I'm not dead or anything, promise.

Hello loved ones!

So I've been here three months now and I have learned a lot.  For example, I can recognize any Luis Miguel song by his voice only.  I can tell you where to get the best completo in Valdivia and why you should be excited about it.  I know to look forward to the first week of the month at school (it has to do with really really cheap chocolate) and why you should never party with jotes.  I have also learned that I am the worlds worst blogger.  THE WORST.  I'm really sorry I never write on this and I pledge to write more when I am more mobile this summer (more details on that later).  I will have exciting things to write about then, I promise.

So this blog update is all about why I never blog!  It has to do with my daily and weekly routine here in Vadivia which is not that exciting.

Monday through Thursday I go to school in the morning, come home for lunch with my family and go to a few more classes in the afternoon.  Tuesdays are a little different because I help out at the local elementary school in the morning and then have class in the evening.  Weeknights I do homework and read a lot.

On the weekends when I'm not traveling I read and eat and sleep during the day, sometimes going downtown and sampling various cake and coffee at cafes (the coffee sucks here, if you don't ask for espresso they will give you instant) which is all wonderful.  The town is really pretty.  At night I usually go out with friends (both American and Chilean, but mostly American).  We have a few karaoke bars we frequent and we drink beer and sing and eat greasy bar empanadas.  If the mood strikes we go dancing after but sometimes I just go home and sleep late the next day.  The biggest difference about nightlife here (other than that I'm allowed to participate) is that bars simply don't close until everyone leaves, usually around five or six am.

Sometimes though I travel on the weekends.  Last weekend I went with some friends to a beautiful tiny town on a lake about two hours inland called Panguipulli where a Chilean friend has an adorable house really close to the beach.  The place looks like this: 

And a few weekends before that I went to a cool town called Pucon.  It's also inland and on a lake (there are a lot of lakes here) and we did some hiking and visited a fake Mapuche (the native people of Chile) village.  Pucon is cool because it's right in the shadow of a huge volcano called Vulcan Villaricca.  There is also a crazy awesome black sand beach.  It looks like this:

So there you have it!  I've not been blogging because I do pretty normal student things here, the catch is that it's all in Spanish!  But this summer (Dec-March) I will be travelling around and will blog more regularly.  Hope all is well wherever you are!  Chao! (That's what Chileans say when they want to say Adios)

El Bicentenario y Argentina!

First of all, I am very sorry that I never update this thing, I think I'm going to try more frequent and shorter posts, we'll see how it goes!

A few weeks ago (September 18) Chile celebrated it's Bicentennial!  Coincidentally, Argentina and Mexico also won their independence in 1810, it was apparently not a good year for Spain. 

The Chilean Independence Day celebrations basically consist of just a lot of eating and drinking and since it was the bicentennial the celebrations lasted four days and schools closed and there were parades and parties all over the place.  I'm volunteering as an English teacher at a local elementary school, helping out with English classes and the whole school just took the day off for a big party and program, it looked something like this:

And all the kids were wearing the coolest outfits, mostly from colonial times, there was a pretty funny conversation in the staff room with the other teachers about the clothes, they have no faith in our Spanish skills and spent several minutes trying to explain the phrase "arocristocracía colonial" obvioulsy a cognate, ah the adventures of learning a second language, they were convinced we didn't know what they were talking about.  The girl in the middle is a gringa friend of mine who is also working in the school. 

So the bicentennial was great, lots of chicha (hard cider they only drink during the holiday) and empanadas, which are SO GOOD.

Then we had a week of break so a group of us gringos went to Bariloche, Argentina, a smallish mountain town about six hours away.  Bariloche is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been and it was really refreshing being in a country where they speak more correct and slower Spanish.  I even got a few compliments on my skills!  But I think people are just surprised when a gringo knows any so I may have an advantage there.  Did a little spring skiing, a little hiking, a lot of walking, a lot of chocolate eating (Bariloche is famous for it's chocolate scene) and enjoying the livley nightlife thanks to the abundant tourist scene.  Met a couple of other really cool travelers and had an amazing time!  Argentina is great and I can't wait to go back.  Here is a picture of a few of us at one of the top ten viewpoints in the world (I don't know who judges that but that's what the brocure said):

 

Greetings from the End of the World

First blog post from Chile!


When people find out I've only been here a weekish they always say, "how do you like it at the end of the world?" or "Welcome to the end of the world!"  Chileans complain a lot about all that is wrong with their country, starting with the awkward geographic location, but it seems to me that they are secretly pretty proud of themselves for inhabiting such an unlikley place. 

Chile doesn't seem that different than the states at first glance, but it's the little things that always catch me off guard.  For example, there are stray dogs everywhere, just roaming the streets.  Also, you shouldn't smile at strangers, even if you make eye contact because then people will think you're a 'flirt' (how it was explained to me, three days after I'd been going around smiling).  And all the homes are heated by wood stoves, which is also where all the cooking is done, electricity is very expensive here.  

Officially, Chileans speak Spanish.  However in practice, Chilean Spanish is comprised of mostly chileanisms, spoken very very fast, always dropping syllables and never ever saying the esses.  But they really do want to help you learn, so they turn on their 'correct' Spanish for gringos (non Chilean white people, more a term of endearment than a put down) and slow down, making it easier for us to understand but then as soon as they turn to another Chilean, they're right back to speaking their own crazy version of Spanish.  My favorite chileanismos:  sípo--yes of course, cachay?--get it? feel me?, huevon--dude/asshole, flaite--sketchy, carretear--to party

I forgot how much I missed winter, but I love bundling up to go outside and wearing scarves, headbands and gloves.  It rains here too, a lot!  But when it is sunny the city is so beautiful and really deserves it's title, 'la perla del sur', the pearl of the south.  Valdivia was founded by Germans so beer and chocolate abound.  And the night life is really thriving, thanks to the university crowd.

My host family is so sweet, they have had American exchange students before so they know the deal.  Lunch here is a very very big deal, taking two hours sometimes and so far I haven't had a lunch of less than four courses.  My host mom told me that once she had an exchange student who didn't have time to come home for lunch on Wednesdays.  She was appalled and shocked that they would make her do that.  "She had to buy a lunch at school!"  Imagine!  It's great, lot's of soup, meat, rice and homemade bread.  Dinner and breakfast are pretty light, owing to the enormous midday meal and I think the change of diet will be beneficial, it already feels like a healthier way to eat.  It helps that all the food is very fresh and homemade.  My only complaint is that everyone drinks a ton of Nescafé.  Seriously, like three or four cups a day!  And when I tried to explain that in the states we usually drink brewed coffee instead of instant, my mom said "Well, it's the same thing."  !!!  So I have switched to tea for the year, and I already miss even the cheapest cup of drip coffee. 

So yeah, Chile is a beautiful and wet place, much like home.  The people here are gracious and warm and I am having a great time!  And so far I have not been mugged, robbed, cheated, swindled, married off, seduced by a Chilean,  sold into slavery or harmed in any way.  Not that I'm letting my guard down, don't worry.

Much love,
erin