Goodbye, 2011

In 2011, I have....

moved to a foreign country.

worked in a profession I had no previous experience in.

met some amazing people.

gained friends I will have for a lifetime.

cried.

laughed.

loved.

made mistakes.
turned 22 years old.

traveled to incredible places.

learned and lived a new culture.

learned a language (better).

missed people.

grown as a person.

learned more about myself.

....and so much more.

And although I haven't changed, I know I'm not the same.

2011- the year I lived in Chile. A year I will never forget. 

welcoming 2012 with fireworks

Me he enamorado de Chile de nuevo

Me he enamorado de Chile de nuevo.....I've fallen in love with Chile again. And you'll see why in the pictures!


So, as I mentioned in my last post (see this), I spent 8 days in the South of Chile in mid-December. Here's a map so you know where I'm talking about.

First, we took an overnight bus ride of about 10 hours to Valdivia and stayed for 2 nights. The day we arrived, we walked around the town and explored near the river that goes through the city (Rio Valdivia). We took a bus not too far away to go to the Kuntsmann beer factory. I drank and beer and ate some delicious German food.

Río Valdivia

at the Kuntsmann factory

Later that day, we went on a boat tour around the area. Valdivia is in the Region de Los Rios (River Region).

The following day, we took a bus about an hour away to a small town called Niebla. There, we visited the fort and enjoyed the scenery. The fort was built in 1645.

Fort in Niebla

Niebla

in Niebla

The next day, we left for Puerto Varas. Puerto Varas is a cute little town that sits on Lago Llanquihue. The town has a cute German feel to it. You can see Volcan Osorno on the other side. It's a gorgeous view. The first day we were there, we ran into Mel and Rad. It rained a bit and was kind of cold, so we walked around a little and mostly stayed inside and ate and drank.

Church in Puerto Varas

Kuchen and a beer. yum.

Lake Llanquihue in Puerto Varas. Volcán Osorno in the background

The next day, we took a bus for about an hour to Petrohué  to see the lake, Lago de Todos Los Santos (All Saints Lake), and the Saltos de Petrohué  (waterfalls). Absolutely gorgeous. Definitely my part of the trip I think. The pictures really don't do it justice.

Volcán Osorno

Lago Todos Los Santos

Saltos de Petrohue

After we left Puerto Varas, we were on our way to Chiloé, Chile's biggest island. We went to a bigger city towards the north of the island and stayed there for 3 days. We had to take a ferry over to the island- a new experience for me. Ancud was kind of a cute town. Apparently, before the earthquake and tsunami of 1960, it was an even more successful town. There isn't much to do in the city of Ancud, but we did go to a fort that was built in 1770. We also ate a food famous in Chiloé- it's called curanto. It's got mussels, clams, sausage, potatoes, and some kind of dough thing. It was....interesting.

on a boat

Fort in Ancud

Curanto

Ancud

One day trip that we took was about an hour drive through the hills in the west side of the island to see PENGUINS. We weren't allowed to get out of the boat to get closer to them, but we still got a pretty good look. 

Penguins!

Another day trip was to Castro and a nearby island...a trip of about 3 hours. Castro is known for the houses on stilts...called palafitos. The other island we went to is called Achao. There, we saw the oldest church on the island of Chiloé, built in 1740.

Palafitos in Castro

Church in Achao

After leaving Chiloé, our last stop was a town called Frutillar. Frutillar is a bit north of Puerto Varas and also sits on Lake Llanquihue. This town is also very cute and has a German feel to it. We were only there for about 7 hours so we walked around (not much to it) and enjoyed the beach and the view of the lake. That night we were back on a bus to Santiago. 

Lake Llanquihue in Frutillar. Volcán Osorno in the background.

So....it's been a while...

So, I haven't written in quite a long time, but I want to make this blog complete...so here it goes. 


Last time I wrote, it was in September right before the 18th, Chile's Fiestas Patrias....a national celebration for the country. I had fun but my weekend didn't really live up to all the hype. Oh well. At the end of the month, the group went to Pichilemu to celebrate Mel's birthday.

Pichilemu for Mel's b-day

October was a very difficult month....probably why I haven't posted in a while. The month started off with a break up (those are never fun). I then continued to have a mini early 20s life crisis because I was still unsure of what career path I wanted to pursue, and I was very undecided on if I wanted to stay here in Chile for another year or so (or two or three). I'm glad October came and went. October did have some fun aspects though- Halloween and got outside of the city a couple times. 

Pomaire

Viña del Mar

carved a pumpkin for Halloween

Halloween- yep, that happened.

November was better. I kept busy with preparing for the end of the semester at school and all that comes with it. I had the awesome experience of going to a Chile soccer game. It was so cool. Remember, soccer is ridiculously popular here. So fun!  Also, my gringo friends and I celebrated Thanksgiving together (delicious). Being away from home during the holidays is hard, but the gathering made that a lot better! Other events in November include the TeachingChile reunion (always a good time) and hanging out by the pool getting my tan on. 

Scott's birthday

Chile soccer game

Thanksgiving

TC reunion

December has come very quickly. At the beginning of the month were finals at Duoc. I felt kind of strange ending at Duoc.....the end of a routine that I was so used to and knowing that I won't see many of my students again. A few days later, I left for an 8 day trip to Southern Chile (blog post to follow). It was an awesome trip. Shortly after I got back, the goodbyes started as a few of my friends went back home for good. I don't like goodbyes. It's a bit harder saying goodbye to my Chilean friends because I know that there's a possibility I will never see some of them again. With the Americans, it will be a bit easier to be able to see them again. 

English department barbecue

despedida gigante

Anywho, it's summer here....and dang, is it hot. It hasn't felt like the holiday season at all. You know, there's no snow here...I'm not freezing my butt off, etc. I didn't get used to hearing Christmas songs in the grocery store or seeing Christmas decorations while I was sweating in shorts and a t-shirt. Even though I wasn't at home with my family, I still got to celebrate! On Christmas Eve, I was with a friend and fellow teacher, her husband and her father. On Christmas Day, I spent all day with a couple other friends. It was great being with such good company. 

Christmas Eve with Daniela 

Christmas dinner!

the spread

So, throughout the last few months, I've decided to come back to the U.S. I'll be home on January 19th (a little more than 3 weeks from now- eek). The plan is to get a job anywhere I find one in the marketing aspect of business; although, I think being a director of the international education department of a university would be pretty cool (I'll try working my way up). It was a really hard decision to make on whether or not to stay here. Unfortunately, my salary here right now as a teacher doesn't cut it because I have loans to pay back from college (those ruin everything). If loans didn't exist, I think I would have definitely stayed here longer. I think I'll be back though. More on the mushy subject of leaving Chile to come later. Now it's off to enjoy my last few weeks here (this time around) and take out of Santiago all there is to take. 

6 month-ish update

Well, here's what has been going on in Chile in the last month or so...click on the links!

With me personally- I've been here for about 6 1/2 months now....still enjoying loving Chile and enjoying teaching. I recently got a second job (thanks to a friend!) teaching English to business people....we go straight to their offices or in few cases to their homes. It's a different world because these students actually want to learn and work hard at it.

Also, lately I've been frustrated with the language. You see, Chilean Spanish is a whole other language it seems. Chileans speak with a lot of modismos (idioms) and not all of the letters or sounds are pronounced well either. When I'm with a group of Chileans, I still can't understand all of what they're saying. I can understand the topic they're talking about....but still not enough to laugh when they laugh. It's frustrating because I've lived here for more than 6 months now....and I studied Spanish in school for many years. I feel like I'm at a plateau....I just gotta get over this hump somehow.

As far as Chile as a whole....a lot has been happening. 

The students have been on strike for the last 4 months because they want education to be free and of better quality. Many schools are out of session due to the strikes, and there have been many protests and marches lately. Some of the marches have gotten out of hand.....fires, tear gas, people being arrested. Here are some pictures that show some of it...Pictures

There is a student group that is working with the government to agree upon something that both parties like....so far, nothing has been agreed upon. Doesn't seem like it's going to happen soon. 

My opinion- free quality higher education isn't possible....though many Chileans think the opposite...

On August 24th and 25th, there was a Paro Nacional- National Strike. Transportation for some was impossible, many stores and businesses were closed, barely any students came to class those days, classes were cancelled at night. Here's an article that explains a little bit. National Strike

Here are some pictures from outside my window on the first day of the strike.  

group of people stopping traffic...near my apartment building

fire near my apartment building

Last Friday, a national tragedy occurred. A plane that was headed to Juan Fernandez (an island off the coast of Chile) crashed and all 21 people aboard were killed. Some were members of the air force and others were members of a television stadium. Included in the lives lost was Felipe Camiroaga, an important figure to all Chileans. He was the host of a morning show called Buenos Dias a Todos (Good Morning to All), but also a generous, giving man. Read more about him here.

So far, more than half of the bodies and remains have been identified. They don't know the cause of the crash yet.

to show where the island is (p.s. Rapa Nui is Easter Island)

Today, September 11th, is an important day in our history, but also the history of Chile. On September 11, 1973, President Salvador Allende's government was overthrown in the coup d'etat led by General Augusto Pinochet, who took over power. That day started the military dictatorship that lasted until 1989/90. Many people died that day, as well as throughout the dictatorship. If you don't know much about Chile's military and September 11, read this and this.

In happier news, the seasons are changing and the weather is getting nicer here. We changed our clocks forward already (so now I'm an hour ahead of EST), so the days are longer. Spring is coming! I'm looking forward to nice weather and starting my tan. Also, all the Chileans are excited for el dieciocho (the 18th of September)- Chilean's independence day (also known as fiestas patrias). There will be a lot of food, dancing, parties, etc. I'm looking forward to it.

Trip to the North

Thursday, July 21st

9:30 a.m. And so begins the trip. I took a bus from Santiago to San Pedro de Atacama. 24 hour trip. Surprisingly, not as bad as you may think. 

Friday, July 22nd

I arrived in SP around 9am. The town was completely dead. I found my hostel, dropped off my stuff, and walked around the town- that didn't take me long. SP is pretty small - centered around the Plaza de Armas (like every other Chilean town). There are a couple main streets. The streets are lined with tourist agencies and restaurants. It is definitely a tourist town. The lazy town finally came alive around noon or 1- many people, well, tourists (mostly European), in the street. Jami and Amy arrived around 1 from Antofagasta.

streets of San Pedro

Around 3:30, Amy and I left to take a tour of Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley) and the surrounding areas. We stayed and watched the sunset over the mountains- gorgeous. We arrived back around 7:30...and went to bed pretty early. As hot as it is during the day, it gets pretty cold in the desert at night.

Saturday, July 23rd

Jami and I had a lazy morning. In the afternoon, we walked around some more and went to all the little souvenir/tourist stores. We set up our tours for the last two days of our stay in SP, made some dinner, and went to bed pretty early because.....

Sunday, July 24th

We got up at 3:30 am (yes, really) to leave for a tour at 4 am to go to the Geysers of Tatio. So we got up and were waiting outside of the hostel with some others to be picked up by our tour agency. Everyone else was picked up except us....Jami and I were pretty livid- Why hadn't they picked us up yet? So at 5am (after an hour of waiting), we decided to go back to bed. Not 10 or 15 minutes after getting back into bed, did I hear a van stop in front of our hostel and then a few seconds later a man (our tour guide) was calling our names. The van had some mechanical problems, thus being late picking us up. So we hopped out of bed and went on our way. The bumpy and curvy bus ride was about and hour and half/two hours up into the mountains to the geysers. We were up about 4,300 meters (about 14,100 feet) and it was prettyyyy cold (-8 degrees Celsius...about 18 degrees). Our tour guide said that day it was like a heat wave because the previous few days it had gotten down to -22 degrees Celsius (about -8 degrees Fahrenheit...eek). We walked around a bit to see the geysers...some big and some small with the water boiling and a lot of steam coming out. We ate breakfast outside (with the milk for the coffee heated up by a geyser) and went not too far away to a natural terma (thermal pool). I stuck in my feet and hands- which was good because the feeling in my toes came back. After the terma, we started our descent down the mountains- we stopped at a little pueblo called Machuca. The church was build in 1750 and apparently only 7 natives live there. It's become quite a little tourist attraction (somewhat unfortunately). They were selling food (with empanadas with llama meat in them!). We also stopped in Cactus Valley and at a river. Overall, pretty gorgeous and worth waking up so early.

Tatio geysers

Vicuña

town of Machuca

Monday, July 25th
In the morning, we just relaxed, walked around a bit, and layed out in the sun for a while. Around 3pm, I left to go to Laguna Cejar and other surrounding areas while Jami went to Valle de la Luna. It was a bumpy ride there but well worth it. The lake is out in the middle of the desert and formed from the bottom up. The laguna has a very high salt content, so you float effortlessly in it. I went in (even though the water was really cold) and floated around for a little bit. After that lake, we drove a little further to what is called Los Ojos del Salar which are two holes next to each other with salt water (hence the name). We went to another lake to watch the sunset and drink a pisco sour. The sunset was absolutely gorgeous of course and the ride back was great for stargazing.

Laguna Cejar

floating

Los Ojos del Salar

Tuesday, July 26th
Tuesday was just a traveling day. We went to Calama first, waited around for a while and then we were on our way to Iquique. The day can be described in the following words: bread and cheese, dead iPod, bad cookies, chunky vomit, dog eating it, late bus, and an annoying sound on the bus.

We eventually make it to our hostel in Iquique around 11pm (best hostel I've ever stayed in), and I was happy to fall asleep listeing and smelling the ocean.

Wednesday, July 27th
We got up early, took advantage of the free breakfast, hot showers and internet at the hostel and walked to and around the downtown area and the main plaza, Plaza Prat. We went to a museum called El Museo Regional. There was a lot of artifacts from the indigenous tribes in the area, the oldest mummies every found (dating from 5000-3000 B.C.), and things from when the salitreras were thriving (in the 19th century). Pretty cool. We went to Mall Zofri- a huge mall that is duty free. It has everything you could imagine (literally everything). We spent a few hours wandering around the maze. We were pretty beat, so the rest of the night was spent relaxing with a glass of wine.
Iquique is a really cool city, located on the coast pretty close to the Peruvian border. The architecture is awesome- a lot of buildings are wooden and were built in the 1800s when the city was a major port. The beaches are also gorgeous.

El Museo Regional

Thursday, July 28th
We started our day early again. We went to the center and caught a van that was headed to Pica so we could to to Humberstone. Humberstone is a ghost town about 30 miles east of Iquique. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, it was a thriving nitrate town. In the old houses, artifacts from that time period are displayed. You can go into the church, the school, the theater, markets, etc. with the original items still remaining. I had never seen anything like it. Pictures will do better than words.

liquor store

church

pool

theatre

shoes

school

After returning, I walked around the center and along the beach again. Jami and I watched the sunset on the beach. And then we were on to the next leg of our trip....

El Teatro Municipal

El Torre Reloj

Playa Cavancha

Friday, July 29th
We took an overnight bus to Copiapó. Copiapó was interesting....the day can be described with the following events:
1. The bus stopping and us getting out for our luggage to be checked.
2. Carabineros only talking to us on the bus....asking where we are from and why we're here. 
3. Gypsies and their children.
4. A gypsy reading my palm and telling me that I am angry and jealous.
5. The museum we wanted to go to "closed indefinitely."
6. Jami almost getting real coffee.
7. Man singing next to us on the bench.
8. Watching 1o year olds skateboard.
9. Man coming up to us originally to talk about Jesus, then talked about other stuff for 20 minutes and then asked us out for a beer. 
10. Church was closed- tried to break in.
11. Random chess tournament. 
12. Empanada place- under construction.
13. Cute Chinese woman.
14. Weirest mall I've ever seen.
15. Empanada place found.

Saturday, July 30th
We left early from Copiapó and arrived in La Serena in the late afternoon. the dueña of the hostel, Maria, was the sweetest old lady. We told her we are from the United Sates and she raved about the U.S. being her favorite country. She told us her father worked in San Francisco in the early 60s. Her dad told her to always be grateful to Americans she met because it was because of her dad's work in the U.S. that she had clothes, toys, etc. Her first doll was even from the U.S. :)


Sunday, July 31st
When the motivation finally came to out of bed, I explored the twon and went to the beach. La Serena, from what I could tell, is a pretty middle class city. Nice areas, cool architecture- a very pretty town.

Monday, August 1st
Early in the morning we went to a nearby town, Vicuña in the Valle de Elqui. We went to a museum of Gabriela Mistral, a Chilean poet, diplomat and educator who was the first Latin American to win a Nobel Prize in Literature. She was born in Vicuña. After we went to the Capel factory (a brand of my new favorite alcohol- pisco). We didn't have time to take a tour, but still enjoyed it nonetheless. We got back to La Serena, got our things ready to go, went to the bus station only to find out that all the buses going to Santiago had been delayed due to snow further North. So we waited 8 hours for the next available bus....and finally arrived back home to Santiago early the next morning. 

Capel factory

Overall, a wonderful trip. I love getting to know the country I'm living in!