Descansar, aprender, y recargar

Soooo it has been quite a long time once again since I updated you all. Between traveling, tests, and papers, I have barely had time to write, but it’s all good. Besides I am procrastinating writing a paper and going on a run right now, so I figured why not at least pretend to be productive.

I’m not going to go all the way back to when I last posted, but I do have a couple of trips update you all on. First of all, a couple of weekends ago, I went with my program to a city in southern Chile called Temuco. It was actually a pretty fun trip, despite that I hadn’t exactly heard rave reviews about the town. We left Thursday afternoon after I went to the prosecutor’s office in the morning to pick up some paperwork I need for my health insurance and to give a declaration. Woot woot trying to speak competently while you still have morning brain. Anyway, that first night was quiet since we just settled into our hotel and ate dinner. The next morning we spent our first full day in Temuco volunteering at a Mapuche school. The Mapuche are the largest indigenous population in Chile, and they are concentrated in the Southern region of the country, particularly near Temuco. The kids at the school were quite happy to have us and to eat the delicious treat we brought them-- mmmm, Smores. I did interact with the kids a bit, but I mostly helped lay pavement for a new covered recreation patio they are building at the school. Cool stuff. We also enjoyed a tasty home cooked stew and coleslaw, which is apparently quite popular in the Mapuche community.

The next day we woke up bright and early to go on a hike through the forest and up a hill. It was super pretty, and we got a great view of the city from high up there. Unfortunately, there was a sort of repetitive nature talk sprinkled in there, but hey, I appreciate the guide’s enthusiasm. Anyway, after we trekked back down the hill we headed to a market to eat and shop. OH MY GOD SEAFOOD. I got the biggest bowl of shellfish, meats, and sausage I have ever seen in my life. It was amazing. I counted, and there were 25 oysters and clams. I ate all of them. I definitely couldn’t finish the meats though.

After lunch we headed to the beach where we got a chance to walk along the ocean and then watched a lovely (but chilly) sunset from the hilltop. Honestly, I think growing up so far from the ocean has made me appreciate it ten times more. I just can’t get enough of it. We then spent the night cozied up in our cabanas near the playa. The next day we ventured into a Mapuche village to learn about traditional Mapuche culture. The lesson on weaving was super informative, and then we got an opportunity to talk with the citizens of the pueblo. Interesting stuff. However, the talk went a wee bit long, and we were all starving by the time we got to eat the traditional lunch of (more) coleslaw and a lentil stew that I consumed within minutes with the help of some homemade bread.

We arrived back in Santiago late late late that night after our flight was delayed (why does this always happen on CIEE trips?!), and I was happy to be back in my own home, my own city, and my own bed.

That week after Temuco was a short but stressful one. I had a really awful culture and society of Latin America test (I studied for eight hours the day before, but the prompt was just THAT difficult) and then a notsogreat Grandes Autores class (I didn’t understand a thing about the stories) and then the day went downhill from there when our hostel for Copiapo fell through. The only saving grace was that Max, and I got to spend the afternoon together and then have a farewell dinner. Needless to say, my exhausted and downtrodden self was ready for a vacation. And a vacation I got! Brita, Katie, Nona, and I managed to find a different hostel in Copiapo (it wasn’t perfect, but it was liveable and cheap), and spent the next four days lying on Chile’s most beautiful beach. It was honestly spectacular. Words and pictures really don’t even do it justice. What was not so spectacular is the super intense sunburn I got on my face and legs. Oops. Yeah, showering has been painful, and I have been peeling for the last few days. But what can you do? It was my fault for not realizing that SPF 30 does not cut it in the desert, and cloud cover does not mean that you can’t get burnt. Sigh. But yeah, on the whole, it was a nice relaxing vacation. I caught up on a lot of sleep, and I didn’t bite my nails at all!

Anyway, this week has been back to reality, since we can’t live on the beach forever, but after a five-day weekend (we had Halloween and All- Saints day off), the week was only two days and two classes for me. Plus, I got that Estetica test I mentioned in my last post back, and it went really well, which was a much-needed confidence booster. Max is still out of town gallivanting around Peru and Bolivia, which means that after 50 days together (yes, we hung out for 50 days straight, and he somehow didn’t kill me), we are spending 10 days apart. I am hoping to use these days apart to be productive though, because tomorrow the parents and Grandma Cookie and the entirety of Super Target all arrive! I am super excited to show them around the city that I have called home for the last four months. Plus, we are going to visit Jo in Vina this weekend, and I am returning to Valpo for the first time since July. Then it is off to Puerto Montt, Chiloe, and Puerto Varas next weekend to see some penguins and volcanoes (I decided we are seeing the Volcanoes, the parents have no choice). Anyway, I am really pumped for their trip, and I already have a mini-itinerary planned in my head, though of course, there is always room for changes. Hope all is well with my followers! I’ll post pictures in a bit.