"Treinta y Tres" Especial [33 Special]

I was fortunate on our way to our surfing extravaganza to visit the Fenix 2, which is the capsule used to rescue the 33 miners stuck for 70 days in the mines of northern Chile. It was mandated that the capsule visit every "Plaza de Armas" or major plaza in honor of famous Chilean battles. Practically every major city has one, thus it stopped in Valparaiso for a few days until it continues its trek to the south of Chile. The goal is to take the capsule the whole of Chile, for all the people to see and celebrate. I find the idea overwhelmingly touching, as they take a very historic piece of their history all over the country, so that the people of Chile can celebrate the miraculous rescue of the 33 miners.



It has been an true honor to be able to watch Chileans from all walks of life come together to support and celebrate the rescue of the 33. It has been funny, too, as 33 is now a very important number. They are definitely heroes here. While my parents visited, we saw in Santiago a massive banner hanging off the side of an apartment building that declared them as heroes. The sermon the following Sunday was titled the "33 y 1" signifying the addition of God with them. People joked and still joke about "33" this or "33" that. An important number for sure. Just the other day, I was microwaving something and stopped it to check on the contents. It so happened to stop on 33 seconds. My chilean brother let out a laugh and pointed to the glowing number saying "33 como los mineros" or "33 just like the miners".

Needless to say, it has been fun to watch people, usually known as being timid and unpatriotic, come out in full force this year. They have certainly beat the stigma, rallied together and could not be more proud of their country, as they are now after recovering from the earthquake, the rescue of the miners and their big Bicentennial celebration of 200 years. I don't think they are timid, yet humble, after everything they have endured. It certainly was fun to be able to witness a piece of their history that represents so much for them. I marveled at the line of people waiting to have their picture taken next to "the capsule", and enjoyed being able to share in their emotions even if I am a gringa or outsider.




I will never forget the days when the miners were being rescued. Each time I watched one come out, I would get goosebumps. Knowing that the majority of Chile and millions around the world were watching the rescue mission, was mind-blowing to me. Such a neat experience! Even in the mall, the TV's were all set to the rescue efforts. It was funny because people would continually walk by, stop for a minute, watch and smile, then move along so someone else could see. An indescribable time and emotion to witness, yet in the end it truly was and is a miracle from God.

Surfin' in Chile!

Went to Quintay two weekends ago with a good friend of mine that I made here in Chile, Casey. We had the urge to go about 45 minutes south of Valparaiso to a small fishing village where they were offering surf lessons. Both of us have wanted to try our hand at it, so we went on our merrily way.





We had no clue about anything, but it turned out to be one of the most fun times around. I think we both surprised ourselves with our ability to get our wetsuits on, then we made a giant accomplishment of getting our knees on the board! Since neither of us were used to wetsuits, it was quite comical to watch us suck ourselves into them.

However I was very proud of both of us for getting on knees on the board, as they told us that usually takes a few lessons for some people to get the hang of, but we got it in one. What can I say? Then, we were able to get our feet on the board. We were not able to fully stand up, but getting the feet planted was good enough for me. While out there one time though, we did have the fortunate opportunity to be a few feet away from a baby sea lion. I did kind of freak out for a moment, but our surf instructor reassured me it was nothing to worry about.

The other funny thing was that after each night, we slept well because of what a great workout it was, but we kept feeling like someone was rocking our beds the entire night. The constant banging a of waves against our bodies never ceased the whole weekend. Each time we got into the water, we shocked our system against the frigid Pacific waters. After getting in for a bit, you get over the numbness and have some fun.





A few more lessons and we'll be pros, I am sure of this. It was still a fun experience take a crack at surfing, visit the gorgeous city and beaches of Quintay and have some tasty meals cooked for us at our cabana.


Quintay is definitely one of those towns where everyone knows everyone. They will say hi to anybody and everybody that passes on the street as well. A rarety in Vina del Mar or Valparaiso. In our taxi ride there, we chatted with two other gentlemen from Quintay. They explained that everyone calls everyone family, and it's a great community to live in. Definitely evident as us gringas walked the streets and were greeted so cordially. For sure enjoyed my get-away trip to Quintay to catch some waves and marvel at the scenery, and the massive bruises I still have are a constant reminder.

Chilean Soccer at its Mildest

I had the privilege of attending the classic match-up soccer game between Vina del Mar Everton and the Santiago Wanderers, who are based in Valparaiso. I did not take my camera, fortunately, so that I would not be robbed, but unfortunately because I wish I could have had pictures of the craziness.

We walked down to the stadium where we passed one police checkpoint, then continued to be circled by half a dozen motorcycle cops. Upon arrival to the final entrance, we were searched at another police check point. Also waiting at the entrance was one of the armored police trucks loaded with a gas cannon. Should have clued me in to the intensity of the situation, but I didn't hit me until we entered the stadium.

The stadium, which was only half full, because they say had suffered structural damage in the earthquake but really shut half of it down for security reasons, was estatic. We sat on the blue and gold Everton side, of which was surrounded on both sides of the fans by police officers. Noticing as well that to separate the two sides was a high wall of chain-link fence, topped with barbed-wire. The green and white side of Wanderers were also surrounded on either side by police officers. There were also about a dozen fully padded police officers on the ground, plus another half-dozen K-9 police dogs roaming around the field. I didn't know if I was at a soccer game or in prison.

The high spirits and enthusiasm of the two sides reminded me that it was all soccer. Both sides sported their colors proudly with banners, flags, streamers and bags that were turned into balloon-like things to wave around. The chants and yells were rampant to the beat of the massive drums located centrally in both stands. To kick off the match they sprayed colored fire extinguishers for their respective teams. It was quite the emotion and an atmosphere like nothing I have ever experienced.

Things got scary at half-time though when the massive rocks started flying onto our side. I heard that we apparently threw a rock first, but I'm not sure about that. Anyways dodging the propelled matter, we watched in dismay as the un-padded police took off running for their safety, and the fully-padded officers came charging in. The crazy Wanderers continued to throw objects at us, despite them winning at this point, and molesting the police officers to the extent of the officers having to beat them away with the batons.

This sparked an all-out tumble from the top of the stands to the bottom, inlcuding a couple of padded officers and several riled-up Wanderers. It was crazy! Never seen anything like it before. After the Wanderers scored again in the second half, they went nuts trying to jump the fences onto the field. That is where the K-9 dogs come in. My side wasn't totally guilt-free as we had a fight break out and they started running through the stands, nearly knocking us all the way down.


After that it calmed down, Everton sadly lost the game, which meant we booked it out of the stadium while the Wanderers celebrated. Trying to get out was another shock to the system though as we faced another entourage of police on motorcycles and four-wheelers, six police officers on horseback and another armored car. All that is to say, Chileans are crazy about their soccer. Latin Americans in general are crazy about soccer. It was definitely an experience of a lifetime and glad that I survived it. Upon arriving to home, however, my Chilean family informed me that the classic match-up between Vina and Valpo is nothing compared to a Colo-Colo game. Apparently it was Chilean soccer at its mildest.

It's Always Funny After the Fact.

Well as someone told me, my life is not normal here. It's a little more crazy, highly memorable and in the end always funny. So buckle up ladies and gentlemen. The funny stories are about to roll like wheels on a bus.

It starts with the other day, in which I thought my Chilean host, Lorena, was asking to use my balsamic vinegar that I had brought back from Argentina. I thought she wanted to use it to cook with, so I gave it to her. She looked at the bottle for a moment, then at me. She seemed a tad confused and asked again for "balsamo" to which I said "Si" with assurance. I was a little too confident. Needless to say, I thought she wanted the balsamic or "balsamico" which is very similar to hair conditioner or "balsamo." Yep, I tried to give her balsamic vinegar for hair conditioner. If you didn't know it works wonders for the scalp. So embarrassing, but definitely funny after the fact.

Hopefully I haven't bored you to death, but if you are. You can join me for a nap on the bus ride home. It's a great place to snooze after you pulled an all-nighter to finish papers, projects and presentations. It was a rough night and a full day of classes. I tried so hard to keep my eyes open all day long, but I just couldn't help it at times. Finally the time came where I was able to head home to eat and sleep. I slept a little too soon. The consequence of falling asleep on the bus ride home was that I missed my bus stop. When I woke up I had no clue where I was in relation to my house. I tried to play it cool, thinking the bus would surely double-back at my stop, so I'd just wait patiently.

Little did I know, this was the last run for my bus driver. As we pulled into the bus depot, he asked me where I needed to go. After telling him that Miraflores was my stop and I missed it because I was sleeping, he couldn't stop the laughter. Thankfully there was another bus driver about to start his route, but I definitely had to make the walk of shame out of the bus and across the way to the new bus. Along the way, I received several whistles, laughs and cheers for my humiliating situation.

The jokes kept coming once I waited for the new bus driver to get the heck out of there, which I didn't even know where the heck out of there was. My new bus driver was laughing as well and asked if any of his buddies standing outside wanted to ride with the "gringa" or wanted my number. Let's just say I am infamous there now. So what usually is a 25-30 minute bus ride to get home, it took me a whopping one and a half hours. Not kidding you, when I got home and they opened the door I collapsed on the floor in relief and laughter. I was scared spit less when I woke up with no clue as to where I was, changed buses in the sketchiest of places and frustrated with an hour and half bus ride home, but I can laugh about it all now. Certainly funny after the fact.

Long time, no post.

Sorry, I am not good at the blogging thing unfortunately. I think I have a lot of ground to cover, but I will try and address it all little by little. Let's start with Fiestas Patrias which was a way, long time ago.

I have never eaten so many empanadas and grilled meat in my life! It was delicious and I had a blast with the whole family. We watched two great fireworks shows over the bay and enjoed time with the whole family. It started with Diego's school program where they danced the traditional dances of Chile. It was precious! On the actual day we went to the Botanical Gardens here with the entire family. We had 4 grills for all the meat and empanadas we could eat. We played traditional Chilean games, which are the same as in the states like 3-legged races, sack races and tug-of-war. I flew a kite for the first time in ages as well! Here are a few random sampling of pictures from the day.



This would be the men's sack race. I love it! There are the cheaters in the background pushing and shoving, and then Ariel, a cousin, taking the lead!



The little guys trying to do the three-legged-race.



Vicente, my cousin's son, in his precious "huaso" or Chilean cowboy outfit.



At the Botanical Gardens and people everywhere.



The tons of meat and grills we had.



Also to note there was a lot of Cueca, their national dance. Many people were wearing the traditional "country" or fockloric get-up for the celebrations, but even if you weren't everyone danced it practically. I did try my hand at the Cueca as well. It was quite hilarious and embarrassing, as I had no idea what my cousin was doing. He had no clue how to dance the Cueca making it harder for me. My uncle the second time round did know and it went a lot better. He joked that everyone had to dance with the "gringa" but thankfully that didn't happen.

Two days later we watched the Naval Review, which is a neat tradition where all of the naval fleets pass through the bay for inspection. Even the navy ships from other countries participated.




After all the festivities we rested and ate nothing. I couldn't even look at another piece of meat after everything was said and done. However, it was fun to experience their Independence day(s) here. They definitely went all out for their Bicentennial year and certainly know how to celebrate with the family. A good time had by all.

Mendoza, Argentina

Well folks, just got back from Argentina. Spent this last weekend in Mendoza, which is about an 8 hour bus ride east through the Andes Mountains. It was such a neat experience and fun time! Too many stories and jokes to tell!

The view on the way was incredible as we all marveled at the Andes Mountains, and joked about how we have the same picture about 20 different ways. Going through the customs/immigration into Argentina was no problem at all.






Surprisingly, there is a big difference between Argentina and Chile. I didn't think there would be a significant difference at least between Mendoza and Chile, but there was. Argentinians seem more put togther, more calm and laid back. They definitely have more a European, rather than indigenous look, speak slower and better than Chileans, and things are CHEAP there! I think the other shocker was not to be living so crowded or on top of each other. We weren't on a hill, but it a nice plain with space to move around.

The next day we took a bike tour throughout the countryside of Mendoza. Someone likened Mendoza to the Wine Country in California. It has many vineyards and farmers in the area. It was such a beautiful ride to different vineyards and an olive oil plantation/factory that had a delicious sampling of chocolates, marmalaides, olive oils and olives. This one was by far our favorite. It was a cute, mom-and-pop, antique feel. Here's an artsy-craftsy shots of it.





It's a toss up whether we looked like the circus was coming to town or a bike gang.


From there we biked to a restaurant in the middle-of-nowhere to eat some tasty empanadas in the countryside sitting on a bail of hay. What fun but exhausting time biking around! After the bike tour, a few of us ventured to a eat Argentinian steak. We were told that they have good and very cheap steaks! For the first time ever, I, Allison Johnston, ordered a steak dinner. I enjoyed it as well!





Sunday, we decided to walk. All morning long three of us, walked to 3 of the plazas that were named and gifted from different countries. The fourth is named after a founding father, but they are situated in a square shape with a major plaza, Plaza Independencia, in the middel of them. There is a 6-7 block radius between the 4 out-lying plazas. Needless to say, it was lot of walking but a good time exploring the plazas and a famous chocolate shop in Argentina.

We came to the conclusion that Plaza Italia was the best plaza, complete with teeter-totters, slides swings and a spinny-thingy. Plaza Espana was the second best with beautiful tiling and fountain, as well as, a decent playground. Plaza Chile, however, disappointed us dearly. The fountain didn't work, the playground was minimal and that's about it. A bust for sure.

After our unsaid battle of the plazas, we met the rest of the group in the massive public park in Mendoza. It holds a lake, their zoo, soccer stadium and much more. It was a gorgeous and massive park. We finally rested a bit, ate empanadas and explored the park grounds. It is here that we came upon a display by the government of Mendoza/Argentina, I think to promote the park, with the police band playing and traditional folkloric dancers. It was quite entertaining to watch! The little boy below in the pink shirt was my favorite! The one with the sweet pants and beret was also up there! They were precious dancing around with ladies almost 2 feet taller than themselves! After the police band came the boy scouts. Who knew they were international?!











Following the park, we passed the time shopping in art markets. We topped the night of splitting a kilo of ice cream together for a splendid trip to Argentina! The next morning we traveled back to Chile on a double-decker bus! We were excited about that and once again took some more Andes Mountains pictures.






After spending nearly 2 hours trying to enter back into the country at Chilean Customs and Immigration, we made through. Chile sure is a stickler on their border protection/control. It was an intense process, but it was good time to marvel at the snow that we were standing in?! Such extreme weather changes.





All in all, it was a great trip to Argentina. I truly loved Mendoza! However I am excited to back in Chile as the festivities kick up for Fiesta Patrias. Flags were out in full-swing on our bus ride back making us eager for the many days of activities and celebrations to come!

Pesos por Besos

So after a lovely evening at Union Cristiana a group of 15 Americans and Chileans went to eat empanadas. We couldn't find a place that could take us, thus we went to Pizza Hut. While there a wandering musical group of students dressed like "Robin Hood Men in Tights" characters came into the restaurant to entertain us for with their witty and charming musical show.

One guy was leaping and bounding while kicking his tambourine. Impressive to say the least and comical. After their little show, we all gave a few pesos out of courtesy. [By the way, it's normal for something like this to happen. Musicians or vendors coming in to sell things in restaurants, buses, anywhere! Cultural difference.]

Moving along. I jokingly made the mistake after I thought the band had left the restaurant to my Chilean friends, "No besos?!" To which my fine Chilean friends ran out the restaurant after them. I stood up to get away, but it was too late. I was trapped in between everyone. So I was standing there laughing and mortified in front of everyone in Pizza Hut, as two of the 5 guys came waltzing in. They were quite excited and eager, I must say, waiting to give me a beso.

I resisted for awhile, until one of them proposed a hug, sparking a friend to shove me into him. This picture is of the resistance, but him encouraging me as well as a friend pushing me from behind.



I finally got over the humiliation and sucked it up. I didn't want to disappoint either. It's customary in Chile to greet with a kiss on the cheek anyways, so what's the big deal! I went ahead and gave in, allowing the first guy to give me a kiss of the cheek. Applause roared. Then, the second guy quickly moved in. He was gutsy though and asked for two! One on each cheek! This is the two-for guy...




It was a hilarious night of laughter, humiliation and fun! No big deal, just giving some pesos por besos.

The Bicentennial

I went to youth group the other day at Union Cristiana, which consists of a broad range of young people (high school to college and just out), but it was a different service this time round. As Chile is gearing-up for their Bicentennial celebrations during the week of Fiestas Patrias (Independence Day), the church was gathering together to pray for their people, the church and their country. It was such a neat opportunity to witness the Lord moving through the young people and bringing them to their news to pray for a broken and hurting country, especially this year with the major 8.8 earthquake in February, several server aftershocks and now the 33 miners trapped in the North.

It wasn’t just the natural disasters, but they also prayed for the some of the same things that the church in the States is praying for like: the institution of marriage in their country, abortions, drug addictions and physical/emotional abuse. The coolest thing was to be able to pray for Chile along Chileans in both Spanish and English. My time may be limited, but I have come to love this country. I will continue to pray for Chile like I have been, am doing now and will continue to do even after I leave. It was such a blessing to be able to give back the greatest way I know how, through prayer, for their/our country.

Like I said, it’s the Bicentennial year, meaning Fiestas Patrias is even more a slam-bang show. Most Chileans and outsiders have said that Chileans tend to be timid and modest, not as orgulloso or proud. However, that night at youth group, I didn’t just see National Pride in full-bloom but a truly humble passion for the Lord to move mightily in Chile. Whoever said that Chileans are timid and non-prideful, think again. This country is one of resilience and determination. They have consistently bounced back and rallied together to restore their country and now they rally together to celebrate and pray in the good times and bad. So let the festivities begin, the flags fly and the Lord to move mightily in Chile!

CHI-CHI-CHI, LE-LE-LE! VIVA CHILE!

The good, the bad, the ugly.

Alright sorry I haven’t blogged in awhile. I don’t even know where to begin. First things first, the Seahorses won! Haha. We barely came out with a win in overtime, but we did it! Our next game isn’t for awhile, so it practices for us.

Secondly, I must inform you of a terrible event that occurred this past week. I was out with a friend and as we were leaving to head home, we crossed halfway into the street to see if it was clear to cross. I saw that we could not make it in time to clear the buses, so I headed back to the sidewalk. When I turned around, thinking my friend was behind me, I saw a man come running towards her. At first glance, I thought he may be pulling her out of the way of the oncoming bus, but after a second or two, I realized he was not so nice. He pushed her once and then into the stopped bus that we were in front of. Before I could take two steps I heard a snap and he took off running with her purse.

Thankfully, she was okay despite having been shoved into the front of a bus and hitting the ground. It was definitely a traumatic event for both of us that I never want to relive again. After running after him for a bit, yelling help in English, to the tons of people watching and staring at us, I stopped. At that point it was a lost cause, safer not to follow him and not draw anymore unwanted attention to us. We quickly got on a bus and headed home.

Needless to say we were both pretty shaken up and got very little sleep that night. It was definitely learning and growing experience. I knew that I couldn’t harbor any bitterness and anger towards all of Chile just because of one man’s decision. Furthermore, I knew that I can’t be afraid to go out into public anymore because of the incident.

I jokingly say though that the incident was the end of the “honeymoon period” for me. Through it all though, I just had to praise the Lord. There are several reasons why. One, I had my passport on me because I needed it for something earlier (I never carry it with me though!). Two, that the Lord protected us from something worse. Three, that I could freely forgive without harnessing any anger or resentment, yet actually laugh (probably to prevent myself from crying), smile and praise.

The verse that came to mind that perfectly describe this “honeymoon” buster is John 10:10. It says, “The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy. I have come that you may life and life abundantly.” Despite everything that happened, the money lost, the shock and all, the attacker wasn’t able to steal my joy! It reminded me that I have these material things, but my worth isn’t in this world. My worth, my joy and my hope is Jesus!

So out of the bad comes the good. Thank you, Jesus that You have come for all to have life to the fullest even when things go terribly wrong. I almost didn’t want to tell the story to scare y’all because it really is a great, safe place and loving people, but I share because through it all we are to praise Him!

And now I don’t have a great transition onto the next thing, but I do want you to know that I am enjoying it here! My family is great! My Chilean brothers were definitely sweet after the incident and concerned for me. They kept talking of how they should have been there and prevented it all or taken the guy out. It was flattering to say the least. Seriously though, it has been so much fun in my house. Never a dull moment!

They constantly tease me for a couple of things…my laugh and being from Texas. They always mimic my booming laughter and they never cease to get me going on the laughter. The second is that they have a weird image of Texas that is a mix of Chuck Norris in Walker Texas Ranger, John Wayne and Yosemite Sam. They think of Texas with a bunch of tumbleweeds rolling around and gun-toting Cowboys constantly dueling. So, they always act out a cowboy shooting at the feet of someone else yelling “Arriba! Arriba!” For this, I found a little kids sheriffs badge and pistols with the holsters. It was a big hit with everyone! I told, Matias, the ring leader of it all that they were for when he makes his grand trip to Texas. He’s ready now!



I think that’s a good stopping point for now. Too long already and I hope I haven’t bored you to death. So far, so good! Vaya con Dios!

Viva Basquetbol

I decided that it would be fun to play on the women's international team with the university. All the international students play on one team against other women teams from different departments in the university. We had our first game yesterday and it was a lot of fun!

We won 23-0! We have a picture of us after the game on the university website. You can check it out here:

http://ucv.altavoz.net/prontus_unidacad/site/artic/20100818/pags/20100818111710.html

It was strange though because Chilean basketball is a bit different. We only played two halves of 10 minutes. Nevertheless, it was fun to finally play a sport that you don't have to use your feet! Namely soccer. I'll keep you posted as we fight our way to the top! Viva gringas!

Oh I forgot to tell you that we are the Fightin' Seahorses!

Almuerzo con la Familia

So, I think that I am finally caught up on the events and stories thus far. For the most part at least. Yesterday, we had a lovely lunch at my aunt and uncle's house with some of the family. It was fun and I tried oysters and shell-fish for the first time!

Uncle Lucho is my favorite uncle! He always make sure that I am taken care of and always ask me questions. He enjoys to talk to me in English and then I respond in Spanish. It's great! I challenged him to smile and he said that he never does. So, I worked my charm and beauty to get him to smile in a picture with me. He did, but I had to sit in his lap! He's so funny and always cracks me up!

I'll post a picture soon of my Chilean family! But, here are some of my aunts, uncles and cousins thus far!

El Banco

Funny story:

I went to go talk to the people at BBVA Bank to ask if I had to pay the ATM fee everytime or not, because I am a client. Once I got up to the counter to talk to the fairly good-looking, younger banker, I started in on my predicament. I thought he was looking at me intently, because he couldn't quite understand my Spanish. I don't know bank terms very well and had to ask him a couple times to repeat what he was saying. Finally, I point-blank asked him if it was possible to avoid the fees or not. He finally gave me a straight-answer that I could understand, no. Then, he turns to his co-worker walking by and tells him, "Mira sus ojos son lindos!" Translation: Look, her eyes are beautiful! So, I finally understood why he was staring so intently as he and his co-worker marveled over my eyes.

I didn't know whether to be flattered or frustrated. I wondered if he actually was paying attention to anything I was saying! Nevertheless, I didn't get much more out of him. I left saying in Spanish, "My eyes are pretty, but my Spanish is horrible! Thanks and good-bye!" haha. It was quite funny and sweet with a little frustration!

My parents later said, "Why didn't you bat your eyes and milk it to see what he would do?" I did bat my eyes a bit, but I was in shock that I didn't know what to do! So, I'll visit another bank later and try with someone else. Maybe a banker a little older...

Gone Skiing!

Well I had the opportunity to go skiing for my very first time in the Andes Mountains! It was so much fun to get to see SNOW and MOUNTAINS! Everyone kept giving me a hard time, because I like a kid in a candy store. I was so giddy and excited! Until...I actually got into my skiing class. haha. I realized that they make it look easier than it actually is, and that it hurts. ALOT!

Right out of the gate in our ski class, I pulled a muscle cuz my skis went both ways. This caused a painful split, that I didn't know I could do. After that we practiced how to stop using our skis. Well I did so well this time around and fell. My instructor, a goofy guy, came over to help me up. He told me to jump up as he picked me up. However, as I did this my skis clipped him and he fell on top of me. Quite funny and embarrassing all in one! Thankfully everyone took out the instructor at some point in time!

After our 2 hour long ski class, we took a break and ate lunch. The most exciting thing was to sit down! haha. Then the other beginners and I ventured to ski on our own! I fell many more times, but it happens. Two of the others decided they had enough, but my buddy, Dylan, and I wouldn't give up. We went back down the hill a couple of times and practiced on the ski machine a bit.

Funny story though: Before we went back down the hill, we saw some friends by the netted fence. We ventured over to them to take some pictures, chat it up and take a breather. The funny part is that as we were leaving to go down the hill, one of my friends asked if she could help me any. As I was saying no, I slid right into the netting and got stuck. After getting out of it, I went to go to the ski lift and slid right back into the fence a little ways down. When I looked up, I was stuck right in front of another beginner's class. The instructor asked if I was alright, but all I could do was laugh! So embarrassing!

The biggest accomplishment, though, was that I made it down the (little) hill without falling, and that we got on and off the ski lift with our skis on perfectly! Success!

It was so much fun, gorgeous and exhausting all in one!

Sand Dunes of Con-Con

Some friends and I ventured about 30 minutes north of Vina del Mar, where I live, to Con-Con. It is known for its massive sand dunes. We had hoped to go surfing off them, but were unable. Don't feel bad for us though, because we definitely had fun despite it!

The fun started when about 15 of us "gringos" jumped on the public bus. I just know we made everyone's day on the bus! haha. From there the bus driver put on some of his favorite tunes, Michael Jackson. They love him down here. All the Americans started to laugh, sing and dance a bit as we are standing crammed like sardines on the bus.

Then I was stuck standing as our lovely bus driver flew around corners. I was tossed like a rag-doll all over the place. It was comical to everyone (Chileans and Americans), but myself. No one in our group was too sure of where to get off either, so being the lucky one, had to make my way up to the front of the bus to ask the bus driver to tell us which stop. It was quite funny!



Documenting the lovely bus ride.

Once we made it to the dunes, the adventure was on! We all started running, climbing, sliding and hiking up and down the dunes! On the back side of the dunes is the sea with some cliffs that you can explore and climb. That was our mission!





We definitely hiked down the dunes and and rocky areas that I don't think were made to be traveled on. No big deal! We made it to the cliffs and it was beautiful! The waves were crashing and splashing up on us, and the view of the cities along the bay was neat!












After the exploring, we decided to start to walk back to catch the bus. Needless to say, we ended up walking about 2 miles to get back to the bus! It's okay because the view and company was great! All in all, I think we hiked about 4-5 miles that day.

Touring of Vina del Mar and Valparaiso

This is the tours of the "sister cities" Vina and Valpo. They are divided by a street and people (like me) travel between them daily. I actually live in Vina del Mar, but take the bus to the university in Valparaiso.

However, the unique thing about the university is that they pride themselves on being "part of the community." In theory is nice, but in actuality not so fun. Meaning that they have the school in different buildings throughout Vina del Mar, Valparaiso and another city close by. This makes traveling and getting around kind of tricky at times, but fun! haha.

Anyways, we visited the second of three houses of Pablo Neruda. Once again, its like a ship. Then went up and down the many hills and historic parts of Valparaiso. In Vina, we went to the Vergara Garden. It used to be owned by the foundng family of Vina del Mar. However, now it hosts the city amphitheatre, a beautiful garden and museum (in the old house). Sadly though, the house suffered a lot of damage from the earthquake and is no longer open to the public. The garden was gorgeous though!







The next set of pictures are of the rich and historic part of Valparaiso and the boat to that we got to take! It was so neat to see the view from the bay, see the sea lions up close, and see the Chilean Navy ships up close and personal!