Degustación- tasting
Corcho- cork
Chile’s wine valley Casa Blanca is (in my opinion) a hidden treasure. Most things that in the states would be super touristy and expensive with signs screaming in your face to go there are much more subtle and even difficult to find here. Tourism in Chile isn’t exactly a priority, especially if you don’t speak Spanish. I like that about this country it makes me feel like an insider when I do find these hidden treasures that most tourists have never heard of and would get lost going to. Which made my experience at the Casas del Bosque vineyard that much more enjoyable.
Saturday morning I met some friends at the bus terminal in Valparaíso to take the 45 minute bus to Casa Blanca (which is about half way between Viña/Valpo and Santiago).The Casablanca Valley has some of the vineyards that have recently grown in popularity here. Once there we hopped in a colectivo (taxi) to take us to the actual vineyard. It was so beautiful and the weather was perfect! We asked for the next tour when we arrived and even did the tour in Spanish (because we are such proactive and eager students!) However, having zero prior knowledge of wine and how it’s made proved to be a bit of a struggle with the vocabulary.
Then came the actual wine tasting! On the table with our wine glasses were other glasses filled with things like vanilla, pepper, bell peppers and mint to compare the smells of the wine with those basic things. There was one vino tinto (red wine) that definitely smelled like pepper but other than that I couldn’t really pick out the smells in the wines….maybe I just need more practice ☺
Other than the awesome wine tour this weekend things have been fairly calm here. The big news is that the Chilean University (La Catolica, the one I was supposed to be attending here) has reached some kind of agreement and started classes Monday. After being in paro (strike) for 4 months it’s about time they settled things! I also found out that on ESPN VIVO I can watch the World Series! Only downside is that the commentary is all in Spanish, kinda takes away from the All American-ness of baseball. BUT STILL I’m able to watch the games!
I LEAVE FOR MACHU PICCHU (the trip I’ve been looking forward to since before I even got here) ON THURSDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can’t contain my excitement. It’s gunna be TOTALLY AWESOME!!!!!
After I get back from Machu Picchu things will get pretty crazy with final papers and exams right around the corner and my travel plans taking up almost every weekend until I go home in December. It’s crazy to think that I’ve been here for about 3 months. Sometimes I think where did the time go? I still haven’t learned anything or seen or done anything?! And other times I think WOW, I’ve learned and grown and seen so much in such a short time. It’s a very strange mix of emotions, especially when you add in the occasional homesickness or feelings of wishing I were staying a year. (Don’t worry I’m not staying a whole year, y’all will see me back in the states in December). So a strange mix of emotions and about a month and half left here is where I stand right now. I hope that made some sense to those of you haven’t studied abroad before, it’s difficult to explain.
Besitos,
Gaby
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Friday, October 14, 2011
Futbol (Soccer is the world's favorite sport)
It’s a well-known fact that soccer is the most popular sport pretty much everywhere except the U.S. So being in a Latin American country I have been able to experience first hand the passion these people have for the sport and their team. When I asked my host family why soccer was so popular they simply said it was part of the culture and that it was cheap so anyone can play. Which is so true you don’t need a ton of equipment to play soccer, just a ball and some friends. It’s also one of the reasons many pro futbolistas come from humble beginnings (like in the movie Goal, even though the protagonist is from Mexico its similar in all of Latin America).
In the past week or so I’ve had the opportunity to watch two futbol games at sports bars with some friends in my program. And let me tell you the people watching (or creeping if you will) just at these bars is awesome! And I hope to be able to go to a game live because that would just be madness! The bars are packed wall to wall with fans wearing red or Chile’s team scarves. At one of the bars some of the fans painted their faces like the Chilean flag (yes its ALMOST identical to the Texas flag) and wore crazy hats/wigs.
Everyone started cheering when the players walked on the field and sang along at the top of their lungs when they played the national anthem. In the Chile v. Peru game Chile scored early on and the whole bar went nuts! Everyone jumped out of their chairs and screamed GGGGOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAALLLLL!!! Then they chanted CHI-CHI-CHI LE-LE-LE VIVA CHILE! The excitement was definitely contagious! Chile continued to play really well and won 4-2! It was an awesome game with lots of scoring for a soccer match and the atmosphere really added to the experience.
One observation I have about Latin American futbol teams is that when they get hit they tend to be super dramatic and roll around on the ground a lot waiting for the other team to get penalized or whatever. Its kinda annoying but also really funny to think about making a montage after every game of the players just rolling around on the ground!
Now for a few miscellaneous updates!
1. Second time camping was a total success! The weather was awesome and we hiked to the top of the mountain. From the top on one side you could see the beach and Valparaíso and on the other you could see the Andes and Argentina. Super cool!
2. The strikes are still going on. The police went in and extracted the students that had taken over the school and were living there. But my professors think the kids will just take it over again.
3. My program took us on an historical tour of Santiago and we went to the cemetery where all the presidents are buried and to Villa Grimaldi. Villa Grimaldi was where they tortured people during the Pinochet era. It was comparable to a concentration camp during WWII. As depressing as it was I’m glad we went because I understand a lot more about Chile’s recent history now.
4. Things I miss: my car, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with a tall glass of milk, chick-fil-a, and surprisingly the hot Texas weather (side note: its technically spring but we’ve had a cold front and I’m just dying to get to the beach!).
Besitos,
Gaby
In the past week or so I’ve had the opportunity to watch two futbol games at sports bars with some friends in my program. And let me tell you the people watching (or creeping if you will) just at these bars is awesome! And I hope to be able to go to a game live because that would just be madness! The bars are packed wall to wall with fans wearing red or Chile’s team scarves. At one of the bars some of the fans painted their faces like the Chilean flag (yes its ALMOST identical to the Texas flag) and wore crazy hats/wigs.
Everyone started cheering when the players walked on the field and sang along at the top of their lungs when they played the national anthem. In the Chile v. Peru game Chile scored early on and the whole bar went nuts! Everyone jumped out of their chairs and screamed GGGGOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAALLLLL!!! Then they chanted CHI-CHI-CHI LE-LE-LE VIVA CHILE! The excitement was definitely contagious! Chile continued to play really well and won 4-2! It was an awesome game with lots of scoring for a soccer match and the atmosphere really added to the experience.
One observation I have about Latin American futbol teams is that when they get hit they tend to be super dramatic and roll around on the ground a lot waiting for the other team to get penalized or whatever. Its kinda annoying but also really funny to think about making a montage after every game of the players just rolling around on the ground!
Now for a few miscellaneous updates!
1. Second time camping was a total success! The weather was awesome and we hiked to the top of the mountain. From the top on one side you could see the beach and Valparaíso and on the other you could see the Andes and Argentina. Super cool!
2. The strikes are still going on. The police went in and extracted the students that had taken over the school and were living there. But my professors think the kids will just take it over again.
3. My program took us on an historical tour of Santiago and we went to the cemetery where all the presidents are buried and to Villa Grimaldi. Villa Grimaldi was where they tortured people during the Pinochet era. It was comparable to a concentration camp during WWII. As depressing as it was I’m glad we went because I understand a lot more about Chile’s recent history now.
4. Things I miss: my car, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with a tall glass of milk, chick-fil-a, and surprisingly the hot Texas weather (side note: its technically spring but we’ve had a cold front and I’m just dying to get to the beach!).
Besitos,
Gaby
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Teletón (my internship)
I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this on my blog or only in skype conversations but through my program I am interning/volunteering at a nonprofit in Valparaíso. It’s called Teletón and it is a nonprofit for children with disabilities (con discapacidades). Basically, I go there once a week for a few hours and work in the recrear (to entertain) area where I get to play with the kids and their siblings while they wait for therapy and other appointments. If you know me at all you know that I absolutely love kids and this is the perfect place for me to be working! Some of the kids ask me about the U.S. and others just laugh at my accent or my inability to understand them. Also it’s interesting to talk to their parents about Chile and Teletón.
In addition to going to Teletón once a week, I also have an internship class where I read articles and such about disabilities and discrimination and integration of people with disabilities and write essays. And all these readings are in Spanish! Sometimes its very difficult to understand medical journals in Spanish because let’s be real, I wouldn’t completely understand them in English either. But it’s definitely a challenge that I welcome with open arms! I don’t read about one specific type of disability, I’m learning about physical, mental and psychological disabilities and how they affect people in Chile. Which is fascinating to learn about because it is very different from the United States in this area.
Unfortunately I’m not allowed to take pictures inside Teletón but if you speak Spanish (or have a lot of time to google translate everything) you can find them on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/teletonchile) and Twitter @Teleton!
In other news I’m going camping again with my mountain sports class this weekend and have tentative plans to go to Mendoza, Argentina the weekend after! I also just finished midterms, yay!
Besitos,
Gaby
In addition to going to Teletón once a week, I also have an internship class where I read articles and such about disabilities and discrimination and integration of people with disabilities and write essays. And all these readings are in Spanish! Sometimes its very difficult to understand medical journals in Spanish because let’s be real, I wouldn’t completely understand them in English either. But it’s definitely a challenge that I welcome with open arms! I don’t read about one specific type of disability, I’m learning about physical, mental and psychological disabilities and how they affect people in Chile. Which is fascinating to learn about because it is very different from the United States in this area.
Unfortunately I’m not allowed to take pictures inside Teletón but if you speak Spanish (or have a lot of time to google translate everything) you can find them on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/teletonchile) and Twitter @Teleton!
In other news I’m going camping again with my mountain sports class this weekend and have tentative plans to go to Mendoza, Argentina the weekend after! I also just finished midterms, yay!
Besitos,
Gaby
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