sticking out like a sore thumb

Last night as I was crawling into bed I discovered just how much Chileans love their nightlife. The room that Kristen and I are sharing faces the street and the minute my head hit the pillow around 12:30, a club across the way started to blare techno music. Assuming that I could just toss and turn a few times and let the city bustle rock me to sleep, the opposite proved to be true. It took about an hour with my iPod until I could fall asleep and before I knew it, my alarm was going off to begin the second day.

As much as my body would've loved to keep sleeping, the sun was pouring into our room and reminded me that we were in Chile! Once we were all ready, Kristen, Emily, and I all went up to the 15th floor for a traditional Chilean breakfast which consisted of various pastries, coffee, cereals, very runny yogurt, and cheese. If we weren't awake when we got there the view we had over our meal certainly did the trick as Santiago was in full swing. 

Our program coordinator, Lizette, herded us all downstairs after had finished our breakfasts for the 2 and half hour orientation meeting (the first of three). The orientation focused mainly on things we will need to know while we live in Valparaiso and especially about living with our host families. Most of the information were pointers we received in our pre-departure packet so the meeting went by relatively quickly but all of us were ready for lunch when the clock struck noon. Loading up on the same bus we took yesterday, we headed to the Mercado Central to have lunch and spend a little bit of time in a farmer's market equivalent.

When we arrived, all 45 of us stared at the colorfully decorated open market and were ushered to our tables but of course with a group our size we were inevitably split up. In Chile, lunch is supposed to be the largest meal of the day and it is served generally around 2 in the afternoon but since we had a lot of sight seeing to do we arrived around 1. Our choices for lunch were grilled or fried chicken, fried fish (with the bones and tail still in tact!), a shellfish soup, and then a vegetarian plate with only vegetables. I chose the grilled chicken and contrary to popular belief, Chilean food is very bland because they don't use any type of seasoning besides a little pepper, oil, or lemons. This is still a bit of an adjustment but considering I'm a relatively picky eater, I can't complain!

Hands down the best part of lunch was getting to walk around after our meal. Kristen and I were looking at all of the fresh fruits and vegetables when an elderly man approached us and started speaking English to us. We were shocked as he asked where we were from and when I told him Texas he didn't believe me since I didn't have boots or a cowboy hat on and since I wasn't on a horse. So even in Chile, the stereotype lives on! Once we broke away from him, a younger man tried to convince us to eat at his restaurant and when we told him we had already eaten he began to question us too! Asking the same questions as earlier, he began to wonder if we could understand him (which a lot of people seem to do with us!) and when we told him we could he then told us that if we could understand Chilean spanish that we could go anywhere in the world. However, he did advise for us not speak like Chileans since they use so much slang. Abruptly moving on, he then asked Kristen and I which part of heaven we fell from and said that we must have fallen from the top because he couldn't catch us from where he was. Without thinking about the consequences, Kristen and I both bursted out laughing at his remark and then glanced at our watches to find out it was time to slip away as we continued to joke about the encounter.

Straight from the Mercado Central, we walked over to visit the Plaza de Armas which is basically a big open area where people hang out while many artists sell their paintings and tourists such ourselves gawk at the beautiful Cathedral. As Lorna, our smaller group leader, was explaining the history of the Plaza de Armas we noticed that people--men in particular--stared us to no end and didn't care if we caught them holding an extended gaze! Once Lorna told us we could go walk around and take pictures, all of us practically raced to get into the large Cathedral and escape the wandering eyes. None of us were expecting the extravagant beauty that was around every corner of the old cathedral and we spent a majority of our free time taking pictures of the intricate decor. When the time came for us all to meet up again, we walked down the Paseo Ahumada which had both outdoor and indoor vendors lining the cobblestone walkway. 

The Cathedral in the Plazas de Armas.

Kristen and I in front of a fountain in the Plaza de Armas.

After we walked through the Paseo Ahumada, we arrived at the Palacio Presidencial de La Moneda which is the President's Palace and his official place of business. We received a walking tour of the grandiose palace and actually saw the governor of Chile enter the building as well! The rooms were very well decorated with wartime paintings on nearly every wall while historical pieces of furniture were scattered around. It was very interesting to watch our tour guide, Andres, spout out the meticulous details of each room. 

The Palacio Presidencial de La Moneda.

The Chilean flag reminds me so much of Texas!

Mitchell pretending to be the next Chilean president.

 Emily, myself, and Kristen all watch puzzled.

As our tour came to an end, we took the metro back to the hotel where people continued to stare at us and especially Kristen and I. Maybe it has something to do with her tall stature and my blonde hair and blue eyes combination. Upon returning, we decided it would be a better idea to get dinner with a big group in hopes of avoiding a repeat of last night's embarrassment. So, we took about a 2 and half hour break to give our feet a rest and look at the day's pictures. 

When we all met up together at 8 for dinner, we thought staying in a slightly larger group of about 10 would make things easier until we picked up 3 more students making us look even more American than before. Arriving at the restaurant, our group got more stares as the waiters pushed tables together for us and we tried to decode the menu. Kristen and I decided to split what we thought were going to be french fries but ended up being a sandwich with a brisket like meat, tomatoes, and green beans. Random. Needless to say, we each took a bite and knew that our dinner would be a light one for the evening. I had ordered a traditional Pisco Sour which tastes just like a margarita and opted to let that conclude the meal. The rest of the group ordered different drinks which in Chile we found out they put about twice as much alcohol in all their drinks compared to the States. I will say it was priceless watching everyone's surprised reaction as they tasted their drinks and had similar feelings about their food as well.

Once we received the bill it took us almost 10 minutes to try and figure out how to pay for the meal with Chilean pesos. As we were leaving, a man from the table behind us bought a flower for Emily which she respectfully declined which only made us walk faster out of the restaurant. But the best part about dinner was the walk home as we all experienced first hand just how forward the men here are, as if the flower situation wasn't enough evidence. There was one group of skateboarders that whistled at us and threw many compliments our way as we tried to maneuver quickly past them. Thinking we had dodged a bullet, another group of skateboarders tried to pull the same moves but luckily they weren't persistent!

We have officially been in Chile for nearly 48 hours and the culture is absolutely fascinating! Chileans are incredibly relaxed and have almost no sense of urgency unless it's about protecting themselves from pick pocketing. I've been overwhelmed by the size of the city and all of people that reside here but more importantly the past 2 days have been remarkably humbling. Even though He created the beautiful city of Santiago that is so rich with history the Lord is incredibly proud of each and every single one of the people that He hand sculpted to walk this earth. He definitely has had His hand on us as we've weaved through the Chilean streets and He is preparing our hearts for what lies ahead in Valpo by exposing us to the culture in a tangible way. Tomorrow is yet another big day so I'm calling it a night for now but rest assured that all is well here and more stories are bound to follow!

Day 3: Santiago with a Chilean twist

What a day we had! I had the same problem about falling asleep since it was Friday night so the club was blaring their music about twice as loud as the night before and the cats in the alley on the other side of our room were in a vicious hissing match. Even though I only got about 5 and half hours of sleep, when my alarm went off I nearly hopped out of bed when I remembered what was in store. 


At 9 in the morning we had our second orientation meeting which lasted about an hour.  Lizette continued to fill us in on many important cultural tips. She told us that it's very rude to yawn or stretch in public (2 things I'm very guilty of!) and that we should just get used to people staring at us because Chile isn't very diverse in terms of ethnicities. Lizette shared a lot of her funny stories about how she's embarrassed herself by saying certain things in English and encouraged us that even if we make a mistake with our Spanish not to be shy.


Our entire group was bursting at the seams for this meeting to be over because at 10:15 we were scheduled to load up on our oversized and obviously American bus to go to Vina Cousino Macul, a vineyard. Luckily, Lizette stayed right on schedule and we departed for the vineyard to go to the wine tasting!

Driving into the vineyard.

Talk about absolutely breath taking! All of the trees were changing colors and the weather couldn't have been better if we tried. We spent about 15 minutes just taking pictures of the place and marveling at the beauty.

The gorgeous walkway down to the cellar.

Our tour began as we walked through the lush trees and entered into the room where there were antique machines scattered around to represent the history. We continued into more rooms that had large barrels that once held wine but were empty for decor purposes. So of course, all of us Americans jumped on the opportunity to take cheesy pictures with them. After this we all came together and listened to our tour guide explain how the vineyard worked and he showed us the area where all the wines are made. This part of the tour was very dark and cold so when he told us it was time to walk outside and go into the cellar for our wine tasting no one complained! 

Where the wine is made.

This cellar was enormous! We came down a set of deep stairs and walked around 2 more rooms that had hundreds of empty barrels and our guide continued to tell us more about the wines that used to be there. He showed us a room that had wines dating back to 1927! After this, the guide came around to the bar area to begin the tasting. We started off with a sweet Chardonnay and it was delicious! He told us that it had been made using pineapples and apples so even the smell of it was enough to let us know that we were getting a very high quality wine. 

(left to right)
Emily, Kirsten, Me, Mitchell
Before the wine tasting!

The first wine we tasted. YUM!

(left to right)
Kelly, Me, Kristen
Exactly what we wanted!

Once we finished the first glass, we came back upstairs to try the second wine which was Cabernet Sauvignon--a rich red. Compared to the sweetness of the Chardonnay, this one was a little too dark for me but nonetheless it was also very delicious and I imagine it would taste great when paired with a good meal.

The second wine we tasted.

Me in front of the vineyard with my complimentary wine glass and the red!

When the moment came to leave the vineyard, everyone wanted to stay longer. Up next thing on the list was to go to lunch in the Barrio Bellavista at a restaurant called Mosai Cafe. This was a very nice place to eat and our options again were rather limited as we had to choose between chicken with rice or french fries, steak and french fries, or a plate of french fries with steak and eggs on top. Playing it safe, I ordered the chicken and rice but before our meal came we each received an appetizer. Mine was a green, thick soup that was actually very good and reminded me of an egg drop soup. Our meals arrived quickly after and just as soon as we had the food in front of us, it was gone. Much to our surprise, a small strawberry platter followed our main course and besides Mitchell, no one hesitated to finish their sweet decadence.

The surprisingly good appetizer.

Dessert.

The plaza where we had lunch.

When lunch was over, we wandered through the plaza for a little bit to look through the smalls shops and then we headed over to Pablo Neruda's house in Santiago that is named La Choscona. Unfortunately we weren't allowed to take pictures inside (my mom won't be too happy to hear about that since she loves him!) but the outside was interesting enough. The intricate graffiti that was painted on the walls leading up to his house was an indicator of his influence and certainly a reflection of Santiago. 

Just one of the many graffitied walls outside of Pablo Neruda's house.

Pablo Neruda's house in Santiago.

La Chascona is where Pablo Neruda hid for 11 years with his mistress, Matilde Urruita, and in 1973 the government ransacked his house. 12 days after this, Pablo passed away but Matilde tried her best to refurnish the house but of course they took many of his valuables that it was very difficult but she managed to do a wonderful job. La Chascona has a very unique atmosphere and the architecture is one of a kind with it's 3 different parts and rooms that resemble the inside of a boat. Our tour guide told us all about these oddities and many other facets that completed the house's weirdness.

Once we finished the tour, we headed back for our last orientation meeting where Lizette told us everything we needed to know about our classes at the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaiso and some final advice about meeting our families. We reviewed the schedule for our first day of school and a few of the other planned activities for the rest of our stay. As this meeting was over, Emily, Kristen, Mitchell and I all stayed back with Lizette and Lorna to discuss the details about our Veritas program. 

Lorna opened up our meeting with a beautiful Spanish prayer and I got goosebumps! She and Lizette went on to explain our special schedule since the four of us signed up to do more than just take classes here. We have the option to volunteer at an orphanage every Wednesday night that's just for girls (sorry Mitchell!) and this just about had me jump out of my seat I was so excited. We looked over our detailed schedule and it began to fully sit in how unique our experience was going to be. 

After we discussed the specifics, we all parted ways and Kristen, Emily, and I met up with Kayla and Kelly to go to the grocery store to get an easy dinner. Of course, none of us could decide what we actually wanted so we wandered through the aisles trying to figure out what combinations we could make with the familiar items we found. I walked away with tortillas, turkey, and cheese to make quesadillas namely because I wanted something that tasted like home before the big day of meeting our new families. Walking back home was a hoot since it was Saturday night and the nightlife was starting to pick up but we were all too tired to try and muster any extra energy to do more than pack.

Sitting in our Veritas meeting, I caught a glimpse of the change God is making in me. This time last year I would have been kicking and screaming about coming down to Chile and being thrown into a completely unfamiliar place to help a country I know little about. But He's given me His eyes to see the beauty in His planning. Lorna was telling us how she and Lizette believe that nothing in our lives happen by accident but rather by God's perfect plan and after my short time here I couldn't agree more. He has already caused me to rely on Him in ways that I wasn't even sure I needed and there aren't words to express how excited I am to see what's in store. 

I'm in the process of playing catch up with the last few days so be patient with me as I try to find time to write! Pray that the Lord would show me what to do and more importantly say next and that He would bless this nation with healing. I'm already learning so much and I can't wait to see what's coming next!!

how long a day really is

The last 24 hours have been a whirlwind of emotions! After my last minute packing and race to the airport, I made it on time for my flight to Atlanta and fell asleep before I could get through the first chapter of my Chilean handbook. Waking up in Atlanta after my much needed nap, I trekked through the maze that airports are and got to my gate at the end of the terminal. I met Emily, one of the girls on my trip, right as I walked up and Kristen, the other girl, as we were headed to grab dinner all together where Mitchell, the only boy, came later. We talked about our nerves and excitement for the next 5 weeks over our last American meal--hamburgers.

Finding out my seat was at the back of the plane, I was initially upset until I found out that the guy sitting next to me was a professional tennis player which definitely sweetened the deal. Once I got settled into my window seat, it wasn't long before we were up in the air and hit a few bad patches of turbulence over a beautiful lighting storm. Kristen and I thought taking a Benadryl would help us both fall and stay asleep but the turbulence woke us up and turns out neither of us could fall back asleep! So, from about 4 AM until we landed I attempted to get comfortable in the small space I had but of course once I drifted off the flight attendants came around with the complimentary (and unappealing) breakfast. By that time I just decided to throw in the towel with getting any shut eye and peaked out my window to see a gorgeous sunrise over the Andes Mountains.

    

Landing in Santiago was certainly a new experience. Since I was in the back of the plane, the rest of my group took off to get a head start on customs while I staggered through the Chilean airport wide eyed and sleep deprived. Once I made it to the first of 3 lines, I met a girl named Susie who told me all the insider secrets about living in Chile. For example, most houses and the University where I will be taking classes don't have heaters so she advised me to layer up and to never take the buses in Valparaiso because the drivers are lunatics. Thankfully, Susie walked me through all of customs as she told me about her return visit to see her Chilean boyfriend she met while she was studying abroad and of course gave me more insight about the culture. She even offered to show me around Valpo when I get there!

Lucky for Susie, her boyfriend showed up almost 2 and half hours before we were able to leave the airport since we had to wait for all the members of our nearly 40+ group to arrive.  It's funny how even though Mitchell, Emily, Kristen, and I were all delirious and famished we still managed to make the best of the situation as we met other ISA students, who we will be taking classes with as well. When the fateful moment arrived for us to load up onto the bus, Mitchell didn't hesitate to lead the group through the overcast and chilly winter weather. Finally arriving to our "rent-a-room" apartment-like hotel, Emily, Kristen, and I all showered and celebrated our arrival with pictures and dancing then headed up to our group meeting.

The group meeting consisted of learning about how to and how not to walk through the streets of Santiago. After we finished the meeting, they herded the entire group into a small Cafe where all of us hungry Americans anxiously awaited our late lunch. When our meals arrived I think the staff was shocked by how quickly all the food disappeared! With full stomaches, we walked through the streets of Santiago to ride the Metro (it had so many people!) and walk through an outdoor market then visit the Cerro San Cristóbal. Essentially, it is basically a big park that has a zoo, which we sadly didn't get to visit even after all of my pleading, and it has an absolutely stunning view of the city. 

the city of Santiago behind me!

We rode up a huge hill on a trolley which is operated by some poor man at the top who has to crank each train up by hand! In my opinion, that job deserves the most tips out of any profession. Once we reached the top, we had about 45 minutes to explore the incredibly cityscape, the different statues in the Sanctuary and the breath taking cathedral. 

(left to right)

Me, Kristen, Mitchell, Emily

in front of the statue of Madre de Santiago

The main attraction: Madre de Santiago

Once we finished our sight seeing for the day, a bus came to pick the group up and return us to the hotel where Emily, Kristen, and I all skipped out on the optional Italian dinner with the group. We thought it would be a wonderful idea to find a nearby restaurant to get food and take back to the room so we could call it an early night. Did this happen? Absolutely not. Instead, we most likely gave a horrible name to America by thoroughly embarrassing ourselves at dinner. Our waitress actually laughed in our faces about how poor our Spanish was which was ironic since I was translating everything she said to us! But after a few cheese empeñadas and Cokes, we decided to make amends for the terrible reputation we had undoubtedly made and found out she was very curious about our trip. She told us all about Valpo and Viña so when we arrive on Sunday we hopefully won't be too overwhelmed. Even though we repaired some of the damage, she and the store owner still managed to crack jokes about us as we left but we were more focused on getting to the room to talk to our friends and family back home and get some sleep.

Day 1 in Chile: complete! This has probably been the longest day but in a good way of course. There are so many names and faces in the group that I'm going to need all 5 weeks to get them down but it also makes me even more excited for what's in store. I can see God's hand everywhere in Chile whether it's in the religious statues, the unique landscape, or even the graffiti (it's oddly pretty). He has made such a wonderful work here and I can't wait to see how we will be able to proclaim His name in the beautiful port city of Viña del Mar next week. We have a full day ahead of us tomorrow with lots of sight seeing so expect more pictures and even more humiliating stories as the Chileans stare at the mob of gringos trolling through the streets of Santiago! 

traveling light

This time tomorrow I will be on my flight to Santiago, Chile to begin my first study abroad trip. To say I'm in shock would be an understatement, at best. Naturally, I'm nowhere near packed and I'm not exactly sure what to expect. Maybe I've been putting off the actual process of packing because the disarming realization that I will be in a whole new world is starting to sink in. But, as foreign and scary as this is experience seems right now, maybe I need to be challenged in a big way. Maybe it's time for me to drop everything I know and dive head first into a new adventure but before I can do that I need to get over the first obstacle: packing.

I'm surprised at how fast time seems to fly by when you have an empty suitcase waiting for you. As much as I would love to snap my fingers and see everything just hop in, I know that time is no longer of the essence and that I must pack up 5 weeks worth of winter apparel into one suitcase which is proving to be mission impossible. Even though I'll be living by the beach, something I've never done before, I'm still debating whether or not to bring a bathing suit in the middle of winter. Is it bad that "you only live once" is persuading me to just pack it? I guess it'll be a learning experience either way!

My last day in America consisted of running errands and spending time with friends and family. I aimlessly wondered through the aisles of Target as I hunted down the perfect gifts for each of the 5 members of my host family. Clearly out of touch with the younger generation, I sifted through numerous bins of little trinkets for my future roommates, ranging from ages 10 to 6 and compiled an interesting gift assortment for them. Hopefully they can appreciate the small things? I tried to find as many things that represent Texas but you would be surprised by how tacky some of the Lone Star State paraphernalia is that sits out on the shelves. I was relatively disappointed with the selection but I made it work as best as I could and called it day with my shopping.

As I walked through the front door and I was excitedly greeted by my dogs, I grew oddly sentimental about the comfort of this routine. What will my host family be like? Will I feel this welcomed every time I come back from a day of classes and mission work? These questions race through my thoughts as doubt begins to breed a fear of the unknown. I look up to see my family as they are busy living their lives and amidst their plans, peace replaces those thoughts. It will undoubtedly take some adjusting to a new family dynamic but the Lord surrounds us with people who love and support us regardless of our geographical location. Family isn't a group of people who settle for comfort and security in the place of love and excitement but rather the opposite. We grow into places of comfort and security after we foster growth with our family through love and togetherness.

None of my family members would be excited for my trip and leap of faith if they didn't know me and hadn't worked to build the relationships we have. I believe this is true of both families and relationships in general because the Lord says in Hebrews 10:24-25, "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another." I think this is a concept that He'll be teaching me by giving me a new family during my time in Chile and through the work my team and I will be doing. Needless to say, this will be just as much of a challenge as adapting to the new culture will be but I have faith in the journey that God is guiding me down.

Although I sit around mountains of clothes that are currently making my room a borderline safety hazard, in just a few short hours I will be loading up to go to the airport to set sail for Chile and a whirlwind of new events. Mixed emotions are certainly setting in but I'm confident that a new camera, lots of prayer, and good company will push aside my pre-departure jitters and lay the foundation for the incredible learning experience ahead! Stay tuned for the international traveling chaos that is bound to ensue as I travel over 4,000 miles south of the equator!

what lies ahead

I have never been to South America before. Actually, I have never been south of the equator at all. I have never lived outside of Texas. I have never gone to another country with no contacts in my back pocket. I have never embarked on a journey like the one that awaits in Chile. Granted, I've done a decent amount of traveling to Europe and around the U.S. but never alone.


On Wednesday, I will board an 8 hour flight to Santiago, Chile as a part of the program I am participating in called Veritas, which couples mission work and studying abroad. My original intentions when I began planning this summer were to take classes and serve a community outside of my comfort zone, which I'm often too afraid to step away from. So when I found Veritas, I knew that I couldn't pass up the opportunity to live in Viña del Mar with a host family, attend classes at the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaiso, and do mission work. Although it is a little daunting that I don't know my other travel companions yet I'm looking forward to meeting them on our flight together and over the next 5 weeks.


With no experience in studying abroad, I'm relying solely on the call that God has placed on my life to go. I was reading Psalm 18 in February and verse 49 particularly solidified this inexplicable desire as it reads, "I will praise you among the nations, O Lord; I will sing praises to your name." It hit me like a ton of bricks: the nations. The creator of our expansive universe showed me how to fulfill this calling--leave what I know and proclaim His name above all else. By setting my reservations and doubts aside, He has shown me the path I get to walk down toward the abundant riches Jesus bought for each of us with His blood. 


Now, don't be fooled. I'm more nervous than ever to go against the grain and possibly open the door to my future. For the past 11 summers, I have spent a majority of my time at Laity Lodge Youth Camp which I have been blessed to call a second home. But for the first time that I can remember, I will be pursuing the Kingdom by the Pacific Ocean instead of the Frio River. Right now, it's hard to wrap my mind around that thought but I also know that the Lord doesn't call the the equipped but rather that He equips the called. I will admit that I have mixed emotions about the unknown I'm also confident that the Lord wouldn't drag me into a foreign country just for kicks and giggles. 


I have never blogged before and my hope behind Chilean Chatter is to shine a light on the rich Chilean culture I will experience and how I will inevitably embarrass myself on the daily trying to figure it out. I also hope to show how the Lord is working both through the work we will be doing and in me. Stick with me as I figure out how to navigate the blogging scene and report back on a day in the life in Chile!