Culture Clash and Classes

  Valparaíso, Chile
Friday, August 26, 2005

Hola todos!
 
Its that time of the week again, update from Chile!  This email will probably be pretty long, so sit back and enjoy, or delete.  whichever you prefer (no hard feelings).  So...what has happened this week down on the south side of the planet?  Well a better question would be what hasnt!  So here goes.
 
Last weekend I had my first mountain sports class.  We learned some fun terminology in class (friday evening ugh).  But the profs are really cool for the class, and i´ll transfer in a PE credit to ´K´.  Friday night we went out to celebrate the birthday of one of the girls on the program.  Unfortunately it kind of turned into a hoard of gringos, which sometimes tends to occur :-(  But nevertheless we did have a good time, and I arrived home around 4, so I could get up at 8 for our mountain sports activity!

 
On little sleep, we repeled on this rock on the coast,

Repelling in Viña del Mar

which was really cool, and parts of it were fairly challenging (esp since it was only my second time repeling).  I also used that opportunity to ride my bike a bit, for a little non-micro transportation. 

Micro bus

We learned some fun knots and stuff, and other things that I will have to learn again because ive already forgotten. 
 
Saturday night I went back to the Big Band Show, which once again was entertaining, but with a much more latin flavor.  Afterwards we went to my friend Jessa´s house with Daniela, this cool chilean.  She had never made smores, so we tried to make smores from a candle (we were thinking about camping this weekend, but the weather wasnt so great).  Trying to make smores with a candle is difficult, give it a try sometime.  Sunday was filled with lots of relaxing, and hanging out with my family, eating lunch.  I practiced a little for my landscape painting class, and I guess my painting is looking a little more grown up now (but I´m sure my little cousins still have me beat, and then of course theres my brother !)  Sun night I meet Jessa and Daniela at the top of the neighborhood where I live to watch the sunset. 

Sunset over Viña del Mar and Valparaíso

It was pretty spectacular, and Im sure the pictures dont do it justice.  We went to Daniela´s house afterwards and made Palta con Leche.  Basically, blended up Avacado mixed in milk.  It was pretty good!
 
Daniela plays the flute, so she played a little and then tried to teach me a couple things, since I am trying to learn.  Its so hard for me because I just want to play cool jazz tunes...but I have to learn how to make sounds first!!
 
Monday was kinda horrible on the home front.  Perhaps a clash of cultures, but i guess it was mostly my fault.  I came home in the afternoon, and wanted to get a little bread to make a sandwich.  But... when I went to put the bread on my plate, somehow it slipped and landed on the floor with the worst shattering noise imaginable.  I have not broken anything in about 3 years, I just dont consider myself a clumsy person.  Ill try to blame it on stress, whatever.  While I was cleaning up the pieces and muttering ´Lo Siento´ a thousand times, the maid gave me a little mini-lecture on how I should follow a schedule, and only eat at certain times and stuff.  The problem with all these little rules is I dont really hear about them until I´m getting ´scolded´.  When I got home later that night, I was informed that I needed to find a replacement plate.  Then I was upset.  It made me feel like I was at a hotel and running on some sort of tab.  If you mess up, pay up.  I would have tried to replace the plate on my own accord, but being ´ordered´ to isnt very cool.  I guess that its just one of those differences in how we live.  People are set in their ways (and their dishes) and ill go with that, but I definately had culture shock up the wazoo after that.  I didnt want to speak or hear spanish, and for the first time wondering what was I doing with this family on the other side of the world.
 
Its not that I dont like my family, but I dont know, I just wish they were a little more ´latino´.  I was worried about how this would affect me, but after sleeping well, everything felt much better.  I even had a long conversation with the maid about pinochet, crime, and laws in chile.  Very interesting.
 
Classes are finally starting to get into a groove, which is good and bad.  Our first ´control´ was tuesday in ´Sexualidad y ética´  It was a group test, and so Im pretty sure I did fine, and met some cool chileans in the process. 

Central plaza of the university

Afterwards we went out to this student bar place ´ la torre´.  Its pretty much filled with students weekdays after class (like 7 pm)  not a lot of atmosphere, but still fun.  My flute audition went fine, and i learned that I will be recieving private flute lessons, 45 minutes a week, at no additional charge.  Well, anyone whos ever taken private insturment lessons prolly just choked on their coffee, but im excited!  Fun thing is I have to buy a flute!
 
In my art class, my profesor said he really liked my art.  I thought he was kidding, but then I remembered they dont use sarcasm here.  He took my paper from me and moved it about 5 feet away.  Wow, it definately was much better at a distance (or maybe i needed to change my contacts).  But, it made me feel good!
 
I also had a fun time conversing with my conversation buddy.  Shes cool, and curious about lots of american stuff, its going to be really hard to teach her english though.
 
I actually have homework to do these days as well.  I have to write a bit of a research paper this weekend, as well as interview a chilean about some topic.  The good thing is that I have finally been to all my classes, and I think that I will be sticking it through with all of them.  The only bad thing is unlike at K, you cant drop classes after the semester gets going.  Therefore- I hope that everything goes well, so that I can find a way to transfer back some credits.
 
Friday I met up with a girl from my program who is also taking flute lessons, and she went to this music store with me to help me buy a flute ( and be sure that it plays well...ect)  So yeah, bottom line is that I now own a flute.  Dont know how to play it yet, but I figure spending a nice chunk of change will be motivation to learn!
 
Well I have rambled on about a lot of nothing.  And I guess not much funny stuff happened this week to entertain you, it was more of a character building week for me.  But of course, being pushed out of your element, having to think everytime you open your mouth, and jumping out of moving buses, is part of the reason Im here.  I think I´m learning a lot about myself and the world.  And its exciting for me (and hopefully not horribly boring for you).
 
I have added some new photos in the last few weeks: http://community.webshots.com/user/robconr
Check them out! 
 
I hope this letter finds everyone healthy and happy!  As always feel free to send emails!  Un abrazo a todos