Valparaíso/Viña del mar Coastal towns!!!

Back so soon, how unlike me! I just couldn't wait to show you my pictures of Valpo/Viña! (they aren't that cool, dont get too excited...So, friday rolls around, we are supposed to leave at 9 30 am, i wake up at my house around 9 05: MIERDA. Takes at least 40 minutes to get there by the metro. Long story short, I make it, and I'm not even the last person there. That's south america for you. hahaha or more like that's young people who were partying all night before for you..heheh. We drive about 2.5 hours to la isla negra: la casa de Pablo Neruda!! I hope you are all familiar with at least a few of Pablo Neruda's poems, and if not, GET ON IT. They are absolutely beautiful and way better in spanish, I must say. Spanish, a romance language, rolls off the tongue sounds great. Me and my host dad were having a convo the other day about how when I returned from the DR I always thought people were being so rude, but really they were just asking me to "pass the juice" but "pasame el jugo" just sounds so much less harsh to the ear. Claudio (mi padre) has the most calming voice ever, he talks really slow and quiet, so you would think that it would be easy to understand him right? Noooo. We just crack up with each other instead.

Anyways PABLO NERUDA: one of the most influencial poets in any language of the 20th century, had 3 wives, has no heirs his only child died at the age of 8, was a big Allende supporter and in fact was nominated for president the same year, but he vouched for Allende. Traveled to every contienent except Africa. Only wrote poetry with green ink because that is the color of hope, apparently. He had 3 houses in Chile: one is in Santiago (no i have not visited, but I plan to soon), the other in Valparaíso (we didn't go..) and then Isla Negra, where he lived most of the time. It is perched on a cliff overlooking the ocean: huge cerulean waves crashing into black rocks:

How much more poetic can you get? I will tell you. His house is modeled to look like a ship. Neruda loved to collect stuff. Just a few of his collections: Those wooden figures on the bows of ships, no joke he has at least 15 just chillin in his house, no pictures were allowed inside..., the glass supporters that go under piano legs, tiny instruments, big awesome instruments, cool stones, beautiful glass bottles, had an ENTIRE room of absolutely astounding shells, and A NARWHAL HORN what is going on!? Anyways, it was probably the coolest house I have ever seen, and so completely the house of a poet, it was kind of hilarious. Collection of cool bottles with hands, and illegally taken picture of the living room, do you see the carved figures?

Next, we went to Valparaíso, which is a city built on hills, all these brightly colored houses all crammed next to each other. I guess the bright colors started when the fisherman used the same paint of their boats to paint their house, that way when they were fishing out in the bay they could point at their house! So cute. Great bohemian vibe, awesome graffiti everywhere, basically murals, so artsy. This girl with a gorgeous voice sang and played the accordion for us, Pascuala Ilibaca, look her up now, she's pretty big in the music scene here. I want to be her:

That night, huge delicious dinner, our director, Patricio is hilarious and gave us a big speech about not abusing alcohol at the start of the trip and at dinner, well, already it is standard to recieve a pisco sour before any food--super strong drink, since your stomach is empty it livens you up--then there is always at least two botellas of wine with dinner, and THEN patricio gives out free drink tickets! Nice one, patricio. Then after yummy food, it's time to dance it off with salsa lessons from a crazy cuban who hopped up on the bar to show us the steps!

Next day, great bike tour along the city, walked a ways got to see more beautiful art, and then a ride along the ocean. ME ENCANTA EL MAR. I wish I was a mermaid.

Theeeen we went to a Viña (vineyard) and a sanctuary/shrine on Sunday. Wine tasting yuum. Then some spiritual pondering. LAS FOTOS:

Valpo and the cute houses (there are cuter)

Need I explain this?

Or this? (so cool!!)

A pretty mural (they were everywhere inside the shrine), it was the shrine of the patron saint of chile María Teresa (i think..) It was nestled in this valley with all the mountains surrounding it. Very peaceful.

The beautiful vineyard with delicious wine: we tried, blanco, tinto y postre (dessert, it tasted like apricots mmm)

matrimonio chileno!

Hey, I have not updated this in so long!!! I feel so much has happened, the time is really flying by. I am finally actually getting into school. Just realized how much reading I was supposed to be doing...oops. First test in two weeks! Soooo in the time since my birthday...I went to a huge, beautiful chilean wedding. So gorgeous. It was the wedding of my mom's brother's son aka her nephew. Basically it was off the hook because his dad (my mom's bro) is the minister of health of CHILE that's right. I am famous. I put up an album on facebook of the wedding and then had to take it down bc people might have published the pictures!!! ahhh! Crazy dude, but dont worry i will show you some pics on here, just none of Jaime Mañalich, my important tío. There were around 400 guests, the ceremony was held in the court yard of a mansion out in the country. Let's just say wedding toasts about love sound a lot less corny in a romance language. After the ceremony there were waiters weaving through the crowd with cocktails and little finger foods and there were SUSHI tables!!!!! YUM. Chileans pronounce sushi like suchi and shopping=chopping. Made understanding their english a lot easier after I knew that.

Then we were ushered into the party area. Beautiful, you'll see. Pool with rose petals, fresh flowers everywhere. A four course meal for all the guests. Famous beatles band in chile? DJ, lots of dancing. It was hellza awkward for an hour or so because basically everyone over 16 brought a date and thus I was veeery awk for a while, flying third wheel style. But then it was ok. My dad is such a crazy dancer!!! He's so cool. Food all the time. Free bar all the time. Beautiful chileans being fun all the time. Great experience to have here.

I also went to Mendoza, Argentina for Easter weekend, or here known as Semana Santa. It is a small city in comparsion to Santiago, and Argentinian accents are ridiculous. Everyone immediately knew we were from Chile because of our accents!! yaaay. Um had a FAT steak with salad, mashed potatoes, bebida and postre for about ten bucks wtf! Found really cool jewelry and by found I mean bought. Couch surfed first day, hostel the next. But a lot of stuff was closed bc of semana santa so it was a bit fome (laaaaame). But the Argentinians we stayed with were super nice and funny, oh but some other gringa that was staying with them (there was also an italian girl) TOOK MY PANTS, so mad. And i also broke my phone of course.

Wrote 6 pages in spanish, sooo hard, but mostly because I was trying to sound smart and not like a 3 year old. hahaah. I was discussing the economic model of chile and the elitist politics, I know I am awesome.

Whenever I go out, usually there are Chileans so I speak in spanish I would say 75% of the time here. When it is just me, Steph and Melissa (my bffs here) we usually speak in english cuz its kind of dumb not to, but we have chilean friends that are super cute! Every Tuesday we go to this place with them that has cueca dancing (the official dance of chile) it is modeled after how chickens dance? I dont know. It's really hard, and both people wave hankerchiefs around and dance in a circle with hard dance steps haha. They are cute chilean hippies and play the acordion, guitar and maybe bass not sure? I also sometimes hang out with the "militares" as we call them bc its a group of boys that are from the military. Kind of freaky though because they studied (only for two weeks) at the Escuela de las Americas aka the US training for south american armies that commit lots of human rights abuses...They are kinda boring too. haha. But I get to practice my spanish!

I also went to Viña del mar and valparaíso. Awesome!! But that will be another post. Ahora las fotos!

The two gringas I hang out with most! But Melissa (on the left isn't exactly a gringa bc she is mexican and speaks fluent spanish..), then there is cutie Steph on the right of the picture. And yes we are taking tequila shots, that's right IM TWENTY ONE! hahahahha no longer inappropriate.
Our couch-surfing hosts in Mendoza. German y Diego. Crazies, as you can see!
But also sweethearts, as you can see!
Delcious dessert at the wedding.
Bride and groom. So cute.
So so cute.
My brother, Benja and padre, Claudio!
The groom's brother (grey vest) sang and was awesome.

And down below is the extravagant pool with petals and wedding cakie!