Mirando al pasado

So it's been about a year and a half since I embarked back home after my adventures in South America. Reading these posts makes me want to build a time machine and somehow experience it all over again. What is nice is that I actually kept up with the blog better than I thought I would, and I actually kept a digital journal version (with juicy private details the world never gets to know) on my computer so I can look back and refresh my memory of all that happened.

While I will not be able to travel for awhile I know I will have to return to South America someday to complete the journeys I was unable to the first time around. We're talking Iguazu Falls, Macchu Picchu, Torres del Paine (Tierra del Fuego), Salt Flats of Bolivia. These are places I definitely want to go to with someone, traveling alone was fun but these are things that need to be shared experienced. Additionally I desperately have to fight the urge to just fly to Australia to tour the country and crash on the couches of Jules, Kath, Laura, Jamie, and basically if you're an Aussie and I met you in Chile, expect me to invade your house at some point in the future.

This post is basically to waste time and re-set my mind before I finish writing my last assignment for the semester before finals start... uh-oh. Maybe someday I'll be able to take the time and fill in the blank spots I left here, most likely not but there's always hope...

Sister Shoutout

This is what Sarah wrote while in the cafe on campus tuesday the 20th about the first three days in Santiago:

Chile where to begin other than the fact that we keep being told what we are experiencing is NOT the real Santiago. A little confusing if you ask me. For as my little sister says, “it never rains in Santiago,” yet everyday we have been here it has been raining or looks like it is going to rain. No bars were open Monday night which is very uncommon our native friend said. Also the power went out at the place we are staying, again another rare occurrence. So either these are huge coincidences or Mikaela and I are very very unlucky. I will lean towards coincidences if you ask me. Speaking of never raining in Santiago we/I have come up with some random sayings to remember the trip by:
It NEVER rains in Santiago!
No habla English equipo tambien (s/he doesn't speak english team also, sarah's game she would play around campus by randomly listing all the spanish phrases she knew)

You won’t really understand these unless you really know us Bizer sisters. Which I might add is quite an honor for those of you that do, haha! Being also really helps a girl’s self-esteem if you ask me. I have never been cat called, whistled at or literally STARED DOWN by so many guys in two days. Even though I know it is just because we are gringas, I can’t help but want to start to cat walk when I hear the whistles. I am having the time of my life and am so excited all three sisters could share this time together.

Quick bullets from 2 weeks ago

I meant to turn this into an actual post but I ran out of time so I'll share with you the bullets I laid out to outline my montanismo expedition Mother's day weekend:

Monday May 12, 2008

Montanismo expedition Friday through Sunday: Hiking to the base of the mountain at night, sleeping and then hiking up the mountain and back down in a day, spending the night then hiking back to the bus in the morning.
Equipo elefante: This was the name our group gave ourselves, based on my random elephant trumpets throughout the day. Our group of girls represented Austria, New Zealand, Australia, and the US
Kat overcoming her fear: Kat has vertigo, Kat came with us to climb the mountain, at lunch Kat wanted to turn back, Kat made it to the top, Kat had some issues with the descent but made it all the way and we are so proud of her
Singing rap on the way up, lion king at the top: To entertain ourselves (and others) we sang rap songs on the climb up, and I performed the "circle of life" for everyone at the top of the mountain... repeatedly... with whatever prop I could find to represent Simba
Barbeque, making pasta dinner while camping: the whole group got together for an "asada" or barbeque but since we ended up getting back WAY later than anticipated and had a vegetarian in our group we made pasta, but it took FOREVER
COLD ATTACK!: Basically it was late fall, in the wilderness, at night, with nothing to break the wind, also I woke people the next morning by pretending to be a bear and attack their tent "ataque de ossa!"

Climbing on a playground afterwards in all our montanismo gear: the group of us taking the metro to el Centro and then walking back to various houses stopped in Parque Bustamante to climb the jungle gym with our backpacks still on and ice-picks and everything
Talking with the fam sunday, Gpa Jim and Gma Karen: Once I got back to the house, cleaned up and went to the internet cafe I was able to skype with my family and grandpa Jim and Grandma Karen who were visiting.

I have virtually no pictures of this trip because on the first day I went ot take a picture, tripped, put my hands behind me to catch my fall...and broke my camera. It got fixed a month later but all you have for proof is my word, unfortunately no photos to accompany it.

Extreme Sports = Extreme Fun in Pucón

First off, you can check out the pictures from this weekend and all my photos at http://picasaweb.google.com/jbizer3
This past weekend I planned on keeping busy so I wouldn't just be thinking about how my parents had just left to go back home so when an opportunity to travel to Pucon came up with two of my friends from Australia, Laura and Rowena I was excited to go.
We took an overnight bus, a ten-hour ride, down to Pucón on Thursday night since it was a national holiday and none of us had classes on Friday. Also by taking the overnight bus we saved money by not having to pay for a hostel that night. We arrived friday morning at about 9ish and made our way to Hospedaje Lucia where we were greeted by a very friendly Lucia and then walked a tour of the city and picnic lunched at the shores of Lake Villarica. With the view of a snowcapped Volcán (volcano) Villarica in the distance it seemed like something out of a Disney movie, however climbing that volcano was anything but a ride at Disneyland...
We booked a package deal and saved money through the company Sierra Nevada for climbing the volcano on Saturday, the termas (hot springs) Saturday night, and white-water rafting the Rio Trancura Sunday afternoon.
Thursday Night concluded with possibly the best falafel Chile has to offer in one of the few Middle Eastern themed restaurants in the country who serve actual Middle Eastern dishes. As we returned to the hospedaje to get ready for bed in order to prepare to the 6:00am morning, what is on the news but a volcanic explosion…
Down in Chaitén, further south from where Mom, Dad and I traveled, a volcano erupted, however as of that time there were no fatalities but nevertheless, it’s not the news you want to see when your planning on getting closer to and climbing up a volcanic summit the next day.
Saturday started bright and early as we made our way to the shop to get our gear on and head to the volcano. The group was made up of the three of us, a guy from Australia, a couple from Ireland, and two guides. We drove near the base then started the long trek up the volcano through rock and snow. We got to wear crampons to walk better in the snow on the way up and after about 4 hours of walking filled out with 5 breaks or so we made it to the top. There wasn’t any boiling lava to see but there was plenty of sulfuric gas to breathe as we hiked around the volcanic crater. On the way down, in the snow-covered areas we strapped on a protective diaper of sorts then got to slide on our bums down the mountain; I learned quickly how to go fast but wasn’t quite as talented at the whole stopping thing, haha.
Our group half jokingly decided that if a movie were to be made about the hike up the volcano it would be called Volcan Villarica: Remember the Pain.
That night we made a delicious pasta dinner then headed out to the thermal springs to let our muscles relax before we used them again in the white water rafting the next day. At the thermal springs we met another group of intercambios some from Católica, others from La Chile (Universidad de Chile). We had a good time relaxing in the hot springs and some of us even braved the 300meter dash from the firs to the last hot spring in the complex.
The next day we were able to sleep in since no one was coming to check into our room that day, we were able to have a easy brunch and leisurely get our stuff together for the white-water rafting. At 2 we made our way over to the office and met up with the group, our guide, the van driver, a videographer, a photographer, a kayaker, and the office worker who was taking a day in the river. With only 5 ladies in the raft (all Australian but for me) we had more helpers than customers so it felt pretty safe. It was the first time I had done rafting in a wetsuit; they gave us all the gear, shoes, suit, shorts, jacket, gloves, helmets, and of course paddles (we wore our own swimsuits underneath it all, gotta be hygienic). After going through the instructions we set out for our first rapid.
What made this trip more interesting was that the rapids were actually more like waterfalls than rolling rapids, which is what I am more used to. Also the water level was slightly lower so that could account for that. There was one class 6 rapid we had to hike around but once past it we got to jump in from about 5 meters up. It was fun, but COLD. I had kinda guessed we would jump since they told us they had a “surprise” after the rapid but Laura and Row were definitely surprised. Row said it was the highest she’s ever jumped from.
After the rafting we celebratedwith some small cookies and a little pisco sour. I think the plan was to get us a little tipsey so we would buy the video and pictures of the trip. We ended up coordinating with the other Australians in the group and all went in to share the pictures. Once I have them I will post them on my picture albums, I’m sure there are some great shots in there!
All in all it was an amazing trip and I’m so glad I got to do it. WE were really lucky in terms of weather since on Sunday climbing the volcano couldn’t have happened cause of the clouds and literally as we stepped in the van after rafting it started to rain. Considering we went in the off-season and it was supposed to be raining the whole time we definitely lucked out.
This week I have to get back to classes and after the past 2 weeks filled with parents, traveling, and adventure, I’m not sure if I’ll be able to pay attention in a classroom.
However I have a new mission now, planning K and Rah’s visit!!!!! T-minus less than 2 weeks!!!

Pictures in Picasa Web album

To see all my awesome pics from the Vaca. with the Padres go here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/jbizer3
I'll also try to post some on here as well later!

Adventures with Mom and Dad

Well Mom and Dad made it safely back to DC. I’ll chat with them later today about their flight; it’s quite a long journey from here to DC. I know I had a wonderful time with them and if a picture is worth 1,000 words our trip needs at least 725,000 words to cover all the stuff we did. Between the 2 cameras we took over 725 pictures and there would be even more had one of the cameras not run out of battery.
I’m going to try to put a link here to the web albums I have made of the trip.
We had a great time, the first day I took them on an “easy” hike up Cerro San Cristobal. Adding up the distance to walk there, climbing and descending the hill, walking back to the house, then moving the luggage to their hotel to check in, it was over 10 miles…oops, I didn’t realize how long it actually was, I’m just so used to walking/metroing everywhere. At least I didn’t forget to give them their first Mote con huesillo as a first taste of Chile.
The next day we went to Cerro San Lucia and the artisan marketplace there, where the Chilean pesos began to come out of the wallets in earnest due to mom’s first shopping experience in Chile and luckily for rah, K and I come Christmastime, by no means was it the last. We also made it to the Plaza de Armas and the National Cathedral, Mom and Dad also got to try their first Chilean empanadas. Mom and Dad were also even more awesome and took some of my closest friends I’ve made here and me out for pizza. We went through some delicious pizza pies and a couple bottles of wine and ended up closing the place out with our fun discussions about the US, Australia, Canada, and Chile.
The next afternoon we then flew to Puerto Montt and spent the night and the next half-day there. It was neat to be right on the Pacific Ocean, and our hotel room (in a sister hotel of where mom and dad were staying in Santiago) was spacious with a wonderful view. Mom had fun shopping for Dad before we headed out by bus to Bariloche Argentina. In customs it helped to have a “B” last name, haha
In Bariloche we were able to tour the Lake Nahuel Huapi and see two nature reserve islands with spectacular views from the boat of the Andes mountains, including the highest peak in Argentina Torre-“something” (I’ll have to get out the guidebook and check) we ventured off the beaten path and had good exercise hiking so then treated ourselves to some delicious steak from the parrilla (grill) at a restaurant called el Boliche del Alberto. If you’re ever in Bariloche, go check it out, and you can also drink some Santa Julia Cabernet Sauvignon (somebody finally realized how cool I am and named a wine after me). We also had some delicious chocolate, it was so hard not to eat all of it the rest of the trip.
We bussed back to Puerto Montt, and spent a half-day there before bussing and ferrying to Chiloe the next day. First we went to Castro, the capital of the Big Island and had some amazing crab and seafood. We saw some dolphins of the ferry-rides and then in Castro visited the same Church Pope John Paul II visited in 1987. The next day we headed to Ancud with the goal of seeing the penguins, unfortunately the penguins left their colonies in late march, something no one told us until we arrived, ready for some hard-core penguin watching. We were able to take a cold but informative and pretty tour on the pacific though, seeing some otters: the gatos del mar “cats of the sea”, some flightless ducks and other birds as well as getting some spectacular views of the Island. It was truly gorgeous in Chiloe.
We headed back to Puerto Montt, flew back to Santiago then spend the next 2 days around the city. We were able to have dinner with a group that included my friend Kat and her parents who were also visiting. I had to go to class on Tuesday but Mom and Dad navigated the city without me like pros. The last night Miriam hosted us all to dinner in the house and we had the last of our wonderful dinners, sharing the whole experience of where I’m staying with them.
It was so tough to say goodbye on Wednesday but I’m so grateful for the fact I was able to see them and share the whole experience with them. I can’t wait for Sarah and Kaela to visit! I should have enough Reese’s and peanut butter to last me until them, haha!

MOM AND DAD ARE HERE!

Wow I apologize for not posting in awhile but I've been so busy living life I've forgotten to take time to write about it. I've had montanismo expeditions, Colo-Colo games and plenty of good times to share but the biggest news for now is that MOM AND DAD ARE HERE VISITING ME!!

They got here without any problems and we had a good 2 days touring Santiago, I had them following me all through the city, hiking up Cerro San Crístobal (a big hill on the edge of the city) only 3 1/2 hours after they landed! I also showed them Cerro Santa Lucia, the Artisan marketplace near Santa Lucia, the Plaza de Armas, and the National Cathedral. We were also able to have a lovely dinner with some of my closest friends here and share stories abou how much everyone loves me! Haha, not really but in my imagination thats what we talked about.

We're now down in southern Chile, in the northern Patagonia region in a city called Puerto Montt and tomorrow will cross into Bariloche, Argentina for the steak and chocolate (steak for dad, chocolate for mom, both for me =). We´re also planning on visiting the big Island of Chiloé afterwards to see the punguínas. I'll try to update again as soon as I can and will definitely upload photos of this incredible trip!

It's so wonderful to see my parents and be able to share this with them and I'm glad that in some way I can share this with all of you as well.

Cuídense,
Jules

week 5

Week of March 31 to April 6
This week of classes went pretty well. It was the first week of my Cultura Chilena class, which is specifically for exchange students so the pace change in the speed of talking is definitely welcome. Sometimes the professor seems to go too slow but I’d rather the class be slow and catch all of it then the other way around.
There was an “Around the world” party at school on Thursday. I had tried to help make the PB&J, M&M cookies and other “USA” treats for our stand; but unfortunately we spent a long time waiting for one of the girls to show up at the metro that I had to get to campus rather than go bake. I did send in some pictures from my trip to the Grand Canyon, a Caps game, and Holidays.
One of my Australian friends had a barbeque at her house where she lives with 5 other international students on saturday night and it was so much fun. I learned how to make guacamole and made my first batch, it turned out quite well if i do say so myself. we had soooo much delicious food that i had to go for a run today to make myself feel better after eating so much. But the bast part was that there were people from four different continents speaking five different languages at least all having a good time hanging out and eating delicious food. I don't have any new pictures since unfortunately my camera broke but possibly it will miraculously start working again, which would be amazing!

piedras piolets y polvo (rocks, ice-picks, and dust)

Sunday March 30, 2008
Today was my first mountaineering expedition. It was a day trip where we met at 8am (although I actually left the house @ 6:30 am to make it there on time by bus since the metro doesn’t open until 8am on a Sunday). We all packed into cars driven by the Chilean students who were able to aquire them for at least the day then headed up into the mountains.
We split into 10 groups of about 7 or so, each led by an ayudante, or student helper. We all proceeded to hike up and then back down into a valley where the mountainside was full of little rocks and perfect for the day’s lesson. We all learned how to stay in control and slide/ski/surf down the mountainside using our piolets (ice-picks) to steer, balance us. It was adventurous, fast, athletic, and quite dirty, which for me equaled a very good time. After having lunch in the vallesito (little valley) we headed back up to do come obstacle course sliding with and without the piolet.
While learning all of this we also learned that if a rock starts falling down the mountain the first thing you should do is yell “piedra” (rock) and then get out of the way. Throughout the day various students got taken by surprise when a rock they couldn’t see hit their foot when the person up the mountain from them jumped out of the rock’s path. It was also quite comical when someone would start to slip down the mountain and the ayudantes would yell “alumno” instead of “piedra”. I will definitely not forget that word; it may be the last word in Spanish I ever remember but I can tell you right now I don’t think I could forget it if I wanted to.

A couple busy days in Santiago

Wednesday was soccer practice and Miercoles Po. Miercoles Po is an event that occurs every Wednesday at different venues discotheques and bars throughout the city for Catolica students. All foreign students get in free and it is a fun was to get to know different venues throughout the city as well as meet other Catolica students.
On Thursday I went back to the Christian group for college students called El Oasis. It was really great and I’m so glad that I was introduced to it. It reminded me of old-school FUMC youth, there was dinner, a scripture reading, a skit, a testimonial/devotional, as well as live music being played by a band of el Oasis members. The really interesting aspect of it is that it is all in Spanish which is fun for me and the other 5 or so English speaking exchange students who go there. I’m thinking that on Monday I will leave practice early to make it there just a tad late.
On Friday I took my first ride on the public bus system. I know it has taken me awhile but I figured out the bus system here in Santiago since the metro didn’t go out to where the mountaineering store was located. I was so proud of myself. I also went to a barbeque with the girls soccer team here and had a really fun time hanging out and getting to know them better especially away from the soccer field.
Saturday I got a package from home with CHOCOLATE and SHOES two of the things a girl can never get enough of! It was so exciting, especially since I had resigned myself to not receiving the package until at least Monday!

getting the groove of things

Monday March 24 and Tuesday March 25
I ended up getting an extension on my paper on the play Almas perdidas which is great, and I found out that I can be reimbursed for montanismo equipment as long as it doesn’t exceed $200, um awesome, hello camping equipment and piolet [sp].
I was able to Skype it with my family last night too which was an absolutely lovely ending to my <> . I enjoyed wishing everyone on the street a “feliz Pascuas de Resurreccion” as well as singing Easter hymns and songs from My Fair Lady with Laura and Jules.
Today I officially registered for my classes and also got my student discount Bip card (for the metro and buses). This card lets me travel for 1/3 of the cost on public transportation with is great since I have to take the metro to campus every day.
Instead of going to soccer practice today, I had decided ahead of time that I would attend a Monday night Bible study. Since I wasn’t going to practice I decided to go for a run at around 6, not the smartest idea. While the temperature was great I was running in the middle of Rush hour, tons of cars and smoke and I think it messed with my health cause I started to get a headache.
I went to El Oasis and had a real fun time getting to know people and participating in the games and it was just really great to discover this place that is so close to where I live and such a great group to be a part of. Unfortunately my headache got worse and I went home a little early and went to bed around 9:30 (waaaay early by Chilean standards) and I think 12 hours of sleep was what I needed just because of all the stress and activities and everything catching up with me.
I woke up Tuesday feeling good and went window shopping with Jamie before classes began then got out of my last class early and am enjoying the free time before I have to buckle down and get cracking on all my school work. Luckily I only need to get C’s to transfer the credit, I don’t have to strive for A’s which is an interesting feeling but I’m kind of enjoying knowing the pressure is kind of off and that I can enjoy what I’m reading rather than overanalyze it all.

2nd Full Week of Classes

This week was a lot of fun and busy. It’s definitely nice to feel like I’m in a sort of routine. I registered my visa on Monday then there was a scrimmage with the soccer team against the School of the Americas. There were so many girls that we split into 1st half and 2nd half teams, and it is a completely different style of soccer here.
Later Monday night I met up with some of my Australian friends to celebrate St Patrick’s Day, which is not really big in Chile. We just ended up having a leisurely lounge at an outdoor bar/restaurant since the only Irish pub in the area was overcrowded and had a cover of 10.000 which is just over $20.
I was also able to meet up with another AHS Alum who is currently studying in Santiago. Carter has been here since July and is studying at U de Chile which is the other big university institution in Chile.
On Thursday there was a Colo-Colo game vs. Boca Jr.’s and when my friends invited me to come watch with them I didn’t realize they meant at the stadium watching live. It was so much fun and luckily not anywhere near as dangerous as watching soccer in England or Argentina. There were no assigned seats but since I was a little late in meeting them we ended up having to watch the first half standing up on he back of some nice gentlemen’s chairs. In the second half, another girl and I decided that since we were pretty tall by Chilean standards we would watch the game at a closer distance with Javi, our Chilean friend and guide to all things Colo-Colo. WE ended up standing right up by the field and had to answer a couple of friendly questions about where we were from and why we, as girls, were interested in soccer. As we left, a paraplegic boy who we had talked to decided to give me his Colo-Colo flag, and seeing no other alternative I accepted it with a smile.
On Friday the city was shut down for Good Friday and it remained so until about Sunday afternoon. For Easter I ended up going to 2 Aussie friends’ apartment Saturday night, sleeping over then going to an international, interdenominational service in English. We then went back and set up a small fete with friends about 8 in total and ate well, having the Australian Easter tradition of hot cross buns as well as some delicious cooked vegetables, salmon, and cheese sandwiches. Our friend Jules from Australia is quite the chef. The only really weird thing this Easter, besides being away from home was the fact that down here it isn’t spring, but fall. As soon as I found a bush with flowers I had to pluck one off and put it in my hair, just to make up for the fact that it wasn’t springtime.
After a nice, long, lazy Sunday I went to a Starbucks hoping to get a wireless internet connection but the only non-secured one I can access is for a hotel lobby and I don’t feel like buying a room to get wireless. I should’ve checked for wireless reception before I ordered by highly caffeinated beverage.
I decided that on Monday, rather than go to soccer practice, I would work out on my own then go to an 8:00 Bible study for college students that takes place about 2 blocks down and 2 blocks over from where I live. I can go one day without soccer and if it ends up being enjoyable it might become a weekly thing. I just really need to find this play I’m supposed to read before Tuesday so I can spend time on Monday writing about it.

Montanismo morning activity March 16, 2008

Well bright and early Sunday morning at 9am for my Montanismo class there was an activity on campus to help prepare us for the 1-3 day long excursions which will take place later in the semester. Unfortunately I was a couple minutes late as there are not as many trains running in the metros on Sundays so the wait can be longer. This meant I was in the Papas Fritas (French fries) group with all the other late people, not really a bad thing it just meant that we had to stand in the middle and just know that we were late…
The whole group split into 12 teams and we had to go through 12 different tasks in 2 hours, each worth a certain amount of points and the team with the most points at the end got to eat lunch first. The tasks ranged from boiling water to make tea with one of those travel makeshift gas-stove things, scaling a rock climbing wall, going through a “spider web” of ropes with a backpack and not touching any, but my favorite was when we got to rappel down the side of the mathematics building, sure it was only 2 stories but I still felt like a cool secret agent.
My team ended up 5th, not too shabby for a bunch of Papas Fritas, although we did change our name to Chorillanas (a dish with kinda philly-cheesesteak combo with a over easy egg on top of French fries, I tried it on Monday and while greasy it was quite tasty). It was a lot of fun and it makes me that much more excited for our excursions, although I still have to find someone to borrow an ice-pick from…

Paseo a la Playa, a day for all the exchange students and freshmen to go to a beach in Cartagena to make friends and party

Lounging on the beach

Aussie and Americans

Bailando!

The group, USA, Brazil, Germany, Australia y Panama

More Santiago Tour Games

Us with the big horse in the Plaza de Armas


Afterwards awaiting the results, we won T-shirts!

Santiago Tour Games

These are pictures from the Santiago Tour Games, which were like a scavenger hunt around Santiago for exchange students and freshmen

We had to get a picture with Caribineros (policemen)

The whole group

With two of the guards from la Moneda

Cristian y Yo

March 16, 2008

Interesting Facts I’ve Encountered/Things to Know if You Come Visit

• You “say hello” with a quick peck on the right cheek, not to do so is rude but as a foreigner you get some leeway
  
• They like mayo here, a lot! And it comes in pouches not bottles
  
• Hotdogs are also very popular
  
• Stray dogs are popular as well. They roam the city with free reign, how else do you think the grass gets so green?
  
• If you are a girl you will get whistled at. Period.
  
• The don’t flush the toilet paper, it goes in a trash can in the stall
  
• There is no toilet paper in the stalls, you get it as you walk in to the restroom
  
• The water is OK to drink but it has chlorine in it
  
• If buying bottled water, Beware! Chileans love their carbonated water. Make sure what you have is Agua sin gas
  
• They drink a lot of coffee/tea/instant coffee, I have no clue how most people stay hydrated cause they sure don’t drink water
  
• Bureaucracy stinks, and it is everywhere, 5 stamps required, it is South America
  
• The ice-cream however, is quite tasty and it too is everywhere
  
• PDA runs rampant. Everyone lives with their parents until marriage so the hormones are raging when teenagers/young people/any people are out of the house
  
• Speaking of PDA a boyfriend or girlfriend is a Pololo(a) to say you have a novio(a) means you are engaged; pololear is a great concept and we should bring it to the US

¿Cachai, po?

First Full Week of Classes

Week of 10-14
Monday, well I didn’t have any classes today but I still went to the campus to register for classes and just try to figure stuff out. I ended up being able to take all the classes I wanted and I finally heard back on Wednesday from the professor in charge of approving classes for my Spanish major. Looks like I’ll get all the approval from Richmond I was expecting, I just have to make sure to keep all the syllabi to justify the credit.
On monday I also practiced with the Universidad Catolica girl’s soccer team. It was interesting; it reminded me of high school ball since the level of dedication doesn’t have to be that high. There was also a big difference in the skill level but at least I was on a field and there was some conditioning/exercise.
Tuesday I had my Montanismo (mountaineering) class and it was just a bunch of exercises to help people get in shape before we climb a mountain and have to walk for 5 hours straight or whatever. It was fun and there are a lot of people to meet, and I’ve found it’s always easier to meet people goofing off playing games/relay races so it’s nice.
Wednesday I decided that since I didn’t have classes I would go to register my visa at the Policía Internacional. Once I found the building I had to wait in line, take a number, wait, then the moment I sat down at after being called into the office the whole system shut down. Apparently the internet company lost signal…after waiting and chatting politely with the gentleman helping me we found out that there was no way it would get fixed in the day. I’ll have to go back Monday since that’s my next free day but I have until the 29th to get it done so I’ll be OK.
Wednesday night I met some other girls from the US who’ll be practicing on the soccer team with me when we can. It’s nice cause it’s not that big of a commitment but I still get to play. I also met up with my Aussie friend Jamie who has been to Chile twice before and we went to a club to see some of her friends in a Chilean rock band play. It was a lot of fun although the Chileans love to party a lot later than us Americans, even when I’m having a good time, I feel like I’m always the first to want to sleep, haha.
Thursday all the extranjeros (exchange students) and noventos (freshmen) had a day off of classes for Paseo a la Playa, a beach party about an hour away. It was a lot of fun although it was pretty cloudy and the water wasn’t really warm enough for swimming. It was a great way to hang out and meet other exchange students.
This week there’s another person staying at the house with me. She’s from Australia and waiting for a work visa from Britain and during her break between jobs she’s traveling South America. She’s already been to Bolivia and Peru and has some great stories to share. It’s also nice having someone else in the house so I’m not the only non-family member.
Some of us are organizing a St Patty’s day outing to the one Irish Pub in Santiago Sunday night. There’s a Montanismo activity Sunday morning and so we decided not to celebrate on Saturday night since we have to be able to run around. Chileans don’t know about St Patrick’s Day, but I’ll be dressed all in green come Monday!

9 de Marzo del 2008

well this was my first weekend as a student here at PUC and it was quite enjoyable. Friday the school held a party for all the foreign exchange students and it was a lot of fun. We all had facepaint of our flags on our cheeks and painted stuff on paper they had set up on tables outside. Unfortunately friday was the one day it rained so they had to move the grills and the festivities under a tent but it was still a lot of fun. we learned Chilean equivalents of the "electric slide" or "Cha-Cha Slide"
Saturday was abuelita's birthday (I'm still not sure what her name is so i call her abuelita) and there was a nice family dinner then I went to some Aussie friends' apt to chill. I spent the night there then this morning we walked up Cerro San Cristobal. It's a much more rewarding experience walking as opposed to riding up the telefericas. Before we left we had a nice brunch in Bellavista, a touristy section of the city. It was one of the few places open since the tourists are really the only people who would go to eat on Sunday since it's a day everyone spends in the house. I had lovely ham avocado and cheese sandwich (eggs, bacon, pancakes, and cereal really aren't big here). Then we walked up saw the view and came down; it was great weekend excercise.
I plan on a nice calm sunday afternoon, maybe some homework, then tomorrow I have my first practice with the UC girls soccer team to see if I want to do that.
I'm still enjoying the lovely weather and unfortunately cannot upload photos here ffrom the intenet cafe, I will try tomorrow @ UC and hopefully be able to share more of my experiences with everyone.

Dias 8 y 9, 5 y 6 del marzo

March 5, 2008
In trying to describe the City of Santiago over IM:
Well first off it’s obviously a city, but there aren’t that many tall buildings cause of the threat of earthquakes, so most buildings are under 5 stories. There are poor, grungy sections right next to national parks filled with green trees and playgrounds. The mountains are on two sides, the Andes on one and some others whose names escape me on the other. And from March to October there’s kind of a smog over the city which makes is hazy but the sun is still bright. It’s clearer by San Juaquin, away from the central part of the city.

March 6, 2008
Well I had my first two classes today. I’m still waiting on professors at Richmond to tell me whether I’ll get any Spanish credit for any of them but I know UR won’t give me any credit for Montanismo, but when I have this opportunity I wouldn’t want to pass it up!
My schedule will leave Mondays and Wednesdays open. Monday means good for travel, Wednesdays means time to study/read/possibly volunteer. The Chilean Ministry of Education has a program called English Opens Doors where foreign exchange students volunteer part time 4-16 hours a week to help teach English Chilean public schools in low-income areas. The students are taught English from grade 5 on but there aren’t that many qualified English teachers willing to teach there so they ask for volunteers.
Maybe on Wednesdays since I have time, if my schedule doesn’t change I can do that.
Classes started yesterday and it was so nice to meet people, especially other foreign students. Unfortunately the orientation was strictly academic and didn’t have any sort of social aspect to it, other than preliminary talks. Many students were so focused on classes, the atmosphere wasn’t great for anything beyond “hola, me llamo, de donde eres?” etc.
I’ve managed to meet a couple of really cool people and we’re all determined to enjoy our time here, learn, and make lots of friends. WE went out on the town last night an had a good time. It was my first time enjoying the nightlife of Santiago. One of the pluses is that here I’m legally allowed to go into any bar/club I want as the drinking age is 18. It’ll be tough this summer not being able to hang out in DC with K and Rah since I don’t turn 21 until this September.
Tomorrow I plan on bringing my camera to campus so I can post pictures here for everyone, but I might not bring my computer. I’ll probably end up updating this on a school computer or on Saturday, since tomorrow they’re having a fiesta for all the new students and foreign exchangers. I might get a little distracted being oh so popular and meeting people that I forget to update ;)
Send me an email whenever you want at jbizer3@gmail.com and I’ll typically respond the next day.

Dia 7, 4 de Marzo del 2008

Well yesterday and today were so eventful I really didn’t get a chance to post it here. I was able to send e-mails to the family and talk online, Sarah and I tried to talk today and I could hear her but she couldn’t hear me.
Anyway, Monday was my orientation with 1/3 of all the other foreign exchange students. I decided to go into the center of the city early just to explore a little and I wanted to add time in case I had trouble navigating the metro. I went in then went to Cerro San Lucia, a hill in the middle of the city with hidden paths, gardens, and steps cut right into the rock face. At the top is a beautiful view of the City, not quite as spectacular as the view from Cerro San Cristobal but it was still lovely.
After wandering aimlessly for a while (and having to catch my breath once or twice after some excited exploring) I decided to head to the Casa Central, where the orientation was. I was the first person there as it was still about 50 minutes until the orientation began but I couldn’t think of anything else to do where I would be back intime/wouldn’t get lost in the city.
As others arrived we said preliminary “holas” and the first 9 of us were all from different countries, Ireland, Germany, England, Australia, Iceland, Brazil, Sweden, Canada, and I represented the good ol’ USA. After the preliminary “de donde eres” y etc it was quite awkward although there were a couple of nice people I hope to see again, one guy even gave me his old Spanish/English dictionary cause I had left mine. However, on a campus of 18,000 it might be hard to find people. I just really hope to find a group soon because being the only foreigner/student in these 5 blocks is kinda lonely.
Today, since I had nothing else to do I went to the San Juaquin Campus to check out where I’d be studying. I brought my laptop in hopes of accessing the wifi network but unfortunately apparently it takes 24-48 hours after registration for the computer to receive wifi on campus. That means there is hope for tomorrow at least. Additionally, I also had fun trying to figure out the South American keyboard, particularly how to make the @ symbol, something with “alt” and “Q” was what I figured out.
I also went by a mall about 2 metro stops from the campus cause I was told there would be a casa de cambias (where I could exchange $ for pesos) there. Santiago is EXPENSIVE! I had heard that but I didn’t realize that basics such as shampoo, batteries, and clothes would be twice the price as at home. Food, Metro, and Internet seem to be the cheapest things here, which is good cause I need all three =). There were some interesting things to check out but I only bought sunscreen and bodywash cuase that’s what I needed, I’ll look for sales on summer stuff later when its cheap here but I can use it back home. At least that’s the plan.
I hopefully will have a cell phone tomorrow and even though it’s the first day of classes, none of the classes I hope to take meet on Wednesday. I’ll still go in for a tour of the campus and to see if there’s a job as an English tutor I can take up on Wednesdays to maybe make a little dinero for excursions on the weekends since I cant find any appealing class that meets on Mondays…

Dia 4, 1 de Marzo del 2008

Yesterday was a good day, I went to Cerro San Cristobal with Juaquin. Que bonito la ciudad! The Andes loom like well-intentioned guards over the city and at sunset, they sky turns pink behind the mountaintops and it is beautiful. We went up the teleferica to the top of Cerro San Cristobal and enjoyed a Chilean drink similar to iced tea. There were grains similer to barley and corn in at the bottom of the glass then a drink similar to iced tea with two sweetened frozen peaches. Is was quite sweet and although unusual, there was a familiarity in the taste; needless to say it was nice refreshment.
From the top of Cerro San Cristobal you can see all of Santiago and the day was clear and lovely. There is a large statue of the Virgin Mary at the crest and Catholic influence can be seen all throughout the city.
We also took the funicular down to a little marketplace and while an enjoyable ride, it was a little pointless since I’m not planning on spending any more money until I can exchange some more, plus I don’t want to waste anymore after the taxi from the airport and a phone card that didn’t work.
Afterwards I had dinner with Juaquin and his family. I also had lunch with them today as well. They’re extremely nice and generous, introducing me to tasty Chilean dishes. His father is quite funny, insisting that since I was there to learn Spanish he would speak slowly for me and telling Juaquin not to speak English. They said that when my family comes to visit to let them know so they can have us over for dinner or help us plan a trip to Chiloe. It was wonderful to visit with a family although when he invited me to attend Mass with him and his wife it made me a little homesick since there are very few Methodist churches in Chile.
Today we went to their golf club and to the swimming pool, and it was so interesting because it seems that unlike in Northern Virginia, the pools are much more exclusive and really are only in country club type places in Chile, or at least in Santiago. It was so refreshing to swim in the cool water and I enjoyed it immensely although I feel like the palest person in Santiago right now. Even though I tried to be careful my shoulders are a bit burnt but that was cause I had not yet bought sunscreen and the only type of SPF protection I have is dual sunscreen/insect repellant so I tried to use it sparingly.
I’m excited about orientation tomorrow, but I still need to buy a “bip” card for the metro here. Or possibly I’ll take off a bit earlier and walk, the weather is so nice I might as well.
I just can’t wait for the internet to be fixed here cause it would make things a lot less complicated and I could talk to my family with privacy and whenever I wanted as opposed to paying about 85 cents per half-hour

Dia 3

How to leave me a voicemail FORFREE: if you are in the US dial 1-888-579-0208, then follow the prompts.
Enter my account number: 3101356387…leave your message
I’m so glad that I figured out the phone card situation. Since my family and I worked out talking over the internet, not having the internet was a big problem for me, since I’m very big on the whole talking thing. It’s nice to talk in English and understand completely what people are saying. It was also wonderful to talk to them without having to travel to the internet café then realizing I forgot something in the house but not wanting to leave the laptop anywhere. I’m also wondering if suddenly I’m gonna start having to pay large amounts of money for using the internet there.
Sarah broke another record in the 100 free! Tonight is her last night swimming unless she makes NCAA cuts but regardless she has had such an amazing swimming career and im SOO PROUD of her!
Juaquin and I are going to meet up this afternoon and possibly go to Cerro San Cristobal, where you can see all of Santiago, I’m really excited to go and can’t wait to see the city from up there!

dia 2

Sarah broke the 50-free record! Twice! She got 2nd place, which really counts as first with Katie Radloff there. She got on the podium and I wasn’t there to see it. It makes me sad to know that I’m missing the last big swim meet of her college career; even if she makes it to NCAAs I won’t be able to see it. I’m going to wear green and yellow this whole weekend in honor of her swimming. The Gold rush T-shirt is my PJs.
the whole no internet thing makes it hard when that’s the main way I was planning on communicating. I definitely have a little bone to pick with ContactChile.
To those who want to visit me down here or send a package lemme know so i can figure out the whole chilean mail thing. I would LOVE some 4x6 pictures for my little picture album, I was rushed leaving and not only forgot my confirmation papers for transport from the airport, causing slight complications, but I didn’t print out that many recent pictures. While I have a TON on my computer, if I travel or just in general I would like to have pictures of those I love.
I’ll buy my own cheap watch down here, I’m never quite sure of the time.
Forest Gump and Home Alone 2 were on TV last night, dubbed over in Spanish. It was fun to watch them, knowing the scenarios and hereing the Spanish translation. American Pie was also on but it was called “Tu primera vez” or “Your First Time”.
Afternoon
I went on a nice stroll through the parks and monuments, they are very well taken care of and while some monuments are graffitied some areas are quite nice. I enjoyed the 80, maybe 90 degree weather and soaked up the sun’s rays. My shoulders got a tad pink but coming straight from winter what could I expect.
I took a good amout of pictures with my little duck. Explaination: When K and I were down in Carytown w/ Suz’s family before ringdance, we went in a soap/bath shop that had all these rubber duck characters. K bought one for each of the sisters, Fashionduck for herself (it was the only one that had pink), Quickduck for Sarah (with racing stripes), and Surferduck for me.
Right now he is my companion through my travels and has fun posing for pictures with all the monuments; he was even able to swim in a few mini-monument-ponds. I was the total tourist, with my rubberduck and camera.
I should’ve brought my longboard, there are so many skateboarders out today, but it’s also the last Friday of summer. I’m guessing that was the reason there were so many teenage couples mauling face in the parks. Hay mucho PDA here in Santiago.

dia 1

Unfortunately at least for the first week the family I am staying with does not have any internet. The printed ticket I had said the flight would be boarding @ 10:55 when in reality they weren’t boarding the plane until 11:55, unwanted stress as I navigated the International Airport in Toronto. Since there were less than 10 flights after 9:30 when my plane landed, there was no way to bypass customs going into Canada the way I was instructed to. Rather, I had to go through the entire customs process (meaning going out into the regular Canada airport, find an open security gate from the closed ticketing counters, go through security again, only to navigate my way back to where I was 30 minutes before.The flight to Santiago wasn’t so bad, I had an central aisle seat and watched Juno and August Rush. There was someone who had to leave the airplane because a kid under 16 showed up late and so couldn’t be left at the airport. I felt bad for him, he seemed really calm about the whole thing, plus he was kinda cute.
Then customs in Chile...apparently cacahuate isnt peanut in Chilean spanish. They were the only thing i declared but hey it worked out.
The family is Miriam, her mom, her spouse, and her 2 working age sons; I don’t know why I got them confused with Isabella and family who had the young daughter.
This weekend I plan on visiting the US embassy in Chile, to register as a US citizen, maybe go to the Policia Internacional to officially finish the process of my student visa, and possibly visit the Museo de Bellas Artes. I will also buy a cell phone.
I need to buy a watch so I can know what time it is.
Sarah will be swimming in about 30 minutes or so, she broke a record today. I want her to podium so badly. Unfortunately I can’t remember the word for record in Spanish and I’m an idiot who forgot to pack my Spanish/English dictionary.
Night:
They have “How it’s Made” in Chile! The cable channels have some in English in case I get language-home-sick but tonight I turned on Home Alone 2 en espaniol before bed. Que divertido!