Finally Back :)

Here are some photos of my incredible trip:










The trip taught me a lot about life as it was a lot of hard work. I think the biggest lesson I learned is that even when things are looking straight uphill and you are exhausted, you should keep going, because almost always there is a peak that is so worth the hike. Metaphor for life... when things are looking tough just keep putting one foot in front of the other because it is worth fighting to get to the other side. I also learned a lot about balancing personalities and how to deal with 7 girls feelings. I had some practice with leadership and also learned a lot about being a follower. It was an excellent trip!! We had such a great time, lots of laughter.. which is always fun.

Even though the trip was great, I was very happy to be back in my Chilean home with a comfy bed and sheets that only I have slept in! Haha.. also it was so wonderful to have food to eat at all times, instead of just relying on the tortillas and cheese we carried throughout the trip. Of course, it was also nice to see my host family. I really did feel like this was my home when I came back, which is an excellent feeling.

Finally, this week I have a lot of schoolwork. So I have been busy working on that as well as just getting unpacked, laundry done etc. Yesterday was my first day back of classes and it went pretty well. I saw a boy from my class out at a bar a couple of weeks ago, and so I talked to him yesterday in class. After class, he invited me and my other gringa friend Kathleen for a cup of coffee.. there we met up with a bunch of his friends and it was great just hanging out with chileans. They are all literature students so I have several classes with them! So hopefully I can make friends with them :)

Off to dance class now.. you should see my professor dance. he shakes better than Shakira ( no joke!!!)

"You gotta be bad, you gotta be bold, you gotta be wiser
you gotta be hard, you gotta be tough, you gotta be stronger
you gotta be cool, you gotta be calm, you got to sing together
all i know is love will save the day"

... Vanessa...

Losing Sight of Shores

Dear Readers,

Tonight I am embarking on my adventure. I am really looking forward to it, and realizing that this is one of the most adventurous things I have ever done! Going on a trek to the southernmost point of the world (not including antarctica) with 6 other girls I just met 3 weeks ago! It is fun to be on an adventure, a place not widely traveled. I can't wait to get back and show you photos of all that I have seen. I have heard that this place has what feels almost like mystical powers, I am going with an open heart and I can't wait to be inspired.

(In case you don't know what I'm talking about, scroll down to the bottom of my last post, I outline all that I am going to be doing over the next 10 days!)

I am hoping to find internet access in one of the several hostels that we are staying in, but I am not certain. So I wish you all a very happy 10 days and I will update when I get back.

Thanks for reading!

Here are some photos of the entire fam:




Celebrating love,

Vanessa.

Susie Blue

It is amazing the power of music, I don't understand how it has the power to move mountains and shake the sky! What is your favorite song? That is too hard of a question, what is the song that you most enjoy in this exact moment? I will leave a list of the songs I'm moved by today.

1. Freddie Freeloader - Miles Davis
2. Stars Shine Quietly - Mason Jennings
3 . Day Dreaming - Aretha Franklin
4. Susie Blue - Ben harper
5. Love and Happiness - Al Green
6. I know - Meghan Smith
7. Cowgirl Lovesong - Lake Street Dive
8. Back up this train - Al green
9. Rock Me Baby - B.B King
10. Un Amor - Gypsy Kings

Go to the itunes store and listen to them, if you're anything like me your bones will even wiggle with these tunes.

Today is a beautiful sunday and I am about to spend the day at my host mom's aunts home which is really close to the beach and has a pool, and there is also raquetball and paddle ball to play! It should be a fun day :) I ran this morning, down to the beach! Any day I see the beach I am happy, and so far I have seen the beach EVERY day since I've been here haha, maybe that explains the smiling.

It has been a amazing weekend here, I went to the 'farmers market" full of fruits and vegetables yesterday with my host family. It was a ton of fun.. so full of color! I swear the fair itself was a work of art! Here are some pics from it...




In other exciting news, it has now been exactly 4 weeks since I've been here! It is hard to believe that a month has already passed, although it doesn't quite feel that long because I've only been with my host family for 2.5 weeks, which I feel like was the real start of my experience here. I have read a lot of studying abroad materials and almost every resource says that for the first while you are in the "honeymoon" stage where you are so in love with the country! It says that after awhile things kind of slow down and you start missing home for a little, and then after that you mellow out and are sort of in between that honeymoon and the homesick stage. I would love to stay in this honeymoon stage, haha!

Other exciting news, I am going on my first excursion here next week!
Thursday the 19th of March: Overnight bus to Pucon, Chile (9 hrs south of here)
Friday 20th: Indigenous Village (learning about their customs and participating in a lot of traditions with them!)
Saturday 21st: Choice between hang gliding, climbing the volcano, white water rafting or taking horses up the volcano. I'm not sure which of the options i want to do!
Sunday 22nd: Visiting hot springs!

From there, I have planned a week long trip down even further south. Not quite to the "end of the world" in Tierra Del Fuego, but almost the southern tip. This is the southernmost place in the world, besides Antarctica of course! We (me and 6 other girls on my program) are going to explore, do hiking and see the world. Here is our plan

Sunday 22nd: Take a bus from Pucon to Puerto Montt (6 hr bus ride)
Monday 23rd: Fly from Puerto Montt to Punta Arenas
Take an immediate bus to Puerto Natales
Explore Puerto Natales, settle into Hostel
Tuesday 24th: Visit Torres Del Paine national park
Do an all-day hike to the Torres del Paine lookout spot
Wednesday 25th: Take a boat to the other side of Torres Del Paine
Climb the Lago Grey Trail
Thursday 26th: Rent Kayaks and kayak through the glacial water!
Take bus back to Punta Arenas and stay the night there
Friday 27th: Go to the Island of Penguins!!
Saturday 28th: Fly home to Santiago
Take bus to Viña del Mar and sleep in own bed!

It has been so fun researching these plans, plus it has been a lot of spanish practice since I had to go to the travels agency and call around to different hostels and everything. It has been fun. So I don't usually talk about money too much, but we already purchased all of the plane trips and bus trips through our Travel Agency.. and guess how much it is? In total!! For all of the traveling, it is $200 US Dollars. The Hostel we are staying in is $10 a night... So we're being pretty thrifty and getting an awesome deal!

here are some pics i stole from google of Torres Del Paine




Feeling really lucky for all of this natural beauty and all of these opportunities.. Thank you so much Mom and Dad for letting me come here, and thanks everyone else too so giving me the courage to do all of this adventuring!

Besos from Chile!!!!

*Vanessa*

Manijar rocks my world.

Como estaispo?
(a typical chilean greeting, accompanied by un "besito" a kiss on the cheek)

I'm still feeling happy. I don't know what it is about this place that keeps the corners of my lips turned upwards haha.. I guess I am exaggerating by saying that I am smiling all the time.. but everyday i have that feeling, that feeling like there is nowhere else i would rather be. i like that feeling.

today i was leaving one of my classes and trying to race to another class to get there in time. in the U.S i probably would have been grumpy and anxious trying to get to class on time, here though, it is impossible! Because as i was speed walking i passed a farmers market the size of a gigantic macy's store full of only fruits, vegetables, flowers and fresh fish. imagine all of the colors on a color wheel right in front of you and all stuff that you can touch and even EAT! that is how I imagine heaven, haha.. colorful and full of wonderful food :)

I have had all of my classes at least one time now, and I am pretty content with them. I am taking :

1. Universal Themes of LIterature
2. Contemporary Spanish Literature
3. Chilean Culture and Composition
4. Typical Chilean Dance
5. Valparaiso: The history, film and literature

Keep in mind, all but two are with all other chilean students so it isn't exactly going to be a breeze in the park.. but hopefully they are all do-able! For monday I have to read 100 pages of Voltaire in SPANISH! I can't even understand Voltaire in English so we'll see.. haha, the professor told me to first read it in english though, so that I understand the concepts. She also said that when the other students have exams, i will not take the same exam as them. That is nice, because this class is going to be really difficult. The other ones seem pretty good though, like they will challenge me but I will for sure be able to finish them.

other interesting things... i feel like i could probably write a book write now with all that is new or different or scary or exciting but i will spare you. i'll do some bullet points..

* went out dancing until 5 in the morning like a typical chilean, i danced salsa merengue regaton and pop
* went to a house party where 5 chileans had a huge drum circle and played like crazy while everyone else danced
* went to the beach where the women next to me had a seizure!! we had to call the ambulance and everything!!
* went to a bar where there were acrobats (cirque de solei style) climbing on cloth right next to me!
* went to an intense soccer game where there was a huge fire and a stampede!!
* went to a coffee house and drank mate the customary way, where everyone passes it around!
* made new chilean friends!
* talked for hours with my host mom about relationships and men, haha (in spanish of course!)
* ate mussels and clams and seabass and all types of fish

here are some photos of my fam!



pretty cute, huh?

ok i'm off to reading about a nudist indigenous village in the southernmost point of chile where there are only 30 members left and only 2 who speak the original language! isn't it crazy that an entire culture can be erased???

besos y abrazos (kisses and hugs)

vanessa.
(bah-nay-sahhh)

Snapshots of my new home :)

View from my room :)

My pretty bed, penguin included

The Kitchen

Living Room and Dinner Table (my fav place)


Now you have at least a little bit of an idea where I am at :) Wish you were all here with me!

*Vanessa*

Finally

note: will post pics later :)

Amigos,

Sorry it has been so long since I updated. A lot has happened, and I don’t want to write a novel so I am going to do some bullet points since the last time I wrote.

• I moved into my new home!
• I live with a host mom and host sister
• My mom’s name is Rossana and she is a stock brocker here in Chile, she is so loving and easy going and great for conversation. She is independent and strong but also feminine and maternal.
• My host sisters name is Valentina, she is 14 and loves to surf! She is absolutely gorgeous with long dark hair and a tall and skinny frame. She is more introverted but also very sweet, we have started to become good friends.
• My room is darling (see pics)
• So far the people on my program are incredible! I couldn’t have asked for a better group. Not only are they easy going, but also seekers of all types of knowledge. They love to go out and have fun, but they more enjoy the style of fun I have, relaxed. No one dresses up to go out (maybe a little on the weekend) its very tranquil and a great time.
• I’m just choosing my classes now, so I don’t know what they will be yet. They start next Monday, I’m a bit nervous about that.

Now that we’re caught up a bit, I feel like writing about the way I feel instead of what I’ve been doing in every moment.

Honestly, I’ve been here two weeks and I already feel like a new person. My eyes are so wide, like a newborn baby taking in all that this world has to offer. Because everything is new, it is sort of like a new start. I am questioning why I do things the way I do, or why we believe certain things in the U.S. One astonishing thing here, is that they talk about weight very often. If someone is very skinny they say, “ay, flaquita” which means, oh my little skinny girl. Sort of like a term of endearment. Likewise, they also say “ay, gordita” which means oh my little fat girl. When I first heard it, I was thinking to myself oh my god, I can’t believe how rude they are. But they say it as a term of endearment and no one seems to mind. Also, for a black person, they say “negrito” meaning little black boy. This is so politically incorrect in the U.S. What I realized though, is that it is us in the United States that gives value to people being skinny. Here, it is more just an observation like oh that girl is a little chubby… rather than judging her thinking, oh man that girl is so fat. I explained to my host mom that in the U.S we would never call someone fat because they would be offended. And she was shocked! I told her about all of the pressures to be thin, and she was appalled by it! Which is funny to me because she is very thin and “beautiful” according to U.S standards. That was just an observation I made, that because I am used the united states standards of beauty I think of “gordita” as bad, instead of a characteristic like brown hair or brown eyes.

Bueno, I am going to go out now so I can’t write much more… other than I have felt truly happy for the past week. I feel happiness in my bones, down to my core, shining on corners and crevices that haven’t seen light in some time. I feel full, like my blood is warm. It feels good.

Hope you have the full feeling today,

Nessagirl.