Magical hills and such

Holi! (silly Chileans way to say hola)

So I’m extremely behind because finding time to sit down and write has been literally impossible. As you all probably expect I am having a wonderful time here and have no intentions of wanting to come back ever! Ok. So maybe I’ll come back some day, but I must admit I don’t know the meaning of homesickness.

A bit of bad news: my paypal account has somehow gotten hacked and close to $300 has been stolen. Why did this happen when I’m in Chile? I don’t really know, but the email addresses it was sent to do seem to be in Spanish. I’ve already filed a claim with Paypal, but my Bank of America account is negative at the moment and literally to this moment I haven’t been able to reach my mom who I THINK is in the Dominican Republic for a second time. I seriously have like 20,000 pesos in my pocket and a negative bank account that’s probably getting charged a $25 fee every day. If any of you see my Mom or mom if you’re reading this HELP ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok. Back to the good stuff. Day two at our hostel was the most pleasant days I could have ever imagined. We woke up and got lunch at a little café near our hostel and ordered the daily special of lasagna, salad, juice, and coffee. A little language slip up occurred when the waiter explained he only had one slice left of the meat lasagna that Mel and I both ordered. All I remember is he said something about “porción” and I didn’t really catch the rest because he was speaking SO FAST. I looked at Mel to see her confused face as well so I gave him my best deer in headlights look and waited for him to explain. Problem was this silly waiter decided to repeat over and over the same exact phrase at more or less the same speed. If he simply would have said “Sólo tengo una de la lasaña de carne.” I think we would have both understood, but he never tried to change his sentence. Not wanting to let this menso (dumbdumb) defeat us I decided to say something just so he wouldn’t think I was a complete idiot. Finally I said something like “Oh!! You’re going to bring me a portion to try?” Of course I was wrong and I saw his face fighting a smile, but I think once he realized I truly did speak Spanish he decided to change around his sentence which I immediately understood and ordered the vegetable lasagna.
After our delicious lunch we decided to head to head to a touristy spot in the neighborhood called Bellas Artes to go up on a hill called Cerro San Cristobal. Both of us understood that the hill had magnificent views of the city and the Virgin Mary, but had we no idea that it was actually Disneyland for lack of a better word! When we asked where to buy the tickets to something called a “funicular” (a little trolley thing that pulls us up the hill) the man actually said that we could buy them in the castle! We also learned that the hill had a zoo on it which pronto we’d like to check out. Besides the zoo and tons of little shops at the top, the hill also has two huge pools which would be awesome to visit sometime to make a little picnic. After riding up in the funicular we climbed some steps in the blazing summer heat and took some of the most incredible city shots ever. Yes, Santiago is that big and developed! We also made it all the way to the Virgin Mary and took some pictures of her, but later decided it was about time for ice cream so we went down to the shop area and bought some “helados.” It was a truly lovely way to spend the day.

Later it was time to get prepared for our home stays which of course meant buying blow dryers and flat irons! I’ve used them and I think I like them better than my ones at home! The man at the counter was a little too helpful and explained every detail of our hardware and even took them out of the box to test drive! Nonetheless I do owe him many thanks for activating my phone. Yipee! The day ended with some empanadas from the local grocery store and a drink called “Mote con huesillo” which is like some juice with a peach in the middle and dried wheat at the bottom. Everyone was buying them at the top of the hill that I was talking about, but Mel and I found it rather disgusting and something to never be purchased again. This day was really so pleasant and a great way to relax before meeting the other study abroad kidlets and *gasp* our host families!

Brittany has arrived!

Hello everyone!

Finally I’ve found a moment to write about my flights and very first day arriving to the hostel in Chile!

So the flight schedule was truly brutal. I flew from San Francisco to Miami, Miami to Bogota, Colombia, and finally from Bogota to Santiago. Oh yeah and I had an 8 HOUR LAYOVER in Miami! I’m not going to lie. It was dreadful. Mel and I had originally planned on going outside of the airport to a little area called Little Havana, but once we had arrived we were so tired and decided it would be a big struggle and maybe not even worth the cab fare/hassle of going to calle 8. So we stayed in the airport during the entire layover. There was a lot of walking, some eating, a lot of talking, and some movie watching. All in all I was a bit surprised how quickly the time passed. We both had a little mini panic attack when we were finally on line to check in to our flight to Colombia because we were basically the only Americans and Spanish was surrounding us. Things were starting to get real. The flight from Miami to Bogota was probably one of the most pleasant I’ve ever had. Each seat had its own TV and plenty of leg room. At one point the flight attendant came by and asked if I wanted ice in my juice to which I gave him my deer in headlights look. He was speaking too fast and I was caught off guard. Thankfully the young girl seated next to me already knew that I spoke Spanish (I told her she could steal the blanket from the seat behind her when she realized she didn’t have one) so she clearly and slowly pronounced “Hie-lo” (ice) which I of course understood and said “no gracias.” I’m glad I was able to understand in the end and I’ll let it slide that I didn’t understand the flight attendant because lets face it I was a walking zombie , but what bothered me is what I did after. Instead of turning to the girl and thanking her for helping me and saying how hard it is to understand people when they speak quickly I simply gave a courtesy smile and kept my lips shut tight. I made absolutely no effort to use the Spanish I’ve worked so hard to learn. From that moment on I made a little promise to myself that I won’t beat myself up for not understanding, but I certainly won’t let myself remain quiet for fear of making a mistake, shyness, or whatever reason. Of course I’ve never been and probably will never be much of an attention whore, its just not who I am, but if I have something to say I will say it!

When we finally arrived to Santiago our energy was through the roof. Mel had forgotten some documents that we thought were important, but they let her through saying “don’t worry” the entire time. We didn’t have to pay a $100 fee we were told we’d have to pay upon entry. Also, our luggage was practically the first to come out which we promptly put on the free carts we were offered. Later, after a harmless run through customs we walked right up on the taxi stand we were hoping to find. I remember looking at Mel and saying, “I already love this country!” Things got a bit sour after the taxi driver dropped us off at the hostel around 7 AM. Check in wasn’t until 2 PM so we simply had to wait in the lobby area. We immediately decided to take a quick walk around the neighborhood (Bellas Artes) taking pictures and taking in an empty city being watched by the few men on the street (especially Mel. Tall, blonde, blue eyes. Need I say more?) and then we were followed by a random pack of dogs which we were very happy to ditch when the effects of not sleeping for days had kicked in. We returned to the hostel to literally dip in and out of consciousness on the couch with a blanket until 2 PM. Never in my life had I wanted to shower or brush my teeth more. There must have been a layer of grime and dirt on every inch of my body. After my miraculous shower we took about a two hour power nap and decided to go get something to eat. First we stopped by a phone company tower called Entel PCs and I bought a new phone for $20 that came with $20 worth of credit making it practically free! Unfortunately even though I clearly asked the woman if she herself would activate my credit my phone didn’t work immediately. Somehow she hadn’t activated it. Later we went for dinner and after a delicious meal at La Patagonia we decided we deserved just one beer. Boy were we wrong when we thought we’d be having a simple night! I had read up about the food & beverages of Chile and knew that Escudo was one of the popular beers. Like the silly gringas that we are we awkwardly wandered into a pub called El Diablito (the little devil) and ordered two Escudos. The beer went quickly, but we had no intentions to stay out late or do any sort of carretear (partying), but our curiosity got the best of us so we asked about one of the country’s national drinks, Pisco. The problem was that we were supposed to order a Pisco Sour which to my knowledge is not necessarily a mean cocktail, but something for the ladies to drink. Again, being the silly gringas that we are we ordered Piscola (Pisco with Coca Cola). Basically Pisco is like a flavored liquor, which is fine of course, but in one shot! The bartender literally poured us a cup each of at least 3 shots of Pisco and room to put just the tiniest sip of Coca Cola. Needless to say we quickly realized which direction our night was going. We had a lot of fun and didn’t get too out of hand. Really we were just two gringa friends laughing and probably speaking really loud English. When we finally went to return to the hostel we ran into a group of some silly Chileans and swapped slang. Although we were muriéndonos de sueño (dying of tiredness) we had a wonderful first day and introduction to the country that I now call my home, Chile!

I'm leaving on a jet plane! Don't know when I'll be back again!

The day has finally come! Today, January 16th 2010, is the day that I make my grand journey to Chile! I won’t quite say goodbye to US soil today because I’m taking a redeye to Miami, but nevertheless excited doesn’t even cut it when trying to describe my emotions. I have been preparing for this trip for an entire year! The other day I told my mom how I can’t really stray from thinking about studying abroad in Santiago for more than five minutes at a time. My life literally has revolved around preparing for this year abroad for months. I’m more than ready to make Chile my new home because it already is such a major part of my life. I literally cannot wait for the moment when my plane finally lands and I step outside the airport to hop into a taxi to take me to my hostel downtown. Yes, I’m leaving the 16th and getting there the 18th. Today is going to be the never-ending day from hell, but I’m prepared. I have a computer full of movies, my iPod, my fuzzy little footy socks, and my neck pillow (that I swear cured me of my I-don’t-sleep-anywhere-but-my-bed-phobia). Also I’m traveling with my friend Mel that I had in two of my Spanish classes last quarter, so I sure we’ll be feeding off each other’s excitement! We’re thinking during our ridiculous 8 hour layover in Miami that we’ll check out the city and maybe even go to Little Havana. Calle 8!

In other amazing news. I GOT MY VISA!!! I literally did everything that I spent months doing trying to get my visa in LA in about one week up here. P.S. my fingerprints finally did come in from the FBI over a month later than expected. Fortunately the San Francisco consulate didn’t have as strict requirements and last week I was able to run around the entire North State like a mad woman. I literally drove all the way to Davis to get a piece of paper for my doctor to fill out. The girl there at first wasn't going to give it to me and I legitimately considered ripping them out of her hands and running. I no joke even looked at my escape route. It was pretty much the biggest hassle ever trying to get that darn thing, but I have it and I’m so relieved!
So to keep in touch with me the easiest way is by email.
withlovebrittany@msn.com
But don’t forget about facebook and if you really want to talk to me like on the phone or even with a webcam download a program called Skype. It’s absolutely free and all you need is an internet connection and a microphone.
My Skype name is brittynic. Add me!
Last but not least, not that I really expect it, but if you’d like to send me a letter or package I’ve been told its best to send it to the UC study center instead of my host family’s address (which I don’t even know right now).
Programa Universidad de California
PUC-CHILE Campus Oriente Ave.
Jaime Guzmán 3300
Nuñoa Santiago, Chile

That’s all for now! I’ll miss everyone so much. Stay in contact! Next post will be from Chile!

Los quiero mucho! Chausito! =*