It's snowing in July.

Well, you could really have Christmas in July here in Pucón. Not only is it snowing, but this quaint little pueblito would be the perfect place to spend a winter vacation. Which I guess is what we're doing...albeit the Chilean winter.

After a 10-hour bus ride with minimal heating (and a leaking ceiling tile which Carolyn was lucky enough to sit under), we spent our first four hours in Pucón trying to get warm. There's a fire and a wood-burning stove in our hostel, yet for some reason our room is at least 10 degrees colder than the rest of the building. Fortunately, we found a delicious café specializing in chocolate where we enjoyed the hot fire with our hot drinks. And we managed to stumble upon some cheap artesanias who sell some wonderfully warm hats and socks.

It was definitely a week full of adventures.

#1: Canopy
Think Tarzan. But with ropes. And helmets. I thought I was going to be terrified, and in reality I just had a blast! Although our guide book said safety didn't have the same standards here, our guides took good care of us and we quickly learned how to keep ourselves hooked into the trees. I think it was hard to be terrified once we did the actual zip-lining because the first part was so much scarier. The first thing we had to do was climb the trees and walk across ladders made of ropes. At least during the ziplining part we were supposed to be hanging. And we knew we were strapped in. The greatest part was going across the river. It was a long ride and just beautiful. Honestly, I can't imagine a prettier spot to fly through the air.

#2: Subiendo el Volcán Villarica
This was a bit on the hard side for me. Between the altitude and the fact that the only normal type of exercise I do is swimming, I was tired before we even started the real climb. But, I made it to the place we stopped for lunch and was pretty proud of that. Of course the fact that the guide had to hold my hand for the last 20 minutes was a bit on the embarrassing side, but the fact that I didn't fall down the mountain made it all worth it. By the time we were gonna start the second part of the climb, the guides told us there was so much wind that we probably wouldn't get much further. While about half our group decided to continue anyway, the rest of us decided we wanted to begin the decline...which was definitely a good idea! After harnessing ourselves into what you could essentially call butt-protecters, we pretty much slid down the mountain. I honestly think it was the most fun I've had in my entire life. Not to mention, I turned out to be pretty handy with the piolet, or ice pick, and managed to stop myself from sliding down the wrong side of the mountain. I would climb that volcano in a hearbeat just to slide down it again.

The funniest thing about Pucón, is that no one speaks Spanish. Ok, well not no one, but there are an awful lot of Europeans. I think I heard more German than English and more English than Spanish. The greatest thing about Pucón - at least in the winter - is that everyone is best friends. We saw our canopy guide in an internet café, then in our hostel, and in Cypress - the only place to go at night. And one of our mountain-climbing guides actually walked with us to Cypress that night after having dinner in our hostel. I even danced with the dueno of our hostel!

All in all, it was a relaxing yet adventurous journey. I'd like to go back during the summer, when I can feel my toes even when I'm not sitting in front of the fire.

Classes start this week, although apparently noone goes - including the professor. We'll see what happens.

More to come!

Don't trust the guidebook.

I just got back from our first solo trip of the year. It was a success! Very relaxing after pretty intense first few days.

So...first we took a bus up to La Serena, a little beach town in the north of Chile. The bus itself was pretty entertaining. It was a double-decker and we had the front row on the top so we could see out. Of course it was nighttime so that didn't help too much. Actually it was kind of like being in a video game. Every time we turned, I was sure we were going to hit a sign. Or go off a cliff. But fortunately there were curtains so we slept peacefully. The most entertaining bit was the bathroom really. My friend Leigh went back to use it and came back saying she couldn't get the door open. We thought maybe someone was in there so we decided to wait awhile. An hour later we both needed to use it so we decided to go back and figure it out. The door would not open. We pulled and pulled, but didn't want to break it or something. Not to mention everyone was sleeping and we didn't want to disturb anyone. We stood back there for a few minutes, I guess just hoping the door would open itself when, finally, this sleepy man sitting next to us reached over and yanked the door open in one easy pull. Oops. Apparently we just hadn't been trying hard enough. And...I don't know if you've ever tried using the bathroom on a moving bus, but let's just say it's a heck of a lot harder than using one on a plane or a train...

We got to La Serena around 7 am and went straight to the hostel (after nearly witnessing a fistfight in the bus station). The dueño of the hostel was nice enough to have a room all ready for us to sleep in for a few hours. We'd found the hostel in our LonelyPlanet guide book which said it had the best breakfasts around. I guess if you consider cold bread and butter and instant coffee the best breakfast then they were right, but I'm gonna say we could've found better. That being said, we did get breakfast (although we didn't get the jar of homemade jam that the guidebook promised either). And a cold shower, especially the second day when the 9 Spanish girls showed up that all decided to shower right as we were about to do the same (there were only 3 bathrooms).

According to the guidebook, there was easy access to the beach, so we decided to walk. After going through a supermarket, a park, and past a circus tent where they were hosting "Russia on Ice" we decided it had to be close. 20 minutes later, our hunger had gotten the best of us so we took a taxi back into town. LonelyPlanet told us we could eat a cheap set lunch with the bomberos at the fire station, which sounded like great fun. Unfortunately, we didn't see anywhere to eat much less an entrance to the fire station so we had to settle for the empty restaurant next door. Afterward, we took a taxi back to the beach, only to realize we'd been about five minutes away when we'd turned around the first time.

The next day we took a bus to Vicuña, a little pueblo in the middle of the Elqui Valley and the birthplace of Chilean escritoraGabriela Mistral. While the bus cost twice as much as LonelyPlanet told us, it was still pretty cheap and the paisaje was BEAUTIFUL! We were tired and wanted to sleep, but every turn was a new, beautiful view and we didn't want to miss one second. Vicuña was nice, although not super lively. I think we saw about 3 jovenes during our entire time there. We ran into the same group of Asian men 4 times and saw the same couple at lunch and dinner (there are really only 2 restaurants and they have pretty much the same menu). Once again our guidebook led us astray describing a hopping bar full of 80's music that we decided to try out that night. Not only was the bar less than hopping, but it had a different name, played Chilean music, and was mainly a 40+ crowd. And when some random Chileno started trying to convince the Asian men to ask us to dance we decided it was time to leave.

The next day we enjoyed another beautiful paisaje to Pisco Elqui, home of the Destileria Mistral, probably the best pisco that Chile makes. Everyone commented that it was almost unfair how beautiful this country is. Especially after spending a few weeks in Santiago, which is by no means ugly, but a city none-the-less. The strangest thing was that the bus didn't seem to have stops, but rather stopped wherever anyone needed to get off and also stopped to pick up random people on the road. I guess it's the only means of transport for many so they have to be pretty flexible. We enjoyed walking around the town and even made a new friend on the distilery tour. He was a Harvard student who'd spent the last semester in Chile and was enjoying his last few days before returning to the states. As we were beginning to not trust our book, we asked for his commentary on all the Santiago suggestions so that we knew which ones were actually worthwhile. To finish off the trip, our return bus got pushed for about a block before the driver could get it to start. Oh, Chile...

The highlight of the trip was going to Cerro Mamalluca, an astronomy observatory about 10 minutes from Vicuña. We did an Andean Cosmovision tour, which was very interesting (from what we could understand - an astronomy lecture is not the easiest thing to hear in a different language). After a brief lecture and an introduction to the computer program Stellarium (which, like the nerd I am, I plan to download and play with), we got to go outside and look through the telescopes. Our fingers nearly fell off because it was so cold, but it was also one of the most amazing things I've ever seen in my life. I felt so small and yet so filled with wonder at the same time. Ive never seen so many stars at once. Not to mention, you could see the Milky Way as well as two other galaxies (Magallanes) that are only visible in the Southern Hemisphere. It was a night of wishes as well - I saw about 5 shooting stars AND a meteor.

We spent our last day in Coquimbo which actually ended up being our favorite town. It's more of a port but had a lot of character and a lot of life. We stayed in a hostel that used to be the house of the French consulate members. It was beautiful, although run-down and very backpacker-y. Highlights included talking to a sweet young Chilena in the supermarket with her baby sister (or daughter, we weren't sure which because she was about 15). She couldn't stop staring at us and our "ojos preciosos." To top off the hilarity of our adventures, we almost accidentally went into a cafe con piernas but were stopped outside when a woman told us it was only for hombres. I guess the curtains and burlesque music should have tipped us off, but we were all really in need of a mocha.

We've got a few hours at home before an orientation at the Universidad de Chile and then tonight we're off on the next half of our adventure. Hopefully, the guidebook will be a little bit more spot-on regarding Pucón.

A few things you should know...

A few things you should know before...

Living with a Chilean family:
1. DON'T come downstairs without socks. It is cold. And even if you don't think it's cold, they will make you put on socks.
2. DON'T come downstairs with your hair wet. You will not be let out of the house. Because it is cold.
3. DO make sure they understand from the beginning if you don't eat a lot. Otherwise, they will give you twice as much food as anyone else and expect you to eat it all.

Riding the public transport:
1. DON'T be blonde.
2. DON'T speak English even with your English-speaking friends.
3. DO sit down quickly on the micro (bus) because the driver is not going to wait for you and you'll be on the floor two seconds after swiping your bip! card.
4. DON'T forget that there are certain hours when the green-light metro only stops at the green-light stops. You will have to go about 5 stops past your destination to get on a red-light metro.

Going to a Chilean house party:
1. DO make it clear that you want to practice your Spanish. Otherwise, someone is going to try to practice their English on you and chances are you'll have a much more successful conversation with your Spanish skills than with their English skills.
2. DO bring your own glass. Otherwise you will be drinking coke light out of a mug.
3. DO bring your own chair. Otherwise you will be sitting on the floor.
4. DO attempt to export some fun American words like "party foul." While Chileans have many fun chileanismos that you will never understand, there are a few choice phrases that their vocabulary is seriously lacking.

Talking with a Chilean:
1. DON'T ask how they feel about Pinochet. Chileans are widely divided on the issue and chances are they will ask your opinion and chances are you will not agree with theirs.
2. DON'T say you're in love with the movie Machuca. Even if, like me, you are. If they like Pinochet, they won't like you anymore.
3. DON'T say you think Bachelet is an awesome president. Even if, like me, you think she is. If they like Pinochet, they probably won't like you anymore.
4. DO show off your knowledge of chileanismos. They will be very entertained by your attempt be cool, and laugh when you accidentally tell them you have a really nice polera (t-shirt) at home instead of a really nice polola (girlfriend).

Un Día Largo

Well, today is the first day I've felt truly frustrated being here in Chile.

#1: Cédula de Identidad
So, this is what every Chilean has to identify them. Great. Isn't that what a passport is for? Also, I'm not Chilean. But still, I have to get one. You know...this all started back in the states when they told me I had to go to Chicago to get my visa. "Can't they just mail it?" "No, they need to see you in person. And they need your fingerprints." (Which we also had to send in for the visa application in the first place). So in Chicago they give me two papers along with my visa: "Take these with you when you enter the country." Upon arriving, they take the two (identical) papers, stamp them, and keep them. They then check your visa, stamp your passport, and let you in: "Take your passport and this receipt to the police station." Three days later, you have to register with the local police. What do they need? A photocopy of each page of your passport (picture, stamp, visa). What do you get? Another paper: "Take this to the central registry to get your cédula." Ok, really? What good is a cédula going to do me for 6 months? So, this morning, I went to the registry. This was the worst, cause you have to take a number. I had #79 and they were on 42. My madre and I went and got a cup of coffee down the street. 20 minutes later, they're on #48. Great. And what do they need this time? Photocopies of your passport pages (visa, picture, stamp), a photocopy of your police registry PLUS the actual police registry paper. And fingerprints. Chile has 4 sets of my fingerprints floating around somewhere between Santiago and Chicago. The best part is, I left the registry with...another paper! I come back on the 23rd to get my cédula.

2. Es muy tarde para hacer planes de vacaciones...
It's winter. We have 10 days to travel. There's nowhere to go. Peru: too much money, too little time. Argentina: la porcina. Bolivia: the embassy in Santiago doesn't have any visas available. I didn't know you could run out of Visas. We'd have to take a bus about 20 hours north to the nearest available city to solicitar a visa. And, it's not a city. It's a pueblito. So, I spent my afternoon going from place to place asking about tickets and tours. There is ONE student travel agency in Santiago. And the only thing they can help with is flights. And only outside of Chile. Well that's great since we can't leave the country. Every single place I went said: "You have picked the worst time to travel. You should have planned this months ago." Uh, thanks, I would have had I not found out the dates of my vacation days a week ago. LANChile is about the only place that goes anywhere in Chile. They have awesome promotions - except none of them actually exist. We're thinking of doing one trip to Northern Chile, which should work out well, and one down south to Pucón, which is supposed to be much nicer in the summer, but our options are limited. Of course, I'm looking into buses to Pucón and they don't run on Saturdays or Sundays. As we start classes on Monday, that could make things a little difficult. And, of course, the only time they have flights is in the summer. Why didn't anyone tell us this before we decided to do fall semester in Chile??

#3: Futbol y pirópos
Somehow, wearing team colors and hanging out with a bunch of drunk friends seems to make Chilean boys abnormally obnoxious. Today's the national final for Chilean soccer and the streets are going crazy. I was on the metro going home from school at 3pm, and a group of about 5 boys decked out in jerseys decided to whistle and catcall at me until the next stop. Of course, this group grew to about 20 by the time I got to my stop. They added a little singing to mix up the routine. I really wanted to beat some people over the head, but of course I'm a small white girl. So I just looked out the window. Not to mention some random stranger saw me come out of my house today, then proceded to ask me if I lived there and if I could do him a favor. I told him I had to go, but he could ring the bell. He could have been completely well-intentioned, but after the day I had I wasn't taking any chances. Now I'm sitting in my room contemplating all the malintentioned reasons he could have had for asking if this was really my house. And those thoughts make me never want to look out the window, much less leave the safety of my front gate.

On the positive side...
1. I managed to completely understand the hispanohablante in the Bolivia office -over the phone!- who told me there were no visas available.
2. I took a new bus route all by myself.
3. I had very sofisticated conversations in Spanish with all of the unhelpful travel agents and the woman at the registry.

Every cloud has a silver lining. While my clouds are pouring down unwanted pirópos and rain throughout Chile, I can now wish them away in a different language.

Paranoia

The whole world is in paranoia (spanish: paranoia). La porcina (swine flu) is infecting left and right. The funny thing is, I haven't given it a second thought. It's funny that the U.S.A. declared it a pandemic (epidemic? I don't know the difference), but I hardly heard more than a word about it when I was back in the State. Since coming to Chile, it's all I've heard about. Mi hermana is a doctor and she's had to work nights and weekend because there are so many people in the hospitals, thinking they have the porci. She's been treating more than a hundred patients a day. Not to mention Buenos Aires is freaking out and shutting everything down. Doesn't help that their government decided to hide the real numbers of infected people to protect their elections. Oh, Argentina...

Speaking of Argentina, the Chileans have an interesting perspective on them. Basically, they say: "The Argentineans are really fun. Everyone loves them. Unfortunately, they can't do anything right. Except party." Our profesora even told us that some people think they should have had a Pinochet, or a second dictatorship. Tough love.

The Pinochet issue is a touchy one here. What I can generally gather is that the cuicas (rich, upperclass folks) hesitate to bash him because he's the reason for a lot of their money. And a lot of people give him credit for the economy being so stable. Mi madre, who by the way is not the least bit cuica, said the military economy that he ran was actually really good for Chile, especially since the governments that followed his regime were able to keep it up. Nevertheless, the concentration of wealth in Chile is in a very small portion of the population. While the poverty level is relatively low (less than 7%), the lower-middle and lower class make up well over half the population. I guess that's pretty normal on a global scale, but there's definitely a feeling of tension between the different classes. Mi hermano has a cuica girlfriend and she moved out of her house because her parents didn't like him, which made spending time together really uncomfortable.

On a more personal note...I'm in class. And it's summer. No fun. We don't even get the winter break that the Chilean students get. The professor is good, but it's exhausting to sit through 3.5 hour of Spanish grammar every morning.

Also, RIP Michael Jackson. I went to a karaoke bar last night with my amigas and we sang "ABC" to raucous applause from the audience. Of course, that was after we attempted a horendous version of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough." It was the wrong version. 'Nough said.

We also spent the morning walking around the city with our Chilean tour guide, Lute. We saw the zoo which was actually rather fun and climbed up to the Virgin that overlooks the city. Beautiful view, despite the fog.

Well, that's it for now. I'm gonna go back to watching my Spanish-dubbed TV stations.

?Cachai?

?Cachai? Yes, that's probably the most commonly used phrase I've heard in Chile since my arrival.

You know, the hispanohablantes always make fun of us Americans for making up our own Spanish words and speaking Spanglish, but I think they're just as much at fault. ?Cachai? Meaning: "Do you get it?." It comes from the verb cachar, meaning "to catch on." catch -> cachar -> ?cachai?

Now do you cachai?

I think my favorite bit of Spanglish here is gallo. It's the chilean substitue for tipo which means "guy." And how do you pronounce gallo? "Guy-o." Sounds pretty Spanglish to me.

I've been in Chile for a week, as of 7:30 AM today. So far, it's been like a dream. Not that things haven't been difficult or strange, but if you're open enough to just let things happen, it's amazing what comes out of it.

I live in a small casa with a madre, padre, and hermana. They are wonderful! Mi madre, Ita, runs the house and she is there for everything I need. Upon arriving, she said I was her muñequita, meaning "little doll" and said I look like a Barbie. I'm assuming she got that from the blond hair because other than that I think I look about as much like a Barbie as I do like a Ken. Ita is hilarious, constantly telling stories of past gringos and their crazy lifestyles. I am also lucky enough to be following in the footsteps of Jeremy, el angelito de dios, who himself said that I would be a nice rest for my padres after his terremoto. So as long as I'm not knocking the house down, I think we'll all get along.

Mi padre plays the guitar beautifully and is in a group that performs música foclorica chilena. He has the sweetest, smoothest voice and I'm hoping he'll teach me some songs. He's started teaching me more guitar, starting with the Chilean names for all the chords (do-re-mi-fa-sol-la-si, instead of c-d-e-f-g-a-b). If we can get past the problem of my tiny hands, I might actually learn quite a bit. Besides that, he is the most cariñoso man who really loves his kids (myself included) and grandkids.

Sole, or Ule, mi hermana, is a doctor at the same school where I take classes and she is wonderful. Plays guitar and sings Alanis Morisette like nobody's business, although I'm not sure she understands all the lyrics... She is 28 and will keep living en casa until she gets married or decides she wants to live sola. And it's nice to have a doctor in the house, especially two nights ago when I almost passed out after falling down the stairs. Yeah, I know. Stupid. But that's what happens when it's soo cold you have to wear three pairs of socks on wood floors...

?Qué más?

The jovenes here are very interesting. They see a gringa and think singing "Happy Birthday" in English will get you to notice them. They call the catcalls pirópos, which actually means compliments. I'm not sure that getting whistled and kissed at in the calle is much of a compliment, but there's a cultural difference I guess. I've taken to putting my hood up, especially at night, when I walk down the street because my blonde hair is pretty much the equivalent of walking around with a neon sign flashing "gringa."

Beyond that, the strangest thing is all the young couples making out in public. Certain parts of society are pretty conservative here, like your pololo (boyfriend) generally stays in the main parts of the house with everyone else and such touching is not appropriate. So...I guess since the pololos have no alone time in the house, they take it out to the calle.

Bueno...that's enough for one day. Time to go eat. Ita will probably give me an entire plate of patatas fritas and then ask me if I didn't like them cause I only ate half...