Jamie

ksjs

Jamie

My name is Jamie, I'm a native of Kansas, USA. I currently live in Santiago, Chile where I am studying agricultural economics as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar. I've lived in both Spain and Mexico, but life in Chile is a whole new ball game! The purpose of this blog is to record the highs and lows of expat life and keep in touch with folks at home.

Disclaimer: The contents of this blog are my own personal thoughts and opinions. This blog does not reflect the position or policies of the U.S. government or the Rotary Foundation.

<------ My profile picture is from Rotorua, New Zealand, not Chile!

Red wine, red meat.

South America » Argentina » Mendoza » Mendoza May 16th 2011

With the two other Rotary Scholars, Amanda and Marcelo.

ksjs

Over the Easter holidays, I went to Mendoza, Argentina with two other Rotary Scholars. It was a spontaneous trip. We booked bus tickets and rooms at the hostel about 24 hours before leaving. As a result our spontaneity, the "bus" was actually a van without any leg room or a bathroom. I do NOT recommend this method of travel. The trip across the Andes is ~8 hours, depending on border control and that van was mightily uncomfortable. We left Santiago late Thursday night, went through customs at the Chile/Argentina border at about 1:00 a.m. and finally arrived in Mendoza at 5:00 a.m. The taxis wouldn't accept the large bills that the ATM spit out, so we walked to our hostel and crashed into bed until about noon. Friday afternoon, after recovering from the international van ride, ... read more

Wine aging in genuine French Oak barrels.

Valparaíso

South America » Chile » Valparaíso Region » Valparaíso March 26th 2011

Sailboats

ksjs

This past weekend I went to Valparaíso with a group of students from my university. I needed to get the heck outta Dodge (Santiago) and desperately wanted to see the coast. Valpo, as it's known locally, is beautiful. It's an old port city and the hills are covered with colorful homes. The trip was fine, we left Santiago in the morning and arrived at the coast around noon. After a "typical Chilean" lunch, we visited the home of Pablo Neruda, a famous Chilean poet/diplomat. Neruda's home was truly the highlight of the visit. He purchased it for its views of the city and the harbor. The sea's influence in his life is apparent in his home, and in his work. Neruda has three homes in Chile; in Valparaiso, Santiago and La Isla Negra (which is rumored ... read more

One month down!

South America » Chile » Santiago Region » Providencia March 17th 2011

Living room

ksjs

Happy One-Month Anniversary to Santiago and I! We got off to a (predictably) rough start, but our relationship is certainly improving with time. With the coffee issue resolved and new pillows on my bed, I'm sleeping better and mornings are sweeter. If only I could block out the perpetual, grinding-on-my-nerves noise of traffic, life would be great. Today, March 13, is not only my one month anniversary of arriving in Chile, it's also my two-week anniversary of living in my new apartment. Without further ado, here is the GRAND TOUR (see photos). We have a spacious living room, dining room and kitchen. Both my roommates have their own balconies off their bedrooms, so the balcony off the living room is mine. We do have a washer in the apartment, but no dryer, so we hang everything ... read more

Coffee/Cafe

South America » Chile » Santiago Region » Providencia March 9th 2011

The Nescafe Promotion

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Chileans drink instant coffee. Specifically, Chileans drink Nescafe. I thought, initially, that this was some sort of strange cultural tick, that really, they save the good stuff for special occasions or something. Nope. It turns out that Nescafe is the ONLY sort of coffee-esque drink readily available here. It's so popular that there was even a Nescafe promotional trailer at my university for a week. I am NOT a coffee snob. Really. I just became addicted/accustomed to daily shots of espresso from working at my former job, where we have a fancy, professional-grade espresso machine at the office. The instant stuff just wasn't going to cut it. Three weeks without a decent cup of coffee drove me a bit mad this past weekend. In fact, it drove me to Starbucks. I caved. I'm not proud to ... read more

Two weeks down!

South America » Chile » Santiago Region » Ñuñoa February 26th 2011

Santiago

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As predicted, it's been a frustrating two weeks. I arrived in Santiago on Sunday, February 13 after an uncomfortable flight (American Airlines apparently puts their oldest, most crowded planes on the South American routes). For the first two weeks here, I've been taking intensive language classes and staying with a teacher from the school. Meanwhile, I've been frantically looking for a place to live for the rest of the year, which is far easier said than done. I don't love Santiago yet. There is a lot of good and a lot of bad. In short, the jury is still out. Here is the short list... SANTIAGO: The Good - It's a cool city! There is art, music, culture, etc. It's pretty here, more or less. Think sort of European Architecture with a weird Mexican influence. The ... read more

The Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

North America » United States » Texas June 29th 2009

B-A example 3

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To kick-off my latest international adventure, here is a Q&A blog with answers to all your persistent questions. You work WHERE? Doing WHAT? My title is Seagoing Communications Specialist for the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP), which is an international earth science research organization housed at Texas A&M University. The IODP is funded, in part, by the National Science Foundation of the United States. I began working here on October 1, 2008. Expedition 323 - Bering Sea will be my first. The purpose of the organization is to operate a scientific ocean drilling vessel (a ship) that travels the world collecting core samples of the ocean floor for research in earth history, climate change and plate tectonics, among other things. Contrary to popular belief - we do NOT drill for oil. In fact, we take great ... read more

When in Rome...don't get lost!!

Europe » Vatican City May 8th 2006

The Colosseum

ksjs

To take advantage of our second spring break, a week off of class for La Feria de Abril, my friends and I made plans to go to Italy. It was amazing, of course, but also one of the most difficult weeks of our lives! We were just hit with so many unexpected challenges, making the trip not exactly less enjoyable, but just...challenging. I went to Italy with my 6 "best Spain friends." I'll introduce them briefly. Leshia: Is a K-State student! She and I met in Leadership Class our very first semester. We were acquaintances, but not really friends. We didn't plan to come to Sevilla together, it just so happened we chose the same city, but different programs. Through Leshia I got to know the people in her program and now we're all best friends. ... read more

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