Yesterday Sara, another volunteer Martha, and I, did some more exploring around Santiago. We walked around the Bellavista neighborhood, a bohemian part of town with artesan fairs, shops, music, and one of Pablo Neruda´s houses. We were in search partly of the famous lapizlazuli, one of the minerals that´s mined here in Chile. Sara found herself a ring, Martha a necklace and earrings, and I've been collecting various pieces of jewlery to give away as gifts. I also found some great postcards displaying anti-government murals painted during Pinochet´s regime, before they were destroyed.
Sara and I have now seen 2 of the 3 houses Pablo Neruda had here in Chile. This one´s name is La Chascona, named for his third wife who apparently had crazy hair. "Chascona" is a slang word that means "bad hair day". All three houses were built to model ships; Neruda loved the ocean and ships, though he was terrified to be in a ship on the ocean. To his friends he explained it in these words more or less: "Why go out on the ocean, when you can get just as seasick on land?" Neruda was a facinating person, someone to look up when you get a moment. He was a poet rock star--because his poetry was so accessible and because he was so friendly and charismatic, he was immensely popular with the people in Chile. He could draw 80,000 people to a poetry reading, and really, who goes to poetry readings??
After lunch we went to an artesan fair...I don´t know what it is about artesanía, but I just can´t get enough. I taught a woman in one of the booths the names of her jewelry in English, and got flirted with at another booth ("pinchar", it´s called here in Chile) as I was buying some necklaces for souvenirs. We had fun, and no one tried to steal anyting from me, so I suppose Santiago and I can be friends again. Tentatively.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Leaps of Faith to Puerto Varas
Let me preface this blog entry with two pieces of key information about Chile: 1) Everything is done at the last minute. Everything. 2)One of the best ways to get around is to know somebody, or somebody who knows somebody. I sometimes feel like I´m in a Jane Austin novel, touring the country and visiting "acquaintances" wherever I go.
The second leg of my 2-week winter break became a little complicado...I had been planning to do some more traveling up north this week with my host family. At the last minute, though, they were not able to travel after all, and I had to think fast to make some plans. As much as I enjoy Santa Maria, I wanted to take advantage of an entire week to see other parts of Chile. My options were limited, and I had to make a decision quick while I was still in Santiago, because traveling anywhere from San Felipe is a bit limiting. I was thinking of buying a bus ticket north to San Pedro de Atacama, where a few of the volunteers I knew (including Sara) were going. The problem was that they had bought plane tickets and had hotel and tour reservations, and in order to go I would have to go by bus, a 24 hour ride, and try to find a place to stay and get added on the tours.
But another option came up suddenly, as they tend to do here in Chile. While Sara and I were in La Serena last week we met up with one of the teachers at the school she works at in Catemu. Upon hearing that my host family was unable to travel, Marcia offered to call her nephew in the south of Chile who works at a tourist agency to see if she could get anything set up. I didn´t hear from her until about 7:30 last night, when she called me and said that everything was arranged, I could travel to southern Chile and stay with her nephew Diego and his wife. All I had to do was confirm with Diego and get a bus ticket. So I confirmed with Diego and got dropped off at one of the many bus stations in Santiago to see if there were any tickets available to Puerto Montt leaving, oh, RIGHT NOW. Of course the woman at the ticket window said no, not till tomorrow...except these few seats left on this bus leaving in an hour. So off I go into the unknown, to see a part of the country I´ve never seen before and to stay with people I´ve never met. Spontaneous as I am, this was all still really, really disconcerting.
I spent 10 hours on a bus, in a special seat that converts into a bed. I woke up and was dropped off in Puerto Varas, a little town outside of Puerto Montt, where Diego picked me up. He and his wife Claudia are about my age, and they have two children, one 10 and one 9 months old. They are exceptionally kind and attentive. Tomorrow in the afternoon we plan to go out and they´re going to show me the sights. Diego is also going to bring some information about tours home tonight, and I can see what interests me.
It all worked out, but I have to say that by the time I get back to the U.S., I may be more of a person who likes to make plans. In advance.
The second leg of my 2-week winter break became a little complicado...I had been planning to do some more traveling up north this week with my host family. At the last minute, though, they were not able to travel after all, and I had to think fast to make some plans. As much as I enjoy Santa Maria, I wanted to take advantage of an entire week to see other parts of Chile. My options were limited, and I had to make a decision quick while I was still in Santiago, because traveling anywhere from San Felipe is a bit limiting. I was thinking of buying a bus ticket north to San Pedro de Atacama, where a few of the volunteers I knew (including Sara) were going. The problem was that they had bought plane tickets and had hotel and tour reservations, and in order to go I would have to go by bus, a 24 hour ride, and try to find a place to stay and get added on the tours.
But another option came up suddenly, as they tend to do here in Chile. While Sara and I were in La Serena last week we met up with one of the teachers at the school she works at in Catemu. Upon hearing that my host family was unable to travel, Marcia offered to call her nephew in the south of Chile who works at a tourist agency to see if she could get anything set up. I didn´t hear from her until about 7:30 last night, when she called me and said that everything was arranged, I could travel to southern Chile and stay with her nephew Diego and his wife. All I had to do was confirm with Diego and get a bus ticket. So I confirmed with Diego and got dropped off at one of the many bus stations in Santiago to see if there were any tickets available to Puerto Montt leaving, oh, RIGHT NOW. Of course the woman at the ticket window said no, not till tomorrow...except these few seats left on this bus leaving in an hour. So off I go into the unknown, to see a part of the country I´ve never seen before and to stay with people I´ve never met. Spontaneous as I am, this was all still really, really disconcerting.
I spent 10 hours on a bus, in a special seat that converts into a bed. I woke up and was dropped off in Puerto Varas, a little town outside of Puerto Montt, where Diego picked me up. He and his wife Claudia are about my age, and they have two children, one 10 and one 9 months old. They are exceptionally kind and attentive. Tomorrow in the afternoon we plan to go out and they´re going to show me the sights. Diego is also going to bring some information about tours home tonight, and I can see what interests me.
It all worked out, but I have to say that by the time I get back to the U.S., I may be more of a person who likes to make plans. In advance.
Friday, July 20, 2007
Pisco Elqui
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.
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.
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.
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