So as it is getting about that time for Finals back home I am just a little bit jealous! Just that they are almost done with school and summer is about to begin! I am not jealous for the amount of exams that my friends are having to take because here I am kind of lucky...barely any quizzes! I have only had 3 quizzes in total, but all were not the same as homes.
For my Culture class, obviously we learn about the culture of Easter Island and the people of Chile, but we also played a game similar to cats cradle. For our first quiz we had to choreograph a dance and incorporate our memorized songs and the game with the string. It was quite refreshing for a change in the style of our exams and I actually like it. We had to perform in front of the other half of our class, but we were all having a good time doing it that no one was embarrassed, but rather smiling the whole time. My next quiz in this class was like normal, paper quiz about the lecture material and the same for the quiz in my current event class. So it is not all that different here, but I like it when the teacher switches up the norm and brings in varied styles of assessments.
It is nice here. I am getting along with the people in my courses and I like all my classes, for the most part...literature not my fav. We have had a get together with the classmates a few times and it is good to get to know them as well. I plan on going to a futbol game here pretty soon. I have never actually experienced a soccer game before, one at DWU but no other, and I am excited. Futbol/Soccer is a major competitive sport in South America and about every country for that matter.
The major team in Santiago is the Colo-Colo team and I have heard that that team matched with the U of Chile is a pretty exciting game to watch. With all the fights and the crowd very aggressive it is a great atmosphere. Also thought I have heard to watch out cause there are those fans who absolutely do not like the other team so fan wear ahh is a sign of who is for what team, so I guess I will have to try to find something neutral. Some students from my current events class are talking about going and I will fore sure join them. I need to see what all this hype is about and hey if I like it I can spend my saturdays and sundays at the field!!
So as the semester is winding down back home, summer classes are about to start. I will be taking two courses online for the summer season. These two courses will help me finish a history minor without having to worry about fitting it into my full schedule when I return for the fall semester. One is through Black Hills State and the other through South Dakota State. The first class will begin in about 2 weeks and will be completed before I leave Santiago, so that is pretty good and the other will start at the end of May and go until August. Although that is pretty long I am going to work extra hard on these courses. I feel as though with having classes only about 1 full day a week, others only 1 a day, I have been slacking in my work ethic. I am used to having a full schedule and pushing myself, but here I have a lot of extra time so I have been taking advantage of it and not really completing what I have to do. So these extra courses will fill my free time and get me back in the swing of school.
I have about 10 weeks left here in Santiago. I cannot believe that the time has flown by so quickly and that by the end of this I will have completed so much. I went running this morning, after being sick for about 5-6 days and not running for a few days before that, and it was exhilirating. I went in the morning when there was not a lot of people, it was cool outside and it was pretty much me and Santiago. I am able to clear my head and just focus on myself when I go run. Later today I am going to go get a pedi and get pack for my Easter trip. I am going to Mendoza Argentina for la semana santa and will be back on monday. I hope that it is fun for all that are going.
Lastly I heard that my bf pitched a shutout last night and I couldn't be more proud of him. He pushes through obstacles and brought his team out of a long losing streak. He is pretty amazing and just wanted to give him props for that accomplishment. It is a little sad not seeing games live, but I try to stay updated through the internet and will be able to watch him play ball this summer when I get home. Go DWU!!
So with this until I get back from Mendoza...Happy Easter...good luck with egg hunts and be safe on this historical weekend. Ciao from Chile!!
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Terremoto Reconstruction
This last weekend, I spontaneously joined a volunteer group and headed to the region of Pullay, south of Santiago about 8 hours. We were there to help reconstruct houses for those that were affected and victims by the earthquake of 2010. This region lied on the coast of Chile, so it also had some Maremoto...Tsunami damage as well. We left around 5 on Friday and we returned at about 2am Monday morning.
This trip was actually quite fun. I did know a few people that were going, girls from Denmark, a girl from Switzerland and a guy from Brazil. These were people from my intensive month class that I took in January. There were a lot of people travelling or also on exchange programs and a lot from Spain. Also I did get to meet 3 other people that were from the States.
We set up our tents when we got there...and all cuddled together for a cool evening before our first day of work. Umm it is a little cold at night in those tents...ahh dang, but I am alive and so it is ok. Saturday morning up at 8:30 am to get some grub. We made a bonfire and has some toast, with cheese, butter or manjar. It was good enough and then we got started on our work. These houses are similar to the adobe style houses of the Native Americans. So we made the material out of things that you can pretty much find anywhere so it kept the costs low for the team. We mixed dirt/soil with some sand mix and flour/water mix and straw. It was quite comical to watch the people mix this 'barro' and some who fell into it!
We then had fun where we would literally throw the barro at the walls of the house and then smooth them into the previous layer. It was fun when you can throw stuff at a wall and that is actually what you are supposed to be doing. We did 4 sides of 4 houses in the 2 days we were there. We got to visit the beach...a long way uphill on the return :(...and I saw black sandy beaches. It was so serene out there and I loved it. Water is such powerful thing that I do not underestimate it. Also there was an asado--BBQ with a bunch of meat and just some chit-chatting! Practicing my spanish was a goal this weekend and I believe that I did a fair amount of it. Also the fun part is that we all had fun doing this job, we would laugh, get each other more dirty than the inevitable and belted out songs...baby got back could we say ahaha.
I had a good weekend, and it was nice to do something for people who were affected by this natural disaster. One of the families, whose house was one of the 4, made us lunch the two days, helped a bit, and just watched us do our work. But again it is a good feeling to be doing something for others and not receive anything in return. Love it!!
This trip was actually quite fun. I did know a few people that were going, girls from Denmark, a girl from Switzerland and a guy from Brazil. These were people from my intensive month class that I took in January. There were a lot of people travelling or also on exchange programs and a lot from Spain. Also I did get to meet 3 other people that were from the States.
We set up our tents when we got there...and all cuddled together for a cool evening before our first day of work. Umm it is a little cold at night in those tents...ahh dang, but I am alive and so it is ok. Saturday morning up at 8:30 am to get some grub. We made a bonfire and has some toast, with cheese, butter or manjar. It was good enough and then we got started on our work. These houses are similar to the adobe style houses of the Native Americans. So we made the material out of things that you can pretty much find anywhere so it kept the costs low for the team. We mixed dirt/soil with some sand mix and flour/water mix and straw. It was quite comical to watch the people mix this 'barro' and some who fell into it!
We then had fun where we would literally throw the barro at the walls of the house and then smooth them into the previous layer. It was fun when you can throw stuff at a wall and that is actually what you are supposed to be doing. We did 4 sides of 4 houses in the 2 days we were there. We got to visit the beach...a long way uphill on the return :(...and I saw black sandy beaches. It was so serene out there and I loved it. Water is such powerful thing that I do not underestimate it. Also there was an asado--BBQ with a bunch of meat and just some chit-chatting! Practicing my spanish was a goal this weekend and I believe that I did a fair amount of it. Also the fun part is that we all had fun doing this job, we would laugh, get each other more dirty than the inevitable and belted out songs...baby got back could we say ahaha.
I had a good weekend, and it was nice to do something for people who were affected by this natural disaster. One of the families, whose house was one of the 4, made us lunch the two days, helped a bit, and just watched us do our work. But again it is a good feeling to be doing something for others and not receive anything in return. Love it!!
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