This past Friday, the 18th of September, was Chilean Independence Day! And Saturday was Dia del Ejercito (Army Day). Together, the two create las fiestas patrias (literally meaning patriotic parties). [Note--- that link has all of the important information about this day. I'm lazy] Most of my classes were canceled for the week, and a lot of the colegios (~ schools) in Chile were on Spring Break (it's still weird to me that it's spring right now... and that I'll have three springs/summers in a row...). SO! It made for an incredibly fun (or at least interesting) weekend, to say the least.
Vina's population for these festivities seemed to EXPLODE, as people fled the smog of Santiago for more refreshing ocean air. And during these days, everyone's a patriot. Flags hang outside every house; the colectivos put ribbons on their hoods. It's really amazing, and it's definitely a contagious enthusiasm.
Thursday, I went with my friend Sarah to her host siblings' school performance for the dieciocho (eighteen, or how Chileans refer to the day). The traditional Chilean dance, la cueca, was represented, as were other traditional/indigenous dances of Chile. Very cool!
Friday, I went with my host mom to her sibling's house for an asado (cookout) and more traditional Chilean food. That night, I went with some of my friends to a ramada, or this really sweet outdoor carnival. There were tons of stands with food, traditional carnival rides (ferris wheel included), fun games, lots of music, billions of people. It actually got pretty overwhelming after a bit, not gonna lie. Regardless, very entertaining!
It was also a bit of a homesick weekend. I think it's hard being around families, and comparing these holidays to everything we celebrate in the US. It's nearly impossible to not make comparisons like that, but they also make you realize what you're missing. I've realized that it's much easier to not compare Chile to anything, but just remind myself that these are all new experiences, people, holidays; it's easier to not think of an American counterpart! Either way, that time has come and gone... and now I just want to do more in Chile while I'm here. I'm almost at the halfway point, which scares me . . . where's my Spanish!?!? Why am I not fluent yet?! I need to speak Spanish more with my American friends. I made a pact with a few of them that starting October 1, it's ALL Spanish. We'll see how that goes....
I also have midterms this week. Which is why I'm blogging. I'm really just procrastinating...
I was supposed to have literature yesterday, but it ended up being take-home essays instead of in-class work. But I had studied. So that was frustrating and fantastic at the same time... This morning was supposed to be psych, but our professor never showed?! So now that's next week. This afternoon I have grammar (haven't started studying yet...), and tomorrow might be history. I say "might" because I never really know the deal in Chile :) It never ceases to amaze me how laid back EVERYTHING is, even the school system. Could any of you in the US imagine a teacher making a test a take-home essay, or just NOT SHOWING the day of the exam?! I cannot. It's a hard paradigm shift.
Other than that, there's not much going on in my life down here! When I get a chance (probably this weekend), I'll get caught up on all those emails that are still awaiting responses, lo juro (I promise)!
Okay. I need to study grammar. Oy.
Miss you all!!!
Lots of love,
Colleen
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Desert videos
I meant to add these into my last post about the desert, but completely forgot... below are some short videos I took of el desiertooo!
This is just kind of a panoramic view from the day we took the hike. You can see the packs of llamas!!
This was one of the geysers we saw; it wasn't erupting quite the same as all of the others, but it was cool to watch the water boil. People were putting cartons of frozen milk and juice inside it to defrost them
(sorry this one is sideways... I don't know how to fix it!)
This geyser erupts every seven or eight minutes, and is one of the most cyclical geysers in the field.
Panoramic view of the geyser field. At one point, I focus on one that's erupting a bit in the distance; it has a much steadier and stronger pace than most of them. This one was formed by man a few days before our visit, because they're trying to harness geothermal energy to solve Chile's energy crisis and dependence on Argentinian oil.
This is just kind of a panoramic view from the day we took the hike. You can see the packs of llamas!!
This was one of the geysers we saw; it wasn't erupting quite the same as all of the others, but it was cool to watch the water boil. People were putting cartons of frozen milk and juice inside it to defrost them
(sorry this one is sideways... I don't know how to fix it!)
This geyser erupts every seven or eight minutes, and is one of the most cyclical geysers in the field.
Panoramic view of the geyser field. At one point, I focus on one that's erupting a bit in the distance; it has a much steadier and stronger pace than most of them. This one was formed by man a few days before our visit, because they're trying to harness geothermal energy to solve Chile's energy crisis and dependence on Argentinian oil.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
"Do I need my raincoat?"
I know that nature can do some pretty crazy things. I've seen what happens after crazy Nor'easters; tornadoes both scare and amaze me; hurricanes never cease to amaze me; images of the 2004 tsunami are easily remembered. But I've never truly appreciated the sheer force of nature until my trip this weekend to San Pedro de Atacama, to visit the Atacama Desert.
Firstly, it was the epitome of a whirlwind weekend. We barely had time to breathe, let alone sleep (definitely still struggling with those aftereffects).
Sidenote: I just averaged my sleep for the last seven nights. We're hovering around 3.5 hours per night. AHH!!
I think that the easiest way for me to record all this is to just break the days down... we'll see how this goes (Warning: This post is going to be a BEAST). Also, if you click on the hyperlinks, you'll be sent to Wikipedia articles that explain what I saw a little bit more :)
Friday
Friday started when, but about midnight, the group of 12 arrived at my house to chill out and wait for our shuttle to the airport. We made (deliciously amazing) brownies, and just watched some Latin American Idol to pass the time. 2:00 am: Van scheduled to show up. Van shows up at 2:20, a la Chilena. We head to the airport to catch our 5:45 flight. Land in Calama at 7:50. Take a taxi to the bus station. 10:15 bus to San Pedro. Arrive in San Pedro at about noon. Go to the hostel; check in; pay. Get to the center to eat real quick and start tours at 2:30 pm.
The first thing that I really noticed when we got to San Pedro was how DUSTY it was. It honestly blew my mind. And water pressure there? Incredibly low. I mean, it's to be expected... it's the driest desert in the world. But still. And we weren't allowed to drink the tap water, so I ended up spending an unexpected 5 mil pesos on bottled water. BOO!! We were drinking about 4 or 5 liters of water a day, and were still thirsty and dehydrated.
Okay. So Tour One: We went to La Cordillera de Sal, which is a mirador (lookout) over one of the canyons in the desert. I've never seen the Grand Canyon or anything. And it just amazed me that something so vast can just be formed, for lack of a better word. All of the rock formations were mind boggling. Then, we went to Valle de la Muerte (Death Valley). This is the driest spot in the world. They've been recording rainfall and weather there for over 150 years, and never once has there been rain. And it's true... nothing grows in this area, but there's also these HUGE sand dunes that were fun to run around on. The sand was so incredibly fine there from all the wind and natural erosion.
After, we went walking around a bit through some of the canyon-esque areas in Death Valley. We were there right around sunset, as the shadow start to fall on the rock walls. Our tour guide, at one point, made us stop and be absolutely silent. We heard these cracking and snapping noises; when the sun hits the rocks, it heats up all the gypsum and other crystals that they're made of. Once the sun sets, it starts to cool down, and the rocks actually make these noises as they snap back into place.
Last stop: Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley). We went there to watch the sunset from the top of a cordillera (mountain range). It was BEAUTIFUL, with the Andes turning pink in the background.
Below is my slideshow from day one!! Again, the photos have captions
Saturday
After that insane day, we woke up at about 6 for a tour the following morning.
First stop: Salar de Atacama. It is the third largest salt flat in the world, and the only major one that is formed by underground water sources instead of rain. This bottom-up evaporation creates the awkward and irregular structures that you'll see in pictures. Also, licking the salt rocks is a very good/very bad idea all at the same time. As stupid as it sounds, the salt is just saltier there. But I'm glad I did it! And! 40% of the world's lithium reserves come from this salt flat; odds are that the batteries in my camera had lithium from the Salar de Atacama. Talk about going full circle...
Also at the salar was the Reservacion Nacional de los Flamencos (FLAMINGO RESERVATION!). Sad story: it was too hard to really get all that close to them. Oh well!
I also learned that Chile has 150 active volcanoes, which is 10% of the world's population of active volcanoes. The most active one is Volcan Lascar, which had major eruptions every year from 2000 to 2007.
Next stop: Socaire, a small village outside of the Salar. Indigenous influences are still readily visible, especially in their use of terraces to irrigate their land. Pretty ingenious!
Then, we went to Las Lagunas Altiplanicas, Lagoon Miscanti and another. These are some of the highest lagoons in the world, formed by underwater sources and water than runs down the Andes. I think this was perhaps one of the most beautiful things that I saw in Atacama. The volcanoes mixed with the regular Andean mountains in the background.... again, it was just amazing to see the forces of nature at work.
Last stop was Quebrada de Jere (ravine/gully), a random oasis in the middle of the desert. They still use these old-school systems of redirecting water to take advantage of this stream running through the desert. And they're good at it, too. They end up growing lots of fruits there.
PICTURES!
SUNDAY
Another early morning, this time to hike in the Andes a bit. We took a bus along the road that connects Chile and Argentina, and stopped about 50 km away from the country lines. We were at an altitude of 4600 meters (about 3 miles), which is higher than the highest point in Europe! We chewed coca leaves to fend off altitude sickness (... and because it's fun to say that you've chewed coca leaves..). Also, it was entirely FREEZING during this hike because of the insane winds. I was wearing leggings and shorts that day, and I still have this little strip of skin around my ankles that's entirely red raw. My hands were cracked and bleeding due to the crazy temperature extremes in the desert.
I think the trek was my favorite day. I was able to climb lots of rocks, and that fun stuff. It was also cool because our guide was SO laid back. He didn't really care what we did or where we went, as long as we met up with him in the end. It ended up being hours and hours of exploring and wandering. There were a few times where I'd look around and not be able to see anyone, or anything. Absolutely no signs of life at all. I've never felt truly alone like that before; and it might have been the most peaceful feeling I've experienced. I also felt so small during this trek, surrounded by these huge rock formations carved from wind. I feltBlogger: ¿Como se dice.....? - Create Post both powerful and impotent at the same time, which is a bizarre sensation.
At the end of the hike was another lagoon... and a PACK OF WILD LLAMAS!!! Below are photos (obviously).
MONDAY
Monday, we woke up at 3 am to be on a bus by 4 am to go to El Tatio geysers, the largest geyser field in the southern hemisphere. Even though the geyser "show" will continue all day, you have to get there super early to see the eruptions before the temperature goes above 0 degrees C. Once it does, you're unable to see the steam that comes out of the geothermic field. So we arrived about 6 am, with a temperature of -9. How fantastic....
No, but it was. I didn't chew coca leaves that day, and ended up feeling a bit sick (altitude of 4200 meters), but it was so worth it. The constant streams of steam into the air were breathtaking.
Then, we went to a thermal spring a few towns away to go SWIMMING in a hot spring!!! Absolutely amazing. It was about 40 degrees C, and was a nice way to warm up.
The last thing we did was go to a "farm" of cacti. There aren't many cacti left in the Atacama desert, but this is one of the areas with the highest concentration. There was also a waterfall (I'm really starting to not believe that it's the "driest desert in the world." I saw salt flats and brine pools and lagoons and geysers... hmmm....).
We got back to the center at about 2 pm. Ate lunch. Checked out of the hostel. Got on a 5:50 bus. Taxi to the airpot. Waited in the airport for security to open because it's such a small airport, it only opens at certain times (?!?!). 10:50 flight. Arrived in Santiago at 1. Van to Vina del Mar (Arrived at 3 am). A full 24 hour day.
Moral of the story: It was an absolutely amazing trip. Everything was so pure and untouched, and was almost too beautiful to be real. I've never felt so inundated by yet close to nature. And never have I been more appreciate of what is natural. I learned that I really love being outdoors, and would prefer to be outside doing something than sitting around.
And this trip just made me want to travel even more.... I can't wait for Santiago in a few weekends!
Firstly, it was the epitome of a whirlwind weekend. We barely had time to breathe, let alone sleep (definitely still struggling with those aftereffects).
Sidenote: I just averaged my sleep for the last seven nights. We're hovering around 3.5 hours per night. AHH!!
I think that the easiest way for me to record all this is to just break the days down... we'll see how this goes (Warning: This post is going to be a BEAST). Also, if you click on the hyperlinks, you'll be sent to Wikipedia articles that explain what I saw a little bit more :)
Friday
Friday started when, but about midnight, the group of 12 arrived at my house to chill out and wait for our shuttle to the airport. We made (deliciously amazing) brownies, and just watched some Latin American Idol to pass the time. 2:00 am: Van scheduled to show up. Van shows up at 2:20, a la Chilena. We head to the airport to catch our 5:45 flight. Land in Calama at 7:50. Take a taxi to the bus station. 10:15 bus to San Pedro. Arrive in San Pedro at about noon. Go to the hostel; check in; pay. Get to the center to eat real quick and start tours at 2:30 pm.
The first thing that I really noticed when we got to San Pedro was how DUSTY it was. It honestly blew my mind. And water pressure there? Incredibly low. I mean, it's to be expected... it's the driest desert in the world. But still. And we weren't allowed to drink the tap water, so I ended up spending an unexpected 5 mil pesos on bottled water. BOO!! We were drinking about 4 or 5 liters of water a day, and were still thirsty and dehydrated.
Okay. So Tour One: We went to La Cordillera de Sal, which is a mirador (lookout) over one of the canyons in the desert. I've never seen the Grand Canyon or anything. And it just amazed me that something so vast can just be formed, for lack of a better word. All of the rock formations were mind boggling. Then, we went to Valle de la Muerte (Death Valley). This is the driest spot in the world. They've been recording rainfall and weather there for over 150 years, and never once has there been rain. And it's true... nothing grows in this area, but there's also these HUGE sand dunes that were fun to run around on. The sand was so incredibly fine there from all the wind and natural erosion.
After, we went walking around a bit through some of the canyon-esque areas in Death Valley. We were there right around sunset, as the shadow start to fall on the rock walls. Our tour guide, at one point, made us stop and be absolutely silent. We heard these cracking and snapping noises; when the sun hits the rocks, it heats up all the gypsum and other crystals that they're made of. Once the sun sets, it starts to cool down, and the rocks actually make these noises as they snap back into place.
Last stop: Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley). We went there to watch the sunset from the top of a cordillera (mountain range). It was BEAUTIFUL, with the Andes turning pink in the background.
Below is my slideshow from day one!! Again, the photos have captions
Saturday
After that insane day, we woke up at about 6 for a tour the following morning.
First stop: Salar de Atacama. It is the third largest salt flat in the world, and the only major one that is formed by underground water sources instead of rain. This bottom-up evaporation creates the awkward and irregular structures that you'll see in pictures. Also, licking the salt rocks is a very good/very bad idea all at the same time. As stupid as it sounds, the salt is just saltier there. But I'm glad I did it! And! 40% of the world's lithium reserves come from this salt flat; odds are that the batteries in my camera had lithium from the Salar de Atacama. Talk about going full circle...
Also at the salar was the Reservacion Nacional de los Flamencos (FLAMINGO RESERVATION!). Sad story: it was too hard to really get all that close to them. Oh well!
I also learned that Chile has 150 active volcanoes, which is 10% of the world's population of active volcanoes. The most active one is Volcan Lascar, which had major eruptions every year from 2000 to 2007.
Next stop: Socaire, a small village outside of the Salar. Indigenous influences are still readily visible, especially in their use of terraces to irrigate their land. Pretty ingenious!
Then, we went to Las Lagunas Altiplanicas, Lagoon Miscanti and another. These are some of the highest lagoons in the world, formed by underwater sources and water than runs down the Andes. I think this was perhaps one of the most beautiful things that I saw in Atacama. The volcanoes mixed with the regular Andean mountains in the background.... again, it was just amazing to see the forces of nature at work.
Last stop was Quebrada de Jere (ravine/gully), a random oasis in the middle of the desert. They still use these old-school systems of redirecting water to take advantage of this stream running through the desert. And they're good at it, too. They end up growing lots of fruits there.
PICTURES!
SUNDAY
Another early morning, this time to hike in the Andes a bit. We took a bus along the road that connects Chile and Argentina, and stopped about 50 km away from the country lines. We were at an altitude of 4600 meters (about 3 miles), which is higher than the highest point in Europe! We chewed coca leaves to fend off altitude sickness (... and because it's fun to say that you've chewed coca leaves..). Also, it was entirely FREEZING during this hike because of the insane winds. I was wearing leggings and shorts that day, and I still have this little strip of skin around my ankles that's entirely red raw. My hands were cracked and bleeding due to the crazy temperature extremes in the desert.
I think the trek was my favorite day. I was able to climb lots of rocks, and that fun stuff. It was also cool because our guide was SO laid back. He didn't really care what we did or where we went, as long as we met up with him in the end. It ended up being hours and hours of exploring and wandering. There were a few times where I'd look around and not be able to see anyone, or anything. Absolutely no signs of life at all. I've never felt truly alone like that before; and it might have been the most peaceful feeling I've experienced. I also felt so small during this trek, surrounded by these huge rock formations carved from wind. I feltBlogger: ¿Como se dice.....? - Create Post both powerful and impotent at the same time, which is a bizarre sensation.
At the end of the hike was another lagoon... and a PACK OF WILD LLAMAS!!! Below are photos (obviously).
MONDAY
Monday, we woke up at 3 am to be on a bus by 4 am to go to El Tatio geysers, the largest geyser field in the southern hemisphere. Even though the geyser "show" will continue all day, you have to get there super early to see the eruptions before the temperature goes above 0 degrees C. Once it does, you're unable to see the steam that comes out of the geothermic field. So we arrived about 6 am, with a temperature of -9. How fantastic....
No, but it was. I didn't chew coca leaves that day, and ended up feeling a bit sick (altitude of 4200 meters), but it was so worth it. The constant streams of steam into the air were breathtaking.
Then, we went to a thermal spring a few towns away to go SWIMMING in a hot spring!!! Absolutely amazing. It was about 40 degrees C, and was a nice way to warm up.
The last thing we did was go to a "farm" of cacti. There aren't many cacti left in the Atacama desert, but this is one of the areas with the highest concentration. There was also a waterfall (I'm really starting to not believe that it's the "driest desert in the world." I saw salt flats and brine pools and lagoons and geysers... hmmm....).
We got back to the center at about 2 pm. Ate lunch. Checked out of the hostel. Got on a 5:50 bus. Taxi to the airpot. Waited in the airport for security to open because it's such a small airport, it only opens at certain times (?!?!). 10:50 flight. Arrived in Santiago at 1. Van to Vina del Mar (Arrived at 3 am). A full 24 hour day.
Moral of the story: It was an absolutely amazing trip. Everything was so pure and untouched, and was almost too beautiful to be real. I've never felt so inundated by yet close to nature. And never have I been more appreciate of what is natural. I learned that I really love being outdoors, and would prefer to be outside doing something than sitting around.
And this trip just made me want to travel even more.... I can't wait for Santiago in a few weekends!
Thursday, September 10, 2009
I missed the sunset today.
I ALWAYS see the sunset on Thursdays. And always on Mondays, too. I'm either in class or walking back from class towards the ocean, and I watch the sky change colors as the sun slowly disappears over the Pacific horizon. The lights in the city begin to turn on, but not before these few eery moments of semi-illumination and semi-darkness. Watching the sun set is one of my favorite things here. No two are ever the same, and it never ceases to amaze me just how beautiful something natural can be.
I missed it today.
And today was Thursday.
I was walking back from my class, being all stressed and excited and worried about my trip to the desert this weekend (AHH I LEAVE IN ABOUT FIVE HOURS!!!). I was worrying about the homework I have due when I get back; whether or not the water is drinkable there; if I have an exam or not next week; why would I have four in a row the week after; what am I doing for the 18th... etc, etc. True to form, I was just thinking about everything that's left to do, but not doing anything, either. I rushed home, got in the shower, was making a mental list of things to pack, and saw from the window above the shower that it was dark outside. And it hit me: I missed Thursday sundown. It was night. Day was gone.
For some reason, this made things click for me. I feel like for the better part of my life, people have been telling me to SLOW DOWN. Trace Adkins has legitimitely been quoted to me:
You're gonna miss this.
You're gonna want this back.
You're gonna wish these days
Hadn't gone by so fast.
These are the good times.
So take a good look around
You may not know it now,
But you're gonna miss this.
Not that I should lose any ambition or stop dreaming, but I'm always so worried about tomorrow that I miss everything beautiful that happens today. I never live in the moment; I'm always in the moment-after. Why have I never slowed down to watch the sun set before? Why is this only something I do in Chile, or those rare occasions that I'm on vacation? I like it. I should do it more often. I've already missed twenty years of sunsets, and I'm sure they were all beautiful.
Moral of the story? I need to chill out a bit. I'm always too stressed for a 20 year old with no obligations to anyone but herself. And I never compete against anyone BUT myself, so why flip out so much? This doesn't mean I'll allow myself to stop working hard, or not do my best. It just means that every now and then, I should be allowed to take a break and watch the sun set.
I'm not missing the sunset tomorrow.
I missed it today.
And today was Thursday.
I was walking back from my class, being all stressed and excited and worried about my trip to the desert this weekend (AHH I LEAVE IN ABOUT FIVE HOURS!!!). I was worrying about the homework I have due when I get back; whether or not the water is drinkable there; if I have an exam or not next week; why would I have four in a row the week after; what am I doing for the 18th... etc, etc. True to form, I was just thinking about everything that's left to do, but not doing anything, either. I rushed home, got in the shower, was making a mental list of things to pack, and saw from the window above the shower that it was dark outside. And it hit me: I missed Thursday sundown. It was night. Day was gone.
For some reason, this made things click for me. I feel like for the better part of my life, people have been telling me to SLOW DOWN. Trace Adkins has legitimitely been quoted to me:
You're gonna miss this.
You're gonna want this back.
You're gonna wish these days
Hadn't gone by so fast.
These are the good times.
So take a good look around
You may not know it now,
But you're gonna miss this.
Not that I should lose any ambition or stop dreaming, but I'm always so worried about tomorrow that I miss everything beautiful that happens today. I never live in the moment; I'm always in the moment-after. Why have I never slowed down to watch the sun set before? Why is this only something I do in Chile, or those rare occasions that I'm on vacation? I like it. I should do it more often. I've already missed twenty years of sunsets, and I'm sure they were all beautiful.
Moral of the story? I need to chill out a bit. I'm always too stressed for a 20 year old with no obligations to anyone but herself. And I never compete against anyone BUT myself, so why flip out so much? This doesn't mean I'll allow myself to stop working hard, or not do my best. It just means that every now and then, I should be allowed to take a break and watch the sun set.
I'm not missing the sunset tomorrow.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
No me preocupo
El hombre no va a ninguna parte. Todo viene al hombre, como el mañana.
-Antonio Porchia
-Antonio Porchia
A little bit more than three months left in this country, first time in another country, and I cannot believe how quickly time flies. I've barely left this city in which I've lived for such a short, yet long, period of time. But in these seven weeks, I've seen things that I didn't know existed and encountered a laid back way of life that I didn't know was possible. This carpe diem mentality has been ignited inside of me, and I just want to see/learn/do everything. I'm already looking into programs that let you teach English over the summer in other countries, or just other parts of the US. I've never been one to sit still, and this trip has already taught me truly just how little I like to be in one place.
However, in the past few weeks, "one place" has exactly where I've been. Last weekend was filled with CODEFF activities. I'm slowly falling in love with this organization (actually, let's call it a disorganization. En serio). All of the people in the organization (... I've met four. So tiny) are SO so eager to share all the information that they know with us. Fantastic people.
Saturday, we participated in a demonstration against the dams being built in Patagonia. There were about eleven demonstrations all held simultaneously across the nation. We were all working to get signatures on a petition to have the Chilean government request the Patagonia be protected as a UNESCO World Heritage site. And we collected the MOST signatures! Gringas can get things done!
True to form, below is my slide show :) And I stole these pictures. AND click the callout box to get captions!
Sunday, we went on a birdwatch with the same organization. The pelicans were SWEET! But the rest of it kind of bored me, not gonna lie. I think it's because I had NO IDEA what we were looking at, or why they were important. The more that was explained to me, the more I was interested in. However... I did spend some time with fantastic people, and go to walk around a part of the city I've never been to. [For some reason, the entire time I was on this birdwatch I couldn't help but think of the Vogler family...]
Then, I had a week of classes... meaning three days. On Wednesday, I met with a teacher at a school in one of the cerros of Vina, who wants to partner with Doherty Middle in Andover to start a letter exchange program! These are the kinds of things that get me so excited I can't sleep at night... and it's perfect. I start teaching on Monday with my friend Sarah. We have our own class of about 14 students. Cannot. Wait. I'll make sure I take pictures of the neighborhood and mis estudiantes.
Yesterday, we went with CIEE to Rabuco, which is a small farming town about an hour away from Vina. Beautiful, beautiful place. I think if I had to choose between a city and a farmtown... actually, I lied. I'm not sure I could decide. I feel like, in Chile, I could spend hours and hours looking at a horizon that never changes, but see something new and different every minute I spent looking. It's such an amazing country; I can't get over how lucky I am to have landed here. Kind of like applying to Vanderbilt, Chile was a bit of a whim and not much forethought. And again, like Vandy, it's everything I wanted but never knew I did.
Today, we were supposed to go to La Campana, a national park where you can hike mountains and stuff. But it's kind of chilly, and really foggy/cloudy, so this trip was postponed. It doesn't make sense to spend four/five hours hiking up a mountain when you won't have a view at the top. Instead, I stayed in bed for way too long, did a TEENY bit of homework. In a few minutes, I'm going out with a few friends, and then to someone else's house to watch the CHILE v VENEZUELA futbol game!
That's something else about Chile. Chileans in the north and Chileans in the south share so much, regardless of the distance between. They share pisco, la cueca, their national soccer team, a shared identity and culture. It's something that the US doesn't really have, I'm learning. We have more of a regional identity, that's usually associated with other countries. BUT! We have Thanksgiving!
I guess that's all for now... OH! I lied.
1. HAPPY FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL to all of you Andover kiddies!! Miss you... especially my two favorites
2. GO VANDY! First home football game of the season....feels weird to not be tailgating in a sundress!
Love,
Colleen
However, in the past few weeks, "one place" has exactly where I've been. Last weekend was filled with CODEFF activities. I'm slowly falling in love with this organization (actually, let's call it a disorganization. En serio). All of the people in the organization (... I've met four. So tiny) are SO so eager to share all the information that they know with us. Fantastic people.
Saturday, we participated in a demonstration against the dams being built in Patagonia. There were about eleven demonstrations all held simultaneously across the nation. We were all working to get signatures on a petition to have the Chilean government request the Patagonia be protected as a UNESCO World Heritage site. And we collected the MOST signatures! Gringas can get things done!
True to form, below is my slide show :) And I stole these pictures. AND click the callout box to get captions!
Sunday, we went on a birdwatch with the same organization. The pelicans were SWEET! But the rest of it kind of bored me, not gonna lie. I think it's because I had NO IDEA what we were looking at, or why they were important. The more that was explained to me, the more I was interested in. However... I did spend some time with fantastic people, and go to walk around a part of the city I've never been to. [For some reason, the entire time I was on this birdwatch I couldn't help but think of the Vogler family...]
Then, I had a week of classes... meaning three days. On Wednesday, I met with a teacher at a school in one of the cerros of Vina, who wants to partner with Doherty Middle in Andover to start a letter exchange program! These are the kinds of things that get me so excited I can't sleep at night... and it's perfect. I start teaching on Monday with my friend Sarah. We have our own class of about 14 students. Cannot. Wait. I'll make sure I take pictures of the neighborhood and mis estudiantes.
Yesterday, we went with CIEE to Rabuco, which is a small farming town about an hour away from Vina. Beautiful, beautiful place. I think if I had to choose between a city and a farmtown... actually, I lied. I'm not sure I could decide. I feel like, in Chile, I could spend hours and hours looking at a horizon that never changes, but see something new and different every minute I spent looking. It's such an amazing country; I can't get over how lucky I am to have landed here. Kind of like applying to Vanderbilt, Chile was a bit of a whim and not much forethought. And again, like Vandy, it's everything I wanted but never knew I did.
Today, we were supposed to go to La Campana, a national park where you can hike mountains and stuff. But it's kind of chilly, and really foggy/cloudy, so this trip was postponed. It doesn't make sense to spend four/five hours hiking up a mountain when you won't have a view at the top. Instead, I stayed in bed for way too long, did a TEENY bit of homework. In a few minutes, I'm going out with a few friends, and then to someone else's house to watch the CHILE v VENEZUELA futbol game!
That's something else about Chile. Chileans in the north and Chileans in the south share so much, regardless of the distance between. They share pisco, la cueca, their national soccer team, a shared identity and culture. It's something that the US doesn't really have, I'm learning. We have more of a regional identity, that's usually associated with other countries. BUT! We have Thanksgiving!
I guess that's all for now... OH! I lied.
1. HAPPY FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL to all of you Andover kiddies!! Miss you... especially my two favorites
2. GO VANDY! First home football game of the season....feels weird to not be tailgating in a sundress!
Love,
Colleen
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