Catching Up

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I’m sorry that it’s been so long since I updated. I can’t even remember the last thing I said. I’ve been busy, but you probably wouldn’t know it based on what I recount here. Keep in mind that the average commute to any given place is between 30 and 45 minutes, depending on time of day and how I combine Micro (buses) and Metro (subway). And I’ve also had homework this last week, which has not been a regular thing throughout the session, thank goodness. I have a final tomorrow at 3 and a paper and final on Thursday. After that, we’re out of here on an overnight bus south to Pucón on Friday. Probably. Maybe Saturday night. We’re still kind of winging it all. The downside is I’ve been sick. I have a cold. It attacked me Saturday night and prevented me from meeting fire spinners. Actually, my lack of enthusiasm for Batman prevented me from meeting fire spinners. But the cold certainly doesn’t help.
Ok. Let’s back up about a week and a half…

Friday July 11: Woke up early to ride the Metro at rush hour for the first time. Not fun. People are packed in like sardines and they’re all cranky because it’s early and they’re probably going to a job they don’t like anyway. I made it to school, where we all boarded the bus. Destination: Pomaire, small town south-west of Santiago famous for its clay and artesanía. We met Oscar, who let us try to throw a pot on the wheel, which is powered by the artist’s feet. I’m not good. After getting some lunch, we left for Isla Negra. Pablo Neruda’s house there is full of eccentric collections, like bugs and the half-naked chicks on the front of ships. He built it like a boat. It’s really cool, and right on the coast. We sat on the beach and watched the waves of the Pacific for a long time. It was amazing. Back in Santiago we headed out for a night on the town. Our English led us to befriend a Russian and a Chilean. We went dancing. It was great.

Saturday July 12: It rained. I bummed around the house all day in my llama socks. I talked with my mom, Claudia, and her boyfriend Jorge for a couple hours and we showed each other some pictures. Dad, they think you look a little bit Chilean. That night we went out with the Russian and Chilean again. We cooked scrambled eggs and risotto.
Sunday July 13: Slept in. Met up with Colleen, Sara, and Lily, in that order. We wandered around Huerfanos, one of several pedestrian streets downtown, as well at Santa Lucía, where there is a giant cluster of stalls selling all sorts of delightful souvenirs for pretty cheap. Then we went to Cerro San Cristóbal, the big hill/park in the middle of the city, which also features a zoo and a botanical garden. We rode the funicular up and enjoyed the spectacular view, since it had rained the day before and cleared away a lot of the smog. I never realized how huge Santiago is until I saw it from San Cristóbal. It’s city in every direction, as far as one can see, until you reach the mountains. And the horizon is all mountains. After dinner we visited the Residencia, where some of the students who aren’t living with host families stay. It’s decent. We watched a movie, then went home.

Monday July 14: Ate lunch at El Vegetariano, a (surprise) vegetarian restaurant on Huerfanos. Delish. Then class. Not much of a day. I studied. Really, I did.

Tuesday July 15: Met up at 930 with Mary, another student, and we met Sara at the cemetery. We walked around, took pictures without permission. A janitor let us up to the roof of a building that resembled the Guggenheim on the inside that was full of Italians. The view was amazing. After that we searched for Salvador Allende’s grave. Found it. Then we looked for the plot where they buried unidentified victims of the Pinochet regime. It’s heartbreaking. Around 1230 we headed to República (school), grabbed a bite to eat, and hopefully passed my Cultures test about the Mapuche. Dance class was at 630. It’s just fun. We tried to dye Lily’s hair, but it didn’t turn out as dark as we’d have liked. Then we went out to Bellavista to hang out with people because Wednesday was a holiday! No classes!

Wednesday July 16: Feast of the Virgin of Carmen or something. No work, no classes. I enjoyed brunch on the porch in the sun. Colleen and I explored our neighborhood of Ñuñoa a bit more, wandering aimlessly. For once, a meal in between lunch and dinner, we prepared a Mexican feast. It was awesome! Some kids from the program skipped classes on Thursday and Friday and made a very long weekend. Destinations included Buenos Aires, Mendoza, and Punta Arenas. I did not do this.

Thursday July 17: My Cultures class and the Art History class went to the Museo de Arte Pre-Colombino, or Pre-Columbian Art Museum. It was really cool, with lots of pottery, textiles, and other things from the indigenous cultures from Mexico to Patagonia. After the museum we went to a café con piernas, or “coffee with legs.” It’s a Chilean thing. No chairs, just bars, and the girls who work there wear matching uniforms with really short skirts. We went to one of the tamer ones on a pedestrian street, just for the experience. After dinner a group of us went to some independent theater thing in Bellavista called Porno: Imagen Conservadora. It was weird. And not that good. But definitely an experience.

So that has been my life. I'll be back with Friday through present asap. Certainly before Friday night. AH!

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Photos

Pots
Lots of pots in Pomaire.

Oscar
Oscar is an artist in Pomaire. He makes the pottery wheel look easy. It's not. At all.

Crucifix
At a corner in Pomaire. By a church, I think, but I'm not entirely sure.

Um...
Chileans aren't exactly racist; they just don't see black people very often. So these sometimes are in stores. I don't know what to think.

Pablo's Boat
Pablo Neruda fell in love with the ocean when he was 16. He had this boat, but never sailed in it because he was afraid.

Anchor
Behind Pablo Neruda's house.

Isla Negra
Pablo Neruda's house overlooks the Pacific Ocean.

Pacific 1
It's anything but pacific. It was beautiful and powerful and inspiring and scary.

Andes
Another view from my window. I can't get over it.

Fountain
In Parque Forestal downtown.

Cemetery Wall
It's not that morbid, unless you think about it too much.

Italian Guggenheim
I can't recall how many stories it is. The janitor who let us in told us about it, and how he's the third generation in his family to care for it.

View
The view from the roof. I'm pretty sure that's Cerro San Cristobal, but from the other side than I normally see it.

Allende
The grave of Salvador Allende. Not his original resting place.

Memorial
There was a huge pile of rocks below with little prayers stuck in the crack or engraved on the rocks.

Completo
This is how they do hotdogs in Chile. Mayonaise, "American sauce," and two other gross toppings that I can't remember or identify. I will say that they put mayonaise and/or avocado on everything.