ElHarlanski

Finally, finally finishing my blog about China! It is much harder to write about trips as you get farther from the experience, so I apologize in advance if this is vague. I spent more time in Nanjing than I did in any other part of China because bf's mother's family is from there. This experience was like a homsetay because I was staying with an Aunts family. In Chinese cities most people live in high-rise apartments rather than houses because there are just so many apartment buildings. They are sprouting like weeds all around the edges of cities, covered in a green web of building materials. So many Chinese migrate from the country into the cities that these apartments are necessary, and they really drive home the point about how many people are actually in China. ... read more

There are many ways to travel; sometimes you are alone and surrounded by strange things; sometimes you have a purpose and a specific endpoint; sometimes you are simply along for the ride. My most recent trip to China was of the third variety. I was lucky enough to visit with my boyfriend to meet his family and see the city where he was born. Due to these circumstances, I had an amazing trip that I did little to plan. This is actually my second trip to China. For my first trip, I only visited Beijing and I spent a lot of time going to hospitals and tourist spots like the Great Wall. It was fun, but fast and I didn't get to explore much on my own. I landed in Shanghai and was whisked to the ... read more

It took a border crossing and 18 hours on a bus before I made it to Cusco, a city of rainbows and llamas. Cusco isn't huge, but it has a lot to offer. Vegetarian restaurants, handmade alpaca wool crafts, parks, cafes, tourist attractions and the hawkers that come with them. The dining in Cusco is good, and there is a lot of Cuy available, though it will cost you if you choose to eat it. Cuy is something like a guinea pig which, as I know from past experience, is a tasty dish if prepared right. It is a lot like rabbit, so if you skip it then you aren't missing too much! The Peruanos that I encountered were very friendly, easy to talk to and understand, and, when shopping, very willing to bargain. Speaking to ... read more

This past week was very eventful, and on top of all the things that are happening I have to write a 25 page research paper in Spanish and analyze my data. My ISP is over attitudes and knowledge about HIV/AIDS and testing among college students in Chile. I have been handing out surveys to classes of university students who have volunteered tons of useful information for me. Now I get to analyze all the responses and organize it and fight with Excel to make graphs that work for my project. And then write in Spanish. But I think I have experienced a huge learning curve in getting to this point in my research, and I should survive the next week of writing. This research also took me to Santiago, which is only an hour or so ... read more

Valparaíso is full of surprises. Everything is a cerro (hill) and so there are houses stacked on top of each other, and between are narrow streets full of blind curves. Stairs and claustrophobia-inducing alleys run between the houses, and suddenly open out onto incredible vistas of Valparaíso and Viña del Mar, in the distance. This city has a surprise around every corner, whether it is a cafe, park, incredible view of the Pacific, or a mural of graffiti. Walking on the sidewalk is dangerous because there are sudden drops, uneven stairs, holes and dog poop. Walking on the street is dangerous because collectivos and micros whip around blind curves in the Cerros; they are reluctant to stop going uphill because of the angle and it is difficult for them to stop suddenly going downhill. The quiltros ... read more