Lots of fun stuff has been happening on my 3 day weekends... here's a glimpse at the last 2!
#1 (Aug 23)
Saturday we went to explore the center of Santiago with our friend Ricardo who is a chilean student who shows us around. Our first stop was Mercado Central, the mostly seafood market in downtown. There are a lot of restaurants too, with pushy recruiters who want you to try THEIR restaurant. A famous dish here is the conger eel soup... I was kind of glad I had already eaten. :)
La Vega was next, Santiago's HUGE fresh produce and other random things market. Any kind of vegetable, fruit, type of meat, or pair of socks (!) you can imagine. Some really gross things were found in the meat section, including pig heads and a little skinned baby goat. You have to see for yourself. (go to http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2015835&l=84914&id=54001690)
La Piojera is a famous hole in the wall bar that has a name meaning "home of lice". That gives you an idea of the sketchiness of this place. It was fun though, and definitely a cultural experience. We tried "Terremotos", a drink made from a type of wine and with ice cream on top! Veerrry strong. Chileans have a tendency to put a LOT of alcohol in their drinks.
#2 (Aug 29-30) Valparaiso
Tiffany, Beth and I went to Valparaiso on Friday. It is a adorable port city about and 1 1/2 from Santiago. I am in love with the bus system here! We paid US $ 8.00 round trip. We arrived in Valpo at about noon, and set out to find the hostel we had booked online. After some wandering, we finally found it up a steep hill. Valparaiso is a city of hills, and some are so steep that they have "acensores" to take you up. Our hostel was a very interesting experience. It is a very old building, and I've seen cleaner places. But, for $12 a night, you get what you pay for! After dropping our stuff off, we went out to see the city.
Our first stop was Cerro (hill) Concepcion. We rode an ancensor up and enjoyed the incredible view while looking for somewhere to eat lunch. Allegretto was the adorable (and delicious!) pizza restaurant where we ate. We had fun enjoying the cool breeze (it was WARM in Valparaiso!) and listening to songs like "You're so vain", very popular in Chile. After lunch, we went back down and began looking for the pier to take a boat tour. After some searching, we finally figured things out and got a boat tour for $2.00 each. It was a great way to see the city!
After a short rest at the hostel, we headed out for Cinzano, a 19th century bar that claims to serve the original "chorrillana". This wonderful Chilean dish is a enormous plate of french fries, eggs, steak, and onions! We were glad we only ordered one! The next day we left the hostel unshowered to find the "Dissident Cemetery". My guide book said that this was an interesting place to go see the city and enjoy the "dramatic ends" spelled out on people's graves. While we didn't see many dramatic gravestones, we did get a great view. But it came at a cost. THE STAIRS. We climbed up the longest and most painful staircase I have ever seen in my life! See my facebook album for a glimpse, though it doesn't begin to show the difficulty! http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2015910&l=52e73&id=54001690
After a delicious manjar (dulce de leche) filled churro (fried dough), we browsed some markets and headed home! It was a great 2 days and I can't wait to repeat the experience with mom and dad when they come in less than 2 weeks!
Well, if you've made it all the way to the end, I hope you are doing well! I love and miss you! This Monday will mark my 6th week in Chile. Just a little under 13 more to go! Only Wofford people: beat PC tonight and have a great first day of classes Monday!
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
LONG day
Today was just what the title indicates. Yesterday, I began work at the Hogar San Franscisco de Regis, where I will be doing my weekly volunteer work for my service learning class. The home is for girls who can no longer live with their families as a result of negligence, abuse, or other causes. Figuring out my schedule with the Hogar has been difficult, and I still don't have the hours that I need. But I had a great time getting to know some of the girls yesterday. We worked on homework, I reviewed some phonics with one girl starting to read, and made some crafts. The girls come from extremely difficult family situations, and require lots of patience and attention. But they were awesome yesterday, so friendly and excited that I was there. I also have a new name. Along with all the workers at the Hogar, I am simply "Tia" (aunt).
And then we get to today. I woke up early for my 30 min Metro commute to the Hogar. I am going to be working in the office on Tuesday mornings since the girls are at school. Sara, another girl from IES came as well. We did basically nothing, having a 45 minute coffee break, reading some of the girls' folders and sorting some things until I had to head out for class. It was surprising to me that we were able to read the family histories of some of the girls, as well as their most recent psychiatric evaluations. It helped to understand better the challenges they face, but I couldn't help but think this would never be allowed in the US.
As for the rest of my day... caught the Metro to the U de Chile for my 2 classes. Had lunch in between in the crazy courtyard where there were competitions of some sort going on. It was very loud and everyone was dressed in their "team" color. I ate my lentil soup standing up.
After my 2nd class, I headed back to the Metro, and found the U de Chile's Casa Central. Here I was looking for a certificate I need to obtain my student transportation card. Well worth the effort, the student card will make my frequent metro/micro journies cost 1/3 of what I am paying now. But there is effort. I couldn't get my certificate today because I have to make a deposit in the bank first. The only problem is that the banks close daily at 2pm. And this is only part of the process... I'll save you the rest of the tedious details.
Riding the Metro the rest of the way home, I just wanted to get away from people and sit down somewhere. In conclusion, I am very weary of all the tedious processes of becoming "official" in this country. (Chilean ID, student ID, student transport card, etc...) If it is this bad for me, I can't imagine the hoops students coming to the US have to jump through. Ohh you have to love government processes...
This has turned into a longer blog than anticipated, so I'll have to save my fun and interesting activities from last weekend for another time.
And then we get to today. I woke up early for my 30 min Metro commute to the Hogar. I am going to be working in the office on Tuesday mornings since the girls are at school. Sara, another girl from IES came as well. We did basically nothing, having a 45 minute coffee break, reading some of the girls' folders and sorting some things until I had to head out for class. It was surprising to me that we were able to read the family histories of some of the girls, as well as their most recent psychiatric evaluations. It helped to understand better the challenges they face, but I couldn't help but think this would never be allowed in the US.
As for the rest of my day... caught the Metro to the U de Chile for my 2 classes. Had lunch in between in the crazy courtyard where there were competitions of some sort going on. It was very loud and everyone was dressed in their "team" color. I ate my lentil soup standing up.
After my 2nd class, I headed back to the Metro, and found the U de Chile's Casa Central. Here I was looking for a certificate I need to obtain my student transportation card. Well worth the effort, the student card will make my frequent metro/micro journies cost 1/3 of what I am paying now. But there is effort. I couldn't get my certificate today because I have to make a deposit in the bank first. The only problem is that the banks close daily at 2pm. And this is only part of the process... I'll save you the rest of the tedious details.
Riding the Metro the rest of the way home, I just wanted to get away from people and sit down somewhere. In conclusion, I am very weary of all the tedious processes of becoming "official" in this country. (Chilean ID, student ID, student transport card, etc...) If it is this bad for me, I can't imagine the hoops students coming to the US have to jump through. Ohh you have to love government processes...
This has turned into a longer blog than anticipated, so I'll have to save my fun and interesting activities from last weekend for another time.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Why I decided to study abroad in Latin America...
Conversations like the one I had today are the reason I decided to study in Latin America. I am fascinated by the history of this region, especially the crazy dictatorships people have suffered through and live to tell the story.
Chile is a great Latin American success story. In addition to its economic prosperity and growing middle class, it is one of the most stable democracies in the region. This is remarkable considering it has been only 18 years since Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship ruled. From 1973-1990, more than 3,000 people were killed or simply "disappeared", while many more were forced to flee the country. On September 11, 1973, Pinochet staged a US-backed military coup of Salvador Allende's marxist/socialist government. My homework today was to ask Chilean's about their experience that day. Mi abuela chilena (grandma Lela) said she was living up north in Calama (near the Atacama desert). Her daughter (my host mom) was 6, in primary school. She heard the news on the radio that Allende had been overthrown and went to pick Tatiana up early from school. The rest of the day there was a "toque de queda", which meant everyone had to stay home. Lela said there were tons military personnel in the streets, and they were guarding everything, making sure people stayed home.
I could tell that this was a very emotional thing for her, and she talked about how they detained all the "communists" and most were never heard from again. Most of the disappearances and killings happened in the first 6 months of the dictatorship. Lela heard stories from her family in Santiago that the Rio Mapocho was fully of bodies. One crazy woman she knew didn't get along with her husband, and thus turned him in as a "communist" and they killed him!
Lela talked about how some people still refuse to acknowledge Pinochet's crimes. He actually died in the Military Hospital literally 10 steps from my apartment, which is kind of crazy. I had always thought the place was creepy, and now I really do! Lela said that there were people greiving his death in the street right there in front of the hospital, hailing him as a saint.
Stories like this make me incredibly grateful to live in a free and fairly turmoil-free country in relation to democracy. Whether I like certain governing authorities or not, I am thankful for the limits to thier power. It also makes me admire the strength and success of a country like this, whose female president was herself tortured by Pinochet's regime but is now leading the country to reconcile itself to its troubled past and look toward the future.
Chile is a great Latin American success story. In addition to its economic prosperity and growing middle class, it is one of the most stable democracies in the region. This is remarkable considering it has been only 18 years since Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship ruled. From 1973-1990, more than 3,000 people were killed or simply "disappeared", while many more were forced to flee the country. On September 11, 1973, Pinochet staged a US-backed military coup of Salvador Allende's marxist/socialist government. My homework today was to ask Chilean's about their experience that day. Mi abuela chilena (grandma Lela) said she was living up north in Calama (near the Atacama desert). Her daughter (my host mom) was 6, in primary school. She heard the news on the radio that Allende had been overthrown and went to pick Tatiana up early from school. The rest of the day there was a "toque de queda", which meant everyone had to stay home. Lela said there were tons military personnel in the streets, and they were guarding everything, making sure people stayed home.
I could tell that this was a very emotional thing for her, and she talked about how they detained all the "communists" and most were never heard from again. Most of the disappearances and killings happened in the first 6 months of the dictatorship. Lela heard stories from her family in Santiago that the Rio Mapocho was fully of bodies. One crazy woman she knew didn't get along with her husband, and thus turned him in as a "communist" and they killed him!
Lela talked about how some people still refuse to acknowledge Pinochet's crimes. He actually died in the Military Hospital literally 10 steps from my apartment, which is kind of crazy. I had always thought the place was creepy, and now I really do! Lela said that there were people greiving his death in the street right there in front of the hospital, hailing him as a saint.
Stories like this make me incredibly grateful to live in a free and fairly turmoil-free country in relation to democracy. Whether I like certain governing authorities or not, I am thankful for the limits to thier power. It also makes me admire the strength and success of a country like this, whose female president was herself tortured by Pinochet's regime but is now leading the country to reconcile itself to its troubled past and look toward the future.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
A little misunderstanding...
I want to blog about this while its fresh on my mind.. its too hilarious to forget.
Today at lunch, my Chilean mom asked me if I believe in past lives. I said no, I believe we are eternal after we are born, but not before. After discussing this, she asked me, "Where do you think we go when we die? Do our souls just float around?" I told her I believe that after we die, we go to one of 2 places, heaven or hell. After we spoke a little about hell, she said she believes this world is like hell. I answered "Hell is much worse. This world is bad (I didn't know the spanish word for fallen) because it is full of sin." Here's where the funny part comes in. I said "el mundo es lleno con pescado." The word for sin is "pecado", very similar to the word for fish, "pescado." So I told her the world is bad because it is full of fish. Needless to say, that ended the seriousness of that conversation. But I'm glad to at least have had a conversation about spiritual things.
Tomorrow I will have been here for 4 weeks... an entire month! Its hard to believe...
This weekend was fun in parts. Friday I stayed home all day because it rained literally for 24 hours straight. Apparently it never rains like that here. We haven't had much rain since I got here so I guess we were just due for it. Let's hope that is it for awhile, although it does clear out the smog! I did a whole lot of nothing on Friday... its hard to be motivated when no one at home has started classes yet!
Saturday, I went to Parque Arauco with some Wofford/IES friends. We saw the movie "El Brindis" which is a Chilean film. Our first experience with Chilean cinema was... interesting. In the movie, a mexican girl comes to Chile to see her dying father, and develops a relationship with a married rabbi! We had a very nice dinner at an Asian bistro, some real coffee at Starbucks, and caught the bus home. When Beth, Jackie and I went to change buses, we had to wait at this one stop for about 5-10 minutes. There were 2 dogs at the stop, and one of them would not leave Jackie alone! Her host family has a dog, so he must have smelled him on her. The dog kept chewing on her boot and following her around! At one point, she was standing on top of the railing at the bus stop, trying to no avail to get away from the dog! The 10 or so other people at the bus stop provided no help, laughing the whole time at the gringas running away from the stray perro (he chewed on me a little too, but his favorite was Jackie)!
In other news... I have been back and forth with Delta trying to get my return flight switched around. I was originally scheduled to fly out Dec 9- several days after my program ends. I have now successfully changed my flight to Nov 28, and I will be home on Sat the 29th, 2 days after Thanksgiving! I'm so excited! :)
Hope everyone is doing well, I miss you all!
Today at lunch, my Chilean mom asked me if I believe in past lives. I said no, I believe we are eternal after we are born, but not before. After discussing this, she asked me, "Where do you think we go when we die? Do our souls just float around?" I told her I believe that after we die, we go to one of 2 places, heaven or hell. After we spoke a little about hell, she said she believes this world is like hell. I answered "Hell is much worse. This world is bad (I didn't know the spanish word for fallen) because it is full of sin." Here's where the funny part comes in. I said "el mundo es lleno con pescado." The word for sin is "pecado", very similar to the word for fish, "pescado." So I told her the world is bad because it is full of fish. Needless to say, that ended the seriousness of that conversation. But I'm glad to at least have had a conversation about spiritual things.
Tomorrow I will have been here for 4 weeks... an entire month! Its hard to believe...
This weekend was fun in parts. Friday I stayed home all day because it rained literally for 24 hours straight. Apparently it never rains like that here. We haven't had much rain since I got here so I guess we were just due for it. Let's hope that is it for awhile, although it does clear out the smog! I did a whole lot of nothing on Friday... its hard to be motivated when no one at home has started classes yet!
Saturday, I went to Parque Arauco with some Wofford/IES friends. We saw the movie "El Brindis" which is a Chilean film. Our first experience with Chilean cinema was... interesting. In the movie, a mexican girl comes to Chile to see her dying father, and develops a relationship with a married rabbi! We had a very nice dinner at an Asian bistro, some real coffee at Starbucks, and caught the bus home. When Beth, Jackie and I went to change buses, we had to wait at this one stop for about 5-10 minutes. There were 2 dogs at the stop, and one of them would not leave Jackie alone! Her host family has a dog, so he must have smelled him on her. The dog kept chewing on her boot and following her around! At one point, she was standing on top of the railing at the bus stop, trying to no avail to get away from the dog! The 10 or so other people at the bus stop provided no help, laughing the whole time at the gringas running away from the stray perro (he chewed on me a little too, but his favorite was Jackie)!
In other news... I have been back and forth with Delta trying to get my return flight switched around. I was originally scheduled to fly out Dec 9- several days after my program ends. I have now successfully changed my flight to Nov 28, and I will be home on Sat the 29th, 2 days after Thanksgiving! I'm so excited! :)
Hope everyone is doing well, I miss you all!
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Just some thoughts.. "God's Will"
Since just before I left for Chile, I began reading the book called The Will of God as a Way of Life by Jerry Sittser. It's basic premise is that "the Bible says very little about the will of God as a future pathway. Instead, the Bible warns us about anxiety and presumption concerning the future, assures us that God is in control, and commands us to do the will of God we already know in the present." (22)
God's Word is full of instructions on how to live our life NOW, and he desires for us to form good habits by living consistent, Spirit-filled lives.
"The little choices we make every day often have a cumulative effect far exceeding the significance of the big choices we occasionally have to make." (24)
But why seek God's will at all? Not for His sake, but for our own. In his Confessions, Augustine writes:
"And so we humans, who are in due part of your creation, long to praise you--we who carry our immortality about with us, carry the evidence of our sin and with it the proof that you thwart the proud. Yet these humans, due part of your creation as they are, still do long to praise you. You arouse us so that praising you may bring us joy, becuase you have made us and drawn us to yourself, and our heart is unquiet until it rests in you." (emphasis added)
I've been learning a lot about the importance of trusting God and worrying less about looming life questions. He will work it out in His time. The most important thing I can do, is seek Him on a consistent basis. God's first priority is not making every step clear as day. If he did, I would not learn to trust.
God's Word is full of instructions on how to live our life NOW, and he desires for us to form good habits by living consistent, Spirit-filled lives.
"The little choices we make every day often have a cumulative effect far exceeding the significance of the big choices we occasionally have to make." (24)
But why seek God's will at all? Not for His sake, but for our own. In his Confessions, Augustine writes:
"And so we humans, who are in due part of your creation, long to praise you--we who carry our immortality about with us, carry the evidence of our sin and with it the proof that you thwart the proud. Yet these humans, due part of your creation as they are, still do long to praise you. You arouse us so that praising you may bring us joy, becuase you have made us and drawn us to yourself, and our heart is unquiet until it rests in you." (emphasis added)
I've been learning a lot about the importance of trusting God and worrying less about looming life questions. He will work it out in His time. The most important thing I can do, is seek Him on a consistent basis. God's first priority is not making every step clear as day. If he did, I would not learn to trust.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Abran zanjas...
I know most of you are wondering what in the heck this title means. It is from a passage in 2 Reyes 3 (2 Kings) that the pastor at La Viña read Sunday morning.
"Abran zanjas por todo este valle, pues aunque no vean viento ni lluvia--dice el Señor--esta valle se llenará de agua, de modo de podrán beber ustedes y todos sus animales." -2 Reyes 3:16-17
("This is what the Lord says: Make this valley full of ditches. For this is what the Lord says: You will see neither wind nor rain, yet this valley wil be filled with water, and you, your cattle, and all your other animals will drink." -2 Kings 3:16-17)
He talked about how every valley we are in requires faith. Faith that the rain will come, though we "see neither wind nor rain." This morning was an awesome worship experience, and I throughly enjoyed worshipping in another language. Most of the songs were familiar ones that I have sang in English. Because it was Día del Niño, the kids (there were lots!) sang for us.
It was an overall great experience, and I look forward to going back and hopefully meeting more chileans. I really appreciated the fact that it wasn't an evangelical church full of gringos. :)
I've now started the week of class, and today was officially the 3 week mark! Hard to believe I've been here that long!
Chau for now!
"Abran zanjas por todo este valle, pues aunque no vean viento ni lluvia--dice el Señor--esta valle se llenará de agua, de modo de podrán beber ustedes y todos sus animales." -2 Reyes 3:16-17
("This is what the Lord says: Make this valley full of ditches. For this is what the Lord says: You will see neither wind nor rain, yet this valley wil be filled with water, and you, your cattle, and all your other animals will drink." -2 Kings 3:16-17)
He talked about how every valley we are in requires faith. Faith that the rain will come, though we "see neither wind nor rain." This morning was an awesome worship experience, and I throughly enjoyed worshipping in another language. Most of the songs were familiar ones that I have sang in English. Because it was Día del Niño, the kids (there were lots!) sang for us.
It was an overall great experience, and I look forward to going back and hopefully meeting more chileans. I really appreciated the fact that it wasn't an evangelical church full of gringos. :)
I've now started the week of class, and today was officially the 3 week mark! Hard to believe I've been here that long!
Chau for now!
Thursday, August 7, 2008
La Vida de la Ciudad
I still haven't decided how I feel about city life. In some ways, I find living in Santiago energizing and fascinating. I love walking through my neighborhood and watching everyone go about their day. In my small district of the city, there is everything you could need and then some. On the other hand, it gets exhausting sometimes. The anything but courteous drivers, the pollution, the sketchy people one must be wary of. But all in all, I think that I could live in a city like this, as long as I had occasional breaks out in nature. I thoroughly enjoyed our trip to La Serena and the Valle de Elqui for this very reason.
I'm at the end of my first week of classes (sort-of, as ones in IES have not yet begun), and I'm looking forward to a break this weekend. I also really need to write a paper... anyway, I'm looking forward to the 3 week mark, and we'll see how things go as the routine sets in.
THANK YOU to Grandma Jean and Faith Ann who sent me mail!! It was super exciting and very appreciated. I love you both! Everyone else, take note! :)
Chau!
I'm at the end of my first week of classes (sort-of, as ones in IES have not yet begun), and I'm looking forward to a break this weekend. I also really need to write a paper... anyway, I'm looking forward to the 3 week mark, and we'll see how things go as the routine sets in.
THANK YOU to Grandma Jean and Faith Ann who sent me mail!! It was super exciting and very appreciated. I love you both! Everyone else, take note! :)
Chau!
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Still settling in...
It is just now starting to sink in that I am here, in Santiago, for more than just a brief vacation. I know I knew that before, but all during orientation, it just seemed like everything was a nice cultural experience for the moment, and I will be home soon. But I am here for 4 more full months. My friends and I keep talking about going home and how nice it will be to come home at Christmastime, but the truth is that going home is a long way away. I am looking forward to and planning mom and dad’s visit in September, but the truth is, they will leave, and I will still have almost 3 months left.
I need to focus on what is here. I know I need to make more effort to interact with my family, to experience Santiago for what it is. Yesterday, I attended my first classes in the Chilean university. Both my classes were full of all extranjeros (foreigners), no Chileans, but I essentially got the Chilean experience just being there. There is a courtyard where all the Chilean students hang out, play games, and blare music. It was like a party. I’m glad that I will have an alternative to IES during the week.
Everything is still new, not quite routine yet, but I’m looking forward to all of this becoming natural. I am excited about church this weekend. I’m going to try La Viña, a Christian church here in Santiago, and my friend Beth is coming with me. I’m interested in meeting people there, so we’ll see how that goes.
I need to focus on what is here. I know I need to make more effort to interact with my family, to experience Santiago for what it is. Yesterday, I attended my first classes in the Chilean university. Both my classes were full of all extranjeros (foreigners), no Chileans, but I essentially got the Chilean experience just being there. There is a courtyard where all the Chilean students hang out, play games, and blare music. It was like a party. I’m glad that I will have an alternative to IES during the week.
Everything is still new, not quite routine yet, but I’m looking forward to all of this becoming natural. I am excited about church this weekend. I’m going to try La Viña, a Christian church here in Santiago, and my friend Beth is coming with me. I’m interested in meeting people there, so we’ll see how that goes.
Monday, August 4, 2008
La Serena Trip/Classes Begin
I can’t believe its August! I’m still doing well here in Santiago. I am adjusting and becoming more comfortable in the city. I get to chat with mom and dad on skype, and that helps. This weekend, IES took us on a trip to La Serena (coastal city north of Santiago) and Valle (Valley) de Elqui. It was relaxing and beautiful and I have lots of pictures. You can view them at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2015419&l=81f5d&id=54001690.
Brief rundown of the weekend activities:
La Serena: Stayed at a nice hotel, great chance to shower in a big tub, sleep in a great bed, and enjoy calefaccion (heat)! La Serena is the second oldest city in Chile, so there are lots of interesting historical sites. We went to a fishing dock at the neighboring city Coquimbo, to learn about its economic importance. It was also an opportunity for cool pictures! The beach in La Serena was COLD but very pretty, we hung out and ate lunch there Sunday.
Valle de Elqui: On Saturday we explored this beautiful valley surrounded by mountains. We visited 2 pisquerias (where they make pisco), Puclaro dam/lake, and tiny towns in the mountains (after traveling dangerous mountain roads in our big bus). We also visited the hometown of Gabriella Mistral, an important Chilean poet. Saturday night, we visited the observatory Mamalluca. This region is famous for its clear skies, a great place for astronomers. The view of the night sky there was incredible. Absolutely more stars than I have seen in my entire life. Amazing.
This week, university classes begin and I am in the midst of planning my semester. It is very confusing and there are many conflicting hours of courses. At IES, I will be taking Advanced Spanish Grammar II, a service learning internship (2 hrs of class, 5 hrs of volunteer work per week), and a class on human rights in Latin America.
At la University de Chile, I am considering 2 classes in the government school. Most of the others end too late in the semester. One is “La Imagen de Chile en Pablo Neruda y Gabriella Mistral”, that I’m hoping to get lit credit for at Wofford, and “Chile: Historia, Identidad, y Cultura” because it looks interesting and I need more hours for IES. The frustrating part is that I will not receive specific credit at Wofford for most of the classes I take here. I know it will all work out in the end. Tomorrow I am attending the 2 classes in the universtiy. We’ll see how that goes!
Let me know how everyone is doing back home! Email, write, skype, facebook, whatever. I am on facebook and skype most nights, and I would love to chat for a while! Pray that I will continue to trust Him and that I will find others here to encourage me spiritually.
Brief rundown of the weekend activities:
La Serena: Stayed at a nice hotel, great chance to shower in a big tub, sleep in a great bed, and enjoy calefaccion (heat)! La Serena is the second oldest city in Chile, so there are lots of interesting historical sites. We went to a fishing dock at the neighboring city Coquimbo, to learn about its economic importance. It was also an opportunity for cool pictures! The beach in La Serena was COLD but very pretty, we hung out and ate lunch there Sunday.
Valle de Elqui: On Saturday we explored this beautiful valley surrounded by mountains. We visited 2 pisquerias (where they make pisco), Puclaro dam/lake, and tiny towns in the mountains (after traveling dangerous mountain roads in our big bus). We also visited the hometown of Gabriella Mistral, an important Chilean poet. Saturday night, we visited the observatory Mamalluca. This region is famous for its clear skies, a great place for astronomers. The view of the night sky there was incredible. Absolutely more stars than I have seen in my entire life. Amazing.
This week, university classes begin and I am in the midst of planning my semester. It is very confusing and there are many conflicting hours of courses. At IES, I will be taking Advanced Spanish Grammar II, a service learning internship (2 hrs of class, 5 hrs of volunteer work per week), and a class on human rights in Latin America.
At la University de Chile, I am considering 2 classes in the government school. Most of the others end too late in the semester. One is “La Imagen de Chile en Pablo Neruda y Gabriella Mistral”, that I’m hoping to get lit credit for at Wofford, and “Chile: Historia, Identidad, y Cultura” because it looks interesting and I need more hours for IES. The frustrating part is that I will not receive specific credit at Wofford for most of the classes I take here. I know it will all work out in the end. Tomorrow I am attending the 2 classes in the universtiy. We’ll see how that goes!
Let me know how everyone is doing back home! Email, write, skype, facebook, whatever. I am on facebook and skype most nights, and I would love to chat for a while! Pray that I will continue to trust Him and that I will find others here to encourage me spiritually.
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