Spring!

FLOWERS! Yes that is right spring has sprung, and while it is still officially winter the new growth on bushes and the budding and blossoming of trees illustrates a different picture. Park goers are common, fresh fruit juice stands easy to find on street corners and the metro is starting to become slightly uncomfortable when crowded. All of this however is a welcomed change.

(PUC campus with view of Andes in the background)

I am now a month into classes, crazy I know, and I have been enjoying them. It has been interesting to say the least inscribing, getting usernames and passwords to register online and receiving access to class websites, figuring out the mostly inefficient ways of obtaining course articles from the photocopy stations, standing in endless printing queues, and realizing how gringo you are showing up to class even somewhat on time. My schedule consists of Latin American Art, Chilean and Hispano-American poetry, Corruption in Latin American Politics and Chilean Culture.

So outside school I am keeping myself quite busy, a group of us who met during the pre-semester Spanish course have gotten quite close and with them it is easy to make any situation into a fun one. Just this morning five of us, decided to run a 5K sponsored by one of the large banks here. There were a ton of people in the race making the atmosphere exciting, and they equipped you with an incredibly comfortable mesh t-shirt, Gatorade, apples, bananas and a 10-minute complementary leg massage, awesome. Then of course the run was fun as well and I liked feeling somewhat like a celebrity, as there were numerous guards who lined the streets blocking off the roads from any cars or other pedestrians, as well as all the cheering fans.

On another occasion my friends and I made our way to a rugby game. As three of my friends have been practicing with our university team their coach suggested they watch one of the matches. The group of us decided to take in a game of rugby while also cheering on PUC (our school). It took about an hour to get there, with a combination of a metro and taxi ride. The game ended up being played at one of the most incredible locations. It was built into the side of the Andes like a terrace, making the far side of the field drop off as a cliff a few meters from the sideline. Facing the other way you had to strain your neck to look up onto the rugged snowy peaks. The best part of the field however was the panoramic view of all of Santiago before us, with the city lit up against the backdrop of the dark mountains. As we were high enough up we were also able to see the countless stars that speckled the sky. Getting home was a bit hard due to our location and as the PUC team bus was full and not going to the center where we needed to go. So we ended up getting a ride from the team our school just played. The ride was very lively, the players sang songs the whole way home.

I have also moved to a more central location in the city, very close to Plaza del Armas and my commute is now very easy to and from school. I am living with another American, named Steph who is from Minnesota and goes to BC. She has been awesome to live with, and have made Thursday nights Chilean night, where we make different authentic Chilean meals with our friends. Our recent was a success and our main dish was Portenos Granados a pumpkin, bean, onion, garlic, vegetable and spice stew. yummmm

My new address:

Alexandra Purdy

16 Paseo Phillips depto M

Centro Santiago, Chile

Steph and I have also joined the girls university soccer team. Yes I can officially say I have played soccer in college. We have only been to two practices so far but the girls seem very nice, and the coach was awesome. He was very nice to us even though we showed up two weeks after practices had started and were half an hour late to practice our first day because we couldn’t find the fields. It seems like it is going to be a legitimate team however, and we will be playing in games soon.

I have also found a pick up Frisbee league that plays on Sundays. The team is co-ed run by an American guy who is has been living in Chile for the last five years with his wife. He is a gym teacher at a local primary school. The game was a good mix of people and I am excited to play more with them.

Tomorrow September 11^th (also Steven’s birthday) is a big day here as it is the anniversary of the 1973 coup against former President Salvador Allende, which brought Augusto Pinochet into power. There are generally many protests throughout the city, so it will be interesting tomorrow also as there is increased energy here due to the fact that the bicentenario (their 200th year of independence) is this coming week. It should be interesting and exciting.

Thinking of you all!

First Week of Classes... and Skiing

So classes have finally started! I have had a full week so far but the way my classes worked out I only have them Tuesday-Thursday… basically a traveler’s most optimal schedule. With those four classes I have also decided to take a salsa and meringue class as well as a semester long Spanish grammar course offered to extranjeros, so I definitely will still have a full schedule.

Last Monday a bunch of my friends and I decided to use our free day to conquer the ski mountain

El Colorado, located in the Andes about an hours drive away from the city. That hours drive however was insane! The only method to scale the mountain was a narrow, partially paved/unpaved road that had 180-degree switchbacks about every 600 ft. Our van a few times had to reverse in order to make the turn. It was very exciting, although my carsick friend Steph next to me didn’t quite agree. On our decent we came around a turn and had to stop abruptly as there were a handful of wandering cows blocking the road. I have to admit the journey to and from El Colorado was almost as exhilarating as the skiing itself.

Once on the mountain we were above the tree line, making the views of the surrounding mountains breathtaking. As we were just outside Santiago, we could see the region of the Santiago valley and the surrounding metropolitan area. Unfortunately, the smog over Santiago was so thick we were unable to see the city at all. I knew the smog here was bad, and when living in the city anything in the distance is very hazy, but looking at it from this perspective definitely made me realize just how bad it is. So literally the views were breath-taking, haha.

On Thursday there was an extranjero asado (bbq) put together by our school. As is the Chilean fashion there were plenty of choripanes or sweet sausage in fresh baked rolls. They were delicious, and of course each time I took one I were asked if I wanted mayonnaise as well. Each time I politely declined. Part of this asado was that everyone had their flag painted on their faces. Standing in a long line to wait my turn I felt like a little kid again at the Fall Fair Spooktacular, it was actually very fun! Walking around we were clearly a diverse group.

Today was very warm, almost 65! Making me extra excited for the change of season. My friends and I are planning hiking and camping trips for the warmer months so I am already looking forward to that as well!

Good to talk to everyone in NH and glad that the Alice In Wonderland party was a success, and Kait hope your ankle gets better fast!

Settling In

As Chile is one of the leading bread eating countries in the world, you are never more than a minute walk away from a bread store. In the early morning the smell of bread proliferates the whole city, and young boys on bikes expertly meander through pedestrians transporting doming wicker baskets of bread to local restaurants.

Similarly like their bread, their fresh fruit is something I will never tire of. Due do the fact that Chile has such diverse landscapes and climates, Chileans pride themselves in that they are self-sufficient for most of their agricultural needs. Fresh squeezed juices are sold commonly throughout the city and they are always rich and flavorful. Recently I asked for a mix of fresh pineapple and carrot juice… a surprisingly amazing combination.

Like most of the southern hemisphere, there is no indoor heating here in Chile. As there are only about 3 months of cold weather this is realistic, however when you go from your apartment, to the outside, to the classroom, all which are a similar cold temperature its hard to loose the chill. Some places have estufas or heaters run off propane, but the gas is very expensive, and as none of the buildings have insulation not very effective or the heat long-lasting. This has made me appreciate the amenities I have at home, and also the warmth of the natural sunshine.

Valparaiso has many murals all over the city

I have traveled the last two weekends with friends I have met from my Spanish class, all extranjeros. The first weekend we decided to take a bus to Valparaiso, a city on the coast, only about an hour away from Santiago. The city is built up into the hills making the city very three-dimensional. There are multiple acensors, or trams on rails that transport people up and down the mountainsides using counterweight. A famous Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda had a home there which we explored. It sported a beautiful view of the city high upon a mountaintop. Being there it is easy to understand why he was such a renowned poet and romantic author.

I have just recently returned from La Serena, another Chilean coastal city about six hours north of Santiago. I went with eight other people, Fred and Greg from England, Elise from Belgium, Ode from France, Steph and Brian from the US and Ricarda and Christian from Germany. We decided to show up to the bus station and find a bus going someplace that looked fun in our guidebook, so after an overnight ride we arrived in La Serena at about 6 in the morning. We found a hostel, ate breakfast and explored the city.

Over the next two days we went to the observatories of Chile which were located near La Serena. This part of Chile has some of the clearest skies in the world, making it a very desirable place to study astronomy. In fact the largest telescope in the world is located in the region, and many European and North American countries sponsor telescopes for their respective research. I have to admit that during the day it was one of the bluest skies I had ever seen, and the sun felt incredibly intense. Observing and learning about the southern sky was exciting. In the southern hemisphere they never see Ursa Major or Minor, Cassiopeia, or the North Star, most of the constellations I am so used to seeing. Instead they see the Southern Cross, the star closest to our sun, and the Orion constellation upside down!

We also spent time at a Pisco factory. Pisco is the alcohol of Chile, and anywhere you go you will find Pisco Sour (Pisco with lemon juice and sugar) or Piscola (simply Pisco and Coke). Pisco is created from grapes, but is aged only 1 year, where Brandy or Cognac would be aged much longer. There is a dispute between Peru and Chile over who can claim credit for this beverage, however I was assured that after going to the vineyard it is was most definitely a Chilean invention… we will clearly never know.

This is my last week of Spanish classes, and next week our course studies will commence. Hope all is well and thinking of all of you.

My local mobile number is 937 716 51 (The country code is (56) Santiago code is (9)... just think of Wolfeboro with 569!)

Skype name is alexandra.purdy so add me!

Bienvenido a Chile

As the first rays of sun awoke me from my overnight flight, I peaked out my portal window to glimpse my first scenes of Chile. What awaited me was a sunrise illuminating the snow capped and rugged red peaks of the Andes breaking through a dense layer of opaque clouds, making these pointed crests look like islands within a blanket of white. This truly was a wonderful welcome and start to my abroad experience.

Currently I am living in an apartment in a section called Providencia. I am living with three other guys at the moment, two Brazilian and one American and they have been very friendly and nice people to live with. I have started my three-week Spanish course this past Monday so I have been able to meet other extranjeros. I have enjoyed these classes and they have allowed me to meet people from all over the world.

I am exploring the city more and more everyday, and the more I learn about it the more I love it. Santiagians are very respectful, and if you have a question they will go out of your way to help you. They also are very fast paced, both with walking and their speed of speech. The Chilean accent is known to be one of the most difficult to understand, as they have many Chilenismos (Chilean Spanish words) and they don’t pronounce most of their s’s, so while the plural forms exists when listening to them speak you wouldn’t know it. However like everything, you get used to it.

This Friday is a holiday (I asked a few people and none of them knew why) so with this long weekend I am planning on using my first chance to go exploring, I don't know where to yet but I will update you on my return!