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!