Hi all,
If you want to see pictures from Valpo/Viña, they're posted on this site:
http://picasaweb.google.com/tsmeyer9/ValparaisoAndVinaDelMarSeptember2009#
(they're also currently in a little slideshow in the side bar, but it's a really little one...)
That's all for now!
Love,
Tiernan
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
I love friends: Valpo and Viña.
I arrived back in Conce very early this morning…not even bright and early, but dark and early, circa 5 AM. The two night-long bus rides were completely worth it—I had a wonderful weekend in Valparaíso and Viña del Mar.
Julie and I arrived in Viña at 6:30 AM on Friday and walked to our hostel, as it was relatively close to the bus station. We found the hostel without any problems, but ended up sitting outside the gate for an hour, ringing the bell countless times, eventually saying less than polite greetings to whoever may have been on the other end, asking to be let in. We called over and over on the phone, all to no avail. At promptly 8 o’clock, we got a voice on the other end! Turns out, although we had said on our reservation that we were arriving at 7, their reception doesn’t start until 8…hmm. This, and a cold shower, led me to believe that our hostel was a bad choice. I was wrong. It ended up being fine, for a number of reasons: (1) quite cheap ($11-ish per night), (2) lock on our door, (3) good breakfast, (4) helpful receptionist, Felipe, who told us where to go and where not to go, (5) clean, (6) hot showers! I just had to ask. Ha. Thank you, Mom, for one of the best lessons of my life…
On Friday, after a little rest, we explored Viña. Viña is a really touristy place; it was basically built so that people from Santiago would have a place to vacation (it’s about an hour or so from Santiago, far enough to get away, but close enough to be convenient). Its nickname is “The Garden City”, which is quite fitting. The streets are lined with trees (many palms) and flower beds. It is clean, orderly, and well-lit. There are castles and a presidential palace close to the coast, along with a huge Sheraton (globalization, anyone?). If you’re looking for someplace to eat, there is a McDonald’s, a Pizza Hut, a Domino’s, and a Starbucks. Wow. The casino is also in Viña, and it contains the nicest bathroom in all of Chile, in my opinion (with toilet paper, and free of charge!). Past the commercial district, there is a beach along the coast. There are these funny exercise-machine things on the beach, which don’t work as well as real ones, but raise exercise awareness, at least, and are fun for tourists to use.
That afternoon, Julie and I went to Valpo with Matt and explored one of the cerros there. We went up in an ‘ascensor’ (technically translates to ‘elevator’…like a funicular) and walked around the hill. We found a building from the University of Valparaíso there—the U of Valpo has buildings all over Valparaíso, Viña, and even in places close to Concón. I am so glad the U of Conce has a campus…
View of the port in Valpo from the ascensor.
Saturday night, I met up with Danielle and Matt to go out. We went to a bar in Viña before going to the house of one of Danielle’s gringo friends. He had invited the whole group from his school to his host parents’. There are about 20 students in the group, all from a college in Minnesota—they take their classes together and don’t speak quite as much Spanish as we do…therefore, the entire party was in English. It was funny making the Spanish to English transition. I kept answering with ‘sí’ instead of yes, and it was a strange experience meeting people who could say my name!
On Sunday, we went to church with Lauren and then met up with Celine to go to the fish market in Valpo. The four of us found a little restaurant and had lunch. SO MUCH LUNCH. The meal began with little teeny pisco sours (pisco is the alcohol of Chile, very common, and a pisco sour is pisco with lemon juice, an egg white, and something…) and bread with pebre (a spicy salsa-type thing that goes on bread). That was followed by crab and cheese empanadas (which are delicious—if you’re ever in Chile, please eat one!), and finally, the official meal of shellfish/seafood empanadas, a filet of fish, and a side dish (salad, rice, or mashed potatoes). To end the meal, we had little teeny glasses of some sweet liquor. Each of us had a different flavor, and the waiter who explained the options to us was funny, speaking in Spanish and English and counting on his fingers (because we didn’t know what all the flavors were, I think he thought we didn’t really speak Spanish). We asked him to take a picture of us as a group, and he took about fifteen. Ha.
After lunch, Lauren, Julie, and I took a micro to ‘La Sebastiana’, one of Pablo Neruda’s three houses. The bus ride itself was fun, with great views of the cerros and the city. Neruda’s house was really interesting and eclectic. A picture of it is below. We weren’t allowed to take pictures inside, but the place was filled with cool artwork, old maps, and antiquey things, all surrounded by brightly-colored walls (paint, wallpaper, tiles, stone murals, etc).
Another bus shot 
La Sebastiana
A slightly over-tired but high-spirited Tiernan
Julie and I arrived in Viña at 6:30 AM on Friday and walked to our hostel, as it was relatively close to the bus station. We found the hostel without any problems, but ended up sitting outside the gate for an hour, ringing the bell countless times, eventually saying less than polite greetings to whoever may have been on the other end, asking to be let in. We called over and over on the phone, all to no avail. At promptly 8 o’clock, we got a voice on the other end! Turns out, although we had said on our reservation that we were arriving at 7, their reception doesn’t start until 8…hmm. This, and a cold shower, led me to believe that our hostel was a bad choice. I was wrong. It ended up being fine, for a number of reasons: (1) quite cheap ($11-ish per night), (2) lock on our door, (3) good breakfast, (4) helpful receptionist, Felipe, who told us where to go and where not to go, (5) clean, (6) hot showers! I just had to ask. Ha. Thank you, Mom, for one of the best lessons of my life…
On Friday, after a little rest, we explored Viña. Viña is a really touristy place; it was basically built so that people from Santiago would have a place to vacation (it’s about an hour or so from Santiago, far enough to get away, but close enough to be convenient). Its nickname is “The Garden City”, which is quite fitting. The streets are lined with trees (many palms) and flower beds. It is clean, orderly, and well-lit. There are castles and a presidential palace close to the coast, along with a huge Sheraton (globalization, anyone?). If you’re looking for someplace to eat, there is a McDonald’s, a Pizza Hut, a Domino’s, and a Starbucks. Wow. The casino is also in Viña, and it contains the nicest bathroom in all of Chile, in my opinion (with toilet paper, and free of charge!). Past the commercial district, there is a beach along the coast. There are these funny exercise-machine things on the beach, which don’t work as well as real ones, but raise exercise awareness, at least, and are fun for tourists to use.
On Friday night, Julie and I napped and then took a bus to Valpo (about 20 mins from Viña) with Lauren. We met up with Celine and her friend Claudio and walked around the city, going to the top of a few cerros (hills---Valpo is full of them, about 42 in total) to see the city at night. It is really pretty. Viña and Valpo are situated around a bay, and at night, all the lights on the hills look really cool. After getting our fill of the scenery, we found a little bar called the Canary (el Canario, in Spanish) and had a wine-with-fruit…like a punch kind of thing. Some guys at a table near ours bought us a bottle of beer (I know that sounds lame to buy one bottle of beer for five people, but this was a liter bottle, not a normal-US-sized one), and eventually came over to talk to us. The guy I talked to told me about the fiancée he had had for two years in LA…I think he was making things up.
Saturday morning we slept in late before meeting up with a whole group of non-Chileans. Danielle, Matt, Lauren, Navee, Jay (all from the Midd program), and Ingrit (from Colombia) took a city bus with Julie and I to Concón, a town about 20 minutes north of Viña, another beach spot. We went to see the dunes there. It was really cool; we got off our bus and across the street were huge hills of sand! In the exploration process, most of us ended up without shoes and with sand in our hair, ears, clothing, etc (there was a bit of wind…). On the other side of the dunes, the coastal side, there was this overlook place near a bunch of huge rocks. We climbed around on the rocks for awhile (like a jungle gym for adults, but so much better), got as close to the ocean as possible and enjoyed the gorgeous day.
That afternoon, Julie and I went to Valpo with Matt and explored one of the cerros there. We went up in an ‘ascensor’ (technically translates to ‘elevator’…like a funicular) and walked around the hill. We found a building from the University of Valparaíso there—the U of Valpo has buildings all over Valparaíso, Viña, and even in places close to Concón. I am so glad the U of Conce has a campus…
View of the port in Valpo from the ascensor.Saturday night, I met up with Danielle and Matt to go out. We went to a bar in Viña before going to the house of one of Danielle’s gringo friends. He had invited the whole group from his school to his host parents’. There are about 20 students in the group, all from a college in Minnesota—they take their classes together and don’t speak quite as much Spanish as we do…therefore, the entire party was in English. It was funny making the Spanish to English transition. I kept answering with ‘sí’ instead of yes, and it was a strange experience meeting people who could say my name!
On Sunday, we went to church with Lauren and then met up with Celine to go to the fish market in Valpo. The four of us found a little restaurant and had lunch. SO MUCH LUNCH. The meal began with little teeny pisco sours (pisco is the alcohol of Chile, very common, and a pisco sour is pisco with lemon juice, an egg white, and something…) and bread with pebre (a spicy salsa-type thing that goes on bread). That was followed by crab and cheese empanadas (which are delicious—if you’re ever in Chile, please eat one!), and finally, the official meal of shellfish/seafood empanadas, a filet of fish, and a side dish (salad, rice, or mashed potatoes). To end the meal, we had little teeny glasses of some sweet liquor. Each of us had a different flavor, and the waiter who explained the options to us was funny, speaking in Spanish and English and counting on his fingers (because we didn’t know what all the flavors were, I think he thought we didn’t really speak Spanish). We asked him to take a picture of us as a group, and he took about fifteen. Ha.
After lunch, Lauren, Julie, and I took a micro to ‘La Sebastiana’, one of Pablo Neruda’s three houses. The bus ride itself was fun, with great views of the cerros and the city. Neruda’s house was really interesting and eclectic. A picture of it is below. We weren’t allowed to take pictures inside, but the place was filled with cool artwork, old maps, and antiquey things, all surrounded by brightly-colored walls (paint, wallpaper, tiles, stone murals, etc).
A picture taken from the bus
Another bus shot La SebastianaThe rest of the afternoon was spent walking around the cerros, especially Cerro Alegre (alegre = happy) and Cerro Concepción. These two are the most traveled by tourists, and I can see why: they are filled not only with colorful buildings, but with tons of artistic murals and graffiti.
Once the sun set, we took our final micro back to Viña, said our goodbyes to a few other friends, ate some more empanadas (I love empanadas…why are they not popular/ why don’t they exist in the US?), went back to the hostel to get our bags, and got on our bus to head home. I am so glad I got to spend this weekend traveling with Julie and with friends from Midd. It was really nice to see everyone and spend time with people I know well. In conversation, I learned that most of them also do not have many close Chilean friends yet, which is encouraging. I now know I’m not the only one, which gives me more gusto to get to know Chileans!
Although I had no class AGAIN today, I should get going to my homework, lunch, etc. I have a lot more pictures from this trip than I could put on here…I’m trying to set up a web album so that people without facebook access can see them. Once that’s going, I’ll let you know.
Hope you all are well!
Love,
Although I had no class AGAIN today, I should get going to my homework, lunch, etc. I have a lot more pictures from this trip than I could put on here…I’m trying to set up a web album so that people without facebook access can see them. Once that’s going, I’ll let you know.
Hope you all are well!
Love,
A slightly over-tired but high-spirited Tiernan
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Weather and travel!
I was just eating my once (3rd meal of the day…like breakfast at night, sans eggs and pancakes, plus bread) and watching the news when the weather came on. Now, I’ve lived here for more than seven weeks now, and I’ve seen the weather report plenty of times. However, tonight I noticed the background music for the first time. It’s like the kind of soft, pretty, classical music they play at Steininger’s (a wonderful little restaurant in small-town Salem, NY). The greatest thing about this music, though, is not that it plays during the weather, but that it has played during the weather for a long time, something like the past forty years (when I commented on the music tonight, my host mom enlightened me with this fun fact)! Here’s a link to a youtube video of a TVN weather report, just in case you want to hear the music for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKZuCevZz-U
Anyway, I’m off now to finish an essay, write a weekly internship report, research Chilean politicians, and figure out where I’ll be sleeping this weekend…I’m taking a bus tomorrow night to Viña del Mar, Chile, a city about 8 hours north of here, about an hour from Santiago. Viña is very close to Valparaíso, a well-known port city, and between the two cities I’ll be seeing a number of good friends who are living there for the semester. I’m traveling with another gringa, named Julie, who is a student from North Carolina. We’re working on a geography project together about tourism, so we figured there was no better type of research than actually going to be tourists in the place we want to learn about, right? I’m psyched. It will be nice to see a new place and some friendly faces.
My next report will be made after I have survived two overnight bus rides, and will hopefully be adorned with lots of photos…I’ve been told Valparaíso is a really interesting city.
Love,
Tiernan
Anyway, I’m off now to finish an essay, write a weekly internship report, research Chilean politicians, and figure out where I’ll be sleeping this weekend…I’m taking a bus tomorrow night to Viña del Mar, Chile, a city about 8 hours north of here, about an hour from Santiago. Viña is very close to Valparaíso, a well-known port city, and between the two cities I’ll be seeing a number of good friends who are living there for the semester. I’m traveling with another gringa, named Julie, who is a student from North Carolina. We’re working on a geography project together about tourism, so we figured there was no better type of research than actually going to be tourists in the place we want to learn about, right? I’m psyched. It will be nice to see a new place and some friendly faces.
My next report will be made after I have survived two overnight bus rides, and will hopefully be adorned with lots of photos…I’ve been told Valparaíso is a really interesting city.
Love,
Tiernan
Monday, September 21, 2009
The gastronomic and social pleasures of independence
Once again, it’s Sunday night, and I was finally writing that essay for my geography class…yes, I was writing it, until a classmate sent me a message via Skype to tell me that class has been canceled, yet again. More strikes. Why can’t the history/geography students just go to class? (note: I really don’t mind not having class, except that we’ll have to make up the lost time…I would rather finish the semester on schedule and go exploring/traveling)
On the bright side, I’m writing a blog update instead of an essay about a Chilean political crisis of the 1890s! This week was noteworthy. It was the Fiestas Patrias, which I mentioned briefly before. Basically picture the 4th of July, but with at least 2.5 days of celebration instead of one. Instead of wearing red, white, and blue (which are Chile’s colors too!), most of the kids wear traditional Chilean clothing. In place of a “barn dance” at the boys’ camp (Camp Osoha reference here), everyone dances the cueca, Chile’s national dance. Gatherings of family and friends are called “asados,” which are basically barbecues… really, just an excuse to socialize and eat a lot of meat. My week’s schedule went a bit like this:
Monday = No class, geography. On strike!
Tuesday = Mandatory class, political sociology. Contrast between departments?
Wednesday = No class, geography again. Went to the Consultorio instead. Great success. I was spending the morning with the nutritionist, and as an appointment was ending, we heard music coming from the lobby…it was a folkloric group from the village, who were all set up in the lobby, playing guitars and tambourines and singing traditional Chilean music. They were all decked out in traditional clothing, and before long, they started dancing cueca. All of the doctors, nurses, secretaries, technicians, and patients came out of their respective rooms and spaces to watch and/or participate in the festivities. Since Chilean kids grow up dancing cueca in school, most of the doctors knew how to dance it and joined the folkloric group at one point or another…I even ended up dancing for a song, though for a dance that was easier to pick up instantly than cueca, thank goodness. To finish off the morning’s break, everyone ate pajaritos* and mote con huesillos*. Mmm. I like the way the Chilean workplace operates near a national holiday…
On my way back from the Consultorio, I passed the University, where there was a ramada (ramada = huge party held in a common space, like a university or a park). There were at least forty booths set up in which different groups of students were selling choripan*, empanadas*, sopaipillas*, ponche*, and cerveza*; all the same foods, all for the same price. The event was packed with people. Aside from the vendors, there were a lot of other students and young people with friends, buying food, sitting out on the lawns, eating and drinking, celebrating independence and sunshine…
Thursday = Classes were officially canceled for the entire University, so no class, but for a good reason this time. I went back to the Consultorio, because I had heard that there was going to be some sort of celebration at lunchtime. I arrived just in time: after a morning’s hard work, the Consultorio was closed (although the official holiday is Sept 18-19, it’s customary in Chile not to work the afternoon of the 17th either) and the staff was sitting down to lunch. A long line of tables had been set up and adorned with colorful tablecloths, plates of olives and cheese cubes, empanadas, and patriotic napkins (one version with the Chilean flag, the other with a photo of traditional Chilean foods…haha). We all found seats and began the feast. Ponche was served, and the director of the clinic made a little speech about the holiday. He started by publicly informing me that this (feast) is what they do every Thursday, and everyone laughed. It’s fun being a gringa sometimes…
After being completely stuffed, I headed back to my neighborhood with one of the nurse interns. Turns out, she lives very close to my house, and as her mom was just going inside when we arrived, I was invited in as well. We drank tea and ate pajaritos (although we were stuffed already, of course. can’t get enough Chilean carbs…), and I got to meet the sister and the cousin and pass an hour very agreeably in good company.
I returned home to a brief nap and headed out to an asado! It was at the house of my Bible study leaders, with a group of friends from church. Although Veronica (the hostess) had done a lot of prep work, some people helped put the food together and others danced to start the night. I danced. More accurately, I had a brief lesson in cueca. It’s not particularly tricky, but the rhythm is one I’m not used to, and my style leaves something to be desired…but still. It was fun. Besides, everyone likes to see the gringa learn their national dance. We spent the night feasting on salad, choripan, chicken, and beef (and chicha*!), and dancing to assorted Latin rhythms. It was marvelous.
Friends dancing. I just think this picture is funny!
With Damaris, who taught me the cueca.
Men cooking meat. Only the first course (of three) shown here.
Friday = 18!! Viva Chile! Ramada at church. More cueca (including a long demo by a group of four kids, who were really good…they learned in Sunday school. Haha…), more food (those previously mentioned plus anticuchos*), and more socializing.
The folkloric group at the church. Not the best photo, but you get the general idea…
...and everyone dancing!
With Paulo (Karlye’s fiancée) and Xime, a friend.
Saturday = Trip to a fair/community celebration with Noah, the other Midd student in Conce, and our monitor (basically, a student who was assigned to help us out and do/discuss cultural things with us), Leonardo. There were more kids dancing cueca, and a lot of kites!!
I passed through the ramada in Parque Ecuador, the public park in Conce, on my way home. There was a stage for dancers and musicians and a lot of stands selling food. There were also things for kids, specifically bouncy castles, kite salesmen, and trampolines! The trampolines seemed funny to me…I’m more used to seeing them in someone’s yard than at a public event…
Sunday = Day of rest! Church, followed by American hamburgers (Paulo’s idea, not mine) and a movie. Essay attempts thwarted by geography department’s strike and an easily distracted mind.
*I used asterisks to indicate foods that would appear in the “food glossary” :
Pajarito = Shown below, in my hand. Slightly-sweet roll topped with whipped sweet topping (consistency similar to fresh marshmallow fluff)
Mote con huesillos = A dessert, comprised of a cooked grain, similar to barley, topped with a reconstituted dried peach and peach juice. At first, I was not such a fan, but it is now one of my favorite foods, I think. (photo credits go to Noah)
Choripan = ‘Chorizo’ means ‘sausage,’ and ‘pan’ means ‘bread’…so sausage in bread (a bun).
Empanada = Pastry (dough) filled with food, usually meat, but sometimes cheese and/or vegetables. The typical empanada is a ‘pino’ one, which is filled with ground beef, some hardboiled egg, an olive, and onion. (photo from google search)
On the bright side, I’m writing a blog update instead of an essay about a Chilean political crisis of the 1890s! This week was noteworthy. It was the Fiestas Patrias, which I mentioned briefly before. Basically picture the 4th of July, but with at least 2.5 days of celebration instead of one. Instead of wearing red, white, and blue (which are Chile’s colors too!), most of the kids wear traditional Chilean clothing. In place of a “barn dance” at the boys’ camp (Camp Osoha reference here), everyone dances the cueca, Chile’s national dance. Gatherings of family and friends are called “asados,” which are basically barbecues… really, just an excuse to socialize and eat a lot of meat. My week’s schedule went a bit like this:
Monday = No class, geography. On strike!
Tuesday = Mandatory class, political sociology. Contrast between departments?
Wednesday = No class, geography again. Went to the Consultorio instead. Great success. I was spending the morning with the nutritionist, and as an appointment was ending, we heard music coming from the lobby…it was a folkloric group from the village, who were all set up in the lobby, playing guitars and tambourines and singing traditional Chilean music. They were all decked out in traditional clothing, and before long, they started dancing cueca. All of the doctors, nurses, secretaries, technicians, and patients came out of their respective rooms and spaces to watch and/or participate in the festivities. Since Chilean kids grow up dancing cueca in school, most of the doctors knew how to dance it and joined the folkloric group at one point or another…I even ended up dancing for a song, though for a dance that was easier to pick up instantly than cueca, thank goodness. To finish off the morning’s break, everyone ate pajaritos* and mote con huesillos*. Mmm. I like the way the Chilean workplace operates near a national holiday…
On my way back from the Consultorio, I passed the University, where there was a ramada (ramada = huge party held in a common space, like a university or a park). There were at least forty booths set up in which different groups of students were selling choripan*, empanadas*, sopaipillas*, ponche*, and cerveza*; all the same foods, all for the same price. The event was packed with people. Aside from the vendors, there were a lot of other students and young people with friends, buying food, sitting out on the lawns, eating and drinking, celebrating independence and sunshine…
Thursday = Classes were officially canceled for the entire University, so no class, but for a good reason this time. I went back to the Consultorio, because I had heard that there was going to be some sort of celebration at lunchtime. I arrived just in time: after a morning’s hard work, the Consultorio was closed (although the official holiday is Sept 18-19, it’s customary in Chile not to work the afternoon of the 17th either) and the staff was sitting down to lunch. A long line of tables had been set up and adorned with colorful tablecloths, plates of olives and cheese cubes, empanadas, and patriotic napkins (one version with the Chilean flag, the other with a photo of traditional Chilean foods…haha). We all found seats and began the feast. Ponche was served, and the director of the clinic made a little speech about the holiday. He started by publicly informing me that this (feast) is what they do every Thursday, and everyone laughed. It’s fun being a gringa sometimes…
After being completely stuffed, I headed back to my neighborhood with one of the nurse interns. Turns out, she lives very close to my house, and as her mom was just going inside when we arrived, I was invited in as well. We drank tea and ate pajaritos (although we were stuffed already, of course. can’t get enough Chilean carbs…), and I got to meet the sister and the cousin and pass an hour very agreeably in good company.
I returned home to a brief nap and headed out to an asado! It was at the house of my Bible study leaders, with a group of friends from church. Although Veronica (the hostess) had done a lot of prep work, some people helped put the food together and others danced to start the night. I danced. More accurately, I had a brief lesson in cueca. It’s not particularly tricky, but the rhythm is one I’m not used to, and my style leaves something to be desired…but still. It was fun. Besides, everyone likes to see the gringa learn their national dance. We spent the night feasting on salad, choripan, chicken, and beef (and chicha*!), and dancing to assorted Latin rhythms. It was marvelous.
Friends dancing. I just think this picture is funny!
With Damaris, who taught me the cueca.
Men cooking meat. Only the first course (of three) shown here.Friday = 18!! Viva Chile! Ramada at church. More cueca (including a long demo by a group of four kids, who were really good…they learned in Sunday school. Haha…), more food (those previously mentioned plus anticuchos*), and more socializing.
The folkloric group at the church. Not the best photo, but you get the general idea…
...and everyone dancing!
With Paulo (Karlye’s fiancée) and Xime, a friend.Saturday = Trip to a fair/community celebration with Noah, the other Midd student in Conce, and our monitor (basically, a student who was assigned to help us out and do/discuss cultural things with us), Leonardo. There were more kids dancing cueca, and a lot of kites!!
I passed through the ramada in Parque Ecuador, the public park in Conce, on my way home. There was a stage for dancers and musicians and a lot of stands selling food. There were also things for kids, specifically bouncy castles, kite salesmen, and trampolines! The trampolines seemed funny to me…I’m more used to seeing them in someone’s yard than at a public event…
Sunday = Day of rest! Church, followed by American hamburgers (Paulo’s idea, not mine) and a movie. Essay attempts thwarted by geography department’s strike and an easily distracted mind.*I used asterisks to indicate foods that would appear in the “food glossary” :
Pajarito = Shown below, in my hand. Slightly-sweet roll topped with whipped sweet topping (consistency similar to fresh marshmallow fluff)
Mote con huesillos = A dessert, comprised of a cooked grain, similar to barley, topped with a reconstituted dried peach and peach juice. At first, I was not such a fan, but it is now one of my favorite foods, I think. (photo credits go to Noah)
Choripan = ‘Chorizo’ means ‘sausage,’ and ‘pan’ means ‘bread’…so sausage in bread (a bun).
Empanada = Pastry (dough) filled with food, usually meat, but sometimes cheese and/or vegetables. The typical empanada is a ‘pino’ one, which is filled with ground beef, some hardboiled egg, an olive, and onion. (photo from google search)
Sopaipilla = Chile’s version of fried dough, but smaller, less greasy, and without the sugar. I think the dough has some sort of squash in it. (more google photo credits)
Ponche = A sweet wine with extra fruit and juices added.
Cerveza = Beer.
Chicha = Delicious. Some type of wine, but its flavor doesn’t even hint at alcohol. Sweet and incredible. I just had a small glass, but I can see why our program directors warned us about this one. (note: Drinking age in Chile = 18. Everyone here is astounded when I tell them that I’m not of legal drinking age in my country…)
Anticucho = Shish-ke-bob of hot dog meat, steak, and sausage. Maybe some bread or vegetables too. I didn’t expect to like this, but it was incredible. These Chileans and their meat…
Whew. Two apologies: one for the length of this post, the second for my endless discussion of food. It really is central to the fiestas...
As I’m posting after midnight, it is officially the 21st of September, which is the first day of spring in Chile!
Love,
Tiernan
(a gringa who enjoys celebrating others’ independence!)
Ponche = A sweet wine with extra fruit and juices added.
Cerveza = Beer.
Chicha = Delicious. Some type of wine, but its flavor doesn’t even hint at alcohol. Sweet and incredible. I just had a small glass, but I can see why our program directors warned us about this one. (note: Drinking age in Chile = 18. Everyone here is astounded when I tell them that I’m not of legal drinking age in my country…)
Anticucho = Shish-ke-bob of hot dog meat, steak, and sausage. Maybe some bread or vegetables too. I didn’t expect to like this, but it was incredible. These Chileans and their meat…
Whew. Two apologies: one for the length of this post, the second for my endless discussion of food. It really is central to the fiestas...As I’m posting after midnight, it is officially the 21st of September, which is the first day of spring in Chile!
Love,
Tiernan
(a gringa who enjoys celebrating others’ independence!)
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Procrastination pays off!
At present, I am extremely satisfied with the University of Concepción. Specifically, the department of geography (or history, or pedagogy, or whatever department my geography class is in…), because they have decided to not have classes tomorrow. They’re currently on strike. I am not sure why. Before coming to Chile, I had heard stories about University strikes where no one goes to class (students or professors), where students who try to go to class can run into problems, where foreign students like me don’t want to be around the University even to observe for risk of getting arrested (which is complicated), etc. Although there have been a number of days in which class has been canceled due to strike, there have not been any violent incidents, at least to my knowledge. This is nice (also nice: the professors tell the students that the class is canceled before class time, which is not true at all schools). The strikes so far have been of specific departments, not the entire University; maybe this is why things are more peaceful?
Anyway, after eating lunch today, I had to make a quick decision: go to the movies with a few friends, or stay home to write an essay (which is due tomorrow)? I chose movie, while spontaneously kicking myself and thinking about how late I would be awake researching and writing about the liberal parliament that led to the dawn of capitalism in Chile…but I’m sure all of you can see the happy ending to this story: Class is canceled! Essay is not due!
In other good news, I had a very busy and enjoyable weekend. On Friday night, there was a surprise birthday party planned for twins from church. Therefore, a group of us boarded a micro after church (stealthily, of course) to get to their house. The polola (girlfriend) of one of the twins had planned the party, and the house was decorated with streamers and balloons when we arrived. After the surprise, we ate a meal together (fajitas! with avocado! mmm…), played some games, chatted, etc. It was fun. The complicated part was getting everyone home. Friday, as everyone in the US was well aware, was September 11. This is not only a big date for the US, however; it also has huge historical significance for Chile. On September 11, 1973, there was a military takeover of the Chilean government, which had previously been under control of President Salvador Allende. Allende died in the coup (today it is believed that he committed suicide shortly before La Moneda (the Chilean equivalent of the White House, as I understand it) was taken over). The coup resulted not just in Allende’s death, but also in a seventeen-year-long military dictatorship led by Augusto Pinochet, Commander in Chief of the Chilean army. Thoughts on this period of Chilean history are varied, and since 1973 was not too long ago (36 years) and the dictatorship came with its fair share of political crimes and disappearances, it is a tricky subject. Anyway, September 11 tends to be a day of demonstrations, increased delinquency, and general bad news in Chile, especially in the central parts of the cities, and of course, near the universities. I live about a block and a half from the University of Conce, and I heard upon arriving at church that there were problems in the area…therefore, when a friend was driving me home around 2 AM, I was slightly worried, but it was completely quiet. Guess the protesters and/or delinquents-looking-for-excuses-to-make-trouble had their fix.
This is the cathedral. It’s quite famous. It was built after an earthquake devastated Chillán, and there are eleven earthquake-proof arches as part of its design. I did not take this picture; photo credits go to someone from my google search.
This is the market, or one of them, at least. It was completely filled with meat and patriotic decorations (the Fiestas Patrias (‘Patriotic Festivals’? Basically, like 4th of July in the US, but much more thoroughly-celebrated) are next week, and Chile’s colors are red, white, and blue). There are also a lot of little places to eat in the market. As we walked around, about a hundred ladies called out to us “Almorzar?” “Almorzar?” “Senorita, ven aquí” “Tengo pastel de choclo, cazuelas, carnes..” etc (translations: “Eat lunch?” “Young lady, come here (to see menu)” “I have x, y, z (menu items)”). It was funny. Some of them would try to slow us up to speak to us about their menu offerings, others gave us business cards… Eventually we did decide to eat lunch, and returned to a restaurant where the owner had spoken to us somewhat extensively about all her different offerings for the day. During our meal of ribs (Fresh ones! Note all the meat in this market. In picture number two, see the entire sides of some animal hanging on the wall? Some booths offered entire pig heads and feet…), salad, and bread, we noticed that although the ladies are very competitive for customers, sometimes to the point of fighting over potential takers, they are very amiable with one another—they even share ingredients when one runs out of something!
We finished our day at the other market, which has lots of produce and artisan products. There were mountains of kiwi, lettuce, dried fruits, nuts, etc. It was glorious. I bought a kilo of apples for less than 40 cents. Note: this kilo contained just three apples, because they were the biggest ones I have ever seen in my life. There was also a slightly funny aspect to this market, in that a lot of the products from booth to booth (speaking of artisan things now) were the same. This led me to ask Paulo, “China or Chile?” when considering a purchase. Apparently, Chile’s markets are succumbing to the perils of cheap production as well as ours. Nevertheless, there were a lot of Chilean-made things there also. Leather, copper, and wool were well represented in a range of belts, bags, hats, coasters, plaques, change purses, dolls, ponchos…there was a lot to see!
Anyway, class or no class, it’s time for bed in Concepción. I have now lived here for six full weeks, and have managed to survive without…never mind. I was going to think of a list of funny but bad things that I’ve managed to avoid, but then realized they would probably all happen tomorrow. Basically, all’s well.
Cheers to the coming week of little class, excessive empanada-eating, and Chilean patriotism!
Love,
Tiernan
Anyway, after eating lunch today, I had to make a quick decision: go to the movies with a few friends, or stay home to write an essay (which is due tomorrow)? I chose movie, while spontaneously kicking myself and thinking about how late I would be awake researching and writing about the liberal parliament that led to the dawn of capitalism in Chile…but I’m sure all of you can see the happy ending to this story: Class is canceled! Essay is not due!
In other good news, I had a very busy and enjoyable weekend. On Friday night, there was a surprise birthday party planned for twins from church. Therefore, a group of us boarded a micro after church (stealthily, of course) to get to their house. The polola (girlfriend) of one of the twins had planned the party, and the house was decorated with streamers and balloons when we arrived. After the surprise, we ate a meal together (fajitas! with avocado! mmm…), played some games, chatted, etc. It was fun. The complicated part was getting everyone home. Friday, as everyone in the US was well aware, was September 11. This is not only a big date for the US, however; it also has huge historical significance for Chile. On September 11, 1973, there was a military takeover of the Chilean government, which had previously been under control of President Salvador Allende. Allende died in the coup (today it is believed that he committed suicide shortly before La Moneda (the Chilean equivalent of the White House, as I understand it) was taken over). The coup resulted not just in Allende’s death, but also in a seventeen-year-long military dictatorship led by Augusto Pinochet, Commander in Chief of the Chilean army. Thoughts on this period of Chilean history are varied, and since 1973 was not too long ago (36 years) and the dictatorship came with its fair share of political crimes and disappearances, it is a tricky subject. Anyway, September 11 tends to be a day of demonstrations, increased delinquency, and general bad news in Chile, especially in the central parts of the cities, and of course, near the universities. I live about a block and a half from the University of Conce, and I heard upon arriving at church that there were problems in the area…therefore, when a friend was driving me home around 2 AM, I was slightly worried, but it was completely quiet. Guess the protesters and/or delinquents-looking-for-excuses-to-make-trouble had their fix.
Group of friends walking to the surprise!
On Saturday, Paulo and I met up to go to Chillán, a city about an hour and a half from Conce, which is known for its market, as well as its ski hills (although to get to those you’ve got to travel another hour by bus). Paulo had never been to Chillán before, so it was a new adventure for both of us. After our bus ride (note: riding the bus is fun in Chile—their countryside is beautiful! I tried taking photos out of bus windows, but was not greatly successful) we explored the markets, saw a cathedral (very touristy), and ate lunch before heading back.
This is the cathedral. It’s quite famous. It was built after an earthquake devastated Chillán, and there are eleven earthquake-proof arches as part of its design. I did not take this picture; photo credits go to someone from my google search.
This is the market, or one of them, at least. It was completely filled with meat and patriotic decorations (the Fiestas Patrias (‘Patriotic Festivals’? Basically, like 4th of July in the US, but much more thoroughly-celebrated) are next week, and Chile’s colors are red, white, and blue). There are also a lot of little places to eat in the market. As we walked around, about a hundred ladies called out to us “Almorzar?” “Almorzar?” “Senorita, ven aquí” “Tengo pastel de choclo, cazuelas, carnes..” etc (translations: “Eat lunch?” “Young lady, come here (to see menu)” “I have x, y, z (menu items)”). It was funny. Some of them would try to slow us up to speak to us about their menu offerings, others gave us business cards… Eventually we did decide to eat lunch, and returned to a restaurant where the owner had spoken to us somewhat extensively about all her different offerings for the day. During our meal of ribs (Fresh ones! Note all the meat in this market. In picture number two, see the entire sides of some animal hanging on the wall? Some booths offered entire pig heads and feet…), salad, and bread, we noticed that although the ladies are very competitive for customers, sometimes to the point of fighting over potential takers, they are very amiable with one another—they even share ingredients when one runs out of something! 
We finished our day at the other market, which has lots of produce and artisan products. There were mountains of kiwi, lettuce, dried fruits, nuts, etc. It was glorious. I bought a kilo of apples for less than 40 cents. Note: this kilo contained just three apples, because they were the biggest ones I have ever seen in my life. There was also a slightly funny aspect to this market, in that a lot of the products from booth to booth (speaking of artisan things now) were the same. This led me to ask Paulo, “China or Chile?” when considering a purchase. Apparently, Chile’s markets are succumbing to the perils of cheap production as well as ours. Nevertheless, there were a lot of Chilean-made things there also. Leather, copper, and wool were well represented in a range of belts, bags, hats, coasters, plaques, change purses, dolls, ponchos…there was a lot to see!Anyway, class or no class, it’s time for bed in Concepción. I have now lived here for six full weeks, and have managed to survive without…never mind. I was going to think of a list of funny but bad things that I’ve managed to avoid, but then realized they would probably all happen tomorrow. Basically, all’s well.
Cheers to the coming week of little class, excessive empanada-eating, and Chilean patriotism!
Love,
Tiernan
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Longing for Crayola and making a cow!
Pre-story: This is a picture of part of the city, taken from about half-way up the Cerro Caracol (“Snail Hill”) in Parque Ecuador, which is pretty close to my house. I decided to go for a little hike there, but about halfway up I realized I was completely alone (no other strolling pedestrians), so I turned around to go down. I learned afterwards that Cerro Caracol is the only place I really shouldn’t go alone during the day. It’s famous for its robbers, apparently. Lucky save. To go to the top, I’m planning on bringing a male friend. Now for the intended message:
When we arrived for orientation in Santiago, a focus of the Middlebury program was that we should strive to be anthropologists in the culture/place where we are studying, instead of being judges. I think I am generally good with this, but today I am judging something: Chilean crayons. I don’t want to complain, but the only ones up for purchase have turned out to be waxy (so that the color doesn’t stick to the page), not a good quality. Also, as I started coloring with them, I realized I don’t have a crayon sharpener (or one of those incredible 96-crayon boxes with the built-in one), so the crayons will be dull. But that’s really my problem, not the crayons’. Quality differences aside, I was glad to have something colorful with which I could make a birthday card for Yani! Yani is one of the other girls who lives in my pension; she and her sister, Desi, are both exchange students from Mexico, only here for this semester. Yani turns 21 tomorrow, but we celebrated her birthday on Sunday.
Yani, trying to blow out the birthday candles (the big one counts for however many more the cake needed to have 21…). Marta, the pension owner/mom, bought the candles that spark everywhere and never blow out. Yani had to work on them for about five minutes, and the kitchen was filled with birthday-candle smoke. If they had smoke detectors in houses in Chile, ours would’ve been going off. [Yes, houses here generally don’t have smoke detectors…and since there is a lack of built-in heating systems (they’re unnecessary due to mild winters), people use portable electric, kerosene, or gas stoves as space heaters! This initially seemed like a safety issue to me, but no one else seems to be worried…]Anyway, the birthday party was fun. We surprised Yani, because it was a few days early, put a funny hat on her head, sang to her*, told her to make three wishes (why do we only get one wish in the US?), and laughed as she tried to blow out the candles.
To pay for the cake, the hats, and her little present, everyone in the house pitched in a few dollars. The term for this in Spanish is “hacer una vaca,” which literally means “to make a cow.” The idea is that everyone gives what they can and then whatever is purchased (usually food) is shared by the group. I think it’s my favorite new Spanish expression. I’m looking forward to making lots of cows in the Grille this J-term…
*Singing “Happy Birthday” in Chile.
During all of my Spanish classes in middle- and high-school, we sang for people’s birthdays. Always to the same tune as the birthday song in the US, always “Felíz Cumpleaños a tí…” After a few years, I had a hard time accepting that other countries actually use our tune to celebrate…but it’s true. The Chilean lyrics are slightly different, though:
(sing to tune of normal “Happy Birthday”—translation in [brackets])
Cumpleaños felíz
[Happy birthday]
Te deseamos a tí
[We wish to you]
Cumpleaños ________(name)
[Birthday (so-and-so)]
¡Que los cumple felíz!
[That they are completed happily!]
The translation sounds funny, but you get the point.
Here is the whole group:
L to R : Me, Marta (owner/mom), Sergio, side of Irina’s head, Erich, Leo, (front row) Desi, YaniI like this picture more:
I’ve got the best host “family” ever.
Hope you all are well!
Love,
Tiernan
I’ve got the best host “family” ever.Hope you all are well!
Love,
Tiernan
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Chilean pastimes and bedtimes
It is currently past three o’clock AM. I have spent the past couple of hours (since putting up my last post) watching youtube videos, mainly of ‘ghost sightings,’ with a couple of the other students in my pension. Not only at Midd is youtube a wonderful way to waste time and make friends.
Another related note: being awake at 3:30 AM is not abnormal here. During the week, yes, but on the weekends, no. On weeknights, a bedtime of 12-1 AM is normal. I like this country; it sleeps on my schedule!
Another related note: being awake at 3:30 AM is not abnormal here. During the week, yes, but on the weekends, no. On weeknights, a bedtime of 12-1 AM is normal. I like this country; it sleeps on my schedule!
Right foot red, Chilean marshmallows, and LOTS of processed meat.
I just finished playing a competitive game of Twister with the other students who live in my house. We haven’t yet tried the team version, although now that I know someone owns a Twister board, the two-person version should be introduced to South America very shortly. One funny thing about playing Twister in Spanish: I felt like I was in kindergarten, thanks to the whole right/left-foot/hand-color combo. I know all of these words in Spanish, but regardless, it took me an extra five seconds of processing time for each move…my 11-year-old host sister thought that was pretty funny.
In other news, I have done a fair amount of hands-on investigation of the Chilean supermarket system since my arrival in Conce. For some reason (my enjoyment of food, perhaps?), I really enjoy going to the grocery store and exploring the different options for where and what to buy. As I mentioned a few posts ago, there are little, family-run markets on every street. They usually sell fruit, veggies, milk products, baked goods, bread, etc. Then there are supermarkets, which are like those in the States, and which come in two sizes: (1) normal and (2) abnormally large. The normal ones are very useful, but the abnormally large ones are excellent for searching for gems, such as specific American foods/ingredients (i.e. chocolate chips, canned cream of chicken soup, cantaloupe…). There are a whole array of products here which have the same names as foods I’m familiar with, but which taste completely different. Example: marshmallows. I wanted to teach the people in my house how to roast marshmallows (actually, my original goal was to make s’mores with them, but graham crackers appear to not exist here), so I bought some seemingly-normal marshmallows at the normal grocery store. When I got home and tested one, it was exceedingly sweet and vanilla-flavored, unfortunately not at all like a “real” marshmallow. However, when I made a trip to the abnormally large grocery store, I found some “real” (i.e. American) marshmallows! They cost about $4 for a bag (I have no idea how much they cost in the States, but it must be less), but I was willing to make the sacrifice in the name of cultural education. Marshmallow-roasting lessons (over the stove, of course) to come soon.
There are a number of things I find interesting about grocery stores here:
1. Mayonnaise. This is another food which tastes slightly different here than in the States. The Chileans LOVE it. They eat it in disgustingly large quantities (in my opinion). The reason why this picture is here, however, is because it's sold in large, plastic packets in Chile! You can buy it in a jar, but it's MUCH more expensive. Jam, ketchup, mustard, spaghetti sauce...all sold in packets.
2. Milk is sold in boxes here! It doesn’t need to be refrigerated until it’s opened…apparently, Chilean milk is more pasteurized than milk in the States, which means it has a better shelf life.
3. Almost all of the lanes have a ‘theme’: there’s the express lane (less than 10 items), the super-express lane (less than 5), and then the interesting lanes, like this one, which is for ‘Preferencia Futura Mamá y Preferencia Minusvalidos’, which basically means it is for pregnant women and handicapped customers.
4. This is Santa Isabel, the normal-sized grocery store closest to my house. I visit it frequently.
A couple of weeks ago, after many trips to the assorted grocery stores of Concepción, I decided to try their fast food. There are a couple of popular chains, but the most popular, from what I can tell, is called Doggis. Like how we have “burger joints” in the US, this is a “hotdog joint.” They sell all types of hot dogs, which in Chile are usually known as “completos” (translation: completes!)(note: At Doggis, they’re called ‘hot dogs’, I think because anything in English is considered cool. But anywhere else, they’re ‘completos’).
Lesson about completos: Basically, they are hot dogs “complete” with lots of toppings. The typical American hot dog of ketchup and mustard is weak in comparison. Chilean completos are loaded with sauerkraut, avocado, tomatoes, cheese, etc (you pick your combo), and of course, mayo. SO MUCH MAYO. I ate a completo at La Fuente Alemán, the most famous place for completos in Conce, but I asked for the mayo on the side. I received my completo on one plate and my mayo on another—the amount of mayo was about the size of a tennis ball. Woah.
But back to Doggis…I didn’t partake in a completo there, rather, I had a few mini-empanadas and an ice cream. All the portion sizes are smaller, which is quite sensible. The normal-sized ice cream (the only one available) was like a child-sized ice cream in the States (although at ice cream stores, the portions are considerably larger). The completos that are sold at Doggis come in three sizes: 15, 18, or 22 cm. At first, this sounded huge to me, until I remembered that 1 inch = 2.54 cm (or something similar). Therefore, the 22 cm-dog is smaller than a footlong. Not enormous.
If you are interested in viewing the menu (and all the hot-dog combos offered) at Doggis, you can go to their website! http://www.doggis.cl/ To see the menu, first click ‘Productos’ (in a purple box), then ‘Menú’ (to the left, in a set of yellow tabs). Press your cursor over parts of the menu to enlarge the image. Note: $1000 Chilean pesos = ~$2 USD.
Enough food-talk for now.
Good night, friends!
Love,
Tiernan
P.S. Tonight there was a soccer game, which is a big deal here. Chile vs. Venezuela. The disappointing part about soccer games here is that there doesn’t have to be a winner. At the end of the game, the score was tied: 2-2. There was no sudden-death, no kick-off, nothing! Next time, I guess...
In other news, I have done a fair amount of hands-on investigation of the Chilean supermarket system since my arrival in Conce. For some reason (my enjoyment of food, perhaps?), I really enjoy going to the grocery store and exploring the different options for where and what to buy. As I mentioned a few posts ago, there are little, family-run markets on every street. They usually sell fruit, veggies, milk products, baked goods, bread, etc. Then there are supermarkets, which are like those in the States, and which come in two sizes: (1) normal and (2) abnormally large. The normal ones are very useful, but the abnormally large ones are excellent for searching for gems, such as specific American foods/ingredients (i.e. chocolate chips, canned cream of chicken soup, cantaloupe…). There are a whole array of products here which have the same names as foods I’m familiar with, but which taste completely different. Example: marshmallows. I wanted to teach the people in my house how to roast marshmallows (actually, my original goal was to make s’mores with them, but graham crackers appear to not exist here), so I bought some seemingly-normal marshmallows at the normal grocery store. When I got home and tested one, it was exceedingly sweet and vanilla-flavored, unfortunately not at all like a “real” marshmallow. However, when I made a trip to the abnormally large grocery store, I found some “real” (i.e. American) marshmallows! They cost about $4 for a bag (I have no idea how much they cost in the States, but it must be less), but I was willing to make the sacrifice in the name of cultural education. Marshmallow-roasting lessons (over the stove, of course) to come soon.
There are a number of things I find interesting about grocery stores here:
1. Mayonnaise. This is another food which tastes slightly different here than in the States. The Chileans LOVE it. They eat it in disgustingly large quantities (in my opinion). The reason why this picture is here, however, is because it's sold in large, plastic packets in Chile! You can buy it in a jar, but it's MUCH more expensive. Jam, ketchup, mustard, spaghetti sauce...all sold in packets.
2. Milk is sold in boxes here! It doesn’t need to be refrigerated until it’s opened…apparently, Chilean milk is more pasteurized than milk in the States, which means it has a better shelf life.
3. Almost all of the lanes have a ‘theme’: there’s the express lane (less than 10 items), the super-express lane (less than 5), and then the interesting lanes, like this one, which is for ‘Preferencia Futura Mamá y Preferencia Minusvalidos’, which basically means it is for pregnant women and handicapped customers.
4. This is Santa Isabel, the normal-sized grocery store closest to my house. I visit it frequently.A couple of weeks ago, after many trips to the assorted grocery stores of Concepción, I decided to try their fast food. There are a couple of popular chains, but the most popular, from what I can tell, is called Doggis. Like how we have “burger joints” in the US, this is a “hotdog joint.” They sell all types of hot dogs, which in Chile are usually known as “completos” (translation: completes!)(note: At Doggis, they’re called ‘hot dogs’, I think because anything in English is considered cool. But anywhere else, they’re ‘completos’).
Lesson about completos: Basically, they are hot dogs “complete” with lots of toppings. The typical American hot dog of ketchup and mustard is weak in comparison. Chilean completos are loaded with sauerkraut, avocado, tomatoes, cheese, etc (you pick your combo), and of course, mayo. SO MUCH MAYO. I ate a completo at La Fuente Alemán, the most famous place for completos in Conce, but I asked for the mayo on the side. I received my completo on one plate and my mayo on another—the amount of mayo was about the size of a tennis ball. Woah.
But back to Doggis…I didn’t partake in a completo there, rather, I had a few mini-empanadas and an ice cream. All the portion sizes are smaller, which is quite sensible. The normal-sized ice cream (the only one available) was like a child-sized ice cream in the States (although at ice cream stores, the portions are considerably larger). The completos that are sold at Doggis come in three sizes: 15, 18, or 22 cm. At first, this sounded huge to me, until I remembered that 1 inch = 2.54 cm (or something similar). Therefore, the 22 cm-dog is smaller than a footlong. Not enormous.
If you are interested in viewing the menu (and all the hot-dog combos offered) at Doggis, you can go to their website! http://www.doggis.cl/ To see the menu, first click ‘Productos’ (in a purple box), then ‘Menú’ (to the left, in a set of yellow tabs). Press your cursor over parts of the menu to enlarge the image. Note: $1000 Chilean pesos = ~$2 USD.
Enough food-talk for now.
Good night, friends!
Love,
Tiernan
P.S. Tonight there was a soccer game, which is a big deal here. Chile vs. Venezuela. The disappointing part about soccer games here is that there doesn’t have to be a winner. At the end of the game, the score was tied: 2-2. There was no sudden-death, no kick-off, nothing! Next time, I guess...
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