A nice rainy day in Chile (if you say that correctly it rhymes haha) is the perfect time to update my blog. I'm staring at the Pacific Ocean and it just as beautiful in the rain as it is in the sun. Now I know what my mom must have felt like growing up in Venezuela...I could stare at the sea forever...
My classes started on Monday and I love them. I have been to my Cine class, my Senior Seminar, and my 312 equivalent. Monday started with my friend Jordan and I missing the bus, oops! His mom saw us from the balcony and ended up driving us to school so that we wouldn't miss our first class. In my Cine class, we discussed the various topics we will be discussing this semester, including how to tell a story... what qualities are found in Latin American movies... etc. My Spanish 311 topic came in handy because I was able to talk about The Motorcycle Diaries. We were then asked what our favorite movies/tv shows were...and of course anyone that knows me could probably answer the tv question for me- Friends and Amazing Race. I told my brother that I liked the show "Amigas" and he said "What the heck is that?" When I translated it to 'Friends' he instantly knew. I thought that was funny.
After my Cine class we had a welcome breakfast. We ate pie (not exactly breakfast material, but quite tasty!) and were introduced to some of the Chilean students and formally met all of the Professors. Afterwards, we were given a tour of the campus and the spots we will need to know...i.e. (library, computer lab, offices, etc.) From there, I decided to walk home to save my bus money (and to work off that pie haha) and it was quite the workout! Totally uphill, my quads were burning. Later that night, I went on a run with Jessica. We ran the whole coastline, it was perfect. Running along side a friend in a beautiful city discussing life=priceless.
Later that night I tried to Skype my parents but my internet connection was weak. It was funny because I could hear them, but they couldn't hear me- so I was typing my responses. It reminded me of the TV show Lost and how bazaar it was for the characters to talk to a computer... and here I was doing the same thing, haha.
Today I woke up to pouring rain so Jordan and I decided to take the bus. We didn't miss it this time! My first class was Senior Seminar. Our topic is going to be "Justice and Impunity in Latin America." This is very interesting because the dictator we are talking about, Pinochet, was very recent so people here are still very divided on their opinions. He basically did the same things as Hitler, so it is strange to be around people who can justify Pinochet's actions and agree with his point of view. Afterwards, I had my second class of the day- Spanish 316. It was great!! We learned local phrases and inappropriate words (not for us to USE, but so we are AWARE haha.) My favorite one was "A cada santo le llega su dia" which roughly translates to "be patient, your day will come." After class, my Professor gave all 7 of us a ride home so we wouldn't have to wait for the bus in the rain. That is just a classic example of how kind the people here are, muy generosos. I was proud of myself that I was able to direct her on where to go since I had made the trip by foot the day before and learned the way. At that moment, I felt like a local.
I came home to lunch waiting on the table and had a wonderful chat with my mom and sister (by the way- it is so cool to be able to use that word, sister!) Later on, my sister and I did 'abs' since running was out of the question in the rain. My host mom looked at us like we were crazy. There we were, laying on the ground moving our legs up and down and exhaling as if we were in pain. What a sight, haha.
I think we are going to go dancing tomorrow night, so I will for sure write on how that turns out... to see if I take after my mom's latin blood and it comes easy to me, or if I inherited the other side and find myself with two left feet (sorry Dad, I love you though!)
Buenos Noches,
Jennie
My classes started on Monday and I love them. I have been to my Cine class, my Senior Seminar, and my 312 equivalent. Monday started with my friend Jordan and I missing the bus, oops! His mom saw us from the balcony and ended up driving us to school so that we wouldn't miss our first class. In my Cine class, we discussed the various topics we will be discussing this semester, including how to tell a story... what qualities are found in Latin American movies... etc. My Spanish 311 topic came in handy because I was able to talk about The Motorcycle Diaries. We were then asked what our favorite movies/tv shows were...and of course anyone that knows me could probably answer the tv question for me- Friends and Amazing Race. I told my brother that I liked the show "Amigas" and he said "What the heck is that?" When I translated it to 'Friends' he instantly knew. I thought that was funny.
After my Cine class we had a welcome breakfast. We ate pie (not exactly breakfast material, but quite tasty!) and were introduced to some of the Chilean students and formally met all of the Professors. Afterwards, we were given a tour of the campus and the spots we will need to know...i.e. (library, computer lab, offices, etc.) From there, I decided to walk home to save my bus money (and to work off that pie haha) and it was quite the workout! Totally uphill, my quads were burning. Later that night, I went on a run with Jessica. We ran the whole coastline, it was perfect. Running along side a friend in a beautiful city discussing life=priceless.
Later that night I tried to Skype my parents but my internet connection was weak. It was funny because I could hear them, but they couldn't hear me- so I was typing my responses. It reminded me of the TV show Lost and how bazaar it was for the characters to talk to a computer... and here I was doing the same thing, haha.
Today I woke up to pouring rain so Jordan and I decided to take the bus. We didn't miss it this time! My first class was Senior Seminar. Our topic is going to be "Justice and Impunity in Latin America." This is very interesting because the dictator we are talking about, Pinochet, was very recent so people here are still very divided on their opinions. He basically did the same things as Hitler, so it is strange to be around people who can justify Pinochet's actions and agree with his point of view. Afterwards, I had my second class of the day- Spanish 316. It was great!! We learned local phrases and inappropriate words (not for us to USE, but so we are AWARE haha.) My favorite one was "A cada santo le llega su dia" which roughly translates to "be patient, your day will come." After class, my Professor gave all 7 of us a ride home so we wouldn't have to wait for the bus in the rain. That is just a classic example of how kind the people here are, muy generosos. I was proud of myself that I was able to direct her on where to go since I had made the trip by foot the day before and learned the way. At that moment, I felt like a local.
I came home to lunch waiting on the table and had a wonderful chat with my mom and sister (by the way- it is so cool to be able to use that word, sister!) Later on, my sister and I did 'abs' since running was out of the question in the rain. My host mom looked at us like we were crazy. There we were, laying on the ground moving our legs up and down and exhaling as if we were in pain. What a sight, haha.
I think we are going to go dancing tomorrow night, so I will for sure write on how that turns out... to see if I take after my mom's latin blood and it comes easy to me, or if I inherited the other side and find myself with two left feet (sorry Dad, I love you though!)
Buenos Noches,
Jennie
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