Semana de la Carrera

So I want to write about something the university does that is awesome. Here, there are different "carrerras" which are basically like our majors, but there aren't nearly as many because the university here is very small, and they are much more general. They could be more comparable to the separate schools inside our universities. Anyway, each carrerra has one week of the semester that is their "Semana de la Carrerra." They have activities all during the week, competitions of all sorts, and the professors back off and give them a break from classes, it's all sorts of fun. What's even more fun, is being an exchange student, because we don't really belong to a certain carrerra, so they all want us to participate in the activities for all of the carrerras. There are always sports tournaments, the teams are divided between the years of the students in the carrerra, and everyone gets into it. Each year is a certain color, so there are people walking around campus in the specifically colored jerseys all week. There is lots of school spirit, unity within the carrerras, and also unity between the classmates of each year in the carrerra.


We were invited to the grand opening party for the carrerra Commercial Engineering, we went and were surprised at how many people came out (I was even more surprised to see a few of my professors there too, given it was in a discotheque). There is a king and queen for each year, and there are competitions to see which year is crowned THE king and queen. A few of the competitions definitely demonstrated our cultural differences, like basically a striptease onstage by the girls. That was thankfully at the end because we left when that started. But everything else was really fun, lots of school spirit and everything. This week, it's the Law students turn, so to kick it off there was a costume party on Monday on campus. We left at 3 in the morning and everyone else was still dancing like crazy! Chileans party til all hours of the morning, something we've had to accustom ourselves to. Each year put on a skit, the year with the most people in costumes won a contest, there was a dancing contest, etc. They have competitions of soccer, volleyball, rugby, and tug of war during the day. Also, parties planned in clubs around the city Tues, Thurs, and Fri nights! It's insane. These people know how to have a good time. This week is also the week of Biologia Marina, and as I have a class in that carrerra, all of my classmates have made sure I come to all the activities. Like a party tonight on campus with tournaments also, sports and "taca-taca" or foosball. Foosball is so big here, it's really random. Also, we take a camping trip. Everyone pays like 5 bucks, and we jump on a micro bus and head to Valle, the national hot spot for camping. There are asados, (basically the Chilean equivalent to our BBQ), we play in the pool all day, have games and competitions, play soccer, and stay up all night with a bonfire and dancing. It's a reward for the students, they work hard all through the year and make the most of this one break they get. This time they have with all of their classmates to have fun instead of study.


So that's what "Semana de la Carrerra" is all about! I definitely wouldn't mind starting this tradition at ISU! It's a chance for everyone to have fun and bond with your classmates.

San Pedro de Atacama

A few weeks ago we took a trip to San Pedro de Atacama, a town in the middle of the desert in northern Chile. We had a long weekend, and were told San Pedro holds many sights we had to see. Which is true! The Atacaman desert is a touristy part of Chile because there are so many unique places to go.

After a 17 hour bus ride, we were wandering around the town with our huge backpacks searching for a hostel when a guy drove up to us in a truck and asked if we were looking for a hostel. How convenient! We were very fortunate to have met Nelson, who became our guide for the next three days. He hooked us up with a cool hostel, comfortable, cheap, the owners were some of the nicest people I've ever met. Us, our guide, the owners, and the other people staying in the hostel were like an insta-family, we ate together, hung out, toured together, stayed up chatting late into the night. The first night we got there just happened to be the night of the big Chile soccer game, so we went out to a pub with Nelson and other newly found friends. It was insane! We were playing Columbia, who we hadn't beaten for years, and I can't explain to you how into these games people get. Imagine a downtown pub during superbowl, but instead of having fans of two different teams present, everyone is cheering for the same players, the team that represents their country. The pub was jam-packed, nowhere to sit or stand. Everyone constantly yelling, singing, chanting. With every goal and penalty they got more wound up. After we won the game people were running around the streets chanting and yelling, driving around honking and singing, for hours! It was really an awesome experience, something I won't soon forget. The passion these people have for their soccer team is incomparable with anything else I've seen.

The next morning we got up and headed out into the desert, it's insanely imense! That's the only word I can think to describe it. Oh, and dry. And hot. We made our way to this valley with a little river that runs through it, an oasis. It was crazy to finally see green! We hiked down, all the while hearing Nelson tell us about the history, the locals, the flora and fauna. After hiding in some reeds to change into our swimsuits (which I don't recommend!), we swam in the river with some of the locals, it was so fun. On our hike back up we ran into a sheep herder, she was so old I can't imagine how she could withstand the elements and walk all that way! That is their way of life in the Atacaman desert though, and they are well-adjusted.

That same day after lunch we headed out to the Salar de Atacama, and the Lagunas Cejas, which is the world's second largest salt flat. The Laguna is a little lake in the middle of the salt flat which is 40% salt, so when you swim in it you float like you would in the Dead Sea. It was pretty crazy, I didn't want to get in because it was the coldest water I've ever swam in! But it was insane to not be able to sink, we got out in the middle and you just float without moving or doing any work, it was amazing. We had to haul fresh water out there to rinse off with after, because that much salt on your skin will dry your skin out really quickly, and dehydrate you. Our hair was white with crusty salt when it dried. We waited out on the Salar for the sunset, which was pretty amazing. Just the sky and the clouds here are always beautiful, or maybe I just don't pay attention in the US, but it always seems more interesting here. The colors in the desert added to it also.

After going home and showering, we went exploring the little town, looking through the shops and everything. While we were walking around a bunch of cars and trucks were driving around the streets letting people know about some huge party in the desert, so all 7 of us jumped in and went too! They had a bonfire going and music and everything set up in the middle of the desert, it was pretty insane. There was a girl who put on a show with two ropes with fire on the end, twirling them around and everything. It was different, but cool to see how they do parties in this interesting and unique part of the country. We met people from all over that night, as it was a holiday weekend and San Pedro is a popular vaca spot, we met people from several different countries and all sorts of places in Chile.

The next day was our last day, we were pretty sad, there is so much to see and we had such little time. But for the last day we got to know the town a little more, went to the museum which has tons of artifacts from the pueblos who have lived there since the Incas. There was also an exposition about the war between Guatemala and Mexico, the exiles who had fled, the military violence against the innocent people. Of course, the US government had a hand in it, we helped the wrong side once again because we didn't really know what was going on, we just jumped in. Anyway, that's another interesting thing to be aware of if you have time to read about it.

We went to Valley of the Moon that afternoon before our bus left, it was probably my favorite part of the weekend. They named it Valle de la Luna because it looks like a landscape of a different planet, the formations of the rocks make you feel like you're not on earth anymore. We didn't have much time there, but we still saw some amazing stuff, crawled through some caves, climbed some dunes, and learned a lot thanks to Nelson.

We had to leave that afternoon, it was sad to say goodbye to Nelson and our new friends! We had some great times with them and scrunched a lot of fun and memories into 3 days. It definitely is a part of Chile you have to see when you come here. (Here's 5 of the over 200 photos I snapped in the 3 days...believe me, there's a lot to see in San Pedro:)

Idioma y Cultura

The two biggest differences between being here and being home are obviously the culture and the language. These two things are the most challenging to deal with, but at the same time they are what make this experince what it is. They are basically what brought me here, I wanted to learn Spanish, and I wanted to see a little bit of the world outside Idaho. I wanted this cultural experience, and it has taught me more already than I ever imagined it would. So I wanted to tell you guys a little more about the dynamics of these two aspects of my time here.


Before coming here, I knew the most important part about improving in a second language is confidence. If you are always second guessing yourself, you'll never say anything, therefore, never practice, therefore, never learn or improve. Even if you don't know if what you want to say is perfect, you have to be confident and say it anyway. Another important part, not being afraid to make an idiot of yourself, it's inevitable that you're going to say a lot of things wrong. You just have to accept that fact and get over it, because if you are always trying to prevent it, you're not going to learn or get better. The confidence part was a little hard at first: people speak a hundred miles an hour and then look at you waiting for an answer when you didn't understand a single word of what they said. But of course it has gotten much easier. The thing is that here people don't speak Spanish, they speak Chilean, which is totally different. Chileans use different endings on certain verbs than other Spanish-speaking countries, they abbreviate everything, slur words together, and they have hundreds of sayings and words, "Chilenismos," that they use constantly in daily conversation, that make no sense if translated literally. When you ask them to try and explain what a certain Chilenismo means, they use another Chilenismo in their explanation, so you still have no idea what they meant to say in the first place. Also, Chileans are famous among Latin people for speaking fast. Awesome. At first we were constantly telling people to talk slower so we could understand, now I'm used to keeping up. Another thing I am noticing as my spanish gets better, is that my English is getting worse! I have already started forgetting words in English, I can only think of the Spanish term! I love spanish, that is the reason I came here, and my Spanish is tons better than when I arrived. But it still have a long way to go! It's definitely one of my favorite parts of being here, getting better at Spanish.


Another part that I have learned so much from, is the culture difference. I have written about some of the things that people do different down here, and there are tons more. But the awesome part of experiencing a new culture isn't learning all the things they do different, it's about learning why they do things differently. The people here have a different way of thinking, a different way of looking at life. That is why things are so different, they live different lives than us. They have different priorities, different opinions, different knowledge. Another thing is that naturally, I am constantly comparing things here to how things are at home. But I have realized that things at home aren't necesarily right or wrong, or better, just different. I wish I could explain this better, but it's just something you have to experience yourself. I have really come to appreciate these people for who they are and they way they live life. They are much more focused on love, happiness, and people: things that I find to be important. I now realize how us as Americans are more focused on time, work, money. We are always hurried and stressed. We know what is important in life also, but we don't spend as much time enjoying it. Of course there have been times that I have been frustrated with how differently things are done here, but those times have been worth it because of how much my point of view has been changed by being here. I'm not sure if that made sense at all, but I wanted to at least give it a shot at letting you guys know how it is here:)

Weekend in Santiago

So a lot has happened since I last posted, but I spent this last weekend in Santiago and I want to write about it while it's fresh in my mind. Santiago is definitely the biggest city I have ever been in, it seemed huge to a little girl from Idaho. After the 6+ hour bus ride we luckily found where we needed to be, got set up in a pretty decent hostel, and started our adventure!

Above: The city is nestled down in between the mountains, but you can't even see it from this high because of the smog!

We went skiing the first whole day we were there, it was amazing! I'm not really into skiing or snowboarding, I hadn't skied since I was 12 I think, but I couldn't pass up a chance to ski in the Andes. The ride up to the mountain was a bit terrifying, the road was very steep and windy and barely wide enough for 2 cars, I didn't enjoy it. But the scenery was beautiful, it was interesting to go from mountains covered in cacti to snow covered peaks. Another thing that blew my mind was the smog! Of course you can't really tell when you're in the city, but from way up there we could see actually how bad it was. We could barely see the outline of the building, as you can tell in the pics. The outlines got fainter and fainter the higher we went. I had read about it before I came, but I was still amazed at how bad it is. Anyway, skiing was lots of fun, I can't even explain how awesome the view was, the pics don't do it justice at all. You all just need to come see it for yourselves:)

We happened to be in Santiago on a very important date for Chile, September 11th. Of course I had 9/11 on my mind because I'm American, but it's a huge day in Chilean history also. Here's why: In 1970, Chile was a socialist country, with Salvador Allende as president. Allende did a lot of good things for Chile, he increased social assistance for health, housing, education, and child assisstance programs. He also increased wages. But he socialized certain industries which led to horrible inflation and economic decline. The US was strongly against Allende, but very quiet about it, they feared Chile would become a Communist country under him. Finally in 1973, all of the conflicts came to a head and the military overthrew Allende. The Navy took over Valpairiso, the port nearest the capital, the Air Force bombed every radio and tv station in Santiago, every branch of the military were against the president, Los Carabineros, Air Force, Navy, Army, even the Investigations Police. President Allende refused to resign or flee from La Moneda (equivalent of our White House) even under threat of bombing. So, the Army attacked, killing all of the socialist resistance outside, and eventually bombed La Moneda, alledgedly killing Allende. But there is still some debate as to whether he committed suicide before the bombing. The Armed Forces took anyone in support of the government as prisoners, there were thousands killed in the first month of the military regime. Over 40,000 were imprisoned and tortured in the World Stadium in Santiago. Basically there were concentration camps all over the city for so-called political enemies. They don't even have a total estimate because there were so many that disappeared and to this day no one knows what happened to them. So needless to say, this is a huge day for Chile, a very emotional day. And since the US funded and supported this miltary coup, we weren't exactly regarded fondly on this day.

The night of September 11th we were told not to go out, there would be lots of demonstrations and protests, and that it can get dangerous. But we figured it would at least be safe to go out to dinner. Everything was fine, no one was as friendly as usual, but nothing drastic happened. Then when we were almost done the workers in the restaurant lit candles all over and turned the lights down. Then the music stopped and they played a broadcast from that day September 11, 1973. Some people kept eating and talking, but others stopped to watch the candles, others, older people, were crying. It is a very emotional day for those people who remember it, and I did feel somewhat disrespectful, being an outsider. I was glad to be able to witness the reaction of the people, but I felt like we were intruding on a sacred thing. We happened to be staying a block away from what was a concentration camp, there were bricks in the road with names of the few among those held that they had information about. On our way back home people in the street had lit candles all around the bricks and were watching some sort of documentary in the street. We headed quickly back to our hostel because we weren't sure how people would react to a couple Americans out on that night.

The next day we set out to explore the city, but about a block away from our hostel we walked by a man laying in the street, at first I couldn't tell if he was just a homeless guy sleeping in the street, or a hung over protester from the night before, but then I noticed blood on his mouth. So I stopped and pointed out to Chris that he was vomitting up blood. So we ran to get help, but no one seemed to think it was as urgent as we did. The lady in the hotel closest got up to look at him through the window, then decided to try the ambulance, but there was no answer. So she tried the emergency police number, and they were supposedly on their way. We wanted to wait to make sure he got help, all the while people just walked by and did nothing. The maids in the hotel just watched him try to move and try to get up, but he couldn't, he was in bad shape. I wanted to help him, but I couldn't touch him because he was covered in blood and I didn't know if it would be safe for me to approach him, and I didn't know where to take him to get medical help anyway. So we continued to wait for the emergency police, who never came. There was a carabinero (branch of the Chilean police) around the corner giving out parking tickets, so we ran to tell him the situation thinking he would help. But he did nothing. I guess writing parking tickets is more important than helping out another human in dire need. I was frustrated to the point of tears. We kept asking the lady in the hotel what else we could do, she said nothing. She finally told us to leave and it would get taken care of. I was torn, I wanted nothing more than to get away from that situation, but at the same time I was afraid if we left he would lay there all day bleeding. But when we came back a few hours later he was gone, so I'm hoping he got to a hospital. That kind of put a damper on our day of exploring the city, but we still saw a lot of cool things. We visited lots of monuments, churches (there is a ridiculous number of churches in Santiago), cool buildings. It is a really cool city. At the end of the day we went to La Moneda and the monument of Pres. Allende and there were still flowers there from the day before. I was glad we got to visit the city when there was so much political and cultural stuff going on.

I loved my time in Santiago, especially because I learned so much. There was basically a holocaust here in Chile 30 years ago but we never learn about it because our government backed the entity that made it happen. It really makes you feel helpless to know horrible things like this happen all over the world and there's no way to prevent it, it's happening now in other countries around the world. It made me proud of these people I have been surrounded by for the last month, they have endured a lot. I feel a little more Chilean after experiencing some of the emotions their history inspires. At the same time this trip made me grateful to be American, where people don't lie bleeding in the streets.

Culturas Distintas

So here are a few things down here that are different from home that I haven't really told about. I'm almost accustomed to them all by now, but at first most of them threw me off.

1. Whenever you greet someone you know, meet someone new, or say goodbye to anyone, you kiss them on the cheek. Girls, guys, friends, family, teachers, everyone. Everytime we come home from school or anywhere our house mother Purita gives us a big hug and kiss on the cheek. I love that woman, but that is a whole blog entry in itself! Anyway, if when I get home I kiss all of you don't be surprised:)

2. Nothing here starts on time. Nothing. Most of my classes start anywhere between 15 and 30 minutes late. Everyday. When we are invited to someone's house, we know to show up a half hour or an hour after they tell us. At first this really annoyed all of us, but we are getting adjusted to Chilean time. The exchange students from Europe were even more annoyed with it than us.

3. Most people here get around using public transportation, either on the bus or in a colectivo. Colectivos are black cars with a sign on top labeling what area of the city they cover, they all go to El Centro (downtown Coquimbo) and then cover a certain section from there. So you just wave one down that covers your area. Everytime time you ride in one it costs 400 pesos, which is about 80 cents. So pretty cheap. This is how we get to school everyday. I think there is quite a percentage of families here that don't own a vehicle because colectivos are so easy to use. Also there are so many I would imagine it's how a lot of people here make a living.

4. Everyone that actually owns a car usually drives a compact car, I love it. If everyone in America drove the type of cars people drive here, global warming probably wouldn't exist. I think I've seen 2 minivans since I got here, and it's rare to see a SUV. Even all the trucks are little Nissan and Toyotas. Also, everyone here drives crazy, and yet no one ever gets in car accidents it seems. Colectivo drivers are the craziest, but somehow it all works out and everyone gets where they need to go and no one gets hurt.

5. There is grafitti here everywhere. Every house, fence, wall, building. It's ridiculous. Some of it is artistic, some is political, but most of it is just gibberish. The only buildings that I've noticed that aren't grafittied are the LDS churches. The few I have seen are surrounded by huge tall fences and gates to keep people out and keep the building clean.

6. There are almost as many stray dogs here as there are people. They are everywhere! Every type, size, color of dog you could imagine. This has taken me the longest time to get used to. Wherever we walk we see dogs wandering around, looking for food. It's so sad. My heart's been broken a few times because I wanted to take a dog home but couldn't. They each have a certain area, now that I've been here for a while I recognize certain dogs, there are a few we see everyday on the way to school, there is one I see on the beach a lot.

7. There is a saying in Chile that whenever a woman feels down or depressed she only needs to walk by a construction site. I experienced this my first week here, while walking around the city my roomate and I walked by these 2 huge buildings that were being built and no lie, every man on every floor stopped what he was doing to watch us and whistle and yell compliments and possibly vulgar comments to us. I couldn't understand most of it so I have no idea. It was so hilarious. But honestly, you don't have to walk by a construction site here to get cat calls. Whenever we walk along a main road we get honks and whistles and yells. It's rather annoying. My 2 guy roomates try to make us wear ugly clothes cause they get sick of hearing the whistles too.

8. Chilean people seem to have a staring problem. Ok, not really, but we get stared at wherever we go, by everyone who sees us. It's probably mostly my fault because of my hair, I hate that I stick out so bad here. But you know when you catch someone staring at you and they hurry and look away when you make eye contact with them? People don't do that, even if I look someone in the face they still keep staring. There are always lots of eyes following us. It's a little unnerving sometimes, but I'm learning to ignore it. I will be excited when I get home and can blend in again.

9. It seems like everyone here smokes. Especially when I am with a group of people my age, everyone of them usually offers me a cigarette and they all smoke. Before class one day, of course the professor showed up 30 minutes late so we were all waiting outside, every other person in my class was passing around cigarettes the whole time! Also you can smoke in the clubs and discos here. So I´m hoping the secondhand smoke doesn´t kill me before I get home.

10. I don´t know if this example was a one time thing or all Chilean people are ok with this, but we went to the mall on Sunday, and there was a lady just sitting in the middle of the shoe section breastfeeding her baby. She wasn´t covered at all, just totally hanging out for everyone to see, and the store was packed! I was a little mortified, but maybe that´s normal here.

Anyway, there´s a few things that I have picked up on, there are tons of others but they are hard to explain in a blog and I wouldn´t want anyone to get the wrong idea about the people here. But I have almost been here a month and am much more accustomed to how things are done here. I am already dreading coming home because I love this place and the people so much. But I know I´m lucky to be here at all, so I´m going to enjoy it while I can!

The Ups and Downs of Chile

This time I want to tell you guys about the two best things I've experienced thus far, and one of the negative aspects. But I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea, the good experiences both outnumber and outweigh the bad ones here in Coquimbo:) Anyway, on to awesome experience number 1!

There is a pro soccer team here in Coquimbo, Coquimbo Unido. We went to one of their games a few weeks ago, and as I am in love with soccer, it was one of coolest events I've been to. The stadium is huge, and definitley has a unique look to it. The security is kind of intense as you go in, there were police, or carabineros, everywhere. They picked us out as foreigners (hmm, I have no idea why) and warned us to keep all of our possessions in our sight and keep a tight hold on everything as pick pocketers find turists to be easy targets. There were so many people swarming to the stadium, it was awesome. Everyone was in there yellow Cristal jerseys coming to represent the team, some singing, some hauling signs, etc. The day before the match it had rained, and since it rarely rains here, the stadium pretty much held all the water from the day before. So after we waded to our seats, the team came out onto the field and the game started! It was so fun to watch. There was one section of the stadium filled with superfans, all of them in the teams colors with signs and paint and everything. They all chanted, sang, and danced the entire game. They had big drums they constantly were beating on too. Everytime our team scored, they would light flares and wave them around, the fans in the upper stand threw rolls of toilet paper down onto the field( kind of a Chilean version of streamers I guess), and everyone got even louder than normal. Las Piratas were victorious, and we will definitley be attending more games before our stint here is over:)

Awesome experience number 2? We took a tour to Isla Damas, a group of 3 islands where there is a national penguin reserve and lots of other things to see. We went with a tour guide, it was about an hour and a half drive. When we got there, I was a little scared when I saw the boat we would be touring the islands in. It seemed rather small! We loaded in our little boat and all I could think about was that I was probably going to die a cold horrible death in the ocean that day. But it really wasnt that bad, there were a few waves that gave me butterflies but overall it wasn´t as dangerous as I´d imagined.

When we got to the first island we all kept our eyes out for penguins, and I'll admit I sqealed like a little girl when we saw them. They were so funny to watch! We saw some other types of birds and then we came across some sea lions on some huge rocks and saw a good fight between a couple of them. There were a couple boats gathering out farther from the island we went to see what they were watching. It was a big group of dolphins! At first they just swam along between the boats but as time went on I think they realized they had an audience and started playing and jumping. I only wished I could've taken better pictures of them!

After seeing the wildlife we went to Isla Damas and actually landed and got to explore a little bit. We had to stay on certain paths of course so as not to affect the plant and animal life on the island. It was amazing, we climbed to the very top and had a view of the ocean in every direction. i was sad to climb back in that tiny boat again and head back to the mainland. Getting out of the boat back at the port was tricky because the waves coming in were pretty big at that point and we had to time it just right. But we made it safely onto dry ground and loaded back in our tour van. That area is also famous for its olive oil so we went in search of some for Marta, the student from Spain that accompanied us. On the ride home we stopped in the desert, the tour guide wanted to show us Chile's diversity I think. Mountains, Ocean, and Desert. It was the finest sand I've ever felt though. We were all exhausted and covered in salt from ocean spray by the time we made it home. But it was an awesome experience that I wouldn't give back for anything.

So the one frustration I have experienced here: trying to change classes! Everything here is a little more disorganized than in the states, which doesn't really bother me, until I need to get something important done like change my schedule. At ISU I could just go online, see whats classes are offered, what time and what days, and drop or add classes online too. Here, it's a way more complicated process I found out. One of my classes wasn't working, and I wanted to take something different. So I had to go online and find what classes are supposedly offered this semester. Then I had to go to the department it is taught in and see if it is actually offered and when. But if the secretary wasn't there, too bad I'd have to wait and try to find out later. If I found a class that was offered at the right time, I would have to make an appointment with the Jefe Carrera, head of the dept, and talk to him about taking the class. Then if he gave it the ok, I had to meet with the professor because by that point I was almost 2 weeks behind. This wouldn't have been so bad if people actually were in their office or on campus during the day, but the people I needed to talk to were always away from their desks. Not to mention the fact that I had to try and arrange this all in spanish! Needless to say, I was frustrated by the time I had things figured out. But I have better classes now, so it was probably worth it.

So there are definitely ups and downs here, the slight disorganization has been the only cultural difference that bothers me. The fact that everything is different is one of the best parts about being here. Next time I'll share some more of the cultural differences. But now i've got to go study! Chao!

Santiago

Ok, I'm new to this whole blog thing, so I'll do my best. If I leave anything out or not answering any questions, just let me know!

So my trip here was an adventure in itself. When I got off the plane the airport was a little scary, but I made it through customs and exchanged some money and got my bags. I had to have my bags screened to make sure I wasn't bringing in any plant or animal products. They are very protective of their agriculture and so instead of screening for weapons they screen for foreign food products. There were drug dogs all over the airport just sniffing everyone's bags too. When I walked out I luckily had someone waiting for me with a sign with my name, but it said "Mr. Erin Sorensen." I'm assuming Erin is more common as a boy's name here because the guy who picked me up from the bus station thought I was a boy too! So driving through Santiago was interesting. So much grafitti and garbage! I'm sure there are some parts that are beautiful but what I saw wasn't. On the outskirts there were a lot of shanty houses and shacks. The bus station was the worst part probably. I had to haul 80 pounds of luggage everywhere I went and got stared at the whole time! I definitley stick out like a sore thumb here. Anyway, it took me a while but I got a bus ticket and got some sleep on the bus. It was an 8 hour ride. It was interesting to see the landscape change as we went north.

By the time I got to Coquimbo it was dark, my advisor's husband picked me and another student up, and we went to our new house for the next 5 months. It is a nice house, in a good neighborhood, a few minutes walk from the beach. The other 2 students were already there, so I have 3 roommates. Kaycie and Chris are from Nebraska and Eamon is from Vermont. We all have been having lots of fun together. We joke that our situation is like The Real World, the TV show. 4 strangers living together. It does get interesting! Our house mother Purita is amazing. such a sweet lady, I only wish I could understand her better! She is an awesome cook too, she makes all our meals, and there really hasn't been anything I haven't liked yet. I still have been craving some good old american food though. The most interesting thing we have tried though was at a restaurant close to our house, we got a whole plate with all sorts of seafood. Honestly, I don't even know what most of it was. Mussels, maybe clams or oysters, I have no idea! Most of it was pretty good, but not something I'd eat a lot. The fruit here is amazing, we have freshly blended juice everyday. When I was walking home from school yesterday I found the farmer's market and it was so big! There was so much good stuff. Purita uses a lot of fruits and veggies in our meals, and she makes the most delicious papaya jam!

We've had one full week of school now. It was ok, could've been better, but it definitley could've been worse. I am taking 3 classes and a spanish class for foreign students, which hasn't started yet. All of my classes seem really interesting. One professor talks really slow because all of us gringos are in there and she knows we have a hard time. But my other class has 100 people in it, which I had to stand up in and introduce myself in the first day! It was so embarrassing. I stick out bad enough as it is then my professor asks me to stand and speak in spanish in front of everyone, I'm sure my face was bright red! My other class is zoology, which should be cool because we get to go to the beach and find animals and stuff. Most of the professors and students are really willing to help and really nice so that makes it easier. I've made some Chilean friends in all of my classes, so that makes it not so scary. There are 3 Brazilian exchange students we hang out with a lot and 1 from Spain and 1 from France. They are all so fun, I love them. Except the one from Spain, she of course speaks fluent spanish so she won't talk to us because obviously our spanish isn't awesome. But we all get together a lot and have fun.

Some other interseting experiences: kayaking in the ocean! It was so awesome, we can go whenever we want. The head of the sports dept. took lots of pics so hopefully I'll be able to get them and post them on here eventually. But I did put a pic on here of me and the Brazilian girls in our kayaking outfits, we looked a little ridiculous:) We have played soccer on the beach a few times which is awesome of course! We went to La Serena, a city really close to ours and had to register with the police department. La Serena is a beautiful city, hopefully we will go back soon and I can post some pics. We have been to "El Centro" in Coquimbo a few times, it's really fun to go and look around, but we get stared at by everyone so it's annoying to go anywhere with lots of people! I am already getting tired of the stares and whistles and honks. I read before I came that the men aren't afraid to yell stuff at you from cars or make comments to women but I didn't expect it to be this bad. The boys are pretty sick of it too, they say we can't dress up at all because they've heard enough whistles already. I'm hoping I'll get used to it soon.

It's been cold here, especially the last few days. It is raining now which is really rare here. I wouldn't mind the cold but our house isn't heated at all, so the temperature outside is the temperature in our house. So we never get warm. That is why I finally have time for this blog because we're stuck inside today! Anyway, that was a along entry so I'll stop there. Let me know if you guys have questions!