Long Weekend in the South: Chiloe

Oh hayyyy! It's Sunday night again which means I am sitting here procrastinating all of my readings/responsibility. Which would be fine except I have 3 exams this week. Which is sort of disorienting since all of my friends at home are finishing finals or have already headed back to their hometowns for the summer (or they're graduating and becoming real people which I won't address because it's scary and idontwannathinkaboutit). Anyway, here in Santiago the leaves are falling, I'm rocking leather jackets and scarves and boots and fun fall things! Also, as I've mentioned before I'm discovering what it means to live somewhere without central heating: chilly. I can't even imagine what winter will be like....

Moving on, I had a pretty great weekend filled with friends, fun, food, and even a little bit of sleep! Friday night some gringos and I met up with some of our Chilean friends for a previa (pregame) unsure of where we were going to go. Turned out it was this secret house/electronic show! We legit just walked up to an unmarked door and when it opened we were in this super cool music venue. My Chilean life is much hipper than my American life. Which obviously means I need to go shopping for more scarves and cool shoes. To be more hip. Also it's cold here.

Yesterday Claudia invited me to another asada at one of her daughters's houses. It was a lot smaller get-together than the last one I went to, so I really got to sit down and talk with her family and get to know people. Everyone was so welcoming and it was nice to be in a family environment. One of Claudia's granddaughters is 14 and super-tall but after dinner she crawled up on her Dad's lap and everyone was teasing her about how she's too old for that. It made me think of home and my family :) While it makes me miss home a little to be around such a great loving family, I think ultimately it's really comforting because I feel like they are my family too!

Anyway, I owe you all an update on my latest trip: Chiloe! Chiloe is the second largest island in South America (to be honest I have no idea what the biggest one is...) and it's a 15 hour bus ride south of Santiago. It's most famous for it's mythology and houses on stilts overlooking the ocean. It has a really different feel than mainland Chile, I think because it was pretty isolated for a long time. Today, it's super easy to access, with a ferry that holds cars and buses that goes back and forth frequently. Only 6 of us made the trip and it was all girls, so it very quickly became a girls weekend, which was great!

After an overnight bus from Santiago, we arrived in the small town on Ancud last Saturday morning around 9 AM and checked into our hostel, a super cute and comfy log cabin looking building with an ocean view! We wandered into town, ate a hearty breakfast and did a quick walking tour. We learned a lot about the mythology of the island, the group favorite being the "Trauco" who all of our host moms had warned us about. According to legend, he was an angel who fell in love with a woman on Chiloe and when God found out that they were having premarital sex God turned his angel into a really creepy looking troll called the Trauco. Now, the Trauco spends his time trolling (that was punny!) Chiloe and impregnating innocent women. Basically, if a girl get's pregnant and no one knows who the father is, it's probably the Trauco's baby. After watching a scary YouTube video on the Trauco which I'll post below, our group was sufficiently afraid of leaving the island pregnant with a troll baby. Luckily, there's a simple solution: make a cross out of two knives and the Trauco will stay away. We decided it would be best to stay on the safe side and we "stole" knives from the hostel kitchen for our protection.

Sorry that the video is in Spanish, but it's pretty easy to get the gist of the legend!

Anyway, after exploring we got super domestic and made a delicious dinner of pasta, chicken, and boxed wine. Shout out to the other Megan for legit deboning a chicken!

The next day we woke up bright (well not exactly, Chiloe is pretty rainy!) and early and headed off to the nearby city of Castro to explore. We found out that bussing between cities is pretty easy and cheap, so it would be easy for us to check out lots of areas of the island. Once in Castro we did another walking tour which took us all over the city. Highlights were the famous wooden church, the port, a delicious empanada place, miradores with views of the entire city, and a few different neighborhoods of palafitos which are the houses on stilts. We also stopped by an artisanal market where I bought the comfiest pair slippers ever. For dinner we found this great place with an ocean view and feasted on steak, salmon, the local seafood dish curanto (I wasn't brave enough for that!) wine, and frambuesa (raspberry) sours. Also, we might have gotten an appetizer of french fries. What up girls weekend? 

Monday we headed back to Castro to take a bus to Parque Nacional Chiloe to try our hand at horseback riding. Because it was the end of the season and a holiday weekend, we had had a hard time arranging a horseback tour, but the powers of Google assured us that we would be able to "ask any farmer you meet to borrow their horse." Oh okay Google. Thank you. Anyway, it rained all morning as  we bussed to Castro and the group energy was pretty low. The lady at the counter in the bus terminal to the park was pretty unhelpful and all of us were questioning if we should even go to park. Then, out of nowhere this bubbly man approached Jesse and asked if we were going to the park. This man made our day. He was our bus driver to the park and he explained everything to us and informed us he had many friends who did horse tours and he would help us find one. In Chiloe, it's really who you know I guess. As we approached the park, our bus driver stopped the bus and hopped out and walked into a farmhouse. I joked to Megan that he was finding our horses. When he got back on the bus he told us to get off, he had found us horses! Oh, okay. While we waited for our guide to get enough horses for the six of us, we used the bathroom at a farmhouse/restaurant and decided we should eat. Best. Decision. Ever. In the U.S. it might be considered sketchy to eat in some random house, but if my travels have taught me anything it's that that is the best way to eat (the best quesdillas in Chiapas? a random garage on a side street in Tapachula). This amazing woman filled or plates with beef that slid off of the bone, the juiciest tomatoes ever, and rice. Also, homemade bread and butter.

After the best lunch ever and the discovery that we would in fact be able to ride some horses, the sun came out. We headed outside to the most (least?) legitimate looking "office' of the horseback riding people. It was a shed that with "Horseback Tours" spray painted on it. We noticed later that the word "horses" was in quotation marks. Might explain why my horse was so small...Nevertheless, we headed out on our horses through the park, across dunes and down the shore of the island. The view was breathtaking and we had a great time. 

After our ride was over, we had about an hour to wait for our bus and decided to eat some more bread and butter at our new favorite restaurant. I was already in love with the woman there and then she came out and informed us that she said some empanadas fresh out of the pan and did we want any? OF COURSE WE DID. It was the perfect ending to a perfect day. Also, we may have had a photoshoot on the side of the road waiting for the bus.

When we got home, the woman from the kayak tour we were planning the next day had e-mailed saying that the weather forecast wasn't looking great for the next morning so they were going to cancel. While we were disappointed, the ability to sleep in until 11 the next day, eat a long leisurely breakfast, and hang out in the hostel in my new slippers reading Game of Thrones until it was time to head back to Santiago was pretty great/just what I needed. 

Although this was one of the least planned-ahead trips I've ever been on, it was a blast! In Chiloe you can't really plan ahead because the weather is so variable and also people just don't answer their phones. As a result, the "planner" side of me had to take a rest for the weekend and just let things be. And what did I get? Frambuesa sours, empanadas, horseback riding by the ocean, and new slippers. Something to be said for taking life as it comes.

An Ode to Ensalada

What up loyal readers? I'm back in Santiago after a long weekend (no skipping school, we had a holiday don't worry!) in Chiloe with some friends. At some point this weekend I will blog and upload pictures about the amazing island (and it's amazing food!) but for now I just want to talk about salad. That's right, good old ensalada. Tonight after a long day interning and studying (I swear!) I sat down for dinner and realized that I have a lot of #feelings about salad.

Disclaimer: I actually love most Chilean food. It's pretty fresh (Claudia goes to the grocery store basically everyday and apologizes when she has to give me bread from the day before. I told her that at school I pretty much just wait until bread gets moldy to throw it away. She just shook her head at me. Silly gringita!) and it's also pretty tasty. Empanadas, juicy tomatoes! My favorite meal so far has been "pastel de papas" which literally translated is "potato cake" It's basically just mashed potatoes with seasoned ground beef and eggs in the center. It is amazing. Sometimes I dream about it.

Anyway, back to my story. Today I sat down for dinner and looked at my plate of "salad" and realized I really really really just want an American salad. With dark lettuce (and maybe even those weird purple things I whine about to my mother), spinach, carrots, mushrooms, maybe some goat cheese, and a nice vinaigrette. Or Greek dressing? OH GREEK DRESSING I MISS YOU. Instead, I was faced with a plate of shredded iceberg lettuce. Legit a pile of lettuce. Granted it did have traditional Chilean salad dressing, which is a truly delicious combo of oil and vinegar and yumminess. But still,  A PILE OF LETTUCE? AND ICEBERG LETTUCE? 

Here are some common characteristics of Chilean "salad" I've encountered:

1. Onions and tomatoes and oil dressing. My first day Claudia set this out next to my plate and I thought it was like some sort of appetizer? Or side dish? So I spooned out some tomatoes onto my big plate and left the rest on the table. I would soon learn that this was actually a salad and the entire plate was actually for me.
2. Iceberg lettuce, onions, tomatoes, and oil dressing. See above.
3. Iceberg lettuce and celery. Oh and dressing.
4. Iceberg lettuce, onions, tomatoes, a hard boiled egg, oil dressing, and mayo. Yes mayo.
5. Iceberg lettuce, onions, tomatoes, a hard boiled egg, avocado, oil dressing and mayo. WHY DID YOU RUIN THE DELICIOUS AVOCADO WITH MAYO? WHY? I LOVE AVOCADO. CHILEANS LIKE AVOCADO. WHY IS THERE MAYO? 

At first I thought this was just a Claudia thing. Like maybe she just made weird salads. But, after asking around it became clear that those variations above are actually salad. And it's not that I don't like them (aside from the mayo...) because in actuality I'm obsessed with the salad dressing, but like, can't I get some leafy greens? 

Now, you might be thinking to yourself, "The Megan I know pretty much only wants to eat red meat, specifically filet mignon, WHAT IS THE WORLD COMING TO?" but never fear, my love of juicy, rare steak has not deserted me. It's the same thing that happened when I went to Mexico and didn't eat the lettuce (or anything that didn't have a skin that got peeled off) and came home and demanded salad all the time. I had no idea that salad played such an important role in my life. 

First day back on U.S. soil I would like a salad from Chop't. Or Panera. With cheese in it. And no iceberg lettuce.

Check back soon for updates on Chiloe! Chao for now!

Finally Fall!

I've been back in Santiago for a little over a week and its been a complete whirlwind of catching up on readings, internship interviews, parties, class, and trying to fit in some siesta time. This gringa is exhausted. But, it's been a great week. For one, I scored an internship at the Centro de Estudios de Justicia de las Americas (CEJA). I'll be interning there on Tuesdays and Thursdays starting tomorrow. Although I'm sad to see my free time on Tuesdays and Thursdays go, it'll be good to have some more structure. Also, the type of work CEJA does is right up my alley.

I also had my first Conversation Partners session last Wednesday. Conversation Partners is a program run through UDP's American Corner (which in turn is run by the US State Department) that connects American and Chilean students who want to practice their Spanish and English, respectively. I go once a week for 45 minutes and so far it seems really rewarding. Everyone in my group is excited to talk and get to know each other. One of the downfalls of my program is that 3 of my 4 classes are with AU students, even though we have Chilean professors/they are taught in Spanish. It sometimes limits our ability to meet Chileans. I've been lucky enough to meet lots of really friendly Chileans who have included me in their lives and introduced me to their friends. Conversation Partners gives me another venue to do that.

New friends at a birthday party last week

Ina, Jesse's host sister has been super super nice and always invites us out with her and her friends

 

Gringas go out!

Yesterday Jesse invited me to lunch with a friend of her Dad's from grad school, Fernando. He is Chilean but has spent most of his life in Spain and the US, returning to Santiago a year and a half ago for work. He has a really nice wife and five super cute children. They fed us gazpacho, tortilla española, ceviche and chorizo which are some of my favorite foods of all time. Fernando had grown up in the Basque country in Spain so we talked a little bit about northern Spain and my time in Burgos. It brought me back to my first abroad experience, which reminded me of a. how much better my Spanish has gotten and b. how grateful and lucky I am to have had all of these amazing experiences.

Today was the first day where Santiago really felt like fall, and people were really bundled up. At first I didn't understand but then I got to school it was SO COLD. There isn't really central heating here so buildings just stay well, cold. Can't wait for winter. I think I'll be heading to Calle Bandera where there a bunch of thrift stores to pick up another leather jacket and some more scarves. 

Teresa and I rocking our fanny packs, purchased on Bandera, the best thrift shopping in the city.

Santiago is such a unique city and while I am still trying to get to know it better, there are some major differences I've noticed. Some are awesome, some are frustrating, and some are just funny. 

1. People here walk so slow. SO SLOW. SO SLOW. I am not a particularly fast walker but I am constantly passing people on the street and getting stuck behind slow walkers. It makes me feel so aggressive but I'm not! I just really really can't walk that slow. 
2. Crossing the street is sort of like playing Russian Roulette. Cars do not want to stop for you, so they generally only stop when they're actually about to hit you. And if you think you can stand on the sidewalk waiting for cars to slow down before you start to cross you will legitimately spend your day on the sidewalk. Also, it's very common for cars to step on the gas the second you walk past them, which means I spend a lot of time turning around and freaking out, thinking I'm about to get run over. 
3. PDA (public displays of affection for you old folks) is 100% acceptable in 100% of the places. The metro, the library, the middle of the sidewalk and as I learned last week, the classroom. Cuz making out in front of your professor is so romantic. On the other hand, maybe I'm just bitter. But seriously, I'm trying to get off of the metro and also I can see your tongue(s). 
4. Earthquakes are not a big deal. I've been in 5 in the last 2 months. Most of which have been around 6.0 or 7.0 on the Richter scale. The most recent one was reported in USA Today and the Washington Post. Which to me was insane because I basically slept through it and Santiago legitimately just goes on with its business after an earthquake. 
5. People are generally so much friendlier than they are in DC or Boston. Last week Claudia had pneumonia and sent me to the grocery store. No problem except I had to go the deli and the grocery store which involved me having to interact with like, real Chileans. And as soon as my number was called at the deli I realized I had no idea how to say "slice" (hint: it's lamina). The woman at the counter was so friendly and helpful. She didn't care that I was clearly confused by the large number of cheeses and varieties of turkey. And then at the bakery I asked the woman in front of me a question and she began this whole conversation with me about all of the different kinds of bread in Chile. So great.

So, despite the slow walkers and the making out on top of me in a crowded metro car, Santiago has truly grown on me. Tomorrow will be exactly two months since my arrival and I couldn't be happier. I feel so taken in by all of the Chileans I meet, I'm beginning to think in Spanish without translating to English in my head and oh, did I mention, I just booked two more trips? This weekend I'm headed to Chiloe, an island that's a 15 hour bus ride south of Santiago famous for its beauty and also its penguin colonies! And at the end of May I'm going to Buenos Aires! I can't wait to eat steak in Argentina. 

I have my first midterm Wednesday, so ciao for now!

Exploring the Pacific: Easter Island

Oh hey world! I'm back from the last leg of my crazy 2-week "spring break" at Lollapalooza, Torres del Paine, and finally, Easter Island. I slept for roughly 12 hours last night and am currently procrastinating the mountain of reading that has piled up in my absence. Yay school!

On Wednesday morning I dragged myself out of bed to the airport to meet up with the group for our flight to Easter Island. This trip was through the program so it was more structured and planned than my time in Patagonia which was a nice change of pace. I was also really excited to see my friends who hadn't gone to Torres del Paine with me.

After a smooth five hour flight over the Pacific (shout out to the personal entertainment systems on LAN, I got to watch Modern Family the entire time!) we landed in Easter Island at the smallest airport I've ever been to. Our tour guide gave us all leis (yay!!) and we headed to the hotel to explore and grab dinner

Easter Island, called Rapa Nui in the language of its native people, is the most remote inhabited island on earth. While some people think it was settled by aliens (hence the giant statues) most anthropologists believe it was settled by people for other Polynesian islands, mainly due to similarities in language and some traditions. Today, Easter Island is a part of the Chilean state which is somewhat controversial. Some Rapa Nui believe that the island should be independent since it is so different from mainland Chile. They feel that the Chileans who represent them in government are so far removed from Rapa Nui society that they cannot possibly serve their needs. Our tour guide told us that this was true but that most Rapa Nui would actually just like more autonomy from Chile and that "independence is a big word". Because Easter is so far away from mainland and has very little agricultural or other industry, an overwhelming majority of its products are imported. As a result, the island's relationship with Chile is very important.

The next three days were spent exploring the different ruins around the island. The most well-known attraction of Rapa Nui is its moai statues, which were constructed during the islands heyday to represent deceased family chiefs. The statues stand on a platform and below that the bodies of the chiefs are buried. Over time, the varying tribes on the island began to fight each other. At first the rival tribes would build bigger and bigger statues to represent their power, but towards the end of the war warring factions began knocking down the moai of their rivals. When European explorers reached the island in the late 1700s no statues were left standing. Since then some have been resurrected by archeologists while others remain toppled.

I'd never been to a tropical island before and I have to say I think Easter Island was a great place to start. It's absolutely beautiful and rich in history. This week it's back to a routine here in Santiago which, while sort of a letdown after the last two weeks will actually be really nice. I miss my daily commute, exploring the city, and just hanging out with Claudia and her family.

Until next time--ciao!