Let the Adventures Begin

HIIIII EVERYBODY :) I'm sure you've all stopped checking my blog because I clearly suck at posting, but what can I say, I warned you! Well, I now have loads and loads to write about, but I have loads and loads of time and energy too (my extra grande espresso has filled me with fake energy, ups). So, sorry if this is horribly zig-zaggy and not chronological, I promise I'll do my best to make it flow, but I'm no Omega... Reference to a latino singer who is the "Dueño del flow" aka master of flow... haha you didn't get it did you? Oh well...

WARNING: this post is obscenely long. You have no idea, so get ready for a marathon.

So speaking of music, I'm going to start you off with a song you should listen to, it is a chilean cueca song. The cueca is the national chilean dance, and its a ball to watch people break out into dance in the middle of bars clapping and snapping to the beat. It's especially prevalent now that the fiestas patrias are coming up, which I will explain later on in the post. Anywho, cueca: here you go!

Okay forreal forreal though, here comes the meat. So since my last post I've done LOADS of things. What, you ask? Golly gee, I don't even know where to start. I've made friends, sang karaoke, visited Valparaíso and the capital, gone swimming in the ocean, taken quizzes, been to a barbecue, studied on the beach, driven and walked miles along the coast, bought boots, and more. Alright, now let's expand on those:

Friends: Alright, so this is a lot to explain. First of all, our university makes it very easy to make friends with all of the other students who are here on exchange, but its much more difficult to make chilean friends, because the chileans don't try their hardest to be friends with us. SO. Let's start with the intercambio amigos. So of course there's Alexa and Erica who I study with back home in the states. We also met a LOT of gringos our first night out, but they only speak English, so that's nothing too fun. However, we met two gringo boys (Samuel and Colin, aka SamWELL and Cole-EEN in the chilean accent) who study in Pennsylvania and are the bomb-diggity. They are both equally interested in the culture and language here, and so we all have a ball together.

^ Colin and I at karaoke, singing "Yellow Submarine," note the similarities ^

^ Samuel and I making bad-ass faces because we're cool like that, obviously ^

So the four of us make a killer not so american wannabe chilean team, and we have a ball together, all the time. I have also made friends with other foreigners, notably Arturo from México, and Naia from España, both of who are awesome possum. Now I have a silly story for you concerning spaniards. I have realized that we don't get along, Naia being the exception. Why? WELL. Phone call between me and a spaniard, translated:

Spaniard: We'll come soon. We're "en ando" right now.

Sam: What's "en ando"

Spaniard to his other spanish friends: HAHA SHE DOESN'T KNOW WHAT "EN ANDO" MEANS

Sam: .........

Spaniard: we're eating

Sam: OHHH CENANDO. 

So, in spanish, "cenando" means eating dinner. WELL. Thank's to this smarty's accent, I can't hear his c over the phone (Spanish lisp, you know). So yeah, he made fun of me for that, and he has therefore ruined his country's reputation for me, sorry not sorry. Naia is the only hope for Spain. 

Now let's move on to the chileans :)

So you know, I'm studying on the beach because its sunny and why wouldn't anyone study on the beach? (Yes, I was really studying, not just soaking up the rays of sunshine) While I was reading, I saw some guys body surfing in the water, looking like they were having the best time ever, and of course I got REAL jealous. So naturally, when they got out of the water I had to talk to them. After five minutes of waving at them they finally came over to talk to me (they thought I was waving incessantly at someone behind them) and we became friends. We exchanged numbers and voilà, I am now part of a group of chilean friends.

^ L→R Javier, Héroe, Camilo, Alexa, Me, Claudia & Nico ^

Now, Franco is also a key player in the clan, but he's a photo-phobe so he took the picture and refused to be in it. Paulo is another one who's around a lot, but he wasn't here for this fabulous photo. Also, Claudia and I are no longer on good terms because she's convinced I'm trying to steal her pololo (boyfriend, aka Javier). Lesson to be learned: chilean girls are INSANELY jealous, and they get angry and throw your towels away if you are friends with their boyfriends. Anywho, I just avoid her and the rest is all good :) So here's the skinny on each of them:

Javier = adorable puppy dog you just want to be around all the time because his laugh is contagious

Camilo = sweetheart that will make sure you never feel left out, and teach you awesome chilean spanish, because he's got the accent and he uses it

Héroe = the cousin everyone wishes they had, because he's hilarious. Also his real name is Álvaro. Don't ask me why, I don't know either.

Nico = the crazy kid of the group, who thinks he can flirt with anything that walks (harmless, don't worry folks)

Franco = mysterious one who was born in Argentina, but who is secretly a romantic who loves George Michael.

Paulo = the one who understands when we speak English, also with a degree in engineering. Awesome possum kid for sure.

So yes, I have made awesome friends. The beach clan is not the only group I've met, I also have friends from schools (a group of freshman girls, and a group of senior guys), but we don't ever hang out outside of school. Also, because I go to the beach so often, I know the guys who do tricks on the beach for some spare change, one of them being nose nails man... What? This:

^ Terrifying right? You should watch him do it, its crazy ^

Clearly, I've gotten to know the viñamarinos well. The next step was then to take an adventure and leave the town! So one nice Saturday, Alexa and I met up near her house, hopped on a bus with no map, no guide book and no plans, and visited our neighboring city: Valparaíso. Things you should know about Valparaíso: it's nickname is Valpo, its known for its hills and beautiful graffiti, it is the financial capital of Chile, and it is filled with pick-pocketers. 

Well not having any plans, we didn't even know where to get off the bus. After asking a nice man on the bus, Alexa and I hopped off and found ourselves in the middle of the Saturday morning "feria," or market. As we walked through and looked at all of the crazy food, we also began to see them selling everything else, from used toys to pipes, bolts, old computers, hand-me-down clothes, and more. After we got through the fair, we headed up to "La Sebastiana," which is the house of the famous Pablo Neruda. Don't know him? Google him. He's one of the most famous Latin American literary artists to ever have lived, and his work has inspired many, including Ché Guevara. Fun facts, right?! His house is a beautiful 5 story masterpiece on the side of a Valpo hill overlooking the ocean. Although we didn't get to enter the house itself to look around (that costs money, and we didn't want to pay), we walked around his garden and bought some lovely post cards. 

^ Alexa and I on Pablo's balcony, overlooking Valpo ^

^ Pablo's House itself, La Sebastiana ^

After visiting Pablo's, Alexa and I walked down the hill to the cultural center of Valparaíso, and then even further to the center of town. There, we grabbed some good ol' chilean food for lunch: chorrillana and schop. What is that, you ask? Well, chorrillana is a classic chilean dish, but that's all we knew, so that's all you're going to know. Schop is what the chilean's call draft beer. The beauty of this meal? We got food for 3 and two extra large beers for a whopping $13 USD total. 

^ Chorrillana (fries, meat, hot dog and cheese) and Schop ^

After our delicious meal, we went out to explore more of the city, and headed up one of the ascensores (escalator/elevator) on the side of a hill. After the somewhat jolting/terrifying ride up the hill, we made it to the cute historical part of Valpo, and saw some beautiful graffiti and architecture. Finally, we closed our trip with a rooftop coffee before heading home. 

^ Some of the incredible graffiti on the streets of Valpo ^

^ Rooftop coffee with Alexa ^

Okee, so onto the next topic... Swimming in the ocean! So, with my awesome beach friends, I went swimming in the ocean at 5am on a Monday night/Tuesday morning. Crazy, right? Don't worry, I didn't get sick, didn't get eaten by a shark or a lobo marino (sea lion), and I didn't get pulled in by the undertow. Although I was cold ALL of Tuesday, I can now check it off the to do list, yay! Not much else to say about that except BRRRRRRR

As far as the quizzes go, I'm studying and reading as much as I can, generally studying on the beach. I have quizzes every class in both my Developmental Psychology and Neuropsychology classes, and although the first developmental quiz kicked me in the butt, I've only done better :) I am proud to say that I have gotten two perfect grades in Neuro, and my grade is going up in Developmental. The rest of my classes are peachy, I love my Social Conflict class, the professor really knows how to engage the class and teach well, and the people in the class are all amazing. History is my last class, and all I can say about that is ZZZZZz Its the worst, the professor is boring, doesn't have interesting slides and just literally talks at us for an hour straight twice a week. My strategy in that class is just to record everything he says, and listen to it later when I can speed it up and save myself half an hour. The beauty of this class: my friends are in it and we always joke around and have a ball anyways.

Alrighty, what's next? The capital: Santiago was a blast. Alexa (one of the other girls from AU who is here) and I took off on a spur of the moment weekend trip to Santiago a few weekends ago, and we had a ball. So some things to know about the city: 44% of the chilean population lives there, its under a hole in the ozone layer and is incredibly smoggy, and it's right up next to the Andes. The people in Santiago are much different than the people here in Viña, and the Santiago vibe in general is much different: the city is much more hustle-bustle places to be things to do than the chill "buena onda" that Viña is known for. Nevertheless, I loved it. 

^ Does this even need a caption? ^

The entire time we were there it was 70 degrees and sunny, and yet there was still a gorgeous view of the snow-capped Andes, which was breathtaking. Our first night there we met up with a friend of mine named Raimundo, who is a Santiago native who was essentially our guide for the weekend. Friday night we had piscolas in the hostel and then went out to a club in the city for a night of dancing! The night was a ball, and finally came to a close at the wee hour of 4:30am. After a sad 4 hours of sleep, Alexa and I were up to take on the city and explore what Santiago had to offer. First, we had some delicious chilean hangover food: chorrillana.

^ Fries with hot dog, pork, onions and eggs, served with bbq sauce ^

So after our feast, we took a five minute walk and ended up at the second Pablo Neruda house we've been to. This one was not as fun to visit as we couldn't walk around it very much without paying to get in, unlike the one in Valpo. So, after a quick five minute look we headed out and explored more of Santiago's more popular attractions. Our main stop that day was the Museo de Bellas Artes, which was incredible. Raimundo suggested we visit because his favorite chilean band, Los Jaivas had an exhibit set up in the museum. Little did we know, as soon as we walked in the band was setting up for a concert, while a famous artist was preparing his mural to paint a picture while the band sang, and the audience sang along. All I can say is that watching it all happen was magical, dorky I know, but the energy that the entire place put out was beautiful. I guess you have to know the history behind the band: they are essentially the Chilean Beatles. They were the inspiration to the people of Chile in their time, and put out radical music that created the hippie movement. When Pinochet came along, the band left Chile and did not return to stay for over two decades. Nevertheless, they inspired the Chilean people, and so their live performance was moving. 

^ Los Jaivas playing at el Museo de Bellas Artes ^

After our museum trip, and walking all over the city (which is MUCH bigger than Viña), Alexa and I returned to the hostel for a BEAUTIFUL three hour nap. Oh, by the way, the hostel had awesome comforters: down and so fluffy. Heaven. Anywho, Raimundo came over to hang out at the hostel and we made mushroom with onions and cream sauce, served with asparagus. Yummy.

^ Me, Raimundo and Alexa at Hostal Luna Calypso ^

Seeing as how our previous night had been cuática (chilenismo, meaning: exaggerated, extreme), we decided to stay in and sleep it off. Our last day was spent climbing el Cerro Santa Lucía, a huge hill that has beautiful castles and views, and visiting Raimundo's restaurant in a quirky market part of town. 

^ Alexa and I at the Castle Santa Lucía ^

Overall, the trip was a great success. However, we will be returning, because Santiago is so full of things to do, that a weekend wasn't enough to cover all of it. So, Santiago, ¡hasta pronto!

OKAY. I think I promised you more in the beginning of this post, but it will just have to wait. Its now 1 in the am and I'm a sleepy bear, so good night, sweet dreams, we'll talk soon!

Oh and one last thing, I've made a folder full of all my pictures that I refuse to upload to Facebook. But seeing as how you're special and can see my blog, I'll give you the pictures too. Have at it, but no making fun of the bad ones.

LOVE Y'ALL <3

Deuces

A Week of Firsts

¡Hola, hola! So, I know I've been horrible about posting, and all I can say is I told you so! I have officially been in Chile for an entire week so far, and I'm loving it. Here's the details: this week (as indicated by the title) has been a week full of firsts. So let's get started with the list!

1) First Meal: I wrote about this in my last post (I think), but I thought I'd just bring it up again, because it literally was the first meal I had in Chile! So, we had beef that she cooked in some really yummy broth and mixed with onions, potatoes with oregano, salad, bread, and red wine. Can't forget dessert though, blueberry tart mmmm :) All of it was delicious, Vero loves to cook, and she went all out on this one. So here's the neat part: before every meal we eat, she prepares a mini-portion and presents it to her ancestors to eat at a small shrine like thing in her room. She's spiritual, I'll explain later. Here's the picture of our meal, mini-sized:

2) ¡Piscola!: Alright, so here is your chilean fun fact of the day: PISCO. Yeah. Pisco. What is it you ask? Well, it is the classic alcohol of Peru and Chile. Pisco is to Chile/Peru as tequila is to Mexico. ¿Cachai? So, it is a hard alcohol that is somewhat similar to tequila, but those who don't like tequila still love pisco. Its distilled from grapes, aaaand that's all I know. So the classic pisco drink is a pisco sour, which is pisco, lime juice and sugar. ¡Delicioso! However, this drink is a lunch thing, which is how we get to piscola. The hot drink with the youths here is a piscola which is, can you guess? Right! Pisco and cola aka coke. So, my first piscola was had on Thursday (8/1) at a nice little bar called Café Journal, right up the street. Of course, on our first night out we hoped we would meet friends! Did we, you ask? Yes! BUT. They were allllll Americans. All 20 of them. Yeah, 20. So, I now have a large network of American friends, but that's not too exciting, you know how that goes, so what's next?

3) My first trip to the beach: Friday (8/2) me Alexa and Erica (the other two girls from AU) took a walk down to the beach and had a sunset picnic. Talk about beautiful! The beach is a few blocks away, only about a ten minute walk, and we stopped for empanadas and pisco along the way. So what was so exciting about the beach trip? Two things: first, arguably the most beautiful thing about Viña are the sunsets--the color of the sky changes as the sun sets, but it changes in sections, which results in a BEAUTIFUL rainbow-esque pattern across the sky. So, set that on top of the sea, and tell me you've seen something more beautiful, because I know I haven't. Second, on our lovely beach picnic, we met a girl from Brazil who studies abroad in Argentina, and we made our first foreign friend! We took her out while she was here, but sadly she left Sunday morning. The good news is that I know have someone to visit in Argentina, which will be a whole adventure of it's own!

^ A view of the city from the beach ^

^ Sunset (sorry its crooked, I'm no pro) ^

4) Lomitos: Alright, before I can get to what a Lomito is, I have to explain to you what a completo is. A completo is a chilean style hot dog that is LOADED with stuff, and I kid you not, it is loaded. It comes in an extra large bun, and is covered with tomato, cheese, guacamole AND mayo. And when I say mayo, I don't mean a little bit of mayo, I mean MAYO. There are different types of completos that come with different things, but they all have either guac or mayo... talk about fattening. So, a lomito is the same thing, only it is not a hot dog, instead it is sliced pork meat, cooked in a pan, and cut up. Philly cheese steak-esque, only a lomito is served in a hamburger bun. Now, my first lomito came loaded with cheese, tomato, and bacon (I asked for no mayo, because yikes). It was delicious! Only here's the thing: it was the size of my face, I kid you not. So, I had a meal for two whole days. Yum yum!

5) Class: Monday night (8/5) was my first class, yay! The class, Conflicto social en latinoamérica (social conflict in Latin America), is my only class that I have with other foreigners. Our class consists of 8 Americans, 5 Canadians, 2 Australians, 3 Germans, and 1 Mexican. It's all in Spanish, and the professor is Chilean. We dove into the lecture off the bat, and it was super interesting. The lesson was all about how to define Latin America, and we went through a brief historic recap of the conquistadors and such, but discussed things that I hadn't heard before. Of course, I was fascinated. I won't bore you with the gory details, so on to the next one!

So those are all of the eventful firsts that I can think of, but I'm sure I've missed some... I'll keep you up to date! Well, one last thing: if you have a smart phone (not a Blackberry, sorry Zodle), you can download an app called "What's App" for free. This app lets one text ANYONE in the world with a working cell phone number, so long as that number is saved in their contacts, and there is an internet connection. So, if you can get it, email me and I'll put your number in my phone and text you! Hope to hear from you soon!

Cariños

¡Bienvenidos a Chile!

Alrighty guys, here it is! I will be blogging as often as I remember while I'm here--sorry if its not an everyday thing, I can't journal because I forget, so sorry if I forget about the blog, too! Disclaimer: please don't judge my grammar, I'm in a Spanish speaking country and will stop working on my English while I'm here, so no hating on my writing skills :)

So where to start? The title of the blog, "Cachái" is a phrase that every chilean I have come across so far has told me I need to understand. What does it mean? Cachar is a verb that chileans use that comes from the English word "to catch," it means to get it, or to understand. So "cachái" is the chilean accented version of the verb asking, "got it?" So, cachái? Speaking of Spanish, I luckily haven't had too much of a hard time with the language so far (knock on wood). Of course, I've only been here a day and spoken with flight attendants, shop keepers and my host mom. But nevertheless, it's not nearly as overwhelming as I thought it would be... yet. School starts Monday, and I'm sure that that will be a shocker, so we'll see how it goes!

Okay, so details. Flights. The first one was 9 hours and LONG. I couldn't sleep (it was a red-eye) and it was ROUGH. Nevertheless, we had yummy pasta for dinner, I got to watch the Hobbit, I had a ham and cheese sandwich for breakfast, and I made it to Peru safe and sound. The second leg was only 3 and a half hours, and I was out like a light (except for the part where they served the food--another ham and cheese sandwich). I landed in Chile ahead of schedule, easily got my bags through customs and found my way out without a hitch. I took a taxi to a bus terminal in Santiago and from there got on a lovely bus to Viña del Mar, where I met up with my host mom María Verónica (Vero).

Now here comes the fun part: Vero is AMAZING. I love her already, and she's such a sweetheart. Of course, she reminds me of Irena--the similarities are uncanny, you have no idea. She doesn't speak much English, so my Spanish came in handy, and I'm sure she will help it get better as well. As soon as I got home we began chatting over Pisco Sours (delicious, by the way) and eventually got to dinner (yummy meat and potatoes) with a beautiful Chilean wine to go with it. I unpacked and had everything all organized by the end of the night, and I was off to bed before midnight.

So what else? The views from our high rise apartment IN downtown are beautiful, and you can see the ocean from the wall-to-wall windows that line the apartment. Viña itself is bustling with people (more than I expected) and is full of markets, galerías, bakeries and more. I haven't been to the beach yet, but you can bet I'll be there within the week! The weather is gorgeous, "winter" is misleading--sixties and sunny so far, and I'm loving it!

Well, that's all for now, I'm off to make lunch and go get myself a cell phone, shoot me questions, and I'll answer what I can! Miss you all!