Random Funny Things

There are so many random things that people do here, and I thought It's be funny to share a few of them...

-Most people don't run for exercise. My family thinks it's so funny that my friends and I run outside, and that we wear specific clothes for running. When I told them that I wanted to run, they recommended going to the nearby rotary and running on the sidewalk that goes around it. My friend's parents told her the same thing, so I guess that's the thing to do if you are going to be gringa-enough to run.

-Milk comes in boxes here and doesn't need to be refrigerated! In the USA, they take out the 'bad' bacteria but leave the 'good' bacteria in milk, which is what produces the acid that makes milk go bad. So we refrigerate it. But in Chile, they remove all the bacteria so milk basically becomes a nonperishable good.

-Some people have patches of grass outside their houses, but lots of people just have dirt. Every day, people go outside and water whatever they have, whether it's grass or dirt. They must do it to keep the dirt from getting too dry and flying away, but it's so funny to see people spending time watering something that doesn't even grow.

-There are a lot of stores here that sell random combinations of things. for example, the other day I walked by a store that sells lingerie and bows to wrap presents with. Or some stores sell boogie boards and floaties, and also kitchen utensils. It's super random.

-People are super PDA here and will make out and/or cuddle anywhere there is grass. Literally anywhere there is grass- in parks, the middle of the rotary, in front of the casino--you bet there's a couple or two making out or rolling around in the grass. It's crazy how they totally don't care who sees.

-I just realized the other day that there is no weather segment on the news. Obviously we don't need a forecast--it's going to be sunny and around 75 degrees for the next few years. But it's funny that they don't have to 'check the weather'.

-This just may be the crazies of them all: Chile doesn't follow the normal schedule for daylight savings! They were going to change the clocks 3 weeks after the rest of the world changed their clocks, which I think would be this weekend, but they just announced that they won't be 'falling back' until May. I didn't know that a country can just decide that it doesn't want to follow daylight savings...? We were supposed to fall back and hour, while the US sprung forward an hour, so we would be on the same time as the rest of our time zone (Eastern Standard). But now we're an hour ahead so it gets dark really late, at like 8:15. And the sun comes up late in the morning. ...crazy!

Putre and Parque Nacional Lauca

This past week we had a group excursion into the mountains. First we went to Putre, which is a small rural village where a lot of the indigenous Aymarans live. We were included in a ceremony for health and good luck in our studies, and we each got to place some leaves and stones on the central platter. The next day, we had a class about traditional medicine with an old Aymaran man who showed us all of his herbs that he uses to cure the people in the village. He was super dedicated to his herbs, and whenever we asked about their effectiveness or what happens when they don´t work,  he would either pick up a different bag of herbs to suggest or tell us to use more. At the time, it was hilarious how he just kept shoving more herbs in our faces, but it really is interesting to understand that some people in the world really do believe that nature can cure everything. When we asked him about pills and surgery he basically said he doesn´t like their side effects and he doesn´t trust them. In between classes and meals, we got to do some shopping at the little shops in the village to buy alpaca socks and sweaters! =)

On Friday we went even further into the mountains to an elevation of 13,500 feet to see el Parque Nacional Lauca, or the Lauca National Park. The views from the bus were unbelievable, and we got to see llamas, alpacas, and vicuñas. I´m pretty sure we drove by some flamingos too, but we didn´t get to stop and see them. We eventually made it to Lago Chungara, the lake with the highest elevation out of all the lakes in the world. I was super excited to see it because I remember learning about it way back in Middle School in Spanish class! It was absolutely amazing and we spent forever taking pictures of the lake/mountains/alpacas/ourselves. It was awesome. 

Katie and I at Lago Chungara!

Then we went to las Termas Jurasi. They are pools with water from the hot springs that run from the volcanoes nearby. They were wayyy hotter than any hottub I have ever been in, but we were brave and went in for a couple minutes!

Oh, and I just have to mention what was quite possibly the most exciting thing that happened on the trip. We decided to have this contest to see who could talk in Spanish the most for a day, to motivate us to stop speaking to each other in English. The prize was a free ice cream at Di Mango, my favorite ice cream place in the city. I'm like obsessed with the place, so I really wanted to win and basically didn't speak any English all day. I won and was so excited, you have no ideaaa! :-)

Sea Lions and Underground Food!

Saturday we went to the fish market by the harbor to buy fish. Big deal, I know. But it actualy ended up being so much fun! There were boat rides around the harbor and we got to see everything-- the huge ships that bring products in and out Bolivia and Peru, the fishing boats that scatter the harbor, the sea lions that hang out on the bouys and look for scraps of fish, and the pelicans that were probably half my size. It was so incredible. Next week I´m going back there to take everyone on the program on the boat for a sunset cruise.

Me and my host mom

Sunday we went to my host family´s relatives´ house for almuerzo (lunch) They live in the Azapa Valley, a rural area nearby where pretty much everyone grows olives, corn, and mangoes. I experienced my first wathia, which is a special meal that takes a few hours to prepare. First, they place rocks over a fire to heat them up. Then they place the rocks in a big pit in the ground along with humintas (like tamales), potatoes, and pots of beef and chicken. Then they cover up the the rocks and food with more dirt and leave it to cook for 1-2 hours. It was kinda strange eating food that we literally took out of the ground, but everything was really good. All the aunts and grandmas kept shoving more food in m face, and all the uncles and grandpas kept telling me to drink more wine. The whole lunch was a 4-hour ordeal and we were all super stuffed when we left.

Little sister, grandma, and mom

Wathia!

A Brief Update of My Life

Wow...it´s been a while since I posted anything here! My computer´s harddrive crashed earlier this week and I was away for a few days so I haven´t had much computer access. I´ll try to get some pictures up and write about all the exciting things going on in the next couple days...I know you´re all avidly checking this every hour of the day, but don´t worry it´s coming soon!  ;-)

A rundown of what´s going on here...
-The last few weeks have been pretty crazy with classes and schoolwork. The material isn´t very challenging, but the fact that everything is in Spanish just makes all the work take forever. The classes are all taught in Spanish, taught 50/50 by  program staff and guest lecturers from the healthcare field in Chile. But everything is starting to get a little bit easier.
-The rest of the program includes:
      One week of classes
      Group excursion to Tacna, Peru
      One Week of Classes
      Group trip to the South to visit the Mapuche indigenous people!
      ISP (Individual Study Project) for one month
-I´m still thinking a lot about where I want to go and what I want to do for my ISP, but I´m starting to narrow down my ideas. As of now, it´s looking like I´ll either be in Valparaiso or Temuco and studying a theme something along the lines of´´the availability and effects of physical therapy on patients receiving cancer treatment´´. I´m still narrowing it down and starting research, but at least I have some direction at this point!

Family Trip to Belen

This Saturday, my family was super spontaneous and decided to go to Belen, a rural village that sits in the mountains leading up to the Andes. The elevation is about 10,000 feet and we had to take this winding dirt road around the mountains to get there. My parents wanted to go to attend carnaval, which wasn't a carnival but a bunch of rural Chileans singing, dancing, and drinking all day and all night. There are 50 people who live in Belen, so it was a pretty small carnaval... but it was so much fun! They have all these crazy traditions, like throwing confetti in your mouth  and smearing your cheeks with colored flour when you arrive. And they were all decked out in streamers and crazy costumes.

The next day, we went on a little hike around the village and I saw what I'm pretty sure was the prettiest view I've ever seen. Seriously. It's a desert climate all around the village, but there is a river that runs through and lots of irrigation so it was like a little oasis of green. It was sooo beautiful..kind of what I've imagine Machu Pichu to look like. Hopefully the picture can do it some justice. :-)

It was beyond beautiful, the people there were super nice, it was some good family bonding.  I guess the only thing I wasn't really prepared for was the living situation. We stayed in this little rustic house, and I had to crouch down to get in the door because people in Belen are super short and build super short doors. And since Belen is up in the mountains, it was super cold at night and there wasn't any heat. And... the house was basically mud walls and a piece of metal for a roof... Let's just say I was very proud of myself for living there for a day.. ;-)

Tsunami Warning and Evacuation But Don't Worry!

I have a little update for everyone who has been wondering....As you probably know, there was an earthquake and a devastating tsunami in Japan this morning. It generated waves that might be categorized as a tsunami and are on their way to the Americas. There's a warning along the Pacific coast from Mexico all the way to Antarctica. In the morning there was an alert in the Arica, but a couple hours ago they changed it to a warning. They are evacuating the part of Arica that is closer to the beach, but my neighborhood isn't included in that area. We heard the evacuation sirens and we've been getting updates all day from the TV, and it's looking like everything is going to be alright. My family doesn't see to be too concerned, so I figure I shouldn't either. So no need to worry, everyone!  xoxo

Instead of squirrels, we have dogs.

There are so many stray dogs here! I'm so used to dogs being pets, not strays, and its so hard to not pet them! They are vaccinated for rabies, but it's still not safe to get too close. They are everywhere--on the beaches, in el centro, and some even hang out near my house!
     It's actually really annoying...you see....pet dogs in Chile live outside because it's always warm and never rains. So when it's 3am and stray dogs walk by my house, all my pet dogs outside hear them and go crazy barking. And then I wake up...  :-(
      And the sad part is that they're just like pet dogs who only want to play and be loved. So they follow us all the time! Especially when we go for runs outside because they think we're playing tag or something. The other day a dog actually followed some of us to class, sat under my desk the entire class, then followed us into el centro. She was so cute.
      But some of them are really crazy looking. they aren't neutered or spayed to they just make lots of baby strays that are wild combos. I saw one that had the body of a fat welsch corgi and the fur of a yellow lab. it was kinda crazy.
     It's really sad that there are so many strays, and they really are like squirrels here--there are so many, and people mostly ignore them. It's definitely a hard thing to get used to, but I guess that's just the way it is here.