So.. this past weekend, I experienced 2 new things::
1. A heavy metal bands cover band concert in Conchalì...
2. A temblor... very baby earthquake.. kind of like a lil hiccup.
So, the Concert. Not my scene.. But it was, nonetheless, interesting and at times fun. We (Carmen, her husband, and I) went to watch a good friend of their family's play the drums in his band. He is quite good at it! His mom and aunt were also there to support him. It was great being with people I knew, and we all jumped high, and did head bangin' stuff all night! I was exhausted when we finally left the bar/place thing around 3:30 in the morning.. We had tried to leave around 2:30.. but we lost a drunken friend, and then had to wait for 4 people to move their cars in order for our car to be able to leave...
It is interesting to see how differently scenarios like this are handled.. In the USA, and if it were my car.. I would have been going to the manager, complaining about how poor the parking situation is, and then demanding the manager get on the Speakerphone to announce that the drivers of the specific cars must move them immediately.. But here.. everyone just waits.. patiently.. They mention it to the manager guy one time, and then just relax... Wow.. Just.. wow.
I will post a few pictures from the concert later.. maybe the one video I took, as well..
On Monday morning at 3:14ish AM, I was still awake.. had been trying to fall to sleep for hours but just wasn't happening.. and I was watching a movie which I was streaming online... All of a sudden.. my bed starts shaking... At first I looked around and under my bed... kind of forgetting that I was by myself in the room.. and then I looked out the window.. and saw nothing (Its dark at 3:14 AM) and then it hit me.. HEY! here it is! It was like a big "AH! HA!" moment.. I was not scared.. and in fact, I started laughing. I immediately paused my movie, hopped on facebook (I live on that site, btw) and posted it as my status. You can imagine the multiple responses I received....
Carmen messaged me the next day, as did other friends in Chile, asking how I had felt, and if I had been scared.. I felt bad.. regretting that I had posted a status about it.. because, honestly, it was just a shake of my bed for about 30 seconds.. it was nothing.. I was more excited than anything. New experience! Yay!
So, anyways, a hiccup is nothing like buildings shaking and swaying.. and I pray I never have to experience that....
So, all is well, here, in Go-Town. Working on planning my month-long vacation for July.. hoping to hit up some friends and family in Colombia.. and definitely going to Peru for at least 3 weeks to visit more friends and "family"!!
I will also mention that I now have lost the "Wow! This is so cool! Never seen this before!" look on my face as I walk down the streets.. I feel more at home here now.. And am almost 100% natural at using public transportation and taxis... Mommy! WOW! I'm a big kid now!
Besos!!xx
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Saturday, March 19, 2011
A week captured in pictures
Some riot regarding humanitarian issues Thursday, March 10
Birthday Asado for Carlitos. He turned 1 year old.
My contribution to the picnic at the concert... It is Peruvian seafood dishes. Delish!
The concert.consisting of 4 bands..the last 2 were my favorite.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Vamos vamos Cole Coleeeee!
WHAT A WEEK! So many things occurred this week, and I am just now having a chance to relax my brain!
This past weekend, the family celebrated the 1 year birthday of baby Carlitos.. who is just adorable and precious. We had an Asado which is a grill out, and just relaxed for the weekend. This weekend is Antonia's 4th birthday, so we will be partying it up this weekend as well.
Some of us extranjeros are planning a weekend trip to Buenos Aires in May, which is exciting! new stamp in the passport!!!x
Wednesday was...to say the least.. entertaining. A group of us went to watch Cole Cole (Chilean futbol team) play against the Santos (Brazilian futbol team) and had an incredible time trying to imitate the chants, and dancing to the rhythmic beats of some drum on the other side of the field, which led the chants. We were treated like celebrities.. perhaps because we were mainly females in a sea of men...? But we had a few randoms take pictures with us... Fun times!
We went to a club afterwards.. which took ages to get to, and which you definitely need a few drinks beforehand in order to enjoy... I chose a bottle of wine... Which is normally fine.. But most likely I will not do that again....
Thursday, after waking up too late to go to the 1 class I felt like I needed to attend (Thank you, bottle of wine..) I went to the beach with -so it seems- the entire university for a day of sun, fun, cumbia, and way too many drunk people. As I was not feeling my best, I decided water and gatorade, a couple empanadas and my shades would suffice! I was 100% correct, and ended up having to push several borrachos (drunk people) away from me and my sober friends. It was fun, though, finally getting to see the beautiful ocean, and the GORGEOUS scenery on the drive to and from the beach.
After returning to campus, I went home, cooked a nice hot meal for myself, and passed out for the night.
As my cousin Mitchell would say... "Kate, you just can't go hard in the paint like me"... Correct, Mitchell.. correct.
It has been an amazing week, and now I have to sit down and read, cook my meals for the next few days, and prep for birthday fiestas in the weekend!
Besos!!xx
This past weekend, the family celebrated the 1 year birthday of baby Carlitos.. who is just adorable and precious. We had an Asado which is a grill out, and just relaxed for the weekend. This weekend is Antonia's 4th birthday, so we will be partying it up this weekend as well.
Some of us extranjeros are planning a weekend trip to Buenos Aires in May, which is exciting! new stamp in the passport!!!x
Wednesday was...to say the least.. entertaining. A group of us went to watch Cole Cole (Chilean futbol team) play against the Santos (Brazilian futbol team) and had an incredible time trying to imitate the chants, and dancing to the rhythmic beats of some drum on the other side of the field, which led the chants. We were treated like celebrities.. perhaps because we were mainly females in a sea of men...? But we had a few randoms take pictures with us... Fun times!
We went to a club afterwards.. which took ages to get to, and which you definitely need a few drinks beforehand in order to enjoy... I chose a bottle of wine... Which is normally fine.. But most likely I will not do that again....
Thursday, after waking up too late to go to the 1 class I felt like I needed to attend (Thank you, bottle of wine..) I went to the beach with -so it seems- the entire university for a day of sun, fun, cumbia, and way too many drunk people. As I was not feeling my best, I decided water and gatorade, a couple empanadas and my shades would suffice! I was 100% correct, and ended up having to push several borrachos (drunk people) away from me and my sober friends. It was fun, though, finally getting to see the beautiful ocean, and the GORGEOUS scenery on the drive to and from the beach.
After returning to campus, I went home, cooked a nice hot meal for myself, and passed out for the night.
As my cousin Mitchell would say... "Kate, you just can't go hard in the paint like me"... Correct, Mitchell.. correct.
It has been an amazing week, and now I have to sit down and read, cook my meals for the next few days, and prep for birthday fiestas in the weekend!
Besos!!xx
Friday, March 11, 2011
Powerful
This week has been interesting..
I have discovered that classes will not be as demanding as I had hoped, which means that all I have to do is tons of reading, and spit out a paper every now and then. (AWESOME NEWS)
I played soccer yesterday for the first time in a while.. I was in a skirt, and kicked off my flip flops to play. The boys looked at me like I was crazy, but were impressed when I took a few of them down! Oops.. we are playing real football... not American football.. My bad!
But I learned quickly never to play barefoot again..
Shakira performed last night in Santiago, and I was, and still am, paying tribute to her amazing artistic abilities by listening to her music all day and dancing every chance I get..which makes people in the metro and micro (bus) look at me like I am derranged.Pssh! Who cares?
On a more serious note, an earthquake measured at 8.9 on the Richter Scale hit Japan yesterday. I woke up to my daily routine of watching the news, to find all channels on Japan. Though Chile is not experiencing an earthquake, the news continued to remind us that the coast could very easily be hit by a Tsunami in the next few days. There are warnings for the coastal cities, including Easter Island until early Monday morning.
What I find incredible is how supportive the people of Chile are for those in Japan. They know the pain. They know the suffering. Many of my friends' statuses currently say Fuerza Japon which basically means, "be strong, Japan".
Carmen's family had invited me to go to the beach this weekend, and we are to leave this evening. I have not heard if they are cancelling the trip or not.. so I am excited about finally seeing the beach, but nervous as this is my first time being anywhere where Tsunami Warnings actually exist!
Love to all of you!!xx
Besos!
I have discovered that classes will not be as demanding as I had hoped, which means that all I have to do is tons of reading, and spit out a paper every now and then. (AWESOME NEWS)
I played soccer yesterday for the first time in a while.. I was in a skirt, and kicked off my flip flops to play. The boys looked at me like I was crazy, but were impressed when I took a few of them down! Oops.. we are playing real football... not American football.. My bad!
But I learned quickly never to play barefoot again..
Shakira performed last night in Santiago, and I was, and still am, paying tribute to her amazing artistic abilities by listening to her music all day and dancing every chance I get..which makes people in the metro and micro (bus) look at me like I am derranged.Pssh! Who cares?
On a more serious note, an earthquake measured at 8.9 on the Richter Scale hit Japan yesterday. I woke up to my daily routine of watching the news, to find all channels on Japan. Though Chile is not experiencing an earthquake, the news continued to remind us that the coast could very easily be hit by a Tsunami in the next few days. There are warnings for the coastal cities, including Easter Island until early Monday morning.
What I find incredible is how supportive the people of Chile are for those in Japan. They know the pain. They know the suffering. Many of my friends' statuses currently say Fuerza Japon which basically means, "be strong, Japan".
Carmen's family had invited me to go to the beach this weekend, and we are to leave this evening. I have not heard if they are cancelling the trip or not.. so I am excited about finally seeing the beach, but nervous as this is my first time being anywhere where Tsunami Warnings actually exist!
Love to all of you!!xx
Besos!
Sunday, March 6, 2011
E.T.
Monday was the orientation for International Students attending PUC for the semester (or 2). Of the four large campuses, our orientation was set in Casa Central, the main campus, with beautiful courtyards. As I followed the signs to the orientation, I finally arrived, to see a chaotic queue of exchange students waiting to receive their very cool (and extremely helpful!) blue book, agenda, and email/temporary password for the PUC system. We then received our ID cards (for the school, only). Mine, sadly, looks like I have a bad criminal background, and PUC decided to use a mug shot..
With this information meeting (which maybe lasted an hour.. tops an hour and a half) I was reminded at how extremely shy I am when it comes to new groups. To Do list number three…. Grow up, and initiate. It is much easier to make friends when I am on my turf, know the area like the back of my hand, and have someone who needs me. Alas, here, it is the reverse: I know no one (in a sense), I do not know the area, and I am the needy one… Uff!
I did, however, manage to make a few friends, and we all went to a bar (led by 2 Chilenos who seem to be the Chilean version of what I am in Charlotte.) and we all tried Terremoto. This means “earthquake” in Spanish, and is an extremely popular drink in Chile. It is simply a beer glass filled with white wine, a shot of Pisco, and Pineapple Ice Cream. It is not as sweet as it sounds… But it is DEADLY. One glass of it and I was none stop talking… And we all know that is rare…
Tuesday was a day of relaxing, and meeting up with one of my new friends to chill at my pool (I have a POOL!) and get to know each other. It was nice…. But I need to learn the act/ART of relaxing… It lasts for about 30 minutes, and then I suddenly feel like the entire day has been wasted. Hmm… maybe some shop-therapy will help??
As I went through the process of “inscribing” to my classes for the semester, Wednesday was yet another day of epiphany. I have been self-dependent for 4 years, driving myself to and from where ever I so desired in the USA…. But here, the people depend on public transportation. It is a way of life… And I am still trying to master it. I make these “daring” moves, to try another bus route, hoping it is still going the same direction…WRONG.. Or thinking “it can’t be THAT far…I’ll just walk to the metro”…. WRONG AGAIN! With quite uncomfortable, slightly swollen feet, and two heavy bags on my shoulders… I finally trudged my way to a bus to San Joaquin (PUC campus #2) and eventually made it, with a few more hiccups…
On a bright note, my classes seem to be perfect for me. I understand the professors almost 100%, they seem to be very nice, and the workload does not seem unbearable. I will have a life in Chile! The process of life is becoming much easier to get used to, and I am much more relaxed about everything!! And tomorrow we have a Chilipan which is a sausage cookout… WOOT!
My roommate, Pilar, is a sweetheart, by the way. I couldn’t ask for anything better than this. She is a nurse, and works during the day. I feel I should cook so she doesn’t have to worry about that when she gets home, but she is set on trying to make me feel comfortable… O well. We are both relaxing to each other’s presence.
The rest of my posts will not consist of day-to-day events… This is just me blabbing when I do not have internet constantly to add and add to the blog.
Enjoy the photos!xx
Besos!
My bedroom
"Back yard"
Terremoto (Ice Cream, White Wine, Pisco)
As Dinámico and Maracuya (Juice)
Meant to post this about 6 days ago....
During this first week of being in Santiago, I have had the privilege of staying with a very welcoming family, who open their arms to me and helped me feel very comfortable and relaxed. The home consists of Carmen and her husband, Francisco, and their adorable daughter Antonia. Francisco’s parents have been staying with them ever since the earthquake last year. As the grandmother is able to look after Antonia, Francisco and Carmen are free to go to work without a worry as to her safety. More family lives only blocks away, and everyone comes to visit and eat, chat, and plan. It is wonderful to see how connected everyone is to each other.
Conchalí, the community where Carmen’s family lives, is on the northern part of Santiago. I was lucky to go to 2 different Ferias – or markets – with Carmen, Nancy, and some family and friends. I also had the pleasure of trying Mote which is a very sweet drink which consists of dried peach (which you boil to obtain the juice) and then serve cold, with a sort of oat at the bottom. It is an extremely filling and refreshing drink.
Carmen, Nancy, and Constanza (sister in-law to Carmen) made a delicious meal of Ceviche, and Pastel de Choclo. Choclo is the Chilean word for corn. You grind up the corn with a dash of water, and some cilantro, and mix it with chicken (already cooked and pulled apart), ground beef, olives, and cook in the oven. It is quite delicious! And to add to the flavor, you can either put some sugar on top, or tomatoes. I tried, and enjoyed, both!
It was interesting to see how the homes are set up. The houses are completely fenced in, and the driveway goes directly to the front door, and you close the gate behind you. The houses are humble, with a little decoration here and there. The backyard is open, and lets in the sunlight. During this part of the summer, it is very hot and dry, much like…California. Though perhaps not quite as hot. Windows remain open, to allow what little breeze there is, to come into the house and cool it. There is no air conditioning unit – or at least in the homes I visited.
I am now in Ñuñoa, which is more central to Santiago. This is where Pilar, the friend of Marce , lives in her apartment. She keeps apologizing for the size, but to me, it is perfect. I have my own room, my own bathroom, and a wonderful roommate! The supermarket is just across the street, the bus stop is a block down… Great location! It is also a gated community. What wonderful luck I have had!!!!
The devastating earthquake which occurred last year – my family had watched the news intently, worrying for Marce and her family– had its one year anniversary on Sunday, 27th of February. The friends and family of Carmen spoke to me often of the event, pointing out the devastation within the neighborhood. As I notice the long cracks in walls, collapsed houses, and other types of destruction, I am constantly reminded how lucky I have been to live in a part of the world where earthquakes are seemingly non-existent.
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