Chile: Honorary Family Member

It seems like a funny thing to be taken surprise by, but it continues to amaze me how similar my Chilean family is to my family. I don't know why, but it just never occurred to me that that families in other countries would take family bike rides or walks after dinner. Marilou, my host mom, has to spend evenings paying bills and balancing the checkbook. They eat leftovers and play games. Of course the language we speak may be different, but I think we have more in common with other people than we could ever possibly imagine. We just have to take the time to notice.

I've really enjoyed living with my host family. Daniel and Marilou are so patient with me as I struggle to communicate basic ideas. They're genuinely concered for my health and well being and have gone out of their way to show me what it's like to be Chilean.

For example, last night as I was eating dinner Marilou got a phone call. She talked to the person on the other end for about 30 seconds before pressing the phone up against my ear. With a mouth full of rice, I try to comprehend what the voice coming through was trying to tell me but couldn't understand a word over the music blaring in the background. A few seconds later she had hung up the phone and was reaching for the car keys, "¡Vamos!" She called as she headed for the door.

As usually I was pretty much clueless as to where we were going. Usually it's too complicated to explain beforehand so I just get in the car and figure it out as we go. This time we drove down to a little amphitheater down by the beach. Turns out the phone call was from Daniel, my host dad, and the source of the mystery music was an exhibition of traditional Chilean dances that happens once a month during the summer. (Information I gleaned using my Spanish skills thank you very much.)

It was crazy because literally everyone knew these dances and when a favorite was played people had no qualms about getting up and joining in.

Chile: Part II (La Serena)

You know those once in a lifetime moments? Ya well there were a couple of those this weekend on our weekend trip to La Serena (another beach town about 6hrs North of Viña del Mar). 

First off, the beach in La Serena is fantastic. During the day the beach is filled with families sunbathing and swimming. At night the beach front transforms into on giant carnival with street performers, live music, and shops selling everything from freshly made juice to clothes and jewelry. 

Saturday, however is when the real fun began. Our adventure started off with a quick stop at one of four dams in Chile. Water comes down from the Andes and then they collect and distribute it. It may have been just a dam, but the view was spectacular. (Expect all the pictures I took are on my camera, so the follow photos are compliments of my friend Alex.)

Next stop was a trip the Gabriela Mistral museum, which was great except for the fact that EVERYTHING was in Spanish. It really made me appreciate all the work that goes into the translations available in museums in the States. At the same time it was interesting to me to see how much information about her life I was able to glean from the pictures and limited amount of Spanish I do know. I also thought it was interesting because unlike Neruda's sprawling beach front home, Mistral's house consisted of a grand total of two rooms. 

For lunch we ate at a restaurant that exclusively used solar power, so all the cooking was done in solar ovens. There's nothing quite like sun baked empanadas and goat... The food may not have been the best (not sure I'm ready to jump on that band wagon just quite yet), but the experience was pretty darn cool. 

After lunch it was off to a Pisquera for a tour and Pisco tasting. Because Pisco is such an important part of Chilean cultura, it was really cool to see how it was made and hear a little more about the history and culture surrounding it.

That was all cool, but the highlights of the day paled in comparison to what we did that night. We went stargazing...in a vineyard...in Chile. It was awesome!  Now I've gone stargazing before, but the setting that night made it extra special.  Watching the moon rise over the mountains and seeing Jupitor and it's moons was just freaking cool. Our "guide" was a Physics student at one the local universities who had taught himself how to speak English (which is pretty darn impressive if you ask me). 

The next day, despite our late night, we were on the road at 6:30am in order to make the 2hr drive, followed by an hour boat ride, to Isla Damas in order to see pingüinos. And let me tell you, it was all TOTALLY worth it. 

The place is nothing like I'd ever seen. After driving through miles and miles of desert you finally arrive at the ocean where the water is crystal clear blue. It seriously looked like something out of a fairytale. While we we're there we saw penguins, sea lions, dolphins and all kinds of birds. It was incredible. Definitely one of the coolest things I've ever had or ever will get the chance to do. 

Comida de Chile

My biggest fear about spending a month in Chile had nothing to do with the fact that I don't really speak Spanish or would be thousands of miles from home. No, my biggest fear was that we were told Chileans don't really eat breakfast.

Luckily for me (and everyone else on the trip) breakfast is actually a thing here. A typical breakfast includes tea, fruit or jello, and toast with a variety of toppings. My host parents have served everything from butter, to ham and cheese, to dulce de leche spread which I'm not particularly fond of, to mashed alvacado which I enjoy a lot.

That's something we discovered very eary on, if you're going to visit Chile you need to be prepared to eat a TON of carbs. I have never eaten more white bread (whole wheat doesn't exist down here) and potatoes in my life. Corn and pasta dishes are also very popular. 

Lunch is generally considered the biggest meal of the day, so while I'm having dinner, my host 

parents usually just have tea.

Lunches are on our own, so we usually use the time to explore the city. The first day we grabbed lunch at the food court in the mall, where we discovered you can order your Big Mac with alvacado or buy an ice cream cone for the equivalent of $0.50 from a McDonald's counter that ONLY serves ice cream. However we opted to try a place called frtiz. I'm still not entirely sure what was in the sandwhich, but it was good! Plus it was kinda cool to be in a place where they ask "would you like empanadas with that?"

Empanadas are extremely popular because they're fast, cheep, and portable. Available fried or baked and with a million different fillings. 

Other lunchtime adventures include congril (turns out sometimes randomly choosing something from the menu doesn't always work in your favor. Not a fan.) And pastel de chaclo, corn cake, a tradicional 

Chilena dish with beef, chicken, olives, onion, and a hardboiled egg all baked into a corn cassoral.

The menu of the day is also a good option for alumenzar. Most restaurants offer set menus that are affordable and delicious. This is a picture from a French cafe we found that had good food and wait for it...REAL coffee! 

Afternoon tea is also very popular and after cake and tea at this adorable café, it's not hard to see

why. 

Chile: Part I

Alena, you've been in Chile for a week! What's it like?

Well, pretty much like America, except completely different.

Truth is Chile is very much like the good ol' Estados Unidos, but the countless little differences I encounter each day I'm here serve as a reminder that I am very far from home indeed.

Viña reminds me a lot of San Francisco. It seems like no matter where you're going, you're walking uphill. And you walk everywhere. Which is a good thing however because there is also an ice cream shop (or 3) on every corner.  The other transportation option is to take the bus or colectivo (a car that works like a bus. It seems odd, but it works.) 

My host family is delightful. They are so patient with me and do a great job speaking clearly and slow enough that I can understand. Unfortunately, I have the vocabulary of a 5 year old so conversations are still pretty rough.  (One day I was lamenting to my host dad that I spoke like a four year old. He replied "No, five years.") 

School is fun. I have 8 people in my class, 7 from AC and one girl from Germany. Learning about he similarities and differences between our three cultures has been one of my favorite parts of the trip.

The rest of the week has been filled with tours of Viña and neighboring Valparaiso, afternoons volunteering at a  girl's home/community center, a day trip to Isla Negra ( one of Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda's three homes), trips to the beach with a performance of Beethoven's 5th at a huge outdoor amphitheater thrown in for good measure. Week one's been awesome. The time is flying by and I can't wait to see what adventures are in store for the up

Dallas Love

Chile...Dallas to see Susie and Jordan. 

Chile...Dallas to see Susie and Jordan. 

Driving to the airport yesterday morning, it was hard to tell which part I was more excited about. Lucky for me, I got to do both. However, as I attempted to check in for my flight I was greeted by the lovely following message: 

"Your flight has been canceled."

Not exactly the words you want to hear at the start of your adverture. Fortunately for me, I was a able to get a flight to Dallas a couple hours later (of course by that time I might as well have just driven it but anyway...) 

AND I WAS REUNITED WITH MY BEST FRIENDS

We spent the day catching up and exploring downtown Dallas and it was wonderful.

Roadtrippin' -- Indy Edition

My parents, my father in particular, are rather fond of road trips. Every vacation for as far back as I can remember, has involved loading up the van, hooking up the camper, and hitting the road. The car rides were often grueling, but the final destinations were worth it. 

So when my father proposed that our family make the 20 hour drive to Bluffton Indiana to visit my grandparents, as a seasoned roadtripper I wasn't the least bit surprised. However when he proposed that we drive it all in one day I was a bit more skeptical. "We have four drivers," he said. "It'll be fine. It'll be fun!" 

So that's what we did. The four of us piled into the civic and hit the road.  

After about 16hrs "fun" might not have been the way we would describe the experience, but like all our other road trips, the destination was worth it. Life back at school is always crazy busy, so it was absolutely delightful to just sit and spend time with family. 

Plus, where else but your grandparent's house do you get to wash down Heyerly's caramel rolls* with a cup of coffee served in a mug your own face on it? * Heyerly's Carmel Roll: the best doughnut you've ever had. 

Also, the Midwest is highly underrated: IT IS BEAUTIFUL

(although it is also cold...which is rather unfortunate)