardia(ick!) from drinking freshwater.

First shot together day 1

We got into camp by 6:30, since we had started at around noon that day. Now, as a quick explanation the stops along the trail have a camping option, full board option, or a combination. The refugios(cabins essentially) have to be booked far in advance, and there are two companies along the circuit that run them. This first night my dad and I opted to camp, but have our meals provided for. This system is a good way to hike the trail,without having to pack all your own food. Plus, if you really want to enjoy the trail it sure is nice to have a hot meal ready when you come. However, it's definitely not the kind of system for a group of college students on a budget.
Day 2:Puesto Seron to Refugio Dickson

After breakfast, we set out at about 9:30 and followed a thin up and down trail that went along the a river. We took it pretty easy, especially on the downhill to save my dad's knees. There was plenty to look at along the way...

One of many lakes

After many hours and many songs sung to pass the time we made it to Refugio Dickson, on the border of Lago(Lake) Dickson, just in time to escape the downpour! This night we had our meals and stayed in the refugio. It was quite something to hike all day, then have a warm bed to sleep in!

Refugio Dickson from afar

The table all set up for breakfast(Refugio Dickson)

Day 3:Refugio Dickson to Campamento Los Perros

Today was the first glacier sighting day! I realized before this trip, I had only seem glaciers on t.v., in  documentaries or what not.The beginning of this day was mostly through a forest, which can drive you a little crazy after a while. You feel like you will never get out! Finally we came to a suspension bridge(or rather what the guide claimed to be a suspension bridge but was replaced by something sturdier) and saw the massive glacier from afar. After climbing a steep hill we came closer, to see the glacier in its entirety dipping into a lake. We couldn't stay long to take photos, because the wind was INSANE! My hood flew off and my hat was ripped off my head, and then the wind knocked me over when I went to chase the hat...well that could have been my own clumsiness, but let's just blame the wind....

Glacier(view from the bridge)

From the top of the hill

After escaping the angry wind, we hiked another hour or so and made it to our campsite. Tonight we camped and cooked. This was a better way to really chat with the other hikers. There were a lot of couples, a few parent-child duos, and groups of friends. The best part was the majority of the people we met were heading in the same direction on the circuit, so we got to know them as the days went on.

Getting gourmet! 

Day 4: Campamento Perros to Campamento Paso

This was the toughest day yet. The beginning was again what felt like an endless forest, with a really muddy ground. At one point I stepped down and sunk down to my ankle! The horses who bring materials to different sites definitely do not go on this part of the trail! After leaving the forest came the climb to Gardner's Pass. If high school cross country taught me anything it was when I see a hill I have to climb it and keep climbing it until it's over. So I stubbornly pressed ahead of my dad, with the occasional look back down and wave the trekking poles to signal "I'm o.k.!" Pretty good system actually. Finally, I came to the crest of the hill and my eyes were honestly unprepared for the site I saw. Glacier Grey, a hundred times bigger than the glacier from the other day was spread along the horizon line of Gardner's Pass. My mouth dropped open and I practically shouted in amazement, although that was drowned out by the powerful wind. Seriously, what's with all the wind in this place? I snapped a couple shots, then had to press on without my dad, because the wind was seriously too strong to wait there comfortably.  

Glacier Grey. A monster of ice!

After the 800 meter climb, it was a 600 meter descend. I would have preferred three more uphills instead of this. Downhill is slow, tedious, and more painful on the legs! Finally I made it to camp, claimed a campsite(although my dad had half the tent with him), and waited for my dad to show up. When he did, we had to set up the tent in the rain which wasn't too fun. It was also another cooking night, and everyone was crammed under the cooking shelter with their portable stoves, escaping the rain. Note: Torres del Paine is notorious for sporadic weather. One minute it's sunny, the other it can be raining, and strong winds change direction constantly. Although it can be slightly frustrating to deal with, it doesn't take any of the beauty away! 

Day 5: Campamento Paso to Refugio Grey

This was the fastest day yet. Well, it started with a slow descent until my dad finally handed me the reservation paperwork for the next refugio and told me to go on. He really needed to take time with the downhills, especially with his knees. I got to Refugio Grey by about 2 p.m., stopping to snap shots of Glacier Grey which stretched on and on. I got checked into the refugio, which was amazing! Nice beds, a hot shower, and a whole lounge area and bar to hang out in. My dad ended up coming in sooner than I thought. A nice German guy  on a day hike with his girlfriend offered to carry his pack the last 4 kilometers. My dad thanked him with a pisco sour, in good Chilean fashion.  Again, it is strange to feel out in the  wilderness all day, then sit down at a refugio and have a pisco sour. I enjoyed it a little to much to question it! We chatted with the German couple a bit, and found out both of them had applied for jobs at the Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena, California...9 miles from our house. What a small world! 

My favorite shot of Glacier Grey

Day 6: Refugio Grey to Lodge Paine Grande

This day was really quick. We started at 9:30 and I got in by 1:30, with my Dad following soon after at 2:30ish. We camped out this night, in what looked like a sea of orange and yellow tents.

The nice part about this being a short day was that we had some time to nap and explore around Lago Pehoé, which was a gorgeous blue. 

Day 7: Lodge Paine Grande to Refugio Los Cuernos-with a side trip to Valle Frances!

Longest day of the whole trip, with about 12 miles in total. Part of it was without our backpacks though. And this was the first day my dad hired a porter. He finally decided if he really wanted to enjoy the trip and keep up a decent pace (in other words my pace with a pack), he would pass on his heavy stuff to a porter. His porter was a really nice guy, who gave us tips about the rest of the trail and his favorite spots. So on this day,what we did was hike to a campsite called Campamento Italiano and from there to ditch our bags for what ended up being a six hour side trip up the Valle Frances. It was worth the trip, since this is technically part of the W and not the O circuit. We wanted to do it all! Along the way we saw a hanging glacier that cracked so loud it sounded like gunshots! Then we continued on until the mirador(viewpoint) which practically gave us a 360 degree view of the cuernos(horn shaped peaks) and the valley. The best part of this day, aside from the amazing views, was the old British man who burst into song when he got to the lookout point. He was something straight out of a British sitcom. He sang out "I'm on top of the world lookin' down on creation, and the only explanation..." before interrupting himself and turning to a couple napping nearby exclaiming "Oh my! I'm sorry I've woken you up! I had a moment...I'm a child of the 60s you see!" But the lyrics were appropriate...from that viewpoint you really do feel on top of world!

The hanging, cracking glacier

"I'm on top of the world, I'm looking down on creation..."

After the side trip up the valley,we picked up our packs and continued on to Refugio Los Cuernos. That night we actually stayed in a dome tent, which was pretty neat!

Day 8: Los Cuernos to Campamento Torres

Originally this was going to be our last day, but in order to truly include everything in the W we hiked out to the campsite closest to the infamous torres(towers) of Torres del Paine. By the way "Paine" is a Tehuelche Indian word meaning blue. So instead of heading from Los Cuernos to Hotel Las Torres, we took a shortcut that led us up to Refugio Chileno(where we stopped for a break) then up to a free campsite called Campamento Torres. We slept early this night, with plans of doing a morning hike to see the sunrise on the towers as so many do...

Day 9: Ultimate epic hike to the towers in the rain 

We woke up to rain and fog. Not exactly ideal conditions for seeing towers, but we got our buts out of 

the warm tent anyway to the one hour scramble up to the towers. Unfortunately this was the one day where the weather inhibited my reality from surpassing or even matching up with my expectations.

Expectations

Reality :( 

I'm glad we at least made the effort to hike up there and imagine the towers' immensity behind the fog. Besides, every other view over the past 9 days was more than enough. Of course, if I really want to see the towers I could just come back ;).

After hanging out at the towers for not too long, we went back to camp and picked up our stuff, and hiked another couple hours through the rain to Hotel Las Torres. From there it was a short shuttle to Laguna Amarga(where we started), where we picked up the bus heading back to Puerto Natales. The raininess made it easier to say goodbye to Torres del Paine, but as we pulled out of the park there was still a sense of nostalgia you get after spending time in a place so memorable. 

We spent the night in Puerto Natales, and treated ourselves to a delicious meal. I had chupe de centolla, which is essentially a creamy crab stew under a layer of baked breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese. It was so good that my dad and I came back the next day for lunch and ordered it again!

At the end of the trip came the only bad event, with rather ironic circumstances. The morning of the 25th, in our hotel in Punta Arenas, my dad fell down the stairs and hurt his right knee so badly he couldn't walk or bend it. We had our flight that afternoon, so we had to get him in a wheelchair at the airport.  We also got our seats changed to the front and plenty of ice from the nice flight attendants.    Once in Santiago, we headed straight to the hospital which is conveniently located one block from my apartment! There were no doctors on call that spoke english, so despite the bad circumstances I had some fun playing translator. But then again if I don't know what antithrombin means in English, how would I know how to say it in Spanish!? I soon learned it's an anti blood clot medicine...much easier to translate! After 3 hours of waiting and tests, it turns out he had a torn quadricep tendon in his right knee. So after surviving the rough terrain of Torres del Paine for nine days, the irony comes when he busts his knee on a flight of stairs. It was just good it happened after the trek, when he had only four days left in Chile. It's also good that the injury wasn't so severe to require immediate surgery, meaning he could wait for his doctor in the U.S.  Hanging out in the hotel with a leg brace wasn't his idea of ending his time with me, but I enjoyed the downtime. Plus, we were still spending time together, which really what matters! 

Torres del Paine marks my final summer adventure and another item off my bucket list. 

Next Wednesday is the start of semester, and I'm not sure how I'm feeling about it yet. I am expecting that classes will be easier to follow along with, but that also puts pressure on me to improve from last semester.

Well, this post is already too long. I'll have  updates later on my new apartment, classes, and all that getting back into the swing of things business. Chao for now!

Proyecta UC/Welcome to Maintencillo

Hola Amigos,

Finally, I get to sit down and share some adventures. January has already proved to be one the best months in Chile, but also one of the busiest. I said goodbye to my sister on the evening of the 1st, which was a tough goodbye. After 20 days with her after not seeing her for 6 months, I wanted more time! However, I didn't have much time to sit around and let the sad feelings sink in. On the 3rd, I left for Proyecta UC (Universidad Católica) with host university  There were ten groups of about ten people each, assigned to a different small town in the regions of either Rauco or Hualañé. I was put in the town of Quilico, in the Hualañé region. When I got to campus the first day before departure, I was definitely feeling nervous. I knew I was the only foreigner in my volunteer group and would be the only on in the town as well. However, these feelings quickly disappeared when I met my group, probably some of the nicest young Chileans I've ever met. 

 For some background information, Quilico is a really small town that was badly affected by the huge earthquake in 2010. The once adobe houses have been rebuilt to be more modern. After the earthquake, there was unfortunately a fire that burned down the local schoolhouse. Now, the kids in the town have to take a bus everyday. There is no telephones, internet, or cell service (unless you walk 15 minutes to the top of a hill). 

The next 10 days can only be summed up as amazing. Our task was to build a playground equipment for Quilico, although it wasn't pure construction. We also hosted talleres (workshops) for the locals, usually arts and crafts with household items. I also got to play with the kids a lot, who were just adorable and sometimes crazy. They called all of us tío/tía, so I was “Tía Eliza.” I think what they enjoyed most of all was snapping photos on my camera. The older people within the community were just about the most welcoming and nicest people ever. They invited us over for onces (tea time) and lunches, and they would often drop off some fresh baked bread, kuchen(a kind of German cake), or a homecooked dish. The place we were staying didn’t have running water, so they ran hoses through our window to fill up giant tubs and offered up their showers. A few of them even helped with the construction! Their kindness just proved you don’t need to have much to be a giving person. The simplest gestures can still mean a lot.

My group, who were all Chilean students from my host university, was also really a great bunch. At times the language barrier could be tough, especially given the fact they used a ton of slang. But they were really patient about my confusion and I tried to make light of the situation by joking that my Spanish was “turned off” (as in “Sorry haven’t had my coffee yet…Spanish is still off!). One of our bosses taught me some funny phrases. My favorite was “Estoy Liz Taylor” as in “Estoy lista”(I’m ready), because I guess Liz Taylor and lista kind of sound the same.

As far as construction went, I helped where I could since I didn’t have much experience. I tried out everything though, including hammering and sawing. We were actually working up until the last night.   That didn’t stop us from taking a break to have an asado(barbecue) with practically the entire community. It came out of nowhere, to be honest. I went to take a shower, came back and suddenly there were 3 or 4 grills piled with meat and the locals were setting up tables and food outside! This was there last big gesture of gratitude.A few people went around and said a few words of thanks. They even asked me to say a few words…in English!  None of  the community members understood it, but they just really wanted to hear me speak it. I thought that was really sweet, especially since I think English kind of sounds boring compared to Spanish. 

         The final morning came and I it was a bittersweet departure. Part of me was ready to get back to consistent showers, more than four hours of sleep each night, and internet service. At the same time, I was really going to miss the people of Quilico and the simple kindess they offered.  

At the barbecue on the last night. Quilico I will always remember you!

         With little down time in Santiago, I am already in Maintencillo, a little beach town about two and a half hours north of Santiago. I signed up for a help exchange network, where you work in exchange for meals and a room. The woman I’m staying with, Ethel owns a set of cottages and is about of the sweetest people I’ve ever met. Her husband works in Santiago, but he comes every weekend to help with repairs. All of her kids are grown up, but I've gotten to know her daughter who is on vacation between graduation and a new job. My first day of work was spent clearing a ton of weeds from a lot between two cottages. There’s also little tasks, like tidying up the cottages between users. And I’m learning some more cooking basics. I even got to teach Ethel one of my favorite dishes my mom makes.

When I'm not working, I have time to actually do summer reading, journal, and take walks on the beach. Ethel and our maid Ellie have also been taking me to a baile entrentenido class, which is like zumba witha  Latin twist. I really like it! Since it's free, it's  in a new location each week. The first one I went to was outdoors, with a view of the ocean!
All in all January can be summed up as living the simple life and stepping off the beaten track. Between volunteering in a town with no phones or internet to coming to the simple beach town of Maintencillo, I'm really just taking time away from busy Santiago or super touristy places. As a result, my Spanish has been improving significantly lately. I don't think I've ever gone days and days speaking zero English until now.

I'll be back in Santiago early February, to meet up with my Dad. I'm counting down the days till I see him! Chao for now!

New Years, Valparaiso Style

I'm standing on a hillside holding exactly 12 grapes. The last bits of meat from the asado (barbecue) are being passed around on a cutting board. A random firecracker goes off, blasting red light upon the crowds of people shouting "Chi! Chi! Chi! Le!Le!Le! VIVA CHILE!" These are the random moments I remember in the seconds remaining of 2012. Let me step back to the moments leading up to the best New Years I've ever had, spent in Valparaiso...
As soon as I knew my sister was going to be in Chile for New Years as well, I decided it must be spent epically. And what better way to spend it than in Valparaiso, the site of the biggest fireworks show in Latin America and second biggest in the world? Getting there was an interesting experience. We overestimated our ability to go out the night before  and be able to catch a 10:00 a.m. bus the next day. Part of it was also showing up to the wrong bus terminal, since it wasn't listed on our ticket. So after missing the bus, we bought another ticket for what I thought was 11:30 p.m. that night.  My ear for Spanish  must have been cheating me that day, because I could have sworn he said "por la noche." So I basically had a heart attack when we returned home and noticed the tickets said 11:30 a.m. that day! Another bus missed. So we returned to the bus terminal and thank goodness the kind ticket man got us on another bus at 9:30 p.m., free of any extra charge! We really lucked out...
We got in by 11 and went right to the couchsurfers house, where my friend Andrea from my program was staying too. Our host introduced us to the other couchsurfers, from all different parts (Germany, Brazil, France...). I knew right away it was going to be a great time, albeit crowded. Valparaiso is a population of roughly 260,000 people, but for New Years there are over 2 million! We crashed by around 2, my sister and I sharing a twin mattress. We couldn't both lay on our backs the whole time. But that's what you gotta do when you can't pay for a $50 a night hostel (they jacked up prices for New Years).
We woke up at around 10:30 am on New Years, and after waiting for the bathroom a while (10+ couchsurfers, one bathroom...) Andrea, Claire, and I headed out to explore the city. I had been there once before, but it was nice to explore freely without a formal tour. The street vendors were selling fireworks, noisemakers, champagne, and yellow underwear (supposed to wear for good luck apparently) on every corner.
We got home later in the afternoon to get ready for the night. After, we met up with the other couchsurfers for a barbecue outside the house. And the suspension rose. 4...3...2...1 hour to midnight. The streets got fuller and fuller, as people waited for the fireworks. Finally one minute to midnight...but the funny thing is we didn't have a countdown. No big ball to watch on t.v. So we all looked at our phones and were asking "Is it midnight? Yeah! I think so!...Wait my watch still says 11:59..oh wait never mind! It's midnight!" I bit into my first grape hesitantly(another tradition), then BOOM!, the first firework went off to officially ring in the New Year. After that I shoveled down all 12 grapes and joined in with the cries of "Feliz Año Nuevo!" It was quite a frenzy, wishing  happy New Year to everyone around me while trying to admire the amazing fireworks spectacle , with fireworks being lit off of 8 boats or so across the harbor. The show went on for what felt like forever, although it was probably 15 minutes. Soon afterwards we headed down to the main plaza, which was mania. A DJ blasted music from the stage while everyone danced in the streets, street vendors sold choripan (sausage on bread) to partygoers, and noisemakers went off in all directions. Our couchsurfing group, plus our host as the leader, stayed together dancing for a while. Eventually we wandered back up to the house, shouting "Feliz Año Nuevo!" to every group we passed that responded with equal enthusiasm. The fact that everyone partied in the streets created this great sense of energy, like all 2 million people were truly celebrating together.
We crashed close to sunrise, got a hefty two hours of sleep, and woke up to make it to the bus terminal. We couldn't miss this bus...my sister had a flight that evening to catch! Now, if it's possible for a whole city to be exhausted and hungover, Valparaiso would be it. Piles of trash and broken bottles littered the street. The last of the party goers drifted back to their houses like zombies (although there were a few locos who appeared to be still going strong). Even the stray dogs looked wiped out, snoozing in the park and under street benches.
We made it to our bus in plenty of time and were knocked out all the way to Santiago. So that's New Years in Valpo for you. I felt like this blog post was rushed, but really it's because everything went by so fast! I have to say the best thing about this trip was deciding to couchsurf. It was my first experience, so of course I was nervous. But, if you pick a good host that makes all the difference. We definitely did! He not only welcomed a large number of people from all over the globe in his home, but also kept most of the whole group together through the celebrations. The crowded living quarters weren't even as awkward as I thought they would be. Everyone was just so happy to come to experience New Years here, that they were able to abandon the need for complete comfort. Plus, sticking with a local during it all was actually the fun and safest option, much better than a few gringas trying to manage alone. He knew the best bus routes and made sure we got home safely. Seriously, if we were walking in the street he would stop and look back to make sure no one got left behind in the crowds.
My sister left yesterday night, which made me really sad of course. But I'm trying to keep myself busy overcome it. I've been packing up, getting ready to leave tomorrow for an eleven day volunteer project in Quilico, a small town in a sector called Hualañé. I'm getting pretty excited about it! Chao for now!