A few stories...

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This weekend, I will be heading out on a camping trip with some friends! We will leave Thursday night and take an overnight bus 7 hours north to a city called La Serena. We will spend some time there and then we will also go to Valle del Elqui, where will camp for a couple nights. I am sure I will talk more about it in my next entry, but it should be an awesome time and a great way to see some of the beautiful land to the north of where I live!

In this post, I have decided that I want to talk briefly about some the random/ interesting/funny events that have happened to me so far that I may not have touched on in other posts. I am realizing that there are some stories which 1) people may be interested in or at least 2) I will be interested in remembering years from now down the road.

Story 1: So my host mom owns a restaurant in Viña del Mar. One day, the two brothers and I drove there to meet her and my host dad for lunch. We got there and everyone was seated and whatnot. I didn’t have a menu, but figured we would get one soon. Eventually, the waiter came and asked what we wanted. Well, the brothers told him right off the bat. I, on the other hand, had no idea what the restaurant even served. So I asked. He listed them off, and this is how it sounded to me: fhasdfafdkfdkjfasdkf pollo (chicken) fsksjkfaskfj papas (potatoes/fries). Not surprisingly, I ordered the chicken and friesJ When my host dad came back he asked me what I had ordered. I told him and he asked what kind of fries. That’s when I gave him the blank stare look that I have perfected which means “I have no idea what you are talking about and/or what you are saying.” I may have not known, but my host brothers did, and they were nice enough to inform my host dad who was nice enough to change my order. I still have no idea what kind of fries I ordered the first time, but I suppose I’m glad I didn’t find out. Haha so in the end, it worked out fine, but it was one of the many times so far where I have had trouble communicatingJ

Story 2: This happened two days ago on the metro. When we first arrived we were told by our program director to wear our backpacks in front of us to avoid pickpockets. As safe as that may be, not many people do it, and it’s slightly uncomfortable and a little weird. So, two days ago, I got onto a very full metro with my backpack on my back. I was on the lookout, glancing back every once in a while to check my backpack. At one point, though it was noisy on the metro, I thought I heard an “unzipping” sound. I put my hand back and felt around for the pocket. I was shocked and quite worried to find an open pocket! I quickly bulldozed through a couple people to move to stand in a different spot. Then I checked the pocket. Everything, including my camera, was there. I was so relieved. At this point, I am still not sure whether I really heard this “unzipping” noise. I could easily have forgotten to zip that back pocket after class, but it seems to me that it was zipped when I got on the train. Regardless, I will now be putting my backpack in front of me whilst I am on a crowded metro, regardless of how silly I lookJ

Story 3: I found a Claw Machine in a feria (like a market) here in chile. 100 pesos, which is like the equivalent of 20 cents. So obviously I played. And I lost. Turns out it isn’t only the ones in the US that are rigged. Stupid machines.

Story 4: One of the first days living at my house, I decided to take the metro home, even though I had no idea where to go once I got off the metro to get to my house. I had a pretty good idea which station to get off at, as the neighborhood I live in is called “recreo” and there is a “recreo station.” Yeah, I know, I am smartJ so then I got off and was about to go left to explore (why not) when I decided to ask an older woman directions. She was very nice and told me to go right. I am quite thankful to her for starting me off on the right path, or I might still be wandering around now today! As I was walking that way, I decided to ask a guy for directions to confirm I was going in the right way. He didn’t recognize the streets I told him but then told me to ask a police officer on the corner. Then, just make sure, he said in English “she will tell you.” Haha. Shortly after that, I ran into a street I recognized, and I was good to go!

Story 5: The other day, I stepped in dog poop in our yard as I was leaving. It stunk. Literally.

Story 6: People will often go on the metro with their guitar and sing for tips. Often they are really good! One time there was a guy playing the guitar and a girl singing along with him. I enjoyed it so much that I stayed past the stop I was supposed to get off on, then waited for the next metro to take me back. It made me a little late, but it was worth it.

Story 7: This happened one of my first days in Chile. I was waiting to take a collectivo with my host brother back to the house, and a couple girls (who I assume were Chilean) approached me and asked if a bus to Viña (we were in Valpo) would come by here. In my head, I thought “you just asked the gringo who has been here 3 days and has yet to ride a bus that question?” Out loud I said, “No sé” and looked toward my host brother, who told them yes. I have also had that happen to me one other time, while walking home with a friend from my program, Josh. We were a bit lost, when a woman asked us if we knew where “calle España” was. We informed her we were not even quite sure where we were! We walked together for a bit and ended up finding both her street and the one we were looking for.

Well that was fun! Though I have only been here three weeks, I find that I already have some wonderful memories and great experiences. While there is still a lot of adjustment for me to do, I am really enjoying the process and feeling more comfortable every day. Thanks again to everyone who is keeping me in your thoughts and prayers, you guys rock!

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Comments

[Kate Dorrance]

What a great entry! The stories are very funny, especially as I imagine your quick moves on the metro. So glad everything was in its place! I remember how great you are at zumba and I am happy you were able to show your skills to Chile as well. Thanks for the post, have fun on your camping adventure!