Knowing where you are, or how to get where you need to go, is very important. If you don't know directly, you can always look at a map. And if you don't have a map? Well, there is always the option of talking to strangers and asking for directions...I guess.
I am not really the person that knows directions very well, which often times can cause problems. Today, I was heading to Casa Central to begin my classes for the day. I left the house a little before 9:30am to wait for the bus so I could get to school a little bit earlier. The bus that I ride, or the 'micro' as they call it here, goes in front of my house. They pass by it, drop off some more people, turn around, and then come back. Every single day that I have been here, I have ridden bus number "607." As I was standing there this morning, I watched bus number "607" pass by me to turn around. So, I started to get ready for the bus to come back. I hear the bus coming, so I stick out my hand so the driver will know to stop for me. He stops, and then I get on. I pay the driver $300 (CLP) and head to my seat. No big deal, right? Wrong. What I hadn't noticed about the bus was that it had actually read "612" instead of my bus, "607." I didn't figure out I was on the wrong bus until I realized we were going a different way than usual. I keep cool and stay calm so I can figure out a plan. So I am thinking and thinking, and the bus keeps heading down the road. We finally come to the bottom of the hill. By this time, it is now 9:45. I have class in fifteen minutes. So I need to think of something quick. I don't really recognize where I am, but I notice that we are not heading anywhere close to the direction of Casa Central. So I get off the bus at the next stop, and pull out my map. I look at the street signs to see where I am: "Avenida Francia" intersecting with "Avenida Colon." So I find where I am on the map and start walking as fast as I can to the school. If people weren't looking at me like a stranger before, they definitely were now. This little gringa, basically jogging down the road with a backpack on that is the size of her body? Weird. At this point, I am not paying attention to the people around me, I am just trying to figure out my way through this unfamiliar part of town. Alas! I finally come to an area that I recognize! I just happen to be about four blocks away from where I need to be. I check the time and I see that it is 9:50. I start to walk just a little bit faster when I get to the home stretch, and I am a hop, skip, and a jump away from the front door. But seriously, I was about that close. I make it into the building and into my classroom with just two minutes to spare. Father Time was not in any rush this morning, which I greatly appreciate.
The moral of this story is: If you don't have a keen sense of direction, always carry a map!
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Monday, July 29, 2013
Cute Anecdote is Cute
This post is really just an anecdote based on something that happened today.
This morning, after figuring out my schedule for school, Kira, Michaela, Shivani, and I decided to explore a little more of the Valparaíso that we had not yet seen. As we were walking around, admiring graffiti while trying to figure out where we were with our handy dandy map, a small group of high school students were walking towards us. As they were getting closer, they knew automatically that we were not Chilean natives based on the facts that we looked different, we were speaking English, and we were staring at a map quite quizzically. As the students walked closer, one of the guys had mustered up the courage to stop for a second and speak to us in English. As the guy got closer, he stopped and looked at me dead on and stuttered out the word, "Hi." As the friendly human being that I am, I gave him a big smile with lit up eyes, and responded with a "Hey." As he and his friends began to walk towards wherever they were headed, his friends mocked him for getting the American salutation "incorrect" by saying, "Ohhh it isn't 'hi,' it's 'hey,' stupid!" As they said it, the group, including the courageous boy, began to laugh, but looked back at us for some sort of acknowledgement. In return, we reassured the kid that both salutations are fine. As we began to walk away, the group laughed and told us goodbye in English, yet again, as if talking to American tourists was some sort of comedic pass time. As we continued to walk away, the four of us kind of talked about it and laughed it off. No matter what it meant to those kids, it was adorable to see someone attempt to converse with us 'gringas' in our own language.
This morning, after figuring out my schedule for school, Kira, Michaela, Shivani, and I decided to explore a little more of the Valparaíso that we had not yet seen. As we were walking around, admiring graffiti while trying to figure out where we were with our handy dandy map, a small group of high school students were walking towards us. As they were getting closer, they knew automatically that we were not Chilean natives based on the facts that we looked different, we were speaking English, and we were staring at a map quite quizzically. As the students walked closer, one of the guys had mustered up the courage to stop for a second and speak to us in English. As the guy got closer, he stopped and looked at me dead on and stuttered out the word, "Hi." As the friendly human being that I am, I gave him a big smile with lit up eyes, and responded with a "Hey." As he and his friends began to walk towards wherever they were headed, his friends mocked him for getting the American salutation "incorrect" by saying, "Ohhh it isn't 'hi,' it's 'hey,' stupid!" As they said it, the group, including the courageous boy, began to laugh, but looked back at us for some sort of acknowledgement. In return, we reassured the kid that both salutations are fine. As we began to walk away, the group laughed and told us goodbye in English, yet again, as if talking to American tourists was some sort of comedic pass time. As we continued to walk away, the four of us kind of talked about it and laughed it off. No matter what it meant to those kids, it was adorable to see someone attempt to converse with us 'gringas' in our own language.
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Week One
Well folks, I did it! I have made it through week one. This post is really mostly a review of what has happened already, and a big thank you to all of the people that are supporting me through this journey. Existing doesn't sound too hard since I have been doing it for twenty years. However, existing in a new environment is difficult. It wasn't too hard, but it has definitely been an adjustment. Going to a place that is foreign to me is fun, but having the courage to leave everything I love behind has definitely been a challenge for me. I will continuously be challenged every day for the next few months and there will be times when I will struggle tremendously. It has definitely been a lot more difficult than I have seemed to publicly express, but thanks to all of you wonderful people, I have the courage to continue what I do from day to day.
The week started out really awkward because I wasn't sure how to react to not being in my own home and in my comfort zone. But after the first day or two, it was a lot easier. It got much easier especially after talking to both my host family and my real family. Both families have helped me tremendously so far. Going to a new place, no matter where you go, there is a lot of adjusting to new traditions. As a small town girl, one of the things I had to really get used to is riding public transportation. Before this week, I had never ridden a public bus, besides a school bus of course, by myself. It was a new experience trying to get used to people being uncomfortably close, and knowing where the buses actually stop. Believe me, figuring out the bus system in a foreign country is harder than it sounds. Although it isn't the most ideal way of transportation, I would rather take public transportation than walk or try to drive a car on these busy streets. Before this week, I had also never ridden in a taxi. Thanks to my friends Kira, Shivanni, and Michaela, I now know that a taxi is a better choice to take with friends than it is to take alone. Through public transportation, I have also figured out that I would rather take the bus every day 3 times a day than a taxi because taking a taxi is still more expensive than the bus.
Another thing that I have had to get used to while here in Chile is that 60°F does not always feel like 60°F in Georgia weather. I figured that out the hard way when I arrived in Valpo, and shivered for two days straight because I was not prepared for winter. Along with it being winter here, I also didn't know that not every house has central heating and the only way to cure your winter shivers is more blankets and layers of clothing. As strange as it sounds to me, not having a central heating system is actually a thing in more than one country around the world.
Something I don't think that I will ever get used to is how openly open people are here with their Public Display of Affection. I cannot even count how many times that I have just been riding the bus or walking around town and see people displaying their love for one another in front of me. I mean, we have PDA in the U.S., but it is nothing like it is here.
Having blonde hair and fair skin in a country where blonde is very rare is very difficult. I stand out everywhere I go, and that is very unusual for me. Everywhere I walk or ride, I get the most intense stares. It will definitely take some time to get used to.
Although there has been a lot of acclimating, I have also learned that no matter what time of day it is, Valpo is a beautiful place filled with beautiful people. My family is just fantastic. They have helped me out this week more than they probably know. It's safe to say that I think my seventeen-year-old host sister is more mature than I am, for more than one reason, but mainly because when it comes to figuring out directions on a map, I am a child. My family has explained to me where to go and drawn me maps so I don't get lost when I am walking around the city by myself. Another beautiful person is my dear Chilean friend, Israel. I got to see Valpo through his eyes, and thanks to him, I can recognize where I am. Well, not completely recognize where I am, just on Cerro Alegre.
There is still so much more to see, and only five months to see it all. This experience has already taught me that I have a lot of growing up to do as a twenty-year-old, and with this blog, you all will get to watch me grow.
The week started out really awkward because I wasn't sure how to react to not being in my own home and in my comfort zone. But after the first day or two, it was a lot easier. It got much easier especially after talking to both my host family and my real family. Both families have helped me tremendously so far. Going to a new place, no matter where you go, there is a lot of adjusting to new traditions. As a small town girl, one of the things I had to really get used to is riding public transportation. Before this week, I had never ridden a public bus, besides a school bus of course, by myself. It was a new experience trying to get used to people being uncomfortably close, and knowing where the buses actually stop. Believe me, figuring out the bus system in a foreign country is harder than it sounds. Although it isn't the most ideal way of transportation, I would rather take public transportation than walk or try to drive a car on these busy streets. Before this week, I had also never ridden in a taxi. Thanks to my friends Kira, Shivanni, and Michaela, I now know that a taxi is a better choice to take with friends than it is to take alone. Through public transportation, I have also figured out that I would rather take the bus every day 3 times a day than a taxi because taking a taxi is still more expensive than the bus.
Another thing that I have had to get used to while here in Chile is that 60°F does not always feel like 60°F in Georgia weather. I figured that out the hard way when I arrived in Valpo, and shivered for two days straight because I was not prepared for winter. Along with it being winter here, I also didn't know that not every house has central heating and the only way to cure your winter shivers is more blankets and layers of clothing. As strange as it sounds to me, not having a central heating system is actually a thing in more than one country around the world.
Something I don't think that I will ever get used to is how openly open people are here with their Public Display of Affection. I cannot even count how many times that I have just been riding the bus or walking around town and see people displaying their love for one another in front of me. I mean, we have PDA in the U.S., but it is nothing like it is here.
Having blonde hair and fair skin in a country where blonde is very rare is very difficult. I stand out everywhere I go, and that is very unusual for me. Everywhere I walk or ride, I get the most intense stares. It will definitely take some time to get used to.
Although there has been a lot of acclimating, I have also learned that no matter what time of day it is, Valpo is a beautiful place filled with beautiful people. My family is just fantastic. They have helped me out this week more than they probably know. It's safe to say that I think my seventeen-year-old host sister is more mature than I am, for more than one reason, but mainly because when it comes to figuring out directions on a map, I am a child. My family has explained to me where to go and drawn me maps so I don't get lost when I am walking around the city by myself. Another beautiful person is my dear Chilean friend, Israel. I got to see Valpo through his eyes, and thanks to him, I can recognize where I am. Well, not completely recognize where I am, just on Cerro Alegre.
There is still so much more to see, and only five months to see it all. This experience has already taught me that I have a lot of growing up to do as a twenty-year-old, and with this blog, you all will get to watch me grow.
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Orientation
It all started on the 23 of July, where we, as in all of the incoming international students, first came together at Isabel Brown Caces (IBC) on Avenida Brasil at 9:00am. When my host father and I first arrived to IBC, everything was confusing, and I did not recognize any of the exchange students. After standing there with a dazed look on my face for many minutes, I finally caught on that I was supposed to stand in line and check in for orientation. I stood in line for a couple of minutes and got my name tag, then went to another room to get some information from my group leader, or as they call them at PUCV- monitors, Felipe Pino. We got a package of information telling us about our school ID information, and an agenda. After that, orientation had begun...
Day one of orientation went about like this: After we met our monitor, we got in our groups and talked while we waited for everyone to get to IBC. In my group there are eight people, four girls and four guys: Shivanni-a girl from UT, Michaela- a girl from Loyola in New Orleans, Kyra from Alaska, Jake from Colorado, Travis from North Carolina, Stephan from Connecticut, Jonathan from Kennesaw, and me. After everyone had arrived, all 200+ international students went into the auditorium and had a welcome session. There are people from 28 different countries studying at PUCV this semester, anywhere from China, to right near by Chile in Colombia. After the welcome session, we went to a big room where we sat with our groups and filled out some contact information. After that, we talked a little, and went up to the cafeteria and had a little snack break. After we got to ingest some delicious snacks and drinks, we went back to the big room and took the written portion of our placement exam. The exam was pretty intimidating after a summer of not really practicing any of my Spanish. We were given the whole hour between noon and 1:00pm, and I used most of the time given to me. When I was finished, I walked out pretty confident. We were given from 1:00pm until 3:00pm to go back to our host homes to grab some lunch, and I definitely took advantage of that break. Once I finished the exam, I waited for my sister, Rosio, to take me to get a Chilean phone at the Ripley mall here in Valpo. It's a nice mall, and it's different from the malls in the U.S.. In the mall, we successfully purchased me a Chilean cellphone that is very basic. It ended up only costing about 20 USD (The current exchange rate between USD to Chilean pesos (CLP) is 1USD=500CLP). After that, Rosio and I took the bus home to have a delicious lunch that my host mom made. At around 2:30pm, my host mom and I took the bus to PUCV's main building, Casa Central, which took nearly no time at all. From 3 until about 5:30, we took a tour of Casa Central, and had to attend a bunch of information sessions. Once it was 5:30, we were finished. My host mom came back to Casa Central to pick me up, and went home.
Day two of orientation went like this: I rode the bus by myself to Casa Central, like the mature adult that I am, at 10:00am. Once I got there, and talked to my monitor, I went with a group of students to the police station in order to register my student visa with the city of Valpo. On the way to the station, which was just two blocks away from the university, I was whistled at twice, and the French girl to my right was grabbed at. Once we arrived at the police station, we had to wait in line. So, we waited. And waited. And waited. Finally, I got to in there, and the policeman was very nice, and quoted the walking dead to me. It was an interesting experience to say the least. After I was finished registering my visa, I briskly walked back to the Casa Central so nobody would try to get my attention. Once I returned to Casa Central, my group was free until 3:00pm. At 3:00pm, when we returned, we had to take the oral portion of our placement exam. The oral portion was really just to see if we could communicate. The oral portion was an individual interview with an interviewer. My interviewer, Marcos Avilez, is the head of the whole International Relations portion of the university. He asked questions about where we were staying in Valpo and what our family is like, as well as questions about our home country/region. He also asked questions about why we were learning Spanish, and he seemed very impressed with both my Spanish and career choice. After our interview, we went to the "Salon de Honor" in order to get an idea of which classes we want to take, so that we can register for them on Friday.
Day one of orientation went about like this: After we met our monitor, we got in our groups and talked while we waited for everyone to get to IBC. In my group there are eight people, four girls and four guys: Shivanni-a girl from UT, Michaela- a girl from Loyola in New Orleans, Kyra from Alaska, Jake from Colorado, Travis from North Carolina, Stephan from Connecticut, Jonathan from Kennesaw, and me. After everyone had arrived, all 200+ international students went into the auditorium and had a welcome session. There are people from 28 different countries studying at PUCV this semester, anywhere from China, to right near by Chile in Colombia. After the welcome session, we went to a big room where we sat with our groups and filled out some contact information. After that, we talked a little, and went up to the cafeteria and had a little snack break. After we got to ingest some delicious snacks and drinks, we went back to the big room and took the written portion of our placement exam. The exam was pretty intimidating after a summer of not really practicing any of my Spanish. We were given the whole hour between noon and 1:00pm, and I used most of the time given to me. When I was finished, I walked out pretty confident. We were given from 1:00pm until 3:00pm to go back to our host homes to grab some lunch, and I definitely took advantage of that break. Once I finished the exam, I waited for my sister, Rosio, to take me to get a Chilean phone at the Ripley mall here in Valpo. It's a nice mall, and it's different from the malls in the U.S.. In the mall, we successfully purchased me a Chilean cellphone that is very basic. It ended up only costing about 20 USD (The current exchange rate between USD to Chilean pesos (CLP) is 1USD=500CLP). After that, Rosio and I took the bus home to have a delicious lunch that my host mom made. At around 2:30pm, my host mom and I took the bus to PUCV's main building, Casa Central, which took nearly no time at all. From 3 until about 5:30, we took a tour of Casa Central, and had to attend a bunch of information sessions. Once it was 5:30, we were finished. My host mom came back to Casa Central to pick me up, and went home.
Day two of orientation went like this: I rode the bus by myself to Casa Central, like the mature adult that I am, at 10:00am. Once I got there, and talked to my monitor, I went with a group of students to the police station in order to register my student visa with the city of Valpo. On the way to the station, which was just two blocks away from the university, I was whistled at twice, and the French girl to my right was grabbed at. Once we arrived at the police station, we had to wait in line. So, we waited. And waited. And waited. Finally, I got to in there, and the policeman was very nice, and quoted the walking dead to me. It was an interesting experience to say the least. After I was finished registering my visa, I briskly walked back to the Casa Central so nobody would try to get my attention. Once I returned to Casa Central, my group was free until 3:00pm. At 3:00pm, when we returned, we had to take the oral portion of our placement exam. The oral portion was really just to see if we could communicate. The oral portion was an individual interview with an interviewer. My interviewer, Marcos Avilez, is the head of the whole International Relations portion of the university. He asked questions about where we were staying in Valpo and what our family is like, as well as questions about our home country/region. He also asked questions about why we were learning Spanish, and he seemed very impressed with both my Spanish and career choice. After our interview, we went to the "Salon de Honor" in order to get an idea of which classes we want to take, so that we can register for them on Friday.
After I studied the multiple lists and discussed my options with a few other international students, I have a general idea of what I want to take, and I will be able to narrow the list down to register for my classes. Once Friday comes and goes, classes will begin on Monday, July 29th, which means orientation will have been a success!
(Above is a picture of my name tag, the 13 represents my group number at orientation)
Monday, July 22, 2013
Finally in Chile!
After so much time of waiting, the anticipation is finally over. I am finally in Chile! The plane was nothing really to talk about, other than the fact that it was long. Once I landed in the airport in Santiago, the whole situation became confusing. My last step off the plane was my last time speaking mostly English. I had to run all about the place to try to figure out what I needed to do. After getting through customs and immigration, I had to wait for the rest of the international students in my program that were attending PUCV. We were at the airport until 2pm. We traveled from Santiago to Valparaíso, which only took about an hour. The people in my program are nice, and are from all over the world/U.S. The scenery here is absolutely lovely, but the temperature is very cold. I am the only exchange student living directly in Valparaíso. The other students I have met, are living in Viña del Mar. My host family is so nice and my host mom has made some delicious food.
Monday, July 15, 2013
Getting a Visa
If you are a world traveler, you know that not every trip
you take contains getting a visa. If you are in a country for 30 days or less,
a visa application is not necessary. However, most countries require one if you
plan on staying for longer than that. In order for me to continuously live in
Chile for 5 months, I have to get a visa, but it has not been the easiest
process to go through. Seriously though, it has been one of the most stressful
situations I have been in. I have been trying to apply for a visa since I found
out I was going to study abroad, so since about April. It started off with research
of how I go about applying. The next step was the preparation. I had to get an
FBI background check, go get a health checkup, and I had to jump through a bunch
of other hoops. Once that was all finished, I sent off the application through
express mail with a feeling of relief. That relief came to a halt the next day
when the Consulate of Chile called me telling me some of my documents were
insufficient. I had to get the university in Valparaiso send me my official
acceptance letter via email and redo the money order that they poorly explained
so I could overnight the updated documents to the Consulate. I felt a little
bit relieved as I sent the updated documents off, but I was still uneasy.
The consulate received my documents, and began making a decision on my application. This process, for students in my region, takes about 2 weeks. I waited and waited for about 2 weeks to let them make a decision and get in touch with me, but I had not received any sort of notion that they had made a decision on my application. So I emailed them and had to get them to send my documents from Miami to the “honorary consulate” in Atlanta. I was finally approved for a visa, and am all set to go. However, it took the main office of the consulate such a long time to get my documents from Miami to Atlanta, and that was with overnight shipping! The whole situation was an utter mess. But now here I am, five days before my trip, finally ready to go to Chile.
My advice for anyone that needs to get a visa: keep on top of the consulate and pester them until they get things done.
The consulate received my documents, and began making a decision on my application. This process, for students in my region, takes about 2 weeks. I waited and waited for about 2 weeks to let them make a decision and get in touch with me, but I had not received any sort of notion that they had made a decision on my application. So I emailed them and had to get them to send my documents from Miami to the “honorary consulate” in Atlanta. I was finally approved for a visa, and am all set to go. However, it took the main office of the consulate such a long time to get my documents from Miami to Atlanta, and that was with overnight shipping! The whole situation was an utter mess. But now here I am, five days before my trip, finally ready to go to Chile.
My advice for anyone that needs to get a visa: keep on top of the consulate and pester them until they get things done.
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