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. 

     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. 

     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.

     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.

     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 :)

 

Cultural revelations

     Hey all, I figured I needed a place to put up random tidbits about life down unda! These will just be small entries about different cultural things I've noticed.
     Dogs. Dogs, dogs, dogs. They are EVERYWHERE down here! And I mean everywhere. Every street, every alley, and on most every corner. They're generally well-behaved, always friendly when they think you'll give them food, and are super-intelligent. They know how to cross the streets by themselves; they wait for the lights and cross at the crosswalks with the humans. If you sweet talk them, they'll even follow you home, which (while empty) is a comfort when walking home alone, or going somewhere at night. Here are some lovely specimens:

     I am sad to report that Chile is less than impressive gastronomically. The most common dishes here are as follows:
          - lomo a lo pobre: beef loosely chopped and piled on top of french fries with two fried eggs balanced on top of them
          - a completo: a hot dog. Seriously they're obsessed with them down here, and usually pile them sky high with guacamole, avocado, sauerkraut, and or ketchup and mustard.
          - churrasco: I don't actually know what this is; I'll have to get back to you on that one haha sorry!
          - choripan: chorizo on pan, aka salami on bread
          - pebre: onions, tomatoes, and cilantro-type herbs chopped up in a fresh little salad
          - café con leche, according to Jess, does not get you coffee with a little milk or creamer; instead you get a latté, which I'm told, is very different. 
I am not bowled over by any of these options, but the fish scene is pretty great. Salmon is fairly cheap down here, and VERY delicious. In fact, every trip that Jess and I take, we tend to get salmon at least once. Oh well, more opportunities to cook at home and try out recipes on our own.
     The metro, or as normal people call it-the subway, is insane here. I may have mentioned it before, but it's worth mentioning twice. It's SO crowded during rush hour, it's hard to even get off at your stop. It's some sort of panic mentality, that no one moves away from the doors because they fear they won't be able to get off again. But, if you moved as far into the car as possible, there might end up being enough room to get to the doors more easily. Everyone's too apathetic or scared to do this however, and we end up with this: (pic). Oy vey!
     It's very green here in Santiago, even though winter is coming! Haha, just kidding. It is slowly turning into fall though, and all of the landscape remains green. There are trees on every street, and parks and plazas once every 5 or so blocks. It's kind of wonderful to have so much greenery around you in such a large city. On the other hand, however many trees there are, there are ten times more pigeons to go in their branches. Waaaay more than New York, that's for sure.
markets- thurs one near work, ferias

We have a place to LIVE!!!!!!!!!!!

     We aren't homeless anymore!!!!! Ok, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but as the only ones left in our whole program without an apartment, and our March 31st deadline fast approaching, Jess and I were feeling the pressure of not being able to find a place. On Sunday evening, we went over to Nelly's again to discuss when we would move in to the small room and such. I brought up the price again, and she said she couldn't lower it below 270,000 due to rising building fees. I felt like crying. But I knew Jess and I needed somewhere to live, and ASAP, so I threw my last curveball. I told her we were thinking of splitting the cost of the two rooms, but we couldn't go about 430,000 (about $860 usd) per month between the two of us. That way, we'd each pay 215,000 which wasn't too far over our budget, but if she still wanted to look at it as one room was 180 and the other was 250. After a moment's silence, Nelly agreed. We jumped out of our seats a little and both hugged her right there! WE HAVE A HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!!! It was the only thing repeating through my head haha, over and over. I would move my stuff on Wednesday or Thursday before we left for the weekend, and Jess would move in in two weeks when the German girl moves out. Until then, we are going to ask our friends to open their couches to Jess; hopefully we can work that all out tomorrow. Then, on Easter Sunday, when we return from our mini family vacation, I'd move in for good. I can't wait.

Amigos and Asados

     Tonight, Jess and I went to an asado at our new friend Sandra's house. We met her on our tour bus in the Torres del Paine National Park, and she took our cell numbers to invite us over when we were all back in Santiago. She called us last Thursday to ask us to come to an asado, which is kind of like a barbecue, kind of like a nice dinner where roasted meat is the centerpiece. They are EXTREMELY popular here in Chile, especially on Saturday evenings, and especially during Lent, because you can't eat meat on Fridays, so instead you chow down on Saturday. Anyway, she came to pick us up at the hostel in her car, which was really nice of her, and we drove back to her beautiful house in the gated community of Huechuraba around 730pm. At first we were a tiny bit nervous and awkward, but her family was so nice and so welcoming, we soon felt at ease.
     We met her daughter Lia first; she is only in high school, but already studied for 6 months in Nueva Zelanda (New Zealand)!! She speaks English very well, and she's so pretty. Valeria is their youngest daughter at 10 years old, and she is a firecracker for sure. She loves to sing and act and is infatuated with Justin Bieber. In fact, her English goes so far as to include the word Belieber haha! Belén is their oldest daughter, 23, with a degree in odontología; she's a dentist. Of course, she can understand a little English too. Sandra is so lucky to have such wonderful daughters! Her husband, Juan Eduardo, loves to speak English, but he says he learned it all from listening to American music (which I don't doubt). His favorite phrase is I understand you perfectly, and his favorite thing to do is ask us if we know what song is playing and who sings it (we hardly ever do). His English is much better than if he just listened to music. He's practically fluent! Also, he takes salsa dancing classes during the week haha, how cute! Their dog's name is Kuky (yes, it's English but it's spelled differently than Cookie haha).
     For dinner, we started with a "salad" that Sandra told us was a typical Chilean Salad, slices of tomatoes and slivers of white onions with a dash of olive oil. There was also pebre, kind of like pico de gallo in America, and another regular lettuce salad with mushrooms and nuts. Sandra served us delicious rice and Juan Eduardo brought in a huge platter of roasted meat. It was all SOOOO delicioso. I loved the juicy sausages, called __________, and the slabs of beef were so tender and even more flavorful than the sausage! Everything was amazing; Jess and I ate so much haha. We ended up with some very full stomachs. We spent a few more hours sitting and talking while we all tried to fit some postre (dessert) in. First we had mote con huesillos, which is another famous Chilean dish; it's a plastic cup filled with a super-sweet liquid kind of like a syrup. At the bottom are oats of some sort (the huesillos, the little bones) and on top of them floats a super squishy durazno, or melocotón, or peach. I wasn't a huge fan but it was nice to have something so cold and refreshing after the heavy meal we had just had. Next came a bowl of dulce de leche ice cream with cracker-wafers stuck in the sides. It was really good; almost a little salty, not just a sweet caramel flavor.
     Lastly, we listened to some music together before Juan Eduardo drove us back to the hostel. What a lovely break from all our apathetic house searching. We really needed to relax, and having such a kind family fuss over us while we ate the best meal we've had here in Chile was a perfect way to do so. Right before we left, Sandra asked us if we had plans for the following weekend (Easter weekend). We had originally thought about going to Easter Island, but it was so expensive it was kind of just a pipe dream. We said nope! And they invited us to their apartment in Valparaíso so we could visit the picturesque city and maybe hop over to Viña del Mar too! We are so excited to go with them and so grateful that these wonderful people like us and want us to go on vacation with them!!!

The Hunt Continues

     Just to keep you all updated, Jess and I are still looking for a place to live. We are the only ones left in the hostel without a place to go and we are beyond frustrated. I have over 30 names and numbers in my notebook that we have called and struck out with. Today alone, I called 7 people this morning and all their ads have been filled. TAKE DOWN YOUR ADS PEOPLE.
     Yesterday evening we went to look at an apartment before our TLC social. We had spent the entirety of Thursday and Friday looking at apartments, oy vey! This one our boss Emily had given to us as a contact with one room. When we got there, the apartment was beautiful and HUGE. She had one bedroom available immediately which was seriously small. Smaller than my room at the hostel. The woman, Nelly, was asking 180,000 clp a month, which is roughly $360 usd a month, not bad based on our salary, but it was a tiny room for the price. Thankfully it has its own bathroom. At this desperate point in our search, we told her we were taking it! She mentioned that she also had another "big"(read: normal-sized) room that a German girl was occupying, but was going to leave on the 15th of April. It was really nice, but Nelly wanted 280,000 pesos for it!!! Yikes! We all chatted for a while, and she seems so nice, but we told her we couldn't afford that because our maximum budget was 200,000 per person. Jess and I thought if we could lower the price a bit, we could split it between us and switch rooms halfway through so each person got the big room for a while. I asked Nelly if she could lower it to 240,000 and she told me she would think about it overnight.
     This afternoon we went to go look at a place as a backup in case Nelly said no to our offer, and it was nice, but not the right one. They were two brothers and it was another minuscule room, this time for 190,000. We said we were interested, but still held up hope that she would give us the answer we were looking for. An hour later, the guys called us back and told us that someone else snatched it up. Then Nelly called us and said she couldn't meet us that night to talk it over again, that we would have to do it Sunday afternoon instead. As our last options fall apart, we are getting more and more nervous!!! Please please let Sunday bring us some pieza-hunting peace!

classes in detail

To the Ends of the Earth

SUNDAY MARCH 17, 2013
     While everyone else was enjoying St. Patrick´s Day celebrations wherever they were in the world, Jess and I were once again hauling our butts out of bed incredibly early to catch the next leg of our adventure down here in Patagonia. Today, we had to get up at 730 to get to our new ferry by 9am. This one was taking us to Porvenir, across the Magellan Strait, to Tierra del Fuego, the land of fire. This archipelago is off the southernmost part of the South American mainland and home to many species of strange animals. Unfortunately, due to our visa applications currently being processed, we are not allowed to leave Chile. The Tierra del Fuego national park is on the Argentinian side of the group of islands, so we couldn´t cross the border to go in. We did see more dolphins during our ferry ride though, and spent a nice relaxing day wandering around Porvenir.

     This city was much nicer than Punta Arenas; same ramshackle vibe, but with freshly painted bright colored houses. Our day was characterized by roaming dogs, adorable babies, creepy men, and lots of lovely flowers. The taxi colectivo dropped us off near a main plaza filled with daisies, but we didn´t see any stores anywhere. We wandered back down to the shore and found a mini souvenir shop and one restaurant. We were less than enthused with the restaurant because it was our only option, but once we found our salmon again, we were happy. Jess and I each got salmon mantequilla, which was grilled salmon DROWNED in butter. Originally we had asked for one person to get the crispy potatoes and one to get them baked and we could share, but the waitress made a face and explained that they would have to dig up the potatoes and then boil them to cook them for us; it would take a very long time. I highly doubted they actually dug them up from the ground, but we were starving so we said fine we´ll both get crispy ones. Good thing we did!! They were like very thick cut potato chips; crispy and salty and potato-y and delicious. Amazing. And the salmon in the butter was also delicious, though we were a little grossed out by how much they used- it was practically like a yellow soup! By the end of our meal we were stuffed to the ears but so satisfied.

   Next we went to walk off our food coma a little, and each bought a little souvenir at the gazebo/kiosk we had seen earlier. We took a stroll along the beach, and sooooo many men were catcalling at us. I haven´t mentioned this yet because it had never been a problem for me in Santiago (like it has for some of my blonder friends), but as soon as we left the restaurant, horns were honking at us, men were calling to us, even some teenagers whistled behind our backs. Please understand that this is EXTREMELY common down here and I do not take much offense to it when it happens. It happened in Spain, it happens here in Santiago. The men make these noises at both Chilean women and foreigners alike, so there´s no nasty xenophobic aspect to it either. I just ignore it and keep walking. However, when we left the tourist shop, an old man came up and asked for a photo on his phone. I knew what he was getting at but poor Jess thought he wanted a picture of himself and not us haha. I was feeling generous so I said fine, and stood next to him for Jess to take a picture. It went a little downhill when he put his arm on my shoulder and pulled until we were super  close together, but that was it. He took his phone back and we went on our way, just a tiny bit faster than last time. After some jumping pictures on the beach, we were heading back to the bus stop to return to Punta Arenas and a bunch of teenagers/ college kids started calling to us. They even offered us marijuana! Thanks for the offer boys, but we are not interested. Overall, it was a different experience than Santiago, but perhaps because it is such a small, homogeneous town, they are even less used to foreigners or foreign-looking people.
    The return ferry was a little shorter than the trip out to Porvenir, but we had a blast playing Peek-a-boo with the adorable, chubby cheeked baby next to us. He was so adorable and happy! He kept laughing and stumbling over to our table; it was wonderful!

    When we finally returned to our hostel, we scrambled to get our things together and then rushed to the airport. We were about 2ish hours early so we figured we were fine, and then we got to security and the lights were off! There was no one around and the machines were off but eventually someone came out to check us. We were a little nervous at the lack of security at this airport, especially because I forgot to empty my water bottle and they didn´t even mention it, yikes! But the flight was fine; Jess had finally finished reading Life of Pi and guess which movie came on for the flight home :D We got hassled at the TransVIP station in the airport because they couldn´t figure out my name to find the reservation, but finally we made it to our taxi, then to our hostel, then to our rooms and our respective, inviting beds. Pictures will be posted tomorrow! Goodnight!!

Exploring the National Treasures

SATURDAY MARCH 16, 2013
     We awoke today at the ungodly hour of 430 in the morning in order to have time to eat before our tour bus came between 5 and 530. And then we waited. And waited. And waited some more. At 615!!!!!! our bus arrived, FINALLY, and we took two of the last seats. Separately. In a van similar to airport transfer vans at home. We were none too pleased with the way this trip was starting, as the day tour was expensive, but at this point we were too tired to care. We passed OUT until I awoke to Jess snapping pictures of the sunrise over my shoulder. I snagged a couple

 and promptly fell back asleep. Around 9am we stopped at a gas station in Puerto Natales, the town nearest to the park, and quickly caught a few shots of the shoreline.
     Our next stop was the Cerro Castillo, the first cattle ranch in Patagonia (we think?). I was enticed by the beautiful handicrafts and indulged in a few souvenirs for me and my family. There wasn't much to see here except for a rancher driving his sheep right across the road. It took him forever, even though he had three ovejeros, sheep dogs, to help him. There were two couples and 3 other women on our tour, all Chilean, and they got a kick out of it! Jess and I are pretty sure it was staged hahah. Next, we drove to several different lakes, each more beautiful than the last. One was full of salt with white sandy shores. Another had black sands. One had clear, azure waters that you just felt compelled to jump in. Sadly, we had to resist the urge.

Los Cuernos

     Our time on our little tour bus was spent mostly talking to our friendly Chilean co-tour-ees. We all shared cameras and took pictures for each other (especially the three couples- two Chilean, and me and Jess of course!) The Chileans thought the two little gringas were hilarious, taking jumping pictures, "skinny arm" ing all over the place, and hugging all the time. We were their chiquititas and they took pictures of us as much as we did of ourselves. They looked after us, made sure we stayed with the group, and felt compelled to explain Chile's history, the biodiversity, the stories behind the origins of the flora and fauna and their names, legends, and more! It was great fun and even better practice for our Spanish. Here's the cast of characters:
                            -Claudia, the crazy one (she had everyone take sooo many pictures of her)
                            -Claudia's mom/sister (the loud one who loved to be in charge)
                            -Sandra, the one who smiled until she was in a picture and then looked sad instead, but her cute braids matched Jess's!
                            -the quiet couple who never really talked to us
                            -and, Fernando and Brisa. Fernando sat next to me and really opened up as the trip wore on. He was so sweet and by the end he was our personal tour guide, explaining all the park signs as though we couldn't actually read the Spanish :)
     Next up we visited a gorgeous cascada, a waterfall, were everyone went shutter-happy. There were just so many naturally-occurring photo spots we couldn't help ourselves! We got the mountains- las Torres del Paine, Los Cuernos- the dark black pair of peaks, and more. We climbed down some rocks to get a very lovely picture with the falls right behind us.

It was so breathtaking, but also powerful and very dangerous too; I saw broken fragments of a bridge waaaay down where the waterfall's flow met the river. Yikes!
     The second to last stop of the tour was to el Lago Grey and el glaciar Grey. We had to walk about 30 minutes from the bus just to get there; we even crossed a rickety rope bridge that had posted signs saying no más que 6 personas (I think you guys can figure that one out on your own).

The Chileans had no such qualms however, and crossed right behind us, in a big group. Jess and I were more than a little nervous! We made it to the lake and though they were more like giant ice cubes, it was a pretty thrilling sight nonetheless. The glaciers were so blue and geometric; it almost seemed like a giant sculptor carved them and left them there to float in the water. They were smaller than we thought they would be, but summer just ended so it was to be expected. Also to be expected from Chispita, the cold-loving chica (ME!) was to swim in the glacier water. Don't worry, even I knew that was crazy, but I did take off my shoes and socks and stand in it. Surprisingly, it wasn't freezing, though it was cold. Jess snapped some pictures and the Chileans went nuts documenting the loca americana with their cameras haha. They even took some of me putting on new socks and donning my sneakers again. I saw when Sandra showed me every single one!

     During the return drive, we made a 20 second stop at the Silla del diablo, the Devil's Seat. It was impressive in size but didn't really look like a chair. Oh well. And last but not least, we drove to una cueva, the cave of the Milodón. It is said that a dinosaur lives there, at least, that's what the lady in our hostel said. When we got there, we discovered that many fossils and remains were found of the first primitive inhabitants of South America. They were called ________, and archaeologists found evidence of cavemen and an animal called the milodón, a cross between several different animals and the predecessor of even more. Fortunately, none still live in the cave now, though it is full of salt and stalagmites. My friend Fernando broke a rock off the wall and it turned out to be a hunk of almost pure salt! He even brought it home with him; the geologist in me was jealous!
     The ride home was punctuated by many small conversations. Fernando and I talked about just about everything. He works for a health insurance company, and is on this trip as a prize for winning something at work! His company paid for his airfare down to Patagonia. We talked a little about health care, some about college and rising costs for students in America and Chile, loan systems in the two countries, language differences between Chile and Spain, origins and explanations of the animals we saw out the window, where we came from, our heritage, and more! The two of us chatted for over three hours together, and by the end, my brain was exhausted but I bet my Spanish improved! Haha. It was nice talking with him and learning so much about Chilean culture. He and his wife live in Santiago, but I doubt we´ll ever see them again; what a shame.
    One of our last stops was the gas station in Puerto Natales, where everyone got a little dinner, aka un completo. A completo is a hot dog with the works on top: diced tomatoes, guacamole, sauerkraut, mustard, ketchup, and mayo. What a mess! I´m no fan, but Jess had her first one and really enjoyed it. The ride home was more silent than a graveyard; everyone was so tired, we all just passed out until the driver pulled up to our hotel or hostel. Sandra surprised us by taking down everyone´s phone numbers and promising to host a get-together when we all had returned to Santiago. After that, we once again blinked and were asleep in our hostel.

Patagonian penguins

FRIDAY MARCH 15, 2013
     Later, as we finally arrived at Penguin Paradise:

 we were greeted by thousands of penguins! They are the sole inhabitants of the island, along with some gulls, and they were everywhere. The summer is their mating season, so all the adorable couples were together watching over their nests, sometimes hiding with their eggs.

We took a zillion pictures of this spectacular place, of penguins walking within a foot of us. We weren't allowed to feed them or touch, and I just assumed hugging was out, darn! We opted to do the following instead:

What a worthwhile afternoon trip; it was truly an amazing place!

We only had about an hour on the island so we reboarded and got home around 1030pm. We jumped into bed as fast as we could because tomorrow we have to get up at 430AM to get on our tour bus for the Torres del Paine national park. Yikes! We're so excited we almost can't sleee........

PATAGONIA PART 1

FRIDAY MARCH 15, 2013
     Our first day in Patagonia!!! We set out a little late, happy, hopeful, and hungry. We wandered around Punta Arenas, a small, pretty rundown town. I discovered how to use my panorama setting on my new camera. Hooray! We had a pleasant time until we went to buy postcards and the store told us they were 3,000 pesos EACH. $6 a postcard!! For real?! We were furious and left. We chose instead to relax and get lunch. Our hostel recommended La Marmita and we almost couldn't find it, but when we did, it was such an adorable café. We were less than impressed with the menu options, but it was so adorable we kept reading until we found something that suited us. We decided to get a salmon dish with sautéed vegetables and a pasta veggie dish of carrot-stuffed ravioli in a mushroom nut sauce to share. FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD. We were in heaven. We shared both dishes and were stuffed! There were three gigantic ravioli and 2 pieces of grilled salmon with garlic on a bed of carrots, zucchini, and onions. Everything was so delicious, we couldn't take it! As we mopped up the sauce with extra bread, we were beyond satisfied with our meal. Anyone who visits Punta Arenas should go to this restaurant. If it were in Santiago, we'd go every weekend, without a doubt!
     We found a better option for postcards at the tourist office, about 400 pesos each, but when we asked about cajeros, ATMs, they told us the entire city was without internet, so none were even working. What?!? Are you joking?? We were flabbergasted. We tried 3 different ATMs and none worked. We were getting nervous because we still had to pay for our tours today and tomorrow! Panic was setting in when we found one that at least worked for Jess. My card is still giving me trouble at any ATM other than Santander, but Jess is so generous and is willing to lend me money. In our state of nervousness (we also had 40 minutes to get back to our hostel to catch a taxi to our ferry or we'd miss our penguin tour) I felt I had to exchange the only American money I had left, about $100 so that I'd have something to go on over the weekend. I did, and got $46,000 pesos for it. I felt terrible because I had wanted to save it for emergencies, but this sure felt like one! We only had three days here; I couldn't miss out because I didn't have cash.

     Once we made it to the hostel, our taxis were a half hour late! We were supposed to leave at 4 because the boat left at 5, and we were panicking again because there was no one at all in the hostel to help us! We couldn't find a single person around to help us. We didn't know what number to call on our own. I rang the doorbell at least 8 times and called their phone, but no one came down to answer either. Finally, around 425, the man who owns the hostel appeared and called the taxis just then. We were so anxious and frustrated! Chilean time is even worse than Spain time!!! We arrived at the port, bought our tour tickets for 28,000 pesos each, and hurried onto the ferry. It took about 2 hours to arrive at Isla Magdalena and on the way we caught some awesome pictures of dolphins frolicking alongside the boat! It was so exciting. Last time I saw delfines was on a ferry in Greece and I had no chance of getting any pictures. This time they swam so consistently next to us; I got some great shots.

En tramite

THURSDAY MARCH 14, 2013
     Nothing much to report today. A little packing, a lot of waiting. We tried to watch ModFam, but it wouldn't load. We got a taxi to the airport (7,000 pesos each, ouch). At least the hostel called it for us. In the airport, we waited some more. I found the first book of the True Blood series in my bag and devoured half of it on the plane. I'm dying for books to read down here-- they're so expensive!! Jess and I splurged and got a HUGE "classic" Cinnabon cinnamon bun for 1700 pesos :D Best snack ever!!
     On the plane, they gave us trail mix, cookies, and crackers. Hitchcock was playing, so strike that off my list of Oscar noms-to-see. We were worried about getting to the hostel because our plane arrived at around midnight, but as soon as we stepped our of the airport, we found the exact bus we needed and wanted. Arriving at the Hospedaje Costanera, we found our dorm room of 5 empty except for us, warm with three heaters going, cozy with down comforters, TONS of outlets, a nice bathroom with half a tub and hot water in the sinks and shower!!!!! Basically, ten times better than our hostel in Santiago. We dissolved into our beds and off into dreamland.

Gahhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!

WEDNESDAY MARCH 13, 2013
     Crap. That's the only word to describe our house hunting exploits this evening. We had a real, tangible, BEAUTIFUL possibility that we found on our own (Yay!); the location was great, the price was good and when we got there it was just as good as the pictures. Too good. Pablo turned to us, (the two of us) and said, You're looking for just one room right? I could've cried right there. After all the trip planning stress, the last minute-ness of it all, hoping this would finally be our apartment, getting lost on the way there; we waited til we were outside, and then we had our little moment together. By the time we got home we just wanted to crawl into bed, but we still had to buy all our tickets and  such. This house search is so hard! I just want to be done, to have a nice little place and finally feel settled here. And also maybe do laundry and actually eat vegetables. Uggghhhh! At least for this weekend we can try to forget and relax. Don't expect too many on-time posts haha.

Not quite the best day ever...

WEDNESDAY MARCH 13, 2013
     What a wreck of a Wednesday. If you're not in the mood for whine, get your corks out!
     Today was not my best day in Santiago thus far. I woke up happy but around 11/12 in the morning, Jess and I realized we had a 4-day weekend ahead of us, after Jess's class this afternoon, and we were about to waste it!!
     So, instead of going to the beach to enjoy my day off, I holed up with my laptop and spent the entire day researching and planning a weekend getaway. We know we wanted to get as far away as we could because this was a long break for us! Our only other opportunities to travel are Easter weekend, la Pascua, and our extra two weeks in July.
     Insanely enough, we decided to skip down to PATAGONIA for the weekend. Yeah, I know, qué locura. But, it would be a lot colder, a lot more difficult, and a lot less fun if we did this trip in July. So we went for it. The flight was a tough hit; very expensive, but we decided it was worth it. I researched flights, hostels, and tours while Jess went to her classes. It was pretty stressful but hopefully will be worth it in the end. When she was done, we visited a hopeful apartment quickly (a separate post in itself).
     Sadly, our only flight option was Thursday night, so we have to waste most of the day tomorrow, but we chose a late flight back to Santiago on Sunday. Monday morning we'll be planning ALL our classes for next week!

Commencement of Classes!

TUESDAY MARCH 12, 2013
Today was my first day with classes!!! I'll post more details later, I have to write about Patagonia now!!!!

Sun salutations and serene swimming

SUNDAY MARCH 11th, 2013
     Today was a planned relaxation day. Jess and I made up our minds at the end of our miserable Saturday night to spend the whole day at the OASIS that is the lower pool on the Cerro San Cristóbal. Together, we got up early, made lunches, put on sunblock, and hiked our butts off up that hill. We blazed through the hour-long trail in 40 or 45 minutes and were SO excited when we finally got to the pool. It was 6,000 pesos per person ($12) but beyond worth it! This is what it looked like when we finally stopped hiking up the ridiculous hill.

 This was our level of excitement when we got our tickets and got in the complex. We spent the next 5 and a half hours enjoying the crap out of that pool and the sun and the temperature and the weather and it was just amazing.
     Three of our friends joined us about halfway through, but we knew we got the most out of our tickets ;) The pool was absolutely freezing, but there was a giant boulder in the middle with a small shelf of rock to one side that you could sit on. Spectacular. And of course, they had a nice, big, Chilean flag on the top. We had such a wonderful, relaxed day and we so deserved it. And yes Mom and Dad, I put sunblock on all day long, don't worry. I was a little pink at the end of the day, and Jess got burned in some spots, but we blame the ozone, because we've heard it's almost nonexistent over some parts of Chile.
     All in all, it was an excellent day, and probably the best one we've spent so far in Santiago :)
(Also, we saw a gecko on a wall; that was exciting too. Haha) Muchas gracias al PMS! (Parque Metropolitano de Santiago). You can bet we laughed at the PMS signs all the way up!

Horrible Houses

SATURDAY MARCH 10th, 2013
     As amazing as last night was, today was less than stellar. We spent basically the entire day searching online for piezas, emailing and calling and leaving voicemails and texting and facebook-ing and on and on! At the end of about 9 hours of searching we had roughly 7 possibilities and had visited just 2. The first place we visited, ¡qué desastre! The ad said two rooms available, 170,000  pesos($340) each, and the pictures were adorable, but when we got there, there was one cramped room left, with a tiny attached bathroom and a mini "kitchen", meaning they stuffed a second sink and a microwave in the room. Plus, he was charging 250,000 ($500) instead!!!
    The second place provided us with a much more pleasing option, but it was pretty far away from anything really and it took us sooo long to get there after getting lost. The area seemed a little seedy and we felt we wouldn't be comfortable walking back home there at night, so our decision is still pending on that one. We'll keep looking and I promise you'll be the first to know when we have a place!

Oh what a night!

FRIDAY MARCH 8th, 2013
     Friday evening, our company held a mixer for all the newbies to meet older teachers and talk with the administrative staff. We ventured out from our hostel to Barrio Lastarria, to a restaurant called La Junta. On our way, we got a little held up by this parade/protest that seemed to be an amalgam of every right's group ever- we saw Amnesty International, Gay Pride, Women's Rights, and more! Wild.

When we finally arrived at the restaurant, we enjoyed cerveza, mojitos, and a delicious pizza "nostra". It had arugula, slices of jamón serrano from Spain, and parmesan cheese. YUM.
     Everyone had such a great time swapping stories, taking panoramic pictures, and making new friends with coworkers. We're so excited to work for this company; they're so generous and everyone is so kind, helpful, and fun! Even one of the highest-up-bosses hung out with us; it was great!!!

Get a (cultural) Clue!

FRIDAY MARCH 8th, 2013
     Today was our last day of orientation at TLC(the Language Company). We met Garrett, Andrew, and Ellen, some teachers who began working here last July. We spent part of the afternoon house hunting with Emily, our boss, and then went home exhausted.

     However, before we got there, we took a little side trip to the Lider market (owned by Walmart, fyi), which is sometimes expensive, sometimes super-barato(cheap). Sadly, chocolate leans on the more expensive side, and fruit, which I can't enjoy, is waaaaaaay cheap. They have a member club but it's only open to people who have a carnet de identidad, or residency identity card, which we won't get til May or even June :( Instead of cestas (like in Spain), baskets are called canastas. There are some lines meant for express 15 items or less, some for canastas, and others are just regular. Little old Chilean ladies are allowed to cut whomever they want in whichever line they prefer!

     Chile also has a great program called Pathfinders, in which university students work part time bagging groceries to help assuage the cost of their education. Emily brought it to our attention in class one day when someone asked about tipping. You can give these students the small change of pesos that you receive from paying at the register. They can then save that as well to put towards school. However, the cashier also asks you if you'd like to donate those pesos to one cause or another, but we found out that they do this sometimes because they can claim it as a tax write-off. Not as nice, but if they mention the bomberos then it's worth it because the firemen here are solely volunteers. They live off donations received from the public.
     What are your thoughts? Would you donate?