(Molly's) Grand Finale

Have I mentioned that I have a high school friend living here? My friend Molly who went to St. Paul Central and now goes to the U of Chicago had an internship in Santiago this summer and is living about 20 minutes away from me on the metro/walking. Anyway, she leaves a week from tomorrow (Saturday) so she has been squeezing in all of her last touristy outings this week and I love it because a lot of them are things I haven't done either. On thursday, we went to a restaurant in the Bellavista neighborhood called El Caramaño. We both had AMAZING meals - mine was white fish stuffed with tomatoes, chorrizo, and cheese and she got seafood-stuffed chicken, and we shared a bottle and a half of wine. It was a lovely time. The restaurant is in the best-known nightlife part of Santiago but it's a little bit off the beaten path. It was small, quiet, and the walls were coooovered in things people had written in marker. I had to get up early on Friday so I went home after dinner.

Firday morning I had my second day at the high school in La Pintana. It was a lot different because they had a regular day of classes. I sat in on two classes but with a different teacher than the one I'll be working with. The first one was doing an activity out of a workbook so after I introduced myself I was just sitting behind the teacher's desk not really knowing what to do. After a little while I noticed that the kids sitting at the table right in front of me were copying each other's work. I thought well crap, it's my first day, I don't want to start off reprimanding them OR telling on them right away. Sooo I asked them if I could help, they let me, and after that things went swimmingly. The second class I was in was apparently missing a lot of students, so the teacher had the kids who were there circle up and ask me and another volunteer questions. The most interesting thing they asked us was to sing a Michael Jackson song for them. (His death has really hit Chile hard.)

The weather has been beautiful since about Tuesday. Today a few of us went to el Mercado Central for lunch. It is a fairly well known tourist destinations in the city, but also incredibly practical and used by Santiaguinos. Half of the market is made up of fresh seafood stands and the other half is restaurants. We ate a mildly over-priced meal in the restaurant half of the mercado after being approached and chatted up by about five different owners. They were all very friendly, but the result was that we were going to feel guilty no matter where we ate. The funiest thing we saw there was this: a table had ordered crab and when it came, a waiter stood at the table cracking the shell off the entired time they were eating. We thought maybe an asterisk on the menu would be appropriate indicating that not only were you going to get crab, but also an extra lunch guest. Haha! The top picture is of one of the booths at the seafood market and the other one is an old couple eating at a table near ours.

The Mercado is right across the street from La Piojera (the bar with the earthquake drinks), so we went over there after lunch for an afternoon terremoto - Molly hadn't had one yet. And NOW I have my first real-league soccer game! My friend Mari is coming to pick my up in about ten minutes, so I should go and get ready. Allez les blanc!

English (figuratively) Opens Doors

English Opens Doors is a government-sponsored education program in Chile that I am volunteering for. My understanding is that it consists of sending English-speaking volunteers, both part- and full-time, to municipal schools in several different cities throughout the country. I got assigned to a school called Centro Comercial Coeducation Mariano La Torre. It is in a community called La Pintana, much further south in Santiago than I had been before going for the first time today. La Pintana is a mostly residential area that is clearly not as affluent as other parts of the city, but the people that I have seen there are really similar to the people everywhere else and I think it's actually kind of charming. It doesn't have the same huge-city feel as the center of Santiago and is much quieter. Plus, the bus drops me off three blocks away from the school so I don't have to walk alone much and there are people out and about around the school anyway.

Mariano La Torre is a little bit different from other high schools - in their last two years, the students choose a "carrera," which is like a major. It's a technical school and they can choose between accounting, international cuisine, childcare, and auto mechanics. The teacher I am working with teaches English across all of the carreras. My first impression of her is fantastic. She is young, friendly, and really great with her students. One of my friends from WI had her first day at a different school ealier this week and was basically thrown into a classroom and expected to manage the class for an hour. Luckily, my teacher told me she knows that she is the teacher and she makes lesson plans, but if there is ever something I want to add to a class she said I should feel free.

The students didn't have regular class today, so my co-teacher gave me a tour of the school and introduced me to a lot of her students. They are mostly 15 to 18-year-old boys, but some girls too. Most of them were really curious about me and were very welcoming, especially the boys, and especially once they figured out I could speak Spanish fairly well. I'll probably be going just on Friday mornings. I was originally planning on going twice a week, but the commute is a pain.

In other, international news, our neighbors to the East made a pretty big decision recently: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8221599.stm
So if you do happen to come to Argentina before December (for whatever reason...) please stop by and visit me!

I may have found a legit soccer league to play in. One of the girls in my class invited me to be on her team. Exciting, huh? Plus it's futbolito, on smaller fields, which is my fave. It sounds like we just have games on Saturdays. Baaaallllin'!

Besides all that, we are suffering through Santiago winter this week with temps in the low twenties... CELCIUS!! Hahaha, also known as 60-75 degrees farenheit. It's a beautiful thing. I think I'll go to a sports bar tonight to sip some soda and watch some Chilean soccer. Love life.

Viajeeees

Jeremy (a friend who is in Australia) inspired me to turn my ever-growing mental list of places I want to visit into a blog entry. Here goes:

Valparaíso is a city almost due West of Santiago on the coast. It only takes about an hour and a half to get there by bus and will be an easy weekend trip that I'll hopefully make relatively soon. It has a lot of old buildings and is really cosmopolitan, though a lot smaller than Santiago. Viña del Mar is another city just south of it (similar to a Minneapolis-St. Paul situation) that I'd also like to make it to. That could even be a day-trip. I've heard it has nice beaches.

Pucón is about 10 hours south of here. It is on a lake and not far from several big volcanoes. The south is a lot different than the north, which is all I've seen so far. It sounds like there is good hiking in the area.

Buenos Aires, this tiny little town in Argentina. (Ha) I wasn't sure if I wanted to make the haul over there, thinking that it was just going to be another huge city and maybe not worth the cost, but the more I think about it and the more I see pictures, the more I want to go. Flights aren't so bad if I buy far in advance, and since I don't have class on Mondays I should be able to make a nice long weekend out of it. Plus I have to make it over to the home-country of my new favorite writer one way or another, right?

Mendoza, Argentina To tell you the truth, I don't know much about Mendoza besides it's a decent-sized city, it is in the wine-producing region of Argentina, and it's only 8 hours away by bus. Heyo!

Pichilemu a beach about 7 hours south and is known (unofficially) as the surfing capital of Chile. Magdita says she has tíos there and that we can go stay with them once we get closer to summer!!

Peru I'm thinking about making this my big trip at the end of the semester, depending on what my budget is by then. I'd really like to make it to Lima and maybe Cuzco. We'll see!

Ahhh it's amazing how a list can have such a calming effect. I don't know if I'll get to do them all, not to mention there are several others that my friends and I talk about from time to time, but I'm anxious to cross off as many as I can!

Meow (Mariana's birthday "a lo felino!")

Birthday cat dancing

The birthday girl getting thrown up in the air!

Everyone kept saying to us, "That's your teacher!" Hahaha.

Me, Mariana, and Annie celebrating terremoto-style!

Big day.

Magda and I melted a Tupperware and burnt a hole in a kitchen towel in a matter of about 30 minutes. Big day.

I'll put up pictures from Mariana's cat-themed birthday party soon! It was so much fun! Also this weekend I hung out with a friend from high school, Molly Schnell (she had an internship here this summer and will be around until the end of August), and her roommate Andreas who she knows from the U of Chicago. I wish they were going to be in Chile for longer.

Today I met Liz Miller's friend Jesse who used to live in MN but grew up in northern Chile. She now lives in Santiago with her baby girl who is so so so so cute. It is so nice to make connections like that. After hanging out with them, I played tennis with Pablo. Super fun ending to the weekend (except I don't have class Mondays oh heyyyyyyy!)

Miércoles Po and I love school

Miércoles Po. First, let me explain why the name is funny. So I mentioned once that instead of saying "pues," which in English roughly translates to "well..." or "actually...", Chileans just say "po". And they say it all the time. As much as a valley girl says "like". "Miércoles" is "Wednesday". So naturally, the weekly Wednesday international-student party is called "Miércoles Po". Last night was my first one and it was so much fun! Every week it is at a different club or bar. I went with about half of the kids from our WI program and about 5 others. It's just one big fat dance party! Good thing I don't start class until 11:30 on Thursdays because Chileans like to party alllllll night long. I met a surfer named Francisco ("That's fun to say! Francisco... Francisco...") who was nice and a good dancer but when he offered to drive me home (a little drunk) I said adios amigo.

I LOVE SCHOOL. But seriously I love it. My schedule is as follows (try not to get too jealous):

Monday: NO CLASS.
Tuesday: 11:30-12:50 Fútbol; 1:30-2:50 Prosa de Borges; 3-4:20 Geografía de Chile
Wednesday: 12:50-2:50 Español para Extranjeros (only with WI students)
Thursday: (same as tues.)
Friday: 1:30-2:50 Fútbol

Uhh... it's the best thing I've ever seen. Plus Jorge Luis Borges is SUCH a cool writer (if you haven't read any of him, I hiiiighhhhhly recommend it - all of his pieces are very short and so far very very very cool) and that professor is SO entertaining. Soccer class, I don't even know where to begin. I can't believe I'm getting a college credit for that. Furthermore, I never start before 11:30 so I can go out and get super drunk every night! (Just kidding ;D)

Other notable goings-on:
1. Magdita made me one of my mom's recipes on Tuesday night to celebrate my month-versary (CAN'T believe I've been here for a month already, where is the time going???) It was super yummy. She was so cute, she insisted that everything be the same.
2. Lucy is coming over to make cookies tonight (Nestle Tollhouse recipe) but I haven't been able to find chocolate chips anywhere so they might have to be M&M... inferior but I'll live.
3. I could see the Andes clearer than ever today. Mountains are gorgeous.

Lovin' it.

Lazy Sunday

So much to report! That first week of classes was a TRIP. Early in the week I was getting a little discouraged because I wasn't finding classes that I particularly like, and didn't want to settle for mediocre ones just because they were manageable. I took the day off on Wednesday (not because I was so stressed, just because I didn't have Wednesday class) and went to a new café called Mundo de Papel (World of Paper). It was absolutely precious. One wall is painted a minty neon-green, the rest white, and one whole wall is a book shelf. I can't tell if the books are for sale or for reading or both. I would imagine both. I was kind of hoping someone else would take the lead and take one off to use, but I had my journal and a book so I kept busy. I had some lentil soup and a fresh orange-banana juice. Yum!

Thursday I went to two classes that I hadn't gone to on Tuesday and really liked the second one, called La Prosa de Borges (The Prose of Borges), as in Jorge Luis. If I manage to get spots in all of the classes I want, I will be soooooooooo happy. My soccer class continues to be amazing. It turns out the majority of my classmates have NO experience, but they're all really enthusiastic and it's super fun. Plus, our TA is real easy on the eyes... I'll post my schedule after I sign up for classes tomorrow. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

We went to Isla Negra with the MI/WI program kids all day yesterday, which is where Pablo Neruda had one of his houses. It was tooooooo cool. He collected EVERYTHING and kept a lot of it at this house. I'm not much of a fan of collections but this stuff was soooooo cool. My favorite was his collection of ship ladies. Is there a word for those? The ones that used to be on the bows of big ships. He had a ton. And his shell collection too. Almost everything was nautical. His bedroom had a 90-degree view of the Pacific Ocean. The whole house was absolutely stunning, and he designed it himself. I want to read more about him after having been there. Equally amazing was the lunch we ate afterwards. I had a "caudillo" which literally means cauldron and is a salty soup with fish, potatoes, and onions. After eating entirely too much we climbed around on some big rocks on the beach. Great day.

Last semester in Madison I got to know a guy named Pedro who lives here in Santiago but studied at UW in the spring. It turns out another kid who is here from WI this semester knew him too, and we hung out with him here for the first time last night! It was sooo great to see him. He took us to his house first (straight out of a magazine) and then to a friend's house party. Dan (other WI dude) and I had a fantastic time. We agreed that we would rather hang with that crowd than any other we've met. I consider myself incredibly lucky. Pedro also works for a foundation that gives classes etc. in a poor area outside of Santiago and he invited Dan and I to get involved. Might do it!

This morning Lily (host mom) and I rolled out of bed around 10 and went to Cerro San Cristobal around 11 30. I absolutely love that park, especially when it's 65 degrees in the sun IN WINTER. The trees have started to flower though, and Lily says that means spring is coming. There are free dance classes on Saturdays and Sundays at 11 30 and we walked by shortly after they had started, so we joined in! The instrustor was INCREDIBLE (picture). The music was all really hip and she had fantastic energy. I was totally mesmerized. I should have taken video. I definitely plan on returning. Eleanor and Lisa, you would have EATEN IT UP. After class we walked the rest of the way up and soaked up some sun. Today is el Dia de los Niños and there were about a thousand adorable little kids around, so I took some sniper shots. (Also, DAD - CHECK OUT THIS RIDICULOUS BIKER IN HIS SUPER COOL JACKET. It was hilarious, I had told Lily that you think biking gear is silly and so when she saw me taking a picture of him she went, "Is that so you can show your Dad??" and I was like "YES!" We had a good laugh about that. She agrees with you, by the way.) Now I'm sitting in the kitchen with Magdita as the sun goes down outside of the windows behind me. Lily made a yummy walnut pie-like desert that I am eyeing.

I AM SO HAPPY HERE!!!!!! Peace.

Magdita

I don't know if I have mentioned that there is another girl living in the apartment with Lily and me... but if I haven't, I am deeply deeply sorry. Her name is Magda (or Magdita, as I like to think of her since my host-sister's name is also Magda) and she is lovely. And I am NOT writing this post just because she found my blog today and says I haven't mentioned her yet. ;)

She is the daughter of one of Lily's good friends from high school, but her parents currently live in Costa Rica so she came to live with Lily while she goes to university. She goes to the same one as me and has been very helpful answering all of my little questions about how to get books, etc.

Neither of us like to be alone much, so we usually sit in either her room or mine and whether we're talking to each other or not, at least we have company. Last night it was chilly in the house so we put the heater on in her room and laid on her bed until I got tired and went to sleep. She likes to cook so when she cooks for me, I do the dishes. She's a great sister. I will never leave her out of an entry EVER AGAIN.

School=School

After two days of going to classes, seeing which ones I like (or, more specifically, which ones seem the easiest) and talking to other exchange students, my grand realization is that school here is a lot like school in WI. WHO KNEW?!

Since I've been listening to teachers talk to me in Spanish since I was 5, I kind of figured I was above having to worry about something so simple as understanding professors here. Wronnggggg. On Monday I went to a class called Detective Literature and struggled big time. I guess teachers in the US know that they have to speak extra clearly in the classroom. The nice thing is that I really don't have to take many classes here to fulfill my credit requirement. One literature class, one culture class, and a geography class might be about all I can handle academically.

The highlight of my day was soccer this morning. I was kind of nervous for one reason or another, but the professor/coach came off as really really nice and fun-loving. He must be 60 years old and has been teaching/coaching girls and boys of all ages for 30 years. My favorite part of class was when he explained to us (a class of 40 or so girls) that we might notice that some of his male students visit him during our class, and that this is no accident. So, he said that if we think any of them are particularly handsome, we should let him know and he'll put in a good word. Hahahahahaha! He also told us that he tells the boys' classes that the best one of them gets to come to the co-ed BBQ at the end of the semester. Maybe I'm actually in match-making class and don't know it... Anyway, it sounds like we'll be "learning" a "new" skill on Tuesdays, doing some fitness on Thursdays, and mostly scrimmaging on Fridays. I love it!

One thing that I'm still uneasy about it the system the U has for obtaining class books and other materials. Everyone says that it's because books are really expensive here, but instead of buying the actual books, they make photocopies of everything and we have to pick them up from designated copy centers. They have something similar in Madison but the readings are always ready in neat little packets and ready for pick-up. Here it sounds like we have to go get a bunch of individual readings and not even all of them are available at the same time. It might be a question of my not being used to the system, but yikes. Sounds like a zoo.

I'm hoping to have my schedule finalized by Monday! Then I can at least settle into a routine.

Weekend Activites, or LAST DAYS OF SUMMER VACATION!!

I played tennis again on Saturday morning. One of the guys is out with a hernia (which was discovered after he got hit by a car on his bike and went in to have X-rays - yikes) so Dan from Madison came to fill in. Dan gets along with everybody as far as I have seen, so we had a lovely time. We split sets, me playing with brother-in-law Pablo and Dan playing with other Pablo. What my Pablo was really excited about though (more than winning, which he also really likes) is that BEATLES GUITAR HERO/ROCKBAND COMES OUT ON SEPTEMBER 9THHH!! I said I can get down with that way more than I can get down with Metallica. The Beatles are Magda's favorite band too so now they might have to fight over who gets to play more. OH WAIT NO Pablo is getting a new guitar. In all the weeks I've known him, I've never seen him more excited about anything than the new guitar hero guitar. It's awesome.

I came home from tennis to The Onion newspaper, mailed to me by Jenni Nordin, my ever-so-thoughtful Madison roommate. My roommates in Madison think I'm a big dork when I sit at the kitchen counter and laugh outloud reading it every Wednesday, so naturally I picked out a café from my Lonely Planet book in the Bellas Artes (Fine Arts) neighborhood and went and sat in the sunshine to read (and laugh out loud at) The Onion. I also got a fresh raspberry juice. Hard to believe, I know, but the seeds were even in there. Yummmm-y!

I didn't feel like bumming around two nights in a row so I called Lucy and asked if she wanted to go see Public Enemies (Johnny Depp as John Dillinger... yes please!). She totally did so we totally went, and also got dinner beforehand. We ate at this pizzeria not far from her house called Voraz. It serves thin crust pizza with all kinds of yummy toppings. We got one with mozerella, pepperoni, sausage, onions, tomatoes, and green olives; and one with mozerella, asparagus, artichoke, honey mustard, and probably a couple of other things that I can't remember. AND some cerveza artesanal, which they continue to serve to me like it's no big deal. Such a grownup. Everything was soooo delicious. The movie was great too. (Alice, Channing Tatum has a cameo in it... we'll discuss later.)

Today was marvelous. Lucy and I met at Cerro San Cristobal at ten for (free) yoga in the sun. I took a micro (bus) and and the metro part of the way there and ran the rest. I can't stress enough how great yoga was. Afterwards, we walked the rest of the way up and sat in the sun, drank some mote con huesillos, and people-watched. The city looked a little more smoggy today than last time.

Theennn came home, took a nap in Lily's reading chair, which I discovered reclines, and then read in Lily's reading chair. I found I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou on the bookshelf in my room. I'm enjoying it so far. I wonder if I'll have time to read it once SCHOOL STARTS TOMORROW!!!! AHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I better start putting my outfit together NOW.