Alesia's Birthday with the Family

So fun, as always uncomfortable at the start but then it was great. This one boy talked to me about movies and delt with my Spanish.  Gabi has an adorable blonde haired blue eyed daughter. Nice older woman I think could tell I was feeling awkeard and tried to include me by asking me a question in Spanish I didn't understand.  This resulted in a bright bright red face on my part.  I really like that woman though she always goes out of her way to talk to me and ask me questions. A ton of food and sweets. Alesia liked the ring I gave her, I liked it so I am glad she does.

Little girl kept asking me words to translate to English and got really energetic toward the end of the night.  Both of the boys went to go play legos with the kids, it was kind of adorable.  Her uncle also doted on her it was sweet.

Lots of sipo, Chilean slang

Alesia's pololo is awesome. Him and I talked about religion and traditions in Oklahoma and here. He said it was nice to finally meet me. Such a nice guy to everyone, Alesia picked a good one. It was a great evening and most importantly now I get to sleep.

Tons of cakes, one pineapple,apple, berry and the orange one that Jaime, Alesia's pololo made. The orange was really good!

Mi first TERREMOTO aka Earthquake

Yes, earthquake.  Today my host mom asked me if I could take a picture of the damage of the street in front of her house.  Then literally 2 minutes ago the whole house shook. I thought it was her moving something for Alesia's bday tonight then Dana fb messaged me asking if I felt that. Oh yes, we have concluded it was our first earthquake. Mildly  unnerving.

Estoy explorando Mi Puebla

After class we went to the supermarket to buy reserves. I hate an entire package of cookies that were mango and pina flavored. I love them. Then we walked home from the Vina de Mar plaza. It was quite the walk. I think that has a lot to do with why I am so sleepy now.

When I got home the host mom asked me if I wanted to go with her to calle Valpariso and I said yes. Then I got confused and I thought she left. Then the next think I know she is upstairs to get me. We drove though this place called Sporting that is right next to our house. It looks super ghetto from the outside but inside it is beautiful. Sporting, like it sounds, is a place full of all things sports. There were horses, rugby club, tennis courts, basketball. All sorts of places, it was beautiful.

auto district to talk to someone who works for the municipal government
then do Valpo Street in Viña to talk to someone else who works for the government
then across the street to talk to someone who works for the government
theeeeeeeeeen upstairs to talk to another person
thennnnnnnnnnnnnnn back downstairs to talk to someone who works for the government...all to report that the earthquake in Febuary caused a rift in the road in front of her house. And now every time a big car drives by quickly the house shakes, which it does, like crazy.

But, it was a beautiful day and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing places I would never go alone. The last man who helped us was so nice, he looked very European and had such a friendly manner about him.

I also noticed that people talk to each other about every little thing. Like she told all the parking assistants what she was doing, then she told the security guard what she was doing, then when we left she told him how it went. Same with a ton of other strangers. She told the secretary how her day had been. Also, in the auto district there was a egg store, huevos with a woman standing in there behind shelves of eggs. It made me chuckle a little.

I am also pretty sure my host mom thinks I am the worlds most lazy gringa, because I rest a lot, but in my defense I've been up since 7:15 and went on a hefty walk this morning. Still, I do wish I had more energy to enjoy these beautiful days.

Jumbo

Me encanta mi familia mucho mucho mucho

Today in class we learned how to say I love you:
te quiero: regular I love you, less strong
te amo: passionate strong love
Me caes bien: I like you as a friend
Me gustas: I like like you

Me encanta algo: I really like it

Today I mostly chilled. I am trying my hardest to beat this pesky cold.  My host mom took me to Jumbo and we walked around and she bought pisco and coke, and some lightbulbs. Interesting fact, they try out their lightbulbs before they buy them and there a TON of people trying to sell things in Jumbo (it's like walmart sort of). If wal-mart, target and whole foods and a low budged baby it would be a jumbo.  There was also a place to pay any bill you had right away, which I found interesting.

Then on the way back she drove by her parents house which is two blocks away.  They were home so we went inside.  I met her brother, who's a doctor and speaks english, his wife, and both of her parents.  They live in a large beautifully decorated home.  Not elaborately decorated but with lots of decorations.  I love it. It was pretty big too.  We had coke (them with pisco and rum) and cheese puffs.  The dad is very interesting and fun to listen to. He lived in NYC for a while when he built ships and worked in a ship yard. Then spent some time in France. I understood a lot of what he said sometimes I get lost though.  I guess he saw Oklahoma when he was in NYC.  I like that my host mom corrects my spanish too, it helps me learn more. It is a little discouraging when it's a lot of corrections, but I have to learn. I think my conversation skills are coming along pretty well. My host sister asked me to go out again tonight. I hate turning her down, but I really seriously super think I need to sleep and try to get better. I am worried though because she goes on vacation soon so I might not have enough time to get to know her. But she is very friendly so I am sure it will work out.

I was just thinking how amazing it is to be at this point in my life.  I am basically rid of all my insecurities from when I was in my teens.  Like things don't phase me anymore really. It's kind of reassuring to KNOW without a doubt that you are who you are.  It's nice to know that although you're not the best at everything or the most beautiful you're still pretty awesome.

What I need to remember:
al tiro: right away, now (a chilean specific thing(
and how to say inVIERNO not en verano, I keep confusing the heck out of my host mom.

Palabras con mi mama chilena

refre- fridge
temblor- small earthquake
hubo not hay in past tense
o sea- I mean (that was from class)
bkn-for bacan on fb- learned that from Carlos en class and Victor on FB


Host mom bought Manjar (dulce de Leche) aka carmel spread its yum


She also said men her age are crazy with drugs and alcohol, but she likes to stay healthy.  Also, she talked about how pinapple is good for the digestive system and keeps the body healthy.

Earlier I used my phone to call hers and it was in the most random spot. It made me think of me and where I always end up finding my phone. Multiple times it has been lost in the couch.

She said on Sunday it is predicted that there will be a earthquake in the North of Chile, a brasilian man predicts these according to the stars.

Guess what, it's raining. It's cool I have my telenovela and blankets up to my neck. it's nice

Still amazed by the little people-like dogs.  They cook their broccoli then eat it cold.

Books she lent me, El fantasista y Santa maria de las flores negras- Hernan Rivera Letelier

This city is worth it when the sun shines

Luckily I feel a little better today.

But this morning, I broke the key off in the door. This afternoon I broke down and bought the student card that discounts the metro to like a 25 cents one-way.  So that's good. I am still having a problem focusing on actual school work. I am hoping that I get it together soon. We shall see.

When I got home my host mom told me it was ok about breaking the door and later even teased me about the lock.  After that we walked to the beach and it was so peaceful and beautiful.  There were teenagers out there surfing in just trunks and a tshirt. LOCOS. Then after we walked to the mall to look for shoes for Dana and LAN for me.  On the way we stopped by the same place where Anthony Bourdain  tried the Completo. And oh my this completo was COMPLETELY loaded. It was huge. Thank goodness Katie and I split one, because I wasn't a huge fan of it.  Too much topping not enough meat.

The mall is interesting because it was packed and everything was so expensive.  Brand names however where everywhere.  That is the popular thing here I guess. It was so hot. I got malled out pretty quickly I think my sickness caught up with me a little.  But eventually I got to talk to LAN about the flights.  He was very helpful but I decided to book it online because it was slightly cheaper.  Still I spent a ton on that flight. But it's always been a dream of mine.  And who knows when I will ever be able to come back to south america. I have to carpe the HECK of of that diam.  On the walk back from the mall I had to buy some sweets. So I bought some sweet bread thing, I wasn't a huge fan so I gave some to a perro.  I love the dogs here. It's so strange how they all just wander around. But they seem happy.

I really like Vina it is bigger than I thought. I need to have some more exploring time.  It is pretty manageable.

Primer Dia de Clase

Hoy fuimos a clase.  I was kind of bummed out because there weren't other students in our class, just us OSU folks.  But the lecture was interesting, the professor really enjoys to talk.  He told us about Chile and gave us a general overview of Latin American history and development.  He talked about the different structures and how Cuba has a very successful education system, because it is completely centralized and government controlled.  Then Martha brought up an excellent point when she said, well then after school they must realize that the government continues to control their choices and options for advancement.  It was an interesting class, as an American de los EEUU, communism is a ideology very hard for me to accept.  Her in Latin America it is a commonly supported idea and Finland and places like that seem to have a very centralized system and they like it.  I don't know.  Whenever people start comparing the USA with other places like Cuba and even Chile, I think they forget how huge USA is.  And although everything is 'bad' there right now, it's not as bad as it could be.  Especially because the country is huge, with a ton of different goals and ideologies.  It was mildly frustrating at times to voice my opinion because I am so uninformed.  But in my mind people should have the choice to work hard for what they desire, and that means working hard to get scholarships to go to University.  Or get a job to pay for university.  The professor also said that in Chile it is difficult to work while in school, which I guess would be a problem. I know I've been blessed with never having to live with a huge fear of debt or money problem, but I still think a completely centralized education system would not work in the states.

Then after that we went to the Cafe and got some VERY cheap tea and cookies.  Then we took the metro to the Cafe Journal, a gringo bar where we were hoping the thunder game was playing. No such luck.  I got a mango juice drink, it was yummmmmmmmmmmy.  I am looking forward to going back there.  It's supposedly the place to be.

Did I mention it's raining. It has been all day.  We had to talk to 1 Norte only to learn that the bus we needed was literally where we began.  Eventually, after the help of a nice man at the first wrong bus stop, then another nice man at the magazine hut, we ended up in the right direction on the right bus. THEN AGAIN the nice chilean bus driver helped me with my stop at los fresnos.  I am so lucky to have a decent sense of direction.  I found my way back home perfectly, I didn't get lost once.  But of course I second guessed myself and thought I was lost. But I wasn't :)  It was great to go into the city and see more of it.  It made me excited for everything. My host sister has her boyfriend over, I guess its common for him to come over and spend the night.  The mama said it's safer than them getting a hotel room so its acceptable.  That's so strange to me.  It does make me want a pololo, but my mother would probably kill me if I started dating a chilean boy.

Mi Familia Chilena

Today we woke up early, 8am, and caught a taxi to the airport.  We got there on time but we couldn't find anyone.  After walking around for awhile we found the drivers with a sign.  Eventually we found Dany she misread the instructions and was hanging out upstairs.  It was about a 1hr van ride away, I drifted off.  I am so sleepy today, I think everything caught up with me.  I just hope I am not getting sick.

Ryan was dropped off first up a huge hill and his host dad came out and was so excited and gave him a big hug.  Dany was dropped of second on the opposite hill, I was dropped off third, in the middle of the two lower down on the hill.  My host mom is little, tan with blue eyes.  She doesn't understand hardly any English but is patient when I speak.  I understand everything she says but am nervous to respond.  I get lost so quickly when I try to explain things.

The daughter is pretty and friendly with light brown hair.  She turns 23 Tuesday.  They are both very friendly, but it is hard to adjust to living in someone home. I did my standard hide in my room and sort my things earlier today and then took a long nap.

They have two dogs, cocker spaniels, that live in the backyard.  There is a giant sunroom which is the living room and is nice and warm.  The kitchen is where you eat and there is a tiny table next to the fridge.

The city is very pretty with a bunch of hills. I want to take a shower but I don't want to freeze again. I am actually afraid to shower because it sounds soooo cold. The window stays open in the bathroom which is another reason why I am worried, but I looked out it earlier and the hill sparkled with lights.  It was beautiful but at the same time looked cold.

The home is decorated with a bunch of artifacts they collect as they travel.  The host mom knows a lot about manchu piccu and history of latin america because that is her profession.  I am looking forward to utilizing her knowledge for my trip for saving money. I am also excited because she said the textiles are really cheap like $2 scarf.  This is something I must do :)

Some of the artifacts were broken from the earthquakes.  I am not too worried about the earthquakes but Dany just finished studying all about natural disasters so she is nervous.

I decided to stay in one of the daughters rooms instead of the room by the washer and dryer.  I am so happy I chose this room because it is warm and larger :)

THE SHOWER WAS HOT!!! The heater is right outside my door, the host mom gave me a safe for my things...its a wooden box and not very heavy... I might just lock my suitcase, that thing will be hard to steal.  She also gave me a card with all her information.  They are both so sweet, the mother keeps saying queeee liiiindo, queee siiiimpatica...they are just so cute. Security is a worry here I guess because they also lock the interior kitchen door and all the homes have a front gate, but that is common in a lot of places.   It's weird to think in Chesterfield how open and exposed our home is, and how we are even willing to leave it unlocked for periods of time.

Words can not describe how happy I am to be here, it is such a peaceful home and the daughter and mother are SO inviting. Now I need to figure out something interesting to give them. Something nice, they will use and enjoy, not a snow globe.  But they do seem to enjoy trinkets which represent plaves. Maybe a spoon, I saw some hanging on their wall...hmmm