Almost the weekend...

Hmm, well, another stressful but really fun week is almost over with. Its getting down to the end of the semester, and I wish that there were three of me...one do study, one to sleep, and one to have fun. I just have to get through tomorrow and then I'm leaving early Friday on a trip to southern Chile with Kristin. I can't wait!

I've written four essays in the past four days. I was supposed to have three tests, too, but they all got postponed. Its so weird, I get stressed out about academic work that I have to do here, and I study and study, and then inevitably things just get postponed, and I wish I hadn't even bothered with the studying or worrying. A semester in Chile and I'm going to come back to the US assuming it will be the same way there, aka a very bad student! I'm enjoying while I'm here though. We were supposed to have to read Rayuela and 100 Years of Solitude for next Wednesday. I was about half way done with Rayuela (its taking me forever) and hadn't even started 100 Years of Solitude, so I was incredibly relieved when the teacher put the test back a week.

I've been in to the highschool 4 times this week. Its been mayhem as usual. Actually, on top of the usual mayhem, the construcction class is ripping up the concrete court-yard as part of their stoneworking unit, so its incredibly noisy and their are sparks flying. I'm helping this small group of boys prepare for a debate competition in English this Friday. Their position is "Chilean women should put motherhood first and shouldn't work outside the home." It seems like most of them personally agree with this position, and its been interesting (and slightly scarey) hearing what 15 year old Chilean boys think about a woman's role in the family.

Ok so here's my plan, weekend by weekend. I'm so excited for all this stuff! I think I have waaaay to many fun things happening in the next few months : D

October 29th: Travel near Chillán, Southern Chile
November 5th: nothing planned
November 12th: Climbing a volcano in Pucón, Southern Chile!
November 19th: Studying for finals
November 26th: Classes are over! Hopefully, travelling, hiking, seeing the Glaciars, again in Southern Chile
December 3rd: Back in Valparaíso, Mama and Daddy get here the 6th
December 10th: Robinson Crusoe Island with them
December 17th: Valdivia and the Lakes District in Southern Chile
December 24th: Back home in the US just in time for Christmas : )

My host family's house

Here are a couple of pictures I took around the house today, so you can see what its like where I'm living.


"El living," with the dining table in the front. Our house is very spacious for Chilean standards, and the huge windows in almost every room make it feel even bigger.


The kitchen. On the counter you can see a box of powdered milk (real milk doesn't seem to exist here). Hanging from the window crank is a plastic bag that's always kept full of white bread. I've heard that Chileans are some of the biggest consumers of bread in the world, and I don't doubt it. Also on the counter is a big basket which is kept full of truly delicious fruit--mandarin oranges, apples, bananas, avocado, chirimoya, kiwi, and other things, that my host mom gets at the market. Finally, the silver bowls are kept full of salt and sugar, respectively. I've never seen people put as much salt and sugar on their food as I have in Chile!


Our laundry hanging out to dry on the balcony.


This is looking down on my street, Calle Uruguay, from the balcony. Its packed with vendors, who sell everything from fruit to cellphones to wrenches to nail-polish.


This is the "calefont," an important part of every Chilean home. Its a kind of gas hot-water heater that you have to light every time you want to do the dishes, do laundry, or take a shower. They're often kept inside, but because they're old and funky, they have a reputation for being very dangerous and either exploding or leaking gas. The CIEE program requires all their host families to keep their Calefont's outside or on a balcony. Ours is very finicky, and when I first got here it took me about 4 extra-long matches to actually light it. Now I'm down to 1 small match : )


The view from my room, of the Valparaíso "cerros" (hills).

Movies

In the past 2 days I've seen 3 new movies. Not much else has been going on, so I'll write about them. The first was "Sexo con amor," (Sex with Love) a recent Chilean movie that we actually had to watch for our Chile & Globalization class. I thought it was an interesting commentary on marriages and on infidelity. Though its a really, really funny movie, ultimately the message is pretty depressing: while the movie's called "sex with love," none of the people who are having sex are in love, and none of the people who are in love are having sex. Anyways, its a really enjoyably trashy movie, and we couldn't stop laughing when we were watching it. I was pretty surprised that a movie with so much sex in it was allowed to be produced in conservative, Catholic Chile. Over 1,000 movies, ranging from The passion of the Christ to Monty Python to certain Pedro Almodóvar movies, have been banned here.

Second was Citizen Kane, which we had to watch for our Historia Cine class. I was glad to have seen it, since there are some movies which are such a big part of American culture and history that you just really should see them, and this is definitely one of them. That said, I didn't particularly enjoy it.

Last night Jon, Kati, and I watched a movie that Jon had recommended, "Nirgendwo in Afrika" (Nowhere in Africa). This movie is about a Jewish family who leaves Nazi Germany to settle in Kenya. The introduction in itself is amazing...scenes of the main character, a little girl, sledding in the snow with wealthy German contrasted with scenes of her and her family arriving in the 'outback' of Kenya. We kept talking about what an incredible childhood this would have been for her...to grow up in both Nazi Germany and in Kenya, to speak German, English, and Kiswahili, to wear little white dresses while making mud pies with Kenyan children, to return to post-war Germany knowing only life in Africa. This was an amazing movie, I really recommend it!

One last trip photo, some odds and ends

La cordillera de los andes, from the plane on the way home.

My plans for this weekend: homework, sleep, plan trips.

Planning trips has become a new obsession for me (though I'm nowhere near Kristin's level : )). Half of them I don't even go on, but the ones I do are so wonderful that it just encourages me to plan more. I got up today, ate some chocolate, and immediately pulled out my Lonely Planet. Places I want to go:
-Cajón del Maipo
-RN Siete Tazas
-Mendoza, Argentina
-Uspallata, Argentina (near Aconcagua)
-Chillán and maybe PN Laguna de Laja
-Chiloé
-Valdivia (probably with my parents)
-Isla Juan Fernández (also with my parents)
-Torres del Paine (probably won't happen, but I can always dream)
-the southern glaciars (this one I'm going to make happen!)

I love listening to classical music in the morning. My current choice: Hungarian Rhapsodies by Cziffra...its amazing!

Wednesdays at Liceo Baron

Another day of helping in the classroom. I think that if I actually worked at this school, I would want to scream at the kids, but as it is going in twice a week, I'm more amused by them than anything else. For example:

Carola (the teacher): Sit DOWN you little bastard
Student1: You can't make me!
Student2: How do you say thong in English?
Carola: That is NOT an appropriate question
Student: But I want to learn English!
Carola: No you don't
Student2: (laughs) But I want to know how to say thong in English.
Carola: Class is over. Get out of my classroom!
Student1: You can't make me!
Carola: (in english) Go to hell!
Student2, to me: What does "Goa do hell" mean?

Buenos Aires

I have a confession to make: I kind of wish I were studying abroad in Buenos Aires! Its one of the most beautiful cities I've ever seen and I can see why Argentinians proudly refer to it as the "Paris of South America." My trip was amazing in every way: fantastic company, sights, food, adventures. Every day was packed with the things we wanted to see and do in our short time there, but it never felt stressful or rushed. There is something so exciting and carefree about exploring a new city....we walked, soaked in the sunshine, shopped, and discovered beautiful parks and plazas lined by old buildings and palm trees. Here are some of the pictures from our first day.


Though Thursday was a rough day ( I still felt sick, I had classes all day, the trip to the airport took a long time, and then we got in late to our shabby little hotel in Buenos Aires), Friday morning we got up early to walk around the city. I immediately loved the incredible colonial architecture, the parks, and all of the palm trees. Though its a city of more than 12 million people and a major economic center, it feels surprisingly laid back and festive.


Kristin and Mariah drink freshly squeezed orange juice in the plaza in front of the Tribunales de Justicia.


Looking out on another plaza from the main post office. I got presents for my two favorite stamp collectors : D


The Argentinian capitol building, called "La casa rosada," or "The pink house." Supposedly the color was chosen by an Argentinian president who wanted to diffuse political tension between the 'Reds' and the 'Whites,' opposing political parties. Eva Perón gave speeches from the upper balcony.


Window shopping....so many beautiful shops with delicious foods and expensive clothes.


Carla and Mariah stop in one of the many, many used bookstores that we walked by.


Since we had a free tour included with our hotel, we decided we might as well go. I hate tours and this sort of thing, but the guide's hilariously cheesy and mispronounced speeches made it worth it ; ) We did see some cool neighborhoods on it though, like the one in this picture, "La boca." La boca was founded in the 1800's by Italian immigrants. Today its famous for its brightly painted houses and for its soccer team, the Boca Juniors, who are one of South America's best.


The tour also took us through Palermo, one of Buenos Aires' wealthiest and most prestigious neighborhoods. After all, who would want to live in beautiful old neighborhoods when you could live in one of these monstrous modern buildings that all look exactly the same?


Puente Calatrava

Tango, San Telmo, Ferias

Our day starts out looking for tango shoes for Jessica and Mariah, who are taking a tango class here in Valparaíso. Where did we go to look for them? To "Tango-shoe-street," of course! Yes, there really is such a street in Buenos Aires.


We got to see shoes like these being made. Its a very painstaking process, with a beautiful final product.


The fair at San Telmo. Vendors were selling colored bottles, antiques, silver utensils, and vintage jewelry.


Tango in the plaza at San Telmo




Kristin and I found this cool Russian Orthodox church near San Telmo. Unfortunately it was closed so we couldnt' go in.


This picture is of a leather stand at the Feria de los Mataderos on the outskirts of Buenos Aires. Argentina is the king of cows, beef, and leather. I couldn't appreciate the beef (though Carla and Mariah said it was excellent), but I did enjoy seeing all the leather things. Usually I think leather is kind of tacky but the artisans here had really beautiful things. After searching long and hard I settled on a small, red, worked-leather purse.

Plazas, Cementaries, and Theater

Plaza de Mayo


Jessica suggested that we stop by the Asociación Madres Plaza de Mayo. The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo have held a protest every week since the 1970's on behalf of the "desaparecidos," or disappeared people, who were taken away and often tortured or killed by the Argentinian government during the "Dirty War." Estimates of the numbers of desaparcidos range from 10,000-30,000. Today, the mothers continue to fight for human rights, government transparency, and information about their missing children and loved ones. This photo is of a poster up in their headquarters of showing some of their missing family members.


The Basicila del Pilar, near La recoleta


La recoleta is a cementary for the richest and most famous Argentinians. Its interesting not only because of the impressive people who are buried there, but also because it seems that wealthy Buenos Aires society competed as to who could have the biggest, most extravagant tomb built for them when they died! Today the cementary a major tourist attraction...its pretty creepy really, since there are over 6,000 tombs and mausoleums.




The tomb of Eva Perón


I stand smiling next to a tomb of a young girl who was buried alive. Gruesome, I know.


On a less gruesome note, we toured Teatro Colón, one of the most exquisite opera houses in the world. Its luxurious and absolutely enormous. On the tour we saw dancers rehearsing, the costume storage area (90,000 costumes!), the shoe 'library', and wig-makers at work.


Indian food for supper! After bland Chilean food, the amazingly flavorful, delicious, and cheap restaurants seemed like a dream come true. By Monday, my taste buds were completely overwhelmed. I was actually kind of relieved when I got home to my host family's this afternoon and found out that we were having french fries, rice, and bread for lunch ; )

I'm off to Buenos Aires tomorrow...I couldn't be more excited! Check for pictures on Monday.

Some bad news though is that I've been sick. I had to go into the hospital last night, which was a real pain, but I decided to do so that my host mom wouldn't keep worrying about me. I've been having this dull, burning, corrosive-feeling stomach ache for the past week or so, and it got really bad last night. Some of my friends here have been sick with stomach things, so its probably just that, but since I'm slightly paranoid I've managed to convince myself that I have an ulcer.Hopefully I'll feel ok when I'm in Argentina. My host mom takes the fact that I'm sick as a sign that "my way" of taking care of myself isn't up to snuff, and she should take over : ) I've been following all her orders--I'm too tired out to argue, and maybe she's right about some of these things anyways, who knows. So I've been wearing a scarf (its 70 degrees out), wearing enormous slippers, drinking strange-tasting, mysterious teas, not sitting near windows, etc., to appease her.

Still, being sick is kind of nice. I got to sleep in this morning and then had breakfast in bed. Then I talked to my parents and Dylan on the phone...Dylan sang some Japanese pop songs for me and I laughed so hard I cried. Anyone who has heard Dylan sing before will understand this perfectly : D Tonight I talked to Jaime online for a long time and had an amazing time. I miss her. Though I have mixed feelings about going back to Grinnell, I'm anxious to see her and Lee Anne again.

My host mom made apples cooked with cinamon for dessert tonight...yummm : )

Picnic

A cold, foggy day at the harbor.


The group! From the front middle, clockwise: Sebastián, Carla, Mariah, Ignacio, Jessica, Daniela, Jake, Jon, David, Kristin.


Sebastián (yes, my language partner), me, Carla


Jon eats more carrot cake than is humanly possible : D


Mariah, Ignacio, Jessica, Daniela.

Crazy weekend

Things have been so fun here! I just don't want to study and go to classes now ; ) I have a bad case of the Sunday afternoon dreadings (though its Monday here).

Highlights of this weekend:
-climbing a mountain on Friday, seeing lots of beautiful things, talking for hours with Mariah, Carla, and Kristin
-being completely lazy on Saturday and not starting any of my homework
-going out Saturday evening to Pamela's with Carla, Jessica, Kristin, Jake, Jon, and David, playing poker, drinking beer, talking in a mixture of Spanish and English until 4 in the morning. I hadn't laughed so hard in a long time!
-going for breakfast and then sight-seeing with Waldo Sunday morning after getting almost no sleep the night before at poker. It was still pretty fun though. We walked all over in the hills and I got to see some parts of Valparaíso that I didn't even know existed.
-a picnic at the beach Sunday afternoon with Chilean and American friends. There was lots of good food, like salads, fresh fruit, sushi, sandwiches, and Mariah's killer carrot cake : )
-having Mariah, Carla, Jessica, and Daniela (a Chilean friend) sleep over on last night...so much fun! We watched Finding Nemo, over-analyzed people and situations, and slept like sardines in my room.

All in all I've had pretty much the best weekend ever. Still, I've talked too much, eaten too much, drank too much, and slept too little. The plan for today: quiet, moderation, some alone time, some homework.

Thursday night we get into Buenos Aires!

La campana II

Yesterday I went back to Parque Nacional La campana to climb La campana itself. Last time, I'd climbed La campanita, a less-known peak, with Mariah and Francisco. Yesterday though I went for the well-known hike with Mariah, Carla, and Kristin. It wasn't very far, but there was a ton of elevation gain--about 6,000 feet! Charles Darwin hiked La campana in 1834 and supposedly wrote about it in his Voyage of the Beatle...I think that would be really interesting to read about. Anyways, it was absolutely grueling at the end, and we had to stop to rest and drink water about every 20 minutes. I'd assumed that the landscape would be similar to what we'd seen around La campanita, but I was totally wrong. Whereas there we saw strange, deserty, almost other-wordly rock and plants, here it almost looked like we were in the Pacific Northwest. It was lush, green, and foggy, with lots of ferns, mosses, and waterfalls. I felt really good and not too tired during the hike, and even today I dont' feel too sore, though I do have some blisters. Walking over rough, irregular rocks for that long leaves your feet battered!


We left the ranger station around 9. It was a cool, foggy, drippy morning, so socked in that we weren't sure we'd have any view at all at the top.


After going by some lush little waterfalls and climbing steadily for a few hours, we stopped for water and snacks at this abandoned mine.


We finally get above the layer of fog! Another resting point...


At the top! I like these pictures of me, but find them frustrating at the same time. I felt so wonderful, exhausted, proud, excited, overwhelmed by how beautiful it was. But this doesn't really show in the pictures I have, where I'm just sweaty, tired, slumpy old Julia. Sometimes pictures, no matter how good, just don't capture your memory quite right.




On top of the world! Mariah and I pose for a picture with the Andes in the background.

Isla Negra

I just got back from a CIEE program trip to Isla Negra, Pablo Neruda's third and last home...it was so beautiful, and I had an amazing time. I haven't posted many pictures lately, but I have a feeling I'll be making it up in the next week. Here are some of them:


View from Pablo Neruda's bedroom of his garden and the Pacific Ocean.


Neruda and Matilde are buried here. In the background you can see their house. There are lots of little, rambling rooms (with amazing ocean views) connected by claustrophic halls and staircases that you can barely fit through. Neruda loved ships and wanted to feel as though he was in a ship when he was in his houses. He spent his last years in this house--he died of leukemia in September of 1973, after scrutiny and harrasment from Pinochet's government.


Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take pictures inside the house; this is one of the few I have, from the outside looking in. Neruda collected anything and everything: sea shells, colored bottles, butterflies, maps, narwhal horns, musical instruments, ships in bottles, and, most impressively, massive figure heads from old ships.


Here I am at the beach below Neruda's house. I really loved sitting on these rocks and watching the waves come crashing in.


Rocky shoreline.


Kristin, Carla, Mariah, and Jessia at a little outlook above the beach.