Los Perros Vagos

Esta foto es de un señal de pare que está en C° Alegre que representa los perros vagos. Antes de parar de matar los animales callejeros, no había leyes contra la muerte de estos animales. Pero este señal de pare ha ayudado con el establecimiento de leyes de los animales que viven en la calle.  Los animales están en la calle porque mucha gente no sabe cuidar un animal y las acciones que son necesarios para vivir con una mascota, y cuando ya no quiere su mascota se la pierde en la calle. Es triste que haya muchos perros vagos en la calle. No hay sólo uno u dos perros. Hay mucho más de 300 en las calles. Pero los ciudadanos dan de comer los animales. Aunque hay muchos, los animales son "nuestros animals" porque nos protegen contra al mal.

Como este perro, mucho de los están saludables. Son amables y diferentes. Pero es peligroso que viven el la calle. Mayormente, los animales comen de la basura y despues están enfermas. No sé cómo ni cuándo, pero necesitamos corregir esto en una manera civil sin matar. 

Fiestas Patrias

This blog post is going to be a little messy, so bear with me. This past week was the fiestas patrias week of Chile. Rather than just one day, they have an entire week to celebrate their country. As most people decided to travel the country, I decided to stay here and live life like the Chileans. The entire week here in region 5 there were parties after parties of all different kinds, and I experienced the good life.

A lot of the fiestas are ramadas, which are carnival-like parties. At these ramadas, there are rows of booths for food and games, and even a row for dancing. The food served at these is some of the best foods to experience. I went to two different locations for the ramadas. One night, we went to Sporting (in Viña) and another night we went to Playa Ancha (city of Valpo). The atmosphere at these sort of events are incredible. There are so many people, and so little room to even walk sideways, but it is so much fun.

The most important day of the week was the 18th. On the 18th, my host family and I went to the botanical gardens and had a barbecue with my host cousins and family friends. At the botanical gardens, my host sister Rosio and I went for a walk to the lagoon and back. On the way from the gardens back to where we were cooking out, Rosio dropped her cardigan and we had to go back and look for it. Fortunately, nobody had messed with it and we found it almost right away! I met some lovely people and had some delicious food. We got home at about 8pm, and then at about 9pm I went out to Sporting with my friends Michaela, Monika, Natalie, Niall, and Otisa.

The following day, I went with my family to Placilla, which is about an hour away from our house in Valpo. In Placilla we had a barbecue with some family friends where there was karaoke and loads of delicious homemade traditional food. I got to sing in Spanish for a bunch of people I didn't know, and I got to add a bunch of Spanish music to my repertoire. That night, I went to Playa Ancha and met some really nice Chilean students that as soon as they figured that I wasn't Chilean helped me out so much.

My diet for the week was not the best, but it kept me alive. My diet consisted of Empanadas, Chorripanes, Alcohol, and dancing. The empanadas here are very interesting. At the festivities, it is very difficult for you to find an empanada not made of pino (in the pino empanadas there is ground beef, hard boiled egg, black olives, onions, and raisins). A chorripan is basically like a bratwurst on a bun, just a different kind of sausage, and it is absolutely delicious. The two kinds of alcohol that went into my belly, besides beer, were chicha and terremotos. Chicha is a fermented apple or grape drink without distillation. Terremotos are generally made out of white wine, pineapple ice cream, and some times with granadina, fernet, or another bitter liquor.

Unfortunately, the week has come to an end and I have to go back to school. I had such a great week and am so glad that I got to experience Chile's independence celebrations.

Two monthaversary?!

Wow! I cannot believe that I have already been here for 2 months! It is crazy to think that I left everything I knew 2 months ago to open my mind to different things. This has been one heck of a ride, and I am so glad that I am here. There have been a few bumps in the road, such as robberies and getting sick, but every moment cannot be the best moment of my life. I have learned so much about myself and about life that everything else just doesn't matter as much. And to me, that still makes being here worth it. This week not only is a celebration of my two months, but a celebration of Chile. Chile has been celebrating their fiestas patrias all week with asados and festivals and just huge celebrations. The novelty of being in a new place with a new adventure has not quite worn off yet. At times, things do get a little difficult to deal with, but I am still so incredibly glad to be here. Thank you for following me on this journey, and I cannot wait to continue this wonderful roller coaster!

Feeling Chilean

Living in a country other than your home country takes awhile to get adjusted to. But even then, getting adjusted to a new place comes in stages. From my experience, getting adjusted to the country itself took about two weeks. I had to get adjusted to the climate difference, being in a new place, the culture, the language, as well as just looking different. 

The climate was difficult to deal with for the fact that pretty much the first week of being in Chile, I was shivering non stop. I am fairly certain I gained washboard abs in a matter of days without even trying. After acclimating to the climate, I had to gain my sense of direction. For me, this was difficult because I am awful with reading a map. But once I am shown where something is in a city, I can navigate my way back and forth with ease. With thanks to my dear friend Israel, figuring out the general layout of the city was a breeze. Unfortunately, I also had to figure out the public transportation. I learned how to navigate my way to and from school on two different buses, I can navigate the metro with ease, but the colectivos I don't think I will ever understand [Colectivos are a type of taxi that is cheaper, but also shared between other people]. 

The easiest thing to transition into would have to be the culture. Having prior knowledge about Chilean culture before arriving, it was much easier to slide into the ways of the Chilean people. Drinking a lot of tea, eating one's weight in bread and palta, and eating lunch in the late afternoon were just some of the things that came naturally to me when I got here. The hardest transition for me, however, has been the language barrier. The problem hasn't been that I don't speak Spanish. The problem is that I am not an encyclopedia for Spanish slang. The Chileans speak rapidly and the accent, in some cases, is almost impossible to understand. Now that I have been here for almost two months, my ears have started adjusted to their language mannerisms. Not only do I understand them, I often find myself using them in a natural way. For example, my host family had a family party at the house this evening and we were discussing all sorts of topics, when I accidentally said one of the most commonly used Chilean slangs, "sí po." I can feel that my speaking is improving, not only with my host family, but with anyone that I come in contact with that wants to speak. 

The more time I spend here, the more I feel like I belong. Rather than feeling like an alien or an outsider, I am beginning to feel more like a Chilean. With this transition from outsider to family gives a sense of belonging, and I think it will give me an even better experience than I have already been having. 

September 11th

For this post, it is going to be a little messy because I am going to be posting both in English and Spanish. If you would like to read in English, start reading here:

September 11, a bad day in the U.S. As we remember what happened in 2001, we come together as a country to comfort those with loved ones missing. Any of us that were old enough to understand what was going on at the time, can remember everything about this tragic day in the U.S. As we cried over our fellow citizens, we were glued to the television with our families by our side watching the start to a war on terror. 2001, I was in the third grade and remember it like it was yesterday. You can ask just about anyone that was alive and well aware and they can tell you vividly what had happened to them during that day. Each year, I take time to think of what I remember happening so I don't forget.  And it has been the same thing for 12 years. (http://www.911memorial.org/)

However, this year, I have learned of a different September 11. In Chile, there was also a September 11 that was a very traumatizing day. September 11, 1973 is the day of the Chilean coup d'etat. This is the day that Pinochet and his army took over the government of Chile and killed Salvador Allende. The day that thousands of people disappeared because they disagreed with Pinochet's government. (http://www.museodelamemoria.cl/)

This is a day that we shall remember what happened to our country and to our people, but it is a day that we also commemorate the pivotal point in our countries and how we changed as people. We know now what needs to be done different so we don't have the same trauma happen twice. We cannot make the past better, but we can benefit our future with our knowledge from our past and from the pasts of our people.

For more information on what happened on September 11 in each country, click the appropriate link above

Si quiere leer en español, empieza aqui:

El 11 de septiembre es un mal día en los EE UU. Mientras nosotros recordamos que pasó en 2001, estamos juntos como país para consolar aquellos con desaparecidos. Cualquier persona que tiene una edad suficiente para comprender que pasó, puede recordar cosas de esta tragedia. Mientras llorábamos, estuvimos en frente de la televisión y mirábamos las noticias del golpe de terror con nuestras familias al lado. En 2001, estaba en el 3° año de la escuela primaria y puedo recordarlo puedo recordarlo como si pasó ayer. Se puede preguntar a cualquier persona que vivía durante el terror y puede decir que pasaba vividamente durante este día. Cada año, paso tiempo para pensar de qué recuerdo. Y es el mismo recuerdo en 12 años. (http://www.911memorial.org)

Pero, este año, he aprendido sobre este día en una manera diferente. En Chile, había un incidente que fue traumático. El 11 de septiembre de 1973 es el día del coup de Chile. Este es cuando el dictador Pinochet y sus armadas forzaron su control sobre el gobierno y mataron Salvador Allende. Este día miles de personas desaparecieron porque no estaban de acuerdo del gobierno de Pinochet. (http://www.museodelamemoria.cl/)

Este es un día que todo el mundo recordará que ha pasado en nuestros paises y ha pasado a nuestra gente. Pero, tambien, es un día que conmemoramos la punta crucial de estos paises y cómo hemos cambiado como país. Ahora, sabemos que es necesario para proteger nuestra gente. No podemos corregir el pasado, pero podemos cambiar el futuro con el conocimiento de nuestro pasado y también del pasado de nuestra gente.

Por más información sobre el 11 de septiembre en cada país, haz click el enlace conveniente

My first time in the Pacific!

Yesterday, September 8, 2013, was one of our first beautiful days here in Chile. The weather was up in the 70s, the sun beating down warming up our bodies. So rather than just wasting the day studying, we decided to go to the beach! Michaela, Dillon, Shivani, Ruby and I all headed down to one of the beaches in Viña del Mar. Ruby and I showed up first and got our area situated in the sand. The sand was soft, and it was just a perfect day. To wait for the others, we decided to sunbathe. After about 30 minutes, Michaela shows up, not in her bathing suit, so she went home to change. We were still sunbathing, enjoying the wonderful weather when Shivani shows up not too long after Michaela leaves. After a little while, Michaela shows up in her bathing suit. Once she arrives to where we are, the four of us decide to strip down to our suits and head for the water! We get up to the water's edge and feel the water, and we all jump back. Who knew the water would be that cold? We decide to brave up and dive head first into the water. After a little while of being in the water, I have to head out to get rid of the brain freeze the water gave me. I walk up to where our stuff is to warm up a little bit and check our phones for Dillon. As I am checking, I notice a missed call, and decide to see where he is at. A few minutes later, we meet up and head back to our spot so he can join us in the water. The water, although was cold, was so beautiful! The sun was shining as bright as can be, and I was with some of the best friends I will ever have. We are playing in the water and our bodies are going numb, but it is worth it for a little fun. After awhile, we head back up to our stuff to warm up and hang out some more. We have chips and drinks, and we are just relaxing in the sand under the sun. As the sun is starting to get closer to sunset, we all decided to call it a wrap and head home for the day. This day will be the first of many, but will definitely be the fondest of memories of the beach.

School schedule

I have been here for about a month and a half now, and I feel like it would be a good idea to tell you about my class schedule. The class schedule is nothing like it would be in the U.S. because classes change meeting times, meeting places, etc. Most of my classes have stuck with a consistent schedule, but my schedule is still a little bit bizarre.

Monday: I don't start classes for the day until 3:40pm, where I start my day with Contemporary Hispano-American Literature. At 5:20pm, my Literature class ends and I go to my next class which is Communication and Culture of Chile. That class ends right around 7pm, where I then wait for the bus and go home.

Tuesday: My day starts at 10:05am for class, where I will start my day off with Chilean Poetry of the 20th Century. At 11:45am, I switch classes to Modern History of Chile. After history ends, I have a break long enough for me to go home and eat lunch with my host family and hang out and do some homework before I have to be back at the University at 5:20pm for my Communication and Culture class. Once Communication and Culture ends, I get to go home for the night.

Wednesday: My least favorite day for classes would have to be Wednesday because the day is just so long. I have class starting at 8:15am with my Contemporary Hispano-American Literature. I am not certain as to why the class meets at a different time on Wednesday from Monday, but it does and there are no other options for it. After that class, I have a bit of a break until my next class. On Wednesdays, I usually stick around the school and get all of my errands done for the day. At 3:40pm, I go to my next class for the day, which is Chile's Insertion to the Global Economy. After that class, at 5:20pm I have my Communication and Culture class once more for the week. At 7pm, I wait for the bus and head back to the house.

Thursday: Thursday is my Friday because I finish early with classes for the week. My day starts at 10:05am for class, where I head to my Chilean Poetry class once more. At 11:45am I go to my History class and finish for the day by 1:15pm where I usually go home for lunch and then hang out with my friends in the early evening and into the night.

My classes all seem very interesting, and I am glad I am taking them. My Contemporary Hispano-American Literature class is probably my favorite. The class has so much life and our professor seems truly passionate about the subject because he gets us to interact with the literature, and challenges our minds with in class questions. For this class, we have to read a book and we have about two weeks to finish it. The books are about 70 pages, so it isn't long, but the language itself is so rigorous because of the vocabulary used makes us use a higher caliber of thinking. My Communication and Culture class is very interesting because it makes us be involved and talk in class, but we also get to learn about the vivid culture we are living in. We get to do projects and read aloud, which really helps with the speaking aspect of the language. My least favorite so far would have to be my poetry class because, even though it has such potential with the object of being able to teach about Pablo Neruda or being able to dive into the words of Gabriela Mistral and Huidobro, we haven't. We have only learned the historical aspect of the poetry during the 20th century. My Chile Insertion to the Global Economy class is pretty interesting. The professor is very old, and knows his subject, but he lectures the entire time for an hour and a half. The Chilean History class is very interesting, and it allows us to interact with the history of Chile, as well as our class mates, because we do a lot of group work in class.

My classes are not too difficult as of right now, but that is subject to change in the near future. 

Four... strikes and you're out?

If there was one thing that I would love to understand, it would have to be the amount of striking in Chile. For those of you that don't know, within the past month that I have been in this country, there have been at least four different groups of people protesting. Four! That is more in one month than I have seen in my entire life in the United States. The protests come in different forms: first is the manifestation that seems to be the most peaceful type. The people protesting go out and dance and sing in public, and express the frustration towards the government in order to get what they want. The second type would be the riots, which thankfully none have happened here in Valpo since I have been here. 

Before I had even arrived to Chile, I knew that this country was very passionate about having a voice in their government. However, I had not realized the extent of the passion. The most known group of people on strike would be the students. Their kind of striking is just not going to classes and some manifestations, which I haven't seen, in an attempt to voice their opinion on free and equal education, and understandable reason to want change. The students had began striking before I had arrived in Chile, so I was not too worried about them so much. The next group of strikers that were noticed were the people striking Ripley, a large department store that is here in Chile. I am not even really sure why they were striking, but the way they were striking was the most bizarre thing to experience. There wasn't any picketing. They were singing and dancing, trying to have a good time while voicing their opinion. I was thoroughly confused because I guess I had never seen anything like it before. It was definitely an interesting sight to see. The next group of people to start picketing were the postal service workers. They have been picketing since about the second week of me being in the country. Now, the postal service has been the most vocal group that I have seen. They stopped going to work, closed the shops, and went out to the streets and started to picket. They have been on strike for almost a month, but went off strike late this week. But once one group stops picketing, the next group decides start picketing. So, the next group that is now picketing is Chile's Registro Civil. This is where everyone goes to get their Chilean IDs, which is important for international students because we need them in order to leave the country. My luck with the picket timing is just horrid because I have been waiting for a package for over a month now, and the day the Registro Civil started striking I tried to go to their office. 

It has been frustrating trying to get things done, but it is understandable that these people want to have a voice in their government (If you do not know the history of Chile, search about the dictatorship of Pinochet starting with September 11, 1973). Since the postal service has stopped picketing, hopefully I will get my package soon, and as far as the Registro Civil, hopefully they will stop picketing soon so I can start planning to go to Argentina in December.