¿Cachai?

Another week comes to an end . . . and not much has happened.

We've been having orientation ALL WEEK. Again. Honestly, I feel like we've just been constantly shepherded around from one city to another and back. At the same time, it's been nice to see where all of the buildings are located. At PUCV, there is no one central campus. There are just about 20 buildings scattered throughout the city.


Casa Central, where I'll have a few of my classes. It seems like it might be the main building at PUCV? I have no idea. It's also partially outdoors, which is weird but sweet at the same time.


We also got to choose classes, which was wicked old school. It's funny how we all complain about OASIS being from before the stone age... but we actually had to go into this huge room where there were representatives from each department, and you'd choose the classes that you wanted to take from each department. I had some people try to convince me to not take a certain class, which wasn't appreciated. Just because I can't speak Spanish doesn't mean 'm entirely incapable . . . .

So my classes are as follows, for those who care...:
Political History of Chile in the 20th Century This is a class through the law school that someone tried to talk me out of. Pshh. Honestly, I think I might be most excited for this...
Espanol Oral y Escrito Boo... just a necessary class so I don't graduate in 2014
Historia Moderna de Chile A class exclusively for foreigners that will hopefully overlap a bit with the politics class... we'll see!
Contemporary Latin American Literature Again, another requirement
Adolescent psych Boo..
Jugeos Mapuches Okay, I lied. This is the class I'm most excited about. The Mapuches are an indigenous Chilean group who have had huge conflict issues with Chile in the past. And we get to learn all of their games. For credit. I couldn't be more excited.


The history building. Which is a castle. And is where about half of my classes will be. I've never taken courses in a palace before...


So honestly, it's been kind of a boring week. I'm pumped because orientation is officially over, and we don't start classes until Wednesday. Tomorrow is an adventure to Pablo Neruda's house in Valparaiso, which should be fun. And hopefully there will be a few other day trips with all of this free time that we suddenly have.


OH! I lied. We did have a bit of an adventure today...
My neighbor Allison and I usually walk the mile to the CIEE office in the mornings when we have to be there for meetings. Today, we were running a bit late because we had to be there at 8:30 and didn't feel like leaving our houses until 8:10 or 8:15. So we decided to take one of the micros to the building. We hopped on the first that said Plaza Viña, Libertad, y Uno Norte. Together, these three locations form a perfect triangle around where we needed to be. We got on, paid our 250 pesos or whatever it is, and told the driver we were going to the Plaza. We drive for a bit, go past the Plaza, and get up to Uno Norte, which is the street the CIEE building is on. We make comments about how PERFECT it is that the bus is going to take us almost EXACTLY where we need to go, because that never happens...

Yeah, well, it didn't happen. We needed the bus to take a left, but it took a right. We recognized the fact that we were going in the wrong direction, but there were no other city names on the sign on the front of the bus, so we assumed it was going to do a loop of Uno, and we'd get back to the center of Viña with enough time.

That didn't happen either. We start going further and further into the cerros (hills) of Valparaiso, into a neighborhood called Miraflores. We kept waiting for the bus driver to turn around and start a new loop. Slowly, the bus starts to empty as we quickly arrive in the middle of nowhere.

Honestly, no where. At this point, we've about a 20 minute drive beyond our original destination. But if we had gotten off the bus, we would have waited FOREVER for the next bus to take us back into the city. We're essentially over the mountains of Valparaiso, on the other side, just riding the bus around, getting funny looks from the driver who keeps saying "iHAY QUE BAJAR!" (You need to get off!)

Finally, he turns around. We breathe a sigh of relief, thinking we'll just hitch a ride with him back into the center. Oh, no. Of course not. He pulls into a parking lot/gas station with all of these other buses, and finally asks us where we need to go...

At this point, the program directors of CIEE are calling us frantically to see where we are. They've already called Allison's host mom, who's worried about us. And it doesn't help that when they ask "WHERE ARE YOU TWO?!" we can only respond with "We have absolutely no idea."

We eventually get off the bus. You know, the move we should have made way back long ago when we were only about 1/4 mile away from the office and the bus took the wrong turn? But now we're stuck on this road in the middle of God knows what small town, without even knowing which direction we need to go in, because the mini-skyline is far in the distance. After a few minutes of... well, not panic, because we were entirely amused by this situation, a collectivo came up that said VINA!!!! (Collectivos are basically taxis that you share with other people to keep the prices down, but bring you closer to your actual destination than a bus would)

So all's well that ends well. We got to the CIEE office a bit more than an hour late, after seeing a wonderfully obscure part of Chile. We still have no idea where we were. But it was pretty!


Okay, I'm done boring you all for now... And Mom and Dad, don't worry... I've learned my lesson: Never, EVER, anticipate the actions of a bus driver....

Love,
C

More Chilean revelations

So this was my first day chilling around the University for orientation. That was weird in and of itself, because I'm in a group of foreigners.

I've never been a foreigner before...

And there are about 300 exchange students from all over the world (but 180 are from the US, surprise surprise). So I was talking to this girl from Germany and it was weird because Spanish was the only thing we had in common. I don't know - - - it's hard to explain, but it's weird to consider myself a foreigner.

Anyway. Let's continue...

8. Chileans speak English. Or, well, German. And Italian.
Also known as: Colleen is Uncultured
Whenever a Chilean person answers their phone, they say "Hello?" But it sounds more like "Halo," the way a German would say it. And instead of saying goodbye (or I guess, adios) they say "CIAO!"
They also kiss everyone. Q raro


9. THEY DRIVE RIDICULOUSLY FAST how am I still alive?!?!
It's seriously insane. I wish I could convert KMH to MPH in my head. Actually, I think I'm better off not knowing.
So. Fast. The other day, I was on a micro (the small buses that run everywhere and constantly), but there were no more seats left, so I was standing and holding onto the bar that runs across the sides of the bus. But then I was still losing my balance, so I had to hold on to both bars up top on each side of the aisle. I ended up being airborne, just holding myself up with my arms, because of the way the drivers whip around corners.
It's just crazy. How there aren't more deadly car crashes, I do not know.

10. Instant coffee just means you get to drink coffee CONSTANTLY
Think about it... when you have to brew coffee, it's such a commitment! But when you only need to heat up some water... that means coffee morning, noon, and night. I think it's a good deal. And it really doesn't taste that bad. I'm getting used to it. And I'm always caffeinated. Best of both worlds.

11. Bottled water is tap water in a bottle
If you ask for bottled water (agua sin gas, which means no bubbles), they bring you a bottle of water. But the cap is already off... and there is dust on the bottle. And the label is peeling off. Because they've used it before.

The tap water isn't bad here, and it's entirely drinkable. It's just funny to me!


A funky statue. I kind of laughed when I saw it for the first time, even though I know I'm supposed to be appreciating this fine art. But seriously, if you look at it closely, and for long enough, a giggle is inevitable


12. Smoke is the Chilean national perfume
Everybody smokes, and you can smoke ANYWHERE. There isn't much personal space in Chile, so if someone is smoking near you, you're essentially smoking too. I've just accepted the fact that most of my clothing will smell like smoke for these next five months.

13. I still walk faster than EVERYONE else
Chileans are in no hurry. I? I am always in a hurry. Even if I have nowhere to be, I want to be there. The sense of time is much different... I like to punctual. If I make plans to meet you at ten, WE WILL MEET AT TEN. I'll run if I have to.
Maybe this will make me more laid back?

Hahaha, yeah right.



A man wearing traditional Chilean clothing doing a funky folk dance. I didn't realize how bad this picture was until right now.


14. I will leave here speaking Chilean
I've also accepted that I will leave here speaking Chilean, not Spanish. I've already picked up bizarre little phrases that mean nothing. I mean, I'm okay with it . . . I just wonder if I'll be able to converse with Mexicans.


15. Massachusetts needs to chill out about this upcoming tax rate, because Chile will forever have us beat
Imports? 25% tax. Everything else? 19%. It's all built into the prices, but still. It can be insane. And it's fine, because the Chilean products are the cheap ones anyway (the ones I would have bought regardless), but it's amazing to me that Chilean shampoo is about a dollar fifty and then Pantene is nearly eight dollars.



Una linda sunset. I don't know the word for sunset. And I need to start taking better pictures, but I don't have the patience

Okay. New goal: Carry my camera around with me a bit more, so that I actually have decent pictures to post here.
Deal? Deal.

-C

Las primeras dias en Viña

El reloj de flores, a landmark of Vina. All of the numbers, background, etc are made entirely of flowers. AND the clock is accurate, to boot!



Happy Friday, all!

On Wednesday, my host family came to the hosteleria to bring me back to their house (our house? hmm...) en Viña del Mar. I absolutely love everyone that I'm living with. The mom is a social worker, and we get along really well. The teenagers have become my lifelines, and they're always willing to bring me places or to help me get to a different part of the city(ies). I met the nine year old for the first time last night, and he's absolutely adorable. He reminds me a lot of Matthew - - - a quick-witted child who should probably hold his tongue more, but you can't get mad at because he's just too cute. There's also a nanny in the house, who works during the days while the mom works her jobs, and she's fantastic. She cooks SO WELL. Lunch is the biggest meal of the day in Chile, and I'm so lucky that she's the one who makes it for me!

We've just been doing more CIEE orientation things this week, and we start some class-type things next week; we also register for classes at PUCV. Then, on August 5, classes at PUCV officially start.... and all this free time goes down the drain. Honestly, though, I'm so glad. Anyone who knows me knows that I can't deal with down time. It drives me insane.

So I've been fielding lots of random questions that I probably haven't responded to, so below is a list of the funniest things that have happened, or just things that I've learned (complete with a few pictures):

1.Chileans have the hardest accent to understand in the world
Honestly. This is not an opinion. This is pure fact. I googled it, so it must be real. They make up billions of words that don't make sense, and they just drop off the letters that they don't feel like using. If you think a Boston accent is weird because they drop the R, try understanding someone who drops the Rs... and the Ss... and the Ts... and the other consonants. It's vowel soup, Chile is.

I'm definitely struggling with the Spanish. BUT! I did just have a conversation of about an hour and a half with my host mom, which was great. She says that I have a decent command of the language, and I love that she corrects me when I make mistakes. I'm getting by, but it's pretty hard.


Otra foto de Olmue


2. Being nice doesn't help you here.
Within the first few minutes, a whole group of us was cheated out of a few dollars when a man who was loading our suitcases onto the bus came up and said "Your tip is my salary." And we believed him. And smiled. And gave him money. And he laughed. Then the program director came and informed us that CIEE covers tips. Q bueno.


3. Gringa CAN be a term of endearment!!
My host mom calls me gringita CONSTANTLY, and she truly doesn't mean anything bad by it. If you have light skin, light hair, or light eyes, you're automatically a gringa. Guess who has the trifecta....
But honestly, people are more curious than malevolent about us being from the EEUU. It was awkward, though, today when we were walking on the beach and a man came up to take pictures with the girls who are super-blonde, because it's so uncommon to see here.



The view from my street. Everything is set up high, in neighborhoods called "cerros", which means hill. My cerro is on the border of Vina y Valpo, with an incredible view of the Pacific
4. South America can be FREEZING
I kid you not. It's the winter, and granted, it's not cold by Boston's (or even Nashville's) standards, but I've been sleeping with two pairs of sweatpants, multiple shirts, billions of blankets.... Once the sun goes down the sea breeze hits you, it's horrible. Central heating is an entirely foreign concept. BUT! I have an electric blanket that's my favorite thing here. I'm not kidding.


5. Grammar is important, kids
I always kind of studied for Spanish grammar exams with the understanding that I just had to pass the test, but not retain any of the rules. I mean, who uses correct grammar? Everyone. . .
In hindsight, I should have made sure that I was comfortable with preterite and imperfect (and even subjunctive), because right now I'm stuck with awkward sentences and lots of circumlocution to avoid horrendous verb conjugation.


6. Everything happens SO LATE
My mom here goes to be about midnight, gets up at 8, works at 10.... It's insane. Bars don't get full until 2 or 3 (at the earliest). Dinner is at 9 or 10, if it even happens at all. Bizarre, but it's growing on me.

That was a lie. It's hard to get used to


A cloudy sunset view of the Vina side of the bay

7. My name will never be the same
The first vowel sound in my name sounds like an "a." But it's a sound that's entirely foreign in the Spanish language. So my name comes out more like Cooo-leen than Caw-leen. I'm bad with phonetics...

And the double L is it's own letter and sound in Spanish which is normally pronounced like a Y, but some people from South America pronounce it like a J. So I've heard Coo-yeeen, and Cooo-jeen. I never know when anyone is talking to me, because everyone says my name differently. And none the way that I pronounce it. Tengo que acostombrarme....



All in all, I think everything is going well. My city is so beautiful, I can't even explain it. I wouldn't consider myself a well-traveled or well-cultured person, but I've honestly never never seen a city this incredible. My pictures do NOT do it justice. Images.google has much more-- I suggest doing this.


A view of the Valpo side of the bay


I don't want to bore you any more than I have with useless updates and the like. But I haven't been TOO busy as of late, so send me an email or leave me a comment if you have more questions!

Besos,
Colleen

¿Cacti en las montañas?

Hola a todos!

I got to Chile yesterday morning, after a pretty bumpy overnight flight. There were a handful of people on the flight who were also participating in the CIEE program, which was nice. We had a view of the Andes as we landed, but it was partially obstructed by the plane's wing. :( They still looked ENORMOUS and gorgeous, though. I'd love to be able to head east again later this semester. Anyways, cearing customs was fine, minus the fact that I could not understand the policia who was questioning me. The worst part? She was speaking English. Fatigue is my favorite.


At the airport, we were picked up by people who work for CIEE, and we got on a bus ride out of Santiago to the city of Olmue, which is about an hour and a half northwest of Santiago. It's a very small town, surrounded by mountains. We had to wind around a mountain range to get here, which is pretty scary when all of the streets are open cliffs . . .

We arrived at the Hosteria that we've been staying at in time to bring our bags into our rooms and eat lunch. The food at the hotel has been GOOD (and overly plentiful), and I've heard that real Chilean cooking is even more amazing. I'm sure the hosteria knows we're American and is attempting to cater to those needs... the meat option was turkey and gravy with mashed potatoes for lunch, and then beef stroganoff for dinner. I had thin pancakes filled with spinach for lunch, and a vegetable omelet for dinner. Today, though, I had this thing called pastel de choclo. It's kind of like a cornmeal mush dish that's then baked in the oven, so the top part is cooked like bread, but the lower part is chewy and a similar consistency to oatmeal. Regardless, it was delicious and warm. It's definitely going to take a while to get used to a four course meal.. for lunch and dinner....



A picture of Olmue from our window!






Orientation has been pretty boring for the most part... just telling us about the cities we'll be in, and the classes we might be able to take. They're definitely trying to ease us into the transition, which is helpful; we all seem to be having trouble understanding Chilean spanish. It's nice to still be surrounded by people who speak English, which ends tomorrow.

Which leads me to.... MY HOST FAMILY!! I got information about them today, and I could not be any more thrilled!! It's a family with three kids: a 15 year old boy, a 14 year old girl, and a 9 year old boy. AND a dog. I'm so glad to know that there will be kids in my family... and to be my own siblings' ages is such an added bonus. They're coming to the hosteria tomorrow to pick me up and bring me back to Viña del Mar, where I'll be living with them. Crazy.

It's hard to imagine that I've only been in this country for about 36 hours. It's so much different from everything I've ever seen: houses perched precariously atop mountains, stray dogs that outnumber people in the town center. I'm sure Viña and Valpo will be entirely different, and I cannot wait to explore. And I hope it warms up a bit. It's been pretty chilly here. And it's been damp, which just makes it worse. When the sun comes out it's nice, but those moments are few and far between. Tomorrow (and the rest of the week) is supposed to be much nicer - - we'll see!!

This post is already MUCH longer than I had meant for it to be, so I think I'll stop here and update again in a few days!

¡Hasta luego!

Tomorrow afternoon, I'll be leaving los Estados Unidos for Chile, where I'll be living and studying in the sister cities of Valparaíso and Viña del Mar for the next five months. A map of the area is below; my cities are circled in green, and I'm about 90 minutes away from the country's capital of Santiago.


Email will most likely be my primary means of communication, with Skype falling in second. Let me know if you have Skype; I'll be sure to add you! I'll also be sure to update this blog regularly with pictures and stories. I'm not positive, but if you add yourself as a follower of my blog, you should get email updates when I make new postings (hopefully once a week or so?).

That's all for now--- see you all in December!