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Published: March 27th 2013
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horseback riding!
It was at a beach we went to! So I have been living here now for over a month. Wow. That is incredible. But it is strange because when I think about it, I can’t tell if it feels more like a week or 6 months. When I think about all you lovely people back in the United States, it certainly feels like a long time since I have seen you all, so it feels more like 6 months. But when I think about the time I’ve spent here and how fast it’s gone by, it seems like I have been here about a week. So I guess a month is probably about right after all!
As I said, time here continues to fly by. I have gotten into a pretty good routine with my class schedule. My only busy day is Tuesday, in which I have classes from 1130 to 7, with a small break for lunch. But besides that day, it is pretty relaxed! The classes themselves are not too difficult either. Oftentimes, I will get small assignments from class to class (grammar exercise or a story to read), but nothing that I have found too overwhelming. Which has been good, because I have often found
at the dunes!
About a 20 minute bus ride from Viña. myself busy traveling/exploring on the weekend, both to different parts of the country, and to different parts in Valparaíso and Viña. There is so much to do and explore and, as long as you are safe, it is almost always a good time.
Though I know there is much out there I am not aware of, there is also many things I have found out about throughout the last month. For example, in Viña there is cheap movie night for students on Wednesday (I think we are planning on going tonight!). They show a free documentary on Thursday nights as well. There is a place in Valpo that offers free yoga lessons. I have not made it there yet, but certainly hope too!
One of the most common and fun activities to do is visit the ferias, the local markets. I think that different ones have different schedules, but I don’t quite have them down yet. I just know that I can pretty much always find one somewhere if I want to! They sell a variety of stuff ranging from what appears to be junk to some quality items. Some of the things I have seen at ferias:
books, locks, clothes (lots of clothes), household items, Pokémon cards (yes I bought some and yes I am looking at you Jesse), games, pictures/picture frames, toilet paper/kleenex/ snacks (there are street venders selling food everywhere though, not just at the ferias), and so much more. But one of the best ferias happens on Wednesday and Saturday in Valpo, and it is a fruit/ vegetable market. I suppose like a farmers market. There are so many venders selling different fruit, and it is all at a very good price! Just the other day I bought a bag of grapes for a dollar, ate a ton, and still brought home the majority of the bag to my family. It was funny though because later that night my host mom was chatting with me and said “Do you like grapes? You should try the grapes.” Haha. I didn’t want to say “actually, I bought the grapes!” so I just went along with it.
Hmm, whenever I write these I feel like sometimes I go into specific detail about certain situations, but then leave out some of the major parts of my life here, because they occur every day, so I don’t think
the cars are waiting to be destroyed
We met a nice man working here who told us the story behind these cars. about them as much. But I want to try and be a bit more general. So let’s see, we have a maid who comes three days a week, Monday Wednesday and Friday. I have really come to respect all the work she does to keep our house looking nice. She cooks, does laundry, does dishes, takes care of the dogs (did I mention we have 2 dogs?), vacuums, and does pretty much all other housework. Seeing that both my host parents work generally 6 days a week, they are certainly grateful to have her help. She has been working here for over 15 years they told, so they have all become pretty close. She actually just served me a delicious lunch of a salad, a couple pieces of fruit and a soup with corn, meat, rice, and squash! Yum!
My main way of communicating with people I know around here is through internet (as it is free!) but I also purchased a little pay-as-you-go phone. Boy, am I glad I waited to buy one here instead of taking API’s recommendation and getting one from Piccell. It is just so much cheaper this way, and the phones work well. Nothing
The Chile national field
getting watered before the game. fancy, but neither is my US phone!
On a typical day I will wear jeans and t-shirt. As the seasons are opposite here than they are in the northern hemisphere, we are approaching fall. However, just yesterday the temp was about 75! Though shorts are acceptable, they are not super common. Even on hot days, I will see most Chileans wearing jeans. At first, I tried to always wear jeans too, but I soon gave that up! I figure, it’s already pretty obvious I am a gringo, may as well just throw on some shorts and complete the picture!
Last but certainly not least, I need to talk about soccer. Last night, I had the chance to go to a Chilean national soccer game! They played against Uruguay and won 2-0! I went with a couple people from my program, Calli and Josh, and we drove with Josh’s host dad and two of his host brothers. For those of you who follow soccer, you know that World Cup Qualifying is going on right now. Though Chile still has about 7 more games to play, with the win last night they moved up to 4
th place in the South
American qualifier, which, for now, puts them in line to go to the world cup! Though not a huge soccer fan before I came, it is almost impossible not get caught up in this country’s love for soccer and its national team! We had great seats at the game and, overall, it was just such a great experience to see a world cup qualifier match in the country I am studying abroad in! One of the most common cheers is: Chi…le! Chi chi chi Le le le! ¡Viva Chile! There were some other cheers as well, but I am trying to keep this blog appropriate for all ages…
Thanks again for reading! Also, if anyone has anything they would like to know/would be interested in me writing about/think I am silly for not having talked about it yet, please let me know! Facebook is a good way to get in touch, but email works just as well. I’m kinda just flying by the seat of my pants with this thing, so I am sure there are things I am missing! Abrazos a todos, Isaac.
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Nathan G
non-member comment
Yay!
Hey Isaac! It's Nathan. You are lucky you got to go to a soccer game. I am happy you have realized how great soccer is:) I am happy that they won. I miss you Isaac, but I am happy you are having a great time.