Tamara Catanach

TamiC

Tamara Catanach



The adventures of an ex-exchange student:
I spent a year living in beautiful little Copiapò, Chile as a YFU exchange student... and started this is as my blog of life in the Atacama Desert.
Then I spent a year back in the states studying Social Work, and I am currently back in Chile hoping to finish my degree here... and who knows where life will take me next 😉

*friends and family: if you want to get updates, send me your e-mail so I can put you on the list to be notified when i write a new entry!

(tcatanach@comcast.net)



South America » Chile » Atacama » Copiapó February 9th 2011

Hello all and sorry about the long delay with these pics! Things have been busy since I got back to Chile at the end of December, so here are a few little notes on what I've been up to the last couple months, and I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves! Laura came with me and spent the last couple weeks of her winter break down here and we had a great time! My good friend Alvaro moved in with me, and it was really nice not living alone any more! He became sort of my big brother and it worked out really well for me having a man around to fix things and drive me around, but I also got a humbling look into a reality that was once worlds away from my own. ... read more
New Years Fireworks
New Years
Jano Laura and Me

North America » United States » Massachusetts January 5th 2011

Time to catch up the blog!! I spent about a month at home in the states from Thanksgiving to Christmas. I started it off with Thanksgiving with my dad's side of the family, and then we went to my cousin Bobby's wedding in Florida. It was wonderful catching up with all my cousins and aunts and uncles! Then while I was at home I got to make some trips to visit my camp friends in Boston, my college friends in PA and even my friend Gina (a fellow exchange student who went to chile) who is living in New York!! While at Elizabethtown visiting my old roomies I went to the Emotion Dance show (which several friends were dancing in) and it was absolutely incredible. All of the dances are choreographed and performed by students and ... read more
Interesting doughnuts in Santiago...!
my cousins playing Wii
my cousins playing Wii 2

South America » Chile » Coquimbo Region » La Serena November 14th 2010

Disclaimer: my english is feeling slightly incoherent today, but I wanted to get this blog done now while I have internet! I just spent a WONDERFUL weekend in La Serena, it was absolutely beautiful and I spent some relaxing hours thinking, writing, and talking with my friends and Laura's host family. I arrived thursday night and spent most of Friday lounging around and talking with Tia Susy (Laura's host mom, for those of you who don't know) and then spent the evening at my friend Jovi's apartment. Then on Saturday Pito, Soto and I went to Vicuña and stayed until Sunday afternoon. Tia Susy's mother, sisters and two of Pito's cousins came over for tea Sunday and then Monday morning I hopped on a bus back to Copiapo. For those of you who didn't follow my ... read more
Vineyard
Rio Turbio
Water Sample 1

South America » Chile » Atacama » Copiapó October 29th 2010

- I had a little scare a couple weeks ago when I was walking back to Yaya's house after going out for a beer with a friend. It was about 1 in the morning (in Chile considered an early hour to be coming back on Friday or Saturday nights) and the colectivo dropped me on the other side of the supermarket from Yaya's house, which was a little further than usual but just a few minutes walk. In front of the supermarket (closed at that hour) there was a car parked with three men inside. I was the only person around, except for an open fast food place about half a block behind me. One of the men got out of the car and started walking towards me. I turned and walked as fast as I ... read more
Chichalandia house 2
Chichalandia elephant tunnel
Chichalandia house 3

South America » Chile » Atacama » Copiapó October 29th 2010

I've been getting used to life here again... and this time around I've found myself stopping to think about some of the things that I had gotten used to before! I'm realizing that if my plans go as planned, I'll be spending the next few years here and that's going to be a lot different than just being immersed in a culture for a 10 month exchange. The upside of that is that I will get a much deeper look into the chilean culture and my spanish will certainly benefit. The downside is that I'm just going to have to get used to the parts of chilean life that I don't like or find frustrating! - The Chilean day is much like the traditional Spanish day; people work in the morning, come home for lunch and ... read more
Sunset 2
Amaro 1
Rocio and Amaro 1

South America » Chile » Atacama » Copiapó October 23rd 2010

There are lots of pics in this entry! The first ones are the very first pics I took of the apartment, followed by some pictures from yesterday now that I've been living here for a little over a week and have made it into my lovely little home! After those are some pictures of what I've been up to lately. The Apartment I found a great furnished apartment on the 5th floor of a really nice condominium that's actually pretty close to the high school I attended while on exchange. It's on Copayapu, a main road that has colectivos (cheap taxis that follow a certain route according to their number) that go downtown (and to Yaya's house) and to the university. A short walk down the street there is a Jumbo (super market), an Easy (home ... read more
1st Apt. pics 2
1st Apt. pics 3
1st Apt. pics 4

South America » Chile » Atacama » Copiapó October 9th 2010

My Plans Ok, so almost 2 weeks ago now I got the news that the Universidad de Atacama (UDA) has accepted me!! However I won't know until March if they will give me credit for the classes I did in the US, so I'm planning on going ahead with things and staying and see how things pan out if they give me credits or not. As soon as I got word that I was accepted I started apartment hunting... and I've called 26 places and seen about 12... and it looks like we might have a winner!! It's all gone a bit fast, and I wasn't planning to start renting right away, but with some advice from locals and talking it over we decided that it's best not to let a great place for a good ... read more
Libre!
Mina San Jose 1
Mina San Jose 2

South America » Chile » Coquimbo Region » La Serena October 3rd 2010

I got a super cheap bus ticket (about $6 US) to La Serena (a beautiful coastal city about 5 hours south of Copiapo- where Laura lived while on exchange). I spent about 5 days with Laura's host family (good friends of mine aswell, who I spent the summer with during my exchange year). It was great to see Laura's host brother Pito, and his band-mates and friends! We didn't tell any of them that I was coming so it was a lot of fun to surprise them! They've all grown up so much, I can't believe it!! I guess it's been a while since I last saw them... I went with Tia Susy (Laura's host mom) to Pito's school's anniversary event which consisted of a fashion/costume competition between classes. Pito's class did musical icons, and did ... read more
San Joaquin 2
Milo
Blanquita Maria

South America » Chile » Atacama » Copiapó September 29th 2010

Birthdays James's aunts (who are twins) had their birthday on the 23rd. Tia Gloria and Tia Tita had a birthday tea (in Chile the evening meal is either called Te or Once and is typically a light meal accompanied by tea) on their actual birthday, and then we celebrated again on sunday after the usual family lunch. And of course Yaya made one of her very tasty pineapple cream cakes! Baths Anna was in serious need of a bath and a haircut, so this week I took her to a clinic that does tick and flea baths and grooming! She also got some new jackets to keep her warm at night and I took her to the vet to get the rest of her vaccines. She needs a lot of training but its still very much ... read more
Birthday tea 2
James and Isi 1
James and Isi 2

South America » Chile » Atacama » Copiapó September 21st 2010

HAPPY 200th BIRTHDAY CHILE! September 18th is Chile's national holiday celebrating their independence 200 years ago. It is celebrated with large family parties consisting of much dancing, drinking and eating! The traditional dance is called Cueca and is characterized by it's figure eight and semicircle patterns, and traditional white handkerchiefs which are waived in the air. The traditional foods are grilled meat of all sorts, potato salad, rice and onion-tomato salad. The day after (the 18th is actually celebrated on the 17th, 18th, and 19th) at least in James's family it is traditional to make empanadas. The wine and chicha (a thick, sweet, grape-based drink that as some of you may remember my little hamster was named after!) are always plentiful on these days. Some other traditional foods like Mote con Huesillos are also eaten. Mote ... read more
Anto eating
Isi sitting
Eating Lunch




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