I can't believe its been 2 months already.

Hello Everyone!! I'm sorry I haven't updated my blog in a while. At first I hadn't updated it cause, I didn't do much and thought it would make a boring blog post, and then I didn't update, because I got really busy and didn't have time. haha. Last Wednesday and Thursday there was a 2 day national strike. I heard that they played it on the news in the US and wanted to clairify somethings first hand since I know some of you have been worried. It is true that is was a big strike and a lot of people participated. Some police and civilians were hurt in the action. The people in Chile mean buisness when they say that they want the constitution to be changed for more affordable education without business profits. They have been on strike many times in the past but usually the promises from the government are not followed through with and things end up the same as they were in the past, so now they are not settling with the proposals that they are getting and want action. I have learned that the situation is different then the U.S. because protesting and striking for your rights when you are unhappy with the government is more a part of the culture. If the people are unhappy the cause disruptions to be heard and make change. The socialist movement of elected president Salvador Allende and then military dictatorship of Agosto Pinochet are political events of the very recent history that the country is still dealing with and healing from. The protests have been somewhat violent and dangerous in certain areas, but with that said it is very easy to avoid the protests. We always know when there is going to be a big protests because the word is out and we know what areas to avoid at those times. I have been completely safe. My family also supports what they are fighting for but avoids all major protests and doesn't agree with the destruction of kids who just want to cause destruction. We have agreed that that doesn't solve any problems and makes things worse because then the city has to pay for the repairs. I have been emailed that our classes are going to resume this week so that is good, but also I am aware there is a chance for them to be cancelled as in the past, because in reality  noone knows what the following days will bring. The protests are always full of surprises.

With that said, I have had a fun past few days. On Thursday I went up to Valle Nevado, which is apparently the best ski resort in South America. I went snowboarding with the international club on my campus. The day was beautiful and I had a great time. On Friday, we had a field trip to Villa Grimaldi, which was a torture center in the 70s during the military dictatorship of Pinochet. It was very interesting, and really sad. Also, the man who gave us the tour was someone who suffered in that camp and then was forced to leave the country for 15 years. He moved to New York and then San Francisco and when Pinochet died he moved back to Santiago. His story was really sad and he was very emotional showing us that place. There they did horrendous, tortourous things to the people similar to how i would imagine a Nazi concentration camp. He said there are other ones also, and he had been to 3 at the time. He was a university student about the same age as me. After, he took us to the Cemetario General where President Allende was buried in addition to other important people, as well as regular citizens. The whole trip was very informative and helped me understand the recent history a little bit better. I had been confused because I heard about people who supported Allende and others who opposed him and didn't know if he or his policies were good or bad, the same with Pinochet. And it was then I realized that I am always thinking of history and people of the times in black and white. They were good or bad. But that is not the case and there is more to this story, and after Friday that all became more clear. I enjoy learning these types of things and being able to see them first hand, and the people who were effected is just incredible and more valuable then any cancelled class at my university.

On Saturday, some of my best friends and I got up early and left for Valparaiso! This city is about an hour and a half away and right on the ocean. It is known for its uniqueness with its large hills, vibrant colors, small streets, stairs, murals, the harbor, and much more. It was amazing. We were only there for one night but it was one of my best trips. The group I went with was so great and we had a really relaxing time. It was a beautiful place. At night we went dancing to one of the famous discoteques, it was really fun! They played all spanish music and it was pretty much all Chileans which was really cool.   The only bad thing is that when I came home I realized that my wallet was either lost or stolen. So I have been dealing with that process which is no fun at all :/ I realize that these things happen even if you are extra careful.

Finally here are a few pictures of the past couple weeks....

driving to Valle nevado, if you look close you can see the windy road!

Me and my friend Cammy, who so kindly waited for me all day as I snow plowed down the mountain :)

lorena vs. the andes

view from the chair lift, there are no trees!!!!

Harbor in Valparaiso!!

MIA!!! my bestest friend in Chile/ big sister/ neighbor/ coolest girl ever 

Valpo

It was such a beautiful day

There is artwork all over the city. Here is a little taste.

I love these girls, best traveling buddies!

Chilean Education Strike Updates

Week 2 of school down. Slowly figuring out how things work, but one major problem… the strikes/ marches for free education are growing and my school is starting to join in. On Tuesday, there was a “Paro Nacional” which means the whole country was on strike in support of the students. Both of my Tuesday classes were cancelled. I had class Wednesday, and then Thursday one was cancelled. Every week the students and faculty are going to vote if they want to be on strike or not. This is called “paro indefinido” meaning that each week can be different after the vote that week. Every “facultad” or major votes for itself, so for example the school of political science can be on strike, while chemistry is still in school. This is all at Campus San Joaquin which is where all of my classes are. There are 3 main campuses. Campus Oriente which is by my house, and where our ILP program was, is completely “En Toma” right now. Which means its taken over by the students. They put the desks in the gate blocking all the entrances except for one where there are always students so that no one can enter. It is completely closed down and has been for the past week. They are going to vote again next week to see about the next week. The problem with that is, our EAP office where the advisors for our program work is at Campus Oriente and they haven’t been able to get to their office. So in addition to all this confusion, we haven’t been able to contact our EAP advisors. SO basically this means at this point, I have no idea what is going to happen, if classes are going to continue or if San Joaquin is going to end up En Toma as well and if it does, for how long? It is all very exciting to be here at this historical moment but at the same time very frustrating because I came here to study and get credit. So that’s basically the recent news on school other then that things have been great.  I went hiking with a couple friends last week which was really fun and this thursday I'm going snowboarding at Valle Nevada with the foreign exchange group on campus!! And its supposed to rain all week which means FRESH POWDER!! Also, last weekend, I went with my host family to their grandparents house for their weekly family lunch and it was really nice. We just spent the day eating, relaxing, and playing cards and dominos. Very much like my family gatherings at home which was nice. 

Cultura Chilena #3: No one buys textbooks for their classes. Here there are no copyright laws, so on each syllabus there are lists of books and what chapters we will have to read for the semester. There is a photo copy place for each “facultad.” For each of my classes I just go to the photocopy place and tell them what class I’m in and which reading I need and they print it for you. Each reading, depending on how long it is, is about 50 cents. I got all the readings for one class and it cost about $6. Pretty cool. (when I said its been difficult figuring out the systems at school, this is one example in particular… but I got it now!)

Cultura Chilena #4: about $470 Chilean Pesos = $1 US Dollar (This Fact= Lots of Fun Math)

Hike up to Cerro San Cristobal (a huge hill in the middle of town)

View from the top of the Cerro, oh hey Santiago! The clearness of this day is very rare. We went the day after it had been raining on and off for a few days. That low brown looking cloud is smog.

This is at the top of Cerro San Cristobal, when your in town you know where you are by which way the statute is facing.

Hike in La Reina at the bottom of the Andes. This day was not as clear as the day before, and yes I'm wearing the same thing....

The Front of Campus Oriente.

If you look close you can see the chairs in the gate blocking the entrance.

Another First Day of School.

August 5, 2011

The first week of school has passed. I’ve been sick for the past few days, which has made things difficult but I’m feeling better each day. I went to a lot of different classes to try and figure out my schedule and I think I now finally got it. I’m only taking 3 classes and working on getting an internship, which also counts for units. I originally wanted to get an internship helping in a school either tutoring or teaching English, but since all the schools are on strike (including elementary and high schools) it doesn’t look like that is going to be an option. But I emailed a place that works with children in bad situations with their families and what not so hopefully they get back to me soon. I am excited because I was able to work my schedule to only have class Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, which is going to be really nice for traveling and internship stuff. My school is really nice and has been extremely welcoming to foreign students. There have been so many times that I have felt like a lost puppy wandering around a big campus but some how I’ve figured things out. I’m going to take an education class, which should be really interesting with everything that’s going on right now. That class is good because there aren’t a lot of foreign students, there is just one other from Spain, which forces me to speak Spanish. Also some Chilean girls already came up to us to be in their group for our group assignment, which was really nice and comforting. My other classes are a sociology class and a psychology class both with a lot of foreign students with topics about Latin American Society and Culture. Hopefully they will be a challenge but not to difficult. I’m not really too sure how the tests and quizzes are going to go, but I guess we’ll just see what happens. There is a group on campus specifically to help foreign students. They set up a table on campus to help us if we have any questions. They also have a BBQ planned tonight and have a program called “Tandem” where we can get paired up with a Chilean student to just talk and work on our Spanish while helping them work on English. Everything is still going good at home, the first month has gone by really fast. I paid my first months worth of rent since the very first month was paid for by our study abroad program. It’s crazy that I am paying the same I paid in Irvine, but have my own bedroom and bathroom and get all my meals and laundry done. Plus the whole experience of being a part of a family, which is great. I guess that’s it for now, no big trips planned at the moment but I’m sure there are many to come J

~ Lauren

Cultura Chilena 101

#1: There is no toilet paper in public restroom stalls. If you plan on using toilet paper you have to make sure to grab some on your way in, that is if they provide any at all. This fact has got me into some trouble….

#2: When greeting someone, whether its meeting for the first time, seeing an old friend, or saying good night to your family always give 1 kiss on the cheek.