I personally have been learning the words for lots of different foods, as I didn’t know the names of many foods in Spanish before I came here. I have been eating yohgur de frutillas (strawberry yogurt), uvas (grapes), papas (potatoes), pan con queso (bread and cheese – a favorite of my Chilean family), lots of carne (meat) and even a little moriscos (seafood). It has been difficult for me to adjust to the meal times here. I still find myself not quite hungry enough to finish my giant lunch, and then I am always super hungry in the evenings, but hopefully I will adjust.
These last few days I have been exploring Vina and Valparaiso a lot more. My friend Kelly and I have been going on runs throughout our sector of Vina, and we are able to find our way to a lot of landmarks now. The streets are numbered like New York City, so once we learned to orient ourselves, we were much more comfortable finding our way around. Tomorrow we are taking a group tour of Vina and Valparaiso, so hopefully after the tour we will know the city even better.
Vina is very diverse. Most of Vina is residential, and there are some nice places by the ocean and also some places where the housing is cheaper. There are lots of vendors on the streets, outside the mall, and even on the Micros. There are not many tall buildings in Vina, mostly short apartments. However, there are many small shops, which gives the city a hometown feel. Valparaiso is a bit more foreign to me still, as I have not done much more there besides get off the bus and walk to my school. However, it is large and very city-like, with taller buildings and less residencies.
There is a fresh fruit market right around the corner from my school where farmers from nearby places can come to sell their goods, and it is common to see small horses or mules bringing the fruit in the morning on carts. There have been a lot of protests in Valparaiso recently, and there was even one at my school today. I have been watching the news with my family at home, and they have been helping me understand the current state of the Chilean economy and politics. Many citizens are unhappy with the president and the current government because they have not fulfilled their campaign promises. Some protests are against the creation of hydroelectric power plants in the Patagonia, and others are centered around the cost of education and healthcare. The protest today at my university was about the cost of education, and due to the large number of people who showed up they had to cancel all classes and close the building. However, the people here pride themselves on the fact that their protests are peaceful.
We have stayed in touch with several of the Chilean students we met earlier in the week, and they have invited us to spend time with them this weekend after our group activities! It is nice to have other people our own age that we can ask questions to and use as guides when we go out at night. As far as the Spanish goes, my headaches have officially gone away, and every day I feel more and more confident in my Spanish abilities. It is still difficult to understand what people are saying sometimes, since Chileans “speak like a machine gun” (according to our tour guide) and especially since I have learned that Chileans are famous for dropping the last syllable of a word when they are talking! However, thanks to the patience of many of the people here, I am able to learn, improve, and understand a little more each day. This weekend we have tours lined up of Vina del Mar, Valparaiso, the second house of Pablo Neruda in Valpo, the third and final of Pablo's houses called La Isla Negra, and a “casablanca” or vineyard, out by La Isla as well.
Im looking forward to spending a little time with my family this weekend, they couldn’t be more accommodating and generous! Next week I start my internship, so I am sure I will have much to share again soon!
Viva La Chile!
Julia Marie
The market by La Catolica
The veggie market!
Me and a few friends hanging out in Valparaiso!
