Ever since the retreat my life seems to have moved into yet another phase that will in the end, along with the others, make up the whole wonderful picture that is my experience here in Chile. The retreat seemed to center me and while I am still processing a lot (in my usual pensive, self-reflective way) it seems I have become more natural in my movement through life. If that makes sense? In less poetic terms I could say that I'm feeling more stable and level headed. Unfortunately, and this is something I know is natural, I still seem to struggle with feelings of loneliness. And this is something I will probably have to continue to work on.... I don't want this to make people believe that I don't have some of the most amazing personal relationships here. So maybe I should correct myself and say that I have more of a longing, instead of loneliness. Ya that is much better. I'm a full advocate for strong single women changing the world but I can't say that watching others around me start to pair off, get engaged, get married, have babies (At this point in my life the thought of all that anytime soon makes me severally uncomfortable...) doesn't affect me a little or that I don't sometimes dream about the day (if or when this day comes) that I'll get to travel around with my best friend :) Hopefully someone that can keep up! So all this to say... well I'm not sure what. Maybe just that, whatever role I end up playing, be it aunt, best friend, wife, mother, employ, boss, etc. that I hope I do it well, that in the end it makes someone's life just a little brighter, and (selfishly) the ones I care about most (mostly God) proud.
Monday found me still pretty wiped from the weekend but still just as happy as a clam. After class I had lunch with Madie and then headed up to have my wonderful always chill monday afternoon. It's a great way to start my week, blogging, catching up on hw, going on a run, watching How I Met Your Mother, etc. Tuesdays are one of my more long days because I don't usually get home until late. I don't have my test back from my Latin American Cultures class yet but I'm almost positive I rocked it and with the weather having been so nice all week I have throughly enjoyed my afternoons around Santiago. If only it would stay this way and not get any hotter.... sigh. As some people know I've been having big issues in getting my package that my mom sent me. This package is import because it has my replacement lens (I haven't been able to use my canon in 6ish weeks...) and the dress I ordered before I came to Chile that I wanted to wear for my bday. Madie and I spent the early afternoon working our way over to the Cento post office to try and track it down. After standing in the wrong line for what seemed like forever, being told we stood in the wrong line and sent to an empty window around the corner, we were sent away empty handed (with my minimal spanish I think she said I needed to have the letter telling me to come pick up the package and this left me pretty peeved) I headed off to volunteer pretty frustrated but hopeful that my package could still be received in time for my birthday. Volunteering was ok, we had planned on making bread (using the easy recipe that I used with the kids on sunday) but only 2 boys were home that afternoon so we played Uno (with some of the weirdest rules) and then played a little bit of hide and seek. Then it was onto dance class, which I was excited for since I had missed the week before due to the food poisoning. We did salsa, tango, and finished with a super fun dance from the Dominican Republic. Blanking on the name but it definitely had some sas! After class, a group of us went to get a after dance drink and I throughly enjoyed sharing a pitcher with some people in the USAC program that I don't always have the privilege of spending a lot of time with.
I love wednesdays around here, and this one this last week was what I like to call a TLC day. Well to be fair this whole week has sort of been me focusing a little more on taking care of myself in all ways. But it was my birthday week, I felt it was a good of time as any. After class Madie's conversation partner treated us to lunch. On our way we passed a group of protesters and came uncomfortably close to a tear gas cannon but drove through unharmed and glad to be heading away from that part of town for a little bit. We went to this cheap, and pretty bomb, sushi place and in hind site (because I had already eaten lunch) I regret not getting a role. We passed the beautiful afternoon enjoying each others company, poking fun, and busting up while reading a book about Chilean slang. A lot of it is pretty hilarious and some of it is pretty dirty. Madie and I topped off the afternoon with me FINALLY getting my hair cut and doing our toe nails. I don't have girly times like that very often so its nice to have Madie around to encourage it. I showed up at bible study feeling pretty stinkin' good and left feeling even better. I walked home with Janet (She suggested it instead of taking the metro home) and Keith joined us because he had a pretty uneventful day. While I was, and have been, very happy, there were some things I'd been chewing on and it was nice to talk a bit of it out with them as we strolled through the warm Santiago night. I talked about my feelings about being half way through my time here already and how I missed a lot of the people/things here before they're even gone. I shared the analogy about important people in your life being stepping stones and how that often helps me with goodbyes. I also spoke a little bit about my excitement and anxiety for the up coming birthday festivities. We also talked about whither we thought we were introverted or extroverted, what animal we would be if we could be, and different ways people learn. Loved it.
Thursdays kept the great day trend right on track. After class I met with me conversation partner Nicole and we lounged in the park talking about music. We then headed over to her "faculty" to hang out with her other friends (most of which I had met) and play some ping pong. Man I love ping pong! I even got to toss a frisbee around in the courtyard. Look forward to spending some more time with that group of Chileans because they are also so friendly and cool. Next week I think Nicole and I are hitting up a museum. So this is the part of the day that really gets fun :) Madie had chosen that afternoon to give me the surprise my mom and her had been planning. I honestly had no idea what it was and after I said goodbye to Nicole and hurried off to meet Madie I was pretty anxious. Was it a thing? Was it an activity? Are other people involved? I got off the metro and was greeted by Madie and 4 or 5 others belonging to the "some of my favorite people here" group. We walked about a block down and out front of a department store Madie covered my eyes and led me slowly through. When I opened my eyes I was standing in the guitar section! They got me a guitar! One of the guys, Jack, who is a music major and guitar lover helped Madie pick it out and I now have a guitar sitting in the corner of my room that I'm going to play as soon as I finish this :) After the surprise Madie and I went shopping because I now needed a dress to replace the one I was pretty sure wasn't going to come in time for my birthday. I also bought a shirt that as soon as I picked out knew I was going to buy and as soon as I picked out Madie wanted to throw something. Its the type of shirt she has been looking for since she got here and I only slightly regret seeing it first. I told her I'd let her borrow it.
After a much needed, and hilarious, coffee shop homework session, her and I parted ways and I went to meet with my small group for pizza. This was so great! Laura's parents are in town and because they wanted to meet all of Laura's friends from church they treated us to dinner. We spent almost 3 1/2 hours laughing, eating delicious pizza, and sharing. I strummed a little bit on my guitar while people chatted and got lots of 21st birthday encouragement. Laura's parents were just great and you could see that hanging out with a younger crowd was bringing out their more youthful sides. I went to bed very late this night (late night phone call from friend worth taking the time for) and got up friday promising myself a nap. Never got it. Spent the afternoon with my host madre, she offered to come fight on my behave (which was awesome because she is fiesty and it got her out of the house) for my right to my package. Between stops into the post office I went and had lunch with her and her friend (middle aged Chilean women are fascinating) in this simple and typical Chilean restaurant that looked out onto Plaza de Armas. Very cool and very beautiful. After more time at the post and one of the head guys making about 20 phone calls, we finally tracked down my package, which got mislabeled at the airport and has been lost in the system ever since. We were told we may be able to pick it up at a different post the very next day. We couldn't... it now is looking like tuesday pick up. Didn't get the package in time for my bday but anything worth having is worth waiting for I suppose.
This now wraps up my week and puts us at the beginnings of my birthday weekend! A blog about all that awesomeness coming soon!
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Monday, October 17, 2011
Magnificent
magnificent |magˈnifəsənt|adjective1 impressively beautiful, elaborate, or extravagant; striking : a dramatic landscape of magnificent mountains | the interior layout is magnificent.2 very good; excellent : she paid tribute to their magnificent efforts.
A word that comes to mind when I think about this weekend would have to be "magnificent". It seems to pop in and out of my life of late and it came this weekend in a moment I'll probably hold dear forever.
The retreat started off with me getting picked up at my house by a very sweet lady named Janis and her daughter Isa, whom go to my church. Janis was immediately warm and talkative, and it felt nice to talk to an adult in english after speaking spanish all afternoon with my friend Eduardo. It was interesting having to switch my brain over and not have to plan out all the things I wanted to say in spanish before talking. We were in the early arrivals group to help set up the center and man was it BEAUTIFUL. It was an open and airy red brick building that was made up of 3 connected squares with courtyards on the outer 2 and a chapel in the middle facing the main entrance. Very mission like with it's wide high ceilinged hallways. The grounds had plenty of space to wander (yet I didn't have much time for exploring) and I even had my own room tucked back in a quiet corner (close to the kid's classrooms of course). After helping Janis set out all the name tags grouped by first letter of last name, getting the briefing from Kathi for how kids sessions would be ran and in what rooms, and a few deep breath I prepared myself for the weekend to come.
As people were trickling in before the first evening activities, Bryan showed up guitar in hand (he'd be helping to lead worship), and we took a little walk around the compound to get to know the place (It was supposed to be us running around in the rain.... it stopped raining as we ran outside... bummer) On our way back to the center, house, whatever it was, we encountered an interesting sight. It looked like someone had an easter hug hunt but instead of easter eggs they had used red paper hearts. They were tucked in the grass, floating in the drain, taped to flowers, stuck up in trees. As Bryan and I started to collect some we realized, oh wait maybe these are for something.... and immediately abandoned our hunt and returned sheepishly inside. Come to find out Kathi had no idea what the hearts were and they must have been left over from the group before us.
Our first group activity was a get to know you game. We all were told to pick a picture that spoke to us from a bunch of pictures scattered about on tables (I had scattered these earlier so already had mine) We then stood in a group and shared what the picture meant to us. I had chosen a picture of a huge tree that looked like the valley oaks we have in Cali. It reminded me of my favorite tree in Humboldt that I pass every sunday on my way to church and of my childhood. We then played a bunch of name games. It was awesome to be in a group of all ages and mostly families after spending so much time with college aged peers all week. The really young kids were adorable and I so enjoyed creaking jokes with the older ones. The diversity was also really fun. In my church here, Santiago Community Church, there are people from the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, etc. and kids that speak both spanish and english better than I. Haha kids with accents are so adorable, especially with names like Benjamin, Arthur, and all the sort of British influenced names. After the game we all gathered together for our first worship and it felt good to finally sing. I don't know many hymns but I make do and was quickly learning the songs familiar to my new church here. At dinner, the meals at the center were great, I got to know more of the older attends better and finally establish myself as a member of their church. I got to sit and have a chat with one of the oldest attends named Richard. Old guys and their stories are generally worth hearing. After dinner it was guitar strummin', twister playing, and drinking wine with the adults during a heated game of Taboo. I pretty much showed those older cats how it is done ;)
Now Saturday took off fast. After waffles, yes waffles!, I set right to work with the younger 2-4 year old kids. It always takes a little time to start up stuff because one must peel kids off parents and learn names but after the intro, and whipped away tears, we all sat down and talked about how we are all different but the same in God's eyes. How we are all an important part of God's body. We played a game where the kids got to stand up if I said something that applied to them and it is always cool to see a little kid get so excited about having blue eyes, or wearing a green shirt. We had them lay down and we traced their bodies so that they could color a life sized picture of themselves too! Now this is about the time that the kids get restless and we headed out for a walk. Little did I know just how handy those hearts would be! Scavenger hunt for hearts with a pack of kids = win. They had a blast.
That day Keith and Janet had arrived for the Saturday sessions and it was so nice to have them around once I handed kids back to parents and sighed a sigh of relief that we all made it through in one piece. Watching kids all day is great birth control, I think I'll stick to cool aunt for a long while thank you very much. A highlight of my weekend was the afternoon free time, the field was right at the base of the mountains and the view up to the snow capped peaks made me pause more than a few times in awe, where I got to run around tossing a frisbee with Keith and teach little girls how to throw a flick. They ended up falling in love with it! Seriously! Like ever time there was a spare minute they would ask, "Aubrey can we go throw the frisbee? You're coming right!?" I felt what it must feel like for a proud parents every time those girls had an especially nice flick or backhand. I'm fostering the next generation of frisbee players :D After yet another little spill, landing on the same places as last monday, I took it only a bit more easy. I was so exhausted by the time evening worship rolled around but I managed to get myself there and back out onto the field for MORE frisbee before dinner. Haha I loved the dinners. Bryan, Keith, Janet, and I were all so tired and so silly. We were creaking each other telling jokes and sharing stories.
Since I was with the kids for the majority of the retreat I missed a lot of what the other adults had been up to in the main sessions. I was feeling like I hadn't quite gotten the retreat part of the retreat yet. The part with the deeper sharing and talking about God. That part came, ever so awesomely, that night, when Keith went off to do whatever it is Keith does lol and Janet had checked in for the night. Bryan and myself found ourselves wandering the halls, him strumming on his guitar and me walking too fast, and soon ended up in the dark pews of the center chapel. We didn't, as a church, spend time in this part but I'm glad I did. We each took turns strumming on the guitar while the other shared their testimony and when the guitar strumming got old I went and grabbed my Nutella and saltines out of my room so we could have a delicious late night feast while lounging in the pews. I'm not sure how many rules we broke but I figured if Jesus were there he would want a saltine with Nutella too. Deep late night talks are always something to cherish and it's one I won't forget. Bryan probably said some of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me and I realized that even when I may be totally unaware that God is using me in the lives of the amazing people I have the privilege of spending my time with, he really is moving in my life. This is the time of the weekend where the word "magnificent" is used and I couldn't have picked a better one to describe it now. Thank you Bryan for reading the dictionary! I'm going to be sad to see him go when he leaves for his next assignment sometime in the next few weeks. We then stayed in the chapel pews past lights out, luckily my cell phone has a flashlight, and I think we both went to bed that night muy contentos.
Sunday morning was a bit more of a blur because I was pretty tired by this point of the weekend. After breakfast I had the kids again and we played a hilarious game I made up on the spot called "touch the tree." It turned into us making up easy obstacle courses for the kids to run and anything that helped them burn some energy was welcome. We also passed time coloring with chalk on the cement walkways outside our classroom. I just realized this probably took place on Saturday because by Sunday the kids were a bit more grumpy and fussy. A highlight of this morning was making a throughly big mess while making the communion bread for the final sunday service. Toaster ovens are so handy. In the later session we made cards for those who are sick in the church and learned about serving the church by picking up litter around the compound. This wrapped up my job as children's leader and the sunday outdoor service began with me yawning and feeling incredibly blessed. I got to get up with the kids and shared a bit of what we had been up to over the weekend, and after some verses and more worship we all took communion together with the bread my kids had made. After service we all gathered together for one last lunch before people started packing up cars and saying goodbye. Bryan, myself, and a lot of the kids (we had a pack, it was awesome) ended up back outside playing games, running military relays (Bryan is a US marine, and I got suckered into being a part of one of the relays... Bryan running while fireman carrying me on his back was actually quite uncomfortable....), and taking hilarious pictures of human pyramids, hanging kids, gangsta faced group shots, and all of us piled in a tree... was sad to see that afternoon end. But when I finally got home I was ready to shower and just relax (finally... haha) All in all I think my weekend at this retreat blew anything else I could have done out of the water (And it was free!). My life is really just too cool. I'm incredibly blessed!
A word that comes to mind when I think about this weekend would have to be "magnificent". It seems to pop in and out of my life of late and it came this weekend in a moment I'll probably hold dear forever.
The retreat started off with me getting picked up at my house by a very sweet lady named Janis and her daughter Isa, whom go to my church. Janis was immediately warm and talkative, and it felt nice to talk to an adult in english after speaking spanish all afternoon with my friend Eduardo. It was interesting having to switch my brain over and not have to plan out all the things I wanted to say in spanish before talking. We were in the early arrivals group to help set up the center and man was it BEAUTIFUL. It was an open and airy red brick building that was made up of 3 connected squares with courtyards on the outer 2 and a chapel in the middle facing the main entrance. Very mission like with it's wide high ceilinged hallways. The grounds had plenty of space to wander (yet I didn't have much time for exploring) and I even had my own room tucked back in a quiet corner (close to the kid's classrooms of course). After helping Janis set out all the name tags grouped by first letter of last name, getting the briefing from Kathi for how kids sessions would be ran and in what rooms, and a few deep breath I prepared myself for the weekend to come.
As people were trickling in before the first evening activities, Bryan showed up guitar in hand (he'd be helping to lead worship), and we took a little walk around the compound to get to know the place (It was supposed to be us running around in the rain.... it stopped raining as we ran outside... bummer) On our way back to the center, house, whatever it was, we encountered an interesting sight. It looked like someone had an easter hug hunt but instead of easter eggs they had used red paper hearts. They were tucked in the grass, floating in the drain, taped to flowers, stuck up in trees. As Bryan and I started to collect some we realized, oh wait maybe these are for something.... and immediately abandoned our hunt and returned sheepishly inside. Come to find out Kathi had no idea what the hearts were and they must have been left over from the group before us.
Our first group activity was a get to know you game. We all were told to pick a picture that spoke to us from a bunch of pictures scattered about on tables (I had scattered these earlier so already had mine) We then stood in a group and shared what the picture meant to us. I had chosen a picture of a huge tree that looked like the valley oaks we have in Cali. It reminded me of my favorite tree in Humboldt that I pass every sunday on my way to church and of my childhood. We then played a bunch of name games. It was awesome to be in a group of all ages and mostly families after spending so much time with college aged peers all week. The really young kids were adorable and I so enjoyed creaking jokes with the older ones. The diversity was also really fun. In my church here, Santiago Community Church, there are people from the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, etc. and kids that speak both spanish and english better than I. Haha kids with accents are so adorable, especially with names like Benjamin, Arthur, and all the sort of British influenced names. After the game we all gathered together for our first worship and it felt good to finally sing. I don't know many hymns but I make do and was quickly learning the songs familiar to my new church here. At dinner, the meals at the center were great, I got to know more of the older attends better and finally establish myself as a member of their church. I got to sit and have a chat with one of the oldest attends named Richard. Old guys and their stories are generally worth hearing. After dinner it was guitar strummin', twister playing, and drinking wine with the adults during a heated game of Taboo. I pretty much showed those older cats how it is done ;)
Now Saturday took off fast. After waffles, yes waffles!, I set right to work with the younger 2-4 year old kids. It always takes a little time to start up stuff because one must peel kids off parents and learn names but after the intro, and whipped away tears, we all sat down and talked about how we are all different but the same in God's eyes. How we are all an important part of God's body. We played a game where the kids got to stand up if I said something that applied to them and it is always cool to see a little kid get so excited about having blue eyes, or wearing a green shirt. We had them lay down and we traced their bodies so that they could color a life sized picture of themselves too! Now this is about the time that the kids get restless and we headed out for a walk. Little did I know just how handy those hearts would be! Scavenger hunt for hearts with a pack of kids = win. They had a blast.
That day Keith and Janet had arrived for the Saturday sessions and it was so nice to have them around once I handed kids back to parents and sighed a sigh of relief that we all made it through in one piece. Watching kids all day is great birth control, I think I'll stick to cool aunt for a long while thank you very much. A highlight of my weekend was the afternoon free time, the field was right at the base of the mountains and the view up to the snow capped peaks made me pause more than a few times in awe, where I got to run around tossing a frisbee with Keith and teach little girls how to throw a flick. They ended up falling in love with it! Seriously! Like ever time there was a spare minute they would ask, "Aubrey can we go throw the frisbee? You're coming right!?" I felt what it must feel like for a proud parents every time those girls had an especially nice flick or backhand. I'm fostering the next generation of frisbee players :D After yet another little spill, landing on the same places as last monday, I took it only a bit more easy. I was so exhausted by the time evening worship rolled around but I managed to get myself there and back out onto the field for MORE frisbee before dinner. Haha I loved the dinners. Bryan, Keith, Janet, and I were all so tired and so silly. We were creaking each other telling jokes and sharing stories.
Since I was with the kids for the majority of the retreat I missed a lot of what the other adults had been up to in the main sessions. I was feeling like I hadn't quite gotten the retreat part of the retreat yet. The part with the deeper sharing and talking about God. That part came, ever so awesomely, that night, when Keith went off to do whatever it is Keith does lol and Janet had checked in for the night. Bryan and myself found ourselves wandering the halls, him strumming on his guitar and me walking too fast, and soon ended up in the dark pews of the center chapel. We didn't, as a church, spend time in this part but I'm glad I did. We each took turns strumming on the guitar while the other shared their testimony and when the guitar strumming got old I went and grabbed my Nutella and saltines out of my room so we could have a delicious late night feast while lounging in the pews. I'm not sure how many rules we broke but I figured if Jesus were there he would want a saltine with Nutella too. Deep late night talks are always something to cherish and it's one I won't forget. Bryan probably said some of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me and I realized that even when I may be totally unaware that God is using me in the lives of the amazing people I have the privilege of spending my time with, he really is moving in my life. This is the time of the weekend where the word "magnificent" is used and I couldn't have picked a better one to describe it now. Thank you Bryan for reading the dictionary! I'm going to be sad to see him go when he leaves for his next assignment sometime in the next few weeks. We then stayed in the chapel pews past lights out, luckily my cell phone has a flashlight, and I think we both went to bed that night muy contentos.
Sunday morning was a bit more of a blur because I was pretty tired by this point of the weekend. After breakfast I had the kids again and we played a hilarious game I made up on the spot called "touch the tree." It turned into us making up easy obstacle courses for the kids to run and anything that helped them burn some energy was welcome. We also passed time coloring with chalk on the cement walkways outside our classroom. I just realized this probably took place on Saturday because by Sunday the kids were a bit more grumpy and fussy. A highlight of this morning was making a throughly big mess while making the communion bread for the final sunday service. Toaster ovens are so handy. In the later session we made cards for those who are sick in the church and learned about serving the church by picking up litter around the compound. This wrapped up my job as children's leader and the sunday outdoor service began with me yawning and feeling incredibly blessed. I got to get up with the kids and shared a bit of what we had been up to over the weekend, and after some verses and more worship we all took communion together with the bread my kids had made. After service we all gathered together for one last lunch before people started packing up cars and saying goodbye. Bryan, myself, and a lot of the kids (we had a pack, it was awesome) ended up back outside playing games, running military relays (Bryan is a US marine, and I got suckered into being a part of one of the relays... Bryan running while fireman carrying me on his back was actually quite uncomfortable....), and taking hilarious pictures of human pyramids, hanging kids, gangsta faced group shots, and all of us piled in a tree... was sad to see that afternoon end. But when I finally got home I was ready to shower and just relax (finally... haha) All in all I think my weekend at this retreat blew anything else I could have done out of the water (And it was free!). My life is really just too cool. I'm incredibly blessed!
Sunday, October 16, 2011
A Bathroom, A Bible Study and A (Moto) Bike.
In my mind I pick weird times to blog.... but maybe that is because blogging is (and probably always be) a weird thing for me. It takes time, I don't regret doing it after the fact but I have to tell myself "it'll be worth it to write all this down" a lot, before the words actually flow. The fact that my friend Madie is the blog queen also puts a fire under by butt to at least write something. Sometime I wish I could just cop out and just paste from hers.... cause she has already done the work to write a lot of what I'm doing down.... but i wouldn't because it means more coming from me. I'll just be up a little early finishing up homework and i'll probably have to take a nap tomorrow. I don't worry too much about it because somehow I know I'll get stuff done just like I have for the last 20 (ALMOST 21!) years.
So I left off talking about how wonderful last weekend was. I seriously live for the weekends here. They are too epic, different, love filled, too really describe justly. That's the problem with blogging I suppose, I just can't fully make you grasp my life here because it is so much more than even I understand. I post a lot of pictures on FB and update my status but to dig deeper takes so much time. I logged off last monday coming down from another great weekend only to get hit with a unexpected low. Don't know what it is I ate, perhaps the sea food I ate with my host family on sunday, but whatever it was it decided late that night, right as I was about to crash, that it would rock me. No one wants details of nights spent in bathrooms but honestly I can't remember the last time I was that sick. My back is till tight from not being able to remove myself from the cold bathroom floor. But it is in these moments when you feel sick, cold, lonely, and like you will never be able to eat again, that other people start to shine in your like and humility grows. Imagine my frustration when I can't communicate how I'm actually feeling with my host parents (Hand motion vomiting is pretty universal tho) and my host madre gives me that look that makes me feel like a complete idiot. Or how I can talk to the people I miss the most on FB while camped out on the bathroom floor but that doesn't get me a hug from any of them. If you haven't realized this yet I'm a pathetic sick person, but I suppose most of us are. It's hard not to let other sides slip when the physical side is crumbling. Luckily, by morning the worst had past and I started to keep down some water, my host madre came in and out all day as I lay in bed exhausted, dehydrated, and incredibly humbled by her kindness. Never has watery rice and saltines been so good. By the time tuesday night rolled around I was stir crazy from being in my room all day and anxious to get back to my week. And man did I have a week ahead. With a paper, a composition, and a final exam I was stressed, weak, and wanting to feel ok again PRONTO. Wed. was supposed to be my day back to normalcy but funny when you think that things go kinda weird on ya. Somehow my alarm clock stopped, was wrong, I don't know.... but I got up an hour or so late. My host mom then wouldn't let me leave the house with a wet head and I strolled into class tired, late, with a sensitive stomach, and awesome blow dried hair. I only sorta remember that afternoon... oh ya I spent it with Madie :D We did hw at our favorite dessert and coffee bar, then tried to do some more at my house.... It then turned into us being our usual ridiculous selfs and her helping me write the words to Gus the Magic Drag Queen (to the tune of Puff the magic dragon that came about after a Chilean friend in my small group mistakingly misheard drag queen when someone said dragon) That girl and I laugh so hard sometimes, I think it's cause we are so awesome.
Wednesday night was Bible study and it always ends up being a highlight of my week. With everything that is always changing around here it is something in my schedule that stays constant and I look forward to the refreshment I receive from being with all the people there. I think I have spoken about this group before but it's worth mentioning here again. So far my time in Chile has been spent with a lot of college aged people like myself, some of the coolest people I know here fall under this category, but for any of you that truly know me, you know I can't do/be in one group for too long. I need different, diverse, and often unrelated, spheres of living, to truly thrive. Ever since I started to do that in Chile I have been far more happy. What is special about this small group is that it is filled with peers that are just a step ahead of me into the future. I now have friends that are showing me first hand what it is like to be a young adult, recently out of college, working and living successful lives in another country. It is such a blessing. And what is always great about small groups, and the body of Christ in general, is that we are all so different and unique. Our group really wouldn't be what it is without every single person that I have learned to love and appreciate there. Keith with his sarcasm and nonconformist adventures attitude, Janet with her more serious driven demeanor, Bryan with his similar sense of humor and flexible attitude, Sophie with her passion and wit, Ricardo with his awesome chilean accent and sophisticated air, Jorge the quiet and observant listener, Janet who is always just plan sweet as can be, and Kathi and David who hold us all together with their leadership and incredible knowledge of the bible. Long sentence? Maybe......
Thursday I got in that paper I had been quite worried about and felt a little bit freer. Plus I was suited up (How I Met Your Mother) and feeling like a boss. Oh and I was getting my appetite back finally! An after class lunch date with Madie is never a bad thing and people watching/ catching up on our weekends in a busy food court is alway a good time. Once I managed to get myself all the way home I took an obviously needed but unintentionally long nap and then hauled to get all my hw done so I could let myself out of the house for our weekly group viewing of Community, Parks and Recreation, and The Office, at the marine house. Madie joined me, she has also been looking for some friends outside of school, and we really enjoyed our night. Like Madie said "They are good people." I felt awful for not inviting her sooner but now that she is in I know she is hooked.
Now Friday is where I start feeling like I'm not nearly cool enough to do all the stuff I did. I mean seriously. After my test one of my friends here took me for a ride up San Cristobal on his motercycle, and of all the ways i've been up that hill that was BY FAR the best. The rains the day before had left the city air crisp and cleaner. The view of the city and the Andes was unusually clear. I had to keep reminding me that it was indeed my life I was living. As the colorful city passed around me I knew that the weekend was going to be something special. Spending the afternoon with new company is hardly ever boring and after we ate cheap sushi in Bella Vista (one of my FAVORITE parts of town) it was time for me to say goodbye for the weekend and head off on my next adventure.
All week the thought of this weekend had been getting me through. This weekend was my church here's church wide retreat and I had offered to help out in return for a sponsorship spot. I figured I'd serve a bit, get to go for free, and otherwise have the relaxing weekend I had been craving. Little did I know quite how hard it would be and quite how tired I would be when I returned back to my room today..... I'm exhausted, sore, and yet incredibly refreshed in other ways. I wouldn't change A SINGLE thing! Now this part of my weekend will have to be the next blog because it deserves some time, length, and attention. Plus it is late.... I'm actually impressed I made it this far. Chao chao and goodnight to everyone whom I love so insanely much!
So I left off talking about how wonderful last weekend was. I seriously live for the weekends here. They are too epic, different, love filled, too really describe justly. That's the problem with blogging I suppose, I just can't fully make you grasp my life here because it is so much more than even I understand. I post a lot of pictures on FB and update my status but to dig deeper takes so much time. I logged off last monday coming down from another great weekend only to get hit with a unexpected low. Don't know what it is I ate, perhaps the sea food I ate with my host family on sunday, but whatever it was it decided late that night, right as I was about to crash, that it would rock me. No one wants details of nights spent in bathrooms but honestly I can't remember the last time I was that sick. My back is till tight from not being able to remove myself from the cold bathroom floor. But it is in these moments when you feel sick, cold, lonely, and like you will never be able to eat again, that other people start to shine in your like and humility grows. Imagine my frustration when I can't communicate how I'm actually feeling with my host parents (Hand motion vomiting is pretty universal tho) and my host madre gives me that look that makes me feel like a complete idiot. Or how I can talk to the people I miss the most on FB while camped out on the bathroom floor but that doesn't get me a hug from any of them. If you haven't realized this yet I'm a pathetic sick person, but I suppose most of us are. It's hard not to let other sides slip when the physical side is crumbling. Luckily, by morning the worst had past and I started to keep down some water, my host madre came in and out all day as I lay in bed exhausted, dehydrated, and incredibly humbled by her kindness. Never has watery rice and saltines been so good. By the time tuesday night rolled around I was stir crazy from being in my room all day and anxious to get back to my week. And man did I have a week ahead. With a paper, a composition, and a final exam I was stressed, weak, and wanting to feel ok again PRONTO. Wed. was supposed to be my day back to normalcy but funny when you think that things go kinda weird on ya. Somehow my alarm clock stopped, was wrong, I don't know.... but I got up an hour or so late. My host mom then wouldn't let me leave the house with a wet head and I strolled into class tired, late, with a sensitive stomach, and awesome blow dried hair. I only sorta remember that afternoon... oh ya I spent it with Madie :D We did hw at our favorite dessert and coffee bar, then tried to do some more at my house.... It then turned into us being our usual ridiculous selfs and her helping me write the words to Gus the Magic Drag Queen (to the tune of Puff the magic dragon that came about after a Chilean friend in my small group mistakingly misheard drag queen when someone said dragon) That girl and I laugh so hard sometimes, I think it's cause we are so awesome.
Wednesday night was Bible study and it always ends up being a highlight of my week. With everything that is always changing around here it is something in my schedule that stays constant and I look forward to the refreshment I receive from being with all the people there. I think I have spoken about this group before but it's worth mentioning here again. So far my time in Chile has been spent with a lot of college aged people like myself, some of the coolest people I know here fall under this category, but for any of you that truly know me, you know I can't do/be in one group for too long. I need different, diverse, and often unrelated, spheres of living, to truly thrive. Ever since I started to do that in Chile I have been far more happy. What is special about this small group is that it is filled with peers that are just a step ahead of me into the future. I now have friends that are showing me first hand what it is like to be a young adult, recently out of college, working and living successful lives in another country. It is such a blessing. And what is always great about small groups, and the body of Christ in general, is that we are all so different and unique. Our group really wouldn't be what it is without every single person that I have learned to love and appreciate there. Keith with his sarcasm and nonconformist adventures attitude, Janet with her more serious driven demeanor, Bryan with his similar sense of humor and flexible attitude, Sophie with her passion and wit, Ricardo with his awesome chilean accent and sophisticated air, Jorge the quiet and observant listener, Janet who is always just plan sweet as can be, and Kathi and David who hold us all together with their leadership and incredible knowledge of the bible. Long sentence? Maybe......
Thursday I got in that paper I had been quite worried about and felt a little bit freer. Plus I was suited up (How I Met Your Mother) and feeling like a boss. Oh and I was getting my appetite back finally! An after class lunch date with Madie is never a bad thing and people watching/ catching up on our weekends in a busy food court is alway a good time. Once I managed to get myself all the way home I took an obviously needed but unintentionally long nap and then hauled to get all my hw done so I could let myself out of the house for our weekly group viewing of Community, Parks and Recreation, and The Office, at the marine house. Madie joined me, she has also been looking for some friends outside of school, and we really enjoyed our night. Like Madie said "They are good people." I felt awful for not inviting her sooner but now that she is in I know she is hooked.
Now Friday is where I start feeling like I'm not nearly cool enough to do all the stuff I did. I mean seriously. After my test one of my friends here took me for a ride up San Cristobal on his motercycle, and of all the ways i've been up that hill that was BY FAR the best. The rains the day before had left the city air crisp and cleaner. The view of the city and the Andes was unusually clear. I had to keep reminding me that it was indeed my life I was living. As the colorful city passed around me I knew that the weekend was going to be something special. Spending the afternoon with new company is hardly ever boring and after we ate cheap sushi in Bella Vista (one of my FAVORITE parts of town) it was time for me to say goodbye for the weekend and head off on my next adventure.
All week the thought of this weekend had been getting me through. This weekend was my church here's church wide retreat and I had offered to help out in return for a sponsorship spot. I figured I'd serve a bit, get to go for free, and otherwise have the relaxing weekend I had been craving. Little did I know quite how hard it would be and quite how tired I would be when I returned back to my room today..... I'm exhausted, sore, and yet incredibly refreshed in other ways. I wouldn't change A SINGLE thing! Now this part of my weekend will have to be the next blog because it deserves some time, length, and attention. Plus it is late.... I'm actually impressed I made it this far. Chao chao and goodnight to everyone whom I love so insanely much!
Monday, October 10, 2011
On The Move
So I'm sitting on my bed filthy (I slid head first down a mountain), too tired to shower, too unmotivated to do hw, and happy as a clam. So I thought after 5ish? weeks maybe I should blog? Haha random.... For those of you that have been wondering what the heck I have been up too I'll try to fill you in and I may be just as random as the time I have chosen to write this... Guess the easiest place to start would be today!
So got up early-ish and met two of my guys friends from church for a hike up Mt. Manquehue. Keith is a definite outdoor adventurer that pushes me (especially during our run up Cerro San Cristobal) and I appreciate him for that, Bryan is a chill US Marine that works at the embassy here and gets all my silly movie quote references (If you are reading this I'm going to miss you when you leave.... even tho nobody knows when that will be exactly). I enjoy just listening to the two of them talk because it's all stuff I don't know much about, like their travels, guns, Marine life, etc. The hike wasn't too long but at times steep. Loved getting to the top and looking out over all of Santiago. I've climbed up all the smaller hills closer to the middle of the city but it was nice to finally get up an actual mountain. I figure it made up (kinda) for not getting up my childhood mountain, the Sierra Buttes, this year. The view was still pretty stunning, even with all the smog, and some time to just sit and reflex on the vastness of the city was wonderful. The way down was a bit more intense then the way up and in my attempt at some faster fast feet I did I pretty good head first baseball slide. Some cuts on my belly, a bruised thigh, bloody knee, and a pinky hang nail, but I'm no worse for the wear. Some say I'm accident prone.... I think I just do some higher rick things than most? Haha either way I don't mind a cool bruise or scar anyways.
After getting down the hill we piled back into the white Marine armored SUV (I've gotten to ride in this a few times and while it may look pretty harmless the doors weigh a ton and the windows are like 2 inches think. You can literally feel how heavy it must be while you're it it) and headed for snacks then a movie at the Marine house. Leave it to me, in my quest for guy friends, to hang out at the US marine house. Haha I kid. It is a great place to hang out tho and I'm always joking with Bryan that I only hang out with him for his house, not true at all but funny. We finally watched Mean Girls, which we were SUPPOSED to watch saturday during waffle afternoon but Keith managed wiggle his way out of it. Not this time tho! The group of us definitely got a laugh. That movie never gets old. Four for you Glen Coco! After beating Bryan at 3 games of ping pong I finally pulled myself away and hopped on the subway for home.
This weekend just got better and better. Friday the USAC group hit the Ocoa Valley national park for some hiking. Its known for it's interesting microclimate, Darwin's studies, and some of the southern most palms in the world. I really enjoyed the hike with everyone! I wish I could calculate how much I have ran, hiked, walked, this week, cause it's probably the most in one week I can think of in a VERY long time. Feels epic! After a great night out on friday where I stayed up really late (early?) enough to get to watch the mountains around Santiago turn blue as the sky got lighter, I took it easy with waffles and a movie in the afternoon. Sunday was church and the usual sunday lunch at my host aunts house with all my host family. With all the good food (my madre makes empanadas as big as your head), good people, good weather I feel spoiled. I'm actually getting good enough at spanish to crack a few jokes and understand a bit of what is happening.
While it's been a good weekend it's been a bit more self-reflective than most. At times I just have to stop and ponder who am I, what am I doing here, I don't really deserve any of this, etc.... Now that I'm settled, all the more subtle things that come with living in one place for an extended period come out. It's hard to explain. After the shine wears off and relationships have been built. When the routine has formed and strays away from it can throw you off a little. Sounds funny but things still surprise me here. I'm settled in yet at the same time things still seem to change so much. It's cool yet takes some getting used too.... you think i'd be used to it but ah well. In the end I find it as reminder of how human I am. I feel blessed to have found such a great church and bible study (we are heading to our church wide retreat this weekend and I'm very excited!) filled with such a diverse set of people. Add it too all the amazing people in USAC and the Chilean friends I've made here and I've ended up very happy/well balanced. While I miss frisbee (I dream about my friends in Humboldt almost every week), I've learned to keep it in my backpack and through whenever I can. Skype dates with besties also help keep me sane :)
Well I'm going to chao because my host family is home and I want to go play with my adorable 2 year old cousin Emiliano. This is only a tiny bit of my life in Chile but hope you guys enjoy it! MISS YOU and LOVE YOU all very much!
So got up early-ish and met two of my guys friends from church for a hike up Mt. Manquehue. Keith is a definite outdoor adventurer that pushes me (especially during our run up Cerro San Cristobal) and I appreciate him for that, Bryan is a chill US Marine that works at the embassy here and gets all my silly movie quote references (If you are reading this I'm going to miss you when you leave.... even tho nobody knows when that will be exactly). I enjoy just listening to the two of them talk because it's all stuff I don't know much about, like their travels, guns, Marine life, etc. The hike wasn't too long but at times steep. Loved getting to the top and looking out over all of Santiago. I've climbed up all the smaller hills closer to the middle of the city but it was nice to finally get up an actual mountain. I figure it made up (kinda) for not getting up my childhood mountain, the Sierra Buttes, this year. The view was still pretty stunning, even with all the smog, and some time to just sit and reflex on the vastness of the city was wonderful. The way down was a bit more intense then the way up and in my attempt at some faster fast feet I did I pretty good head first baseball slide. Some cuts on my belly, a bruised thigh, bloody knee, and a pinky hang nail, but I'm no worse for the wear. Some say I'm accident prone.... I think I just do some higher rick things than most? Haha either way I don't mind a cool bruise or scar anyways.
After getting down the hill we piled back into the white Marine armored SUV (I've gotten to ride in this a few times and while it may look pretty harmless the doors weigh a ton and the windows are like 2 inches think. You can literally feel how heavy it must be while you're it it) and headed for snacks then a movie at the Marine house. Leave it to me, in my quest for guy friends, to hang out at the US marine house. Haha I kid. It is a great place to hang out tho and I'm always joking with Bryan that I only hang out with him for his house, not true at all but funny. We finally watched Mean Girls, which we were SUPPOSED to watch saturday during waffle afternoon but Keith managed wiggle his way out of it. Not this time tho! The group of us definitely got a laugh. That movie never gets old. Four for you Glen Coco! After beating Bryan at 3 games of ping pong I finally pulled myself away and hopped on the subway for home.
This weekend just got better and better. Friday the USAC group hit the Ocoa Valley national park for some hiking. Its known for it's interesting microclimate, Darwin's studies, and some of the southern most palms in the world. I really enjoyed the hike with everyone! I wish I could calculate how much I have ran, hiked, walked, this week, cause it's probably the most in one week I can think of in a VERY long time. Feels epic! After a great night out on friday where I stayed up really late (early?) enough to get to watch the mountains around Santiago turn blue as the sky got lighter, I took it easy with waffles and a movie in the afternoon. Sunday was church and the usual sunday lunch at my host aunts house with all my host family. With all the good food (my madre makes empanadas as big as your head), good people, good weather I feel spoiled. I'm actually getting good enough at spanish to crack a few jokes and understand a bit of what is happening.
While it's been a good weekend it's been a bit more self-reflective than most. At times I just have to stop and ponder who am I, what am I doing here, I don't really deserve any of this, etc.... Now that I'm settled, all the more subtle things that come with living in one place for an extended period come out. It's hard to explain. After the shine wears off and relationships have been built. When the routine has formed and strays away from it can throw you off a little. Sounds funny but things still surprise me here. I'm settled in yet at the same time things still seem to change so much. It's cool yet takes some getting used too.... you think i'd be used to it but ah well. In the end I find it as reminder of how human I am. I feel blessed to have found such a great church and bible study (we are heading to our church wide retreat this weekend and I'm very excited!) filled with such a diverse set of people. Add it too all the amazing people in USAC and the Chilean friends I've made here and I've ended up very happy/well balanced. While I miss frisbee (I dream about my friends in Humboldt almost every week), I've learned to keep it in my backpack and through whenever I can. Skype dates with besties also help keep me sane :)
Well I'm going to chao because my host family is home and I want to go play with my adorable 2 year old cousin Emiliano. This is only a tiny bit of my life in Chile but hope you guys enjoy it! MISS YOU and LOVE YOU all very much!
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Spring in Santiago
Hiyo!
So it's been a couple weeks since I have blogged but my pictures pretty much cover a lot of what the heck I've been doing. Let me just say that the first 2 weeks here seem to have flown by yet it feels like I have been here so much longer than 2 weeks.... I have adjusted to city life fairly well and have started to get used to my walk/metro commute to school each morning. The metro does unfortunately make me sleepy so by the time I get to class I have to re-wake up. 13 stops between my station, Maquehue, and Republica where my university, Andres Bello, is. The university, one of the top private universities in Chile, is within walking distance of downtown and most of the main squares so the first week pretty much consisted of walking the streets and taking pictures. I just LOVE exploring new places. Cities are just so interesting and since Santiago is SO HUGE I know i'll never run out of things to see.
The first weekend here was, man.... I hardly have words for it, I guess FANTASTIC works. Getting to know all the USAC people a little more on friday night (On an apartment roof overlooking the city!), meeting almost all of my extended host family on Sat, then hiking in the Andes (See FB pics) on sunday was such a wonderful well rounded kick off to this semester. We haven't stopped talking about it all week and I know this weekend will only be better. Since school has kicked into a higher gear the weekdays have toned down a bit, which is ok as we are all learning to pace ourselves, but we all look so forward to the weekends. This weekend we have 3 days off because our USAC group is taking a day trip to the coast :D It may be a bit cold but I don't care, I just want to see the beauty that everyone keeps talking so much about! On top of that it is my new friend Madie's 21st birthday today so a bunch of us are getting a hostel to stay over Friday night and celebrate. Haha, she is just so cool. I called her at midnight to sing feliz cumpleaños and I'm about to head out to have her Italian birthday dinner. I'M SO HUNGRY!
Well I can't think of much else to say, maybe cause there is just SO MUCH. I love my little piece of the city with it's awesome (dangerous) german coffee shop, it's parks full of couples kissing, nanny's playing with adorable children, and dogs running around. The spring has brought everyone out into the sun and i get to watch as I stroll from school and back each day. The mountains never fail to take my breath away (well when I can see them). Also I am so well taken care of, my host parents are the perfect mix of parent/ friend and they are always encouraging me to go out and do new things.
I've also started up my dance class with everybody in USAC and while it is pretty easy I have A BALL with everyone there. We just smile and laugh and enjoy each others company. We seem to be a pretty tight group and I look forward to a trip to the coast with them all tomorrow. I have made a few Chilean friends but I am always in search of more because hey that's part of the experience too! All in all this year has lead me to a place where I'm probably the most secure and confident I can remember being in a long time. I miss you all and want to thank you for being a part of this incredible journey I have found myself on!
So it's been a couple weeks since I have blogged but my pictures pretty much cover a lot of what the heck I've been doing. Let me just say that the first 2 weeks here seem to have flown by yet it feels like I have been here so much longer than 2 weeks.... I have adjusted to city life fairly well and have started to get used to my walk/metro commute to school each morning. The metro does unfortunately make me sleepy so by the time I get to class I have to re-wake up. 13 stops between my station, Maquehue, and Republica where my university, Andres Bello, is. The university, one of the top private universities in Chile, is within walking distance of downtown and most of the main squares so the first week pretty much consisted of walking the streets and taking pictures. I just LOVE exploring new places. Cities are just so interesting and since Santiago is SO HUGE I know i'll never run out of things to see.
The first weekend here was, man.... I hardly have words for it, I guess FANTASTIC works. Getting to know all the USAC people a little more on friday night (On an apartment roof overlooking the city!), meeting almost all of my extended host family on Sat, then hiking in the Andes (See FB pics) on sunday was such a wonderful well rounded kick off to this semester. We haven't stopped talking about it all week and I know this weekend will only be better. Since school has kicked into a higher gear the weekdays have toned down a bit, which is ok as we are all learning to pace ourselves, but we all look so forward to the weekends. This weekend we have 3 days off because our USAC group is taking a day trip to the coast :D It may be a bit cold but I don't care, I just want to see the beauty that everyone keeps talking so much about! On top of that it is my new friend Madie's 21st birthday today so a bunch of us are getting a hostel to stay over Friday night and celebrate. Haha, she is just so cool. I called her at midnight to sing feliz cumpleaños and I'm about to head out to have her Italian birthday dinner. I'M SO HUNGRY!
Well I can't think of much else to say, maybe cause there is just SO MUCH. I love my little piece of the city with it's awesome (dangerous) german coffee shop, it's parks full of couples kissing, nanny's playing with adorable children, and dogs running around. The spring has brought everyone out into the sun and i get to watch as I stroll from school and back each day. The mountains never fail to take my breath away (well when I can see them). Also I am so well taken care of, my host parents are the perfect mix of parent/ friend and they are always encouraging me to go out and do new things.
I've also started up my dance class with everybody in USAC and while it is pretty easy I have A BALL with everyone there. We just smile and laugh and enjoy each others company. We seem to be a pretty tight group and I look forward to a trip to the coast with them all tomorrow. I have made a few Chilean friends but I am always in search of more because hey that's part of the experience too! All in all this year has lead me to a place where I'm probably the most secure and confident I can remember being in a long time. I miss you all and want to thank you for being a part of this incredible journey I have found myself on!
Saturday, August 27, 2011
5 Strikes, (While) I'm Out?
So don't let my title fool you, I HAD A GREAT DAY! Its meaning will have to reveal itself in time.
My first couple full days in my homestay have been too cool. I feel like things that wouldn't be that exciting for any other person are just so freaking COOL! As my new awesome friend Madie (I actually spelt it right that time!) would say, it's all perspective! WORD! So I slept in pretty late yesterday, I'm on Cali West Coast time still plus they just seem to do that here... and had an awesome breakfast con mi mama Marina. For the last couple mornings she has had the whole little breakfast spread out for me when I wonder from my daze out into the front room and it is really nice to just relax and start my day feeling so loved. Mi mama Marina doesn't work anymore and my papa Oscar often works from home and only goes in when he is really needed, when there is a problem, or he has a business trip (He is a manger for cinemark cinemas and works in most of Western South America). This just means that they have time to spend with me :D And I won't lie I enjoy it. After breakfast yesterday I wanted to take pictures around the house (coming soon) and Oscar came a long with me, little did I know that we were about to head out on a hour and a half long tour of the area (I would have worn better shoes!) Las Condes. We walked through the little park near the house (Las Condes is an interesting part of town that is a mix of old "tranquilo" neighborhoods, mixed with big apartment buildings, along side huge malls and touring office buildings) where I can't wait to take the Dog, Gamba (Prawn! LOL!), to play. She is my buddy. Even tho I'm sure all my clothes are going to have a muddy paw print by the time this trip is over! It's my new fashion statement. After the park it was a few more blocks to the metro stop, Manquehue, and I officially experienced the first half of my walk to school. Right next to the stop is a huge mall, the first in Chile I believe (or something like that), that you sense it older then most and is an awesome maze of less mainstream shops and food. I'm excited to go explore! But on most days i don't think i'll bring my wallet.... that place may be bad for my wallet! Me and papa Oscar had a grand ol' time as he showed me the ropes and helped me get my bearings. One interesting part is when he pointed to one of the new and big office buildings, saying "see that plot, the house I used to live in was right there." I sense this city has come along way as the world continues to meet globalization. Just after the business district we walked threw an even larger park with a big bird house enclosure that just made my day! peacocks, cockatoos, canaries, parrots, etc. Very cool! Other than that nothing too much more exciting, another even bigger, newer mall, and me wishing my cute new black flats were a 1/2 size bigger :/
After our little outing, mama prepared her usual lunch. White rice, steak, salad, another veggie of some kind, yummy bread, and a glass of wine. So steak everyday and wine with every meal! HELLO! Yes please! This just might ruin me.... At lunch I gave out my gifts I got for mis padres and it was super fun to see Marina's eyes light up when I headed her the salad forks from Kenya or Oscar's excitement when I gave him the book about gold rush Grass Valley. We both had a good time looking at the old pictures and maps, which then lead to him breaking out the atlas and giving me a little lesson about Chile, which I desperately needed. Even the metal water bottle I got for their son (he isn't here tho) got Marina excited. Man, I love my host parents. The afternoon was a rest time, which Oscar suggested I needed but didn't want to admit I needed, and he was totally right. I really enjoyed a chill afternoon to catch up with friends stateside, drink tea, and watch TV with Marina. At 8 (well 8:45 but shhh it's Chilean time) we headed out for a family reunion. Oscar's nephew just graduated law school and his side of the family was having a little get together to celebrate. I was pretty scared going into it but it ended up being harmless fun :) Stuffed myself on delicious finger food (they don't make dinner a big deal here), luckily ran into another girl from the program named Katie, she is the host student of Oscar's sister (My new cousin!), and got pretty good/sick of answering the same questions over and over in Spanish. Katie and I became allies and with each others help picking through the sticky moments of miscommunication we were comfortable and happily chatting away in spanish by the end of the night.
Chileans stay out late, its late now lol, and I didn't even roll out of bed until almost noon today! I'm definitely going to try and get up earlier tomorrow, in order to prepare myself for the early awakening that will be monday morning.... Because I got up so late I ate a quick breakfast (lunch?) and headed out for a run in order to punish myself for my laziness. It was wonderful. The sun came out for me while I ran and early spring in this city is just breathtaking. The trees are blooming, the buildings shine, and the snow covered mountains are truly different than anything else I have ever seen. Santiago is just so unique! After my fairly shortish run (I'll have to build myself up to longer distances as I get used to the dry, cold, high mountain, city air) I look forward to it! What made today great, beside the fact that my padres took me out to a movie, was that we picked up Madie on the way! She lives pretty far away but we both figure its tots worth the effort. We'll just have to find a chill hangout place somewhere in between :D The movie was good, but REALLY sad. It was about the life of Violeta Parra, a famous Chilean guitarist/singer (Gracias a la Vida), and any movie that ends with a gun in someone's hand probably doesn't end pretty. Madie came back to my place for some tea then we kicked off our first outing.
The strikes begin....
STRIKE ONE: Walked to the mall next to the metro stop in order to exchange my dollars into pesos. Closed....
STRIKE TWO: We go to next cash option only to find that the ATM won't take my card....
STRIKE THREE: I forgot my keys... Call papa, we work out a plan.
STRIKE FOUR: Madie lends me some money for the metro and while I'm getting my "beep card" at the info desk there is a miscommunication. Didn't help that I couldn't hear the women through the glass, both were getting frustrated, and their was a line of impatient Chileans behind me (I swear when I walked up there was hardly anyone around, just my luck they arrive just as I'm having issues)....
STRIKE FIVE: We get to the stop "closest" to Madie's place only to discover it isn't 2 blocks away from the center by her house that we wanted to go for drinks but TWENTY... her padres came and grabbed us....
After getting to her house, and hour and a half after leaving mine, we had no more strikes :) Just one fantastic chill evening. She ordered a Margarita, I a Mojito, and we just talked about how awesome our lives are, boys, and home towns. Every once and awhile we would stop to laugh at the music playing in the restaurant. Gangster's paradise? Uh, push it? Random other 90's hip hop rap? YES PLEASE. We left the place feeling a lot more at ease and even more excited for adventures to come. While walking through the square by her house an awesome (I'm probably overusing that word) Chilean band was playing music. They were a dream come true! Madie and I finished our day rocking out, dancing with other Chileans in the park, and all and all just stoked on our new friendship. Madie even had her first, i'm blond in Chile moment, when this friendly drunk Chilean man (We nicknamed him twinkle toes!) came to dance near us. All and all it was solid. I caught a taxi home from her place without a problem and sit here now super content.
STRIKE SIX? Not sure if this counts because it is basically linked to STRIKE ONE.
Upon arriving home I couldn't find the keys mi papa said he would hide under a pot... luckily the son of Marina's friend (the one that is nice, awkward, talks fast, asks a lot questions, and studders, remember?) heard me poking around outside and let me in. I couldn't help but laugh at this point....
My first couple full days in my homestay have been too cool. I feel like things that wouldn't be that exciting for any other person are just so freaking COOL! As my new awesome friend Madie (I actually spelt it right that time!) would say, it's all perspective! WORD! So I slept in pretty late yesterday, I'm on Cali West Coast time still plus they just seem to do that here... and had an awesome breakfast con mi mama Marina. For the last couple mornings she has had the whole little breakfast spread out for me when I wonder from my daze out into the front room and it is really nice to just relax and start my day feeling so loved. Mi mama Marina doesn't work anymore and my papa Oscar often works from home and only goes in when he is really needed, when there is a problem, or he has a business trip (He is a manger for cinemark cinemas and works in most of Western South America). This just means that they have time to spend with me :D And I won't lie I enjoy it. After breakfast yesterday I wanted to take pictures around the house (coming soon) and Oscar came a long with me, little did I know that we were about to head out on a hour and a half long tour of the area (I would have worn better shoes!) Las Condes. We walked through the little park near the house (Las Condes is an interesting part of town that is a mix of old "tranquilo" neighborhoods, mixed with big apartment buildings, along side huge malls and touring office buildings) where I can't wait to take the Dog, Gamba (Prawn! LOL!), to play. She is my buddy. Even tho I'm sure all my clothes are going to have a muddy paw print by the time this trip is over! It's my new fashion statement. After the park it was a few more blocks to the metro stop, Manquehue, and I officially experienced the first half of my walk to school. Right next to the stop is a huge mall, the first in Chile I believe (or something like that), that you sense it older then most and is an awesome maze of less mainstream shops and food. I'm excited to go explore! But on most days i don't think i'll bring my wallet.... that place may be bad for my wallet! Me and papa Oscar had a grand ol' time as he showed me the ropes and helped me get my bearings. One interesting part is when he pointed to one of the new and big office buildings, saying "see that plot, the house I used to live in was right there." I sense this city has come along way as the world continues to meet globalization. Just after the business district we walked threw an even larger park with a big bird house enclosure that just made my day! peacocks, cockatoos, canaries, parrots, etc. Very cool! Other than that nothing too much more exciting, another even bigger, newer mall, and me wishing my cute new black flats were a 1/2 size bigger :/
After our little outing, mama prepared her usual lunch. White rice, steak, salad, another veggie of some kind, yummy bread, and a glass of wine. So steak everyday and wine with every meal! HELLO! Yes please! This just might ruin me.... At lunch I gave out my gifts I got for mis padres and it was super fun to see Marina's eyes light up when I headed her the salad forks from Kenya or Oscar's excitement when I gave him the book about gold rush Grass Valley. We both had a good time looking at the old pictures and maps, which then lead to him breaking out the atlas and giving me a little lesson about Chile, which I desperately needed. Even the metal water bottle I got for their son (he isn't here tho) got Marina excited. Man, I love my host parents. The afternoon was a rest time, which Oscar suggested I needed but didn't want to admit I needed, and he was totally right. I really enjoyed a chill afternoon to catch up with friends stateside, drink tea, and watch TV with Marina. At 8 (well 8:45 but shhh it's Chilean time) we headed out for a family reunion. Oscar's nephew just graduated law school and his side of the family was having a little get together to celebrate. I was pretty scared going into it but it ended up being harmless fun :) Stuffed myself on delicious finger food (they don't make dinner a big deal here), luckily ran into another girl from the program named Katie, she is the host student of Oscar's sister (My new cousin!), and got pretty good/sick of answering the same questions over and over in Spanish. Katie and I became allies and with each others help picking through the sticky moments of miscommunication we were comfortable and happily chatting away in spanish by the end of the night.
Chileans stay out late, its late now lol, and I didn't even roll out of bed until almost noon today! I'm definitely going to try and get up earlier tomorrow, in order to prepare myself for the early awakening that will be monday morning.... Because I got up so late I ate a quick breakfast (lunch?) and headed out for a run in order to punish myself for my laziness. It was wonderful. The sun came out for me while I ran and early spring in this city is just breathtaking. The trees are blooming, the buildings shine, and the snow covered mountains are truly different than anything else I have ever seen. Santiago is just so unique! After my fairly shortish run (I'll have to build myself up to longer distances as I get used to the dry, cold, high mountain, city air) I look forward to it! What made today great, beside the fact that my padres took me out to a movie, was that we picked up Madie on the way! She lives pretty far away but we both figure its tots worth the effort. We'll just have to find a chill hangout place somewhere in between :D The movie was good, but REALLY sad. It was about the life of Violeta Parra, a famous Chilean guitarist/singer (Gracias a la Vida), and any movie that ends with a gun in someone's hand probably doesn't end pretty. Madie came back to my place for some tea then we kicked off our first outing.
The strikes begin....
STRIKE ONE: Walked to the mall next to the metro stop in order to exchange my dollars into pesos. Closed....
STRIKE TWO: We go to next cash option only to find that the ATM won't take my card....
STRIKE THREE: I forgot my keys... Call papa, we work out a plan.
STRIKE FOUR: Madie lends me some money for the metro and while I'm getting my "beep card" at the info desk there is a miscommunication. Didn't help that I couldn't hear the women through the glass, both were getting frustrated, and their was a line of impatient Chileans behind me (I swear when I walked up there was hardly anyone around, just my luck they arrive just as I'm having issues)....
STRIKE FIVE: We get to the stop "closest" to Madie's place only to discover it isn't 2 blocks away from the center by her house that we wanted to go for drinks but TWENTY... her padres came and grabbed us....
After getting to her house, and hour and a half after leaving mine, we had no more strikes :) Just one fantastic chill evening. She ordered a Margarita, I a Mojito, and we just talked about how awesome our lives are, boys, and home towns. Every once and awhile we would stop to laugh at the music playing in the restaurant. Gangster's paradise? Uh, push it? Random other 90's hip hop rap? YES PLEASE. We left the place feeling a lot more at ease and even more excited for adventures to come. While walking through the square by her house an awesome (I'm probably overusing that word) Chilean band was playing music. They were a dream come true! Madie and I finished our day rocking out, dancing with other Chileans in the park, and all and all just stoked on our new friendship. Madie even had her first, i'm blond in Chile moment, when this friendly drunk Chilean man (We nicknamed him twinkle toes!) came to dance near us. All and all it was solid. I caught a taxi home from her place without a problem and sit here now super content.
STRIKE SIX? Not sure if this counts because it is basically linked to STRIKE ONE.
Upon arriving home I couldn't find the keys mi papa said he would hide under a pot... luckily the son of Marina's friend (the one that is nice, awkward, talks fast, asks a lot questions, and studders, remember?) heard me poking around outside and let me in. I couldn't help but laugh at this point....
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Los Primeros Dias En Chile
Ok, so it's late here in Chile but I knew a facebook status update would NOT suffice in telling you all about my fabulous beginning days here in Chile. And as I type my bed is rolling out from under me... one sec......
And back! Hmmm where to start? Plane ride nothing too special, well except that Atlanta's airport IS HUGE, other then that i'll start by getting off the plane. Got through customs and got my bags and headed out into the sea of people waiting at the arrival's gate. So one problem, I knew people from USAC where waiting for me (my flight got in the same time as the group flight) but I wasn't seeing them and any American looking a little lost is asking to be bugged by taxi drivers, the guy was nice enough but I got really sick of telling him "No Gracias. No necesito un taxi, yo necesito encountrar USAC AQUI." John, a super nice british man who works for USAC, eventually spoted me and pulled me over to the side where others who weren't on the group flight were waiting. So good thing i'm comfortable meeting new people because when you do something like this you better get over that quickly, there are names to remember, travel plans to talk about, and friends (your really going to need) to make. I realizes fairly quickly how important the people you meet in the first few moments of a trip are to shaping the rest of the trip.... I don't know maybe I'm over thinking this but the people I met in the airport at first are the people I approached later and the friends all probably travel with in the future. After the group flight arrived we piled on a couch bus and headed to our hotel.
Ok, so Chile is really different then anywhere i've ever been and after spending three or so glorious weeks in the california sun the cold definitely through me off. If I had to guess it's probably a lot like salt lake city, but i've never been to salt lake so I can't be sure. It's a huge city, in a high plain, surrounded my mountains. It wasn't until I left the hotel today that I realized there is snow on ones right by where we stayed. SO BEAUTIFUL. We are already planning a day trip to go skiing and boarding! Upon arriving at the hotel we got assigned rooms and roommates, mine was already at the hotel and it was a little intimidating to knock on a hotel door and meet the stranger you'll be sharing a room with. Very freshman in college like. Well the girl that opened the door is named Madison, and she pretty much rocks socks. She is from Idaho, and she too has been at Sasquatch! for the last 2 years. CRAZY RIGHT. We have also started making travel plans and such and we are thinking Easter Island would be a great fall (spring) break destination :D And maybe a pre christmas trek up to Machu Picchu before they close it indefinitely wouldn't be such a bad idea. Maybe these are just ideas of 2 super excited girls but the future is looking bright. After settling in we had a on and off again day of activities. Madie and I accidently showed up an hour late for lunch (Guess Chile is +1 from east coast time....) oops! And laughed pretty hard about it, we would be THOSE people. Then it was a quick walk with the group to get a picture for our identification card, our first orientation session in the hotels big conference room, and some exploring/playing in the hotel's garden. Me and Maddy tried to play hopscotch and pretty much failed but we laughed it off like most everything else we did that was an epic fail and continued about our exploring. After dinner we both snuggled in and did some reading before a fairly early lights out. Some others in the program went out.... crazies!
Now for today. It was pretty much the bomb, I didn't do anything super exciting yet it was all VERY exciting. Got up and ate yet another super tasty meal, I'm telling you this hotel was nice (but not in our western sense, it wasn't huge, cooky cutter, and shiny, it was homey and unique and had good food.) Orientation part 2 was basically us meeting one on one with Luis, our director, to finalize our class schedule, we then had to all go and pack up our luggage to prepare for later family pickup. Somehow my room got selected as the one everyone moved their stuff into and that was actually kinda fun. Maddy and I met new people as they brought their bags in and hung out in our room, it was a obstacle course! I couldn't even use the bathroom cause, for one, the door was too blocked to close and two, there was a suitcase on the toilet, haha good times! After that we all headed back the the meeting room to take a language level test, let me say I'm glad I'm in track 2...., we ate a tasty lunch, then had a presentation on the social movement that is happening here in Chile. So fascinating and right up my ally. I didn't know this but a pretty large scale social movement is happening right now in Santiago, students are leading the way with protests, sit ins, some rioting (The media often portrays any violence as a lot worse than it really is), etc. While it is on the surface a protest against the high schooling costs and the privatization of the education system (their own president said education is a consumer good, not a right.... scary), it is a deeper protest by all classes who have decided enough is enough. I am really looking forward to seeing how things unfold in the coming months, and don't worry I'm not going to go getting myself into situations with water canons and tear gas!
At about 5 pm the host families showed up and I was wisked off on my first adventure :) My mama Marina and my papa Oscar took me straight to a HUGE supermarket called Lider. Think wallmart maybe? For those of you who have been to Nairobi think patriotic Nakumatt. haha but better organized! I got my phone that i'll be using while here and while it isn't anything special it was first step to becoming Chilean for the semester. The supermarket was basically my first spanish lesson as we wondered around shopping, browsing wine, and learning a bit more about each other. Upon arriving at my house we unloading the tiny car packed full of my junk, and the groceries, and I got to see my new home. It is small (well, not that small but it's long and kinda passage like so it gives it that feel), homey (THEY HAVE A DOG!), and a bit cold. Not super nice by our standards but similar to my house and I'm already enjoying the Chilean experience. My room is very well suited for a student like me, closet, shelves, a TV and dvd player even, a bed, a chair, and a side table. Once I got all my stuff in it looks pretty good. Once I set out my pictures it really felt pretty homey. Phew, I should wrap up! Guess I'm still on west coast time! After unpacking I watched a novela with Marina, my host mom, and understood almost nothing. What I did get was the typical, mom kills people, the mom that kill's people's daughter's husband cheats on her, etc, etc. Cool fact tho, my host mom's daughter is the lead actress! Oh forgot to mention, no siblings this trip. The one son that is still at home is in Australia, where their oldest son lives, learning english. Pretty cool though. I then had dinner with my host mom and dad as well as one of their friends and her son(He asked a lot of questions, spoke fast, and had a studder). I was very hard to follow their conversation but once I got involved it slowed down and they wanted to hear a little about me. I talked about GV, Humboldt, Kenya, my family, my frisbee team, and even shared some pictures. They especially enjoyed the pictures I took in Kenya this summer of Maasai students dancing and of Lions out on Safari. They are all very patient with me, they have been doing this for 18 years!, and I'm learning how to express myself in Spanish really quickly.
Haha what a fun post! It's nice to be happy and confident and comfortable. I'll have my ups and downs I know that, once the newness of it all wears off and the oh wow i'm here for 4 months kicks in, but this summer definitely prepared me for this. A chill attitude can also get you pretty far, not to mention an awesome God.
Well, it's 1:45 am and I don't even have the energy to read back through this to make sure it isn't ridiculous and error-ridden. Hope you had fun with that....
LOVE AND MISS YOU ALL
Straubrey
And back! Hmmm where to start? Plane ride nothing too special, well except that Atlanta's airport IS HUGE, other then that i'll start by getting off the plane. Got through customs and got my bags and headed out into the sea of people waiting at the arrival's gate. So one problem, I knew people from USAC where waiting for me (my flight got in the same time as the group flight) but I wasn't seeing them and any American looking a little lost is asking to be bugged by taxi drivers, the guy was nice enough but I got really sick of telling him "No Gracias. No necesito un taxi, yo necesito encountrar USAC AQUI." John, a super nice british man who works for USAC, eventually spoted me and pulled me over to the side where others who weren't on the group flight were waiting. So good thing i'm comfortable meeting new people because when you do something like this you better get over that quickly, there are names to remember, travel plans to talk about, and friends (your really going to need) to make. I realizes fairly quickly how important the people you meet in the first few moments of a trip are to shaping the rest of the trip.... I don't know maybe I'm over thinking this but the people I met in the airport at first are the people I approached later and the friends all probably travel with in the future. After the group flight arrived we piled on a couch bus and headed to our hotel.
Ok, so Chile is really different then anywhere i've ever been and after spending three or so glorious weeks in the california sun the cold definitely through me off. If I had to guess it's probably a lot like salt lake city, but i've never been to salt lake so I can't be sure. It's a huge city, in a high plain, surrounded my mountains. It wasn't until I left the hotel today that I realized there is snow on ones right by where we stayed. SO BEAUTIFUL. We are already planning a day trip to go skiing and boarding! Upon arriving at the hotel we got assigned rooms and roommates, mine was already at the hotel and it was a little intimidating to knock on a hotel door and meet the stranger you'll be sharing a room with. Very freshman in college like. Well the girl that opened the door is named Madison, and she pretty much rocks socks. She is from Idaho, and she too has been at Sasquatch! for the last 2 years. CRAZY RIGHT. We have also started making travel plans and such and we are thinking Easter Island would be a great fall (spring) break destination :D And maybe a pre christmas trek up to Machu Picchu before they close it indefinitely wouldn't be such a bad idea. Maybe these are just ideas of 2 super excited girls but the future is looking bright. After settling in we had a on and off again day of activities. Madie and I accidently showed up an hour late for lunch (Guess Chile is +1 from east coast time....) oops! And laughed pretty hard about it, we would be THOSE people. Then it was a quick walk with the group to get a picture for our identification card, our first orientation session in the hotels big conference room, and some exploring/playing in the hotel's garden. Me and Maddy tried to play hopscotch and pretty much failed but we laughed it off like most everything else we did that was an epic fail and continued about our exploring. After dinner we both snuggled in and did some reading before a fairly early lights out. Some others in the program went out.... crazies!
Now for today. It was pretty much the bomb, I didn't do anything super exciting yet it was all VERY exciting. Got up and ate yet another super tasty meal, I'm telling you this hotel was nice (but not in our western sense, it wasn't huge, cooky cutter, and shiny, it was homey and unique and had good food.) Orientation part 2 was basically us meeting one on one with Luis, our director, to finalize our class schedule, we then had to all go and pack up our luggage to prepare for later family pickup. Somehow my room got selected as the one everyone moved their stuff into and that was actually kinda fun. Maddy and I met new people as they brought their bags in and hung out in our room, it was a obstacle course! I couldn't even use the bathroom cause, for one, the door was too blocked to close and two, there was a suitcase on the toilet, haha good times! After that we all headed back the the meeting room to take a language level test, let me say I'm glad I'm in track 2...., we ate a tasty lunch, then had a presentation on the social movement that is happening here in Chile. So fascinating and right up my ally. I didn't know this but a pretty large scale social movement is happening right now in Santiago, students are leading the way with protests, sit ins, some rioting (The media often portrays any violence as a lot worse than it really is), etc. While it is on the surface a protest against the high schooling costs and the privatization of the education system (their own president said education is a consumer good, not a right.... scary), it is a deeper protest by all classes who have decided enough is enough. I am really looking forward to seeing how things unfold in the coming months, and don't worry I'm not going to go getting myself into situations with water canons and tear gas!
At about 5 pm the host families showed up and I was wisked off on my first adventure :) My mama Marina and my papa Oscar took me straight to a HUGE supermarket called Lider. Think wallmart maybe? For those of you who have been to Nairobi think patriotic Nakumatt. haha but better organized! I got my phone that i'll be using while here and while it isn't anything special it was first step to becoming Chilean for the semester. The supermarket was basically my first spanish lesson as we wondered around shopping, browsing wine, and learning a bit more about each other. Upon arriving at my house we unloading the tiny car packed full of my junk, and the groceries, and I got to see my new home. It is small (well, not that small but it's long and kinda passage like so it gives it that feel), homey (THEY HAVE A DOG!), and a bit cold. Not super nice by our standards but similar to my house and I'm already enjoying the Chilean experience. My room is very well suited for a student like me, closet, shelves, a TV and dvd player even, a bed, a chair, and a side table. Once I got all my stuff in it looks pretty good. Once I set out my pictures it really felt pretty homey. Phew, I should wrap up! Guess I'm still on west coast time! After unpacking I watched a novela with Marina, my host mom, and understood almost nothing. What I did get was the typical, mom kills people, the mom that kill's people's daughter's husband cheats on her, etc, etc. Cool fact tho, my host mom's daughter is the lead actress! Oh forgot to mention, no siblings this trip. The one son that is still at home is in Australia, where their oldest son lives, learning english. Pretty cool though. I then had dinner with my host mom and dad as well as one of their friends and her son(He asked a lot of questions, spoke fast, and had a studder). I was very hard to follow their conversation but once I got involved it slowed down and they wanted to hear a little about me. I talked about GV, Humboldt, Kenya, my family, my frisbee team, and even shared some pictures. They especially enjoyed the pictures I took in Kenya this summer of Maasai students dancing and of Lions out on Safari. They are all very patient with me, they have been doing this for 18 years!, and I'm learning how to express myself in Spanish really quickly.
Haha what a fun post! It's nice to be happy and confident and comfortable. I'll have my ups and downs I know that, once the newness of it all wears off and the oh wow i'm here for 4 months kicks in, but this summer definitely prepared me for this. A chill attitude can also get you pretty far, not to mention an awesome God.
Well, it's 1:45 am and I don't even have the energy to read back through this to make sure it isn't ridiculous and error-ridden. Hope you had fun with that....
LOVE AND MISS YOU ALL
Straubrey
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