Rock Climbing
Trip Start
Jul 13, 2005
1
16
32
Trip End
Mar 02, 2006
Valparaíso,
Chile
Wednesday, November 9, 2005
Hope all's well around the world where ever this letter may find you! Things are good here, and hope you can find a minute to read my latest update!
Last week was a really short one, because we had Mon and Tues 'feriado' and I only have mountain sports on Fridays. Pretty much a two day week, yeah I know, rough!
Wednesday I was riding the micro with a friend after art class, and she commented that its so funny how all the micro rides between Viña and Valpo kind of merge into several categories. Whether the sun is out, whether it's stormy with big waves, the various levels of psychopathic drivers, the amount of traffic etc. We talked about how we will never remember every individual micro ride, because they had become so normal. In fact I even realize that now I can go a whole micro ride without noticing the ocean, an unthinkable thought a few months ago when I was enchanted by the sea at every opportunity. However, I know that I will never forget these daily commutes, and of course the amazing glittering pacific.
We had another class about Chilean movies and stuff. Shocking to find out they only make about one Chilean movie a year. Some of the ones that I want to own for my permanent collection include: Machuca, Mi mejor enemigo, and all the movies I haven't seen but want to rent. I really hope there's a way to get at them in the States when I have free time.
Thursday at history class in the evening only about 6 people showed up, so instead of class we went out to a coffee place. We chatted about random stuff, some political historical stuff, etc. The coffee was on the prof, which was really nice of him, and it was very small school feeling!
Friday was a relaxing day, I did a little reading of Allende, and some painting. Mountain sports class was, class. Not too exciting, however we did have our
climbing trip all the next day. When I got back home Cristobol asked me to help him with some physics studying. It had been a long time since I'd seen stuff like that, and I was pretty rusty. It wasn't that hard, but it being in a different language really threw me off, not to mention that commas are decimal points, and the have different names for stuff. Bottom line is that I couldn't help as much as I should have been able to. It's going to be rough when I get back to K!
Saturday morning I woke up really early to go rock climbing. We had to take a bus first to Calera, and then another towards Santiago. We got off and walked along the Pan-American Highway to Las Chilcas, a bunch of really big rock faces. Supposedly it's the best rock climbing place in South America. It was a loooong but fun day. We climbed from 10-2 had lunch and changed locations and then climbed from 3-7. It's the hardest rock climbing I've ever done, and I felt pretty dang challenged.
There was, like always in Chile, some graffiti on the rocks across the highway, and they were in big letters SI. Our prof Otto explained that they were from the 1988 plebecide in which the people voted si or no for Pinochet to continue being in power. There are still so many signs of those times in Chile, and this was one of the more concrete examples. Very interesting. They also spotted some Andean Condors, but they were out of sight for those of us on the opposite rock face. Hopefully I'll be able to see some of those famous birds before I leave here!
When I got home, my host mom heated me up some pasta, to get some energy back in me. It was a draining day!
Sunday I spent around the house, out on the patio in the sun reading Casa de los espiritus de Allende. It's a good read although a long one when its in Spanish. (450 pages). I have a couple more weeks to find time to finish it, and a couple long busrides!
Prueba Monday that didn't seem to be so hard, but we'll see. We finally got back some of our work for classes, and I'm doing pretty well, but the system here is kinda wacky. A 7.0 is perfect. A 6 is 'for the professor', and 5's are good. Below 4.5 is failing, I think. I'm really only worried about my two history classes. One of them we only have one final paper. The other we have another final test, and I didn't do so great on the first one, so we'll see.
I've been spending some time looking for hotels here for when my parents come, which is quickly approaching. I have so many things to do in the next few weeks. They weren't kidding when they said at the beginning that the end of the semester time here is crazy!
How are you all doing? It seems like the weather has still been pretty decent for November, but I know that can change in an instant so I'll try not to jinxx it. If you find yourself with a free minute, let me know what you all are up to. I am just about half way through my time in S. America, but winding down the times that I will be able to be in easy internet contact.
Take care everyone, and enjoy those fall colors while they last!
Abrazos!!
