Hey all, hope this blog works better. I included a new post plus the posts from the last blog. !

This new blog starts on Saturday...I wrote it at the beach.
Right now I am sitting on a rock in Las Ventanas (the windows) . This small town is called las vantans becasue there´s a rock formation that looks like a window . It´s amazing. I hope to post pictures soon. We decided to take a day tirp to a place north of Vina called Zapallar. AFter 2 hours on a bus and no sign of Zapallar we decided to stop at las ventanas. It´s a small town on the ocean. There are not many tourists at all but it´s definatly a hidden treasure in CHile. We´re the only gringos (word for white people) here . When we got here a boy selling candy with a microphone announced that gringos had arrived. haha. I don´t htink he knew that we knew what he was saying. We then found a spot on the beach and hung out. This place has a very slow and relaxed pace to it. The water is aqua colored and BEAUTIFUL.
Anyways, let me tell you what else has been going on. On thursday I rode the bus with my host mom to classes. My family is nice and very helpful. THere are two boys a mom and a dad. The house is small but cute. The family lets me do my own thing which is nice . I eat when i want and go out when i want etc... there are days that I wish we all ate together so i can talk and get to know them, but i don´t think they do that here, which is very strange for south america. The bread and fruit are AMAZING: THe food is simple but good. Anyways, back to thursday. I am taking 2 classes, one on culture and one on grammer. THey are both good and i really like the teachers. On thurs. we went on a tour of Valpo after class. VAlpo is a great city right on the coast. We went on a boat tour as well as a walking tour. The culture and colors are very vibrant here. There are people everywhere and I love it.
The university is very close tot he beach and to a mall. I bought a phone at the mall the other day (by myself) and was pretty proud that I was able to understand most of what was going on. My spanish is improving but now its hard for me to speak because my brain keeps freezing...I don´t know why. I was told after 2 weeks it gets eaiser. Anyways, on Friday I rode the busy by myself to class. It went quite smoothly. Comming back was another story, I missed my stop and spent an hour on the bus. On the positive side of things, I was able to see more of the city. There transportation system is quite easy once you get the hang of it (so i´ve been told. ) There are micros (busses) , colectivos, and the metro. The colectivos are like taxies in that htey are a car, but like buses because there is a flat rate and you sit in the car with a bunch of random people . My first experience with the metro was yesterday. I think it´s the easiest way to go. My house is 20 minutes form the other houses so i use the transportation system a lot to meet up with people.
On Friday some friends and i went out to a cafe. WE met 2 argentines who were HALARIOUS! I haven´t laughed that hard in a while. THey spoke english to us and we spoke spanish to them. We left about 1 AM (when the rest of the city was just leaving to go out..haha. ) and I rode a colectivo back to my home. The driver was very nice and interesting to talk to. I helped him with english and he helped me wiht spanish.
Yesterday I went to the beach with my family. It was about an hour away and BEAUTIFUL . For all you swimmers reading this I did some laps in the ocean, it felt great but I think everyone there thought I was loco. At night I went to central vina and looked around. I was supposed to meet a friend there but she wasn´t able to get a bus because they went on strike. It took me an hour to find a way home due to the strike. BLAH. Thats all for now, I´m going to go watch a telenovela with my host brother (it´s a spanish soap opra..haha. ) Miss you all. ADIOS:.
Cristina


Thursday, January 4, 2007

As i´m writing this i´m sitting on my luggage in the SAntiago airport. It´s 11:30 pm here...exactly 11 hours after we were supposed to arrive...the good news:I´´m in CHILE!!! Now let me tell you about my trip.The flight to Dallas was a breeze. I got to the airport and bought my last meal in the states for a very long time. Well I get to the gate and check in and SURPRISE! the captain is sick, but no fear, another guy is on the way and it will only be delayed 2 hours. whew. So I started talking to the people next to me...turns out they were going to Santiago for the wedding of the daughter of 2 religion profs at luther...what a small world. Well they became my temporary family for the next 2 days. So I got on the plane...sitting in the LAST row by the window thinking to myself , this is FINALLY happening. So the plane takes off and I finally get to doze for a while. About 1.5 hours later the captain gets on the speaker:"Folks, we have a light in the cabin that needs to be checked out, the safest way to do this would be to fly back to Dallas and have them check it out. It shoudl only take 20 min and we´ll be back in the air"Ok, a bummer, but no biggie...rather be safe than sorry. About 20 min later:" This is your captian, don´t be alarmed but safety and rescue vehicles will meet us on the runway just as a precaution."hmmmm, ok, it still doesn´t sound too badAbout five minutes later the flight attendents come around and review the safety information, explicitly showing parents how to hold their children if we were to crash. Ok, getting a bit more nervous. Then:"I would like to remind every one toe fasten their seatbelts tight acrros their laps, TIGHT AND LOW! give it an extra tug. " THis is when i started prayingWe we began our decent and I could see the fire trucks out my window rushing towards the plane, the wheels hit, we went back up , then they hit again, and we were on the ground. WHEW. That night I stayed in a hotel and the flight left the next morning. AND we just landed in CHILE!!! YAY! So now i´m just waiting for some friends to get through immigration, then we´re off!Love and miss you allCristina
Posted by Cristina! at 5:57 AM 1 comments
Monday, December 18, 2006

Mi familia!
Chile is getting closer and closer and actually starting to feel real! I just got information on the family I will be living with. I'll be living in Vina del Mar with the Ordenes. I have two host brothers... Nicolas (16) and Felipe (23) who are both students plus a host mom (Ana Maria) and dad (Guillermo). Crazy to think I'll be meeting them in two weeks! Still NO word on the visa...defiantly starting to get worried. We've called the consulate and e mailed them and they have not responded at all. I'm not sure what will happen if I can't get my visa on time...they even have my passport so there is no way I can leave for Chile with out flying to CA first. BLAH. Oh well, I'm sure it will work itself out. Hope everyone is having a Happy Holiday! Adios for now!
Posted by Cristina! at 5:03 PM 0 comments
Tuesday, December 5, 2006

Less Than a Month!
Hey all!So I leave in a little less than a month and am excited/very nervous! The visa process is crazy and I'm crossing my fingers that I get it on time...I have to fly to LA over break to pick it up. Right now Chile is just an image in my mind I really have no idea what to expect. For those of you who don't know, I will be taking an intensive class over Jan. and will get to travel for most of Feb. A couple of friends and I are planning on going to Patagonia and backpacking for a couple of weeks. We're also hoping to spend some time in Buenos Aires (Argentina) , and of course, enjoy time on the beach. When I come back at the end of Feb. I will be starting classes at the Catholic university in Valparaiso, Chile. I will be living in a host home with a family in either Valparaiso or Vina del Mar. Both cities are right on the coast. I will be in class until July 14(ish) and then will be comming home and hopefully finding a job for a few weeks! I will try to keep this updated every week or so...but right now I better get back to focusing on finals! Adios!
Posted by Cristina! at 4:54 PM 0 comments
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)