School

People have told me that I should write about school. I realize that I have not written much about that subject even though it dominates most of my waking hours. So here we go:

I wake up at 6:15 each morning, prepare for the day, have breakfast, and leave for school, which starts at 8:00, at around 7:30. It’s a 20 minute drive to the school through some rough neighborhoods. It’s not uncommon to see gigantic piles of burning trash on the side of the road. My school is a very nice, modern building, though, and in a better part of town.

Most of my classes are an hour and a half long. They usually drag on. My professors talk very quickly. I would say that I understand less than half of what they say. But it’s getting better. The classroom environment is very laid back. Students and teachers have a very friendly relationship. It’s nice to see. The classes are very talkative. When I tell people that all of my classes in the U.S. were 45 minutes, they’re usually surprised and jealous.

Students can choose 1 of 3 fields of study: Science, Language, or Mathematics. I chose science. This means that I have more science classes than students in the other areas do. I have mixed feelings about that decision. Science is definitely my favorite subject, but when taken in another language it involves learning about 1,000 new vocab words. It’s difficult to follow.

 I have a different schedule every day. I have yet to totally figure it out (I carry my schedule around all day every day. I don't think anyone else does this. It's getting very tattered). A typical Thursday goes like this: “Oration”-15 minutes; Biology-90 minutes; 15 minute break; Math-90 minutes (this is a general math class, with algebra, geometry, and some pre-calculus. I also have an Algebra class); 15 minute break; Philosophy-90 minutes; Lunch break; History-45 minutes; Catholic Culture-90 minutes. We finish at 4:00 and  I get home at around 4:45.

Math is probably my easiest class, as what we’re learning now I learned four years ago (although this makes it hard to remember) and math is a universal language.

There’s a very lax attitude about swearing and dirty humor. Students swear loudly in class, and the professors usually don’t say anything (unless it’s “shut up,” which is very common). The same goes for dirty jokes.

On a similar note, there are a couple of darker skinned people in my class. They would be called “white” in the U.S, but here people call them “Negro” in a friendly way. This is because there are very few black people in Chile (I think the only ones I’ve seen so far were at the airport or at the International Police, registering like I had to). Apparently it’s not offensive. I’m often called “El Gringo.” I’m not offended by this, as no one has said it to me in a derogatory manner, although I have had some people check to make sure that it doesn't bother me. So I suppose it could be considered offensive. But it doesn’t bother me. My classmates are all very nice.

The last day of school is December 11^th, when summer break starts. I feel lucky that I’ll get to spend a summer here. All of the students that go to a country in the Northern Hemisphere arrive around the time school starts and leave when school ends.

A Month In Chile

Today marks one month in Chile! It’s gone by very quickly. I feel totally at home here (although I have yet to totally figure out my class schedule). I’ve been here for 32 days. Wow. Another 300 left to go! I don’t know how I feel about that yet. I don’t have much to say right now about it being my one month anniversary with a country, so I’m hoping that I can fluff up my blog with some of the things that I wrote earlier.

I apologize for the inconsistent fonts and indentations. I still need to figure out how to use this thing. I will fix up this post and add pictures some time when I'm not so tired.

I spent the better part of last week at the beach in Vina Del Mar with my host family. It was a great time full of sitting on the beach, long walks, and meals with friends. I also went to my first fonda (think of a county fair on steroids). There are fondas all over Chile the week of the 18th to celebrate its independence. It was very fun. I got to try some typical Chilean dishes.

Really cocky seal

Valparaiso is about a ten minute drive from Vina Del Mar. It’s a beautiful city, with small, pastel-colored houses and shops built into a steep mountainside. We toured the house of Pablo Neruda, La Sebastiana, which I enjoyed, although I like his house in Isla Negra more. Pablo Neruda , one of the most prominent writers of the 20th century, was a very interesting man. He collected all sorts of things, like compasses, maps, statues, paintings, pipes, bottles, and houses. He liked to entertain and cook for friends. One of his favorite dishes was Conger eel, a fact which was mentioned at both of the houses I toured.

After the tour, we walked to a restaurant. I felt obligated to try their Conger eel. It was delicious.

Conger eel

Valparaiso is an international traveler’s paradise. Accommodation is easy to find, with hotels and hostels all over the place. It’s chock full of restaurants, cafes and street vendors. And it has some of the most famous views and attractions in Chile. And it has one of the biggest, most active ports in the country. If you want to see Chilean culture in a day, Valparaiso is where to go.

A couple of exciting trips are coming up. I'll be going with my school to the far south of Chile from the 18th to the 24th of October. I'm not quite sure exactly what we'll be doing, but I know that it involves an 11 hour bus ride (each way), sight seeing, and class t-shirts, so I'm excited.

Then I will be leaving for Patagonia, the far far south of Chile (think glaciers) on the 27th of October, three days after I get back from the trip with my school. This is a Rotary trip (one of three), and I'm very excited for it.

I think that's all as far as updates go. I'll write as soon as anything exciting happens (other than living in South America. That's pretty exciting). I would love to hear from any of you.

Three Weeks

I've been in Chile for just over three weeks. It's been an awesome, crazy, confusing time. I've already had so many adventures. Like:

Food

Chileans have a distinct diet. Meat, seafood, bread, and avocado make up the vast majority of what I've eaten. I'm not complaining. A couple of weeks ago, I made sushi with my host family. So much sushi. It was delicious, with crab, shrimp, and chicken, rice, onion, and seaweed. We fried a few rolls.

Making sushi with my host sister and a friend

About 1/4 of what we ended up making

Last Sunday. we had a great meal consisting of crab, clams, a type of fish native to the northern coast of Chile, and picorocos, From Wikipedia: "The giant barnacle, or picoroco as it is known in Spanish, is a species of large barnacle native to the coasts of Chile and southern Peru." We needed to smash the tough shell with a big mortar and pestle to get to the small amount of meat on the inside.

Earlier this week we had whole, raw artichokes for dinner. I had had artichoke once before, and it had been cooked and stuffed. These were very different. Not bad, just different.

A couple of nights ago we had crudo. By definition, this just means "raw". We put raw ground beef (a lot of it) into a bowl. This would be our entree. We then spread it on toast and topped it with lemon juice, onions, mayonnaise, and pickles, always in that order. It was actually delicious.

A more traditional meaning of the word adventure:

Trips

I've gone into the city of Santiago four or five times now. It is expansive, so I've barely scratched the surface. Most of my time in the city has been spent doing things for Rotary, like registering with the international police or trying to get my ID (several times). I have also done some "touristy" things, including going to La Moneda, The Museum of Memory and Human Rights, a Cinema Museum, and most recently, the Natural History Museum (which is absolutely awesome). There's a picture on my host mom's camera of us at the Natural History Museum that is an action shot of a little kid slipping right as he walked into frame. I'll add that when I get it.

La Moneda (Presidential Palace) with my host parents. I think this is in here somewhere else, too.

Yesterday I went with my Canadian friend and her host parents to Isla Negra. This is where the prominent poet Pablo Neruda had one of his three houses. It is protected from the Pacific by a rocky coast just below the house. Neruda designed his house to have a ship-like feel about it, which it certainly does. This atmosphere is enhanced by all of the marine artwork (including about a dozen figureheads). I was not allowed to take photos at the house, unfortunately.

After touring the house, we went to a few beaches in the area. Although it was relatively warm yesterday, it is still winter here, so we did not get a chance to go into the ocean, although we did get our feet wet. The beaches are beautiful and the Pacific is stunning and humbling. I really felt like I could sit and stare at it all day and never get bored.

This and the next photo were taken from outside Pablo Neruda's house in Isla Negra

A beach near Quisco, Chile

San Alfonso del Mar: a huge private resort with the world's largest swimming pool. The pool contains 66 million gallons of water. It is over a kilometer long and covers 20 acres. It is 115 feet deep at the deepest point. It cost 2 billion USD to build in 2005/2006 and costs 4 million USD yearly to maintain.

Pelicans all over the place

I know there will be a lot more adventures to come. I will be spending four or five days later this week at the beach. And I plan to go to Patagonia next month, if things go according to plan. I'm excited for the future.

Also, I feel obligated to prove to my parents that I can maintain a clean room:

My room after having been lived in for three weeks

September

September is a very important month in Chile. September 18^th is celebrated as Independence Day. It is a huge deal. We have a week off of school. There are all sorts of festivities that will go on throughout the country. There are Chilean flags and other decorations all over the place.

 On September 18^th, 1810, Chile declared itself free of Spanish rule. It was a corrupt government (like usual) that led the Chileans to revolt against the Spanish. The Spanish governor of Chile at the time, Francisco Antonio García Carrasco, was directly involved in a scandal in 1808, in which he ordered a shipment of smuggled merchandise to be stolen from the ship at port. During the robbery, the captain of the ship and most of the crew were murdered. When word of this got out, Chileans were outraged and the governor went into hiding. This scandal, led by a Spanish official, pushed Chile to cut ties with Spain.

Another big factor in Chile’s independence was the French invasion of Spain in 1808. Napoleon captured the King of Spain and put his brother on the throne. Even the colonies that were loyal to the Spanish throne (Chile, for the most part, was not), did not want their taxes going to the French.

Anyway. Back to the Future.

In 1973, there was a coup d'etat to overthrow the elected president, Salvador Allende and the oppressive government. It came to a climax on September 11^th, 1973, when the Chilean army bombed the presidential palace in Santiago. Augusto Pinochet, who was made commander in chief by President Allende, took the opportunity to rise to power. Pinochet disbanded all political parties and thousands of Chileans were kidnapped, tortured, killed or exiled under his rule. Many people just disappeared. He was dictator until 1990.

Like in the United States, this is a sad day. Many schools and businesses close early.

We have a lot planned for this weekend and next week, so I'll have a lot to write about soon.

Two Week Update (give or take a day)

Once again, all over the map.

I’ve been in Chile for about two weeks. I’m feeling comfortable with my host family and my classmates. People are pointing out how much my Spanish has improved. I’m feeling pretty settled in.

I met my second host mother, who happens to be the other inbound from my club's current host mother. She’s very nice, very welcoming. Doesn’t speak any English. I like where she lives: In a little apartment in a little apartment building right by some stores and vendors. I will be moving in with her in about 4.5 months.

I had the orientation yesterday, which was great. I didn't know what to expect. All the students from the district were there. The district is huge. It stretches from Santiago to at least as far as Talca, which almost a 5 hour drive. We arrived in Rancagua at 9:30, registered, and sat through a few hours of presentations. The presentations were almost exclusively about rules. I met tons of students from all over the world and gave out and received lots of pins and cards. We also saw the traditional Chilean dance, la cueca, performed after a lecture about drugs or something. 

After the presentations and dancing, we had a good lunch of beef, potatoes, salad, and an amazing juice. If there’s one thing Chileans have got down, it’s dessert. The dessert yesterday was awesome. I don’t know what it’s called, but I need a recipe (along with the recipe of every other dessert I've tried here so far).

Last week, my school took a field trip to the History Museum in Santiago. I did not realize how tragic the modern history of Chile is. The late 20th century was a violent, tumultuous time. It was a sobering trip.

On a totally different note, there are almost no police in this part of Santiago. I think I might have seen one police car around here. There are police all over downtown Santiago, though. Makes me appreciate living in a gated community.

I'll probably post again sometime this week. Chau.

Day 10 Update

This was supposed to be a One Week Update.

I apologize in advance for how I jump from topic to topic in this post.

I've been in Chile for 10 days. It's been a great, exciting, exhausting 10 days. I'm starting to feel at home here.

I've now been into Santiago twice- once to register my visa and once to do touristy things. Santiago is a big, beautiful city. It's going on 500 years old, and one could probably guess that by looking at some of the architecture, which is mixed in to more modern parts of the city. We went to La Moneda, where the President lives, a couple museums, the 17th best ice cream parlor in the world, and more. It was a nice day.

"You are in one of the 25 best ice cream parlors in the world."

La Moneda

I feel bad for the stray dogs. It’s cold and rainy here, and for the most part, the dogs don’t look like they’re ok on their own. They look cold, wet, and very hungry. They don’t look feral; they look like they want someone to take care of them.

The birds here are interesting. Some look similar to U.S. birds, some look identical, some are very different. I’m a fan of Vanellus chilensis Valdivia, which has a body similar to that of a pigeon’s, long legs like a seagull, and a beak like a duck. I did a double-take the first time I saw one.

It's hard to tell, but there's a duck bill in there

I really felt more confident in my ability to talk today. I had actual conversations with classmates, not just the standard “hello,” “goodbye,” and “I don’t understand.” I still have a long way to go, but speaking Spanish is feeling more natural.

I’m a fan of how close Chileans are with each other. It’s a very warm, welcoming country. When a man or a woman meets another woman (for the first time and most of the following times), they kiss on the cheek. Men shake hands, often hug, and sometimes do a cheek kiss, too. I like this because it tears down walls that other cultures keep up for a long time, if not forever. It’s a very intimate culture.