Hey, blonde girl!

Hola Todos! (Which, by the way Auntie Kim, means "hello everyone"!)

I have officially survived my week of crazy class schedules and late nights! Yesterday I just finished the CIEE class called Contemporary Chile and am enjoying my first day of a five day vacation- my one and only vacation during the entire semester! Three of my girl friends and I are heading up north to a nice beach town called La Serena tomorrow. It is a 6.5 hour bus ride, but the buses here are actually very luxurious so I'm not too worried about it. Apparently La Serena has restaraunts, discotecs, museums, and even a pisco-tasting tour. Should be fun!

Today is actually Vivi's birthday, so last night when I got home from class we had a little fiesta. There were some of their close friends here out on the patio drinking wine and eating hamburgers of all things! Plus, the cherry on top was that I think we listened to "I Will Survive" more than ten times, with Sergio and his friends singing along. Very entertaning! Tonight we are going to a very nice restaruant with Vivi's parents and younger brother. Should be really fun, not to mention very good Chilean ceviche (ground up seafood with great spices- so good!)

(Vivi about to blow out her candles!)

Now that I have summarized what is going on here, I've decided to dedicate this post to my favorite peculiar things about Santiago. I'll start with all of the ways, so far, that Chilean men say to get my attention here.

1) The most common one is your typical two-tone whistle, you know the one I'm talking about? There was some cartoon that used to use it all the time...

2) The second that I have encountered is many of us gringas walk by, the say one of two things with a surprise expression- either "WOW", or "OH MY GOSH". You would think they were looking at Pamela Anderson or something.

3) Third is a new one I came across just yesterday. I was walking to the bus stop, and through a fence (I didn't even see the guy) was literally just a loud kiss noise. You know, the kind you might use to call a dog?

4) Also yesterday, I was walking down the street with 3 of my friends, I heard the most direct one so far. Someone just said, "I want to f*** you." I have no words.

5) Lastly, I was on the street recently when a man comes up to me and says "Hola rubia", with translates to "hello blonde girl". Um, hi? (hence the title of this post)

I think I am going to continue with some random truths about my trip so far.

1. I have a huge crush on the Chilean police, the Carabineros. They are very miliaristic, never smile, and wear these olive green uniforms, but for some resaon I just find them sexy!(The Carabineros)

2. I have developed very bad luck here (mala suerte) in regards to clumsiness- NO JOKE I have spilled some sort of beverage on myself or a table every single meal I have sat down at. I am basically known for it here, to the point where other people have started pouring my drinks.(After spilling my beer for the second time)

3. I have found that I have a love for graffiti. Everywhere I go I am constantly taking pictures, not of my friends, but of all the beautiful graffiti here! Somehow, even in the nicest neighborhoods, it doesn't look trashy. I love it.

(Close to my house in La Reina)

4. I learned the hard way that you should not pick random spanish food off a menu just for the thrill of it. My friends and decided to do this when we ordered a "completo" and an "italiano". These actually turned out to be hot dogs STACKED with avacados, tomatos, and mayo (they put mayo on everything here). They tasted good but we all felt sooo sick the next day!

5. The two most common english words that I hear here are "boobies" and "Obama".

6. People who try to make money on the streets have NO shame. Yesterday I saw a team of two men- one was playing the accordian while another put a large balloon over his entire head and blew it up with his nose while flailing his body around. Hey, it beats sitting on the side of an offramp with a cardboard sign.

7. The only type of crime that is common here is theft. You literally have to walk with your bag wrapped from shoulder to shoulder (no backpacks or one-shoulder purses) gripped tightly with both arms. Apparently they just sprint by you and grab in on the way. Scary!

Well, this is all I have to say for now! I hope everything is going well back in the good old USA. I can't believe I've already been here for two weeks! Missing everyone.

Ciao!

Laura

Shopping and gay men

Hola todos!

I officially had a reality check today- it was my first day of class through my program, CIEE! After heading to register my visa, I had some lectures and then took a tour of the important buildings in central Santiago. The main one that is actually very famous here in Chile is called La Moneda. This is where all of the presidents come and work, and also where the president Salvador Allende committed suicide. It is surrounded by tons of Chilean flags and beautiful courtyards, as well as statues of all the important presidents. Although it was tiring to try and understand my teacher explaining the political history in Spanish, it was great to see some history for the first time. After my school FINALLY ended a little after 6pm, Vivi met me and she showed me how to ride the metro together back to my house. It actually is much easier than I expected, and I am planning to do it on my own tomorrow.

(La Moneda)

Now that I have the boring stuff, I want to talk about my weekend! On Saturday night I went to see one of Sergio's shows. It was at a club called Bunker, which is apparently one of the biggest and most popular gay clubs in Chile, if not South America. The show didn't even start until 2:30am, so Vivi and I took a nap from about 9-11:30, which was good because I was actually awake! I have never been anywhere like this in my life. There were probably around 1,500 men packed into this discotec, complete with LOUD techo music and strobe lights. When we got there I got to go back and see Sergio's dressing room and meet all of his fellow perfomers, all of which are flamboyant and extremely welcoming! Eventually Vivi and I headed up to the balcony to watch the show. It was SO incredibly entertaining, and I couldn't BELIEVE how great these men looked in their outfits! Sexier than many girls I've seen. Funny thing that I haven't mentioned yet- EVERYONE in Chile smokes. Everywhere. So imagine more than 1,000 people smoking inside this one club. About 45 mins into the show, I started to feel very numb and lightheaded, to a point that I was sure I was going to faint. Vivi immediately sat me down and was like "we need to go!". After explaining to her that NO ONE in my life smokes and that I'ver never once inhaled it, we determined that I was just feeling the effect of hundreds of cigarrettes wofting up to the balcony. So embarrassing though! Let's hope I get used to the smoke, because this place was so so fun!

(Sergio and I before his show! Notice the white haze... the SMOKE!)

Vivi also took me shopping yesterday at a HUGE mall here in Santiago. We didn't end up finding any shorts, but I did get some more sandals and some shorts to sleep in, as well as a safer bag that goes across my shoulders instead of just on one shoulder (those apparently can get stolen very easily here in the area where I go to school). It was a very fun and relaxing trip, and I always enjoy shopping! Let's just hope it cools off here a little bit soon- it is still been about 85 or 90. Luckily it's very dry heat so you don't feel too sweaty, but I am ready to be able to wear jeans comfortably!(The mall- I can't remember the name for the life of me!)

Alright, well I need to get some sleep tonight so I can survive another long day of class tomorrow! Hope all is going well in the U.S. Miss everyone!

Ciao!

Laura

My home away from home

Hola!

I am now getting settled in my host family's beautiful home. It in an area of Santiago called "La Reina" (the queen), which is apparently known for it's quiet feel, trees, and for being a slightly more liberal area. All of this is true! It is about 20 minutes away from downtown Santiago and even though I am still in a big city all I can see outside of my window is trees and mountains. It is absolutely gorgeous.

(There are six homes in our private driveway- this is standing on their porch)

(And this is the front de mi casa!)

My host family is eccentric and different, but so similar to me in so many ways! My host madre's name is Viviana, but we all call her Vivi. She is about 40 and so caring and thoughtful and nice. She has taken great care of me so far, and this weekend she is going to take me to buy some shorts so I don't die of heat stroke every day in my jeans! We have already had lots of bonding time going to el supermercado (grocery store) and eating late-night snacks :) (Last night I made her peanut butter and jelly for the first time- a success!) Vivi lived in the US when she was young, so she actually speaks English, but we mostly speak spanish. Vivi's family owns and runs a vineyard about 3 hours south of Santiago, which she has already told me that we will definitely visit. I am pretty excited for that!

My host padre's name is Sergio. He is so loud and outgoing- I have never met anyone like him in my life! Unlike Vivi, he only speaks spanish which is actually a GREAT combination because I speak spanish with him always, but if I don't understand Vivi can help. Sergio and I found out right off the bat that we had something in common- he LOVES Sex and the City! He even has all the seasons in Spanish, so we are definitely planning on watching those. He also loves Marilyn Monroe and has pictures of her everywhere. He even collects sunglasses- you should see how many he has! And he offered to let me borrow any of them anytime. Can you believe that? BeforeI met him, CIEE told me he was an actor. So when I got to the house, he showed me where he keeps all of his clothes and I soon realized... he dresses up as a drag queen! He kept trying to explain this to me in Spanish, but finally he just blurted out DRAG QUEEEN. On Fridays and Saturdays he goes all around Santiago performing. Vivi and I are going to one of his shows tonight! I am SO SO excited. Even though it doesn't start until 2 am! I figured, my boyfriend is 4000 miles away, so I might as well spend Valentine's day at a drag show right? :)

(Sergio and Vivi by the pool!)

The house where Vivi and Sergio live is absolutely perfect. It has three floors, and I have my own bedroom and bathroom. It also has a POOL! I have already been swimming a few times. The sun here is so so strong though and even though I had sunscreen all over my whole body, I still almost burned when I was out there for literally 15 minutes! Apparently it is because the ozone layer here is thinner because of the pollution. Whatever the reason is, hopefully it will give me a good tan! Their two dogs are also super cute- they have a yellow lab name Teresa y a mix named Coismo. Teresa is so fun and cute, and LOVES to swim in the pool! She is in there so much that they have to put sunscreen on her nose. Every morning when I wake, all the windows and doors are open, a warm breeze is blowing inside, and there is quiet spanish music playing. It is unreal!(Teresa and Coismo)

On a side note- something interesting and shocking (to me at first) about Chile- there are stray dogs EVERYWHERE. They literally just live on the street and kind of follow you around. It is so weird! Just something you never ever see in the US, especially on the streets of a nice, downtown of a big city. Weirdddd and really sad!

Anyway, I miss everyone so much but I have the most amazing situation here. Couldn't be a more perfect match! Hope all is well in los estados unidos (USA).

Ciao!

Laura


P.S. If there is a picture of a weird dog at the very top of this, it was supposed to insert below where I was talking about the strays!

La Lengua de Vaca

Hola todos!

There is already so much to talk about and I have only been here for three days! Let me start from the beginning.

On Tuesday night I flew overnight from Atlanta straight to Santiago- luckily I met a guy at the airport in Atlanta who is in my program and happened to be sitting right next to me! We spent much of the flight playing games on the touch-screen TVs on the seats in front of us. We finally arrived in Santiago around 9am and had to rough spanish customs officers in uniforms! I was actually quite proud of my first real Spanish conversation with the officer- I told him where I was going to school and what I was studying and I'm pretty sure he understood me! It was funny, though, because it was soooo obvious that we were lost foreigners in the airport just WANDERING around everywhere! We all finally made it (there were 6 of us on the flight) out of customs and met up right away with Brigita, who is one of the CIEE coordinators. After waiting around for about another two hours, everyone else finally arrived and we were off to Santiago!


For some reason, the reserach I had done about what the weather was going to be like here wasn't very correct! I was thinking mid 70s, maybe 80s. The first day I was here it was over 90! It is so so so nice, and there is always a breeze, but I didn't even bring ONE pair of shorts so let's just say I've been a little sweaty :) (especially when I was hauling around my 100lbs of baggage!)

For our first two nights, all 48 of us stayed in an apartment-like hotel with four people to a room. They were small but so nice with two bathrooms and a little kitchen, not to mention wireless internet! Everyone on the program is extremely cool. And my roommates were from USC, Georgetown, and Bucknell, and they were all awesome. The CIEE staff took us to a bunch of great, cute chilean restaurants for every meal and at night we decided to go check out the night life. There is a street right by our hotel called "Suecia" and is known for having many restaurantes, pubs, and discotecs (clubs). The only thing that is really hard about walking down that street, especially as a "gringa" (American) is that people who work at the restaurant or bar stand outside and try and convince you to come in! Definitely wasn't used to that, plus it is really hard to politely say "oh, no thank you" in Spanish- I ususally just stayed with a simple NO haha. But it has been fun to walk around and drink a traditional and very cheap drink here called Pisco Sauers. You can get one anywhere and they are delicious!(My friend Lil and I after being mauled by 50 chileans trying to get us to come to their place)

I have also had my fair share of language mess-ups, as well as misunderstandings. The first one came when a bellman was in the elevator with me, alone, helping me take my bags upstairs. Keep in mind, at this point I had been in Chile for a total of 2 hours. After asking me if I knew how to dance the reggaton (rap type dancing?), he told me his name and proceeded to lean in and half kiss my cheek. Needless to say I didn't know at the time that this is a very common tradition here.

Also, we ate at a buffet today. I was in line, and the server behind the counter pointed to two different kinds of meat and asked which one I wanted. I just happened to point to the one on the left. As I am walking to a table, a guy in my program yells- "Oh man! Why did you get la lengua?!" It took a minute to register, but I soon realized that lengua means "tounge". Sitting on my plate was an entire cow tounge, complete with some tastebuds that were left over. It may not have been as bad if it was in little pieces, but it was literally in the shape of a huge tounge. Apparently tougne is a very common chilean dish... (see below... ugh)

I just moved in with my host family today, but that is completely another story! I will write another blog soon allllll about mi familia chilena, with pictures and everything.

Miss everyone!

Ciao,
Laura (pronounced Low-ra en Chile, according to my advisor haha)