Hola mis gringitos! Espero que todos estén bien.

Everything is going purty well here. I got my second test score back- another B+! So its looking like I will pull a B+/A- for my first round of advanced spanish, which isn't bad at all! We've already started on the next section and we're going over one of my favorite tenses- subjunctivo! If you've ever listened to a spanish love song, it is most likely full of subjunctivo. So, in a sense, it is the "romantic" tense! :)

Last weekend, Jaime (my host dad) and I enjoyed a few very relaxing days by ourselves because my host mom and sister were out of town taking care of family things. It was soooo nice because he is so laid back and easy going- he isn't always up and flitting around like tiny Paloma. So anyways, on Monday night, he walked in after work and surprised me with a piece of my favorite cake! Sweetest thing ever!! Even better, I took a picture to show you what Torta Mil Hojas really looks like:



YUMMY!!! Right?!?!

Everything has gotten so much better here. I finally talked to the housing coordinator at school about the noise issue and she helped bring the issue up with my family. My host mom was super sweet about it and told me she understood completely and she is a light sleeper too, etc. They are much quieter now and I am sooo grateful for those extra hours of sleep! I also talked to my host mom about food, because apparently she thinks I don't like her food. I explained to her that the portions she gives me are too big for what my stomach can handle and re-assured her that I do like her food (most of the time . . . but thats beyond the point).

Sara also introduced me to one of her Chilean language partners the other day and we all had a really fun time together. His name is Rodrigo and he speaks hardly any English, but he is the master of Spanglish, haha. And he is just so super silly and friendly. The three of us spent tuesday afternoon together climbing Cerro Santa Lucia, which is a beautiful hill/park with a lot of pretty gardens, fountains and an amazing view of Santiago at the top. I'm definitely going back there with my camera soon so I can take pics for you guys!! We also visited La Feria Artesenal Santa Lucia, where you can buy pretty much anything and everything you'd ever need/want. OH, and someone found Sara's phone (remember she dropped it the other night on her way to the concert) and called her to tell her. So Rodrigo helped us out with that situation and we all ended up having dinner together at a cafe along with some great conversation. Hopefully we will be seeing more of him in the future!!

And, I have to break the bad news to you guys . . . and don't go freaking out on me because I promise everything is okay: I was robbed yesterday. BUT, the only thing that was taken was my bookbag, which is more or less easy to replace. AND, I wasn't assaulted or anything of that nature. Someone literally just up and took my bookbag. Honestly, I was being a stupid tourist so I am just as much to blame as anyone else. The story: I went to eat a cafe with my friend Sara on our way home from school. I put my bookbag at my feet (but not in-between) and we were yapping away in English, eating and messing around, etc. Near the end of our meal a few different couples and a man came to sit at the cafe as well. The man (who was wearing a suit) sat down at the table next to Sara and I and all that good stuff. He took off his jacket and put it on the chair next to me and started messing around like he was looking for something in his pockets. Meanwhile, I was getting a little weirded out because the situation just didn't feel right. But at the same time, the guy was wearing a nice suit so I thought I might be over-reacting. But either way, I picked my bookbag up, made up some excuse to rifle through it, and put it down closer to my feet than before. Next thing I knew, I looked down and my bookbag was gone and so was the man! Luckily, my wallet was in my lap so he didn't get anything important. Although, he did get off with my prescription sunglasses and my favorite jacket :( And there isn't much I can do about it either. I've already alerted the office here and rented all the books I need for the rest of the semester. And my host family has given me another bookbag to use. So, the situation has been taken care of. But that was definitely a learning experience for me. And I'm a pretty seasoned traveler too! I let my guard down because I thought just because I was in a nice area that I didn't have to worry . . . dumb mistake # 1!

GOOD NEWS though!! I have a fun weekend planned :) Tomorrow night I am FINALLY going to an ACTUAL disco with my friends (*crosses my fingers*, pretty please!!). Sara, Rodolfo (her Chilean boyfriend), possibly Rodrigo, me and some other peoples are gonna go partay in the city tomorrow night. Then, on Saturday, I am meeting up with my friend Nathalie to go check out La Feria Los Dominicos again to see what pretty things we can find for ourselves! Then, on Sunday, I've been invited to my friend Diego's house for some kind of dinner/party/I don't even know. We'll have to see what that turns into . . . there is no telling!!

So yes, todo esta FANTASTICO. I love and miss you all!!

Mi fin de semana!

So, the concert was FABULOUS!!!!!! Totally worth every cent and all the effort to get the tickets! Also, Jorge Drexler wrote a beautiful song for Chile about the earthquake in February and sang it as a surprise for everyone. It made me cry because it was so lovely. I admire him even more after actually seeing him in concert. He is such a funny guy and seems like such a nice person. The theater we went to was really nice, and also smaller than most venues I've visited in the US. It gave the concert a very unique feel because everyone was so much closer to Jorge. One thing that I thought was really different was that everyone was yelling and talking whenever they got the chance. People on one side of the theater would yell out jokes and the other side would answer, etc. It was really funny except when everyone start shushing each other, lol.

Sara and I had a little bit of an issue with the bus getting there though. Only because we went the wrong way . . . into the ghetto pretty much! Luckily I realized what was going on and we got off and hopped on a bus going the other way. I explained to the bus driver when we got on what had happened and he was really sweet to us and warned us when our stop was coming up. He was also trying really hard to engage us in conversation. So meanwhile, I was really worried we were going to be late for the concert but we ended up arriving right on time. But, Sara lost her phone (or someone pick-pocketed her) somewhere in the process of getting there so that put a little damper on the evening. I ended up having a fabulous time and I'm pretty sure she did too!

On Saturday I met up with my language partner. His name is Diego and he is a 17 yr old student that lives pretty close to me. And, what a sweetie he is! He came to meet me at my metro stop on Saturday and took me out to Las Condes. Which reminds me that I should probably include a map of "las comunas de Santiago." Go here to see what I mean: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Comunas_de_Santiago_(nombres).svg. So, I live in Ñuñoa and I travel through Providencia every day to get to school in Santiago. And Las Condes is right by me as well. It is the most developed part of the suburbs where you find all kinds of nice hotels, malls, movie theatres, and all kinds of stuff. Anyways, Diego and I went to Las Condes to visit one of the biggest malls here in Santiago: Alto Las Condes. He and I ate lunch and walked around talking and looking around at different stores. We also played games in an arcade and stuff like that too. The whole day was really fun and I got to practice a lot of Spanish! And now I have been invited to go and eat at his house and go out with his friends, everything! He is like my little Chilean brother, hah.

Other than that I have just been hanging out at home. I got over my cold but I've had a terrible cough and some congestion that keeps me up at night. So, I've been trying to rest up this weekend. I'm starting to think I'm allergic to something in the air here. The air quality is really bad so I'm sure that has something to do with it. BLAH! I just want to stop coughing at night!!

Anyways, I've still got some homework to finish. Chau for now!

ESTA NOCHE . . .

VOY A UN CONCIERTO!!!

So, in conversation with my host parents a few nights ago I found out that one of my FAVORITE south american artists is going to be playing in Santiago this weekend!!!!! So I did some researching online and figured out how to go about getting a ticket . . and tonight my friend Sara and I are headed to see Jorge Drexler! I was introduced to his music when I stayed in Brazil over two years ago and I've slowly been collecting his CDs ever since. He is from Montevideo, Uruguay and he is a fabulous musician. I've included some of my favorite songs for you to check out if you want.

"Todo se transforma" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCjpqx3cXs0

"Mi guitarra y vos" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sA_7L5olktk&feature=related

"La trama y el desenlace" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-oWFcp-DbM

Also, I randomly went to visit my Chilean friend Pablo to hang out and practice Spanish/English on Tuesday and I was invited to see the last showing of the Espectaculo de Luces. How funny that I got to see it after all!! I must say, it was so much more fun to see it in person!! I was getting chills watching it. And everyone was so happy: cheering, singing, whistling, etc. My friends were even nice enough to buy me my own "piso" (stool) to stand on so I could see everything, haha! Unfortunately I didn't have my camara so sorry there won't be any pictures!! I am going to try and get some pictures of my new friends this weekend- but bringing a big ol' camera everywhere I go isn't exactly the safest here so I may or may not be able to!

Other than that this week has been pretty tipical. Hopefully I will have more stories and things to talk about after the weekend!

Hasta luego!

Mira! Unos videos!

Hola!

I meant to include this in my post last night but I was too worn out to remember. I've found the videos from the Espectaculo de Luces at La Moneda on good ol' YouTube(the show I attempted to see the other night but got caught in a mob scene instead) and I've included them for your viewing pleasure! The whole thing is close to 40 minutes so take the time to see it all if you can! It is freaking awesome what they were able to accomplish with some fireworks and lights!! So well done!!

Part 1:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBp_70lvIuA
Part 2:
http://www.youtube.com/watchv=e0XFcB3egDo&feature=related
Part 3:
http://www.youtube.com/watchv=0hXdQQuNueE&feature=related
Part 4:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Y0Qb8MIKs&feature=related

You can either open all four parts at one time and just move from one to the next. Or, you can open the first part and press "avanzar a parte 2, 3, 4" when the video is close to ending. Your choice! Also, the fourth video includes the tail end of the finale followed by some commentary and such. But, you catch a clip of Chile's newest president, Sebastián Piñera, if you're interested. He is also a very interesting person to read about if you want to google him. Their former president, and the first woman president, Michelle Bachelet, is really interesting to read about as well.

Enjoy!!!

CHI-CHI-CHI-LE-LE-LE ¡VIVA CHILE!

Las Fiestas Patrias!

Hola todos!! Como estan?

All of the craziness is finally wrapping up for the weekend. Its been a pretty packed and fun-filled time to say the least! Here's a little overview of what I've been up to:

Thursday - After school I headed back towards home because I needed to pick up my Chilean ID before 2pm. Then, I met two girlfriends at a little bar/restaurant near our houses to have lunch and start celebrating the holiday with a few drinks. Oddly enough, my host family had the same idea because we ran into them there! But they just said hello and left me to hang out with my friends. Then, it was back to the house to start preparing myself for the evenings activities: a light show at the government palace ("La Moneda") and parties afterwards. So, we all met up with a group of Chileans and started walking towards the light show. And right around that time began one of the most terrifying experiences of my life. All I have to say is: MOB SCENE. Before things got really crazy my whole group and I had been lead into the middle of the square. Before we knew it, people we're shoving and pushing and crushing against each other like sardines. And trust me, I've done NYE in Times Square so I know what its like to shove a ton of people in one area. But this was different- there was absolutely no crowd control. People were being robbed (two girls in my group), others were hyperventilating and having panic attacks, and children/elderly men and women were being suffocated and crushed by the sheer mass of people. So, after about 20 minutes of trying to stick it out in the crowd it just became too unbearable and we all decided to get the heck out of there. Which took another 20 minutes in itself because we had to fight againist everyone else who was frantically trying to leave and also against the people trying to force their way into the crowd. So, anyways, luckily everyone made it out fine and un-hurt but we had NO interest in staying there after that experience so we all left. We ended up going to a fire station (random, I know) and hanging out there for the rest of the night. The group of Chileans that we were introduced to through the university is apparently a group of volunteer fire-fighters. So we played games, drank, danced and had a great time partying with them until the early morning hours. I also made friends with a few of the guys and they offered to take my friends and I to una fonda (basically a type of huge fair that they put on here during the holidays) the next day.

Friday- My friends Nathalie, Sara, Marco and I met up with a group of Chileans: Sebastian, Cristobal, Pablo and Miguel and they took us to una fonda in Parque O' Higgins (one of the biggest and most popular parks in Santiago). There, we got to see all kinds of dancing, listen to folk music and try new foods and drinks. I was mostly into trying the drinks this weekend since most of the meals revolve around meat and I'm not a big meat eater to say the least :) Let me tell you all the new drinks I've tried:
Jote- red wine mixed with coca-cola
Teremoto- white wine mixed with fruit flavored ice cream
Chicha- fruit cider made from grapes or apples
Mote con huesillos- peach juice, with whole peaches that have been boiled and dried, mixed with cooked barley
and of course . . . Piscola!
After the fonda we all went to a bar and hung out for a while before we all headed home for the evening.

Saturday- Left for a family lunch around 1:30. And I finally got to try pastel de choclo! And homemade sopaipilla and pebre, yumm! And no holiday is complete without the famous chilean cake: torta mil hojas, which is seriously one of the most delicious desserts I've ever had. Its basically like putting marshmellow icing on top of caramel filled baklava. At least that is my take on it. You can see the recipe here: http://kitchenlife.wordpress.com/2008/12/27/torta-mil-hojas/. So anyways, after lunch we all hung out talking, drinking and eating some more until about 6:30 when my friend Kirsten and I decided to go into the city and meet some friends for a drink or two. We ended up going to Bellavista and found a nice little restaurant with outside tables so we could keep up with everything on the streets. Although, it wasn't half as busy as it would normally be because half of Santiago left town to celebrate the holidays at the beach or elsewhere. But it was quite an entertaining time. I was pretty tired from all my partying and drinking though, so I headed home around 10 and relaxed until I feel asleep.

Sunday- Got woken up by my host mom at 10:30 with hardly enough time to shower or get ready before we were off to our next activity: an asado near Pomaire (almost an hour and 30 min away). But first we had to go and pick up the rest of the family. Needless to say: more drinking, eating and talking. And luckily, I was able to catch a ride home early because I've got a pile of homework I haven't touched yet. And my family is still partying the night away! They didn't come home until 2am yesterday so no telling when they'll be home today.

Overall I've really enjoyed the holiday experience here. Its been nice to meet new people and try new foods/drinks. Although, I've been experiencing a little bit of homesickness. Being around this big family all the time and not really being able to participate actively in the conversations or know anything about their history- it makes me miss holdays at home and even speaking my own language! I'm also experiencing a little bit of annoyance with my Chilean family because of cultural reasons. The two biggest things that bother me here: time and noise. When I say time, I mean "chilean time," which means they never give me a true idea of when I'll be leaving or returning from some activity. Which is frustrating when I tell my host mom I have a test the next day and she takes me out until 11pm and doesn't think twice about my having to study. Then, there is the noise issue. My host family is so loud, especially at night and early in the morning. And my room is near the two biggest hangout areas: the computer room and the kitchen. For some reason it is okay here to yell, laugh and whatever else right outside my bedroom door and in the hallway near my room, etc. Its been affecting my sleep and its really freaking annoying. I also have no fan or no other means of blocking the noise because literally, my host mom will come in and unplug my fan/heater in the middle of the night! She's done it at 3am even. Which ticked me off so much that I just stopped using the dang thing. I honestly don't even know what to do about that situation. I don't want to be rude and tell them to stop having a good time when I'm sleeping but at the same time I don't know if I can keep living like this!

In other news, I got my first test back and I got a B+ (didn't fail afterall)! I'm also hopefully going to be starting some language exchanges soon with friends I've made here who want to practice English with me. So I'll have you update you all about that later . . . I'm exhausted now and I'm going to take advantage of my peace and quiet while I still have it!

Besos y abrazos para todos!

Pomaire e Isla Negra

Hola todos!

Like I mentioned in my last post, I had the oppurtunity to go and visit the towns of Pomaire and Isla Negra. As well as including some pictures I took, I will also tell you a little bit about the two towns.

Pomaire (pronounced pom-ay-ray) is a small dusty village situated roughly 60km west of Santiago. There isn't much to the city except for a few dusty roads dotted with shops and restaurants. However, its shops are overflowing with ceramic pottery such as vases, pots, plates and almost anything you can imagine- at very reasonable prices! Many of the restaurants here in Chile purchase these pots and dishes to serve typical Chilean dishes such as pastel de choclo which you can read about here: http://eatingchile.blogspot.com/2010/07/pastel-de-choclo-corn-pie-mystery.html

Pomaire, in my opinion, is a very ugly and run down town. The people that live there pretty much depend on tourism to make their living and all of the shops sport the same types of pottery and knick-knacks. And if you don't own a shop, you almost inevitably run some type of restaurant. Then, there were the people hired by said restaurants to try and attract tourists to eat there. Every second someone was running up to us trying to get us to eat at their restaurant. But, I must say that the food I had there was super delicious and typical home-made Chilean fare. Not mention, it was cheap! My favorite part of visiting Pomaire was going to the workshop where they make a great deal of the clay pottery that gets shipped out to Santiago and other cities. Here, we were able to see the creative process and even got to participate!











And then there's Isla Negra: a beautiful beach town for tourists. However, it is also the place where Pablo Neruda spent a significant part of his life. Of his many homes (he had four in all- 3 in Chile and 1 in France), he always considered Isla Negra to be his favorite. Since his death, this house has been turned into a museum and is now available for view by the general public. There, you can see his numerous collections from all over the world (including miniature boats, seashells, artwork, bugs, glass vases, etc), his writings, and the absolutely breathtaking view from his house.

I loved Isla Negra and I was very impressed with Pablo Nerudas house. Although we weren't allowed to take pictures inside the house (just like in any museum) so those of you who want to know more about it will have to get your bootys down here and see it yourself!







Another funny side note from Isla Negra- a few of my group members were quite the celebrities! There was a group of young (I would guess 13-15 yr old) Chilean students visiting the house at the same time as us and they took a special liking to certain people in our group. At first, they were sneakily taking our pictures and blatantly staring and whispering about us. Eventually they got bolder and started coming up to specific people and asking to take pictures with them. A few of the guys (and a girl or two) got pulled into the chaos and were surrounded by giggling teenagers who were absolutely enthralled to have their picture taken with los gringitos. It was really hilarious and a little weird at the same time. Luckily, I succeeded in hiding from the picture taken posse (at least I hope so). Otherwise my picture is probably posted up somewhere on facebook with a bunch of Chileans I don't even know, haha.

Meanwhile, I've come down with a little cold so I've spent the weekend inside my house just hanging around. Its been a little boring but I'm finally getting out of the apartment this afternoon so that I can go to the market with my friend Ashley. Apparently we will be seeing a lot of typical Chilean arts and crafts, etc. So that is definitely exciting! And, hopefully I will be feeling better by the time Friday rolls around because its gonna be party time! Can't wait to celebrate :)

Thats really all for me today- ta ta for now!

Update!

Hola mis gringitos! Como estan?

Things have been a little crazy here this past week. There have been a group of men at the apartment all week tearing down wallpaper, painting the walls and tearing up floor tiles to replace them with new ones. This is all due to the fact that the earthquake in february caused some minor cosmetic damage to the apartment and my host mom decided to fix it all! At once! So, I've been coming home all week to a torn up apartment with no place to sit or even put my things. Plus, everything is covered in this horrible dust from all the sanding they've been doing and its starting to get to me. Luckily they seem to be finishing up so hopefully by the end of the weekend everything will be in place and I can have my own space again.

In other news, I had my first experience going out with Chileans last weekend and it was really fun! We started off the evening at an asado with some friends of Ashley and Eduardo. At first, everyone was busy socializing and talking in really fast Chilean Spanish that I couldn't understand. But, as the alcohol kept flowing and people loosened up, everyone was less shy and more interested in talking to me and getting to know me. By that point, I was also able to keep up with the conversation better. I thought all along that we were going to end up at the disco at some point but that didn't end up happening. Instead, everyone hung around drinking, eating and talking until 4AM (which is when the discos close here)! But, lucky me, I happened to be with a group that has the hook up for an after party. Basically what happens is: after the clubs close around 4, other establishments (mostly hotels) send out a chain of text messages to certain people inviting them to their location for what the Chileans literally call an "after-hour," that runs from 4-10AM! So, I was invited to this after party and it was a blast! It was pretty much like going to a disco except girls get in free, the drinks are way more expensive, and the DJs mostly play 80s music which apparently Chileans are crazy about, lol. Although, I didn't make it until 10AM- I was back home and in bed by 7:30 ;)

Then, on Sunday, Paloma and Jaime took me on a tour around the city. We visited the neighborhood of Bellavista, which has a bohemian look and feel to it with tons of restaurants and night life to be found. It also happens to be the place where the famous Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda, lived (one of his three houses in Chile). I am actually going to visit his other house in Isla Negra tomorrow! Afterwards, we headed back towards el centro and walked through an area close to Santa Lucia. That was my favorite part of the day because we got to visit some museums and walk through a few markets, etc. The Chilean Independence Day/Bicentennial is coming up on Sept 18th so this is an especially nice time to be here. It doesn't matter where you are: on the streets, on the bus, in the metro, strolling through a park/plaza . . . there is always some kind of celebration going on somewhere. I've heard so many types of folk music and seen so many folk dances. And everyone is so happy and excited, its really contagious!! Plus, I have a four day weekend to enjoy all the festivites next week :) I'm so excited!!



Pablo Neruda's House in Bellavista














Neruda's poem "Pido Silencio" is written on these columns outside his house












A mural across from Neruda's house. This type of artwork is all over Bellavista.













A famous folk singer . . . whose name I don't remember :(












Street performers











Meanwhile, Classes are going okay. I'm feeling better about my Literature class- I can actually keep up with her now and participate in the discussions. But, I just had my first exam in my Spanish class and I don't think I did very well. It really stressed me out and made me feel sad because I felt like I was doing so well in her class up until now. I'm trying not to let it bother me since I know the experience of being here and immersing myself in the culture is what really matters.

Tomorrow, I am going on a group trip to Pomaire and Isla Negra. I will be sure to take lots of pictures to share with you all.

I love and miss you guys!! I hope everyone is doing well.

Unas fotos para ustedes!!

Estas fotos son de mi departamento y mi visto de los Andes :)







































































































There are 3 other rooms which belong to my host family members so I did not photograph them. But at least you can see what the apartment is like!

And, in other news, I'm going to una discoteca for the first time on Friday night!!! My friends Ashley and Eduardo (the american girl and chilean guy I met at the asado) invited me out to yet another asado with their chilean friends and then afterwards we are all going out to the disco! Que bueno! I'm so super excited to finally do something with someone other than one of my program members. They all tend to stick together and speak english all the time so I've been going home and studying instead. Don't get me wrong, I like them all a lot, but I don't want to spend my time in Chile with other Americans speaking English. It totally defeats the purpose of coming here!

On the way home today I stopped by a little restaurant near my house that specializes in all types of empanadas. I ordered a chicken empanada and it was sooooooo good. Its the best thing I've eaten since coming here. Besides sopapilla that is! :)

I'm hopefully going to be taking some more pictures this weekend so look out for another photo update!