Valparaiso

Sunday July 19
We field tripped to Valparaiso, the first port on the Pacific. It was a booming port city until the Panama Canal was built. Now it barely survives on tourism, universities, and some exports. We got a tour by Vale's friend who grew up in Valaparaiso and she wanted to show us two different sides of the city aka the social divisions. The social divisions are extremely evident. The poorer you are, the higher up on the hills you live. And you don't cross neighborhood lines ever. And there are hundreds of people live on the streets with the hundreds of stray dogs.

We started our tour on a boat to get a view of the city from the water. All of the houses and buildings are crammed onto hills and it looks like favelas or a shantytown from the water. When you get up close and walk around the streets it looks a little different-in some neighborhoods- but there is great street art and beautiful architecture. As we were getting pulled into shore everyone on the boat hears this "CRACK" noise and we look up and a man hit another man over the head with a 2 x 4 piece of wood. ha ha no big deal. This guys is literally gushing blood and people are screaming and yelling and it was all because the guy wanted to pull the boat in. Welcome to Valaparaiso!

The next surprise moment was the man who brought his pet llama right behind the group scaring the crap out of me. 1000 pesos for a picture of the llama hahah.

Later on we saw a dog fight too.

Anyway, We got to go up into one of the elevators that brings you up the hill side. there are only about 30 working elevators in this city of about 256,000 people. Therefore locals walk up hills and stairs. We happened to get this experience when the second elevator we wanted to go on was broken. Awesome. 239,234,309 stairs later we made it to the top. I guess the view was worth it, but seriously we were huffing and puffing. Even "gimpy" our three legged stray dog mascot for the day made it up before us. the other half of the group rode the bus to the top of the hill to see Pablo Neruda's third house. Obviously i made the wrong decision haha.

The day was extremely eye opening. we ended it by stopping off for a beer before we got on the bus for the ride home so we would all pass out. And we did.

p.s. I climbed to the 11th floor when we got home because the line for the elevator was too long. I almost passed out by the 8th floor....too many stairs for one day.

Monday July 20
Our lecture was in Barrio Nunoa and it was the first time that we went there. Therefore we got EXTREMELY lost getting to the universidad de chile. I'm talking like we re-traced our steps, got on the wrong bus, rode the metro one stop from home, walked in a circle, etc etc. fun way to start the morning is all I can say, especially when I have a sore throat, runny nose, and on the verge of a fever. All I wanted to do was go back to bed. Our lecture was all about tripartism, unions, and the difficulty in getting things done in the chilean political system. Afterwards we had a nice lunch somewhere around something in nunoa. Still, not a clue about that neighborhood haha.

la bicicleta verde

Deephers in Chile!

Saturday July 18

Bike tour day! Myself and a few others were slightly nervous about riding a bike since it has legitimately been years since i've been on one. And it only made me a little less nervous when our tour guide said that for the MOST part we would be on small roads...only large roads sometimes...ha! Our tourguide was an American who found himself in Chile for the past year and a half after living in Moscow and not wanting to return home. He was from tennessee. His accent was strangely refreshing. Maybe it was just the english part of it.

Anyway, so all 20 something of us get on our bikes and put on our helmets and follow each other all around the city. it was so great. It was beautiful out and it was just so nice to get a sense of the city and see new things like Bella Artes, La Moneda from the other side, differt parks, etc. The coolest thing was the mural on the Gabriela Mistral cultural center that they are rebuilding. If you go left to right, this block long mural depicts Chilean regions and cultural icons from north to south. It was beautiful. I was totally in my happy place all afternoon. We even got some political and history lessons. AND ice cream!! Well, the ice cream was gross. but still! what a great deal. My butt is sore.

THEN we went to a korean/japanese restaurant in Bella Vista. There were 18 of us and they sat us right away...okay so that was promising...but the menu was totally in KOREAN and the spanish words for the korean food. luckily there is one girl on the trip who is fluent in korean, spanish, and english. How lucky were we? She literally had to translate the entire menu for all of us. It was a nightmare. I was being adventurous and ordered some octopus dish. it was spicy and delicious and flavorful. I am all about the food here in chile, but a lot of it is simple and no spices or flavor. this was such a delicious change of pace.

Fiestaaa

i also did some exploring of Plaza de Armas yesterday. It is a big tourist/shopping/museum/church area. it reminds me a lot of Duomo in Milan. Except it's a little better since i didn't get flocked by pigeons...yet...

learning how to salsa^

we went out for someone's 21st birthday tonight...techodiscoteca in bella vista where we were the only people there. obviously all 26 of us bring the fun. Then we moved on to another place...we picked up a friend along the way who promised us no entrance charge and a good time...sounds iffy, but we ended up at this local smallish restaurant which pulled apart the tables and opened up the floor so they could teach us how to salsa!! First we got a show, then we did the congo line and got salsa lessons, drinks, and food!! S O M U C H F U N! This was the best time i've had so far! Talk about hospitality!

los completos! (hot dogs)

Wednesday July 15:
we had a lecture at the University of Chile with Joe Ramos, an economics professor with an impressive career record in Latin American political economic sector. ((He was born in the US- Philly to be exact- so it was in english!)) The lecture was Chilean economics for dummies...a basic overview of the social inequality, the Chilean 'Miracle' (economy boom in the 1990s), the education system, and the advances Chile has taken and how far they still have to go. Chile is at the upper echelon of developing countries but by 2025, many hope it can reach standards of Portugal or New Zealand.

We finally met up with Valentina and she took us to a museum at the President's Palace (La Moneda) downtown. We also witnessed another protest going on. Something to do with wanting more state control. I was informed that if a bomb should go off, to head towards the subway. Awesome. Don't worry mom, it was an unlikelyhood, but you never know if there are radicals. We saw exhibits about Violeta Parra (a famous folk singer and artist) and the islands of the Pacific. All in Spanish. and yes, i was standing around with my dictionary trying to translate. We also played with the big lifesize gladiator toys at the museum. Us and all of the 5 year olds.

We reached our lunch destination STARVING. literally ALL of the bread was gone from the table in 5 minutes. I've never had so much lunch before in my life. We had bread and salsa, salad, steak, pork ribs, chicken, potatoes, french fries, and empanadas. Gluttony much? The meat and potatoes arrived on this huge roasting pot (pictures to come) with hot coals. It was pretty amazing. We waddled out. I had to let the food digest for 2 hours, but i forced myself to go to the gym due to the gluttony.

Christina and i decided to go on a date and see Harry Potter last night. Others from the group decided to stay in and drink haha. We got dropped off at Parque Arauco on the outskirts of town. It was this amazing outdoor/indoor mall complex straight out of palm springs or something with multiple American restaurants. I'm totally up for a trip back to TGIFridays. Anyway, we had the time wrong so we had to buy tickets for the dubbed Harry Potter. no big deal for her, since she speaks spanish really well. Kind of a big deal for me. (But i actually got by relatively well. Apparently they speak slower in Hollywood spanish than Chilean spanish). I also ordered a hot dog at the theater (yeah, i forgot about lunch). But it was not a regular hot dog, it was the condiment king of hot dogs. They serve hot dogs here with guacamole, ketchup, mustard, mayonase, cheese whiz, and tomatoes. A M A Z I N G and obviously good for my cholestrol. I'm totally going to start eating hot dogs that way. anyway, i cannot wait to see Harry Potter in English.

Thursday July 16

Holiday so no classes!! Instead, we had a field trip to Pablo Neruda's 2nd house in Isla Negra which is about 2 hours away. He is a collector of all things from shells to easter island figurines, to ships in a bottle, to dishes and busts from ships. It was a pretty awesome house. Also very swiss family robinson-equse. It was also BEAUTIFUL. It looked like Hawaii, right on the ocean with rocks and clifs and tropical flowers. There are a lot of vendors selling handmade jewelry and etc.

We went into town where our tour bus was supposed to drop us off for lunch. However, we needed a pass to drive through town because it was a tiny tourist town and tour buses are no bueno. So literally, we had to go to the police and call the MAYOR of the town to let us drive and park at the restaurant. Can't wait for tomorrow's headline.

Lunch was all seafood because we were right on the ocean. ((We were also right next to this beach resort that has the largest swimming pool in the world...weird?)) I got some Reinata fish. but I also sampled some other people's food, including some odd concoction of raw shellfish. I think i ate some razor clams and sea urchins? no seasoning or sauce....yucky. We walked around this little beach semi touristy town and there were small marketplaces along the beach. Something like the Ocean City boardwalk...but actually not at all. The best part of my day was the caramel (manjar) filled churro i bought. It was as good as it sounds. It got cold. we left at 6. 2 hours home. time for bed.

republica

Tuesday July 14

We had a lecture in Spanish, and although I am trying my hardest (even bringing my little dictionary around with me and reading it when we have free time), I do not understand Chilean Spanish whatsoever. It's like rapid fire. However, the lecture was from a Historian who talked about Contemporary Chilean history prior and after the coup (1903-1973, 1973-1990s). Chileans are very political and very polarized about their views. They are also very resilient and have bounced back from rebellions and repression.

We saw some students protesting on our way to our classroom. There form of protest was similar to a big garage sale. Except everything was broken. Apparently it was something about how the government does not preserve art and culture?? Anyway, the policia were out and about in their armored buses just in case anyone got rowdy.

I also realized that some parts of Santiago remind me of Milan. Also, There is a lot of disjointed architecture- as in, nothing seems to coincide.

p.s. Beautiful weather today!

p.p.s. I'm trying to go see Harry Potter tonight at midnight! Let's just hope it's not dubbed over or sold out.

p.p.p.s Northeastern is literally falling apart back at home. Dorm buildings are crumbing...yikes!

good luck in the all-star game phillies!

Bellavista

Sunday was spent lounging around and recovering from our Salsa dancing and piscos the night before. A small group of the girls went back to the Bellavista neighborhood to the outdoor markets and shops. I bought some handmade silver and copper lapisazuli jewelry from a woman in the outdoor market. She was extremely nice and explained how lapisazuli, a bright blue stone, is only found in Chile and Afghanistan. She was also patient with my pre-k level of Spanish. Most of the vendors that I have encountered only speak a little bit of English, but are patient enough to help me finish sentences!

Monday we had our first lecture at FLASCO, which is a political science research center for Latin America. Anny went over the entire political history of Chile in 2 hours. We will have time to fill in the blanks over the next few weeks! Fun facts: Chile does not have a large indigneous population, besides the Machope people, who were a small tribe, but fiesty enough to ward off the Incans from building roads in southern Chile. Another fun fact: Chileans are still divided over the Pinochet dictatorship, which began after the military coup in 1973 and lasted for 18 years.

We went back to Bellavista for lunch. Traveling with 26 people is quite tedious and slow, but eventually we found a place willing to house all of us and fix food for the vegetarians in the group. The place was called "Dublin" and we sat there drinking our fantas and diet cokes, eating pizza and stir fry, listening to an accordian, and speaking English and Spanish. Talk about globalization.

p.s. the weather is is very indecisive and drastic. The mornings are freezing! like 40 degrees F. the afternoons are pleasantly warm, especially in the sun- i'd say around 65 degrees F. The nights are once again freezing. Haven't gotten any rain yet! ((knock on wood))

day one

Saturday July 11
Breakfast is delivered to the hotel room. It's awesome. Apparently Chileans eat chocolate cake for breakfast too.

One of the first things I've learned in Chile is that 15-20 minutes late is normal. Once you hit 30 minutes late, then you're pushing it and almost considered running behind schedule. So when our professor said, "Be downstairs at 11 am" everyone strolled downstairs at 11:15- 11:20ish. However, this was the one time where we were not supposed to run on Chilean time because we had a reservation to visit Pablo Neruda's house at 11:30. Therefore because everyone was late we had to literally RUN through the streets of Santiago....

We sprinted onto the metro, ran up the stairs, realized we were at the wrong stop, ran to the bus, sprinted off the bus, sped walked through the neighborhoods, ran up a hill, ripping off my scarf and jacket, working up a sweat, etc you get the idea. I suppose a light morning jog never hurt anyone. Next time we go somewhere I'll remember to bring my sneakers and sports bra just incase.

Literally every moment of this trip has been some unorganized race. Our race through the streets was downright ridiculous like straight out of a movie scene.

Anyway, Pablo Neruda is one of Chile's most popular people. He is a Nobel Prize winning poet and author who was very involved in politics. He was a part of the Communist party. One of his homes, the one we went to, was called Las Chascona. He lived there with his wife Matilda. it resembled the Swiss Family Robinson hide-out with narrow steps and secret passageways. It was eccentric and disjointed. And all the rooms were separated by the outdoors. I felt like a bull in a china shop trying to climb up the creaky spiral staircase behind the hidden doorways.

Neruda was facinated with ships which could see in the decor. There was also a 60's retro psychadelic feel with plastic furniture and bold colors. There was great original artwork. Neruda died just days after the coup in 1973. He had cancer, but apparently he just gave up due to a broken heart at the end of a political era and the beginning of the dictatorship. Anny and Valentina told me that everyone loves his poems because he writes beautifully about simple things. For example, he wrote about an artichoke being a soldier with lots of armor but also having a tender heart.

After Neruda's house we walked down the streets in Bellavista killing some time until our lunch reservation. The streets are quaint with eccentric architecture, bold colors, bright murals, etc. Our lunch was at an authentic Chilean place- for real this time - where we sampled pink clams with melted cheese, wine with diced peaches, Chilean red wine- the name escapes me now, but the grapes are only grown in Chile, escalopa (vacas fritas- fried beef- see picture), and ensalada.

My spanish is not coming back to me like I hoped it would. I supposed I need a few more weeks and seclusion from English speakers. We had a conversation at lunch about how languages change perspectives in reality. For example, the masculine/feminine vocabulary in some languages makes those objects seem to have qualities of their assigned gender. Also, in the Spanish language you can say that something happened without it being the fault of someone. In English, something or someone is always at fault an we are quick to blame. It may just be in our demeanor to blame, but our language does not help! Just an interesting thought.

We came home and took a siesta from 5-8. Then we got ready to go out to a Salsa club (salsateca?). The entire group went out together so it was a lot of fun. We all tried pisco sours- the Chilean "national" drink- just imagine a really strong margarita. And we all salsa-ed around on the dance floor with all the locals.