Closer to Finding a Groove

After some stressful days of finalizing classes and running around the city handing a useless piece of paper, called a pase, from one office to another, classes have finally started. It seems like all the room and schedule changes have finally settled down too. I am taking the mandatory Spanish class just for us (which we all agree is too easy and kind of a waste of time right now), a folkloric dance class and Social History of Chile. I only have one class a day and never have to set an alarm - just wake up, take my sweet time getting ready, and even get an exercise video in there when I have the motivation. Most people are also doing an internship for class credit and mine hasn't started yet. Most likely I will be volunteering in public schools helping teach English with a program called English Opens Doors. I considered working with an organization promoting bicycle use but after going there once I think I'd rather have that as an on-the-side, if-I-have-time sort of commitment.

Spring break (in Sept. here) plans magically fell into my lap when a group of 5 Tufts people invited me to join them in Peru. We are flying one way, spending a day in Lima, the capital, then going to Cusco from where we will go to Machu Picchu. We plan to bus back, stopping along the way in northern Chile to visit some more sights. I think the bus ride back is around 30 hours, or something ridiculous like that, if you go straight, so it will be interesting. The group is really nice, and since buying tickets we have hung out a lot and had some good laughs, so I'm happy to be going with them.

City buses are an experience because the map is a web of different colored lines and confusing to decipher, many streets are one way so I don't recognize where I am going one way and pass my stop habitually, there are constantly people singing for money or selling candy, some bus stops are not marked and you just have to know it's there, and I'm always alert trying to not get lost. I'm decent at getting around though and generally love public transportation systems - this one I would say is pretty good, with really frequent service. The metro stops running before 11 and although buses run all night they don't recommend we take them, so at night we do taxis which are relatively cheap when split among a few people.

Yesterday at one of the campuses there was a student riot with burning tires, etc. and cops came and sprayed water and tear gas on the crowds. I wasn't there to witness it but just thought it was an interesting story to share. Not to worry, I'm perfectly safe. Oh and my friend got a necklace yanked off her neck at a bus stop the other day. But again, perfectly safe :)

My Chilean grandma has been visiting for about a week. Very sweet lady and does grandma things like cooking yummy food and knitting. Otherwise in terms of family my feelings from the last post remain the same in that I wish they were more involving. The only time I really see them is at lunch if I'm home and even then we don't talk very much. Otherwise I'm in my room doing my own thing or out, and sometimes I don't even know who is home. They haven't made much effort in giving me advice on things to do around the city. I don't think this is an example of a traditional Chilean family, which is big and close and gets together on weekends, although I don't know how common that is anymore. I wonder what they think of me and what their past host students have been like (she has been doing this for about 7 years). No serious complaints though and I'm pretty much used to this setup.

Last Saturday went on a group trip to Pomaire, an artisan village famous for their pottery. In between a delicious breakfast with tons of manjar (dulce de leche) and a huge lunch of empanadas and cazuela (chicken soup with lots of stuff in it) we were taken to a couple of workshops where we got to see the whole process from hard rocks to soft clay to pottery wheel to perfect finished products. The professionals made it look so easy, but when we all got a turn at the pottery wheel it was anything but easy. I failed twice and on the third time with his hands basically doing everything I made something pretty ugly and the sides of my hands were bleeding a little from being scraped by the pottery wheel. At another workshop we made little clay animals and I took the frog home with me :)

Since last time I have found a bar with potent sangria, decided that I have to buy Febreeze if I don't want to reek of smoke for the next half a year, learned that there are a lot of couples out at clubs and the guys actually ask you to dance instead of creeping up on you like they do in the US, gone bowling, walked home across half the city for lack of better things to do and stumbled upon a Russian restaurant called Olivye (how the heck is that in Santiago?!), learned to appreciate Happy Hour prices, and struggled to find the balance for Skyping my parents. (I think I'm big on making lists for such overview updates, how do you feel about that?)

Tonight the plan is to go to "La Piojera," a very local, dingy, cheap and loud bar famous for their terremotos (literally earthquake), a drink with pisco, wine and ice cream. Next week skiing in the Andes. Hopefully more interesting things in between because surprisngly just being in a foreign country doesn't mean your days will be filled with excitement, especially when you don't feel pressed for time. Also hopefully more interaction with Chileans, which hasn't been that easy to find.