Week 6

Week Six
Kelsey Lewis:
This week we had our first group vacation in Chile. We all met at the school and got on the bus for the short scenic ride to Vina del Mar. We were all so happy to be back by the beach! It had been six weeks since we had seen the ocean and it was so nice. The familiar smell of seaweed and salt lingered in the air and there were seagulls everywhere. We stayed in a nice hotel very near the ocean and all had lunch together that first day. We then took the scenic route around town, walking along the waters edge. We also got to see a clock made entirely of fresh flowers! The weather was a little cold, but it was still a great day.

After our walk around town, we returned to the hotel and got ready for dinner. We all went to a Chinese buffet, which was good but a little rough on the stomach. After dinner, some of us trekked to the local casino for a little gambling. Only a few people got lucky and the rest of us just watched. The next day, we awoke early and had breakfast at the hotel; the ham, cheese and butter sandwiches were very interesting. We took a bus to the next town over called Valparaíso. We got to ride an ascensor (elevator) that was different from any elevator we had ever seen! It was like walking into a small room made entirely of dark wood. The ascensor rises up the side of a small hill. There was a great view of Valparaíso and Vina del Mar from the top of the hill. We explored a little art fair and then took the stairs back down to the town plaza. The descent down the hill exposed us to walls covered in all sorts of graffiti art.

While in Valpo we were able to tour Pablo Neruda’s home. We had visited his home in Santiago that week too. His houses are very unique and interesting. The drive to the house and back down gave us a very good view of the streets of Valparaíso. The houses are varieties of bright colors and very beautiful. We ended the trip with a group lunch at a seaside restaurant. On our way home, some people got dropped back off in Vina del Mar to start of the week of spring break. Everyone else returned to Santiago. For the break, some people are going to Peru, some to Uruguay, some to Argentina, and others are traveling throughout Chile. It will be weird not seeing everyone for a week, but it will be wonderful when we are reunited and can share the stories of our adventures!
October 27, 2009 3:03 PM
anaisinelconosur said...

Week Six
By Jamie Cisar:
Thursday we had a day of service learning at el Jardin de Ninos. It is a daycare for children from low income families. The entire experience was extremely fulfilling. We left the school at 9 a.m. We were all full of anticipation, as we did not know what we were going to be doing as volunteers. As Carlos led us to the outskirts of Santiago, we were able to see our first glimpse of the landscape of Chile. It is quite similar to the agriculture and landscape of California, as there are vineyards and common landscape—such as poppies, prickly pear cacti, and eucalyptus trees—throughout the countryside. The ride passed quickly and soon enough we arrived at el Jardin de Ninos.

Personally, I was extremely nervous before interacting with the kids because I do not have much experience around younger children, but I surprised myself as I had a really meaningful experience. Even though I fell in love with a few children—and honestly wanted to adopt this one particular four year-old girl—I also had a rare encounter with a seemingly distressed young girl. As I tried to cheer her up by placing her on my lap and giving her a horse jiggle, I felt something warm spread across my entire femur on my right leg. I continued to try to speak to her in Spanish and make her smile until I realized I should get up and play with another, more willing, child, which would hopefully motivate her to play with us. As I took her off of my lap, I looked down to see that my pants were soaked with a familiar smelling liquid. At first, I could not believe she would just go around peeing on people, until I realized I probably caused her to pee by giving her a horse lap ride by jiggling my leg. One of the women who worked at el Jardin de Ninos changed her clothes and told her not to pee on anyone again, but that instead she should ask to use the bathroom. After she did what she needed to do, her mood improved considerably as she was laughing and playing the rest of the day. I found other children to play with and became increasingly exhausted as the day progressed. Because of the children’s high energy, the group seemed to take shifts with play time. Half of us played with the kids until we became tired, while the other half prepared food. This routine continued for most of the day.

We played an organized balloon food eating contest with the children, prepared food for them and ate with them, and played individually with them. The day went by quickly and before we knew it, they were giving us a hand-signed thank you card before we had to leave. All of us were happy to spend the day with these balls of energy and found it extremely rewarding to interact with such innocent and lively children.
October 27, 2009 3:04 PM

Week 4

This week in Buenos Aires was the adios, farewell week. As we are heading off to Chile this Saturday, we said goodbye to our schools and our beloved Spanish teachers, and are spending our last moments here in the city and with our host families. It is bittersweet as although we are sad to leave, everyone is excited to go to Santiago and see a whole new place.

This was a fun week here. Last weekend started with an excursion to Tigre, a neighborhood on the outskirts of the city. We took a train to the peaceful little area with open blue skies that has a small river flowing down the middle. Having a leisurely lunch and walk is a good way to get a break from a big city like Buenos Aires. That night we experienced some of the city culture by going out dancing with a couple of the personnel from our Spanish school, and I think everyone enjoyed trying to dance like a Latino to the reggaeton music.

Saturday was a free day, and a lot of people took advantage of time to rest and explore the markets and buy souvenirs at the fair. However, some of us used this as an opportunity to travel more and took a ferry to Colonia, Uruguay. Colonia is an antique Atlantic coastal village that has a lot of history, pleasant outdoor cafes, a lighthouse with an excellent view, and the best sunset that any of us has watched in South America.

Sunday we all went to a Gaucho ranch. It is a traditional country ranch that had llamas and horses, and we even got to ride the horses. We had a Gaucho lunch accompanied by music dancing, and mate. Mate is the bitter herbal tea that is so popular here that it is hard to find an Argentinean who doesn’t entertain friends with a gourd of hot mate.

This school week was fun because we had one of our culture classes at one of the cities oldest and most well known cafes, which is popular for its Tango shows and its attraction to famous artists. We read more stories written by great Argentinean authors and went to a “conversation club” to speak – in Spanish -- about revolutionary Che Guevara. Having the opportunity to learn Spanish and to supplement it with South American literature and culture classes is a great feeling. I learn so much that when I go to bed at night it seems that I could not learn any more -- that my brain is a sponge fully saturated with new information. It feels good because it comes with a feeling of accomplishment.

Everyone is leaving Buenos Aires tomorrow after four short weeks with more confidence in his or her Spanish skills, and more aware of themselves. A lot can be learned about oneself when homey comforts left behind and one is immersed in a new place with new people with all new things to do.

Week 4

As the saying goes, “all good things must come to an end.” We are living that saying this week. However in the typical fashion of our group, we have made the most of every moment. In between studying for Spanish tests and writing midterms, we filled our time with the sights, sounds, and smells of Buenos Aires and the surrounding areas. On Friday, we took the seatless train to Tigre, a sleepy little suburb on the Rio. We relaxed at a restaurant along the canal and then were free to explore before our return to the city. On Saturday, a group of eight of us notched another country under our belt, Uruguay. We took the ultra-fast, luxurious Buquebus across the Rio to Colonia del Sacramento. Colonia was a town built during the 1700s and 1800s, and has maintained the old town feel in their historic district. The day was spent exploring the aged cobblestone streets and shops, and bonding through café’s watching the sunset in an outdoor café. Not to be outdone by its neighbor to the north, Argentina offered us its own version of the slow life on Sunday. We traveled two hours into the countryside to Estancia Cinacina in San Antonio de Areco to experience the Gaucho way of life. It was a day filled with horses, comida asada, and of course, mate. The final weekdays in Buenos Aires were filled with the places people wanted to see before they left: Puerto Madero, Floralis Generica, etc. They were also filled with times of reflection of the great time that has been had in our short month spent in Argentina. Even with our hearts still in Buenos Aires, we must continue our journey in Chile. It is a bittersweet moment, we must say adios, no, only ciao, to the people and places we have come to love in this great South American city. But ahead of us, we have a whole new adventure, a whole new country.

Week 3

We continue on our great adventure through Argentine culture; one experience was a delectable lunch at Oro & Candido. We explored a variety of foods of this country's origin. We started with baguettes, local hare, and lamb and mushroom empanadas. Then came along the alligator kabob severed with peppers and paprika dip. Next was sweet water fish croquettes. In addition to this rare meal came llama then to BBQ ostrich with vegetables. To top it off, came a special dessert of handmade cheese, spaghetti squash jam, and sugar can syrup. This whole meal expanded our minds as well as our taste buds. Our guest speaker and restaurant owner discussed with us the history of each dish, which unveiled the mystery of how it came to be on our plate. For example one of the vegetarian dishes was a delicious serving of quinoa and the story behind the grain. Quinoa was once very abundant throughout Argentina and an important source of nutrients for Amerindians. When the Spanish began to colonize Argentina, they learned the importance of quinoa as a sustainable source of food and destroyed the fields to gain the Amerindians dependence of Spanish imports. Today Spain is the number one exporter of quinoa in the world. This extravagant meal was delicious and insightful to Argentine culture.

Leaving behind the bright lights and tall buildings of the city behind us we embark on our journey into the vast countryside and onto Iguazu Falls. 18 hours later we arrive exhausted, yet excited to unveil the mystery of our new surroundings. After settling in to our hostel, we set forth into the jungle on tractor ride to the animal rescue and rehabilitation center. We meet Roy and he shows us the animals that have entered their facilities. Just to name a few of the animals we meet are tropical birds, eagles, and a new monkey friend. We head out of the jungle and into the city of Iguazu. All of us stand at the crossroads of three different countries: Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina all divided by a fork a river. Then have a grand dinner with a show. The following morning we arise early to get a head start to on our day at Iguazu Falls National Park. Our first encounter of the waterfalls was by boat, and we flew through the rapids and dove beneath the waterfalls. After drying off the group proceeded by train to the Garganta Del Diablo (the devil's throat). We walked above the river and reached the heart of the falls. This magnificent sight made us ponder of the power and beauty of these endless waterfalls. We continued our adventure through the upper, middle, and lower trails of the park. We saw the waterfalls at every angle and each time we were reminded of the unbelievable force of Iguazu.We left this mind blowing environment and headed back to town to enjoy a night at our hostel. We topped off this amazing day with a BBQ and Brazilian show which was held for us and our international friends.

Our last day of Iguazu we head to Irapuca, a small village crafted by wood, shows us the third world view of Argentina which we had not experienced. We relaxed and swam before heading back to Buenos Aires by bus. The long bus trip gave us time to rest and reflect on our amazing adventure.

This past week has opened our minds and taste buds to new experiences of a foreign culture which has created everlasting memories.

Authors: David Ibarra and Larissa Durkin