As I am writing this, I am sitting on the beach looking at the ocean.
[Mi view]
It’s a different beach from the one I was at two weekends ago. I spent the week in Viña del mar, a beautiful city west of Santiago – two hours by bus. The city is right next to the ocean, and the house in which I stayed is only one block from the beach and one block from UAI’s other campus in Viña. I took a Spanish class at this campus for the week, but unfortunately it wasn’t really worth it for me. There were lots of grammar and writing exercises – all about stuff I already knew. The only beneficial thing was the material on Chilean culture, like urban tribes, horror movies, natives, myths and legends, and some famous people from Chile. The school has a fabulous view of the beach, and the city itself is pretty, clean, and safe. And there’s no smog! However, I still like UAI’s campus in Santiago more, because it’s in the mountains. :-)
In my house in Viña lives another exchange student from France named Jean. He speaks much better than I do and is here for a year to write his history thesis on something having to do with Pinochet. Interesting! I really liked that we were in the same house, because we could travel around and do other things together. On Monday we went to Valparaiso – a city very close to Viña del Mar that also is on the beach.
Valparaiso is very unique with small houses of every color and style. All of them are in the hills of Valparaiso facing the ocean. The hills are extremely steep, so there are many ascensores (rail cars that go straight up the hill), and they only cost 20 ¢! On the other hand, Valparaiso is very dirty and less safe than Viña – I was glad I was with a tall guy. Also, I had a couple of Valparaisan specialties: Chorrillana and Machas a la Parmesana. Chorrillan is French fries with fried onions, cheese, and meet, and Machas a la Parmesana is clams with parmesan cheese. They are both really fatty but sooo good!
By the way, my birthday was last Friday, and my chilean family gave me a perfect party with Tres Leches cake – my favorite! Oh - and I finally went to see Batman: Dark Knight with Lula to celebrate together.
I have learned and observed a lot while being here in Chile. Here are a few things [WARNING: These things may only apply here in Chile]:
- They say of everything: “¡Muy lindo!” (or “Very pretty!”).
- They say of everything: “¡Muy rico!” (or “Very good!”).
- They don’t say “rascacielos” (skyscrapers) even if there are skyscrapers; they only say “edificios” (buildings) and “deptos” (abbreviation for departments).
- Don’t say “Estoy llena” (I’m full) because it means “Estoy embarazada” (I’m pregnant). Instead, say “Estoy contenta” (I’m content) or “Estoy satisfecha” (I’m very satisfied).
- Say “Cómo estaí?” instead of “Como estás?”
- The young generation says “Cachaí?” at the end of every sentence. It’s a bit like “like” in the U.S. in the way that it’s used, but it means “Got it?” or “Do you understand?”
- “Plata” = “Dinero” (Silver = Money) . . . “I don’t have ‘plata’ with me.”
- Lapislázuli (a presious stone) is not only found in Chile, despite the outdoor market vendors saying that it is.
- When I’m trying to pass as a Chilean, my Olin College sweater doesn’t help me.
[Until next time, Chao!]
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