Today Sara and I decided to take a half-day trip to Elqui Valley, which, of course, turned into a day-long adventure. We should have known. We bought tickets to leave at 11:30 am and got back at 7:00pm.
The Elqui Valley and the surrounding towns are famous first and foremost for the vineyards and the grapes used to make the Chilean liquor pisco. Up in the mountains there is a very picturesque valley with miles and miles of vineyards. We ate lunch today at a pisco distillery so Sara could sample the pisco, while I enjoyed my fruit juice blend. We walked the plazas in some of the towns along the way, took pictures of churches (so many churches!) and visited artesan booths and shops.
We also visited the Gabriela Mistral museum in Monte Grande--she is a very famous Chilean author who was the first Latin American to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature (check out some of her poetry when you get a second). She is also famous for being a school teacher and an advocate for education. She had an incredibly tragic life and had very few people that she loved, but her poetry reveals a side that many didn't see in person.
We got back to La Serena just in time for "onces". We decided against going to the cafe in the mall just down the street because we've been there twice and there are a couple of waiters who think we go there just for them. So we went downtown to have a sandwhich and some hot chocolate.
Tomorrow we travel back to Santiago. My host family was planning to come up north next week, but I think those plans have fallen through. So I'm not sure yet what I will be doing for the second week of vacation. Sara will be going even further north to San Pedro de Atacama. I think we'll spend tomorrow and Sunday in Santiago, though, and see another one of Pablo Neruda's houses. Besides, Santiago and I need to make peace since she stole my camera.
Friday, July 20, 2007
Thursday, July 19, 2007
The Penguin Reserve
What Sara and I thought would be a tour for a few hours only turned into an all-day event. The same tour that was supposed to pick us up yesterday afternoon at 4:00 picked us up at 8:30 this morning and brought us back at 5:00pm. It took us an hour and a half to get to the port, winding through the desert and small towns on gravel roads and up in the mountains. Once we were there, we put on our life jackets and got in a large boat with no top and motored around Choros Island. It was beautiful, and we saw lots of sea lions and only a few penguins because it's winter and they're nesting. Then we went to Damas Island and hiked around for an hour looking at the birds and rock formations and collecting large sea shells. The return trip in the boat back to the continent was much more chilly and wet from the wind and the spray from ocean waves--not the best combination for the middle of winter, but what were we doing on a boat tour in July in Chile in our right minds anyway??? After we got our land legs back we headed to at a little restaurant for a lunch of shrimp and cheese empanadas and grilled fish. Delicious. Everyone on our tour fell asleep in the tour van on the way back, despite the roads. Sara and I were exhausted but happy by the time we finally got back to the hostel. We're going to recoup for a while, then go out for "onces" and get some hot chocolate. Pictures will be forthcoming on my Facebook.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Vacation: 3rd Day in La Serena
Today we were supposed to go to the Penguin Reserve at 4:00. However, because it got a little overcast and chilly, the tour was cancelled. The thing about Chile is that you have to be flexible. You don't plan, you have possibilities. Nothing is ever certain until you're doing it. It seems that many Chileans are like that, too--you have an idea of what you want to do, and then you wait to see if it happens. We were told that the tour will happen tomorrow at 8:00 or 8:30, if the weather cooperates.
This morning while waiting to go on the tour Sara and I did some more sight seeing around town. We visited the Cathedral, a museum of religious art, and two artesan fairs. We're becoming quite the connoisseurs of Chilean crafts. The funny thing is, wherever we go everyone talks to Sara in Spanish, not me. Sara's family is from Iran, so she is easily mistaken for hispanic. Wherever we are, I ask the questions and the people tell Sara the answers. Apparently no one believes that the gringa can speak Spanish!
At one of the artesan fairs we were accosted by the workers of several restaurants. They go around recruiting people to eat at their restaurant. At one point Sara and I were surrounded by 6 or 7 woman shoving business cards at us and trying to convince us that their food was the best. Sara is convinced none of this would happen if I weren't blonde. Poor Sara, she has no peace with the tall American.
Tonight we're going to go out for tea, then we're going to check out a Tango bar. Could be awesome. Tomorrow, penguins (hopefully).
This morning while waiting to go on the tour Sara and I did some more sight seeing around town. We visited the Cathedral, a museum of religious art, and two artesan fairs. We're becoming quite the connoisseurs of Chilean crafts. The funny thing is, wherever we go everyone talks to Sara in Spanish, not me. Sara's family is from Iran, so she is easily mistaken for hispanic. Wherever we are, I ask the questions and the people tell Sara the answers. Apparently no one believes that the gringa can speak Spanish!
At one of the artesan fairs we were accosted by the workers of several restaurants. They go around recruiting people to eat at their restaurant. At one point Sara and I were surrounded by 6 or 7 woman shoving business cards at us and trying to convince us that their food was the best. Sara is convinced none of this would happen if I weren't blonde. Poor Sara, she has no peace with the tall American.
Tonight we're going to go out for tea, then we're going to check out a Tango bar. Could be awesome. Tomorrow, penguins (hopefully).
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Vacation: First Days in La Serena
The semester ended at school here, and I have two weeks of vacation. Originally the government wanted us volunteers to provide some kind of English winter camp during one week of the vacation, but when I talked to my director (principal) about it, he was against it. No staff or students will want to come, he said. So I get two weeks to explore Chile.
Sara and I decided to go north, partly because it's warmer. Sara is another volunteer, the one I spent the weekend with in Viña a couple weeks ago. The way to come north is to catch a bus, either from a bus station or on the road. It's cheaper to try and catch the bus on the bus route, but you never know if the bus will stop and so you don't know how long you're going to be waiting on the road. We decided to catch a bus to Santiago and buy a bus ticket at the bus station there--that we we knew we would have a ticket and a ride. We arrived in La Serena late last night and found a hostel close to the bus station and downtown.
La Serena is the second oldest city in Chile. It was founded in 1544 (or thereabouts) and is famous for the colonial architecture of the houses and the 39 churches from that era. It also has miles of beaches that we would frequent if it weren't one of the coldest months of the year. It was warmer than Santa María, though--we happily went around with only sweaters on. ¡Qué rico el sol!
Today we walked all over the place visiting plazas, shopping centers, the Archaeological Museum (where we saw one of the Maoi from Easter Island) and the beach. On the beach we rode horses next to the water. It was Sara's first time on a horse, and it was a little scary for her. But she's glad she did it.
The next couple of days we plan to go to the Elqui Valley and to the Nature Reserve to see the penguins. I will keep you posted on our adventures throughout the week.
Sara and I decided to go north, partly because it's warmer. Sara is another volunteer, the one I spent the weekend with in Viña a couple weeks ago. The way to come north is to catch a bus, either from a bus station or on the road. It's cheaper to try and catch the bus on the bus route, but you never know if the bus will stop and so you don't know how long you're going to be waiting on the road. We decided to catch a bus to Santiago and buy a bus ticket at the bus station there--that we we knew we would have a ticket and a ride. We arrived in La Serena late last night and found a hostel close to the bus station and downtown.
La Serena is the second oldest city in Chile. It was founded in 1544 (or thereabouts) and is famous for the colonial architecture of the houses and the 39 churches from that era. It also has miles of beaches that we would frequent if it weren't one of the coldest months of the year. It was warmer than Santa María, though--we happily went around with only sweaters on. ¡Qué rico el sol!
Today we walked all over the place visiting plazas, shopping centers, the Archaeological Museum (where we saw one of the Maoi from Easter Island) and the beach. On the beach we rode horses next to the water. It was Sara's first time on a horse, and it was a little scary for her. But she's glad she did it.
The next couple of days we plan to go to the Elqui Valley and to the Nature Reserve to see the penguins. I will keep you posted on our adventures throughout the week.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
My family and other very friendly people
As soon as I can I will post some pictures of Chile and the people I have been getting to know. But for now, you'll have to settle for a description.
Originally I wasn't supposed to live where I live now. I was supposed to live with the English teacher who took me to Viña, but her daughter and son-in-law came back from Spain suddenly, and she didn't feel like she could attend adequately to everyone. Thank goodness, really. Because I have a really great host mom. Her name is Edith, and she is the secretary at the school I teach at. She's tiny and "trigueña", as they call people with her coloring here--dark hair and eyes with a lighter skin tone. She's taken care of me from the first day, making sure that I'm as comfortable and as healthy as possible. She cooks all our meals except lunch at school, even dinner sometimes because she knows that in the U.S. we eat big dinners instead of big lunches like they do here. She sings to herself, and has the most endearing habit of repeating a word about ten times: "Que hace frío...¡frío, frío, frío, frío, frío, frío, frío, frío, frío, frío!" Her husband...well, let's just say that he's gone, and that's a good thing. Divorce was just legalized in Chile a couple years ago (true!), and she is now in the process of officially divorcing him. (Until now, married couples just separated. That was all they could do.) She has a boyfriend named Luis who treats her so well, and when she talks about him she gets really happy. She calls him her "gordo" (fatty--a term of endearment). He comes over for desayuno in the morning before work and drives us the 4 blocks to school.
Edith has two daughters, but I've only met one in person. Alejandra is my host sister attending university in Viña. She's studying law. She comes home on the weekends to visit, so we get to hang out a little bit. She's funny and sooooo dramatic. Her English is really good--she has a gift for languages and picks up English almost without trying. I am, of course, teaching her all the important English slang so that she can stay current. We have a lot of fun, including dancing to random disco songs playing on the radio in the back of Luis' car. She has yet to let me take a picture of her to post on my blog, but I will get her, sooner or later...
Don Walter is the school's director (principal). They just passed a law in Chile that states a director can only be a director at a school for 5 years, then he or she has to move on, either to another school or another position. He's just completed his first year here at Liceo Dario Salas. He's strict, but wants the school to be good and for the students to succeed. To me he is exceptionally kind, making sure I have everything possible to teach my classes and be personally comfortable. He wants to invite me to "onces" (tea) at his house with his family, but because he has one of the only cars in the country with automatic transmission and it's been broken for the last two months (it takes a lot to fix an automatic transmission in a small town in Chile), he hasn't been able to follow through on the invitation. He's facinated by my iPod and the speakers I brought to teach English with music while I'm here. Music is very important for most Chilenos, and he is no exception.
Church members have also been very warm and welcoming. Last Sunday I met Claudia, a 20-year-old who is also studying law, but at a university in San Felipe. I took "onces" at her house later after church, and found out we have a lot in common. She loves studying the scriptures in-depth, never tires of it. And she hates that Relief Society activities consist of sewing circles and cooking lessons. She considers these things less-pertinent to her faith; she prefers to delve into scriptures and books and live and talk about the gospel. I also met her 16-year-old brother Danilo who wants me to find him a blonde girlfriend in the U.S. He's actually a very funny kid and I'll see if I can find him a e-pal to chat with him online.
The thing that I love most about hispanic culture and that I'm going to miss profoundly when I'm gone from Chile is the warmth of the people--the kiss on the cheek to say hello and goodbye, the easy and sincere invitations to be with them and get to know their families and friends, there anxiousness to make sure that you are comfortable and have everything you need. If I bring anything back from this country, if I acquire anything from the language and culture, I hope it is the sincerity and friendliness that I have been treated with here.
Originally I wasn't supposed to live where I live now. I was supposed to live with the English teacher who took me to Viña, but her daughter and son-in-law came back from Spain suddenly, and she didn't feel like she could attend adequately to everyone. Thank goodness, really. Because I have a really great host mom. Her name is Edith, and she is the secretary at the school I teach at. She's tiny and "trigueña", as they call people with her coloring here--dark hair and eyes with a lighter skin tone. She's taken care of me from the first day, making sure that I'm as comfortable and as healthy as possible. She cooks all our meals except lunch at school, even dinner sometimes because she knows that in the U.S. we eat big dinners instead of big lunches like they do here. She sings to herself, and has the most endearing habit of repeating a word about ten times: "Que hace frío...¡frío, frío, frío, frío, frío, frío, frío, frío, frío, frío!" Her husband...well, let's just say that he's gone, and that's a good thing. Divorce was just legalized in Chile a couple years ago (true!), and she is now in the process of officially divorcing him. (Until now, married couples just separated. That was all they could do.) She has a boyfriend named Luis who treats her so well, and when she talks about him she gets really happy. She calls him her "gordo" (fatty--a term of endearment). He comes over for desayuno in the morning before work and drives us the 4 blocks to school.
Edith has two daughters, but I've only met one in person. Alejandra is my host sister attending university in Viña. She's studying law. She comes home on the weekends to visit, so we get to hang out a little bit. She's funny and sooooo dramatic. Her English is really good--she has a gift for languages and picks up English almost without trying. I am, of course, teaching her all the important English slang so that she can stay current. We have a lot of fun, including dancing to random disco songs playing on the radio in the back of Luis' car. She has yet to let me take a picture of her to post on my blog, but I will get her, sooner or later...
Don Walter is the school's director (principal). They just passed a law in Chile that states a director can only be a director at a school for 5 years, then he or she has to move on, either to another school or another position. He's just completed his first year here at Liceo Dario Salas. He's strict, but wants the school to be good and for the students to succeed. To me he is exceptionally kind, making sure I have everything possible to teach my classes and be personally comfortable. He wants to invite me to "onces" (tea) at his house with his family, but because he has one of the only cars in the country with automatic transmission and it's been broken for the last two months (it takes a lot to fix an automatic transmission in a small town in Chile), he hasn't been able to follow through on the invitation. He's facinated by my iPod and the speakers I brought to teach English with music while I'm here. Music is very important for most Chilenos, and he is no exception.
Church members have also been very warm and welcoming. Last Sunday I met Claudia, a 20-year-old who is also studying law, but at a university in San Felipe. I took "onces" at her house later after church, and found out we have a lot in common. She loves studying the scriptures in-depth, never tires of it. And she hates that Relief Society activities consist of sewing circles and cooking lessons. She considers these things less-pertinent to her faith; she prefers to delve into scriptures and books and live and talk about the gospel. I also met her 16-year-old brother Danilo who wants me to find him a blonde girlfriend in the U.S. He's actually a very funny kid and I'll see if I can find him a e-pal to chat with him online.
The thing that I love most about hispanic culture and that I'm going to miss profoundly when I'm gone from Chile is the warmth of the people--the kiss on the cheek to say hello and goodbye, the easy and sincere invitations to be with them and get to know their families and friends, there anxiousness to make sure that you are comfortable and have everything you need. If I bring anything back from this country, if I acquire anything from the language and culture, I hope it is the sincerity and friendliness that I have been treated with here.
Saturday, July 7, 2007
Sick in Santa Maria (Edited)
Hello, all--
Today is the first day in two days I´ve been out of the house. I caught the cold that all the volunteers and many Chileans have been getting, so I remained in bed with "mi marido", not going to work. Luckily, of the volunteers I have one of the best host families, and my host mother has done everything to make sure I get well, including meals and tea in bed, medicine, and anything else you could think of. They´ve been giving me all-natural cough medicine usually administered to children made from avocadoes and honey since I´m allergic to certain types of cough medicines. My host mom and sister also think I´m a little strange because I´ve been sucking on Halls for my throat, sold here (with the same ingredients) as breath mints. At least they´re easy to come by, even if I get made fun of!
Also, my U.S. SIM is not working properly and won´t let me call anyone; my Chilean SIM card has completely run out and won´t let me recharge it, so if you´re going to call me, please do so using my U.S. number. I can receive calls, and I can send and receive texts, but like I said, for the moment I can´t call out. I may have to go to San Felipe tomorrow to figure out the whole Chilean SIM business.
Today is the first day in two days I´ve been out of the house. I caught the cold that all the volunteers and many Chileans have been getting, so I remained in bed with "mi marido", not going to work. Luckily, of the volunteers I have one of the best host families, and my host mother has done everything to make sure I get well, including meals and tea in bed, medicine, and anything else you could think of. They´ve been giving me all-natural cough medicine usually administered to children made from avocadoes and honey since I´m allergic to certain types of cough medicines. My host mom and sister also think I´m a little strange because I´ve been sucking on Halls for my throat, sold here (with the same ingredients) as breath mints. At least they´re easy to come by, even if I get made fun of!
Also, my U.S. SIM is not working properly and won´t let me call anyone; my Chilean SIM card has completely run out and won´t let me recharge it, so if you´re going to call me, please do so using my U.S. number. I can receive calls, and I can send and receive texts, but like I said, for the moment I can´t call out. I may have to go to San Felipe tomorrow to figure out the whole Chilean SIM business.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Adventures in Vina del Mar and Valparaiso
Well, it never ceases to be interesting here in Chile...
This weekend one of the English teachers at school invited me to go to Vina del Mar and Valparaiso with her (though they're two different towns, they run into each other in the middle). It turns out that I was pretty incidental to her plans--I think she was trying to look kind and concerned for my experience in her country, when really she was just going to see her family and run some errands. I stayed the night with her and her sister-in-law, who was actually very hospitable.
Fortunately I met another volunteer Sara there, and we "toursited" around for two days. We saw Pablo Neruda's house (La Sebastiana), we went to the big sea port in ValPo, we ate lunch at an upscale restaurant in the historical and picturesque Cerro Concepcion. I was feeling risky so I ate Conger Eel Soup, a traditional dish here in Chile. It was surpisingly good--not like octopus at all (I have no idea where I got that expectation from, but I thought it would be chewy like octopus, and I was pleasantly surpised at the fish-like consistency).
Since Sara had no one to stay with, we decided to find an inexpensive hotel together in Vina. On our way the English teacher I came with called and asked us to come to another city Con Con to have tea with her and her family. So we got off the bus we were on and found the last bus to Con Con, all the while the teacher is calling me every 5 or so minutes to see where we are. By the time we arrived everyone had decided to leave and go to a movie. There was a bunch of negotiating about what to do with us, and they finally decided to drop us off to get my things and send us to a hotel. On the way the English teacher informed me that I would be taking the bus home the next day. (So much for being a good host.) I was glad to leave, though, not feeling that wanted, and at 10:30 at night with a roughly-drawn map Sara and I made our way to Vina's city center and found a hostel where a very nice old man took care of us.
The next day we toured Vina and found a little artisan fair where we could buy lapiz azuli, a semi-precious stone Chile is famous for. Then we made our way to the bus station and came home.
When I arrived in San Felipe the English teacher called me to make sure I got home okay, then to ask me to tell the director that she was sick, had stayed in Vina, and wouldn't be coming in to work tomorrow. Nice.
This weekend one of the English teachers at school invited me to go to Vina del Mar and Valparaiso with her (though they're two different towns, they run into each other in the middle). It turns out that I was pretty incidental to her plans--I think she was trying to look kind and concerned for my experience in her country, when really she was just going to see her family and run some errands. I stayed the night with her and her sister-in-law, who was actually very hospitable.
Fortunately I met another volunteer Sara there, and we "toursited" around for two days. We saw Pablo Neruda's house (La Sebastiana), we went to the big sea port in ValPo, we ate lunch at an upscale restaurant in the historical and picturesque Cerro Concepcion. I was feeling risky so I ate Conger Eel Soup, a traditional dish here in Chile. It was surpisingly good--not like octopus at all (I have no idea where I got that expectation from, but I thought it would be chewy like octopus, and I was pleasantly surpised at the fish-like consistency).
Since Sara had no one to stay with, we decided to find an inexpensive hotel together in Vina. On our way the English teacher I came with called and asked us to come to another city Con Con to have tea with her and her family. So we got off the bus we were on and found the last bus to Con Con, all the while the teacher is calling me every 5 or so minutes to see where we are. By the time we arrived everyone had decided to leave and go to a movie. There was a bunch of negotiating about what to do with us, and they finally decided to drop us off to get my things and send us to a hotel. On the way the English teacher informed me that I would be taking the bus home the next day. (So much for being a good host.) I was glad to leave, though, not feeling that wanted, and at 10:30 at night with a roughly-drawn map Sara and I made our way to Vina's city center and found a hostel where a very nice old man took care of us.
The next day we toured Vina and found a little artisan fair where we could buy lapiz azuli, a semi-precious stone Chile is famous for. Then we made our way to the bus station and came home.
When I arrived in San Felipe the English teacher called me to make sure I got home okay, then to ask me to tell the director that she was sick, had stayed in Vina, and wouldn't be coming in to work tomorrow. Nice.
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