Chapter 3 ~ Las Calles de Vina Del Mar

In which I discuss my first week surviving in Chile, my week of orientation, and what I still have to look forward too in the coming months.


Well, one week down and not one spider! For those of you that are wondering, I hate, and I mean HATE, spiders. I have not seen one spider since arriving here! I may have just jinxed myself by stating that, but I wanted to celebrate a little bit. As for the rest of my first week a lot has happened.

First, I want to congratulate myself for venturing off on my own and only getting lost every other time. Everyday, except the first day I was here, I have ventured off on my own to learn my way around the city and to pass the time. I have only been lost a handful of times but seeing as I am writing this blog, I have found my way back to my house every time! Everyday my spanish is getting better and every night my brain is full of new information. I am exhausted after a full day of translating every single word spoken that day. But my comprehension has improved immensely and my speaking skills have become more rapid and with more fluency. I still struggle a lot, and by struggle I mean that half the time I'm talking to someone they are looking at me like I am a down syndrome three year old. But as for the host family they are amazing. My host mother, Hilda, is truly a generous person. Everyday she makes all my meals (lunch is the main meal, the others usually consist of bread and tea or instant coffee), she makes my bed, and does my laundry. I would like to clarify something here, I make my own bed every morning, but every day I return to my room, and I don't know when she is doing it, but my bed is re-made. My host sister, Silvana, has left and returned to her home in Chiloe, but has told me to come and visit her soon. Felipe, my host brother, leaves tomorrow night for his home in Chiloe. I will miss them both, but will see them when I make my way down south. Jaime, my host father, is a busy person but extremely nice. He works at a hospital an hour and a half away. He leaves before anyone wakes up in the morning and doesn't return until about 7:30 at night. I see him for about a half hour everyday and then he goes to bed. And, lastly, Alejandra, my other host sister and the twin of Silvana, lives in Santiago with her pololo (boyfriend in Chilenismo) for three or four days a week, and lives here the remainder of the time. We also have another college student that 'lives' with us but I honestly have only seen him twice, Damion.

The reason I have only seen him twice brings us to our next topic, the University. I don't know if it is my fault for not researching more thoroughly, or if I should blame ISEP for not sending me an e-mail until yesterday (a week after I've already been here), or if it is something the school should have brought to my attention before I arrived, but the school I am supposed to be attending is closed. Not for good, but the students are 'rioting', for lack of a better word. All of the students and most of the faculty are on strike from the school and have shut it down for a better educational system. The school system currently is too expensive for them, and has too few benefits to make up for the cost. All of this is coming from my translations of what people are telling me, so if you don't agree with it, that is completely fine with me. Regardless, all of the classes that I would have been able to take with the other Chilean students are not starting on time, and nobody knows when they are going to resume. I have been informed that this is not a violent protest, but could turn violent at any time. The students, including Damion, have been having marches and demonstrations and have surrounded the school's main building, and most of the other buildings for that matter, and won't allow others entrance. It is a fascinating time to be in Chile, thats for sure. I had no idea that I would be here witnessing history being made, and while that is all great, there are a few problems with it also. For instance, my schedule, which I am very happy with, has been changed, and the buildings where the classes for the foreign students are normally held, have also been changed. I had hoped to attend a few classes with Chileno students, but seeing as no one knows when those classes will start and if they don't start soon I may not get credit for them, I have decided to only take the classes offered to the foreigners.

I have been placed in an advanced communication and culture class, and have decided to fill the remaining spaces as follows: I am talking the Mountain sports class (to be explained at a later time), a history of Latin America course, some kind of beginner art course called taller de papel (paper workshop), and a history of Valparaiso course. They all seem interesting and fun and my schedule is amazing. I have no classes on monday and only one on friday (Deporte de montanas) so that is great. And I have no classes that run later than 3:30, so the nights are mine to do whatever I choose. I have met a few people, but I have yet to make any close friends. I am holding out until school starts to see what all my options are, I wouldn't want to settle for a friend that is only kind of cool, when there might be one that is as awesome as I am!

Other than that, and I know this post is a tad bit long, I haven't done much of anything. I have been hanging out with my family a lot and have been wondering the streets during the days. The only transportation I have used so far is the metro, because its super easy and cheap and I know how to use it now so it would be hard for me to get lost on it. Buses, on the other hand, I am terrible at taking. I am waiting to use those until I know more about the city and until I can understand the Chilenos a little better. As far as what I have to look forward too, surfing lessons, a trip to Machu Picchu, and one other adventure to a country that is yet to be determined. Classes start on tuesday for me and I have a carete to attend tonight. (Carete is the chilenismo term for party)

Until next time
Nos vemos pronto
S.R.

Chapter 2 ~ Chileans Speak Quickly

In which I am explaining the flight over to Chile and the first day of living with Chileans. 

Well I made it to Chile, just like I always knew I would. And wouldn't you know, its a good thing I didn't worry or stress or have ANY anxiety attacks over the last few days because it all turned out great, just like I always knew it would. Except part of that isn't true. I had 10 fairly serious anxiety attacks the two days leading up to my amazing friends taking me to the airport. I was scared and nervous and I almost considered not even coming. But, as always, I was blinded by the fear of change and my friends and family all new best and told me to suck it up, stop worrying and just go. So, after I was forcibly removed from the vehicle at the airport in downtown Minneapolis I knew I was on my own until I made it to Chile. 

Does anyone else ever just sit and watch all of the people in the airport and wonder to themselves, I seriously hope they are not on my flight. I don't. Except if they have kids, that are screaming and crying and running around everywhere. Then I hope that they are on the first flight to anywhere that I am not. But they weren't. That family was all on the same flight as I was, and they were sitting right behind me. It didn't turn out too bad though, it was only the flight from Minneapolis to Chicago. So then my four hour layover started. And then, miraculously, I was bumped to an earlier flight so I 'would have time to make my flight out of Toronto.' So I was given an extra hour which turned into an extra four. So my one hour layover was now a five hour layover and the plane was not going to take off until 2 in the morning. This wouldn't have been so bad if I would have figured out how to get their wireless internet in the airport to work. Or if I could have gotten ahold of ISEP to tell them that the taxi they arranged for me was going to be seriously early. So I got on the flight exhausted and nervous that once I got to Chile, no one would be at the airport waiting for me. 

12 hours later, there I was, the airport in Santiago. I could understand nothing of what was going on over the speakers, I had no idea where to go, and I couldn't read the signs. So, I did what anyone else would have done in this situation, I followed the majority and did what they did. Then I got through customs and made it to my bags (which were literally the last ones off the plane) and then found someone that was holding a sign that read "Samuel Fransen". I figured 'what are the chances he is waiting for someone that is going to Chile with almost the same exact name as me?' So four hours later we pull up to Samuel Fransen's drug lord's house and my adventure in Chile begins. 

Except it wasn't four hours later it was one and a half hours later, and it wasn't a drug lord's house, it was my family's house. They seem nice and I am excited to get to know them. Although, most of the information ISEP sent me about them was wrong. Such as the only two that actually live full time in the house with me are the Mom (Hilda), and the Dad (Jaime). The brother (Felipe) who is 26, I think, lives with one of his sisters down in Chiloe, but I told them I was going to have to go down and stay with them one weekend to see this island. Last night, after Hilda fed me, Felipe and I went on a walk to 'el centro' of Vina. My house is a five minute walk from the beach, which wasn't where Felipe and I were walking, but I thought everyone should know that I live on the beach... Anyway, he showed me around a little bit, taught me a little about his life and the city. I think at one point I agreed to go to a soccer game with him on Sunday, but I may have translated wrong. Which brings us to our title, Chileans speak quickly. 

My family is great with me, about slowing way down and not using so much Chileno (words only they have in Spanish), but if they are talking to anyone else, I literally sit there in silence and laugh when they laugh, or gasp when they gasp. It is going to be interesting. They do know some words in english, the curse words, Harry Potter, The Hangover, Garfield, and when they say them I can't help but to laugh at their impressions of what we sound like. They try to use american accents with those words (except Harry Potter Felipe says with a slightly british accent). But I am sure I sound just as funny to them when I try to speak their spanish. They are telling me some of the Chileno words, I am remembering none of them. But now the fun part is going to see the difference from yesterday (day 1), compared to my last day here. I should be pretty good by then, I hope. 

Well thats really all for now. I guess I should tell everyone that I am on Eastern Time Zone, not Pacific. So I got that wrong, but other than that...

Nos Vemos Pronto

S.R.

Chapter 1 ~ Preparation, Preparation, Preparation

In which I explain the secrets of success and the meaning of life. Except I don't really have the secrets of success or the meaning of life figured out, so instead I will just explain who I am and what this blog is going to be about. 


I like to read. There are probably very few of you readers/followers/subscribers that will know where I borrowed the idea of outlining the blog (chapter) first before I actually write it, and you actually read it. Well the answer is from an extraordinary travel author by the name of J. Maartin Troost, whom I hope will give me permission to continue outlining in the same manner without accusing me of plagiarism. If, however, he (or anyone else for that matter) would like for me to stop, please send me a message, and I may, or may not, listen. I outline for two reasons; one, it helps the reader decided if he or she would like to read the particular entry, and secondly, it helps me stay focused on what I want to accomplish in any particular posting.

Who am I? Well that is a question with many possible answers. I am a 6'5" body builder who works out at least 4 hours, 6 days per week. Also, if you have not figured it out yet, I am a chronic exaggerator who is extremely sarcastic, but good looking all the same. I use the term exaggerator because 'liar' sounds so negative and accusatory while 'exaggerator' sounds witty and hilarious. Eventually, whether from pictures on here or from future blogs (or from the admission of sarcasm), you will discover that I do not work out, nor am I a body builder. My name is Samuel Ray, I am a student of World Politics and Spanish Language Skills at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. I am entering my senior (and with any luck) my final year of college and am about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime. If the title has not given it away, or you are just slow enough to not have figured it out yet, the adventure is a 5 month long, study abroad in, you guessed it, Chile. What does one do to prepare for such an adventure? Well that depends on the person.

I have wanted, since middle school anyway, to go and study abroad in a foreign country. As I am now a senior, and optimistically finished with schooling soon, the time is now or never. Why Chile? Because I needed a program in a country that spoke solely spanish (to perfect my own abilities), and because in my own point of view, Spain is not as cool and too many other students travel that direction. To prepare for such an excursion I have done as much as I could possibly think to do. How much has it helped me? Well I guess we will find out in 6 days when I arrive in Valparaiso, Chile. I read books, studied cultures, customs, geography, politics, economy. I made lists, charts, and graphs. I looked at pictures, watched videos, and even read others' blogs. I attended a day of orientation and had countless meetings with school advisors and program instructors. After all of this countless obsessing and worrying I have discovered something. No matter how much I try to prepare myself for this trip, nothing is going to prepare me to the extent I would hope for. So the next best thing to do is to stop worrying and just be excited and ready for anything. I tried the neurotic, OCD, plan each day out tactic, and all it got me was sick and stressed. I believe in the saying 'If you want to see god laugh, make a plan'. And after talking several times with an amazing person who just returned from this once in a lifetime experience, I have decided that everything is going to work out regardless of whether or not I know what I will be doing on... pick a day any day. I may not know who my host family is going to be yet (even though I leave in 5 days) but what would it change even if I did know. In 5 days I am still going to be on a plane to their house and staying with them for 5 months. So tonight, I pack my suitcase with a little of everything I might need, and if I happen to forget something (very likely), I will just have to figure something else out. Because an incredible person told me once, it is those tough times in life that make the best stories. And my response to that is bring on the tough times then, because I would not want to disappoint my subscribers/followers/readers with boring posts. They have to be funny, exciting, and most of all entertaining. But the best part about it is, you can just read my introductions to determine, and if the introduction misleads you and tricks you into reading further, and then you become disappointed halfway through one of the blogs, you have the choice to STOP READING! Because how will I know...

So that is the story so far. I have been preparing as much as possible and am now as prepared as anyone else. I plan on getting on that plane, and then a quick 19 hours later I will be in Santiago. Then a short hour and a half taxi ride and I will finally be arriving to meet my family for the first time, jet lagged and unwashed. That is where I leave the story for now. I would like to thank everyone that made it through this first blog and I hope you are anticipating the next post, because that is where the real adventure is going to start!

Adios y nos vemos pronto,
S.R.