Pichilemu Part 2

I'm back in Santiago after a much needed mini vacation.

The second half of my time in Pichilemu was just as relaxing as the first.  It turns out most of the people left the hostel on Friday, so there were only 4 of us and Oliver (the hostel owner) there that night.  After my last update I went back and relaxed at the hostel, and we got the idea to play Jenga and cards.

I have to confess that I'm not the best with my hands, but this turned out to be one of the most epic games of Jenga I've ever played.  It was a girl from Germany, Zack, and me.  As you can tell from the pictures, the tower got pretty high.  Zack and I fist pumped our way to victory.  (Hey, we're both from Jersey and people at the hostel couldn't resist bringing up Jersey Shore, especially since Zack surfs).

The rest of the night was spent playing Rummy and me cracking bad jokes.  Actually some of them were pretty funny, and we had some good laughs.

On Saturday the plan was to be out the door by 8:30 to get to Punta de Lobos (a nearby beach with good surfing) in order to enjoy the early waves and beat the crowds of surfers.  I was up early, but no one else was.  After making some breakfast I went back to sleep.  We ended up leaving the hostel around 11 and got a taxi there.  It was cloudy and overcast for a while, but then the sun came out.  Zack surfed while I explored the area and then listened to music on the beach, and then we got a colectivo back around 4 or so.

The afternoon was spent wandering around the town, enjoying some fresh fruit juice, and then relaxing back at the hostel.  Zack and Stefani (a girl from Denmark) made an amazing dish of rice, beef, and vegetables for dinner, and we sat around and talked the night away.  Of course I was making bad jokes all along the way, but they were actually laughing.

I got the bus back this morning, and I was really grateful for the trip.  While the hostel didn't have common amenities like an included breakfast or towels or a computer for internet, it was a cozy place to stay with a friendly and helpful hostel owner.  Its small size of only 12 beds really contributes to the feeling of community.  I hadn't played cards or Jenga like that in a long time, and sitting around talking with people and smiling and laughing so much was such an enjoyable experience.  I didn't spend a lot of money on the trip (and I did eat out a few nights), and I'm so glad that I gave myself this mini vacation.

Pichilemu Part One

I´m typing this from an internet cafe in Pichilemu now.

Pichilemu is a small beach town about 3 and a half hours away from Santiago by bus.  Its streeets are tranquil but a bit run down.  The people are welcoming and tranquil.  They have parks that resemble a Japanese garden, and there are basketball courts with skate parks next to them.  Empanadas are everywhere, as is the seafood.  The beaches have black sand, and the dogs lay about just as they do in Santiago.  American influence has even reached this beach town.  Although there are no signs of McDonald´s or Burger King that seem ubiquitous wherever I´ve traveled, as I walked past a go kart racing track they were blasting The Kids Aren´t Alright and Pretty Fly for a White Guy by The Offspring.

Pichilemu is not as close to Santiago as Valpo or Viña, but it gives you the sense that you´ve escaped from the hustle and bustle (and pollution) of the city.  You can get around most places walking, and the community feel of a hostel is always a nice feeling about traveling.

My trip started out with the bus from Santiago at 7 AM Thursday morning.  It was a holiday and I was concerned about being able to get to the bus station with buses running less frequently, but I made it without a problem.  The ride was uneventful, and when I got in my hostel told me to call them and they´d pick me up from the bus station.

I was greeted by a blond haired, blue eyed guy that was about my age.  His name is Oliver, and he´s the owner of the Sleep Eat Surf hostel that I was staying at.  He´s from Switzerland, so me and him have spent a good amount of time speaking in German.

After chatting with the people at the hostel, I was off to the beach for a few hours.  I really enjoyed sitting along the beach and taking in the sun while listening to my Ipod.  After a few hours I got an ice cream and walked down the length of the beach and made my way back into town.  There are small restaurants throughout Pichilemu, mostly serving either fast food, empanadas, or seafood.  There are also small shops selling buckets and beach toys, and other typical beach items.  I settled on getting some empanadas from a stand near the beach before heading back.

In the evening I relaxed at the hostel and chatted with the other guests.  Most of them were German, so it was nice getting to talk to them.  Zack arrived a few hours later, and so it was cool having someone around that I knew too.  Then Oliver decided to have an asado for everyone, and it was really good food.

Today has been just as relaxing.  After breakfast Zack and I headed out to the beach.  It was cloudy and cool, and I watched him surf for about an hour.  Then we walked along the beach and set up a mini canvas with his surfboard and my towel and talked for a while.  After a while the sun came out and Zack decided to do some more surfing, and I made my way back into town.

I had a late lunch of a kebab plate with french fries, and here I am at the internet cafe.  I´m really glad to have this opportunity to get out of Santiago for a few days, and it´s a way of recharging my batteries to stay motivated to work throughout the summer here.

The weekend

So when I got home after the earthquakes (I thought it was aftershocks, but they were completely separate earthquakes) it turns out my place was fine. 

On Friday evening I went out with some friends to a famous bar in Santiago called La Piojera, which is famous for its drink called the terremoto, or earthquake.  The place had people all over the place, and it was loud and chaotic.  Perhaps the best part of the bar was the clown that was going around making balloon animals and other things.  I had a blast and am glad that I went.

Today was a lazy day, as I mostly stayed at home besides for a shopping trip and stopping by the hostel to catch up with some friends from the program.  People are going out again tonight, but I am opting to stay in tonight so I can get up early and go to the beach tomorrow.

I am learning my way around, and it's a really satisfying feeling knowing how to get around the city with the bus and metro.  I am able to go grocery shopping without a problem, and I can ask where to find things or for help if I need it being understood by people and understanding what they are saying.  It's a nice feeling that I am starting to become integrated here and makes me realize that my Spanish isn't that bad after all.

The weather forecast for tomorrow in Viña is 72 and sunny.  Hopefully it will stay way so I can enjoy the day.

One Month Already: The beach, furniture hunting, hiking, adventures in cooking, and school

It's hard to believe that I have been traveling for a month.  A month ago today I was sitting in the New York JFK airport staring sadly at the snow and wondering if my plane was going to take off, while today I am walking the streets and navigating the busses of Santiago in sunny 80 degree weather.

This past Saturday I went to Viña del Mar, but because of the cold and overcast weather (which was a direct contrast to the warm and sunny weather in Santiago that day) it was a bit of a washout.  Luckily Viña is close enough that I can go back another time.

Sunday I finally got to do furniture shopping with Fabiola and Gustavo.  But first I had to get cash to be able to buy said furniture.  After walking to 7 (yes, seven) different ATMs, I was finally able to get cash.  We took the bus there, and Fabiola insisted on taking pictures of me and Gustavo on the bus. 

The Bio Bio market was huge, and I can understand why people say that you can easily get lost in it.  It is laid out in a huge grid, and there are rows after rows of people selling furniture and all types of housewares.  Then when you get to the end of it, you realize that you can cross the street to find another huge grid of the market. 

Fabiola negotiated prices on my behalf and got me a nice armoire and a rollable table/TV table, and I got both purchased and delivered for a sweet 66,000 pesos (about $135).  I think the best part of the delivery was sitting in the back of the truck and watching the back door fly open as I stared out the back of the truck.

That afternoon I went hiking with some friends up the San Cristobal Mountains.  At the top there is a huge statue of the Virgin Mary as well as some delicious empanadas.  The hike up was a bit strenuous and reminded me that I need to get back into shape, but the hike was worth it.  It turns out that there is a quasi open air church set up outside, and it looks like they do church services there on Sunday mornings.  It would be interesting to attend something like that, and I think I will do so before I leave Santiago. 

My first few days at school have gone pretty well.  I have mostly been observing the classes to get a feel of what the students know and their levels so far as well as how the teachers teach.  The young students are adorable, and singing songs with them is a lot of fun and reminds me of how I miss teaching kindergarten. I have already gotten to teach them the Days of the Week song I used in my kindergarten class.  The older kids are interesting in seeing what they know and how far along their English is.  They seem more reserved about talking with me and speaking English, but I figure with time they will come out of their shells.

I can already see that teaching here is very radically different in a variety of ways.  For example, a class size of 35 is completely normal and they are allowed to have class sizes of 45.  There are no overhead projectors, and the rooms are almost completely bare with the exception of the desks, chairs, and a white board.  Teachers bring their own white board marker and even their own eraser.  Students stay in the same room, while teachers move from room to room.  Becuase of this, it is impossible for them to have anything written on the board and prepared for students in advance.  The students also seem to have more liberty to chat amongst themselves throughout the class period.  I am not viewing this things as a negative, but rather as a cultural difference that influences the education students get and the school environment here.

I finally decided to brave the kitchen and cook something for myself after all this time.  So I decided on some pasta with chicken and tomato sauce, figuring that that couldn't really get too complicated.  Well, I had a surprise.  It turns out when you buy chicken breast at the supermarkets in Chile, they not only give you the chicken breast, but they also give you the bone and ribs of said chicken attached to the chicken breast.  Luckily one of my roommates helped me carve it.  After that, I was able to cook everything without too much of a problem.  This is what it looked like when I finished:

It looks pretty appetizing, but the mixture of chicken flavored with oregano, salt, and pepper did not mix well with the whole grain pasta and tomato sauce.  Despite that, I am proud that I did not burn the house down or end up in the hospital becuase of my eating.

Wednesday I met up with another teacher in the program at the Estacion Central to catch up on everything from the past few weeks since we both moved out of the hostel.  We came across a huge shopping mall attached to the bus station, and we walked around and did some shopping for our apartments.  I now have a few rugs and a few other small things for my place.  Afterwards we got a bite to eat at a small restaurant:

This weekend I am hoping to get to the beach and/or do some mountain hiking.  We shall see what the future holds.

What day is it?

I think it´s Tuesday.

Seriously, time goes by very quickly here.  The days seem to blend together as I meet new people, spend more time with people from my hostel, and explore Rio.

On Saturday I did a full day tour of the major sights of Rio organized through the hostel.  We saw the cathedral, which is very famous but also very controversial.  It is shaped like a square and has entrances in the front and two sides, and its unconventional design disappoints a good amount of people here.

After that, we tried to see the Sambodome, but it was way too crowded and busy for us to get near.  So instead we headed to the football stadium.  Apparently it is world famous, as it hosted the 1950 World Cup andwas able to seat 200,000 people until part of collapsed during a game.  They have since put regulations in that everyone in the stadium has to sit, and that standing room isn´t allowed, which has brought its capacity down to about 94.000.  Rio gets to host the 2014 World Cup as well as the 2016 Olympic games, so that´s awesome for them.

Unfortunately we didn't have time to see the inside of the stadium or the musuem, but it was cool getting to see it from the outside and snap these pictures.

Then we got to see the Christ the Redeemer statue in the Corcovado mountain range.  He overlooks Rio and his arms are wide open to the city, and it took 9 years to build it.  It was finished in 1931. 

Later on in the day we went to an all you can eat buffet as well as the Selaron staircase that leads from Lapa to Santa Teresa.  About 20 years ago an artist named Selaron decided he was going to take colorful tile that he collected from his travels and start decorating the stairs.  He still works on it on a daily basis, and I was able to get a picture with him when I was there.

The last stop of the day was the Sugar Loaf.  We took a cable car up to the first level, and the view was pretty amazing.  Then when we went up to the next level, and I was able to see the Christ the Redeemer stuate in the distance.  That was the end of the tour.

Other than that, my days have been spent exploring with other backpackers and spending time at the beach.  My 3rd attempt at hang gliding is supposed to happen in about half an hour, and the hostel promised me that it will happen this time.  Hopefully they will keep their word.