On Saturday, my friend Andrea and I went to Reñaca to go hang out at another friend’s (Agustin) apartment. On the bus, we weren’t sure which stop to get off at, so we asked the bus driver to let us know where the end of “Ositos” was…he didn’t. He was kind of rude, and so when we asked how far away we were from the stop, he said we had just passed it. So we got off at the next possible stop and asked directions. Luckily, we were only a couple blocks off so we walked on the downward slope of the hill (almost everywhere is a hill here). When we passed all of the tall buildings, we could finally see the ocean on this beautiful, clear, sunny, perfect day. It was breath-taking. I still can’t get over how incredible the ocean is here; indescribable! Agustin’s apartment is located on the side of this hill facing the sea. You could see the curve of the coast, all the hills, the picturesque beaches and I even saw seals surfing! (I think I might ask them to teach me…I want to learn.) We stayed out on his balcony all afternoon until the sunset; nothing compares to an ocean sunset.

Pure serenity.

The next two days were solidly dedicated to a paper in one of my classes at Rodelillo, where I take my classes completely in Spanish with other Chileans. It said it could not exceed 11 pages…which meant there was a lot of material to cover. I spent the next two precious, ideal/ days of warm sun and clear skies inside working on this paper that I could have been doing over my week long break. Such are the typical mistakes of a college student. I do believe I’ll take advantage of my ability to make these mistakes now and learn from them later. At least it’s done and over with now.

mi equipo, mi familia; my team, my family

Tuesday, my UVM team and I went against another university, DUOC, and absolutely dominated. I didn’t get in this game it being the first one of the season, but it was incredible watching them play. I suppose I’m an aspiring bench warmer wanting to play with the reigning regional champions of Chile: challenge accepted.

That night, I had the Skype meeting with the Valparaiso University International Office which was awesome to be able to talk about Chile straight from Chile. I followed the questions that Julie Maddox gave me and talked a little bit about each point…okay, a lot. To be honest, I just couldn’t stop talking about how much I love it here and how everyone should come here. Got a bit carried away I suppose…but I do believe that’s a good sign 😉

Burnt some cookies with Andrea on Wednesday; used our creativity to make some cool shapes like a cat that looked like Pikachu and Charlie the Unicorn and, to finish off our dough, a snowman (the carrot nose burnt…) They didn’t taste so bad with a little honey. My host brother, Axel, loved them, so that’s a good sign. I’m not a complete failure in the kitchen, but I’m not so great.

Then yesterday went a little something like this: woke up late, went for a jog, found the post office (finally), went to my meeting with the orchestral director, soccer training, went home, got ready, birthday party for a Mexican amiga here, danced at the casino club.

I’d say, I’ve had a decent past few days. Loving my life here.

This may or may not be one of the longer posts I’m going to have on this blog, but if it helps, there are a lot of pictures too 

Here we go!

Singing/Chanting about Chile at Ston

It all started last Wednesday night, a big night to go out here in Chile. A big group of us went to a bar called Ston and started celebrating los días de patria (patriotic days) early. We enjoyed a drink called terremoto(earthquake) and is a mix of wines, grenadine, and ice cream. It’s delicious, and there are tons of different flavors!

Students in traditional Chilean gear

The next day, Thursday, we had a celebration with the other international students at the UVM Rodelillo campus. There was plenty of food and dancing, specifically the cueca, Chile’s national traditional dance. They even had a contest for those international students who attended cueca classes (which I unfortunately couldn’t attend due to soccer training). It was very fun to watch! Especially with all the missteps  but they all did very well. Then they had a game after that anyone could participate in where you had to (without any hands) eat a sweet in a shallow plate of water, find another in a pile of flour, and finally bite an apple. I got 2nd…of 3. Silver medal!

On Friday, my friend Olivia and I decided that we should study…but we made brownie sundaes instead. Little did we know, that as we were making the ever delicious dessert for la once Basilio, a friend of Olivia’s family, was making panqueques con manjar! It was a very sweetonce to say the least.

Spaniards with their tortilla española

Later that night, we went over to an apartment where the Spaniards had a dinner with tortilla española (an omelete with onions and potatoes) and bread with Spanish ham & tomato (I don’t know if that one had a particular name). We ended up going to Sala Murano and getting our groove on for the rest of the night. Because I had a friend who worked there, we all got in for free, which made the night even better (because who doesn’t like saving money). We made it even more patriotic with our friend Mauricio who painted some of our faces with the Chilean flag.

Olivia with her host mom & Basilio making empanadas

Saturday, Olivia’s family invited me to a BBQ where we madeempanadas de pino from scratch with Basilio again. Later that night we went with Olivia’s host brother to watch fireworks at the beach where I heard the Chilean national anthem for the first time. They continued to play traditional patriotic songs as everyone around us hummed or sang along as fireworks continued to shoot up over the water. After the beautiful display, we went to the fonda (a fair/get together) at Sporting, the horse race track. On the walk over, I even met some people from Minnesota! I told them what part I was from and we actually had some friends in common. It’s crazy how small of a world this really is. When we arrived, the place was filled with rows upon rows of vendors selling food and drink. They had even set up places to sit or dance!

At the fonda at Sporting

There were soooo many people, so we decided to sit down at a small set-up bar and enjoy a jar of terremoto. When we were about to leave, we lost Olivia’s host brother and his friends and neither of us had anymore credits on our phone to call him…so we decided to just go home. Olivia walked me to where the collectivos were and I experienced one for the first time. I learned a valuable lesson:collectivos and taxis are not the same thing. But I had a great conversation with the driver, and he helped me get to where I needed to be.

Sunday I spent with my host family at home, where they had a giant asado (BBQ) with all of the family. I finally met Claudio’s son (Francisco) and daughter (Carolina), and Vivi’s sisters were there too (Jaqui & Carolina). Caro (Claudio’s daughter) also brought her adorable puppy who was all ready for Independence day and dressed in traditional Chilean gear. We had tons of meat, salad, cola de mono(monkey tail; milk, coffee, and a Chilean liquor), pisco (Chilean liquor),and chica (a slightly carbonated alcoholic juice).

Big family lunch!

I learned plenty more Chilean slang words from Francisco (who may be the most Chilean guy I’ve met so far). We sat for hours exchanging stories, teaching/learning more about Chile, and consuming more food and drink than thought to be humanly possible. It was one course after another after another after another of the lunch, then the coffee & the palete cleanser (mote con huesillo), and then more coffee and Chilean desserts. All together it had to be at least 6 hours, if not more, and I loved every minute of it.

Monday, I left Viña and traveled to La Calera where my other family lives, and we left for Palos Quemados to camp which was only about 30 minutes away. It was absolutely stunning. We were set in between the hills. Everywhere you went you could smell asados and cooked meat. Our crew had plenty of meat and the traditional Chilean salad: onions, tomatoes, and cilantro. We relaxed and danced a bit with our radio and I learned more about Universidad Católica (a soccer team of which I am now a fan). I can now recite a few of their chants  Then I cuddled up in our tent

Palos Quemados

The next morning, aTuesday, and the official Independence day of Chile. I woke up to the beautiful landscape and clear skies. We had a little bit of bread toasted over the fire for breakfast and some tea. Then interspersed naps with lunch and more naps; successful laziness. It wasn’t until I saw some people playing soccer in the campsites next door that I gained a sudden spurt of energy. We asked if we could play and got a game going. It was cloudy at this point and little mists of rain cooled us off as we continued to get muddier from the futbolito (little soccer game). Then we had to start packing everything up and get going, and of course at this point it was clear and perfect outside…figures. We got back to La Calera and gathered with the cousins to go to Oscar’s apartment to watch the Universidad Católica game against Tolima (Columbia) in the Southamerican cup. They didn’t do so well in that game, but they still did well enough to move on to the octo-finals! YAY! We then went to a fonda which consisted of a ton of people, really expensive drinks, and a live band. They didn’t even have terremoto…but at least we got to dance.

Wednesday rolled around and I left La Calera and enjoyed a quiet lunch with my host family where, for the first time, everyone was present! We had empanadas, salad with onion, pepper and eggplant, and for dessert, banana with honey. Then I enjoyed a relaxed night with some friends playing UNO at their apartment.

And now it’s Thursday where I’m about to go to the beach with my Columbian friend, Andrea, and enjoy the sunset on the beach.

I’ll update you soon!

First off, I would like to share this quote that my Cine teacher shared with me about studying/traveling abroad:

You can’t go home again.

                                    -Thomas Wolf

It’s implicating that once you leave your reality of what is home and the culture that is familiar, you can never really go home and experience it the same way you had before. This quote seems to be a central point in today’s post; I’ve never felt so patriotic.

On Friday I went out with one of my Mexican friends and her roommates and her roommate’s friends. One of the friends of the roommate was named Clara. She seemed congenial at first, but then she asked me where I was from. When I told her the USA, her face immediately changed. The rest of the night whenever I was conversing with the others, she would say to them, “She doesn’t know what you’re saying” and then shoot me a look of mockery like I didn’t know what she just said either. I felt stupid and embarrassed at first, but then stopped caring because let’s be real: who cares. I’ve encountered a few of them, these “Clara types” who stereotype all Americans to be idiots, but the best way to deal with them is ignore them. I’m still learning to language. This I think is sometimes the mentality/impatience we might have with people who aren’t fluent in English. Take it from someone who’s experienced the other side: give ‘em a break! And never feel embarrassed about where you come from.

This Saturday I went out with some Spainards, a Chilean, and Andrea (& with the exception of Andrea, none of whom speak or barely understand English). I love experiencing these differences in cultures, differences in people, and even difference in language. We were all speaking Spanish but there were distinct differences and slang and dialect. It’s so cool listening to them all speak and hear their accents and have them all mix together into one language. I suppose that might be the same as someone from Chicago, Texas, California, New York, and Minnesota having a conversation all in one room. Just never thought about it that way before…

I know that I’m trying to use Spanish all of the time, but there are a lot of students in my classes who have been asking me for help with English. I actually visited a second year English class a couple weeks ago. It was so interesting. The teacher had a British accent, and they were talking about advice and suggestions. She emphasized a lot on the difference between the two which to me, never really seemed that important. There were so many little things about English that never really occurred to me in terms of grammar. At the end of class she asked me to give suggestions to those who were interested in studying in the United States. It was cool to be able to share a little bit about different parts of the US and give suggestions. I felt really proud to be able to talk about my country.

In one of my classes, we deal with globalization and cultural events and such, and one of the topics that’s hit on a lot is 9/11 (which I just realized is tomorrow). The last class they directly asked me about it, and I remember exactly where I was. I didn’t understand a lot because I was pretty young at that time, but I shared a little about what I remember with the class and then it started to become difficult to say anything at all. I started to become a little emotional and speechless. I never had felt so strongly towards my country than at that moment.

It’s easy to get carried away with all the other cultures and find faults with your own, which admittedly I was doing. However, now I’m learning that the more I get to know other cultures, the more I can appreciate and expand thoughts about my own. I can honestly say that I am certainly very blessed and very proud to be an American. I finally truly understood this allegiance we learned since we were young:

I felt this to be relevant especially with voting coming up and tomorrow being the remembrance of one of the most impacting, disastrous moments of our time: September 11th, 2001. My thoughts and prayers go out to all those who were effected by this traumatic event in our history, and also to everyone who will be voting this year (which everyone who is able should).

Sending some American love from the other hemisphere.

So my birthday was on Saturday the first of September, and it was my first birthday in a different country. I spent Friday night (and the midnight going into my birthday) with my very good friends in La Calera. We went out to a karaoke bar after and I sang “Rehab” by Amy Winehouse. Saturday night I went back to Vina and spent the night at home with my host brother, who was hosting a BBQ with his friends. He incorporated my birthday as the new-found reason to celebrate and surprised me with a delicious mil hojas torta con manjar. It was delicious.

I received some nice phone calls from my family over Skype singing me “Happy Birthday”, and that’s when the homesickness began. I started questioning why I was here at all; why I had left everything that was comfortable and familiar to me thousands of miles away. I wanted my family, my house, my bed, my entire closet, my mom’s cooking. I wanted home. I shrugged it off to enjoy my weekend, but the feeling came surging back with a vengeance right after the weekend. I didn’t like to show it at all though; I felt as though I would be ungrateful or something, but I still couldn’t get rid of the homesickness. A few days after, I had a Skype session with Julie Maddox, the director of International Programs at Valparaiso University. She sent me this article about homesickness, and it gave me a little more perspective for when I’m having some of those moments.

Stages of Adjustment

Stage 1: Cultural Euphoria

At the start of your study abroad, there is an initial excitement about being in a new culture.  This is often called the “honeymoon stage.” Everything is new and wonderful, and you are eager to explore it all. This phase seems pleasant enough, but there are some drawbacks involved. You tend to see the culture through rose-colored glasses, and your interpretations aren’t necessarily realistic. You also focus more on all the visible aspects of the culture (e.g. food, scenery, and clothing) and ignore the more complex and less obvious cultural aspects. In addition, you tend to focus on similarities rather than differences in the early stage of the visit. Most tourists who travel for a short period of time remain in this stage for their entire journey.

Stage 2: Cultural Confrontation

In the next stage, the initial excitement you felt when you arrived diminishes and the process of cultural adjustment begins. This stage is characterized by confusion and frustration and, as such, is the most difficult stage. Your feelings can shift from very positive to extremely negative. You may view both the home culture and the host culture in very unrealistic terms; one is superior while the other is lacking. This is because everything that you used to do with relative ease in your home country appears much more difficult due to the culture and/or the language. Homesickness may also contribute to your feelings of discomfort. You feel discouraged and begin to doubt whether you can learn the language or adjust to the culture. Despite these feelings, you are making critical progress in expanding your cross-cultural awareness and, whether or not you are aware of it, you are developing your own strategies for coping with cultural differences.

Stage 3: Cultural Adjustment

This stage represents the transition out of culture shock into significant cultural adjustment. You feel increasingly comfortable and competent in the culture, and these feelings prevail over the times you have felt frustrated or out of place. Homesickness may still be an issue for you, but you are interacting more effectively with people from your host country, leading to an increase in self-confidence. You start to look forward to further communication oportunities in the host country and what you can learn throughout the remainder or your experience.

Stage 4: Cultural Adaptation

In this stage, you have reached a point where you have a great deal of confidence in your ability to communicate and interact effectively. You have a deeper understanding of the influence culture has in peoples’ lives. You have acquired considerable cultural knowledge, but you also recognize that there is much you still don’t know or understand. You have integrated many of the values, customs, and behaviors from the new culture into your daily life. You now possess the ability to examine and comprehend a wide range of cultural norms, values, and beliefs.

(Taken from Statements of Adjustment Activity (p. 84-89) in Maximizing Study Abroad: A Students’ Guide to Strategies for Language and Culture Learning and Use.) 

Homesickness

Homesickness is one of the most common adjustment problems related to culture shock and loneliness. Experienced by students from every country, homesickness is a universal side–affect to being away from home. Psychologists often refer to homesickness as “separation anxiety” because students–in particular those moving away from home–feel separated from all that is familiar.

Feelings of homesickness may even start before you leave to study abroad in the country of your choice. You may find yourself mildly depressed or anxious several weeks before leaving. The anticipation and preparation for this major change of lifestyle can trigger pre–departure homesickness, or sudden feelings that you don’t want to leave, or even a want to back out of your decision to study abroad.

Some students might experience homesickness within the first few days or weeks of being abroad, while others might not be hit by homesickness until later on, or closer to the holidays. Holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, family events or even family illness or death can all cause you to feel homesick, or make you wish you were at home. Also, many students report increased feelings of homesickness during the winter months when darkness, rainy weather and the cold can lead to feelings of depression.

The following are a few tips to help you cope with feelings of homesickness:

• Don’t wait for homesickness to go away by itself. Confront your feelings by talking to someone (a counselor, family member, roommate, or another student, etc.) about your homesickness. Chances are that the other students in your program may be feeling the same way you are.
• Bring some of home along with you to the country of your choice. Be sure to pack photos of family and friends, bring your favorite CDs and cook family recipes while abroad.
• Make friends with locals and invite them to spend time with you. Creating such a support network can really help to alleviate homesickness while creating lasting friendships.
• Be patient with yourself as you adjust to the unexpected realities of being in the country of your choice, and how abroad is not like home.
• Get involved by seeking out opportunities that keep you busy and occupied so that you won’t think about home. Try to work, intern, volunteer, or travel. You could also join a sports team or club, join a gym, or participate in program activities.

I hope this helps for all those who might have these moments 

The international UVM (Universidad Viña del Mar) students had a tour in Santiago. We left very early that morning so we could enjoy the sights that the city had to offer. I couldn’t take any pictures though because I forgot my camera at a friend’s house…sad. I’m also going to apologize for vague descriptions and almost no names of places…the sheet with all of that has also been misplaced. I’ll find it and update you!

Palacio de la Moneda with other UVM students

When we arrived near the Palacio de la Moneda, I noticed a very eclectic mix of architecture; modern day with bohemian with traditional, classic structure. When we stopped for lunch, there was a center with a plethora of choices of places to eat. There were people at the front of each restaurant badgering people to come into theirs because theirs was the best and so on; very typical in Chile, so don’t be surprised if that happens. Just politely ignore them. We finally decided on a place called Agusto’s which I highly recommend. They serve unlimited Hallullah (best bread) for free (and even more so for us because they understood that we were students). They fish was also incredible; no idea what kind it was because it was simply just called “fried fish” but it was incredible and cheap. A plate that could easily feed both me and my friend, Felipe, was 4mil pesos (about $8). Definitely worth it.

Then we went out to Club Chocolate (the next block over) and danced the night away 

I love it here.