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!