HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!
I hope you all had a great day together. I'm sorry I couldn't be there to celebrate with everyone :(
But, I'm off to Algarrobo tomorrow (a Chilean beach town). We changed our plans because Mendoza was turning out to be a little too expensive.
Until next week- que esten muy muy bien!!
I love and miss you guys!!
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Saturday, November 20, 2010
VIVA ARGENTINA!
Hola todos!!
I'm ready to share some photos from Argentina!! I honestly didn't take very many because on the second day a pick-pocket tried to steal my camera on the metro and I was nervous about bringing my camera out after that. Luckily, a man saw the girl in the process and slapped her hand away from my bag. Then he started yelling at her and everyone was staring. I barely had time to react before she slinked off and got off the metro completely. Thank god for that man or I may not have had a camera anymore!
Except for that instance, Buenos Aires was fabulous. Probably my favorite city in South America thus far. Its so big and beautiful- the color and the architecture is so eye catching and different. Plus, its cheap and the food is to die for! The only thing I didn't like was the Argentinian accent. To me, they have some of the worst Spanish I have ever heard. I know Chilean Spanish is certainly nothing to brag about but in my opinion it is better than Argentinian Spanish. I couldn't understand half of what they were saying because the accent is so different. They also use "vos" instead of "tu" which changes all the conjugations I've gotten used to over the past 3 months. I really just didn't like it at all.
Anyways, we pretty much took the normal tourist track during out time there: we saw the government buildings (including La Casa Rosada), we traveled to different "posh" neighborhoods such as San Telmo, Recoleta, Palermo, etc. We also visited La Plaza Italia and the Zoo. We mostly just spent a lot of time walking around and discovering new places, etc. We also visited quite a few markets. Unfortunately, we never made it down to Puerto Madero or up to Tigre, so I would definitely love to return to Argentina some day and do a lot more sightseeing and traveling. Plus, I'd love to visit Cordoba, Salta and Iguazu Falls. The girls and I actually have plans to head over to Mendoza next weekend as a sort of good-bye trip/Thanksgiving celebration. Its only a 6 hour bus ride from Santiago and I've heard Mendoza is great.
On to the pictures!
A beautiful tree in Barrio Recoleta
La Casa Rosada
El Congreso
Statue in Plaza Italia
Another statue in Plaza Italia
Entrace to Zoologico Buenos Aires
Couple dancing the Tango in San Telmo
I'm sorry I don't have more to share with everyone!! I will try to get some pictures this weekend in Mendoza.
Today there is an asado to celebrate Franco's 6th birthday. Since most of you don't know, Franco is the grandson in my host family. His mother is my host sister, Lorena. So we are going to be celebrating with him this afternoon. The girls and I have also been invited to a party tonight by a friend of a friend. Next weekend we will be in Mendoza and the week after that its time to pack and get ready for finals. They will be leaving on Dec 10th and 11th to return to the US. And I will be staying here to begin my next adventure! They have been amazing friends to me and I know we will all keep in touch when we get back to the US. We've had so much fun here together and I am going to miss them a lot. But, I am already looking forward to a reunion with them sometime next year!
Tomorrow I will be getting back to work to finish the last of my assignments before finals. Que esten muy bien!!
I'm ready to share some photos from Argentina!! I honestly didn't take very many because on the second day a pick-pocket tried to steal my camera on the metro and I was nervous about bringing my camera out after that. Luckily, a man saw the girl in the process and slapped her hand away from my bag. Then he started yelling at her and everyone was staring. I barely had time to react before she slinked off and got off the metro completely. Thank god for that man or I may not have had a camera anymore!
Except for that instance, Buenos Aires was fabulous. Probably my favorite city in South America thus far. Its so big and beautiful- the color and the architecture is so eye catching and different. Plus, its cheap and the food is to die for! The only thing I didn't like was the Argentinian accent. To me, they have some of the worst Spanish I have ever heard. I know Chilean Spanish is certainly nothing to brag about but in my opinion it is better than Argentinian Spanish. I couldn't understand half of what they were saying because the accent is so different. They also use "vos" instead of "tu" which changes all the conjugations I've gotten used to over the past 3 months. I really just didn't like it at all.
Anyways, we pretty much took the normal tourist track during out time there: we saw the government buildings (including La Casa Rosada), we traveled to different "posh" neighborhoods such as San Telmo, Recoleta, Palermo, etc. We also visited La Plaza Italia and the Zoo. We mostly just spent a lot of time walking around and discovering new places, etc. We also visited quite a few markets. Unfortunately, we never made it down to Puerto Madero or up to Tigre, so I would definitely love to return to Argentina some day and do a lot more sightseeing and traveling. Plus, I'd love to visit Cordoba, Salta and Iguazu Falls. The girls and I actually have plans to head over to Mendoza next weekend as a sort of good-bye trip/Thanksgiving celebration. Its only a 6 hour bus ride from Santiago and I've heard Mendoza is great.
On to the pictures!
A beautiful tree in Barrio Recoleta
La Casa Rosada
El Congreso
Statue in Plaza Italia
Another statue in Plaza Italia
Entrace to Zoologico Buenos Aires
Couple dancing the Tango in San Telmo
I'm sorry I don't have more to share with everyone!! I will try to get some pictures this weekend in Mendoza.
Today there is an asado to celebrate Franco's 6th birthday. Since most of you don't know, Franco is the grandson in my host family. His mother is my host sister, Lorena. So we are going to be celebrating with him this afternoon. The girls and I have also been invited to a party tonight by a friend of a friend. Next weekend we will be in Mendoza and the week after that its time to pack and get ready for finals. They will be leaving on Dec 10th and 11th to return to the US. And I will be staying here to begin my next adventure! They have been amazing friends to me and I know we will all keep in touch when we get back to the US. We've had so much fun here together and I am going to miss them a lot. But, I am already looking forward to a reunion with them sometime next year!
Tomorrow I will be getting back to work to finish the last of my assignments before finals. Que esten muy bien!!
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Past due for an update . . .
I'm sorry for keeping ya'll waiting for so long with this update. Things have been crazy busy since I got back. Seems like my teachers saved all my homework and assignments for the last month!! I am still in shock that I only have 2 more weeks of class left before finals. I can't even believe how fast the time has gone by!! Everything here is still going really well. I've been feeling a little bored and stir-crazy lately though. Probably because I've been stuck in the apartment working more than I would like to. Plus, I'm honestly just getting sick of Santiago. Its so expensive and everyone just does all the same things here that you can do anywhere else in the world- movies, restaurants, clubs, etc. I'm definitely ready to go and see some of Chile's real treasures aka Patagonia, Easter Island, and La Serena! Less than a month now until Colin comes and we start our adventure!! YAY :)
Meanwhile, I've got FOTOS to share. I'm going to share my fotos from San Pedro today and later on this week I will post my pics from Buenos Aires (which I have a lot less of), deal?!
So, a little bit about San Pedro de Atacama: this town and commune is located in El Loa Province east of Antofogasta and southeast of Calama. It has grown, over centures, around an oasis in the Atacama desert. The Atacama is one of the driest places on Earth, and is virtually sterile because it is blocked from moisture on both sides by the Andes mountains and the Chilean Coast Range. The town lies at an average altitude of 7,900 ft and visitors often experience mild altitude sickness (I didn't have any problems except shortness of breath while climbing). In the past it was found that the town's water supply is naturally contaminated with high levels of arsenic (60 times the WHO recommended maximum for any ET peeps reading this)! Many people say the indigenous people have developed a tolerance to this metal and drink the water with little to no ill effects. Not really sure I believe that though. This area is also home to some of the largest volcanoes of the Los Andes cordillera.
Today, San Pedro's population is about 2,500. The main economic activity is tourism followed by small farming. The town itself is a very small area of restaurants, shops, tourist agencies and hotels/hostels. There is also a small archaelogical museum, a small central plaza, a clinic as well as a church and a few banks as well. The town is the main "hopping off" point to see many of the most popular sights in the north of Chile including El Tatio geyser field, La Valle de la Luna, el Salar de Atacama, Chaxa Lagoon, Puritama Hot Springs and many others.
Our first excursion was to see Quitor, a beautiful pre-hispanic fort and the breathtaking Valle de la Luna afterwards.
We also visited the small towns of Toconao and Camar, as well as Los Flamencos National Reserve (where Chaxca Lagoon is located). We also visited a small monument in the middle of the desert that marks the Tropic of Capricorn and part of the Inca Trail.
We also happened to be visiting this area when the Day of the Dead was being celebrated. These pictures are from the cementary in Camar. As you can see, it is a very special day and a lot of time and energy goes into decorating before the celebration. It was really beautiful to see!
During my trip we also visited the Puritama Hot Springs which was quite a treat. But, I didn't even dare bring my camera there for fear of it getting wet.
Meanwhile, I will post pics from Buenos Aires soon. Enjoy these for now!
Meanwhile, I've got FOTOS to share. I'm going to share my fotos from San Pedro today and later on this week I will post my pics from Buenos Aires (which I have a lot less of), deal?!
So, a little bit about San Pedro de Atacama: this town and commune is located in El Loa Province east of Antofogasta and southeast of Calama. It has grown, over centures, around an oasis in the Atacama desert. The Atacama is one of the driest places on Earth, and is virtually sterile because it is blocked from moisture on both sides by the Andes mountains and the Chilean Coast Range. The town lies at an average altitude of 7,900 ft and visitors often experience mild altitude sickness (I didn't have any problems except shortness of breath while climbing). In the past it was found that the town's water supply is naturally contaminated with high levels of arsenic (60 times the WHO recommended maximum for any ET peeps reading this)! Many people say the indigenous people have developed a tolerance to this metal and drink the water with little to no ill effects. Not really sure I believe that though. This area is also home to some of the largest volcanoes of the Los Andes cordillera.
Today, San Pedro's population is about 2,500. The main economic activity is tourism followed by small farming. The town itself is a very small area of restaurants, shops, tourist agencies and hotels/hostels. There is also a small archaelogical museum, a small central plaza, a clinic as well as a church and a few banks as well. The town is the main "hopping off" point to see many of the most popular sights in the north of Chile including El Tatio geyser field, La Valle de la Luna, el Salar de Atacama, Chaxa Lagoon, Puritama Hot Springs and many others.
Our first excursion was to see Quitor, a beautiful pre-hispanic fort and the breathtaking Valle de la Luna afterwards.
We also visited the small towns of Toconao and Camar, as well as Los Flamencos National Reserve (where Chaxca Lagoon is located). We also visited a small monument in the middle of the desert that marks the Tropic of Capricorn and part of the Inca Trail.
We also happened to be visiting this area when the Day of the Dead was being celebrated. These pictures are from the cementary in Camar. As you can see, it is a very special day and a lot of time and energy goes into decorating before the celebration. It was really beautiful to see!
During my trip we also visited the Puritama Hot Springs which was quite a treat. But, I didn't even dare bring my camera there for fear of it getting wet.
Meanwhile, I will post pics from Buenos Aires soon. Enjoy these for now!
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
I'm back!
Just letting you all know I made it back to Santiago, safe and sound (in case you were wondering).
This week is going to be crazy busy for me so I will have to update you on everything a little bit later. Sorry!! But you can definitely look forward to pictures!! :)
Hope all is well! Hugs!
This week is going to be crazy busy for me so I will have to update you on everything a little bit later. Sorry!! But you can definitely look forward to pictures!! :)
Hope all is well! Hugs!
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Happy Halloween from Chile!
My friends and I went out to celebrate Halloween the other night and here are some pics! I went as an egyptian/fortune teller, lol.
Sara, Miguel, Daniel, Nathalie and Me
Me and the girls!
Count Dracula was thirsty
Me and Miguel
En la micro! :)
Sara, Miguel, Daniel, Nathalie and Me
Me and the girls!
Count Dracula was thirsty
Me and Miguel
En la micro! :)
Monday, October 25, 2010
Before I take a little break . . .
Its official, I've been in Chile for two months! I seriously can't believe how fast the time is flying. I'm having mixed feelings about it all. On one hand, I miss the US and all the people I care about but, I'm also having a blast here! I've learned so much and met so many wonderful people!! I can truly say that I've finally had the chance to really immerse myself in a different culture and it has been a very interesting, sometimes difficult, yet rewarding experience.
I had a wonderful time last weekend with new friends as well! Lots of good food, wine, DANCING (ooh yea) and conversation. Plus, the great outdoors! I can't even tell you how happy I am about the warm weather here- lovin' it!!! Unfortunately, I also spent quite a bit of time working on my speech for my Lit class. Which wasn't fun at all but totally paid off cause I rocked it!
Meanwhile, I'm finally finished being busy for a little while and I wanted to check in while I have time to keep you all updated on what I'm going to be doing this next week and a half. There is a good chance I won't be writing much during this time (or anything at all) so I'm going to fill you in on at least the first half of my trip to the northern part of Chile!
Friday Oct 29: it all starts at 3AM, when I have to meet my group members to catch a 5AM flight to Calama in northern Chile. From Calama we will take a bus to our final destination: San Pedro de Atacama.
Saturday Oct 30: Padre Le Paige Archaeolocial Museum in the morning. Pucara de Quitor in the afternoon and El Valle de la Luna at sunset.
Sunday Oct 31: Exploring the San Pedro area in the morning and afternoon. Astronomical tour in the evening.
Monday Nov 1: Visit to the mountain village of Camar. Chaxa Lagoon and National Flamingo Reserve in the Salar de Atacama and a visit to the ancient town of Toconao in the afternoon.
Tuesday Nov 2: Spend the morning visiting Las Termas de Puritama (hot springs). Then, returning to the hotel to eat lunch, rest and get ready for our flight back to Santiago!
Wednesday Nov 3 - Tuesday Nov 9: ARGENTINA!! No schedule for that yet, Sare and I are going to make it all up as we go along.
Maybe I'll have time to do a photo dump before we leave for Argentina but I can't make any promises about that! But I can promise to be safe and take lots of pictures to share with everyone! Meanwhile, my host mom is calling me- apparently she's got some fresh piña with my name all over it, yummm :) There is also a HUGE bowl of strawberries in the fridge. I love fresh fruit and warm weather. And my host family too!
And I love ya'll too!
I had a wonderful time last weekend with new friends as well! Lots of good food, wine, DANCING (ooh yea) and conversation. Plus, the great outdoors! I can't even tell you how happy I am about the warm weather here- lovin' it!!! Unfortunately, I also spent quite a bit of time working on my speech for my Lit class. Which wasn't fun at all but totally paid off cause I rocked it!
Meanwhile, I'm finally finished being busy for a little while and I wanted to check in while I have time to keep you all updated on what I'm going to be doing this next week and a half. There is a good chance I won't be writing much during this time (or anything at all) so I'm going to fill you in on at least the first half of my trip to the northern part of Chile!
Friday Oct 29: it all starts at 3AM, when I have to meet my group members to catch a 5AM flight to Calama in northern Chile. From Calama we will take a bus to our final destination: San Pedro de Atacama.
Saturday Oct 30: Padre Le Paige Archaeolocial Museum in the morning. Pucara de Quitor in the afternoon and El Valle de la Luna at sunset.
Sunday Oct 31: Exploring the San Pedro area in the morning and afternoon. Astronomical tour in the evening.
Monday Nov 1: Visit to the mountain village of Camar. Chaxa Lagoon and National Flamingo Reserve in the Salar de Atacama and a visit to the ancient town of Toconao in the afternoon.
Tuesday Nov 2: Spend the morning visiting Las Termas de Puritama (hot springs). Then, returning to the hotel to eat lunch, rest and get ready for our flight back to Santiago!
Wednesday Nov 3 - Tuesday Nov 9: ARGENTINA!! No schedule for that yet, Sare and I are going to make it all up as we go along.
Maybe I'll have time to do a photo dump before we leave for Argentina but I can't make any promises about that! But I can promise to be safe and take lots of pictures to share with everyone! Meanwhile, my host mom is calling me- apparently she's got some fresh piña with my name all over it, yummm :) There is also a HUGE bowl of strawberries in the fridge. I love fresh fruit and warm weather. And my host family too!
And I love ya'll too!
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Long time, no write!
Hola todos!! Como estan?
I'm doing pretty great myself. I've got a final tomorrow to finish up the second part of my composition class here and I'm so ready to be done!! Sara and I just studied for a few hours so I'm hoping to do well. I got an A on the midterm (finally!!), so I'm hoping to pull an A for this part of the class. Then, its on to Advanced Spanish I . . . so not ready for that yet!
Other than that I've just been hanging out with friends and having a good time! The weather is finally starting to get nice here so we are having 75-80 degree days with lots of sunshine and nice breezes, too. Also, it means that everyone can stop being SICK and start having fun. I swear at least 5 people in my group are sick at any given time since we got here. I'm hoping the warm weather will be the end of all that! I ended up having to go to the doctor a few weeks ago because I had a bacterial infection. A week of antibiotics knocked that out and I've been feeling good ever since (knock on wood).
Since I last wrote I've gone to visit el Cementario General, which is Santiago's (possibly even the whole of Chile's) biggest and most well-known cemetary. It seems to go on for days and its always filled with people (and flowers too for that matter). They also have a wall there that stands to remember all the people who "disappeared" during the dictatorship of Pinochet. While looking at the wall the girls and I did some math and figured out that somewhere around 2,500 people were on there. And thats only the ones they know about. That doesn't even include the hundreds of thousands of people who were tortured and exiled under his regime. Needless to say, it was a sad and somber visit. Even more sad to think that the US government provided support for his regime.
I also went to a birthday part last saturday night with my friend Diego and his family. It was a very big and fun celebration. I got to practice my Spanish a lot and even tried my first Pisco Sour since arriving here, which was pretty good! Then, on Sunday, my host mom woke me up with an invitation to join her and her daughters for an afternoon asado. So we went to eat, drink and talk with the family for a few hours. Then, I came back home and got ready to meet my Chilean friend, Sintia for ice cream. Which ended up turning into an afternoon walk around the city. It was lots of fun!
Thats really all for now I guess. I've got my test tomorrow, I'm giving a speech in my Lit class on Mon (absolutely terrifying) and then I'm pretty much just sailing along until Thursday, when my vacation starts!!! I'm so excited :)
Love you guys! Hope you all are well!
I'm doing pretty great myself. I've got a final tomorrow to finish up the second part of my composition class here and I'm so ready to be done!! Sara and I just studied for a few hours so I'm hoping to do well. I got an A on the midterm (finally!!), so I'm hoping to pull an A for this part of the class. Then, its on to Advanced Spanish I . . . so not ready for that yet!
Other than that I've just been hanging out with friends and having a good time! The weather is finally starting to get nice here so we are having 75-80 degree days with lots of sunshine and nice breezes, too. Also, it means that everyone can stop being SICK and start having fun. I swear at least 5 people in my group are sick at any given time since we got here. I'm hoping the warm weather will be the end of all that! I ended up having to go to the doctor a few weeks ago because I had a bacterial infection. A week of antibiotics knocked that out and I've been feeling good ever since (knock on wood).
Since I last wrote I've gone to visit el Cementario General, which is Santiago's (possibly even the whole of Chile's) biggest and most well-known cemetary. It seems to go on for days and its always filled with people (and flowers too for that matter). They also have a wall there that stands to remember all the people who "disappeared" during the dictatorship of Pinochet. While looking at the wall the girls and I did some math and figured out that somewhere around 2,500 people were on there. And thats only the ones they know about. That doesn't even include the hundreds of thousands of people who were tortured and exiled under his regime. Needless to say, it was a sad and somber visit. Even more sad to think that the US government provided support for his regime.
I also went to a birthday part last saturday night with my friend Diego and his family. It was a very big and fun celebration. I got to practice my Spanish a lot and even tried my first Pisco Sour since arriving here, which was pretty good! Then, on Sunday, my host mom woke me up with an invitation to join her and her daughters for an afternoon asado. So we went to eat, drink and talk with the family for a few hours. Then, I came back home and got ready to meet my Chilean friend, Sintia for ice cream. Which ended up turning into an afternoon walk around the city. It was lots of fun!
Thats really all for now I guess. I've got my test tomorrow, I'm giving a speech in my Lit class on Mon (absolutely terrifying) and then I'm pretty much just sailing along until Thursday, when my vacation starts!!! I'm so excited :)
Love you guys! Hope you all are well!
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