mil tambores

In Chilean Universities there is no mid semester break but they make up for this in three day weekends.  It seems that no Chilean actually knows what these national holidays are celebrating but they are always put to great use as the majority of the people take little trips to other parts of Chile. This past weekend I spent with my roommates by the beach in Valparaíso for a carnival called Mil Tambores para Violeta Parra.  Violeta Parra was an important Chilean folk artist during the forties, fifties, and sixties, also known for her political activism.  The carnival Mil Tambores, or a thousand drums, is a free event that has activities all over the city with concerts, parades, parties and drum circles on every corner.  Even at the bus station from Santiago every other person had a drum in hand in preparation for the carnival that takes place over the entire long weekend.

We arrived Saturday afternoon and found it very difficult to find space in a hostel on account of the long weekend in addition to the carnival that had the city full of visitors.  After walking all over town we were successful; we dropped off our things and headed out.  For dinner we went to my roommate Pancho’s favorite restaurant and had a very Chilean meal.  We ate a chorrillana which consists of a huge plate of french fries topped with onions, some sort of meat, and a fried egg on top, washed down with an Escudo, one of Chile’s most popular national beers.  From the restaurant we made our way to the top of one of Valparaíso’s cerros, or hills, to see one of the carnival’s many concerts.          

The concert was in a huge tent, filled with people dancing and enjoying the wide variety of bands.  Along with the live music the show also included many different types of dance performances, theatre, and an acrobat who danced on two colorful silks hanging high above the crowd.  This Chilean concert that was scheduled to go until 10pm of course continued until 2am, when the real party began.  We followed a huge mass of people with drums down the cerro, we did not actually know them or where they were headed but given Pancho’s experiences from Mil Tambores in previous years we had a feeling it would end well.  After a fifteen minute walk we were pleased to see we had ended up at the beach where there were hundreds of people having bonfires, drum circles, and the crazy ones swimming in the freezing cold Pacific.  

The next morning we were determined to eat the free hostel breakfast that was served only until 10am.  So we woke up at 9:45to have breakfast and tea then promptly returned to bed where we stayed until 2pm when the owner of the hostel began banging on our door because we were late to check out.  After leaving the hostel we made our way to yet another beach for the main event of the weekend:   a parade that followed the beautiful Chilean coast line.  Before it began everyone was congregated on the beach, drumming, dancing, and hanging out as we waited for the performers to congregate.  

Parades are done differently in Chile than I am used to in the United States.  The music is better, the performers are racier, and there is nothing to distinguish where the parade ends and the crowd begins.  This lively parade filled with people of all ages twisted its way along the coastline, a perfect backdrop for such a beautiful, colorful event.  In the midst of the dancers, bands, protesters, stilts, and jugglers, I could not resist joining the parade with my hula hoop. 

Click on the photos to see them larger!

me and the roommates! (plus family friend in the middle)

marcha mundial

Yesterday, October 15, Santiago participated in a day of worldwide marches for a global change.  The point of these marches was to unite the global 99% that is taken advantage of by the 1% rich minority and raise awareness about the need to instate a true democracy.  All of Santiago’s repressed were represented:  feministas, humanistas, estudiantes, indigenas, homosexuals, and everyone in between marching with flags, posters, costumes, and musical instruments.  We marched all through the city with countless chants expressing the needs and grievances of this huge group of people, representing those of the world.  There were so many people it was impossible to keep track of those you arrived with, the news estimated close to one hundred thousand individuals!  It was awesome to be able to participate in such a large worldwide movement from Santiago and I hope the rest of the world had an equally successful turnout.  Karl Marx predicted that once capitalism has gone too far, dehumanizing the public and creating an obvious social gap, the people will revolt and the system will be forced to change; I cannot help but wonder if perhaps that revolution has begun.

weird lighting, but a general idea of the huge amount of people

Chilean couple, one wearing the Chilean flag and the other wearing a Mapuche flag (the main indigenous group in Chile)

an important lesson

I went to the grocery store yesterday after being out of town for a few days, so I needed to stock up on a decent amount of items.  It was very busy in the store so I was happy when I found an oddly short line.  After loading my many items onto the belt to be checked out an old Chilean woman began yelling and waving her arms at me.  The Chilean accent is difficult enough to understand as it is, but with this woman’s rage it was impossible to make out her words and next thing I knew she had cut in front of me in line and the checker was scanning her items!  I asked the checker what was going on and she pointed to a sign hanging above the line that said it was reserved for customers in their tercera edad, which literally translates to “third life”.  I was confused about what that meant until I looked at the now long line behind me and saw only senior citizens, all glaring at me.  Apparently tercera edad is the polite way for saying viejos or elderly people.  One by one they proceeded to cut me in line but all my things were already on the belt and I did not want to move it all to another.  After the seventh viejo passed me in line I was finally able to pay for my things and be on my way.  I’ve never had so many old people mad at me in my life!  At least I now know how to politely refer to senior citizens in Spanish.  

The Chilean soccer team is playing a game as I write this blog.  It is not on in my house because I live with the only Chilean male who would rather nap than watch a soccer game (which is perhaps why we get along so well) but it does not matter because every few minutes I hear the reactions of the whole neighborhood from outside my window as Chile scores or makes a bad play.  Based on the excited cheers it sounds like Chile must be having a good game!

three months in chile

What a week!  Had my first essay due in one class and a midterm in another, it was just the academic reality check I needed to get me on track for the semester.  After neglecting weeks of reading I had to make it all up the past week and I do not expect I will do that again as I now understand the time required to read and understand scholarly material written all in Spanish.  As of now my conversational Spanish has improved greatly, but to read dense academic documents is often be very difficult.  That is the last time I put off studying!  This valuable lesson will hopefully stay with me for my remaining time here in Chile.

Yesterday was the three month anniversary of me arriving in Santiago!  Though the three months have gone by quickly I also feel as if I have been living here for much longer.  In just three months I have learned so much and my Spanish has greatly improved, it gets me excited to think about how much more I will know by the time I leave!  

independencia

In Chile the month of September is always a whirlwind.  As spring begins the days become longer and warmer, colorful clothes start to make their appearances along with the frequent smiles on the face of each Chilean.  This is just in time for the independence celebration that continues all month long.  On the 18^th of September, Chile celebrates its independence from Spain that was gained in 1818 (though not officially recognized by Spain until 1840).  Unlike the 4^th of July that is celebrated for that day only, Chileans commemorate all month long and the week of the 18^th parties continue day and night.  During the celebrations there is nobody on the streets, they have all left town to be with family or are barbequing in their homes.  As one Chilean described to me, it is as if the whole nation is celebrating Chile’s birthday.  Chilean flags can be seen billowing from everywhere and the sentiment is reminiscent of 4^th of July…on steroids.     

The entire week of the 18^th I celebrated with as many Chileans as possible, attending barbeques and drinking terremotos (earthquakes) which consist of a white wine that has not finished fermenting, a bitter called Fernet, and a scoop of pineapple ice cream.  On the actual day of the 18^th I was lucky enough to be invited to a Chilean friend’s house to celebrate with his family.  We barbequed and hung out all day and when the sun went down I was taught how to dance the national dance, Cueca, which includes a decent amount of stomping and the constant twirling of a scarf in the right hand.  It might have been the terremotos, but I really won the Chileans over with my Cueca skills and by the end of the night I felt as though I was part of the family.  Since then I have been invited to family events and am getting a deeper look into Chilean life and culture.

The final week of September everyone is so exhausted from the celebrations and behind a few weeks on their studies or work so there is a lot of lost time to be accounted for, which has led to the severe delay in my blogging.  I apologize for this lag, September happened so quickly but I will be sure to update more frequently!        

valparaíso

Since my classes have been sparse the last couple weeks it seemed like a great time to take advantage of the break in the homework for a weekend trip.  Though I am growing to love Santiago it is very grey, the ugly buildings and the winter sky were starting to get to me as I was beginning to feel claustrophobic in this urban setting.  This is my first time living in a big city and while the towering Andes put me in my place this Aquarius needed to be reunited with the Pacific Ocean, where I feel most at home.  Growing up on the California coast sparked my love for the Pacific and when I crossed it in nine days on Semester at Sea my entrancement with the world’s largest, roughest ocean was only heightened.  These factors drew me to Valparaíso this weekend, a city about halfway down Chile’s 4,270 mile coastline.  It only took an hour and a half by bus to get from the base of the Andes in Santiago to Valparaíso; I was curious to see the terrain in between but staying awake during a bus ride proved to be a bit too ambitious for me. 

Upon our arrival my friends and I stumbled upon Hostel Bellavista where we decided to stay because it had a homey feel and was close to downtown as well as the ocean.  We explored a bit and ate at a restaurant recommended to us by Pancho, my Chilean roommate.  It was a local’s spot that seemed to be a place for people to meet up at after work; the tables were full of businessmen winding down on a Friday evening with liters of beer and huge platters of meat.  It was very Chilean and is always nice to be the only gringos in a given place.  Afterwards we experienced the Valparaíso nightlife, which is much more wild than I had anticipated but with the help of some friendly locals we were able to find some fun (and free) places to go.    

       

The next morning was a bit slow.  We enjoyed our free hostel breakfast, which luckily went from 10:30 to noon (they know their clientele), while hanging out with our new Belgian friends who were also staying there and they were able to recommend some things for us to do.  Valparaíso is a very hilly city, each cerro being a different neighborhood.  Valparaíso is also known for their elevators that take you up the side of each cerro, they are a nice alternative to hiking up each hill.  We roamed around until finding Cerro Alegre (happy hill) where I was blown away by the incredible street art and colorful buildings; it was so refreshing after seeing only grey Santiago buildings for the past month and a half, not to mention the backdrop was the beautiful Pacific Ocean!  At the top of another cerro my friends and I enjoyed delicious hot chocolate in the quirky Color Café while enjoying the view and playing a few heated games of Uno.  It was great to see the big blue ocean but seemed a shame that every view was obstructed by a big, poorly placed, building; I tried not to let it get to me.  Because we were still exhausted from the night before it was best to have a mellow night so after some people watching downtown we decided to head back to the hostel for tea and reading. 

After another breakfast with Belgians we packed up our things and headed out for the day.  We ran across another student march (you can’t go far in Chile without finding yourself in the middle of a political demonstration) and then found the local Sunday flea market.  It was so big; people were selling anything you could imagine:  food, clothes, household goods, even all sorts of pets from turtles to bunnies and even ducks!  I picked up The Call of the Wild in Spanish and I’m looking forward to starting it.  From there we found a specific elevator recommended to us by an old Chilean man the day before, Ascensor Polanco, and it took us through a brick tunnel and up to the top of a beautiful cerro overlooking the whole city; it was a great way to end our excursion. 

After walking back down to sea-level I bartered my last 500 pesos for a delicious empanada and we got back onto the bus to Santiago.  I again slept the whole way but when we returned to Santiago and got on the metro headed to the green line I experienced a bizarre sentiment.  It occurred to me that this huge grey city was comforting and when I stepped off the metro at the Parque Bustamante station I felt as though I was home.  While I was looking forward to an escape from this city it was very nice to be back in my neighborhood where the enormous cordillera welcomed me and the familiarity of Santiago made me feel delightfully rooted.  

view from the hostel

beautiful street art

ascensor!

city at sunset

panorama from cerro polanco

en paro

After two weeks of my school being en paro, or on strike, tomorrow I will return to my classes at the Pontifica Universidad Católica de Chile.  It was a big deal that the students at my university voted for this strike in the first place as it is a private university with a wealthier student body; they already have access to a quality education and have therefore been less involved in the fight against the unfair education system.  Students are supposed to vote weekly on whether or not to stay en paro but a letter from the president of my university this week insisted that teachers resume classes or they will lose their jobs.  This is very different from the other universities who have been on strike much longer as the votes of the students are being respected.  It seems quite sad that though the students are trying to help fellow Chileans, the school is not allowing them to do so.  I am actually looking forward to getting back to class, I have way too much free time on my hands which has been great for playing and exploring but I expect once I am in a classroom I will learn even more Spanish and meet even more Chilean friends.  It will be interesting to see how many students actually show up tomorrow!   

a banner at my school, it reads "nobody has ever asked permission to change history"

education reform

Public education in Chile is still run by the same system set up by Gen. Pinochet during his dictatorship from 1973-1990, which makes public education very expensive and difficult to attain.  Students here feel as though their education should be free, or at least cheaper, and accessible to everyone regardless of financial status.  They are so fed up with the system that students in Chile have started doing something about it and for the past few months have been striking, marching, and protesting for an education reform.  Even the high school students have taken over their schools; many are en toma, which means that the students are occupying the school not allowing even professors or administrators to enter.  These protests and strikes will continue until their requests are met, students have written a list of demands and refuse to back down until the things they require are attained.  As of now, Chile spends about 4.4% of their GDP on education while the UN recommends that nations devote a minimum of 7%.  Not to mention that their neighbor to the east, Argentina, offers free education to all citizens and even students from outside of the country while their economy is smaller and less stable than that of Chile. 

The students here are truly inspiring and witnessing this movement has been an aspect of this trip I could have never expected.  It is annoying to not be able to leave a metro stop because the teargas is so heavy in the air, if the station is even open at all, or having to maneuver your way through a big crowd of people on your way to somewhere else in the city, but one must respect all the effort these students are putting into this highly important cause.  While the protests often start peacefully, some escalate into an all-out battle between the students and the police, or carabinieros.  You do not have to hang around long to see teargas and sticky water be sprayed on the chanting crowd, immediately followed by hordes of students throwing whatever they can get their hands on at the carabinieros and their armored cars.  I had been afraid of these protests, as I could not even leave my apartment on Thursday because of the heavy burn of teargas in the air and carabinieros hiding behind every tree, waiting to catch a protester off guard, but last week my curiosity won me over and I decided to see what these manifestacions are all about. 

I was a little late to arrive and only found the manifestacion because I followed a large group of carabinieros who I figured were headed in the same direction.  There were tens of them lined up, shields ready, creating a barricade with armored cars and more officers on horses, as if preparing for battle.  I turned around and realized I was standing right in between them and the mob of protesters, not the best place for a gringa who faces deportation if caught at a march, especially considering the wide range of blunt objects that would no doubt soon be thrown in the direction of the carabinieros.  Before I could even get myself out of this frightening situation I saw numerous armored cars come from side streets and position themselves between myself and the demonstrators.  Without hesitation the police cars began spewing this horrible sticky water and loads of teargas, or guanaco, on the once peaceful crowd.  The only counter to the guanaco is to bite on a lemon and put a scarf over your face, though this helps it is far from cancelling out the sting in your eyes, nose, throat, and skin.  The students do not take lightly to this kind of treatment and fight back with whatever they can find, throwing rocks, street signs, and what is left of burnt benches.  It is always easy to tell where a march has recently taken place as there is debris everywhere, the surrounding area is still wet from the water cannons, lingering tear gas still stings in your nose, and carabinieros are roaming around. 

Not all the marches end this way.  In fact, I went to another that was completely opposite just two days before.  This was a Sunday, the march was intended for families and there was actually a permit for an authorized location.  The crowd of people was the biggest I have seen all congregating to exercise their right to protest.  People of all ages were in attendance, not just students but children and adults, even elderly folks.  It made me realize that this is not just an effort for those in school, but a nationwide struggle for equality.  I began speculating why people who are not actually students have an interest in this cause.  For a nation so fresh out of a dictatorship, the adults of Chile are not used to having a say in their government so their right to protest is something they actually take advantage of.  This long march ended with a concert and comedian in the park, followed by a drum circle and dance party for those who didn’t mind the rain. 

Seeing the Chilean public work so hard for this cause makes me feel as though we Californians are either lazy or just don’t realize the power of the public.  Each student of the CSU system is paying $1,200 more this year; we have seen a fee increase every year for the last ten years and a 16% increase in tuition in the past two years alone!!  This is happening while classes are being cut, making it nearly impossible to get the ones needed for graduation.  Faculty see their work load increase with class sizes bigger than ever before while being paid less, that’s if they get to keep their jobs.  Meanwhile, the chancellors of the public system are driving luxury vehicles and taking European rendezvous on their $250,000 a year salaries while us students fund their lifestyles and don’t question it.  The Chilean effort is to stop the running of public education like a business, a lesson that we Californians could afford to take.

sticky water on the crowd

"education is a right not a privilege"

granny and the carabinieros

the aftermath

a month in chile

Today is my one month anniversary of arriving in Chile!  While time has flown I also feel as though I have been gone for far longer because I have learned and seen so much in the last four weeks.  I look forward to the next twelve months, as my language skills will improve I will be able to learn even more and connect with more people.  Most foreign students I have met are only able to stay for a semester, I feel very lucky to be enrolled in a yearlong program as my time here is already passing so quickly!

Apparently it is normal in Chile for teachers not to show up the first week of school, I only ended up having one class this entire week!  It is so bizarre and while I thought by now I would be bogged down with homework and the stresses of school, I am still relaxing and enjoying easing into this semester.

first week of school

Tomorrow I begin my first official day at Pontifica Universidad Cathólica de Chile.  Though I have been nervous about starting real classes I have not lost sight of why I am here, so am excited to start learning more each day and meeting the friends with whom I will share this year-long journey.  Though today, Monday, August 1^st, is actually the first day of classes; the schedule I have arranged has me only attending class Tuesday through Thursday.  Class selection here is very different than I am used to at Sonoma State University.  The first week students are allowed to attend any class that they are interested in and then register after this “shopping period”; securing that it is a course worth taking.  This seems like a good system and works only because there are actually enough classes for all of the students, rather than at SSU where we are all scrambling to fill the limited number of seats.  Starting tomorrow I will take a mandatory Chilean Culture and Spanish grammar class plus two electives.  I will be choosing between Culture and Society in Latin America, History of Mexico, and Politics of Latin America in the 20^th century.  These classes will be taught entirely in Spanish, which is where the real challenge lies, I am a decent communicator in person but understanding lectures with college level vocabulary will certainly be a struggle.  Not to mention that Chileans speak quickly and with a very strong accent, this can make an entire sentence sound like one long word. 

The university I will be attending is a private, catholic school and one of the top ranked universities in Latin America.  Expectations here are much higher than at my home university and I am concerned  about the workload which other students have described as heavily based on outside reading, it will be quite an endeavor to piece together large amounts of scholarly material with my basic (but improving) Spanish.  While nervous about the semester ahead, I feel privileged to have the opportunity to attend such a prestigious university and look forward to all the knowledge I will gain from such a well versed faculty and student body.  

no time for sleep when there is so much exploring to be done

I have had a very Chilean experience this weekend and find it interesting how the most incredible adventures seem to come without plan.  Some friends and I had intentions to take a weekend trip to the Chilean coast and Pablo Neruda’s hometown of Valparaiso, when they fell through I was a little upset but excited about the idea of resting for the first time since I arrived (which, of course, never actually happened).

Since arriving in Chile I have been taking a Spanish class in order to prepare for the real semester which will start in just a week.  I was excited that we would be watching a movie on Friday but had no idea how much the movie would stir me and impact my ideas about my new country of residence.  The 2004 movie Machuca chronicles the friendship of two young boys, one very poor and one very rich, who end up in class together after the attempted integration of a private all boys school to include students of lower socioeconomic standings.  The movie takes place in Santiago during the democratically elected socialist government of Salvador Allende, shortly before Augusto Pinochet’s bloody military coup on September 11, 1973.  I have heard and studied about this horrific time in Chile’s recent history, but never before had it been put so clearly into perspective.  Anyone who was believed to oppose the new dictator, backed heavily by President Nixon, was either killed or abducted to be sent to concentration camp-like facilities.  In the film you can grasp the severity of the time as it is from the perspective of children and get a tiny look into the fear invoked onto such a large group of people.  Pinochet had the longest dictatorship in the history of Latin America (which has a long history of dictators) he ruled all the way until 1990!  What strikes me the most is how relevant all this still is in Chile, such a large number of the current population was alive during his regime and had family or friends or both that were lost/tortured/killed during those seventeen years.   If ever you have the chance I would encourage everyone to watch Machuca and get an interesting perspective on the actual events in 1970s Chile.

Later that night my roommates and I ventured downtown to see a band.  We arrived at 11:35pm to find the venue empty and the man working there told us it was not to start until midnight, so we decided to get a drink beforehand.  It is still shocking to me how late nightlife gets going in this city!  As we left my roommate, Pancho, told me that whenever he has parties the foreigners always show up at 10pm but the Chileans don’t find their way there until between 12 and 5am.  This culture of late night parties is definitely going to take some getting used to, especially considering I am always the first of my American friends to fall asleep…When we got back to where the concert was at 1:30am the line was down the block, that is about the time when things in Santiago start to really get pumpin’.  The band, Chorizo Salvaje (Savage Chorizo), is from the south of Chile and incorporates an energizing blend of cumbia, ska, reggae, and punk, backed by African inspired beats.  The music was fast and fun and what I could make of the fastpaced Spanish lyrics were equally as awesome.  Check them out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kokiLVOXB08&feature=related

When I awoke the next morning I could have never guessed what my day would hold.  A most bizarre series of events in an attempt to find a Colombian culture festival lead me and two friends to the top of a random hill in a neighborhood we had never heard of.  There, we encountered a Mapuche festival.  The Mapuche are a large indigenous group from central/southern Chile, today they make up about 4% of the Chilean population and fight very hard to preserve their culture in a rapidly westernizing world.  At this festival we met a friendly man who introduced himself as Gurumantra.  Gurumantra sent us even further up the hill with talk of some sort of indigenous sauna thing (at least that is what my intermediate Spanish deciphered).  I have been fighting a cold and thought maybe some steam would do my body well during this winter in the southern hemisphere.  At the top of the hill we found the group of people around the fire, calling upon all the elements before the start of the steam.  When it was time everyone put on light cloth wraps and we began to file into the temescal.  At this point I began thinking that this perhaps would not be the quick sauna sesh I had anticipated while ascending this hill, but I was already wearing the sarong so continued to go along with it.  Each individual began filing into the round adobe hut, or the ombligo (bellybutton) of the Earth, as it was being referred to.  Once inside this 10ft wide, 3ft tall adobe circle with 20 Mapuche descendants I began grasp what I was in for, there was no way out of this one, we were too cramped in there to even sit cross legged.  The leaders of this ritual began bringing in big smoldering rocks from below the fire that we sang around just minutes before.  We welcomed each one as abuelita (grandmother) and a different herb was sprinkled on each individually.  Once they were all inside the final man joined us in the ombligo and closed the heavy multi-layered cloth door behind him, leaving us all in the pitch black darkness.  I subdued my panic by remembering there were people both older and younger than me in there, there was no way I was the weakest though I had no idea how long I would be in this indigenous vapor bath.

The leaders of the ritual began throwing water on the smoldering rocks, creating more and more steam in this tiny, enclosed vicinity.  It got very hot very quickly and within a few minutes I was sweating from every orifice of my body, the only thing keeping me from panic was to chant along with the others.  We sang and chanted songs to the Earth, songs for peace, clarity, and understanding.  Though I had never heard these songs before they were simple enough to follow, when we could not keep up everyone just hummed or chanted along, saying whatever felt right.  We went around the circle, each offering gratitude to Mother Earth and expressing a wish or hope for themselves, the world, whomever.  Though I could not understand everything being said, what I could make out were some of the most inspiring words I had ever heard.  After we completed the circle, the door was opened and the winter breeze felt better than it ever had.  Though I appreciated the power of the temescal I was glad it was over as my legs were starting to cramp up, the sticks on the ground were digging into my backside, not to mention I was sweatiest I’ve been in my life.  But I was severely mistaken; the door was just opened so more big smoldering rocks were brought in from the fire outside.  We started again but this time hotter and longer with no circle talk, just the songs of natives being sung with all the intensity our weakening bodies could muster.  This happened four times. 

By the fourth I was too weak to even keep my eyes open, not that it mattered considering it was the same dark whether they were open or closed.  It was the most uncomfortable situation I have ever been in, yet not a negative thought could pass through my mind.  The energy surrounding me was so positive and the people so raw with love and hope made me want to be a better, more productive human being.  I could feel the dead skin falling off my body as I was being cleansed not only internally but externally, stripped of all the built up grime and toxins I had been carrying for far too long.  When the door finally opened after the fourth round, about two hours later, we one by one drank from a jug of water that had been infused with rosemary for as long as we had been inside.  This was the first taste of water anyone had had since entering the ombligo.  Once everyone drank, we filed out one at a time and reconvened around the fire for our final chants before going on our way.  I left feeling energized, inspired, and clean.  So glad the details of this ritual were lost in translation, or I would have probably never had the courage to participate in such a powerful practice.                       

іBienvenidos a Chile!

I am finally feeling settled in my new Chilean life.  Getting used to a new city, one much bigger than anywhere I have lived before, is both bizarre and exciting.  After just five days in Santiago, Chile I moved into an apartment in the neighborhood of Providencia, close to a Parque Bustamante, a large park with many lawns, a pool, skatepark, and library.  Just on the other side of Parque Bustamante is one of the busiest spots in the city with a large plaza, Plaza Italia, and the biggest metro stop in the city, Baqueadano.  It is a wonderful location as my neighborhood is relatively quiet while all the activity of the city is within reach.  My residence is currently being shared with a girl from England, a boy from France, and our Chilean homeowner, Francisco, or Pancho to his friends.  I have felt at home here since the first day, my roommates are friendly and interesting and I seem to fit well within the group.  Pancho has been so helpful my first two weeks in my attempt to learn as much as I can about the city, culture, and Spanish language.  He understands how little I know and is more than willing to explain everything, even helps me with my homework and always quick to offer bits of useful information regarding life in Chile.   

        

Americans are notoriously poor at geography, so for those who might be wondering where exactly I have ended up this time here is a little information about my new home.  Chile consists of a long strip of land that stretches 2,700 miles along the west coast of South America, the country is ribbon shaped and only about 150 miles across at its widest point. 

   

Geographically, Chile is highly reminiscent of California.  Bordered on one side by the Pacific Ocean, Chile’s eastern limit runs along the Andes Mountain range, the longest continental mountain range in the world and the tallest mountain range outside of Asia.  Santiago, the nation’s capital and my new home, has 6.3 million residents which makes up about one third of the entire Chilean population.  Located at the base of the Andes, the view of la cordillera is spectacular and has an enlightening way of putting into perspective my significance in the universe…when the view is not completely blocked by the heavy Santiago smog.

It is both exciting and nerve racking to think that I have only completed two weeks of this thirteen month journey, as I feel I have been gone for far longer based on all I have done and learned in such a short time.  I have already begun to pick up on Chilean slang and am steadily becoming a metro master, making Santiago feel more and more like home each day.  I am overwhelmed with gratitude for having such an incredible opportunity to fully experience a different life and look forward to making the most of each day!