Los Ultimos Dias

Hola familia y amigos!

I am trying to take advantage of my last two weeks here in Chile. I just cannot believe how the time flew! I am in the midst of my finals now. I completed my grammar class with flying colors, phew! I have two informal presentations this week, the first on the graffiti in Valparaiso, and the second on how my opinions and ideas have changed while being in Chile. I will speak mostly on how I feel about the recent history of Chile, the military Regime and Pinochet, and US involvement. Then I will have to participate in my dance final, where I will dance the “Cueca” with my friend Ivan. Lastly, I will participate in a mini exposition of all my little drawings from art class. Then it^s just goodbyes, barbeques, and home I go.

I apologize for a lack of updates, but my Mac has gone into a little coma, and I am hoping to be able to retrieve everything in it when I get back to los EEUU.

I attached a few pictures of some great graffiti that you would never believe is actually illegal here in Chile! Enjoy and see you all very very soon.

MARS?! The deserts of Bolivia and Northern Chile

I have just returned from a weeklong vacation to el Norte Grande de Chile (the Great North of Chile) or Atacama, which is the driest desert in the world, and also from a 4-day excursion into the Bolivian desert. My lips are still chapped, and my nose still hurts from the dryness! But, luckily, and surprisingly, I did NOT have the least bit of altitude sickness.

My friend Robin and I took a short two-hour plane ride from Santiago to a city called Calama, and spent the night in a hostel there. The next day we bused to the tourist town of San Pedro de Atacama. After sifting through multiple expensive and beautiful adobe hotels, we found a cute hostel at just $5mil (10 bucks) a night. That day we first found a tourist center for the Bolivian excursion I will talk about in a bit. Then we rented bikes and set off for Quebrada de Diablo (or the Devil’s Crevice), Pukara de Quitor (Mayan ruins), and Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley) for sunset.  The canyon at Devil’s Crevice was beautiful, and got narrower and narrower until we had to ditch our bikes and hike over and under rocks. 

The ruins were also wonderful, but I was surprised there weren’t pathways, and instead, we could walk over everything. I tried to be respectful and watch my step.  The last part of the day we biked to Moon Valley and watched the sunset. It was crawling with tourists so we hiked up a cliff and watched the sunset over the mountains in blissful solitude.  Then we had to bike back in the dark, but it was a nice paved road and we rode through a ton of heat waves, which felt great after the sun went down. 

The next day we woke up early for our Bolivian adventure! We went through a company called “Colque Tours” that I had read about on LonelyPlanet.com.  We signed up for a 4 day, 3 night 4×4 SUV tour through the Bolivian Desert, stopping at famous lagoons and viewpoints.  The entire trip cost about $130, and covered the transportation, entrance to national parks, 3 meals a day, and accommodation for the 3 nights.  There were 7 of us total in my group, including Robin and I, and our 22 year old, 5 ft. 3in. tall tour guide named Sirvio, and the other 4 tourists.  My tour-mates included: two incredibly attractive 27-year old Australian men named John and Sully, a sweet girl named Katie from England, and a gal named Lida from Holland.  Nobody of my group could really speak Spanish, so I got to be the translator for everyone. I got some great practice, and my Spanish is definitely improving a lot! The first day we visited Laguna Blanca (White Lagoon – White from salt and Ice) at the base of the Licancabur Volcanoe.  We also saw Laguna Verde (Green Lake, the color is from the copper deposits from the same volcanoe. Anyone who knows chemistry knows that Cu+H2O = GREEN!)

We saw other various lagoons before stopping at our first hostel for a great lunch at the side of Laguna Colorada (a Red Lake, redness coming from the bacteria on the bottom of the lake). This lake was spotted with flamingoes and made a great site for a very red sunset. We had dinner and spent a chilly night there playing cards and sharing a few beers and stories.

The next day, we visited hot springs! Katie, Lida, the Aussies and I went for a nice warm dip and met some other travelers from Europe. Then we saw Arbol de Piedra (Rock Tree) which was smaller than we thought it would be, but still very pretty with the Andes backdrop.  We visited a geyser site at 4900 m, full of boiling grey goop that stunk, but was still beautiful all the same.

We also stopped at llama fields and got really close to them. There was a bit more driving on this day, and if I haven’t mentioned it yet, there is no pavement – solely sand dunes, rocky roads, and grasslands.  Sirvio was pro though, and I opted to get my money’s worth of thrill and sit in the back of our 4×4!

Our hostel that night was on the edge of our greatest destination, the Uyuni salt flat! We opted to get to bed early and wake up for sunrise. Sunrise was totally worth it, as I’ve never seen such rich purples and reds. 


Sirvio drove us all over the flat that day.  It looks, and is cold enough to be a large ocean of snow, but after being dared to taste it, I found it was DEFINITELY SALT! We visited the Salt Hotel (made entirely from salt bricks) which is now a museum due to contamination issues. We ended the day in the city of Uyuni, Bolivia, where Robin and I spent a few hours.  We had a lovely lunch (paid for by Colque), and shopped around at artesanias for a while. When we heard our 4×4 back to San Pedro was delayed longer, we bought a bottle of wine and read books and played cards in the plaza. There’s not much else to do in Uyuni.  That evening, Sirvio drove us a ways back towards San Pedro.  Driving throught the Bolivan desert, listening to traditional Bolivian music (beautiful and calming) under an incredibly starry sky is something I don’t think I’ll ever forget.  Plus, instead of avoiding deer crossings, we almost hit wild donkeys and llamas instead! A very cultural experience. We finally made it back to San Pedro and only had one day left in Atacama. We decided to go horseback riding through the dunes to the Valley of the Dead.  My horse’s name was Bon-Bon, and though she was as sweet as her name implies, she had dominance issues and had to be in the front the whole time. I liked her attitude.

We decided to splurge for dinner, but ended up only spending $5mil for a 4-course meal at one of the coolest restaurants I’ve ever been to.  I had a Pisco Sour (special Chilean drink), caprece salad, Spanish rice and veggies, cranberry salmon, and chocolate mousse at Milogne, an outdoor thatch-roofed place where seating surrounded a giant firepit. It was warm, and there was great music to go along with fantastic, fantastically cheap food. 

We flew back this morning to rainy Vina del Mar, and as I was bustling home with my luggage, so excited to tell my family all about my trip, a bus hit a huge puddle next to me, and I kid you not, just like the movies, a huge tidal wave of water hit me and drenched me from head to foot. I stood there for a while, dripping wet in disbelief.  If I had had a bad vacation, I probably would have cried. But I was still on a high from a great trip with great people and was able to laugh it off and face my host mother’s horrified face when I walked through the door.

Another stamp on my Passport: Argentina!

It has been a while since my last update, so I’ll bring you all up to speed on my home-life on the coast and my recent travels. Everything is going just splendidly as always.  A few weeks ago, they decided to raise the bus ticket price from 150 pesos up to 200 pesos. That was a mistake, because the Chilean students have been “en paro” (on strike) ever since.  We exchange students are forbidden to participate in the strikes, or else we face deportation. So all I can say is this strike is a really cool “visual experience” for someone like me.  I’ve seen protests that stopped traffic for hours, students getting sprayed with dirty water and tear gas, and most recently, students who have taken over  the buildings.  About ten students locked themselves in a building, posted up banners and stacked a tower of chairs and tables in front of the main gate to prohibit entry. I guess tonight the main building got taken over by the angry ones too.  That means no class! Woo! Unfortunately, or fortunately as some feel, many classes with Chileans have been canceled because of the strike, and some of my friends have only made it to their classes 3 or 4 times this year.

On a totally different note, I traveled to Mendoza, Argentina this past weekend.  It was a holiday weekend, so we got Thursday and Friday off.   I heard Mendoza was worth a trip, but I figured I could always fly later in the semester. But I was advised by my host mother to go soon because the pass between Chile and Mendoza is GORGEOUS and it would close soon because of snow.  My friend Ryan and I took off on Wednesday afternoon, and headed through the beautiful Andes mountains.  It was nice for a while until a blizzard hit.  But we made it to Mendoza and snagged a hostel for the evening. The next day was Thursday, a holiday, so everything was closed.  We grabbed entirely too much pastry at the only open pasteleria, and walked about Mendoza all day exploring the city and the parks. 

The next day, we embarked on a bikes and wines tour.  For only $40 we got rental bikes, discounts at wineries, and a fantastic lunch at a Top 5 restaurant in South America. It was steak and potatoes and flan for desert. The meat in Argentina is SO good.  I can’t even explain. Best steak I’ve ever had (sorry Dad). We biked through beautiful side roads and vineyards, did some wine tasting, and also visited a chocolate and liquor factory. That was my favorite part.


J  After a wonderful weekend we took the bus back home to Chile, and it was like driving through the Patagonia! So beautiful, see pictures. It was a gorgeous day and it only took 6 hours to get back.

  On Sunday, some friends and I headed to an Everton game (the local pro soccer team here for Vina), and my brother Anibal decked me out in his jersey that is signed by all the players.  The game was awesome, and I saw some incredible goals. 

So, I am officially over halfway done with my study abroad experience.  It’s so hard to believe.  As excited as I am for my last year of college, I’m hoping these next weeks pass slower than those that have already passed so quickly!

 

Sand everywhere!

Well, it’s mid-April and I’m a little over a third of the way through my program.  It’s crazy how fast time is flying by, but it’s so exciting that I can say I still get 3 months in Chile. The weather is still incredible (knock on wood) and I’ve enjoyed running to and from the gym I joined and also on the boardwalk by the ocean. I’d like to think I’ve settled down a little bit, but I don’t think I will ever experience the feeling of being settled here. There’s always so much going on, and as soon as I sit down, I’m planning somewhere new to go explore. 

On Sunday a large group of us from ISA took a day trip to Boca Beach, Horcon, Zapallar, and the sand dunes in Con Con.  At Boca Beach we relaxed and some of us went horse-back riding.  Horcon was a very small sea town, full of artesanias and restaurants with really good empanadas. It was on a pelican beach with beautiful clear blue water.

Next we headed to Zapallar which is a white-sand beach.  The wealthiest of wealthy in the area live in Zapallar.  The beach is located in a cove, and these huge houses overlook the beach/ocean from the hills that surround the cove.  The houses were fun to look at because they were so big, but each one was different.

After swimming and laying out for a few hours we headed to the bus again and they surprised us by taking us to the sand dunes over Con Con for sunset and some sandboarding. Sandboarding is like snowboarding minus the nieva (snow) and with arena (sand). We got to see an incredible sunset and had a great view of Vina and Valpo from the dunes.

My friend Ryan clearly has natural talent for sandboarding.

I’m about to head to my dance class now. Last time we learned the salsa and samba, and the moves came in handy when we went out to a salsa club this weekend! I just finished my first real homework assignment, a 4-page essay on some place in Valpo or Vina. I went to the Cerro Concepcion in Valparaiso because of the beautiful/colorful architecture, graffiti, and miradores (viewpoints).  We found a great art store/coffeshop where my friend Carrie and I ate torta and café (cake and coffee) and talked to the owner for a long time about the area.

I’m hoping to head to Santiago this weekend and maybe catch a futbol game if Colo Colo is playing! You will hear again from me soon! 

THE PATAGONIA!

I just got back from the one of the most incredible experiences of my life, the Patagonia! There were seven of us who went, five boys and two girls.  Needless to say the girls had a workout keeping up with the boys and I have the blisters and battle-wounds to prove it. We did the “W” trek, which includes the southern portion of the Patagonian circuit.  It usually takes people about 5 days to complete the whole “W”, and we did the majority in about 3.  We hiked/camped from East to West, starting the first day out right with Torres del Paine.  The hike was absolutely beautiful, and sort of difficult, so we were glad we left our packs down at the camp.  The last portion of the hike involved climbing up loose rocks (of course) that would have made my mom freak out if she saw me climbing it.  But we finally made it to the top and were able to spend some time in total and complete serenity in one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been.  We later made our way down to camp at the base of Torres for the night, where we built a great fire and stargazed at the best night sky I’ve ever seen. 

The next day we woke up to the sun shining again! (We really lucked out with perfect weather the whole trip.)  The plan for Day 2 was to pack up our gear and hike through the Cuernos to the middle of the “W” and camp at Campamento Italiano.  The hike was HARD, especially with our packs.  Some of the uphill treks never seemed to end, but the scenery kept me sane, and every hilltop became more and more gratifying. We made it to Campamento Italiano which sits on a glacial creek at the base of Paine Grande and the Frances Glacier and the Cuerno Principal. We made it with enough daylight to lay out on the rocks and relax with the view for a few hours.



 The next day, Nate, Ivan and I set off for Refugio Grey while the others did a day hike up to Campamento Britanico. It was a short hike of about 2 hours to the campsite at the tip of Lake Pehoe with our bags, which was a relief from the previous day.  We set up camp, grabbed lunch, and set off for our day hike up to Glacier Grey. The trip is a 3.5 hour hike, and we made it in 2 hours and 45 minutes. The guys were definitely getting me in shape.  The glacier was amazing, I couldn’t believe it was so blue.  Glacier water is a whiteish-blue too, so it made for some incredible sightseeing.  It was super windy, but the strange thing was the wind was really really warm!  Contrary to what I had thought about the tip of South America…near glaciers…but I guess the world is full of funny things. We made it back down in two and a half hours with water stops at natural glacial springs – by far the best water I’ve ever had in my life! We met up with the rest of the group there and had a great night sharing pictures and stories, and meeting other travelers, including two guys from Israel.  Nate, Ivan and I headed out the next day by catching a ferry across Lake Pehoe and busing it back to Puerto Natales where we settled in a hostel and hit the same restaurant 3 times in 2 days for really good and cheap food. 

The next morning we spent time in a coffeeshop/bookstore/souvenier-shop that was owned by a couple from Colorado.  They opened the store early for us and made us specialty coffees and let us use their internet  We were lucky to meet great people on such a biting cold morning.   Later we bused to Punta Arenas where we hung out in various restaraunts, pubs, and internet cafes to pass the time before our flight. Although I was extremely sad to leave the most beautiful place, my body was grateful for a break and to enjoy a free weekend home in Vina with my family.  

Pisco en La Serena y La Valle Elqui!

This post was written last week, but I didn’t have time to post before I took off!

 

Last weekend, five friends and I traveled about 6 hours north to a city called La Serena.  It’s the second oldest city in Chile, and it was really beautiful.  There was a church on every street corner, and all of the streets were either cobblestone or tiled.  We went over la Semana Santa and Pascua (Easter weekend), so there were a lot of people in the church town and just about everything was closed.

We took a bus an hour inland to the Valle Elqui which is famous for its Pisco (Chilean brandy) and its incredible scenery.  


 We went Pisco tasting at the Piscaria, early at about 10 a.m., so I opted for the pisco called “Cola de Mona” which is like Bailey’s in the states. It was yummy!  We also went to an observatory that wasn’t actually that cool because the moon was so bright. However, I took this amazing picture of the moon through the telescope.

We found two great hostels during the trip and met people from all over the world including Germany, Argentina, and Australia. Everyone was really nice and we got some great deals too!

I’m leaving in about 4 hours for the airport to go to the PATAGONIA with some friends for a week! If the weather cooperates, I will hopefully have some incredible pictures to post soon! 

Pucon, Chile!

This past weekend I traveled to Pucon, Chile, a tourist town in southern-central Chile.  The city was beautiful to say the least, as well as the surrounding attractions.  I took a  fancy tour bus overnight (7p.m. – 7a.m.) from the Vina area to Pucon, and barely slept a wink, unfortunately. The next day, our group hiked the Villarica Volcano, a 10,000 ft. climb up dirt, ice, and loose rocks. I only had one near-death experience. It was probably the most physically and mentally challenging this I’ve done in while (considering the bum knee), but I’m happy to say two ACL tears later I can still keep up with the pack. 

The view from the top was breathtaking, figuratively and literally thanks to the 100mph winds and sulfuric fumes coming from the active volcano.  Those of us who made it to the top stayed for about 10 minutes before we headed back down the mountain, ice-picks in hand.  We actually got to toboggan down the icy third of the descent by sliding down on our tushes and using our ice-picks to give us a push.  Great fun.

The next day I chose to do an “advanced” rafting excursion on the Trancura River.  Being a river-rat myself I thought it would be a piece of cake. Little did I know that we would be soaring down waterfalls (not exaggerating). I definitely swam one rapid, and NOT by choice.  We also got to jump off rocks, watch our guides take the rafts down HUGE falls, and swim the last part of the stretch. Our guide was a kick and it was definitely some of the best rafting I’ve ever done.

After the rafting, we headed out to a park for canopying, aka ZIP LINING! Imagine soaring over 200 feet in the air and letting gravity do most of the work.  It was beyond thrilling.

Can you spot my friend? No, that’s not a speck of dust on your computer screen.

The last day we toured waterfalls, lagoons, lakes and got to swim in natural hot springs! This is the Laguna Azul (Blue Lagoon).  As blue as Crater Lake!

The scenery in Pucon was just like what you would might see on the Travel or Discovery Channel, but about ten times cooler because you see it in person.  No camera will ever be able to grasp these views and give this place proper justice. 

Time for bed, I have an intense class tomorrow morning: Tranditional Dances of Chile! Happy St. Patrick’s Day! 

THE GOOD LIFE.

I have survived my first 2 weeks of Chile as well as the first week of classes! After visiting many different classes all over the Valpo/Viña area, I think I have a rough idea of my schedule. 

Monday: Grammar at 5p.m.

Tuesday: Traditional Dances of Chile (10a.m.), Communication/Chilean Culture (CCC) (2p.m.)

Wednesday: Art Workshop (9a.m.), CCC, and Grammar

Thursday: CCC

Friday: The art of sleeping in. AKA NADA!!! J

Rough life, huh? The schedule allows for a lot of travel time and time for extracurricular activities. I’m actually joining a program called “English Opens Doors.” Depending on my schedule, I will have the opportunity to be a TA for elementary or high school English classes.  It sounds like an incredible opportunity and another resource for improving my Spanish!

Speaking of Spanish, mine is definitely improving. I’m losing my “deer-in-the-headlights” look when people speak to me, and my confidence level has skyrocketed since my first day here. Although I may never be able to completely comprehend conversations in Chilean Spanish, I am becoming much more attentive and contribute more in conversations. Here, circumlocution is everything. This is when I think, “thank you, Señor Bleicher.”

Apart from school, I’ve been keeping busy by exploring the BEAUTIFUL city of Viña del Mar (which literally means vineyard of the sea) and its surroundings.  There’s a large recreational area and Kentucky Derby-like park 3 blocks from my house that I love to run though in the mornings.  The jockeys practice early in the day, and if I’m lucky I get to watch them ride while I workout.  The park also has about 7 turf, all purpose and soccer fields that are lit at night.  Most of my guy friends here play soccer, so I’ll have no trouble keeping up with my rehab. And yes, Mom and Dad, I’m being careful of my knee J.

I’ve also spent time exploring Valparaiso, going to the beach, eating amazing fruit and empanadas, making friends (Chilean and International), and best of all, spending time with my amazing family.  They are so nice! They threw me a welcome barbeque the other night and let me invite friends over for some incredible food and bebidas (drinks). My father has the best sense of humor and he loves to play the drums with his fork and spoon at the dinner table. My sister Dani and I have spent a lot of time together.  She helps me with everything and I absolutely love her. My host brothers are really into soccer and the love the Reggaeton music.  One of my brothers can beatbox better than JT himself. No joke. My family is making this crazy culture adjustment much easier for me and I am so grateful to be around such wonderful people.

 

Tonight, my fellow gringos (not offensive here) and I are leaving for Pucón in Southern Chile.  I’ll be hiking a volcano, rafting, canopying, and swimming in natural hot springs! I will post an update when I return.

Until then, live well everyone!

BESOS

 

 

MUCHOS BESOS!

  Oye! Wednesday, I took the red-eye from Atlanta down to Santiago.  I couldn’t sleep the whole 10 hours until the end of the flight, and of course that meant I slept through breakfast.  The descent into Santiago was absolutely incredible.  We flew level with the coastal range for a majority of the stretch.  The coastal range is unlike any mountain range I’ve ever seen.  Contrary to the rolling hills I envisioned, the range was more like an endless stretch of super sharp, snowy peaks.  Even the small hills below had sharp ridges.  In other words, it was very very pretty.  Also, I think I saw a mountain goat.

            For my week in Santiago our 56-student group rented hotel rooms downtown, which are actually two bedroom suites with kitchen. The city is absolutely beautiful. It sits directly at the foot of the Andes Mountains.  We took a cart up el Cerro Cristobál (a hill) to an outdoor church where mass takes place over a view of Santiago.  The view of the city is indescribable and the pictures I took could never do the view justice (cue: check the pictures).  We almost had a 360 view of the entire city which is home to almost 6 million people.  It was huge to say the least. To get down the hill we took a sky rail which is like an indoor ski lift seat.  Another great way to see downtown Santiago from above.

Another great excursion was a visit to the home of Paulo Neruda. Paulo was one of Chile’s greatest poets as well one of the world’s most widely read under Shakespeare. He is also a Nobel Prize winner.  He had an obsession with boats, and his enormous and alternative home resembles a barco both from the inside and out. We also went wine tasting at a local vineyard. The vino was delicious and the grapes were so good. (P.S. The fruit in Chile is unbelievably good.) 

At night, my friends and I usually went out to the discotecas in Santiago for a night of dancing.  I’ve taught a few of mis amigos the simple steps of salsa, and we’ve all had the best time.  Usually Chileans hit the nightlife at around 2a.m. and stay out until 6 in the morning. I’ve called it an early night each time, as have the rest of us.

            My friends here are incredible people.  We’re from all over the US and everyone gets along so well.  We are having the most amazing time together.

            Today we drove from Santiago through the mountains and valleys to the coast where we live.  A local forest fire has made Vina del Mar fairly smoky, but hasn’t endangered many homes. The drive into Vina and Valpo was again, beautiful.  I’ve never seen anything like it.  The cities stretch several miles along the Pacific coast, and the buildings begin at the coastline and continue up the top of the hills.  I’ll post more pictures of the cities when I explore them.

            I finally got to meet my host family tonight, and I must say, I couldn’t imagine a more perfect situation.  My family hosts students often, and they communicate so well.  They know how to use simple clear Spanish with me, rather than the insanely fast and blurred Chilean slang.  I was crazy nervous, but when I met them I was put to ease instantly. They are absolutely wonderful.  Mi madre is always asking if I’m hungry or need something, kissing me, and keeps taking photos of me while I unpack.  I think we’re up to 9 pictures now.  She also just poked her head in my room and started dancing with me to let me know she learned some Portuguese tonight from her sister and she was trilingual. She’s fantastic. 

            I also have a baby sobrina (niece) named Andeaze pronounced A-na-ya.  It’s an African name because her father was Africano.  She is 6 months old and is probably the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. She likes to imitate faces you make at her, and she laughs all the time. Also, she never cries at night. BUENO! My host-brothers are so funny, and they love that I play futbol.  Everything is perfect. I’m convinced that this will be the best time of my life.

My Address:

 The program prefers that mail is sent to headquarters:

 

Attn: Emily Gross

AVDA. Brasil 2715

Valparaiso, Chile

 

However, very small letters can be sent to my home at:

Emily Gross

Los Pinos 58, casa 2

Miraflores Bajo

Vina del Mar, Chile