Deportes

It feels like I’ve been here forever when thinking of all the things I’ve experienced and learned since arriving two short weeks ago but then I realize I still have a lot more time to spend here which is comforting and a bit terrifying. A friend pointed out to me this past weekend that it’s kind of nice to not have to run around and quickly see all of the tourist sites before our weeklong vacation runs out because we are living here, living here. We’ve got time! Walking down the beach at sunset with some delicious helado can be a weekly tradition rather than a one time experience. That’s pretty cool.

This past weekend the school hosted a bonfire for all of the exchange students to meet a Chilean “buddy.” It was the smallest “bonfire” I’ve ever seen and did a weak job of keeping everyone warm as we stood outside in the 50° weather and did our best to keep our backs to the wind but the event itself was fun. We met some Chileans and some other exchange students from Arizona, Colorado, Germany, Switzerland and other South American countries. As per Chilean style, there was a dance-off and the Minnesotans held their own pretty well!

We hit the town after the bonfire and when I returned home at 2:30 in the morning I really shouldn’t have been surprised to find my “young hip” parents still up enjoying their Friday night. My host mom invited me to join her, my host dad and their friend for a Piscola (the classic Chilean drink). Seeing as it was almost 3am I declined the drink but sat down to talk. I feel super bad that I can’t remember the name of the friend that was over but my host dad calls him Gordo—fatty, so we’ll go with that for the point of the story. So Gordo is just finishing his law degree at the university and speaks broken English so the living room was Spanglish central as I tried to join in on the conversation and my host parents were constantly asking how to say this word and that word. I think I even managed to get off a few sarcastic jokes in Spanish, something I’m quite proud of. Anyway, before we knew it it was 5am and my brain was officially drained.

Sunday we went to watch Gordo’s tennis match because he and my host dad are self-proclaimed “amateur professionals”—there may be a lost in translation moment there but I don’t think so. Anyway, I’ve always enjoyed watching tennis but I’ve never been very good at keeping track of the score so when my host dad asked if I was having fun I said I was but then he didn’t believe me once I admitted I had no idea who was winning. He just laughed and did his best to keep me updated. After, we went out for ice cream, one of my favorite things to do anywhere. We went to this place with a deck overlooking the beach, the sun was out for the first time in days and it was gorgeous. My host mom, sisters and I shared a giant margarita glass full of ice cream, fruit and chocolate. Heaven. Needless to say I’m slowly finding my place in this family and enjoying every moment of it.

In other news, I joined my college’s basketball team. Now for those of you that know me at all you better be laughing out loud at that statement. My brother Dillon will be the first to tell you that he can school me any day when shooting hoops but let me assure you that the team here is much more similar to an intramural team in the US and many of the girls on the team do it for required physical education credit at school. I decided to do it in an attempt to keep myself busy and so that when I return home in 4 months I can say that I actually have some Chilean friends rather than spending my entire semester with a bunch of gringas. So my first practice was Monday and it was a blast AND I’m not even the worst on the team! The coach is very nice and didn’t mind repeating the drills a few times for my friend Kylie and I. Bonus, we practice at the naval base in neighboring Valparaíso aka there were plenty of army-types wandering around which I didn’t mind.

You may or may not have heard about the issues surrounding public education here in Chile in the past few months (if you haven't here's a nice re-cap from a newspaper in Santiago). Anyway, today and tomorrow have been declared para nacional (national stop) as a protest against the student's unhappiness with how the government is handling the education situation. There is supposed to be a strike of public transportation, effectively stopping the country. I haven't seen any differences in Viña today but our group was supposed to take a tour of Valparíso today but since the Congress is housed there, professors at our university worried for our safety there today so the trip was postponed. The daughter of our program director attends a British private school here and the students were told not to wear their uniforms to school today for fear they may be targeted by protestors for attending a private school. In Santiago this morning protestors of all ages turned out to barricade streets as part of the para nacional. There were reports of people boarding buses and holding the drivers at gunpoint to keep them from transporting people. It is a very interesting time to be in Chile but Ojalá que (God willing) that a resolution is reached soon so that everyone can be safe. 

One final thing, my camera has disappeared--I know, I'm a genius--so it will be a bit before I can post pictures but I look forward to being able to share with all of you how beautiful it is here!

Cariñas,

Mackenzie  

El inicio

I made it! After a long overnight flight from Dallas to Chile’s capital, Santiago, our program director, Vilma met us at the airport and we took a bus to Viña. The highway into Viña curves through the hills overlooking the city and neighboring Valparaíso. The first thing I noticed was the number of houses covering the ground. And once they ran out of room on the ground they started to build up, towering apartment buildings sprouted up everywhere from the colorful houses packed into the hillside and along the coast.  Then I saw the ocean, absolutely beautiful! You can see so far our and quite a distance down the coast either way. There are five cities right in a row in the bay that Viña sits on, News Years on the bay is said to be spectacular with each city putting on their own fireworks shows and great festivals.

My stomach was already uneasy from the long flight and the sharp turns into the city but when Vilma started talking about how our host parents were waiting to meet us and take us to our new homes, it felt like my insides were doing somersaults. My friend Bre was sitting behind me and we just gave each other a look like what did we get ourselves into? My host dad, Rodrigo, came and greeted me with a kiss on the cheek (Chilean custom) and we picked up my giant bags and walked to find my host mom, Graciela. Another kiss greeting and stood on the street to wait for a taxi. There are many modes of public transportation in Viña, taxis being the “swankiest” and most expensive. It took quite a while for the run-down Hyundai taxi to arrive but then we were on our way to my new home.

I now live on Calle Alverez, one of the busiest streets in Viña. The house is surrounded by an intense gate to keep the dog (some kind of lab grey hound mix) Niña in and the random Chileans waiting for the bus out. Niña has a small patio to inhabit and do her business on so be careful when crossing it if you return home after dark. The first floor of the house is a small living/dining room and the kitchen which Graciela asked me not to enter if she’s home because if I need anything she will serve me, an idea I’m still getting the hang of. Upstairs are the four bedrooms and bathroom.

My host family is absolutely great. They are so kind and patient, always willing to repeat what they said so that I can understand and they talk slow just for me. The 10 year old daughter, María José, is so sweet. My first afternoon here she sat on my bed and chatted with me as I unpacked and she quickly learned to read my face for when I had no clue what she was saying. She would giggle and crawl over to my computer and put it into Google translate so that we’d be on the same page. She loves to play Uno (and loves to make up her own rules like any 10 year old) and do card tricks. I’ve had fun helping her with her English even when my brain gets confused trying to spell English words with the Spanish alphabet. She is so curious and inquisitive about the US and is determined to “dance in Times Square someday.” Turns out my family here loves Ke$ha, the Black Eyed Peas and Katy Perry even if they have no idea what the songs are saying.

I spent my first few days getting my bearings in the city and trying to understand the public transportation but most of the time I just walk, it’s good for me, right? I went to my first Chilean pub and then club and got crap from the Chileans for leaving at 2:30am because I was absolutely exhausted. In Chile the clubs open at 12 or 1am and close at 5 and most Chileans would party til they get booted out. Even my host parents were surprised to see me home “so early.”

I walked down to the beach with some Bennie friends, it’s absolutely gorgeous and you can see so far down the coast, pictures truly can’t capture it. Note to self; wear a scarf when near the water during Chilean winters (like right now). We Minnesotans thought we’d handle the climate just fine seeing what we endure for six months of every year but it’s actually cold here and the houses don’t have central heating and both the space heaters in my house are currently out of commission. My toes haven’t been very happy the past couple days.

Today was our first day of classes at UAI so I hopped the bus early in the morning to avoid the long trek up the hill to where the new UAI campus sits, overlooking the city, the view is the definition of picturesque. I had my art and culture class and Chilean history class this morning. I think I’m going to like both of the professors a lot and the way they talked about needing to know where we came from so we can understand where we are and how we fit into the bigger picture struck a chord with me from things I’ve heard in my favorite classes in the US. The history class seems that it will be a great international relations class about the US and Latin America while dealing with a lot of issues surrounding personal and national identity. Then this afternoon I had my literature class, I’m apprehensive about the professor but I love to read so we’ll see where it goes.

Long story short, Viña has treated me very well thus far and I’m excited to see what the next four months will bring! I miss everyone back home but am doing my best to keep busy so that I’m not constantly aware of that fact. I hope your little corner of the world is treating you well today and always!

Cariñas,

Mackenzie    

Here we go

Well here it is, the day I’ve been looking forward to for about 6 months. In 12 hours I’ll be rolling up to the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport to take off for my semester abroad in Chile! I spent my summer in a lab researching blood development and learning more than I ever needed to know about getting mice pregnant. In my spare time I was studying for the MCAT. But when I spaced out at work or had one of those vivid dreams that you almost can’t remember but you know was so fantastic that you fill in the missing pieces, it was about Chile.

St. Ben’s/St. John’s are very proud of their study abroad programs. You can’t attend a prospective student day on campus without being amazed by a slide show of some of the most beautiful places on earth that Bennies and Johnnies travel to each year. And the parents are comforted hearing that a CSB/SJU faculty member directs each trip and it doesn’t hurt that academic scholarships count abroad too. So when I decided to attend St. Ben’s I just assumed I’d be studying abroad my junior year. It is somewhat special that I can assume such things as a pre-med student since it can be difficult to take time away from science classes and lab time to go gallivanting off around the world but the fact that a semester abroad could be in my plan is something I am very grateful for.  

I have always loved Spanish culture and have enjoyed my Hispanic studies classes at St. Ben’s very much in the past two years so when it came time to apply for a study abroad program I naturally drifted towards the three Spanish programs offered at CSB/SJU; Spain, Guatemala and Chile. I don’t honestly know what drew me to the Chile program but the more I’ve learned about the country in the past few months, the more excited I get for my trip. The city I’ll be living in, Viña del Mar, is right on the ocean and only about an hour and a half drive from Santiago, the capital. I don’t get to spend much time on the beach in Minnesota so I am very much looking forward to spending a lot of time out in the sun and the sand this semester. Valparaíso is right next door to Viña and known for it’s rich culture and awesome history. I’ll be attending classes at the Universidad Adolofo Ibañez, which just opened a brand new campus up on a hill, overlooking much of Viña, and is supposed to be absolutely spectacular. I don’t know how it will compare to the view of the Abbey bell tower and fall colors in Collegeville but I’m sure it will do.

I am so excited to dive head first into this new culture, the deepest part of which will probably be living with my host family. We just received our placements last weekend (cutting it a little close if you ask me but at least I know I have a place to sleep once I get there) and I will spend the semester with a mom and dad and their 10 year old daughter and 2 year old son. As many siblings as I have it’s been a while now since we had a toddler in the house and the more little sisters for me the merrier so I am very much looking forward to meeting them when I arrive in Viña.

But it turns out getting excited for a trip like this and realizing that you’re actually going are two very different things. It has hit me hard a couple times this summer and I have my moments of shear terror. I worry that my host family will pick me up and I won’t be able to spit out a word of Spanish. I’m anxious about navigating the public transportation system. I wonder how I will handle the inevitable homesickness that will set in once all the newness and excitement wear off. I know I am going to miss my friends and family beyond words but I also know that the next four months are going to be some of the best of my life and I have faith this what I’m supposed to be doing right now, which is what I have to remind myself of during the panicky times. I can’t imagine how much I will learn and experience while I’m there and I can’t wait.

So I’ll go to the airport in a few hours with my bags that weigh way too much even though I’m leaving behind several pairs of jeans (ouch), I’ll hug my mom goodbye while most likely bawling my eyes out and I’ll probably get poked and prodded by security because I’ll be so nervous that I forget to take off my belt and I’ll set off the metal detector but after all that I’ll be off on this amazing adventure. I will do my best to keep you all updated as much as I can throughout the whole process.

To everyone I love that I can’t bring with me: be happy, be good, be safe and know that wherever you may be I am thinking about you and praying for you.

All my love,

Mackenzie