Fishermans Market

Hoy, we went to the fishemans market.  We walked around and talked to the fisherman.  Saw some sea lions up close and personal, I was so bummed I didn´t have my camera.  We talked to a nice old fisherman who voiced his frustration with the Ley Pescado.  Ryan fed a fish to the sea lions.

I want to go get an empanada and then we will watch a movie with Carlos.

Mc.Donalds is the universal drunk food, in every country. 

Chivelry- Carlos helped an older lady up the stairs with her bag

Spanis:
No me gusta- A me tampoco  (neither)
bajon- drunk food
la raja- bad word- like the shi**

Walk on the Coast

Today after class I walked from our metro stop Barron to Portales on the coast.  At first it seemed a little dodgy because it was 10am and there weren't many people around.  But then I saw 2 caberneros and more people so I felt fine walking along the path.  It was by the ship yard and smelled strongly of fish at times.  I sat down and watched some sea lions try and get up onto this tall cement structure that looked like an old bridge or dock.  The poor little guys couldn't make it up there. I have no clue how the other ones got up there either because it seemed almost  impossible.  They I walked more down the way past a run-down building and train covered in graffiti.  It was raining and sunny at the same time which made everything so beautiful.  As the sun came out it only lit up parts of the city slowly like they were in the spotlight. It was breathtaking.  Of course it was something my camera couldn't catch but as always I tried anyway.

pastel de papas, sweet mashed potatoes (sweetened with sugar) and meat and onions on the bottom

Mapuche New Year y Renaca

Mapuche New Year: Katies host parents drove us up the the botanical park to catch some of the new year. They are so nice, the mother is so excited to share everything. While in the car there was a song that came on that sounded almost exactly like an Spanish Elvis, then we learned that he was actually italian, but they didn't know his name. We listened to oldies in the car and I enjoyed being driving around. By the time we got to the grounds where the Mapuche New Year was going on we learned that it was over, but there were still some people up there. So we drove up there and looked around. I am bummed we missed the festivities because it looked like it was a good time. There was a square of tents set up made of wood and leaves with different families cooking in these tents. They were all very square and connected. They were grilling a ton of meat and everyone was working together to prepare the rest of the meal. It was pretty cool to see. The mom asked where we could find someone to talk to about the festivities and we found ourselves talking to this older man who represented the 'tribe' more or less. He told us about how the festival was intended to raise awareness about the injusties done to the Mapuche people and share their culture with the world and maintain it within their families. He was very interesting. When Dana took a picture he said that you must ask before you take a picture because some people get very offended. We were all sitting in his little hut on spare chairs and on peoples jackets. They were so hospitable. Then a woman came around and offered us this oatmeal bread that looked sorta like uncooked hashbrowns and marmalade. They tasted a little strange but very hearty and I enjoyed them quite a bit.

Then the mom asked if we wanted to go to Reñaca, Dana hesitated at first because her host family has big at home dinners on Sunday. Then Katies mom turned into my aunt, I kid you not, this woman channeled my aunt and persuaded her to go. She was like how often do you get to have beautiful days like this you must go to the beach. Dana broke down. So they drove us up the hill and we got to see beautiful views of the town and the mountains in the background. It was a different side of Viña because it wasn't coastal and the views were much different. Then we went to Gardens de Viña, this area was the 'posh' area and many of the homes resembled ones in the states, with front yards and different designs.

Then they drove us to the beach on the way they pointed out their favorite empanadas place. I was starved so we went there first before the beach. As to be assumed, I over ordered and ate all of it. I got one fried shrimp and cheese one and a baked cheese, ham, tomato and olive one. They were heavenly. I prefered the baked one because it had more flavor. The shrimp one was just shrimp and cheese and it was sort of boring. All the goodies sunk down the bottom of the little breaded package so when I got to the end it was a cheesy mess. But I love it all. I was going to save one then I ended up eating it all. I've been so hungry lately I don't know whats wrong with me.

La playa: was under construction but once we walked down to it, it was so beautiful. I had to take my shoes off and put my feet in the water. Little did I know the water moves much quicker here. One second your feet are in the water the next it's up to your knees. I still loved it. It wasn't terribly cold. It was a beautiful time on the beach. I understand why it is so popular. The waves are so powerful and it smells so much like the sea. The rocks also make for beautiful waves. It might be the most beautiful beach I have seen. But at the same time there wasn't a ton of space for people to lay out, the water comes up so far onto the beach.

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.

Slippery floors

I think I might eat it on these floors with my wool socks. Host mom gave me all these places to visit in vina! I am soo over this cold!!

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.