ok i lied, i will put pics up on sunday!
much love
Thursday, November 12, 2009
A Month Tomorrow
Tomorrow marks the start of my last month here in Chile. It's such an insane feeling, that I absolutely have NO TIME to deal with at the moment. So much has been going on here in Vina, there is never a dull moment!
The snowball started last Tuesday.
I volunteer at a high school and help a teacher with her English class. The kids in there are amazing, and last Tuesday I went out with some of them. I met up with a few girls from class and our teacher. They wanted to show me all Vina had to offer. Unfortunately, some kind of strike is going on here! All of the museums and big parks in Vina were closed. No worries. We hopped into a micro and went over to Con Con which is a town right outside of our city. They have incredible sand dunes that you can actually go surfing on. We walked along the coast, and then at the end we hit up McDonald's. It was my first chicken nugget since the states, and it was absolutely delicious!!
Wednesday my friend Derek and I went to Santa Isabel for fixings for a picnic. Then we hopped on the metro. We agreed that we would ride until one of us saw something awesome. We rode almost until the end of the line when Derek spotted a huge white cross on top of a hill. That was our stop! We got out and hiked our way up to the cross. When we turned around we had the most incredible view ever! We saw mountains and hills as far stretching across in the background behind about every color house imaginable. It was gorgeous! Unfortunately, our adventure was spur of the moment, and we didn't have a camera :(
Thursday Lindsey's best friend Dee was in town, so we all went out dancing. We decided to avoid creepers and just have a blast dancing with our group. It was an amazing night of techno and raggaeton and all other types of music.
Friday we decided to take a day trip to Renaca, which is right outside of Vina as well. We packed our lunches and headed out first thing in the morning. We think our part of the beach is gorgeous, but we found a place even better!! We spent about four hours talking and napping and just soaking up the free time that we know we are going to miss soon. We were walking through the town and found a huge two story Dunkin Donuts. We decided to have a HOME moment, so we went in and each of us picked out a delicious donut. First donut since the states! I got a Boston Creme, and it was absolutely amazing! Now that home is something tangible, I have started rocking the list of things that I must have when I get back :)
Saturday we hit up the Botanical Gardens again for a BBQ with a ton of people from our program along with some Chileans from our Cultures in Contact class. We had so much delicious food! The meat was fantastic, and our German friend Marcel brought German potato salad! It was incredible!! We had guac and all sorts of bread to dip into it. It was a great feast followed by hiking through the gorgeous park. GOOD DAY! Then that night we went over to our friend Orion's house, and we watched movies. I finally saw UP! Aww it was so cute!!
Sunday my family celebrated my host brother's birthday! It was so much fun having my host sister home! Bah. I wish I could spend more time with her! She is so much fun, and since she is studying English, we always have a blast joking about our language issues.
Monday was back to school, but we started watching this really intense Chilean movie about the mines here. We are finally getting into the government here in Chile, and it is so intense! Just the fact that twenty years ago they were under a dictatorship is so hard to wrap my mind around. People here do NOT talk about politics, and it's pretty obvious why! During Pinochet, people were not allowed to speak their mind about anything. Anyone thought to stir up scandal was abducted from their house and killed or tortured. A lot of people fled the country, but there are still thousands of families that have no idea what happened to their loved ones. We are so fortunate to be living in the United States. This experience has definitely shown me how blessed we truly are!
Tuesday was a monumental day here in Chile. Background. CHILE DOES NOT HAVE COOKIE DOUGH. Like ok, packages of cookie dough that you buy and cut and put in the oven, that does not exist. Chile doesn't even have chocolate chips. You can find very small bags of shavings or little chocolate chunks, but there is only one type, no selection. Making cookies here is just impossible. Any cookie you do find here is hard. They do not rock gooey, soft cookies like us the in states. We wanted to make cookies from scratch, but they didn't have any brown sugar. They tried to show us regular cane sugar that was colored brown, but the actual brown sugar that you use for cooking, was not anywhere to be found! FINALLY, when we thought all hope was lost, we found a box of prepackaged cookies where you just add butter and water. OMG. It was heaven!! We finally had cookie dough here in Chile. Now, mind you, I was kind of a snob and it will never compare to what we have in the States, but it was still delicious! Totally the high point in my day!
Yesterday it hit me. I had ZERO clean clothes, and I am leaving tonight. I had to rush and get my clothes cleaned in hopes that they will be dry by this afternoon. We are leaving TONIGHT for Mendoza, Argentina. Isn't that insane? Oh yeah friends, just taking a weekend trip over to Mendoza! Haha. I am so excited. We are going to rock a wine tour and hopefully see some of the beautiful countryside!
Entonces, I will update you about that weekend upon my return! I am loading some pictures right now, so I promise I will post them up today!
The snowball started last Tuesday.
I volunteer at a high school and help a teacher with her English class. The kids in there are amazing, and last Tuesday I went out with some of them. I met up with a few girls from class and our teacher. They wanted to show me all Vina had to offer. Unfortunately, some kind of strike is going on here! All of the museums and big parks in Vina were closed. No worries. We hopped into a micro and went over to Con Con which is a town right outside of our city. They have incredible sand dunes that you can actually go surfing on. We walked along the coast, and then at the end we hit up McDonald's. It was my first chicken nugget since the states, and it was absolutely delicious!!
Wednesday my friend Derek and I went to Santa Isabel for fixings for a picnic. Then we hopped on the metro. We agreed that we would ride until one of us saw something awesome. We rode almost until the end of the line when Derek spotted a huge white cross on top of a hill. That was our stop! We got out and hiked our way up to the cross. When we turned around we had the most incredible view ever! We saw mountains and hills as far stretching across in the background behind about every color house imaginable. It was gorgeous! Unfortunately, our adventure was spur of the moment, and we didn't have a camera :(
Thursday Lindsey's best friend Dee was in town, so we all went out dancing. We decided to avoid creepers and just have a blast dancing with our group. It was an amazing night of techno and raggaeton and all other types of music.
Friday we decided to take a day trip to Renaca, which is right outside of Vina as well. We packed our lunches and headed out first thing in the morning. We think our part of the beach is gorgeous, but we found a place even better!! We spent about four hours talking and napping and just soaking up the free time that we know we are going to miss soon. We were walking through the town and found a huge two story Dunkin Donuts. We decided to have a HOME moment, so we went in and each of us picked out a delicious donut. First donut since the states! I got a Boston Creme, and it was absolutely amazing! Now that home is something tangible, I have started rocking the list of things that I must have when I get back :)
Saturday we hit up the Botanical Gardens again for a BBQ with a ton of people from our program along with some Chileans from our Cultures in Contact class. We had so much delicious food! The meat was fantastic, and our German friend Marcel brought German potato salad! It was incredible!! We had guac and all sorts of bread to dip into it. It was a great feast followed by hiking through the gorgeous park. GOOD DAY! Then that night we went over to our friend Orion's house, and we watched movies. I finally saw UP! Aww it was so cute!!
Sunday my family celebrated my host brother's birthday! It was so much fun having my host sister home! Bah. I wish I could spend more time with her! She is so much fun, and since she is studying English, we always have a blast joking about our language issues.
Monday was back to school, but we started watching this really intense Chilean movie about the mines here. We are finally getting into the government here in Chile, and it is so intense! Just the fact that twenty years ago they were under a dictatorship is so hard to wrap my mind around. People here do NOT talk about politics, and it's pretty obvious why! During Pinochet, people were not allowed to speak their mind about anything. Anyone thought to stir up scandal was abducted from their house and killed or tortured. A lot of people fled the country, but there are still thousands of families that have no idea what happened to their loved ones. We are so fortunate to be living in the United States. This experience has definitely shown me how blessed we truly are!
Tuesday was a monumental day here in Chile. Background. CHILE DOES NOT HAVE COOKIE DOUGH. Like ok, packages of cookie dough that you buy and cut and put in the oven, that does not exist. Chile doesn't even have chocolate chips. You can find very small bags of shavings or little chocolate chunks, but there is only one type, no selection. Making cookies here is just impossible. Any cookie you do find here is hard. They do not rock gooey, soft cookies like us the in states. We wanted to make cookies from scratch, but they didn't have any brown sugar. They tried to show us regular cane sugar that was colored brown, but the actual brown sugar that you use for cooking, was not anywhere to be found! FINALLY, when we thought all hope was lost, we found a box of prepackaged cookies where you just add butter and water. OMG. It was heaven!! We finally had cookie dough here in Chile. Now, mind you, I was kind of a snob and it will never compare to what we have in the States, but it was still delicious! Totally the high point in my day!
Yesterday it hit me. I had ZERO clean clothes, and I am leaving tonight. I had to rush and get my clothes cleaned in hopes that they will be dry by this afternoon. We are leaving TONIGHT for Mendoza, Argentina. Isn't that insane? Oh yeah friends, just taking a weekend trip over to Mendoza! Haha. I am so excited. We are going to rock a wine tour and hopefully see some of the beautiful countryside!
Entonces, I will update you about that weekend upon my return! I am loading some pictures right now, so I promise I will post them up today!
Thursday, October 22, 2009
A Cross...Really??
Alright, I will explain at the end.
Lauren has had some dumb moments at the beach this week:
1. Yesterday I went to the beach with Ashley and Maxie. They went swimming, and I fell asleep. While sleeping, some guy stole my backpack, not two inches from my face! A Chilean girl ran up to me and pointed him out. I ran after him, and he dropped my back and left. Some huge Chilean guys followed me over and went after and I guess talked to the guys. I am glad that there are some amazing Chileans who are looking out for gringas like me :)
2. Today I went to the beach for another nap. I didn't have sunscreen. I should have turned back and said no to the scary strong Chilean sun. Instead I took a nap...now my face is in pain from the major burn. ALSO I was wearing my cross necklace, and it left an imprint in my now burnt chest. It looks ridiculous!!
I can't wait for my next ridiculous stunts here in Vina!
Lauren has had some dumb moments at the beach this week:
1. Yesterday I went to the beach with Ashley and Maxie. They went swimming, and I fell asleep. While sleeping, some guy stole my backpack, not two inches from my face! A Chilean girl ran up to me and pointed him out. I ran after him, and he dropped my back and left. Some huge Chilean guys followed me over and went after and I guess talked to the guys. I am glad that there are some amazing Chileans who are looking out for gringas like me :)
2. Today I went to the beach for another nap. I didn't have sunscreen. I should have turned back and said no to the scary strong Chilean sun. Instead I took a nap...now my face is in pain from the major burn. ALSO I was wearing my cross necklace, and it left an imprint in my now burnt chest. It looks ridiculous!!
I can't wait for my next ridiculous stunts here in Vina!
Monday, October 12, 2009
I Threw it on the Ground
I love being here in Chile and getting updates on stuff in the US
Andy Samberg in Threw in on the Ground...love the music video
Obama wins the Nobel Peace Prize...well...hmm...
I apparently need to see Whip It, Couples Retreat, and Zombieland...I will get on it ASAP
The New Season of How I Met Your Mother is AMAZING!! I am unimpressed with the office and big bang theory, which is saddening.
Updates from the South
The time changes yesterday. Yeah, didn't know that until about 1pm THIS afternoon. Good thing there wasn't school today! I would have felt so stupid.
I am coming back to UIW next semester!! I love Chile, but I don't need to come back for another semester. I am stoked to get back to San Antonio!
I have new Chilean girlfriends-it's so exciting. I am trying to woe one back to bring to UIW. Isn't that creeper of me? I want to bring back a Chilean with me!! One of the girls is REALLY interested in studying in the US, so I am going to try!!
Katie Cheney is coming to Chile! I am stoked!! I told my host mom all about her today, and she was so cute. She got all excited, and said that she was more than welcome to stay with us...so we are going to have to fig out how to live in my room together!
I went to Casablanca on Friday. It's this small town about half an hour away from here, and it is so cute!! We have a Chilean friend that invited us over to his house for the day. It was like being home. Everyone was just relaxing and talking around the house the whole day. That town is famous for their vineyards, so I am going to have to go back and get wine for everyone. I want to bring wine back as gifts, but I feel like I am going to look like an alcoholic! I mean wine is famous here...and cheaper than the US...so it's the perfect gift!! However, I don't know how they will feel about me smuggling like ten bottles back, and I don't trust mailing that much. That's what is up.
Saturday I went to the beach to chill out. I FINALLY made use of my hammock...as I giant beach towel. What have I been thinking? It's perfect! I can't believe it took me two months to discover it is the most comfortable thing to lay on ever. I am going to rock this gorgeous hammock all over san antonio when I get back!
Today I have to get crackin on homework. I have presentations and wonderful tests coming up! I told my mom Derek was coming over to work on homework, and she was like ARE YOU GOING TO THE BEACH? and I was like no, we are going to work here in the apartment...apparently that is boring and lame. I should obviously go to the beach to work on homework. Haha I think that is so funny. I am going to miss living on the beach sooo badly! Maybe I will put a kiddie pool in the back soccer fields at UIW and rock out in that. Gosh, I am such a nerd!
More adventures to come this week...that is for sure!!
Andy Samberg in Threw in on the Ground...love the music video
Obama wins the Nobel Peace Prize...well...hmm...
I apparently need to see Whip It, Couples Retreat, and Zombieland...I will get on it ASAP
The New Season of How I Met Your Mother is AMAZING!! I am unimpressed with the office and big bang theory, which is saddening.
Updates from the South
The time changes yesterday. Yeah, didn't know that until about 1pm THIS afternoon. Good thing there wasn't school today! I would have felt so stupid.
I am coming back to UIW next semester!! I love Chile, but I don't need to come back for another semester. I am stoked to get back to San Antonio!
I have new Chilean girlfriends-it's so exciting. I am trying to woe one back to bring to UIW. Isn't that creeper of me? I want to bring back a Chilean with me!! One of the girls is REALLY interested in studying in the US, so I am going to try!!
Katie Cheney is coming to Chile! I am stoked!! I told my host mom all about her today, and she was so cute. She got all excited, and said that she was more than welcome to stay with us...so we are going to have to fig out how to live in my room together!
I went to Casablanca on Friday. It's this small town about half an hour away from here, and it is so cute!! We have a Chilean friend that invited us over to his house for the day. It was like being home. Everyone was just relaxing and talking around the house the whole day. That town is famous for their vineyards, so I am going to have to go back and get wine for everyone. I want to bring wine back as gifts, but I feel like I am going to look like an alcoholic! I mean wine is famous here...and cheaper than the US...so it's the perfect gift!! However, I don't know how they will feel about me smuggling like ten bottles back, and I don't trust mailing that much. That's what is up.
Saturday I went to the beach to chill out. I FINALLY made use of my hammock...as I giant beach towel. What have I been thinking? It's perfect! I can't believe it took me two months to discover it is the most comfortable thing to lay on ever. I am going to rock this gorgeous hammock all over san antonio when I get back!
Today I have to get crackin on homework. I have presentations and wonderful tests coming up! I told my mom Derek was coming over to work on homework, and she was like ARE YOU GOING TO THE BEACH? and I was like no, we are going to work here in the apartment...apparently that is boring and lame. I should obviously go to the beach to work on homework. Haha I think that is so funny. I am going to miss living on the beach sooo badly! Maybe I will put a kiddie pool in the back soccer fields at UIW and rock out in that. Gosh, I am such a nerd!
More adventures to come this week...that is for sure!!
Friday, October 2, 2009
Lauren = Clutz SIEMPRE (always)
Ok there are so many things to share about this week!
First off, happy October everyone! We are starting what is by far my favorite month of the year, because it ends with the ever amazing Halloween celebration. I have two months behind me, and I am looking forward to the next two months with a new found enthusiasm!
Wednesday night Derek and I had a huge study night, which made me realize, that was the first time I had spent over an hour studying for school here. It was a really weird feeling, sort of like I am a slacker, and sort of like I have become a complete homework snob and don't want to bring myself to do work. HOWEVER, I did my work, and I made it through the hellish week with the 3 projects and 3 tests. YAY!!!
Yesterday right before our Grammar test we went to go buy some fruit. I was trying to walk and practice conjugations at the same time. WHY!?! I am so stupid! I didn't see a step and came right down on a twisted foot, crunching down hard on my ankle. Same thing happened last semester during spring break...apparently I need to learn how to walk! I sat for a few minutes sucking in air, laughing and praying that I could get back up and hobble around. I got up and walked on it for the rest of the night...only to discover last night when I finally took my sock off that my ankle was HUGE and swollen. It was pretty cool though. I wanted to take a picture, but I was too lazy. Major bummage though, because I had been planning to go out all week today with a group of people from the school and a group of Chileans we have become friends with. We were all going to Laguna Verde for the entire day to hike and sunbath and cook sausages. I had to pass though, because I don't think I am up for a whole day of walking around. So I decided to pass.
Ok, before I talk more about today, let me fill you in on last night.
We went out with Niko (nicholas) who we met last Thursday. He invited us to Valpo to meet a whole bunch of his friends. It was so great! They invited us to go to the Botanical Gardens on Sunday to barbecue! YUM YUM
Also, we finally had Chileans come to our Cultures in Contact class this Wednesday, and we got into a group with some girls. They invited us to hang out Saturday night. They are going to take us shopping and show us some sites! I AM STOKED!
That is three groups of Chileans AND my Chilean buddy! I am so excited! YAY it took two months, but I have friends. Of course I wouldn't have done it without the push from my ex best friend Amanda Atikinson hahahaha much love
Ok back to today. Before they left for their adventure day, Ashley, Lindsey, and I went to pick up our Chilean identification cards...FINALLY. Haha we should have done that over a month ago, and that is why they almost didn't let us out of the country. No worries, I am official.
Then we ran over to the post office. I went and picked up a care package that my parents sent me. It is by far the coolest box of goodies ever. Here in Chile people only use mayonnaise, which I cannot bring myself to do. They put it on their vegetables, rice, salads, and lots of other dishes as well. I had my parents send me some ranch packets to let my host family try something new. They also sent some gifts for my host family, so I am in good standing with them at the moment. Of course, they send me Halloween candy and stickers and other fun Halloween trinkets. I love it so much! I am going to bring Halloween to Chile! Yay only about 28 more days to go.
Alright that was my somewhat ridiculously fun, exciting, work filled week, and you should look forward to MANY more adventures to come!!
First off, happy October everyone! We are starting what is by far my favorite month of the year, because it ends with the ever amazing Halloween celebration. I have two months behind me, and I am looking forward to the next two months with a new found enthusiasm!
Wednesday night Derek and I had a huge study night, which made me realize, that was the first time I had spent over an hour studying for school here. It was a really weird feeling, sort of like I am a slacker, and sort of like I have become a complete homework snob and don't want to bring myself to do work. HOWEVER, I did my work, and I made it through the hellish week with the 3 projects and 3 tests. YAY!!!
Yesterday right before our Grammar test we went to go buy some fruit. I was trying to walk and practice conjugations at the same time. WHY!?! I am so stupid! I didn't see a step and came right down on a twisted foot, crunching down hard on my ankle. Same thing happened last semester during spring break...apparently I need to learn how to walk! I sat for a few minutes sucking in air, laughing and praying that I could get back up and hobble around. I got up and walked on it for the rest of the night...only to discover last night when I finally took my sock off that my ankle was HUGE and swollen. It was pretty cool though. I wanted to take a picture, but I was too lazy. Major bummage though, because I had been planning to go out all week today with a group of people from the school and a group of Chileans we have become friends with. We were all going to Laguna Verde for the entire day to hike and sunbath and cook sausages. I had to pass though, because I don't think I am up for a whole day of walking around. So I decided to pass.
Ok, before I talk more about today, let me fill you in on last night.
We went out with Niko (nicholas) who we met last Thursday. He invited us to Valpo to meet a whole bunch of his friends. It was so great! They invited us to go to the Botanical Gardens on Sunday to barbecue! YUM YUM
Also, we finally had Chileans come to our Cultures in Contact class this Wednesday, and we got into a group with some girls. They invited us to hang out Saturday night. They are going to take us shopping and show us some sites! I AM STOKED!
That is three groups of Chileans AND my Chilean buddy! I am so excited! YAY it took two months, but I have friends. Of course I wouldn't have done it without the push from my ex best friend Amanda Atikinson hahahaha much love
Ok back to today. Before they left for their adventure day, Ashley, Lindsey, and I went to pick up our Chilean identification cards...FINALLY. Haha we should have done that over a month ago, and that is why they almost didn't let us out of the country. No worries, I am official.
Then we ran over to the post office. I went and picked up a care package that my parents sent me. It is by far the coolest box of goodies ever. Here in Chile people only use mayonnaise, which I cannot bring myself to do. They put it on their vegetables, rice, salads, and lots of other dishes as well. I had my parents send me some ranch packets to let my host family try something new. They also sent some gifts for my host family, so I am in good standing with them at the moment. Of course, they send me Halloween candy and stickers and other fun Halloween trinkets. I love it so much! I am going to bring Halloween to Chile! Yay only about 28 more days to go.
Alright that was my somewhat ridiculously fun, exciting, work filled week, and you should look forward to MANY more adventures to come!!
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Half Way Mark!!!
Alright chaps, I am halfway through my week of doom! Today I had my presentation over the Mapuches. Last time I gave a presentation she said I looked at my notes too much. I will give her that since I wrote out my entire speech on my paper! Haha. Even if we mess up or don't use perfect grammar, she wants us to practice and get comfortable speaking in Spanish. For someone as timid as I am with Spanish, that is a hard task. No worries, I rocked it :)
Tonight my Cultures in Contact group got together and spent forever trying to find a fun way to present our interviews. Everyone is going to making a powerpoint, so we knew we had to go above and beyond! Entonces, we have created a show, and we have music for the end of our presentation. I hope ours rocks everyone out of their seats so hard that the teacher has no choice but to announce us at the winners! That would be absolutely fantastic in my book!
Finally, we ended up running into our new Chilean friends that we met over the weekend. It was a fantastic day! Tomorrow we are going to rock our presentation, and then tomorrow night my Chilean friend Manuel is going to help me study! YAY CHILE!
Tonight my Cultures in Contact group got together and spent forever trying to find a fun way to present our interviews. Everyone is going to making a powerpoint, so we knew we had to go above and beyond! Entonces, we have created a show, and we have music for the end of our presentation. I hope ours rocks everyone out of their seats so hard that the teacher has no choice but to announce us at the winners! That would be absolutely fantastic in my book!
Finally, we ended up running into our new Chilean friends that we met over the weekend. It was a fantastic day! Tomorrow we are going to rock our presentation, and then tomorrow night my Chilean friend Manuel is going to help me study! YAY CHILE!
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Unwind from Peru
Hey everyone!!
This week zoomed by, because I was sick or SOMETHING, and every night I was out before 10pm. It was ridiculous! Still, this week was pretty fantastic!
Wednesday in Cultures in Contact, we were assigned a new project. We have to go and interview Chileans on the street and make a PowerPoint about it for class. It was so scary at first, so I tagged along with Gillian who knows A LOT more Spanish than I do. After awhile I got some nerve and went on my own though. Yay me :) Everyone was so nice
Thursday after class Derek and I met a new Chilean guy that he found (stalked) on couch surfers. We are all desperate to meet new people, so we are trying everything we can think of! Well we met Niko (Nicholas) and he was fantastic! We told him about our Chilean hunting, and now he is getting all of his friends together next Thursday so that we can meet them. Isn't that awesome!? After our meeting, we decided to get together with Lindsey and have a movie night. Actually, we wanted to catch up on all of the new tv shows, but they were taking FOREVER to load!! We ended up surfing pics on facebook and watching the Disney version of Robin Hood.
However, before I got to Lindseys house, I had a little mini adventure. It was 10 pm, so I decided to take a collectivo (a cheap taxi that goes around in the same loop over and over) to her house. Since the collectivos go in a specific route, I have to take two. I made it half way to Lindseys house and then had to try and flag down another collectivo. Only problem, they were all full!! There was a guy walking down the sidewalk, and he started walking over towards me. )I am not afraid of people on the street, but I always try to be aware of my surroundings) He asked me (in broken english) if I speak English, which I thought was very funny, because I obviously do not speak Spanish. He offered to help me flag down a collectivo, but, yet again, they were all full. I asked if it was dangerous to walk at this hour, and he said that I was fine. He lived at least 15 minutes away from Lindseys house, but he walked me all the way to her front door. It was so nice!! We chatted in Spanish and a little in English, and he knows French, so he spoke some French to me. He is studying psychology at the University of Valparaiso, which is right next to my host brother's University. It was very nice of him. Good stranger encounter!!
Friday was a very crappy weather day, so Lindsey and I stayed in bed and watched The Ugly Truth. Later on Friday I watched I Love You, Man...I know, very productive day.
Last night the girls got together and we went to a cafe for awhile. Then Ashley's new Chilean buddy invited us over to hang out. It was so much fun! We met some more super nice Chileans. I feel like things are finally coming together with meeting new people and actually making Chilean friends!
Today I am trying to buckle down and get on my homework. I almost feel badly, because I never have school work. WELL, all that changed this past week when my teachers decided to go crazy with assignments. THIS WEEK I have two tests and four projects, and I learned about all of them last week. Yeah, I know, maybe I could have prepared ahead of time, but, oh yeah, South America doesn't use a syllabus. BOO ON THAT! Haha it's alright though, I am truckin through the workload!!
BTW...The Nightmare Before Christmas en Espanol is La Extrana Navidad de Jack.
This week zoomed by, because I was sick or SOMETHING, and every night I was out before 10pm. It was ridiculous! Still, this week was pretty fantastic!
Wednesday in Cultures in Contact, we were assigned a new project. We have to go and interview Chileans on the street and make a PowerPoint about it for class. It was so scary at first, so I tagged along with Gillian who knows A LOT more Spanish than I do. After awhile I got some nerve and went on my own though. Yay me :) Everyone was so nice
Thursday after class Derek and I met a new Chilean guy that he found (stalked) on couch surfers. We are all desperate to meet new people, so we are trying everything we can think of! Well we met Niko (Nicholas) and he was fantastic! We told him about our Chilean hunting, and now he is getting all of his friends together next Thursday so that we can meet them. Isn't that awesome!? After our meeting, we decided to get together with Lindsey and have a movie night. Actually, we wanted to catch up on all of the new tv shows, but they were taking FOREVER to load!! We ended up surfing pics on facebook and watching the Disney version of Robin Hood.
However, before I got to Lindseys house, I had a little mini adventure. It was 10 pm, so I decided to take a collectivo (a cheap taxi that goes around in the same loop over and over) to her house. Since the collectivos go in a specific route, I have to take two. I made it half way to Lindseys house and then had to try and flag down another collectivo. Only problem, they were all full!! There was a guy walking down the sidewalk, and he started walking over towards me. )I am not afraid of people on the street, but I always try to be aware of my surroundings) He asked me (in broken english) if I speak English, which I thought was very funny, because I obviously do not speak Spanish. He offered to help me flag down a collectivo, but, yet again, they were all full. I asked if it was dangerous to walk at this hour, and he said that I was fine. He lived at least 15 minutes away from Lindseys house, but he walked me all the way to her front door. It was so nice!! We chatted in Spanish and a little in English, and he knows French, so he spoke some French to me. He is studying psychology at the University of Valparaiso, which is right next to my host brother's University. It was very nice of him. Good stranger encounter!!
Friday was a very crappy weather day, so Lindsey and I stayed in bed and watched The Ugly Truth. Later on Friday I watched I Love You, Man...I know, very productive day.
Last night the girls got together and we went to a cafe for awhile. Then Ashley's new Chilean buddy invited us over to hang out. It was so much fun! We met some more super nice Chileans. I feel like things are finally coming together with meeting new people and actually making Chilean friends!
Today I am trying to buckle down and get on my homework. I almost feel badly, because I never have school work. WELL, all that changed this past week when my teachers decided to go crazy with assignments. THIS WEEK I have two tests and four projects, and I learned about all of them last week. Yeah, I know, maybe I could have prepared ahead of time, but, oh yeah, South America doesn't use a syllabus. BOO ON THAT! Haha it's alright though, I am truckin through the workload!!
BTW...The Nightmare Before Christmas en Espanol is La Extrana Navidad de Jack.
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