THURSDAY AUGUST 1, 2013
home sweet home :)
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Monday, July 22, 2013
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Monday, July 15, 2013
Sunday, July 14, 2013
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Day 8 of the Unforgettable Journey: La Paz to Copacabana, Bolivia
FRIDAY JULY 12, 2013
We started off today on a morning walking tour. We tried to check out first, but the witch at the front desk took extra money for me (she charged me 100bob, when I only owed 79) but by the time I pulled it up on my phone to check it, she closed the account and refused to reimburse me. I had to fight with her for 20 minutes to get my money back and she gave me 20, not 21, bolivianos, in FIFTY CENT PIECES. 40 coins. What a nasty human being. After all that obnoxiousness, we had to run to visit the church then before our tour, but it was so breathtaking. I used all the jerk-lady's refunded coins to buy 5 candles to light in the capilla, and bought a rosary that smelled like actual roses.
We caught the next walking tour from 10 to 130pm, which ended at the Witches' Market where Amy met us. We bought tons of little trinkets. You could even buy a dried llama fetus to bless a new home, family, or baby. Lastly, we visited the crypt and then ran to get bags and the bus to Copacabana. We settled into the hotel in a nice big private room with a private bathroom. We had dinner at La Orilla, which was delicious, and then booked our tour for tomorrow. Next up, a shower, and bed! Hasta mañana :)
We started off today on a morning walking tour. We tried to check out first, but the witch at the front desk took extra money for me (she charged me 100bob, when I only owed 79) but by the time I pulled it up on my phone to check it, she closed the account and refused to reimburse me. I had to fight with her for 20 minutes to get my money back and she gave me 20, not 21, bolivianos, in FIFTY CENT PIECES. 40 coins. What a nasty human being. After all that obnoxiousness, we had to run to visit the church then before our tour, but it was so breathtaking. I used all the jerk-lady's refunded coins to buy 5 candles to light in the capilla, and bought a rosary that smelled like actual roses.
We caught the next walking tour from 10 to 130pm, which ended at the Witches' Market where Amy met us. We bought tons of little trinkets. You could even buy a dried llama fetus to bless a new home, family, or baby. Lastly, we visited the crypt and then ran to get bags and the bus to Copacabana. We settled into the hotel in a nice big private room with a private bathroom. We had dinner at La Orilla, which was delicious, and then booked our tour for tomorrow. Next up, a shower, and bed! Hasta mañana :)
Day 7 of the Unforgettable Journey: La Paz, Bolivia
THURSDAY JULY 11, 2013
Today we woke up early to go on the Tiwanaku tour, during which a cute old Italian man in a safari vest with a giant camera sat next to me. Unfortunately, I was still frazzled by the night before so I was wary of trying to be friendly (or not being friendly enough to please him!) so I just kept to myself.
On the tour,
We returned from the tour around 530ish, so we managed to fit in a tour of the Museum of the San Franciscan Church, but rushed because it was closing. Sadly, the crypt was closed, the church was closed, and we had to return for those parts the next day. We went back to the hostel and got dinner with Amy. Afterward, it was karaoke night, but instead of participating I went to bed to try and rest some more (still wasn't feeling on top of my game). The drunken, tone-deaf singers were not the best way to fall asleep haha.
Today we woke up early to go on the Tiwanaku tour, during which a cute old Italian man in a safari vest with a giant camera sat next to me. Unfortunately, I was still frazzled by the night before so I was wary of trying to be friendly (or not being friendly enough to please him!) so I just kept to myself.
On the tour,
We returned from the tour around 530ish, so we managed to fit in a tour of the Museum of the San Franciscan Church, but rushed because it was closing. Sadly, the crypt was closed, the church was closed, and we had to return for those parts the next day. We went back to the hostel and got dinner with Amy. Afterward, it was karaoke night, but instead of participating I went to bed to try and rest some more (still wasn't feeling on top of my game). The drunken, tone-deaf singers were not the best way to fall asleep haha.
Day 6 of the Unforgettable Journey: La Paz, Bolivia
WEDNESDAY JULY 10, 2013
We got to Arica at 6am, grabbed a taxi for 10 luca to the airport (fyi, there aren't any taximetros, or meters, to let you know how much it costs. None in Arica or Iquique). Then we sat at the airport and waited for Sky people, or really anyone, to show up so we could get our tickets! The flight was at 12pm; they opened their desk at 11am (and just so you know, we arrived at 645am). I got a lot of reading done though. They made us check our carryons (thankfully it didn't cost extra; it was just annoying) and then we waited again until 1150am when the security gates finally opened! Luck was on our side because we had no problems with the Chilean stamps or missing Bolivian one. The flight was late, a real shocker I know haha; it left at nearly 1pm. When we got here to Bolivia, we filled out a form in the airport, paid the full $135 again and got our Bolivian visa no problem. We took a taxi to the hostel for 60 bob (bolivianos, Bolivian currency). We raced to the computers to let our families know we were ok and for me to contact a friend at the SPA hostel to get my iPod for me :)
Next, Jess and I got lunch in the hostel for 45 bob each, and met up with Amy!!! She showed us around the city a bit, to the Plaza Central and Plaza Murillo. We went back to the hostel for drinks and had a rather unfortunate, unpleasant experience. There was a creepy old man drinking by himself who came near my table when Jess and Amy were in the bathroom, so I ignored him on my phone until he left the table and walked away. Then Jess came back, but Amy went for food and the guy took Amy's place at our table. We both ignored him, but he tried to talk to Jess and she answered him with brief, 1 word sentences. He was very nasty and got angry when she stopped answering him. He started cursing at her and I told him to leave her alone, that we didn't want to talk to him. He responded by slamming his beer bottle down on the table right in front of Jess's face and mere inches from her hand. He cursed at her, saying, "F***ing talk to me!" We all jumped! Jess tried to get a manager or anyone to help us and get him away from us, but the 1st guy sent her to the manager and all he said was, "Did you ask him to leave? Try talking about girly things to make him go away." She was like, Um you're not going to do anything?? So the guy sighed and said I'll talk to him. Then he came over to the man and I heard the conversation: he told the old man that we wanted to talk amongst ourselves and not with him. Oh by the way, while Jess talked to the manager, the old man told me to shut my f***ing mouth because I looked like a f***ing cow. Nice guy right? Who wouldn't want to talk to him all evening? That was the extent of the manager's and the hostel's help. No kicking him out, removing him from the bar or even our table, nothing. We were scared and the creep wouldn't leave us alone. Finally, we had to move because he kept muttering curses under his breath at us. The second we left our table, he got up and left too! What an asshole! We went back to our table, but I went to complain at the front desk, once again with zero results. We told them he knew our room numbers and Jess's name and that he was harassing us, but the idiot at the desk just said, "No pasa nada" and if it happened again, then he'd tell his manager. Ridiculous. The guy kept coming in and out of the dining/bar area and every time, we'd have to look over our shoulders to see if he was coming back to bother us. We tried to relax and play cards, but it was too much. We talked a bit and finally just went to bed, except oh wait, people were in our assigned beds. The witch at the front desk came up, turned on the lights and told us to take the 2 free beds and left again. Sorry to whoever's beds we took; they were good, we slept well, and we're going to wake up at 745am for a day tour to nearby Tiwanaku.
We got to Arica at 6am, grabbed a taxi for 10 luca to the airport (fyi, there aren't any taximetros, or meters, to let you know how much it costs. None in Arica or Iquique). Then we sat at the airport and waited for Sky people, or really anyone, to show up so we could get our tickets! The flight was at 12pm; they opened their desk at 11am (and just so you know, we arrived at 645am). I got a lot of reading done though. They made us check our carryons (thankfully it didn't cost extra; it was just annoying) and then we waited again until 1150am when the security gates finally opened! Luck was on our side because we had no problems with the Chilean stamps or missing Bolivian one. The flight was late, a real shocker I know haha; it left at nearly 1pm. When we got here to Bolivia, we filled out a form in the airport, paid the full $135 again and got our Bolivian visa no problem. We took a taxi to the hostel for 60 bob (bolivianos, Bolivian currency). We raced to the computers to let our families know we were ok and for me to contact a friend at the SPA hostel to get my iPod for me :)
Next, Jess and I got lunch in the hostel for 45 bob each, and met up with Amy!!! She showed us around the city a bit, to the Plaza Central and Plaza Murillo. We went back to the hostel for drinks and had a rather unfortunate, unpleasant experience. There was a creepy old man drinking by himself who came near my table when Jess and Amy were in the bathroom, so I ignored him on my phone until he left the table and walked away. Then Jess came back, but Amy went for food and the guy took Amy's place at our table. We both ignored him, but he tried to talk to Jess and she answered him with brief, 1 word sentences. He was very nasty and got angry when she stopped answering him. He started cursing at her and I told him to leave her alone, that we didn't want to talk to him. He responded by slamming his beer bottle down on the table right in front of Jess's face and mere inches from her hand. He cursed at her, saying, "F***ing talk to me!" We all jumped! Jess tried to get a manager or anyone to help us and get him away from us, but the 1st guy sent her to the manager and all he said was, "Did you ask him to leave? Try talking about girly things to make him go away." She was like, Um you're not going to do anything?? So the guy sighed and said I'll talk to him. Then he came over to the man and I heard the conversation: he told the old man that we wanted to talk amongst ourselves and not with him. Oh by the way, while Jess talked to the manager, the old man told me to shut my f***ing mouth because I looked like a f***ing cow. Nice guy right? Who wouldn't want to talk to him all evening? That was the extent of the manager's and the hostel's help. No kicking him out, removing him from the bar or even our table, nothing. We were scared and the creep wouldn't leave us alone. Finally, we had to move because he kept muttering curses under his breath at us. The second we left our table, he got up and left too! What an asshole! We went back to our table, but I went to complain at the front desk, once again with zero results. We told them he knew our room numbers and Jess's name and that he was harassing us, but the idiot at the desk just said, "No pasa nada" and if it happened again, then he'd tell his manager. Ridiculous. The guy kept coming in and out of the dining/bar area and every time, we'd have to look over our shoulders to see if he was coming back to bother us. We tried to relax and play cards, but it was too much. We talked a bit and finally just went to bed, except oh wait, people were in our assigned beds. The witch at the front desk came up, turned on the lights and told us to take the 2 free beds and left again. Sorry to whoever's beds we took; they were good, we slept well, and we're going to wake up at 745am for a day tour to nearby Tiwanaku.
Saturday, July 6, 2013
Day 4 (and 5 oops!) of the Unforgettable Journey: Uyuni, Bolivia
MONDAY JULY 8, 2013
Super early in the morning, Jelly came back around 6, tried to convince me to stay one more time, and then he drove Jess and I to a random spot on the road where we would meet up with a Jeep returning to SPA from a 4 day tour. After 45 or so minutes, a Jeep took us back to the Bolivian border where we had some trouble (as I knew we would) because we never got our visa from Uyuni. There was nothing in our passports to say that we arrived at Bolivia but there were stamps saying we left Chile, follow me? After a good hour of waiting and being jerked around (our new driver kept trying to take our passports, then our money for the visa, but luckily Jess didn't let him out of her sight. She tried to help with her Spanish, but it proved to be too complicated and the driver made her wait in the Jeep), I dragged myself outside and over to the border control office to explain what happened. The official finally got it, but still made each of us pay $80usd instead of the normal US visa reciprocity fee of $135usd. We left at last, on a bus back to the SPA border, where the sketchy new bus driver got us to skip the line and have our bags scanned. We went back to our same hostel, but because there wasn't enough space, Jess had to go to a hostel nearby for a night. I spent the afternoon resting and we`re spending the afternoon trying to find a new way to get to La Paz from here instead.
During our search, the first flights we found were super-expensive and or took more than 12 hours (to go a 2 hour distance)! After some serious Googling and searching through travel blogs and TripAdvisor forums, I found we could take an overnight bus to Arica, then fly from Arica to La Paz. Of course, we have to buy the bus tickets in person because Turbus won't accept foreign credit cards. On top of that, we went to buy our flight and discovered that SkyAirlines wouldn't work either! We tried most of the night to no avail. Finally, we gave up and said we'd start again in the morning. Jess, master rice-cooker, made us some plain white rice for dinner, which was the only thing I could stomach. Now we're heading off to bed for some much needed rest.
TUESDAY JULY 9, 2013 (Sorry, I messed up not creating a Day 5 post!)
Today dawned bright and early with hammering on my hostel wall at 8am. Somehow I went back to sleep til 10, then tried with Jess to buy plane tickets again. Still nothing. Alise, a girl who worked at the hostel, lent us her laptop again so we could Skype call the airline. Of course, we couldn't buy tickets over the phone; we had to go to an office in person. See, there's a very reasonable rule that Sky refuses to accept international credit cards less than 72 hours before a flight. So screw you, foreign tourists who have emergencies or last minute changes of plan. Now, we still had to change money for enough USD to reenter Bolivia, and also take a 2 hour bus to and from the nearby city of Calama to buy the stupid plane tickets. And yes, of course, there's an extra fee to buy them in the office even though it malfunctioned online. We bought the bus tickets for tonight, then changed money, and then hopped on the bus to Calama. Jess and I walked to the Sky office and for the love of God my debit card wouldn't work!!! Finally, it ran through. We ran back to the bus station hoping for a bus before 4pm. I got a ticket for 345pm, perfect, and then the lady informed me it was the last seat. Jess snuck on and waited for a free seat to buy. She kept switching from empty seat to empty seat until they were almost gone, and miraculously, sat in the last one as the bus left the lot. She ended up never having to pay for a seat and we raced back to the hostel to pack and catch our next bus. In our hurry, I forgot my iPod in my room! The overnight bus will be pretty miserable then :( without my Harry Potter audiobooks, I'm lost.
Super early in the morning, Jelly came back around 6, tried to convince me to stay one more time, and then he drove Jess and I to a random spot on the road where we would meet up with a Jeep returning to SPA from a 4 day tour. After 45 or so minutes, a Jeep took us back to the Bolivian border where we had some trouble (as I knew we would) because we never got our visa from Uyuni. There was nothing in our passports to say that we arrived at Bolivia but there were stamps saying we left Chile, follow me? After a good hour of waiting and being jerked around (our new driver kept trying to take our passports, then our money for the visa, but luckily Jess didn't let him out of her sight. She tried to help with her Spanish, but it proved to be too complicated and the driver made her wait in the Jeep), I dragged myself outside and over to the border control office to explain what happened. The official finally got it, but still made each of us pay $80usd instead of the normal US visa reciprocity fee of $135usd. We left at last, on a bus back to the SPA border, where the sketchy new bus driver got us to skip the line and have our bags scanned. We went back to our same hostel, but because there wasn't enough space, Jess had to go to a hostel nearby for a night. I spent the afternoon resting and we`re spending the afternoon trying to find a new way to get to La Paz from here instead.
During our search, the first flights we found were super-expensive and or took more than 12 hours (to go a 2 hour distance)! After some serious Googling and searching through travel blogs and TripAdvisor forums, I found we could take an overnight bus to Arica, then fly from Arica to La Paz. Of course, we have to buy the bus tickets in person because Turbus won't accept foreign credit cards. On top of that, we went to buy our flight and discovered that SkyAirlines wouldn't work either! We tried most of the night to no avail. Finally, we gave up and said we'd start again in the morning. Jess, master rice-cooker, made us some plain white rice for dinner, which was the only thing I could stomach. Now we're heading off to bed for some much needed rest.
TUESDAY JULY 9, 2013 (Sorry, I messed up not creating a Day 5 post!)
Today dawned bright and early with hammering on my hostel wall at 8am. Somehow I went back to sleep til 10, then tried with Jess to buy plane tickets again. Still nothing. Alise, a girl who worked at the hostel, lent us her laptop again so we could Skype call the airline. Of course, we couldn't buy tickets over the phone; we had to go to an office in person. See, there's a very reasonable rule that Sky refuses to accept international credit cards less than 72 hours before a flight. So screw you, foreign tourists who have emergencies or last minute changes of plan. Now, we still had to change money for enough USD to reenter Bolivia, and also take a 2 hour bus to and from the nearby city of Calama to buy the stupid plane tickets. And yes, of course, there's an extra fee to buy them in the office even though it malfunctioned online. We bought the bus tickets for tonight, then changed money, and then hopped on the bus to Calama. Jess and I walked to the Sky office and for the love of God my debit card wouldn't work!!! Finally, it ran through. We ran back to the bus station hoping for a bus before 4pm. I got a ticket for 345pm, perfect, and then the lady informed me it was the last seat. Jess snuck on and waited for a free seat to buy. She kept switching from empty seat to empty seat until they were almost gone, and miraculously, sat in the last one as the bus left the lot. She ended up never having to pay for a seat and we raced back to the hostel to pack and catch our next bus. In our hurry, I forgot my iPod in my room! The overnight bus will be pretty miserable then :( without my Harry Potter audiobooks, I'm lost.
Day 3 of the Unforgettable Journey: San Pedro de Atacama Desert to Uyuni, Bolivia
SUNDAY JULY 7, 2013
Today was the first day our our trek across the desert and the altiplanos, the elevated plateaus. We left for our tour at 7:40am in a small bus to the Chilean border. First up was Chilean immigration, then a 1 hr bus drive to Bolivian immigration. We had to fill out a paper, but Americans couldn't buy their visa papers or stamps until we got to Uyuni, so we had to wait, a little in limbo, until we could check into the real Bolivian border in 2 days. We switched our water jugs and bags to a 6 person Jeep with a driver named Jelly. Yep, en serio.
On our drive we stopped first at Laguna blanca, which was a solid ice lake... I think? I know it's weird but the climate was so strange there! We took our usual jumping pictures, but a little less enthusiastically, sine we didn't want to fall. Next up was Laguna verde, which was pretty beautiful, but not as green as I expected. The others sharing our Jeep were Gaspar and Corinne, from France, and Sara and Chantal from Switzerland. In the car on the way to the geysers, I started to feel motion sick again. I managed to get out and snap a few shots of the creepy looking pools. They were so full of minerals, that they looked like molten metal bubbling away in the ground! The smell was awful though, like sulfur, and did nothing to improve my nausea. By the time we made it to the place where we would be spending the night, I was at my breaking point. I'll spare you the details, but just know that I was suddenly very, very ill. Our "beds" were literally giant slabs of concrete that came about 2 feet up off the ground. I threw my rented sleeping bag on with some heavy quilts and tried to sleep. I spent the entire evening sick to my stomach, unable to eat or drink anything. Jess took my camera with her to la Laguna colorada. I napped intermittently from 3 to 9, listening to Harry Potter on my iPod to try and relax. I was suffering from altitude sickness, but I didn't know any way to cure it. Jelly tried to give me some maté, a special kind of tea brewed from South American herbs. Unfortunately, I couldn't keep it down so it couldn't help me. Jess and Jelly kept checking in, and he kept trying to convince me to continue because in another day and a half, we would be near a hospital. I didn't think I could make it another day and a half since I couldn't control how frequently I kept getting sick. Finally, Jelly said if I wanted to go back to San Pedro, he could get a Jeep to leave at 5am. I woke up again at three throwing up, so I was glad to try and return rather than get further up into the plateaus and further from medicine and bathrooms.
Today was the first day our our trek across the desert and the altiplanos, the elevated plateaus. We left for our tour at 7:40am in a small bus to the Chilean border. First up was Chilean immigration, then a 1 hr bus drive to Bolivian immigration. We had to fill out a paper, but Americans couldn't buy their visa papers or stamps until we got to Uyuni, so we had to wait, a little in limbo, until we could check into the real Bolivian border in 2 days. We switched our water jugs and bags to a 6 person Jeep with a driver named Jelly. Yep, en serio.
On our drive we stopped first at Laguna blanca, which was a solid ice lake... I think? I know it's weird but the climate was so strange there! We took our usual jumping pictures, but a little less enthusiastically, sine we didn't want to fall. Next up was Laguna verde, which was pretty beautiful, but not as green as I expected. The others sharing our Jeep were Gaspar and Corinne, from France, and Sara and Chantal from Switzerland. In the car on the way to the geysers, I started to feel motion sick again. I managed to get out and snap a few shots of the creepy looking pools. They were so full of minerals, that they looked like molten metal bubbling away in the ground! The smell was awful though, like sulfur, and did nothing to improve my nausea. By the time we made it to the place where we would be spending the night, I was at my breaking point. I'll spare you the details, but just know that I was suddenly very, very ill. Our "beds" were literally giant slabs of concrete that came about 2 feet up off the ground. I threw my rented sleeping bag on with some heavy quilts and tried to sleep. I spent the entire evening sick to my stomach, unable to eat or drink anything. Jess took my camera with her to la Laguna colorada. I napped intermittently from 3 to 9, listening to Harry Potter on my iPod to try and relax. I was suffering from altitude sickness, but I didn't know any way to cure it. Jelly tried to give me some maté, a special kind of tea brewed from South American herbs. Unfortunately, I couldn't keep it down so it couldn't help me. Jess and Jelly kept checking in, and he kept trying to convince me to continue because in another day and a half, we would be near a hospital. I didn't think I could make it another day and a half since I couldn't control how frequently I kept getting sick. Finally, Jelly said if I wanted to go back to San Pedro, he could get a Jeep to leave at 5am. I woke up again at three throwing up, so I was glad to try and return rather than get further up into the plateaus and further from medicine and bathrooms.
Day 2 of the Unforgettable Journey: San Pedro de Atacama Desert
SATURDAY JULY 6, 2013
Made it safely to the Atacama desert, warm in the sun, very cool in the shade. Searching for a tour to Uyuni to book today. Let it be known: a 24 hour bus is a LONG time to be sitting/reclining. Not too excited for the 30 hr one in a few weeks...
I'll put up the Uyuni posts in advance because I doubt well have wifi out on the salt flats.
We got into San Pedro de Atacama around 9am, and had to walk to the hostel because there were no taxis in the town. Interestingly, there were no street names either. We used the 2in by 2in map on our hostel reservations and it took about 15-20 minutes to find. Once we made it, we walked around a bit to explore. Then Jess and I went to exchange money and buy some souvenirs. There was a lovely handicraft market in the middle of town. The streets, houses, dogs, and dirt were all the same color; I guess that's what living in a desert does to you. Good for the atacameños (people who live in the Atacama) being so brave, but I'd never live in a place that hot! We went to Café Antoine for lunch. It was terrible! They literally ignored us for 30 minutes until we left and they came out to our table to wipe it down again. Don't waste your time!! Instead, go to Adobe, where we went after this disaster. Jess and I stopped back at the hostel to check in our bags and into our rooms, then we went back out again, ravenous and searching for food!
We went to a restaurant called Adobe, where we both had salmon, our favorite! Jess got hers with mushroom tomato risotto, and I got mine with lettuce and baked potato. Later we got ice cream (limón gingibre) that was the strangest ice cream I've tasted! It was very viscous, thick and sticky, nothing like ice cream at home. Next we walked around a bit more, stopped in the plaza central for a bit of wifi, and found an archeological museum. Always up for new things, we bought our tickets and went in. It was pretty straightforward and boring, just a bunch of pottery. They removed any mummies to protect them from sun damage.
Finally, we went home, showered, napped, and checked on the Uyuni-La Paz tour bus. We were still waiting to hear back that we could go. We got our bags ready for the salt flat tour (we needed to buy TP, water and bread) and had our 5 gallon water jugs nearby. We went to sleep early so we would be well-rested for our early morning foray into the desert.
Made it safely to the Atacama desert, warm in the sun, very cool in the shade. Searching for a tour to Uyuni to book today. Let it be known: a 24 hour bus is a LONG time to be sitting/reclining. Not too excited for the 30 hr one in a few weeks...
I'll put up the Uyuni posts in advance because I doubt well have wifi out on the salt flats.
We got into San Pedro de Atacama around 9am, and had to walk to the hostel because there were no taxis in the town. Interestingly, there were no street names either. We used the 2in by 2in map on our hostel reservations and it took about 15-20 minutes to find. Once we made it, we walked around a bit to explore. Then Jess and I went to exchange money and buy some souvenirs. There was a lovely handicraft market in the middle of town. The streets, houses, dogs, and dirt were all the same color; I guess that's what living in a desert does to you. Good for the atacameños (people who live in the Atacama) being so brave, but I'd never live in a place that hot! We went to Café Antoine for lunch. It was terrible! They literally ignored us for 30 minutes until we left and they came out to our table to wipe it down again. Don't waste your time!! Instead, go to Adobe, where we went after this disaster. Jess and I stopped back at the hostel to check in our bags and into our rooms, then we went back out again, ravenous and searching for food!
We went to a restaurant called Adobe, where we both had salmon, our favorite! Jess got hers with mushroom tomato risotto, and I got mine with lettuce and baked potato. Later we got ice cream (limón gingibre) that was the strangest ice cream I've tasted! It was very viscous, thick and sticky, nothing like ice cream at home. Next we walked around a bit more, stopped in the plaza central for a bit of wifi, and found an archeological museum. Always up for new things, we bought our tickets and went in. It was pretty straightforward and boring, just a bunch of pottery. They removed any mummies to protect them from sun damage.
Finally, we went home, showered, napped, and checked on the Uyuni-La Paz tour bus. We were still waiting to hear back that we could go. We got our bags ready for the salt flat tour (we needed to buy TP, water and bread) and had our 5 gallon water jugs nearby. We went to sleep early so we would be well-rested for our early morning foray into the desert.
Friday, July 5, 2013
Day 1 of the Unforgettable Journey: San Pedro de Atacama by bus
FRIDAY JULY 5, 2013
We're heading of on a 24 hour bus ride; tomorrow's post might be a bit late...
but at least it'll be from San Pedro de Atacama desert!
The bus ride was not so great today. They showed a bunch of cool movies, but by 2pm, my motion sickness set in and I felt like crap until the following morning. At first it was nice to recline, but by midnight my tailbone was starting to ache and the chairs were too narrow to sleep completely sideways. The ticket included 2 "snacks" and breakfast, aka 2 cheese sandwiches during the day and two cookie-manjar sandwiches, known as "alfajores", for breakfast. Overall, not the worst trip ever, but definitely not the best either.
We're heading of on a 24 hour bus ride; tomorrow's post might be a bit late...
but at least it'll be from San Pedro de Atacama desert!
The bus ride was not so great today. They showed a bunch of cool movies, but by 2pm, my motion sickness set in and I felt like crap until the following morning. At first it was nice to recline, but by midnight my tailbone was starting to ache and the chairs were too narrow to sleep completely sideways. The ticket included 2 "snacks" and breakfast, aka 2 cheese sandwiches during the day and two cookie-manjar sandwiches, known as "alfajores", for breakfast. Overall, not the worst trip ever, but definitely not the best either.
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Playing the tourist
estar con la caña- resacada
guiskey!- smile, say cheese
completo italiano is bc the colors are red white and green
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biodanza
guiskey!- smile, say cheese
completo italiano is bc the colors are red white and green
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biodanza
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
I'm finally a citizen!!!
Today I finished the last step in the process that took 4 months (I'm here for another 3 weeks... fail) to get my Chilean residency card. Hooray! Here's what it looks like :)
The process is roughly as follows:
The process is roughly as follows:
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Fun times with Family Friends
This weekend was busy busy, packed with two different food-parties, so naturally, I got sick right before them. Are you surprised? I'm not. Jess was so wonderful helping to feel better whenever she could; she did so much of the cooking this time and I'm so proud of how delicious it all came out :D
We invited our Chilean family-friends over for dinner on Saturday, after a work brunch I could not attend. Jess said it was fun though. We spent Friday prepping- shopping, chopping, and crying a little (damn onions!). Saturday was d-day, dinner-day that is. Our menu was as follows:
Appetizers: pebre- a famous Chilean salsa
cheesy pepper-paprika pitas
ensalada (salad haha)
Main course: garlic and olive oil tossed roasted vegetables
white wine risotto
sweet and spicy chicken
Dessert: (of course!) hot and gooey chocolate chip cookiewiches with vanilla ice cream
Here are some pics of the apartment (it was so clean!!), the dinner setup, and the food :D yummm. We had such a great time with our Berrios family. In between courses we played Language Jenga (aka, Jenga, but we had to say the numbers on our brick in another language). They only stayed a short while because it was already late, but we had a blast regardless. We love them so much and are so glad they came! We even sent them home with the rest of our pebre in a Tupperware. Imagine that, the gringas sending the Chileans home with homemade pebre! Hahaha, what a compliment to our cooking!
We invited our Chilean family-friends over for dinner on Saturday, after a work brunch I could not attend. Jess said it was fun though. We spent Friday prepping- shopping, chopping, and crying a little (damn onions!). Saturday was d-day, dinner-day that is. Our menu was as follows:
Appetizers: pebre- a famous Chilean salsa
cheesy pepper-paprika pitas
ensalada (salad haha)
Main course: garlic and olive oil tossed roasted vegetables
white wine risotto
sweet and spicy chicken
Dessert: (of course!) hot and gooey chocolate chip cookiewiches with vanilla ice cream
Here are some pics of the apartment (it was so clean!!), the dinner setup, and the food :D yummm. We had such a great time with our Berrios family. In between courses we played Language Jenga (aka, Jenga, but we had to say the numbers on our brick in another language). They only stayed a short while because it was already late, but we had a blast regardless. We love them so much and are so glad they came! We even sent them home with the rest of our pebre in a Tupperware. Imagine that, the gringas sending the Chileans home with homemade pebre! Hahaha, what a compliment to our cooking!
Monday, June 10, 2013
Off we go, into the wild Buenos Aires!
Hasta luego Santiago! Jess, our friend Amy, and I are heading off to Buenos Aires, Argentina this weekend. We are so excited and have so many awesome plans! Can't wait to update you all on them as soon as I can :)
Have a great weekend all, but know ours will be more awesome ;D
Have a great weekend all, but know ours will be more awesome ;D
Monday, June 3, 2013
Food, glorious (gourmet) food!
SATURDAY MAY 25, 2013.
So I totally forgot I was going to write a loooong blogpost about our fun adventures last weekend. Oops. Anyway, we had a relatively busy Saturday, visiting a gourmet food expo in Barrio Lastarria. Later on, we hit up the TeachingChile reunion barbeque. We had such a wonderful day!
So I totally forgot I was going to write a loooong blogpost about our fun adventures last weekend. Oops. Anyway, we had a relatively busy Saturday, visiting a gourmet food expo in Barrio Lastarria. Later on, we hit up the TeachingChile reunion barbeque. We had such a wonderful day!
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Bowling Birthday Bash
Today is my friend John's birthday, so we went out to a bowling
alley in a mall last night to celebrate. It was a lot of fun and I'm
glad he had a good time. Bowling was much the same as it is in America,
though for snacks we got a basket of fries and 12 empanadas de queso
haha. Yum! We bowled in two teams, and I wasn't the worst, but
definitely wasn't the best either! I scored 63 after 12 rounds. It was
so unfair at first because the other team had bumpers up on their lane,
cheaters! The man eventually came and took them down. One of the guys on
our team somehow managed to score a 9 every single round, be it 6-3,
7-2, 9-/, whatever. Every time! It was wild. One girl on our team also
managed to lose her ball and it came rolling backwards toward us!
Yikes!! haha. Here are some pics of our night.
Later on we stopped by our other friend Alyssa's birthday party, up in her apartment. Her birthday was Thursday but she had her party Friday night. It was fun; there were Chileans, Americans, Australians, Canadians, and South Africans. At one point, the American girls felt the need to bust out some organized dance moves, so we did the Cupid Shuffle, the Wobble, the Cha Cha Slide, the Macarena, and even the Cotton Eyed Joe! It was hilarious and most of the foreigners watched us like we were crazy, which we probably looked like we were. Oh well! I'd say it was a Friday night well spent :)
Later on we stopped by our other friend Alyssa's birthday party, up in her apartment. Her birthday was Thursday but she had her party Friday night. It was fun; there were Chileans, Americans, Australians, Canadians, and South Africans. At one point, the American girls felt the need to bust out some organized dance moves, so we did the Cupid Shuffle, the Wobble, the Cha Cha Slide, the Macarena, and even the Cotton Eyed Joe! It was hilarious and most of the foreigners watched us like we were crazy, which we probably looked like we were. Oh well! I'd say it was a Friday night well spent :)
Government + paperwork + waiting in lines = never a good time
That blogpost title says it all really. This morning, AT 745AM, we continued the longest visa process I have ever been a part of.
Depressing Deluge
The rain was out of control this week. For real guys. On Monday, I got downstairs in my lovely work outfit to discover it was pouring outside. No I did not bring an umbrella to Chile. Yes I forgot to ask my parents to send one when they sent my rain jacket. Yes I am too stubborn to buy one off the streets that I know will break the second I turn the corner.
For some reason, I find that rain abroad (aka not America) is so much more unbearable than at home. In Spain, I walked to class one day in the rain, with a rain jacket and an umbrella and was so completely soaked from the hips down that I had trouble sitting down (wet jeans are the WORST). I can't figure out what it is that makes it so much harder to live your life when it's raining here. The most I've got is that we drive so much in America that we don't really deal with it, but then I throw that theory out because I had plenty of rainy walks up to the bus when I was student teaching in Manhattan and they were still not as bad as what I experienced abroad. Jess thinks it's the quality of the roads, which is also definitely possible.
I walked home Monday in spite of the rain because I was so mad and wet anyway. It was eventful to say the least. People are IDIOTS when it comes to walking around in the rain. I didn't see a single person with any kind of rain boots, though they all have umbrellas that they hit you in the head or eye or face with as they leap to avoid a puddle. There was foot traffic build up in crossing the streets because people would get to the other side of the crosswalk, only to be confronted by a huge puddle before they could get to the curb, so then a line would form to follow a path around it. This is nice and polite, but also we are in a road and cars will be moving soon, into us, so please get out of the way! Speaking of cars moving, I actually got hit by one on my way home :S Yikes! I was crossing a one-way side street that opened onto the main road, which was completely clogged up with rush hour, bumper to bumper traffic, at a complete standstill. Now, I was crossing at the crosswalk, and of the two lanes, the left already had a car stopped waiting for me and three other people to cross. He would've had to wait anyway though, because there was a solid wall of cars in front of him in the main road he wanted to merge into. However, just because all of these factors point to the idea of stopping at this crosswalk, does not mean that everyone would actually do that. Many times down here people will pull through as close as they can to the new road and leave most of their car sticking into the crosswalk- a personal pet peeve of mine. This special brand of idiot in the right lane last Tuesday, decided he didn't care about stopping in crosswalks, about not having a road to drive into because of the wall of traffic, or even about the people who may be in the road. As a result, he drove right past that first car I mentioned- the one stopped in the left lane- and into me. I yelled and slammed a fist into the hood of his car and miraculously he stopped in time. He only bumped me and I stumbled a few feet out of the crosswalk, but I was nonetheless unnerved. What if I hadn't had time to yell or he hadn't heard me or I didn't hit his car or he couldn't stop in the rain?? It was intense and I walked away fine but with my adrenaline pumping. What a moron. There were so many signs to stop, not the least of which was the car right next to him, NOT moving forward. It was insane! This is part of the reason why I hate driving, and why I think no one should be able to drive above 40, ever. Why on earth would you need to be going 49 in the rain, on a side street, when there's traffic, and human beings in the road?!?!?!? Ugh. Anyway, long story short, I was fine, just shaken up and seriously angry.
Tuesday proved to not be much brighter. Here are a series of pictures I took on my 45 minute walk from one class to the next. They don't quite capture just HOW wet and nasty it was out (or how miserable I was). Apparently, my rain jacket is not even remotely waterproof, and my rain boots, while they didn't leak, can't prevent the waves of water splashing in over the top of them. I was so thoroughly soaked by the time I got to my second class, there was a puddle underneath my chair by the end, from me dripping dry onto the floor. I could pour a stream of water out of my boots by the end of the night, and walking was a weird sensation because I constantly felt like I was going to fall thanks to the several inches of water sloshing around inside my boots.
Side note: I find it hilarious how quickly the street vendors switch their merchandise
to what will sell the fastest. In the summer, March and April, it was sunglasses. By
the end of April into May it was scarves. Next it was hats and gloves for winter, and
then this week everything switched to umbrellas and windbreakers.
Anyway, back to the rain. I went straight back upstairs and changed into my wellies and rain jacket. The rain continued the entire day and night into Tuesday, when it continued all day and night into Wednesday morning! Oy vey. I was not looking forward to this at all. I love to walk here and had planned to walk all day Monday- plans cancelled. Then Tuesday, the only way to get from one afternoon class to the next is to walk 45 minutes along a (not a highway, it's not that dangerous) very busy large road. Great.For some reason, I find that rain abroad (aka not America) is so much more unbearable than at home. In Spain, I walked to class one day in the rain, with a rain jacket and an umbrella and was so completely soaked from the hips down that I had trouble sitting down (wet jeans are the WORST). I can't figure out what it is that makes it so much harder to live your life when it's raining here. The most I've got is that we drive so much in America that we don't really deal with it, but then I throw that theory out because I had plenty of rainy walks up to the bus when I was student teaching in Manhattan and they were still not as bad as what I experienced abroad. Jess thinks it's the quality of the roads, which is also definitely possible.
I walked home Monday in spite of the rain because I was so mad and wet anyway. It was eventful to say the least. People are IDIOTS when it comes to walking around in the rain. I didn't see a single person with any kind of rain boots, though they all have umbrellas that they hit you in the head or eye or face with as they leap to avoid a puddle. There was foot traffic build up in crossing the streets because people would get to the other side of the crosswalk, only to be confronted by a huge puddle before they could get to the curb, so then a line would form to follow a path around it. This is nice and polite, but also we are in a road and cars will be moving soon, into us, so please get out of the way! Speaking of cars moving, I actually got hit by one on my way home :S Yikes! I was crossing a one-way side street that opened onto the main road, which was completely clogged up with rush hour, bumper to bumper traffic, at a complete standstill. Now, I was crossing at the crosswalk, and of the two lanes, the left already had a car stopped waiting for me and three other people to cross. He would've had to wait anyway though, because there was a solid wall of cars in front of him in the main road he wanted to merge into. However, just because all of these factors point to the idea of stopping at this crosswalk, does not mean that everyone would actually do that. Many times down here people will pull through as close as they can to the new road and leave most of their car sticking into the crosswalk- a personal pet peeve of mine. This special brand of idiot in the right lane last Tuesday, decided he didn't care about stopping in crosswalks, about not having a road to drive into because of the wall of traffic, or even about the people who may be in the road. As a result, he drove right past that first car I mentioned- the one stopped in the left lane- and into me. I yelled and slammed a fist into the hood of his car and miraculously he stopped in time. He only bumped me and I stumbled a few feet out of the crosswalk, but I was nonetheless unnerved. What if I hadn't had time to yell or he hadn't heard me or I didn't hit his car or he couldn't stop in the rain?? It was intense and I walked away fine but with my adrenaline pumping. What a moron. There were so many signs to stop, not the least of which was the car right next to him, NOT moving forward. It was insane! This is part of the reason why I hate driving, and why I think no one should be able to drive above 40, ever. Why on earth would you need to be going 49 in the rain, on a side street, when there's traffic, and human beings in the road?!?!?!? Ugh. Anyway, long story short, I was fine, just shaken up and seriously angry.
Tuesday proved to not be much brighter. Here are a series of pictures I took on my 45 minute walk from one class to the next. They don't quite capture just HOW wet and nasty it was out (or how miserable I was). Apparently, my rain jacket is not even remotely waterproof, and my rain boots, while they didn't leak, can't prevent the waves of water splashing in over the top of them. I was so thoroughly soaked by the time I got to my second class, there was a puddle underneath my chair by the end, from me dripping dry onto the floor. I could pour a stream of water out of my boots by the end of the night, and walking was a weird sensation because I constantly felt like I was going to fall thanks to the several inches of water sloshing around inside my boots.
Friday, May 24, 2013
Dithering Weather
While it has been getting a little chillier down here in Chile, (haha, see what I did there?) I am left more than a little confused by the weather. In terms of seasons, we have the opposite of what it would be like back home. Here it's fall moving into winter. Basically, it's November. Except, this is what most people are dressing like in the streets: (pic) and here is what I wore today: (pic). For real??? No wonder they all look at me like I'm a crazy gringa. I don't feel crazy though; today it was at least 75 degrees outside. Earlier in the week, however, it was below between 55 and 65 every day. Make up your mind temperature!! It's very difficult to dress for the day, like my eloquent friend Kris said in his blogpost, when it's freezing in the morning, warm to almost hot in the afternoon, and then freezing again at night (and that's not including what clothing weight you do or don't want to lug all the way to your classes all day).
Now, I tend to wear the same style of outfit to work everyday, with an occasional long-sleeved cardigan instead of a short or three-quarter sleeve one, the Chileans are bundled up like they're going to brave their way through the tundra on their way to work. It's like these Santiaguinos (people from Santiago) were just desperately waiting for a cool autumn breeze, so they could whip out their beautiful, luxurious alpaca scarves, sweaters, caps, gloves, socks, and who knows what else they've woven from llama hair? While it all looks delightfully snuggly, I can't help but wonder if they're sweating buckets underneath, or if they really are that cold already. I'm a little frustrated that I brought so much "cold weather" clothing, especially since it weighs down my luggage and I don't seem to need it! Yes it gets colder at night, but by then I'm snuggled in my bed next to my best friend and we don't have a problem (or a heater that functions surprisingly. Most places in Santiago do not have indoor heating.) So much for the 8 pairs of tights that I brought, and my thick woolen skirt, and my North Face. I barely even wear my sweatshirt here! Plus, I just realized, when it's coldest in Santiago, we'll be going North where it's warmer.
Oy vey, talk about climate change complaints. Oh well, I guess if you're gonna be called a gringa, might as well be for my clothes rather than my hair or skin or mannerisms. Oh wait, you mean, regular Chileans don't walk around listening to Harry Potter on their iPods and crying to it? Hmm, I guess I don't blend in here as much as I thought... ;)
Now, I tend to wear the same style of outfit to work everyday, with an occasional long-sleeved cardigan instead of a short or three-quarter sleeve one, the Chileans are bundled up like they're going to brave their way through the tundra on their way to work. It's like these Santiaguinos (people from Santiago) were just desperately waiting for a cool autumn breeze, so they could whip out their beautiful, luxurious alpaca scarves, sweaters, caps, gloves, socks, and who knows what else they've woven from llama hair? While it all looks delightfully snuggly, I can't help but wonder if they're sweating buckets underneath, or if they really are that cold already. I'm a little frustrated that I brought so much "cold weather" clothing, especially since it weighs down my luggage and I don't seem to need it! Yes it gets colder at night, but by then I'm snuggled in my bed next to my best friend and we don't have a problem (or a heater that functions surprisingly. Most places in Santiago do not have indoor heating.) So much for the 8 pairs of tights that I brought, and my thick woolen skirt, and my North Face. I barely even wear my sweatshirt here! Plus, I just realized, when it's coldest in Santiago, we'll be going North where it's warmer.
Oy vey, talk about climate change complaints. Oh well, I guess if you're gonna be called a gringa, might as well be for my clothes rather than my hair or skin or mannerisms. Oh wait, you mean, regular Chileans don't walk around listening to Harry Potter on their iPods and crying to it? Hmm, I guess I don't blend in here as much as I thought... ;)
TripAdvisor -y Warning!
¡¡¡Use Caution and proceed slowly when attempting to plan prolonged backpacking vacations!!!
Today Jess, our friend Amy, and I met to start planning our big trip at the end of July. When I say end, I mean, the three weeks of July we have off because the children go on winter vacation (it's South America- opposite seasons people ;D ) Anyway, we figured it was high time to start booking tickets and such since we only have a month and a half left before we leave! Where does the time go? We were a little preoccupied moving apartments and getting settled into the new routine and location, so we finally got down to business today. Originally we had planned to work our way north through Chile and South America, then take a quick hop over to Buenos Aires to check out this AMAZING zoo which my lovely sister brought to my attention back in March. Once she showed me pictures of people holding baby tigers!!!!! I knew I would just have to go there. However, upon beginning to work through logistics today, we realized that it would just be easier to take a small side trip to Buenos Aires in June, and then spend more time in each location at the end. We will fly straight back here from Ecuador instead of all the way down to Buenos Aires and THEN back to Santiago.
So, surprise! We're going to Buenos Aires in two weeks :D I can't wait to pet the tigers and hold baby Simbas in my lap oh my god!! It's going to be so wonderful; maybe we'll even learn how to tango, who knows! For now, I will just enjoy my Friday night in, planning tours, booking hostels, and dreaming about all the wonderful places we are going to go in a little over a month! Here's our new itinerary: Santiago -> San Pedro de Atacama, Chile -> Uyuni, Bolivia -> La Paz, Bolivia -> Lake Titicaca, Bolivia -> Cusco, Peru -> Lima, Peru -> Guayaquil, Ecuador -> Galapagos Islands!!! -> Quito, Ecuador -> Santiago, Chile. Jealous? ;)
Today Jess, our friend Amy, and I met to start planning our big trip at the end of July. When I say end, I mean, the three weeks of July we have off because the children go on winter vacation (it's South America- opposite seasons people ;D ) Anyway, we figured it was high time to start booking tickets and such since we only have a month and a half left before we leave! Where does the time go? We were a little preoccupied moving apartments and getting settled into the new routine and location, so we finally got down to business today. Originally we had planned to work our way north through Chile and South America, then take a quick hop over to Buenos Aires to check out this AMAZING zoo which my lovely sister brought to my attention back in March. Once she showed me pictures of people holding baby tigers!!!!! I knew I would just have to go there. However, upon beginning to work through logistics today, we realized that it would just be easier to take a small side trip to Buenos Aires in June, and then spend more time in each location at the end. We will fly straight back here from Ecuador instead of all the way down to Buenos Aires and THEN back to Santiago.
So, surprise! We're going to Buenos Aires in two weeks :D I can't wait to pet the tigers and hold baby Simbas in my lap oh my god!! It's going to be so wonderful; maybe we'll even learn how to tango, who knows! For now, I will just enjoy my Friday night in, planning tours, booking hostels, and dreaming about all the wonderful places we are going to go in a little over a month! Here's our new itinerary: Santiago -> San Pedro de Atacama, Chile -> Uyuni, Bolivia -> La Paz, Bolivia -> Lake Titicaca, Bolivia -> Cusco, Peru -> Lima, Peru -> Guayaquil, Ecuador -> Galapagos Islands!!! -> Quito, Ecuador -> Santiago, Chile. Jealous? ;)
Happy One Week Anniversary!
So yes, a day late and a peso short, whatever. Happy one week in our wonderful new apartment!!! So far, we are LOVING it. Here is the grand tour: (pic pic pic)
Literary Transportation
No I'm not talking about books on wheels, or even bookmobiles,
but we'll get to that in a second. Sorry it's been a while, and sorry in
advance for whining about being sick. This past week I was a little
sick (read: I slept the entire day Sunday) but thankfully we had a
national holiday on Tuesday, and most of the children had off from
school on Monday as well, so I had plenty of time to recover. Until
Wednesday when I hurt my ankle. Oh well. Made it through the week. It
was tough having a full three classes for the work-week, let me tell
you, but I braved my way through it ;)
Lately I've been walking a lot and listening to Harry Potter audiobooks 1) because Harry Potter is amazing, 2) because it's the only set of books on my iPod, 3) because it's very boring to walk for over an hour anywhere even with music and 4) because I refuse to give up my daily walk to work even though we moved 8 metro stops further away. Am I crazy? Probably, seeing as I decided to stubbornly walk home from a class in Vitacura, a neighborhood THREE HOURS away from mine. However, my stubborn butt made it the 8.6 miles home in only 2.5 hours. Hence, the crappy ankle and countless blisters; nonetheless, the walk was enjoyable thanks to Harry's courageous efforts in the graveyard where Voldemort attempts to duel with and kill him yet again (HP and the Goblet of Fire, for those less crazy fans).
There's something about listening to a book as you walk instead of music. I just feel more removed from everyone, more in my own world. I even cried a bit at this moment, "Mrs. Weasley set the potion down on the beside cabinet, bent down, and put her arms around Harry. He had no memory of ever being hugged like this, as though by a mother." It was too dark for anyone to notice thankfully, but there is something magical about a book that can move you to tears. I've only read a few books in my time here thus far, but traveling and reading go hand in hand for me. For many people I believe. There are countless book exchanges in hostels across the globe; people read on trains, in airport terminals, on the bus, and waiting for whatever journey is next on their list. If you don't have the means to travel, books can take you just as far away from your home without even having to deal with the smelly man who stole your aisle seat on the plane or the nonexistent "breakfast" your hostel guaranteed you.
Though I have been extremely lucky in my life to travel so much in such a short time, I continue to make leaps and bounds across our planet, through space and even time, with books. They have such a power that many people ignore. I can be living in Chile while on a train through the Alps. This summer I hope to expand and then shrink my reading list with many new titles recommended from fellow travelers. What's on your reading list for the summer? Any good titles I should look for in the next hostel?
Lately I've been walking a lot and listening to Harry Potter audiobooks 1) because Harry Potter is amazing, 2) because it's the only set of books on my iPod, 3) because it's very boring to walk for over an hour anywhere even with music and 4) because I refuse to give up my daily walk to work even though we moved 8 metro stops further away. Am I crazy? Probably, seeing as I decided to stubbornly walk home from a class in Vitacura, a neighborhood THREE HOURS away from mine. However, my stubborn butt made it the 8.6 miles home in only 2.5 hours. Hence, the crappy ankle and countless blisters; nonetheless, the walk was enjoyable thanks to Harry's courageous efforts in the graveyard where Voldemort attempts to duel with and kill him yet again (HP and the Goblet of Fire, for those less crazy fans).
There's something about listening to a book as you walk instead of music. I just feel more removed from everyone, more in my own world. I even cried a bit at this moment, "Mrs. Weasley set the potion down on the beside cabinet, bent down, and put her arms around Harry. He had no memory of ever being hugged like this, as though by a mother." It was too dark for anyone to notice thankfully, but there is something magical about a book that can move you to tears. I've only read a few books in my time here thus far, but traveling and reading go hand in hand for me. For many people I believe. There are countless book exchanges in hostels across the globe; people read on trains, in airport terminals, on the bus, and waiting for whatever journey is next on their list. If you don't have the means to travel, books can take you just as far away from your home without even having to deal with the smelly man who stole your aisle seat on the plane or the nonexistent "breakfast" your hostel guaranteed you.
Though I have been extremely lucky in my life to travel so much in such a short time, I continue to make leaps and bounds across our planet, through space and even time, with books. They have such a power that many people ignore. I can be living in Chile while on a train through the Alps. This summer I hope to expand and then shrink my reading list with many new titles recommended from fellow travelers. What's on your reading list for the summer? Any good titles I should look for in the next hostel?
Courageous Cooking Adventures
TUESDAY MAY 21st, 2013
The challenge: 6 recipes, 11 hours, 2 girls, one small Chilean kitchen. Can they do it??
The challenge: 6 recipes, 11 hours, 2 girls, one small Chilean kitchen. Can they do it??
Friday, May 17, 2013
We moved!!!! Again!!
So, we finally moved to a new apartment, thanks to a lot of stress and planning and some help from our coworker Daniela, and Andrea at TeachingChile.
Here are some pics of the apartment set up for a dinner party :)
Here are some pics of the apartment set up for a dinner party :)
Monday, May 13, 2013
Happy (Belated) Mother's Day
Happy Mother's Day to all my child-bearing readers out there. I hope everyone enjoyed their day. Jess and I took a nice, long walk to get some fresh air and exercise after a rather lazy Saturday in. On our walk we noticed many, many families out to brunch or another meal to celebrate. Even the nasty woman we live with went out to eat, which was surprising since her family usually comes to our apartment every Sunday for dinner. Now today, obviously, Jess and I were both missing our moms big time, and our families in general. We both Skyped with them however, and I was so happy to watch my mom open her presents and tell me about her life lately. I wish I could have sent her a card, but it would only arrive in time for Father's Day- mail back and forth isn't too speedy. This holiday is a big deal here, and seemed almost as commercialized as it is back home in America. TV commercials, ads, store displays, everyone selling chocolates and spa-type supplies for el Día de la madre. Even our company suggested we create English Mother's Day cards with our kids as a warm-up activity. Mine usually ended up taking at least half the lesson to create one, but all activities are useful as long as learning (and English!) are involved. Here is the result of 40 minutes of hardcore coloring and spelling (and re-spelling, and some writing and copying) of one of my students, Cecilia (9 years old):
And here are my two elementary girls, Helena and Isabel (yes they're blonde and yes they're Chilean) hard at work on their cards:
How do you celebrate Mother's Day, wherever you are in the world? Let us know in the comments!
And here are my two elementary girls, Helena and Isabel (yes they're blonde and yes they're Chilean) hard at work on their cards:
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Happy Birthday Jess!!!!
This weekend, it was my best friend Jess's birthday (check out her blog here). Technically it was today, but who has a birthday party on a Sunday night? Anyway, we decided to celebrate her American-ness by going to Applebee's! There is one in the mall near our house, so we invited all our friends down here to come out and celebrate with us. We walked around a bit beforehand, got a delicious ice cream to share, and then we headed over. The Applebee's here has a special, 1 appetizer and 2 entrées for 15,000 pesos, roughly $30 or 15 each between the two of us. We chose boneless buffalo wings for the appetizer. Sadly, they were nothing like the real deal, very greasy, not at all spicy, and made with dark meat. Oh well. Next up we enjoyed our main courses: chicken alfredo pasta for Jess and petite sirloin with mashed potatoes and a salad for me. These were accompanied by our delicious strawberry daiquiris.
We had a great time chatting with our friends, Daniel and John, and loved meeting John's girlfriend Viviana. To wrap up our delicious meals, we splurged on churros with chocolate (that's cho-co-lah-tay haha) and manjár. Manjár is a scrumptious, sweet, thick sauce, made from boiling cans of condensed milk. It's a little like caramel but definitely different. We all battled each other's hands to get our churros into those amazing dipping sauces. I wish I had taken a picture but at that point, we were so engrossed by all the sugar in front of us, cameras were far from our minds.
Next up, we stopped at our place to strap on our high heels and head out for a night of awesome dancing. Here are some pictures of our fun:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESS!!!! My best friend and possible soulmate, I couldn't have gotten this far in Chile without you <3
Next up, we stopped at our place to strap on our high heels and head out for a night of awesome dancing. Here are some pictures of our fun:
Thursday, May 2, 2013
It's Labor Day
No, I'm not confused. In most of the rest of the world, Labor Day falls on May 1st. To celebrate, everything is closed. Yay, a day off. Oh wait, when you say closed you mean all the things we want to do with our day off are closed as well? Oh...
I spent about 2 hours between the day before and the actual holiday walking around to different stores trying to grab some staples for the next few days. I was sadly mistaken, as each time I reached a store, it had closed 5 minutes earlier. Brisk walk to Lider, arrive at 935? Closed at 930. Run to the mall to go to Jumbo, arrive at 950? Closed at 10 but they weren't letting people in anymore. Ugh so frustrating! No indulging in any cravings, no chocolate, no Ramitas (amazing, salty, mini breadsticks), nothing. I ended up catching up on some photo editing and organizing, computer backing up-ing, and one single blogpost. I had the blues. I felt lazy and unaccomplished for the day. Blah. I'm sure most of the Chileans were celebrating and enjoying themselves, but I'm trying to save up some money for Jess's birthday party this weekend, so I stayed in.
I did try to get a little exercise, but after lesson planning for most of the afternoon, by the time I got out of the house and on my way, it was already dark. I liked the route I had planned, but was nervous to be walking roads I didn't know by myself at night, so instead of the full 3 hours, I called it quits 50 minutes in and just doubled back on myself. Even that plan remained unaccomplished.
One highlight of my evening was learning that my favorite show New Girl had aired again this week and I enjoyed one of the best episodes so far while having some tea in my room. Yes, I have become a convert. I wouldn't say I'm addicted or anything like that, but I do enjoy a nice, sweet cup of flavored water, beyond my usual cold tap H2O :) It's soothing and the warmth is especially nice during nights, which have become fairly chilly here in spite of the hotter temperatures during the afternoon. Originally, Jess and I had hoped to have tea and toast as our real dinner each night, but we can't bring ourselves to have such a huge meal at lunchtimes, and also, our class schedules are not very conducive to eating a lot at 2 and then nothing again til 9. Oh well.
So, who else enjoys tea out there? Any brands I should try? And what do you do to get yourself out of a do-nothing slump? Suggestions in the comments :)
I spent about 2 hours between the day before and the actual holiday walking around to different stores trying to grab some staples for the next few days. I was sadly mistaken, as each time I reached a store, it had closed 5 minutes earlier. Brisk walk to Lider, arrive at 935? Closed at 930. Run to the mall to go to Jumbo, arrive at 950? Closed at 10 but they weren't letting people in anymore. Ugh so frustrating! No indulging in any cravings, no chocolate, no Ramitas (amazing, salty, mini breadsticks), nothing. I ended up catching up on some photo editing and organizing, computer backing up-ing, and one single blogpost. I had the blues. I felt lazy and unaccomplished for the day. Blah. I'm sure most of the Chileans were celebrating and enjoying themselves, but I'm trying to save up some money for Jess's birthday party this weekend, so I stayed in.
I did try to get a little exercise, but after lesson planning for most of the afternoon, by the time I got out of the house and on my way, it was already dark. I liked the route I had planned, but was nervous to be walking roads I didn't know by myself at night, so instead of the full 3 hours, I called it quits 50 minutes in and just doubled back on myself. Even that plan remained unaccomplished.
One highlight of my evening was learning that my favorite show New Girl had aired again this week and I enjoyed one of the best episodes so far while having some tea in my room. Yes, I have become a convert. I wouldn't say I'm addicted or anything like that, but I do enjoy a nice, sweet cup of flavored water, beyond my usual cold tap H2O :) It's soothing and the warmth is especially nice during nights, which have become fairly chilly here in spite of the hotter temperatures during the afternoon. Originally, Jess and I had hoped to have tea and toast as our real dinner each night, but we can't bring ourselves to have such a huge meal at lunchtimes, and also, our class schedules are not very conducive to eating a lot at 2 and then nothing again til 9. Oh well.
So, who else enjoys tea out there? Any brands I should try? And what do you do to get yourself out of a do-nothing slump? Suggestions in the comments :)
Friday, April 26, 2013
Less than perfect Updates
So, I'm not quite sure how to go about wording this, without using some rather strong language that isn't very nice. As a result, I plan to pour every detail of what happened into this post with as little offense to others as possible (excluding Nelly of course). Feel free to stop reading if you don't like what you see, but this is just as much for me as to update my family and friends with what happened and why.
March 24th: When I moved into this apartment, Jess and I had certain expectations and agreements with our landlady/host lady/ landlord, Nelly. We were told when we paid our month's-rent-security-deposit that we would have full use of the kitchen, appliances, washer, pots and pans, bathrooms, living room, terrace, and other rooms. We would each have our own shelves in the fridge. We could come and go as we pleased as long as we were quiet. We could have one friend stay overnight if we asked her first, and we could have visitors.
March 30th: Once I arrived (Jess moved in two weeks afterward, when the German girl moved out) Nelly also extended her generosity to include the use of her Tupperware. She also told me I was free to store clothes on Soraya (her daughter)'s terrace, where there is a large drying rack, if my load of laundry was too big for the rack in the laundry room.
April 1st: We can't use the washing machine Monday night to Wednesday morning, all day Thursday and all day Saturday because the maid uses it then to wash Nelly and her daughter's clothes. Within my first day in the apartment, Nelly came and told me I had to dry my dishes and put them away soon after washing them because the drying rack would get filled up too quickly.
April 7th: Nelly scolded me for using the drying rack on Soraya's terrace, citing the fact that we are not allowed to dry clothing out on the terraces and we would get a fine, which I would have to pay, since they're my clothes, if anyone saw the clothing out there. I would like to point out that since we are on the 10th floor, only people on the 10-14th floors of the building next door would even see the clothing, and Nelly was the one who told me to put it out there in the first place. Also, Soraya dries clothing out there every day; I can see it from the laundry room.
April 15th: Jess arrives! Nelly yelled at us for slamming doors during the night. Jess's room has a drafty window that won't stay closed and the wind slammed her door once. We put some clothing out on the terrace thinking that a few hours wouldn't hurt and also because Jess had 6 weeks worth of dirty clothes that she had no access to a washing machine to wash (the hostel and the laundromat prices were OUTRAGEOUS; close to a $1 an article of clothing!). This time when Nelly reprimanded us, it was because we were not allowed to enter Soraya's room for any reason. At this time, my doors were being opened at night on occasion; I don't know by whom, but that means someone was entering my room as well.) Within the first two days of her stay, Nelly changed the dishes rule to Dry Everything Immediately and put it away. FYI, this is the revolting result of Nelly and Soraya's dishes:
Because they have a maid to clean up after them, they stopped cleaning any dishes altogether, and instead, just pile them up in the sink and on the counter until the maid comes to do it for them. We also lost a shelf privilege and the two of us had to share one single shelf of the fridge in the laundry room. Yes, there's a fridge in there; YES, there's a second fridge in the actual kitchen. That's our shelf in the middle. See what's on the bottom shelf? a single piece of pumpkin. And the top shelf? a layer of vegetables and one milk carton. Give me a break.
April 16th: Because we have so little space to claim as our own, the maid used my frozen vegetables in food for Nelly (none of which we share, ever). The same day, one of our eggs went missing; Soraya had taken it and eaten it for breakfast, despite the fact that her mother refuses to buy any type of white or bleached egg, only brown ones. The one she took was white (the kind we bought from the grocery store as opposed to the kind you buy in the fresh market).
April 19th: A Friday night. We thought it would be fun to make cookies together. We bought a mix at Jumbo, and some zucchinis to make zucchini chips in the oven with, but were interrupted and stopped 30 minutes in to be told that a new rule was in place; we cannot use the oven for more than 30 minutes at a time because the oven required a lot of electricity and power and her bill would go up. How one is supposed to do anything in the oven that takes less than thirty minutes is beyond me. We rushed through our cookies and took them out early because we had no time left.
April 20th: Today we finally sojourned to the open air market in Santiago, La Vega, a separate blog post :) We bought a TON of groceries, so excited to sautée and stew our little aspiring cooks hearts out. In Chile, it is necessary to soak ground-growing produce in a solution of chlorine to kill bacteria that grow. We separated everything into shifts so we would maximize the amount of food being cleaned at one time. We were a little worried about everything fitting into our little shelf, but we hoped it would work out. Nelly had said if we needed more space we could put one or two things on another shelf, but we weren't sure how many would constitute too many and we didn't want her to reprimand us again. Jess and I, two wild and crazy chicks, threw a raging party that Saturday night, standing at the sink talking quietly and washing vegetables. Nelly got very upset with us for this use of her kitchen and told us to stop. She said we were using too many of her dishes, despite the fact that we cleaned and dried and replaced every single dish. We were loud and ocupando mucho la cocina. This means we were literally taking up too much of her kitchen. On a Saturday. night. at 11pm when she was in bed watching TV. Yep. As a result of our rowdiness, Nelly developed a brand new rule- We are not allowed to use any pots, pans, skillets, bowls, or big utensils. We were just using too much stuff.
April 21st: We were caught cleaning some plates from lunch! Nelly rebuked us, saying that we were not allowed to use her dish soap any longer and we have to buy our own. We were also cut off from the sponges, placemats, and dish towels.
April 22nd: Monday morning. Yes! Nelly would be at work, we could cook a bunch of stuff and clean and get it out of the way without anything going bad and she would never even know! We wouldn't get in trouble! Until, of course, when she surprised us and came home in the middle of the day (for the first time ever in our month in the apartment; she was having lunch at home so she could play with her 5 month old infant grandson who happened to be staying the week with us. Oh, did I not mention that to you guys? It's ok; it was a surprise to us too! Hooray!). She was muy enojada. Very angry. She told us we needed to have a talk. She berated us for about 15 minutes on how we were no longer allowed to use the kitchen. PERIOD. She complained that we used the kitchen a lot and all her previous renters never did this. She said she doesn't like people in her kitchen. Yes, you read that right. I directly asked her why we were not allowed to use it when we cleaned and replaced everything immediately and never made a mess or much noise. Her response? "It bothers me. I don't like people in my kitchen. I don't like it. I don't want you in here." She argued that most of the other renters were students and they didn't use up her kitchen and her house all the time. They only made pasta and other small things and used the microwave. From now on, she said, you can only use the kitchen once a week, and can only cook pasta. Yes, I clarified that with her too; "We can only cook pasta????!?!!?!?!??!" "Sí, solamente fideos. y usar la microondas" (Yes only pasta. And use the microwave). From that point on, we were monitored anytime we were in the kitchen. The maid would wander in and back out without doing anything; Nelly would come in, get water and go back out; Soraya would come and eat a piece of bread and then leave.
April 29th: Jess was told not to use their toilet paper anymore, and would have to buy her own from now on. (I had my own bathroom so I understood having to buy my own. Jess shared one of three bathrooms available to Soraya and Nelly.) SERIOUSLY?!
A few recurring issues: constantly chided for "leaving lights on," though I never did because I never left my room (my bathroom is attached) and Jess was extremely careful to turn them off behind her. Basically, the daughter Soraya would do something, tell her mother she didn't, and then Nelly would come blame us. At one point Jess just lied and said she did it and she was very sorry, just to get Nelly to stop yelling at her in Spanish! This greedy, foul old woman also threatened at least once a day to raise our rent if we didn't teach her English. She knew we were teachers and at first, joked around about us teaching her. We didn't find it very jocular however, when we are paid 10,000clp an hour to teach. This is our profession! If she wanted lessons, she would need to pay for them. There was no basis of respect that would have made us feel obligated to teach her a little bit, just to be nice, or to appease her. She would demand it, in a nice or kidding sort of way. When we didn't laugh or give in, she would huff or pout until we awkwardly changed the subject. When it got to the point that she wouldn't let the subject change, and also told us she lowered our rent (see this post, back when I bargained with her for our current rent rate) I finally got the guts to tell her Listen, our fee for teaching English is 40,000 a month for one hour a week of lessons. You only lowered our rent 30,000 so if you want lessons for free, you need to lower it more. So she responded, Well I guess I just need to raise it higher then! Hahaha. To which we replied with a stony-faced silence, because this was no longer a joke, and was never funny.
At this point, we knew we needed to get the HELL out of here. This crazy witch was clearly not adhering to the "bargain" we had agreed upon in March. I say bargain because my room is no larger than my actual bed, we have these ridiculous rules, and yet we each pay almost $450 per person per month. She reneged every single advantage or offer she made when we moved in, and still expected us to be pleased with living in this awful situation. Jess and I were stuck; on the one hand, if we tried to leave, she would no doubt keep our security deposit. On the other hand, if we stayed, we would be miserable!
We asked our coworkers for help because we didn't know who else to turn to. One of the girls from the office actually came to our apartment to help us talk to her to explain the situation and discuss our options with her. But of course, almost as if she knew what we were planning, Nelly came home uncharacteristically early, and left about 5 minutes before Jess walked in the door with our friend. Next up we tried Andrea, the coordinator of our TeachingChile program. She came over late on Monday night to help us talk with Nelly in a civil way. Our end result was that we would stay for two weeks, until the 15th of May, because in Nelly's words it was customary to give two week's notice so she could find replacement renters (an unlikely possibility- if we can warn anyone and everyone in Santiago NOT to live with this psycho woman and her entitled brat of a daughter, we will). At the end of the two weeks, she would give us each half our deposit back. Thank God! We can't WAIT to get out of this loathsome apartment and have a little freedom! Now, we just have to go back on all the search lists and try to find a new place to live.... oy vey.
UPDATE! May 7th: We have a new place! It's a one bedroom apartment. Jess and I will be sharing a double bed, but it's only for 1 month; I think we can handle it. We move out and in on the 15th. Can't wait!!!
UPDATE! May14th: I talked to Nelly three days ago to ask that she give us our deposit on Tuesday night because we were leaving early on Wednesday evening (we have to meet the new landlady so she can let us in; it can't be too late at night). At first she said yes, but then she said what time, and when I told her 730pm, she said she would be home and that first we had to "entregar," deliver, her rooms to her in the exact condition we received them. Aka, she's going to inspect them for anything different, dirty, or wrong, and try to take money out of our deposits. I REFUSE to let her however, since the room is cleaner now that I'm living in it than it was when I moved into it. We are very nervous for Wednesday because we don't know if Andrea will be around to help if anything goes wrong, but we'll see what happens. You'll be thefirst fourth to know. Keep your fingers crossed for us please!
March 24th: When I moved into this apartment, Jess and I had certain expectations and agreements with our landlady/host lady/ landlord, Nelly. We were told when we paid our month's-rent-security-deposit that we would have full use of the kitchen, appliances, washer, pots and pans, bathrooms, living room, terrace, and other rooms. We would each have our own shelves in the fridge. We could come and go as we pleased as long as we were quiet. We could have one friend stay overnight if we asked her first, and we could have visitors.
March 30th: Once I arrived (Jess moved in two weeks afterward, when the German girl moved out) Nelly also extended her generosity to include the use of her Tupperware. She also told me I was free to store clothes on Soraya (her daughter)'s terrace, where there is a large drying rack, if my load of laundry was too big for the rack in the laundry room.
April 1st: We can't use the washing machine Monday night to Wednesday morning, all day Thursday and all day Saturday because the maid uses it then to wash Nelly and her daughter's clothes. Within my first day in the apartment, Nelly came and told me I had to dry my dishes and put them away soon after washing them because the drying rack would get filled up too quickly.
April 7th: Nelly scolded me for using the drying rack on Soraya's terrace, citing the fact that we are not allowed to dry clothing out on the terraces and we would get a fine, which I would have to pay, since they're my clothes, if anyone saw the clothing out there. I would like to point out that since we are on the 10th floor, only people on the 10-14th floors of the building next door would even see the clothing, and Nelly was the one who told me to put it out there in the first place. Also, Soraya dries clothing out there every day; I can see it from the laundry room.
April 15th: Jess arrives! Nelly yelled at us for slamming doors during the night. Jess's room has a drafty window that won't stay closed and the wind slammed her door once. We put some clothing out on the terrace thinking that a few hours wouldn't hurt and also because Jess had 6 weeks worth of dirty clothes that she had no access to a washing machine to wash (the hostel and the laundromat prices were OUTRAGEOUS; close to a $1 an article of clothing!). This time when Nelly reprimanded us, it was because we were not allowed to enter Soraya's room for any reason. At this time, my doors were being opened at night on occasion; I don't know by whom, but that means someone was entering my room as well.) Within the first two days of her stay, Nelly changed the dishes rule to Dry Everything Immediately and put it away. FYI, this is the revolting result of Nelly and Soraya's dishes:
Because they have a maid to clean up after them, they stopped cleaning any dishes altogether, and instead, just pile them up in the sink and on the counter until the maid comes to do it for them. We also lost a shelf privilege and the two of us had to share one single shelf of the fridge in the laundry room. Yes, there's a fridge in there; YES, there's a second fridge in the actual kitchen. That's our shelf in the middle. See what's on the bottom shelf? a single piece of pumpkin. And the top shelf? a layer of vegetables and one milk carton. Give me a break.
April 16th: Because we have so little space to claim as our own, the maid used my frozen vegetables in food for Nelly (none of which we share, ever). The same day, one of our eggs went missing; Soraya had taken it and eaten it for breakfast, despite the fact that her mother refuses to buy any type of white or bleached egg, only brown ones. The one she took was white (the kind we bought from the grocery store as opposed to the kind you buy in the fresh market).
April 19th: A Friday night. We thought it would be fun to make cookies together. We bought a mix at Jumbo, and some zucchinis to make zucchini chips in the oven with, but were interrupted and stopped 30 minutes in to be told that a new rule was in place; we cannot use the oven for more than 30 minutes at a time because the oven required a lot of electricity and power and her bill would go up. How one is supposed to do anything in the oven that takes less than thirty minutes is beyond me. We rushed through our cookies and took them out early because we had no time left.
April 20th: Today we finally sojourned to the open air market in Santiago, La Vega, a separate blog post :) We bought a TON of groceries, so excited to sautée and stew our little aspiring cooks hearts out. In Chile, it is necessary to soak ground-growing produce in a solution of chlorine to kill bacteria that grow. We separated everything into shifts so we would maximize the amount of food being cleaned at one time. We were a little worried about everything fitting into our little shelf, but we hoped it would work out. Nelly had said if we needed more space we could put one or two things on another shelf, but we weren't sure how many would constitute too many and we didn't want her to reprimand us again. Jess and I, two wild and crazy chicks, threw a raging party that Saturday night, standing at the sink talking quietly and washing vegetables. Nelly got very upset with us for this use of her kitchen and told us to stop. She said we were using too many of her dishes, despite the fact that we cleaned and dried and replaced every single dish. We were loud and ocupando mucho la cocina. This means we were literally taking up too much of her kitchen. On a Saturday. night. at 11pm when she was in bed watching TV. Yep. As a result of our rowdiness, Nelly developed a brand new rule- We are not allowed to use any pots, pans, skillets, bowls, or big utensils. We were just using too much stuff.
April 21st: We were caught cleaning some plates from lunch! Nelly rebuked us, saying that we were not allowed to use her dish soap any longer and we have to buy our own. We were also cut off from the sponges, placemats, and dish towels.
April 22nd: Monday morning. Yes! Nelly would be at work, we could cook a bunch of stuff and clean and get it out of the way without anything going bad and she would never even know! We wouldn't get in trouble! Until, of course, when she surprised us and came home in the middle of the day (for the first time ever in our month in the apartment; she was having lunch at home so she could play with her 5 month old infant grandson who happened to be staying the week with us. Oh, did I not mention that to you guys? It's ok; it was a surprise to us too! Hooray!). She was muy enojada. Very angry. She told us we needed to have a talk. She berated us for about 15 minutes on how we were no longer allowed to use the kitchen. PERIOD. She complained that we used the kitchen a lot and all her previous renters never did this. She said she doesn't like people in her kitchen. Yes, you read that right. I directly asked her why we were not allowed to use it when we cleaned and replaced everything immediately and never made a mess or much noise. Her response? "It bothers me. I don't like people in my kitchen. I don't like it. I don't want you in here." She argued that most of the other renters were students and they didn't use up her kitchen and her house all the time. They only made pasta and other small things and used the microwave. From now on, she said, you can only use the kitchen once a week, and can only cook pasta. Yes, I clarified that with her too; "We can only cook pasta????!?!!?!?!??!" "Sí, solamente fideos. y usar la microondas" (Yes only pasta. And use the microwave). From that point on, we were monitored anytime we were in the kitchen. The maid would wander in and back out without doing anything; Nelly would come in, get water and go back out; Soraya would come and eat a piece of bread and then leave.
April 29th: Jess was told not to use their toilet paper anymore, and would have to buy her own from now on. (I had my own bathroom so I understood having to buy my own. Jess shared one of three bathrooms available to Soraya and Nelly.) SERIOUSLY?!
A few recurring issues: constantly chided for "leaving lights on," though I never did because I never left my room (my bathroom is attached) and Jess was extremely careful to turn them off behind her. Basically, the daughter Soraya would do something, tell her mother she didn't, and then Nelly would come blame us. At one point Jess just lied and said she did it and she was very sorry, just to get Nelly to stop yelling at her in Spanish! This greedy, foul old woman also threatened at least once a day to raise our rent if we didn't teach her English. She knew we were teachers and at first, joked around about us teaching her. We didn't find it very jocular however, when we are paid 10,000clp an hour to teach. This is our profession! If she wanted lessons, she would need to pay for them. There was no basis of respect that would have made us feel obligated to teach her a little bit, just to be nice, or to appease her. She would demand it, in a nice or kidding sort of way. When we didn't laugh or give in, she would huff or pout until we awkwardly changed the subject. When it got to the point that she wouldn't let the subject change, and also told us she lowered our rent (see this post, back when I bargained with her for our current rent rate) I finally got the guts to tell her Listen, our fee for teaching English is 40,000 a month for one hour a week of lessons. You only lowered our rent 30,000 so if you want lessons for free, you need to lower it more. So she responded, Well I guess I just need to raise it higher then! Hahaha. To which we replied with a stony-faced silence, because this was no longer a joke, and was never funny.
At this point, we knew we needed to get the HELL out of here. This crazy witch was clearly not adhering to the "bargain" we had agreed upon in March. I say bargain because my room is no larger than my actual bed, we have these ridiculous rules, and yet we each pay almost $450 per person per month. She reneged every single advantage or offer she made when we moved in, and still expected us to be pleased with living in this awful situation. Jess and I were stuck; on the one hand, if we tried to leave, she would no doubt keep our security deposit. On the other hand, if we stayed, we would be miserable!
We asked our coworkers for help because we didn't know who else to turn to. One of the girls from the office actually came to our apartment to help us talk to her to explain the situation and discuss our options with her. But of course, almost as if she knew what we were planning, Nelly came home uncharacteristically early, and left about 5 minutes before Jess walked in the door with our friend. Next up we tried Andrea, the coordinator of our TeachingChile program. She came over late on Monday night to help us talk with Nelly in a civil way. Our end result was that we would stay for two weeks, until the 15th of May, because in Nelly's words it was customary to give two week's notice so she could find replacement renters (an unlikely possibility- if we can warn anyone and everyone in Santiago NOT to live with this psycho woman and her entitled brat of a daughter, we will). At the end of the two weeks, she would give us each half our deposit back. Thank God! We can't WAIT to get out of this loathsome apartment and have a little freedom! Now, we just have to go back on all the search lists and try to find a new place to live.... oy vey.
UPDATE! May 7th: We have a new place! It's a one bedroom apartment. Jess and I will be sharing a double bed, but it's only for 1 month; I think we can handle it. We move out and in on the 15th. Can't wait!!!
UPDATE! May14th: I talked to Nelly three days ago to ask that she give us our deposit on Tuesday night because we were leaving early on Wednesday evening (we have to meet the new landlady so she can let us in; it can't be too late at night). At first she said yes, but then she said what time, and when I told her 730pm, she said she would be home and that first we had to "entregar," deliver, her rooms to her in the exact condition we received them. Aka, she's going to inspect them for anything different, dirty, or wrong, and try to take money out of our deposits. I REFUSE to let her however, since the room is cleaner now that I'm living in it than it was when I moved into it. We are very nervous for Wednesday because we don't know if Andrea will be around to help if anything goes wrong, but we'll see what happens. You'll be the
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Marvelous Markets
Today, Jess and I journeyed long and far to La Vega, the central market of Santiago. We forgot our cameras (darn it!) but I can at least tell you what we did and saw and bought (LOTS). Here's a quick breakdown:
32,000 Chilean pesos spent
6 hours of standing/walking
86.3lbs of baggage to carry home (I weighed it with my hand scale)
7.9 miles walked in total (we mapped our route on Google Maps)
A sunny day spent drooling in anticipation of delicious meals to be made with your best friend @jessica pasik?
PRICELESS
Our list was mostly fruits and vegetables, though we got a little carried away adding meats, grains, and spices on there. We did end up getting a few spices- curry, oregano, and cumin, but held off on the meat thanks to our ridiculous walk home. We bought a little old lady cart for our groceries, but they wouldn't even all fit! It was crazy haha. We ended up using the nylon strap Teaching Chile gave us to prevent thieves from stealing our purses and instead used it to strap more plastic bags of food to the handle of the cart!
All of the produce needed to be washed, at least in our paranoid minds. TeachingChile told us anything that grows on or close to the ground needs to be soaked in chlorine (a special bottled chemical rinse here) for 5 minutes before being eaten to kill off bacteria in the irrigation water. In spite of the fact that we were going to cook pretty much all of it, we decided to soak everything; we don't need any parasites getting us sick! Tomorrow we'll start to plan out our menu list. Can't wait!
We went for the vegetables first in our plan of attack; they would be the heaviest and would need to go on the bottom. I'll ask Jess for the price list later because even that deserves to be shared! Just for comparison, we got 3 kilos of potatoes for I think 2,000 pesos. That's roughly $4. FOUR DOLLARS for 6.6 pounds of potatoes. WHAT?! This market was crazy. The prices were so low, and it was so crowded, so noisy, so smelly. But it was so exciting too, and we can't wait to go again! (Though we should probably eat all we have first...)
32,000 Chilean pesos spent
6 hours of standing/walking
86.3lbs of baggage to carry home (I weighed it with my hand scale)
7.9 miles walked in total (we mapped our route on Google Maps)
A sunny day spent drooling in anticipation of delicious meals to be made with your best friend @jessica pasik?
PRICELESS
Our list was mostly fruits and vegetables, though we got a little carried away adding meats, grains, and spices on there. We did end up getting a few spices- curry, oregano, and cumin, but held off on the meat thanks to our ridiculous walk home. We bought a little old lady cart for our groceries, but they wouldn't even all fit! It was crazy haha. We ended up using the nylon strap Teaching Chile gave us to prevent thieves from stealing our purses and instead used it to strap more plastic bags of food to the handle of the cart!
All of the produce needed to be washed, at least in our paranoid minds. TeachingChile told us anything that grows on or close to the ground needs to be soaked in chlorine (a special bottled chemical rinse here) for 5 minutes before being eaten to kill off bacteria in the irrigation water. In spite of the fact that we were going to cook pretty much all of it, we decided to soak everything; we don't need any parasites getting us sick! Tomorrow we'll start to plan out our menu list. Can't wait!
We went for the vegetables first in our plan of attack; they would be the heaviest and would need to go on the bottom. I'll ask Jess for the price list later because even that deserves to be shared! Just for comparison, we got 3 kilos of potatoes for I think 2,000 pesos. That's roughly $4. FOUR DOLLARS for 6.6 pounds of potatoes. WHAT?! This market was crazy. The prices were so low, and it was so crowded, so noisy, so smelly. But it was so exciting too, and we can't wait to go again! (Though we should probably eat all we have first...)
Monday, April 15, 2013
Bumbling Buses
I would like to take a moment in time to describe the bus system of Santiago to you, since it's so near and dear to my heart. As a serious commuter here, I take different buses to each and every one of my classes. The buses are fairly large, generally cleaner than in America, and have tons of poles, manillos- handles, and pasamanos- railings to grab onto (you know, for when the bus driver instead of slowing down, randomly stomps the brakes six times to get to the red light). The Santiago bus system is VERY comprehensive and when aided by Google maps, it's actually really easy to find how to get where you want to go. My friend Chelsie showed me even more invaluable information, on the website transantiago.cl. From here, I can find the names of all the bus stops and therefore figure out when mine is coming up.
The bus drivers are much less consistent than the actual system. Sometimes they're super nice, especially if they realize you're a gringo. Other times, they are really nasty and won't even respond to you. Once, the disgruntled driver didn't respond when I asked him to let me know when my stop was, so I was counting the stops when suddenly he yelled out, La gringa! ven acá! (American girl, come here!) He then proceeded to grumble to me that my stop was the next one, which I had already pressed the stop button for. I thanked him and got off at my street. However, they ALL will allow at least one person to get on the bus without paying the fare. We use electronic "BIP" cards here, and all you have to do is swipe them in front of a machine in order to pay your way. They give off a loud beep and turn green when you're good to go, but when you don't have enough credit left, they beep differently and turn red. If they discover they don't have enough left on the BIP card, most of the Chileans just say permiso or discupla (both mean some form of Excuse me) and keep on walking. The bus driver usually lets them go without a word. I think it's a very trusting system that hopes that people will be honest enough not to do this every single day on different buses. I haven't had to do this yet, but I pray that I will get the nice bus driver that day! The bus drivers also allow performers on the buses for free.
This "entertainment" may include singers, musicians, poets, and the occasional political clown. The other day I had two clowns in full makeup on my bus, joking about different political parties and problems here in Chile. They were talking extremely fast so I had a hard time understanding them, but they got the most tips I've ever seen a performer collect on a bus in the whole time I've travelled here. My favorite performance is when someone tries to sing an American or English song and they mess up the words and no one notices but me :)
Next, I have to bring up rush hour. The worst words in a commuter's vocabulary. Well aside from, The bus is gone, or I lost my ticket, or something like that. Rush hour in Santiago is INSANE. Here's what it looks like on the metro:
And here's what it can look like on the bus:
The buses are only slightly better, because I am usually early enough onto the bus that I can get a spot near a door and there is wind when the bus moves, keeping most, um, smells, at bay. Rush hour can start at any time; I've been on a bus one day at 6pm and it's fine, but the next day at 6 it moves half as fast and there are twice as many people. On top of that, Chileans have no qualms about encroaching on personal space. If there is a spot behind you, they will squeeze themselves in there and not mind that they're breathing onto your neck, or sneezing on your shoulder, or pulling you with them because they're getting off and there's nowhere else for you to go. I find that the best way to deal with what could be such stressful commuting is to laugh. I get stressed out very easily, but I realized the only way to deal with someone sitting on your leg or grabbing your arm instead of the railing after a particularly hard jolt is to laugh and move on. You'll get off eventually; and if you miss your stop, the next one is coming and hey, you got a little extra exercise haha.
To end on a light note, I have to explain the bonus that the buses give. If you are travelling on the metro before the bus, you can ride two consecutive buses(different buses, with different route numbers) for free within two hours of getting on the metro. The same goes for, I believe, three buses; you only pay for the first one and if you can catch two within 2 hours, you don't have to pay. You still swipe your card but the machine tells you 0 pesos have been charged. This is particularly enjoyable when you have a class for only an hour. If you can time it right, you can get on 45 minutes before class, get to class, teach, and run to the next bus stop to get back on by the time 2 hours is up. Though it doesn't always work out because maybe a bus is running late and doesn't make it in your time frame, it's a nice surprise when it all works out. I asked someone once why you have to take different buses each time, and they told me because the bonus is not meant to get you somewhere and back, it's meant to help people who have to go so far in one direction that they HAVE to take 3 separate buses, or the metro and two more buses. Good job, Chile, this is an awesome program I wish we had back in Manhattan haha.
The bus drivers are much less consistent than the actual system. Sometimes they're super nice, especially if they realize you're a gringo. Other times, they are really nasty and won't even respond to you. Once, the disgruntled driver didn't respond when I asked him to let me know when my stop was, so I was counting the stops when suddenly he yelled out, La gringa! ven acá! (American girl, come here!) He then proceeded to grumble to me that my stop was the next one, which I had already pressed the stop button for. I thanked him and got off at my street. However, they ALL will allow at least one person to get on the bus without paying the fare. We use electronic "BIP" cards here, and all you have to do is swipe them in front of a machine in order to pay your way. They give off a loud beep and turn green when you're good to go, but when you don't have enough credit left, they beep differently and turn red. If they discover they don't have enough left on the BIP card, most of the Chileans just say permiso or discupla (both mean some form of Excuse me) and keep on walking. The bus driver usually lets them go without a word. I think it's a very trusting system that hopes that people will be honest enough not to do this every single day on different buses. I haven't had to do this yet, but I pray that I will get the nice bus driver that day! The bus drivers also allow performers on the buses for free.
This "entertainment" may include singers, musicians, poets, and the occasional political clown. The other day I had two clowns in full makeup on my bus, joking about different political parties and problems here in Chile. They were talking extremely fast so I had a hard time understanding them, but they got the most tips I've ever seen a performer collect on a bus in the whole time I've travelled here. My favorite performance is when someone tries to sing an American or English song and they mess up the words and no one notices but me :)
Next, I have to bring up rush hour. The worst words in a commuter's vocabulary. Well aside from, The bus is gone, or I lost my ticket, or something like that. Rush hour in Santiago is INSANE. Here's what it looks like on the metro:
And here's what it can look like on the bus:
The buses are only slightly better, because I am usually early enough onto the bus that I can get a spot near a door and there is wind when the bus moves, keeping most, um, smells, at bay. Rush hour can start at any time; I've been on a bus one day at 6pm and it's fine, but the next day at 6 it moves half as fast and there are twice as many people. On top of that, Chileans have no qualms about encroaching on personal space. If there is a spot behind you, they will squeeze themselves in there and not mind that they're breathing onto your neck, or sneezing on your shoulder, or pulling you with them because they're getting off and there's nowhere else for you to go. I find that the best way to deal with what could be such stressful commuting is to laugh. I get stressed out very easily, but I realized the only way to deal with someone sitting on your leg or grabbing your arm instead of the railing after a particularly hard jolt is to laugh and move on. You'll get off eventually; and if you miss your stop, the next one is coming and hey, you got a little extra exercise haha.
To end on a light note, I have to explain the bonus that the buses give. If you are travelling on the metro before the bus, you can ride two consecutive buses(different buses, with different route numbers) for free within two hours of getting on the metro. The same goes for, I believe, three buses; you only pay for the first one and if you can catch two within 2 hours, you don't have to pay. You still swipe your card but the machine tells you 0 pesos have been charged. This is particularly enjoyable when you have a class for only an hour. If you can time it right, you can get on 45 minutes before class, get to class, teach, and run to the next bus stop to get back on by the time 2 hours is up. Though it doesn't always work out because maybe a bus is running late and doesn't make it in your time frame, it's a nice surprise when it all works out. I asked someone once why you have to take different buses each time, and they told me because the bonus is not meant to get you somewhere and back, it's meant to help people who have to go so far in one direction that they HAVE to take 3 separate buses, or the metro and two more buses. Good job, Chile, this is an awesome program I wish we had back in Manhattan haha.
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Profound Discoveries
Since I'm on this new walking kick, I convinced Jess to meet me at a halfway point between where we're each staying now, which happened to be near to the Plaza de Pedro de Valdivia. On my way there, I stumbled across two awesome little places. One was a weird nautical-looking restaurant that you couldn't see into (but you could if you reached your camera over the wall, haha). A man nearby saw me taking pictures and explained that it was a casino
and club for sailors and men in the Navy when they returned home for a
break. How nice!
The second find I made was this beautiful building right across the street:
Apparently made in 1897...
That looked like this inside:
Gorgeous! It was such an opulent house (mansion?) and I was just spying through the doors when a lady told me to come in. She gave me a private tour of the place, for free! Only the first floor, but that was awe-inspiring enough for one visit. A famous family named Falabella (yes after the store chain haha) was the first to inhabit this luxurious home, though now it is used for different municipal purposes, mainly meetings. There was a salon for the men to meet and discuss important matters, while the women had their own to do their hair and wear dresses in. Almost all of the materials you see are originals, the floors, wood, the rugs, the statues and carvings. It was wonderful to walk through. A real treasure of Santiago.
Finally, I tore myself away from the lavish house and ran to meet Jess, arriving at the park at the same time as she. And what a pretty little park it is! It even had this awesome kiosk, where they had books, magazines, and newspapers seemingly for temporary
check-out and free wifi (SCORE!)
places, and macro-shoots of ALL the flowers. My "discovery" stems from this stupendous Macro function where you get to shove your camera waaaay into a flower's personal space and take out of this world pictures of them. While I restrained myself a bit and mostly took pictures with Jess, once she left and I walked home, I shot as many pictures as I could of any different flower, and some seeds, around me.
We had a lovely time in the plaza and after we exhausted our photographic capabilities, we sat and read or wrote for a while. I currently have two lonely Good Housekeeping magazines down here with me (shoutout to Aunt Cacky; thanks!) but am already almost finished with them and am so sad. If anyone out there has homey, cooking, food, cleaning, organizing, Real Simple-y, mom, or any other magazine of that kind and is finished with them, I would love your recyclables ;) After I finish, if I can part with them, I'm going to donate them to my office so other language teachers can enjoy them on the bus or bring them to class to use as American realia (real life language material from an authentic source). We caved and got Pizza Hut for a late lunch; it was delicious, though still not quite as good as authentic American Pizza Hut.
The one dark spot on what was a lovely day, I feel I must bring up because I would like to ask all of you your opinion on it. When the older gentleman earlier explained what the sailor's club was, he kept walking with me for a bit to chat, and while I was polite, I didn't stick around long because one I had to meet Jess, and two, I am still a bit over-cautious when talking to men down here in South America. Later on, I felt badly that I had been so judgmental regarding this kind old man who probably was just curious about me, being the foreigner that I am. So, when I walked back and saw an old man sitting in the same place, wearing a similar shirt, I thought it was the same guy and I said Hello, how are you? He asked me to sit down and I thought, 'oh fine, I was mean before. Ok, what could it hurt'. We had a nice conversation for a few minutes, talking about where I'm from and what I'm doing here, etc. He punctuated it with kind, but slightly awkward remarks about how pretty I was, to which I responded with Oh haha, thank you. Then, we talked about him and his family a bit, until suddenly, (it's always suddenly) he asked me to kiss him. I mean, really? What am I missing about these other cultures that I didn't see that coming. Granted it was actually a different guy than earlier (oops, my bad) but why do men have to be weird like this? Now I feel justified at being standoffish to the first man, even though he was nicer and not creepy like the second man was. If you have any thoughts, I'd love to hear some other opinions.
Anyway, enough with my ranting. Overall, it was a lovely Sunday, and I'm glad Jess and I enjoyed our afternoon in the sun. What did you all do with your Sundays? Let me know :) ¡Chao!
Finally, I tore myself away from the lavish house and ran to meet Jess, arriving at the park at the same time as she. And what a pretty little park it is! It even had this awesome kiosk, where they had books, magazines, and newspapers seemingly for temporary
check-out and free wifi (SCORE!)
Sadly, we hadn't thought to bring our
iPhones
to snapchat everyone. Thankfully, I did bring my
digital camera, whereupon we commenced the
jumping pictures, photoshoots in random 
places, and macro-shoots of ALL the flowers. My "discovery" stems from this stupendous Macro function where you get to shove your camera waaaay into a flower's personal space and take out of this world pictures of them. While I restrained myself a bit and mostly took pictures with Jess, once she left and I walked home, I shot as many pictures as I could of any different flower, and some seeds, around me.We had a lovely time in the plaza and after we exhausted our photographic capabilities, we sat and read or wrote for a while. I currently have two lonely Good Housekeeping magazines down here with me (shoutout to Aunt Cacky; thanks!) but am already almost finished with them and am so sad. If anyone out there has homey, cooking, food, cleaning, organizing, Real Simple-y, mom, or any other magazine of that kind and is finished with them, I would love your recyclables ;) After I finish, if I can part with them, I'm going to donate them to my office so other language teachers can enjoy them on the bus or bring them to class to use as American realia (real life language material from an authentic source). We caved and got Pizza Hut for a late lunch; it was delicious, though still not quite as good as authentic American Pizza Hut.
The one dark spot on what was a lovely day, I feel I must bring up because I would like to ask all of you your opinion on it. When the older gentleman earlier explained what the sailor's club was, he kept walking with me for a bit to chat, and while I was polite, I didn't stick around long because one I had to meet Jess, and two, I am still a bit over-cautious when talking to men down here in South America. Later on, I felt badly that I had been so judgmental regarding this kind old man who probably was just curious about me, being the foreigner that I am. So, when I walked back and saw an old man sitting in the same place, wearing a similar shirt, I thought it was the same guy and I said Hello, how are you? He asked me to sit down and I thought, 'oh fine, I was mean before. Ok, what could it hurt'. We had a nice conversation for a few minutes, talking about where I'm from and what I'm doing here, etc. He punctuated it with kind, but slightly awkward remarks about how pretty I was, to which I responded with Oh haha, thank you. Then, we talked about him and his family a bit, until suddenly, (it's always suddenly) he asked me to kiss him. I mean, really? What am I missing about these other cultures that I didn't see that coming. Granted it was actually a different guy than earlier (oops, my bad) but why do men have to be weird like this? Now I feel justified at being standoffish to the first man, even though he was nicer and not creepy like the second man was. If you have any thoughts, I'd love to hear some other opinions.
Anyway, enough with my ranting. Overall, it was a lovely Sunday, and I'm glad Jess and I enjoyed our afternoon in the sun. What did you all do with your Sundays? Let me know :) ¡Chao!
Saturday, April 6, 2013
Fantasizing about Food
Nothing huge to report this week. I had my classes, planned my lessons, did a whole lot of walking, and ate boring meals.
As this was my first week in my new apartment, I did realize that it's only a 30 minute walk from my office, so guess who's now going to save metro card money and burn off calories every day?! :D I found that I like walking here, as long as it's not desperately sunny or really hot. I've gotten lots of color and even lost some weight since!! Though that won't last long if I keep eating my Easter huevos (eggs) that I got during rebajas (sales). I wouldn't call 30% much of a sale, but maybe they're not as awesome as we are back home in terms of liquidating holiday candy.
My meals this week have been sub-par, in spite of the significant hours I have spent online on Pinterest, Real Simple and most recently on Chrissy Teigen's food blog. Let me tell you, she is one hysterical chick! Mostly my excuses stem from not wanting to spend cash/ not having any left before my paycheck on Friday and not feeling like cooking anything without Jess here. (Btw, she is a PHENOMENAL writer, check our her Chile blog too!) I'm too unmotivated on my own :/ But, she'll be here in one more week, so until then I'll stick with my garlic-and-whatever-kind-of-pasta-is-left-in-my-grocery-bag dinner.
In terms of cashing my check, the process was relatively simple, but longer than I expected. Fellow Chilean teachers, when your check is ready, haul your butt over to the office and then immediately to Santander around the corner! We waited in line about a half hour, just to cash our checks. Luckily, we didn't have to say anything to the cashier, because I had a little moment of blind panic right before my turn (Oh god, how do you say cash a check? I want money? Give me cash?? HOW DO YOU EVEN SAY CHECK?!?!? it's cheque fyi. Hence, the unnecessary panic.) The only thing I even needed to respond with was whether I wanted it in 10,000 peso bills or 20. When we have a full paycheck, I recommend 20 people. That's a lot of tens otherwise... Done with my turn, I of course didn't want the teller to think I didn't trust her, so I moved to the little mini desks before I re-counted the money on my own (yes she counted it in front of me, yes I am paranoid you're right. That's why I wore my lame gringo money belt under my shirt and tucked the shirt into my belt when I was done hiding all that cash away. My thin cotton fabric tank top WILL prevent robbers from stealing my salary!) The best part was I had already forgotten the amount on the check so as to the number I was trying to check, I don't even know anymore. It was Friday, give me a break.
And now this post is much longer than I intended it to be, huh. Go me! Enjoy your weekends everyone and know that I slaved away on my Saturday night in to write this for you all ;)
As this was my first week in my new apartment, I did realize that it's only a 30 minute walk from my office, so guess who's now going to save metro card money and burn off calories every day?! :D I found that I like walking here, as long as it's not desperately sunny or really hot. I've gotten lots of color and even lost some weight since!! Though that won't last long if I keep eating my Easter huevos (eggs) that I got during rebajas (sales). I wouldn't call 30% much of a sale, but maybe they're not as awesome as we are back home in terms of liquidating holiday candy.
My meals this week have been sub-par, in spite of the significant hours I have spent online on Pinterest, Real Simple and most recently on Chrissy Teigen's food blog. Let me tell you, she is one hysterical chick! Mostly my excuses stem from not wanting to spend cash/ not having any left before my paycheck on Friday and not feeling like cooking anything without Jess here. (Btw, she is a PHENOMENAL writer, check our her Chile blog too!) I'm too unmotivated on my own :/ But, she'll be here in one more week, so until then I'll stick with my garlic-and-whatever-kind-of-pasta-is-left-in-my-grocery-bag dinner.
In terms of cashing my check, the process was relatively simple, but longer than I expected. Fellow Chilean teachers, when your check is ready, haul your butt over to the office and then immediately to Santander around the corner! We waited in line about a half hour, just to cash our checks. Luckily, we didn't have to say anything to the cashier, because I had a little moment of blind panic right before my turn (Oh god, how do you say cash a check? I want money? Give me cash?? HOW DO YOU EVEN SAY CHECK?!?!? it's cheque fyi. Hence, the unnecessary panic.) The only thing I even needed to respond with was whether I wanted it in 10,000 peso bills or 20. When we have a full paycheck, I recommend 20 people. That's a lot of tens otherwise... Done with my turn, I of course didn't want the teller to think I didn't trust her, so I moved to the little mini desks before I re-counted the money on my own (yes she counted it in front of me, yes I am paranoid you're right. That's why I wore my lame gringo money belt under my shirt and tucked the shirt into my belt when I was done hiding all that cash away. My thin cotton fabric tank top WILL prevent robbers from stealing my salary!) The best part was I had already forgotten the amount on the check so as to the number I was trying to check, I don't even know anymore. It was Friday, give me a break.
And now this post is much longer than I intended it to be, huh. Go me! Enjoy your weekends everyone and know that I slaved away on my Saturday night in to write this for you all ;)
Monday, April 1, 2013
The Suite Life of Deirdre and Jess
Ok, so it's not exactly a hotel suite or anything, but it's mine! My own little room, a space to call my own, my own little corner with my own little chair (actually there's no chair-it wouldn't fit!), whatever other clichés or songs you want to throw in, put them in the comments please :)
Last night, I officially moved into my new room, and while it's tiny, one of my FAVORITE things to do, as anyone who has ever met me knows, is organizing. Thus, my Easter Sunday evening was spent arranging and rearranging my little closet in my room, and putting toiletries into my personal bathroom. It's funny that so few people have their own bathroom to themselves, especially in their early twenties like me, and yet, this is the second time in my life I've had my own private bathroom. I have to say, it's like a little slice of Heaven :)
On another note, I'd like to take a minute to discuss some culture. Coming from America, it is easy to think how much stuff we have,
how much space we need, and how we can't live without this or that. One thing I've noticed in my many travels is how little you actually need. Granted it's very comfortable to have extra toiletries and a plethora of clothing options, but when I was in the hostel, I kept all my things locked in my suitcases and basically lived off of about a dozen pieces of clothing for a month. It's boring, but it's what worked. Now I find myself in a new bedroom (just as small as the hostel interestingly enough), and while at first I was worried because I couldn't fit myself and my two giant suitcases into the room at once, I am organizing and spreading out and I find that I can occupy this space and still have room for more! While my closet at home is huge (a half-walk-in that I share with my sister, and we still think isn't big enough to breathe in), my closet here is a quarter of the size, and I am lacking things to put in it. I know one of my quirks is packing as much as possible into as small a space as possible, with occasional spatial-relations-problems (thanks Mom ;) ) but I guess what I'm trying to say is to appreciate what you have and work with what you've got, because you can do a lot more with the space you have than you may think! And if you ever have any creative problems, just do what I do and troll through realsimple.com for some tips and ideas!
Last night, I officially moved into my new room, and while it's tiny, one of my FAVORITE things to do, as anyone who has ever met me knows, is organizing. Thus, my Easter Sunday evening was spent arranging and rearranging my little closet in my room, and putting toiletries into my personal bathroom. It's funny that so few people have their own bathroom to themselves, especially in their early twenties like me, and yet, this is the second time in my life I've had my own private bathroom. I have to say, it's like a little slice of Heaven :)
On another note, I'd like to take a minute to discuss some culture. Coming from America, it is easy to think how much stuff we have,
how much space we need, and how we can't live without this or that. One thing I've noticed in my many travels is how little you actually need. Granted it's very comfortable to have extra toiletries and a plethora of clothing options, but when I was in the hostel, I kept all my things locked in my suitcases and basically lived off of about a dozen pieces of clothing for a month. It's boring, but it's what worked. Now I find myself in a new bedroom (just as small as the hostel interestingly enough), and while at first I was worried because I couldn't fit myself and my two giant suitcases into the room at once, I am organizing and spreading out and I find that I can occupy this space and still have room for more! While my closet at home is huge (a half-walk-in that I share with my sister, and we still think isn't big enough to breathe in), my closet here is a quarter of the size, and I am lacking things to put in it. I know one of my quirks is packing as much as possible into as small a space as possible, with occasional spatial-relations-problems (thanks Mom ;) ) but I guess what I'm trying to say is to appreciate what you have and work with what you've got, because you can do a lot more with the space you have than you may think! And if you ever have any creative problems, just do what I do and troll through realsimple.com for some tips and ideas!
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Easter weekend family vacation
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So this weekend, as you may have read, Jess and I spent our Easter with a
terrific Chilean family visiting the cities of Valparaíso and Viña
del Mar. We got our housing in order, (I was moving into our new apt on
Sunday night so Nelly came to pick up my bags on Thursday evening; Jess dropped
her stuff off at our friend Amy's apartment) grabbed our bags, and were off on
the metro. Until, we got lost. Why on EARTH the subway would decide to just
skip right past our stop I will never understand. Anyway, Sandra's
husband came to pick us up and we hung out at their place for a little while
while they got the car all packed.
Sandra is the woman we met on our tour in Patagonia and had dinner with last
Saturday. The drive took about 3ish hours, and was filled with English,
Spanish, and of course, music. Juan Eduardo, Sandra's husband, LOVES English
music, American and British, and one of his favorite activities is to ask us if
we know the song, the singer, or the band. Most often, we do not, and he goes,
"I can't believe it!" His other catchphrases include, "I
understand you perfectly" "Chicas, vamos" and "Take it
easy, man". He is hilarious. We chatted with Lia more about her time
in Nueva Zelanda and about 5 minutes into the car ride, Vale was asleep!
Belén didn't come with us because she was spending the weekend surfing with her
boyfriend and some other friends in Pichilemu. We arrived in Valparaíso around
11pm, took some beautiful pictures out their window of the bay
and before we had the chance to say ok, time for bed, Juan Eduardo had set up a picoteo for us all for dinner.
and before we had the chance to say ok, time for bed, Juan Eduardo had set up a picoteo for us all for dinner.
Since we hadn't eaten anything all night, this was "dinner." A
picoteo is a wonderful tradition that Lia whispered to us that not many
Chileans follow, but her dad just loves. And it was so clear that he did; he
set out chips and dip and vegetables and more dip and salsas and nuts and
crackers. It was maybe not the healthiest thing in the world (especially since
I can't eat the raw veggies) but delicious nonetheless, and surprisingly
filling. It's basically appetizers, but as simple as possible- no cooking, no
meat really, and you just sort of graze and chat until everything's gone. By
then it was like 1am and we finally dropped into bed exhausted.
The next morning, Sandra sent us up to the
roof with Valeria while she and Juan Eduardo made plans for the day. It was a
gorgeous view from up there, and even the panorama mode on my camera couldn't
record all 360 degrees of the beautiful houses. Every one is painted a
different color, vibrant and stacked together in messy lines on the hillsides.
It was hard to stop taking pictures, but it was time to leave on our
first adventure, so we were more than happy to return back downstairs. When
Sandra was at university, she lived and studied in Valpo(the nickname of
Valparaíso). She knew all the ins and outs of the town, and the first stop on our
tour today was the famous ascensor,
or elevator, of Valpo. It's a small trolley/cable car that ascends one of the
steeper hills. It cost about 500 pesos a person and was MUCH faster than trying
to walk up there, since all the streets are more like serpentine lanes which
people happen to drive straight down the middle of. When we reached the top, we
entered a beautiful fería, an
artisan craft fair where people sell handmade goods. It was heavenly, and so
hard not to buy everything, but Sandra whispered in our ear that it was all
very expensive so we controlled ourselves as best we could. She told us we
would visit another cheaper one later at the port.
It was hard to stop taking pictures, but it was time to leave on our
first adventure, so we were more than happy to return back downstairs. When
Sandra was at university, she lived and studied in Valpo(the nickname of
Valparaíso). She knew all the ins and outs of the town, and the first stop on our
tour today was the famous ascensor,
or elevator, of Valpo. It's a small trolley/cable car that ascends one of the
steeper hills. It cost about 500 pesos a person and was MUCH faster than trying
to walk up there, since all the streets are more like serpentine lanes which
people happen to drive straight down the middle of. When we reached the top, we
entered a beautiful fería, an
artisan craft fair where people sell handmade goods. It was heavenly, and so
hard not to buy everything, but Sandra whispered in our ear that it was all
very expensive so we controlled ourselves as best we could. She told us we
would visit another cheaper one later at the port. 
Next, we stopped for a tea break, or as
Sandra taught us it was called in Spanish, a tentenpie, a small meal to stay on your feet a little longer. Ten pie means to remain standing in
Spanish! We stopped at a lovely little café/restaurant, and Jess and I were at
first confused because we thought we were having a real lunch, but Juan Eduardo
wasn't with us. Then we realized everyone was just getting a cup of tea before
the walk back home. Side note: when we arrived at the apartment, Sandra told me
not to drink the tap water because it was turbida
(murky, cloudy, unclean). I was devastated. A girl who hates to pay for bottled
water, stuck in an apartment where there was no potable tap water?? I was
seriously worried for the rest of the trip because three days was a long time
to only drink bottles of water. What if I was thirsty at night in the
apartment?? I was also nervous because I didn't want to be a hassle for the
family; I just don't drink anything else. Offering me soda is not offering me a
choice- I just hate it. Thus, when everyone else was enjoying a coffee, I
ordered tea just to have the water to drink. (By the way it was boiling hot,
not as thirst-quenching as you might think). When we got home for lunch, I
asked if I could go buy a water bottle somewhere, and they looked shocked and
then explained that Sandra had meant just for now the water was cloudy, because
they hadn't been in the apartment in a long time and hadn't used the pipes.
Crisis averted! Sandra made everyone some kind of soft, white fish for lunch,
and delicious sautéed vegetables.
Afterward, we girls again left to go
sightseeing and shopping, as Juan Eduardo wasn't feeling very well. Sandra took
us past her college and the city's central plaza to the shipping port, or puerto. There we delightfully
discovered thousands of beautifully, carefully crafted items for sale. I hunted
and hunted, and finally found my most sought-after souvenir, a key holder I saw
in Sandra's apartment. It may seem lame but I LOVE it :) We came back
from the port to have dinner (lunch leftovers) with Sandra's relatives from
Viña del Mar, the neighboring city. Her brother, his son, and her mom all came
over for a visit. They were so nice! Her brother's name was ___ and his son was
Cristian. Her mom was the cutest little old lady, and she just smiled the whole
night. This was one of my favorite moments: (pic of lia and grandma). Before
dinner, some of us took a paseo
around the upper roads of the town. We walked past beautiful houses,
restaurants, and hotels, before stopping for a drink at this restaurant/bar. It
was a lovely building and the view was great, especially as night fell. The
cats were adorable too, strolling around under our chairs, climbing on our legs
to be petted. They were cute all the way up until one decided it would rather
attack my hands than simply be petted. I am very allergic to cats, and since
I've never been scratched by one before, I never realized the extent of my
allergies. This was the result of our innocent pre-dinner cocktail:
. Oops! Don't worry Mom and Dad; I'm fine. I "hand-san"-ed
my hands immediately, iced them when we got home, and took Benadryl. No lasting
damage, though I will have a hard time finding any cats quite as cute
anymore... haha. We had another picoteo when we got back to the apartment, and
talked for a long time with Sandra's brother about languages and learning
Spanish and teaching English and so on. Tonight was the night we discovered ramitas. Juan Eduardo poured them into
the tray on the table, and after one bite, we were gone. They're like tiny,
miniature, slender breadsticks, but just crispy, and super-salty. But the
powdery kind of salt, not the overwhelming regular grains. They're amazing and
depending on how much room I have left at the end, I may or may not be spending
my last few pesos on 6-10 bags to bring home. Tonight's topic of picoteo
conversation was some more American music that we haven't heard of?!? Finally, we went to bed, excited to maybe go
swimming or horseback riding in Viña del Mar tomorrow!
Surprise! We didn't do either of those
things haha. I was a little disappointed, but I'll just have to book them on
our next trip is all. Instead, the family showed us more of the city's
important aspects today. We visited Pablo Neruda's house, La Sebastiana, and the Congreso
Nacional de Chile, where the president meets with Congress to discuss
political matters. Juan Eduardo shared his opinion on the people of Valparaíso.
He says that the citizens are an angry people, jealous of all the tourists who
come to visit with so much money when they have so little. He described how the
people from Viña are much nicer, because the city is cleaner and safer. Here in
Valpo, even he is afraid to walk the streets by himself at night because the
people are angry that the government markets their city as a beautiful little
town full of pretty colored houses and an ascensor
(elevator) and nothing more. Many of the people here have very little money,
and they are aggressive towards foreign and national visitors alike. Jess and I
were very surprised to hear this, but some of it made sense with the ragged
storefronts we had seen, as well as the broken ruins of buildings destroyed by
the 2010 earthquake. Their jagged holes stick out like broken teeth in a mouth
full of shiny, bright ones. It was a sobering talk, especially after all the
lightheartedness of the sightseeing so far, and the amount of pictures we had
taken. Later we returned home for lunch, more leftover fish and some chicken
(today we were allowed to have meat, no abstinence on Saturday). While lunch
was prepared, Lia flattered us all with some bachata lessons.
For the afternoon and evening, Vale stayed
behind with her parents and Sandra's relatives, while Lia took us to Viña. This
was a surprise, as we had expected the whole family to go. Instead, Lia (the 18
year old, remember) escorted us gringas on the bus over to Viña. We girls had a
great time taking jumping pictures, sunset shots, and general ridiculous
photos.
We tried to warn Jess to be careful near the waves, but
she said she wanted to feel the Pacific ocean, and stood just at the edge of
the water. She must have put one toe over the line of "careful,"
though, because a wave came, soaked her jeans up to her knees, and swept away
her flip flops! Thankfully she managed to get them back, but I'm sure she was
less than comfortable in wet jeans, blech! Oops. Next, we visited the famous
casino (pic) and were bodyguarded by a stray dog all the way to the beach,
where he left us, alone and heartbroken, to follow a man with two hotdogs instead.
We continued on our way to Viña's feria, a looooong stretch of artisan
booths with more artwork and handicrafts. Here are the views that accompanied our walk:
This time we bought a bunch of things, knowing this was our last chance to shop! We made sure to save enough for churros though, and MAN were they good! Very similar to Spain's churros, but almost, I hate to even say it, better? I'm sorry Cádiz!! But they were crispy on the outside like Spain's, gooey and soft on the inside, thick but also creamy and smooth, not just light and fluffy and barely there like in Spain. Plus, they sprinkled serious amounts of azucar flor onto them, whereas in Spain, you sprinkle regular granulated sugar on yourself. It was heavenly; I'm serious. A divine experience, because look who was sitting across from us at the table!
Lia
laughed while we gobbled down our "dinner", before shepherding us
back to the bus and home for dinner.
This time we bought a bunch of things, knowing this was our last chance to shop! We made sure to save enough for churros though, and MAN were they good! Very similar to Spain's churros, but almost, I hate to even say it, better? I'm sorry Cádiz!! But they were crispy on the outside like Spain's, gooey and soft on the inside, thick but also creamy and smooth, not just light and fluffy and barely there like in Spain. Plus, they sprinkled serious amounts of azucar flor onto them, whereas in Spain, you sprinkle regular granulated sugar on yourself. It was heavenly; I'm serious. A divine experience, because look who was sitting across from us at the table!
Tonight, Sandra and her family took us to
a very famous restaurant in Valparaíso, ElCinzano. We felt a little awkward because the
family was frustrated that we had to wait so long (we were a big party and it
was late). Also, they had a plan to get a parrillada,
a large family-sized platter of several different meats so that Jess and I
could try them all. However, the restaurant had an obnoxious rule that during
their "rush hour" so to speak each guest must consume a minimum of
5,000 pesos, which meant we couldn't all share the big dish. Instead, everyone
ordered their own meal. I got more salmon
salsa menier, which is grilled salmon with a lemon-butter sauce. Delicious,
but I was about to explode by the end. Jess and I were brave and tried their machas a la parmesana, clams with
melted parmesan cheese. Just found this guy:
who had this to say about the famous dish of machas:
" Machas a la parmesana, (surf
clams au gratin) one of the classics of
Chilean cuisine, was created 50 years ago in Viña del Mar by an Italian
immigrant, Edoardo Melotti Ferrari."
The place also had live music, a singer and a guitarist/piano player. It was a great evening in spite of the little hiccups. Plus, look how adorable this family is:
When we got back home, Jess and I were super
excited because the family wanted to discuss how to go about the Easter egg
hunt in the morning. CHOCOLATE. I had been craving it all weekend, especially
since it was Easter; my body just needed it, ok? We described what
Easter was like for us at home, and then they explained how they did it here,
so we just went along with them. Vale was so intensely excited, telling us she
was going to wake up at 5 just to beat us all to the eggs.
The place also had live music, a singer and a guitarist/piano player. It was a great evening in spite of the little hiccups. Plus, look how adorable this family is:
When we got back home, Jess and I were super
excited because the family wanted to discuss how to go about the Easter egg
hunt in the morning. CHOCOLATE. I had been craving it all weekend, especially
since it was Easter; my body just needed it, ok? We described what
Easter was like for us at home, and then they explained how they did it here,
so we just went along with them. Vale was so intensely excited, telling us she
was going to wake up at 5 just to beat us all to the eggs.
As morning dawned, Sandra and Juan Eduardo
told us to come into the living room for our baskets. The four of us, Lia,
Vale, Jess, and I, ran around collecting little chocolate eggs. It was so
interesting to see how the Chilean girls worked. Lia was so kind to her
younger sister, pointing out hidden ones and only taking one of the three from
the shelf so Vale could get the other two. It was very different from what it
would be like in my house, a real competition where we run and race and grab as
many as possible. Perhaps that's why my parents label our eggs so there's no
fighting; it was nice to see that the Chilean family didn't need to do this.
Now I'm not saying they're better than us, or my siblings and I are greedy and
selfish. I love the way my family does Easter morning. This was just a
different experience and I like to highlight the differences between us.
Afterwards, we all helped clean the house and got ready to leave.
On our trip back
to Santiago, Juan Eduardo drove us through the hills and countryside until we
stopped for lunch in another famous restaurant, No me olvides. It means, Don't forget me, and I didn't! The
meat was mouthwatering; so tender and salty and amazing. We apparently couldn't
get that damn parrillada here either, or at least the kind Juan Eduardo wanted
us to have, in order to have a real Chilean experience. Instead he and Sandra
got a smaller version, got the same for us, and the girls got burgers. We of
course had Chilean salad and pebre,
which if you've been reading, you'll remember is raw onions and tomatoes sliced
up and that pebre I said was a mix of onions, tomatoes, and basil or something.
According to Wikipedia, I was way wrong,
oops! Instead, it's actually a mix of
onions, garlic, olive oil, and ground or pureed chili peppers (ají). It's delicious and the pan amasado, the bread, that we spread
it on, was warm, soft, and so filling we barely had room for the meal! Also, an accordion player serenaded the whole restaurant throughout our entire lunch. Another
great dish down the hatch and with our bellies full, we rode with our Chilean
family back to Santiago and the real world.
We were so grateful to have met such a wonderful family and shared such unforgettable experiences with them. Hopefully this won't be the last of our adventures together :)
We were so grateful to have met such a wonderful family and shared such unforgettable experiences with them. Hopefully this won't be the last of our adventures together :)
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