oh how i love you Carlito!

Woke up in time for breakfast and started the day off with cereal (finally!!!! no more toast and water). This was my first taste of milk since I left the states. My poor brittle bones missed it so. After breakfast and once everyone finally woke up we started to plan out our day. Like I mentioned earlier I was the only person who made any attempt to research what to do and see in Chile so everyone was counting on me to make all of the decisions and point us in the right direction. While normally i don't mind the responsibility it started to become a nuisance because everyone would constantly ask where are we going, how do we get there, what should we see now, should we go this way, blah blah blah. To avoid a mental blow up I told everyone in the group where I thought we should explore, I pointed to the destination on the map, told them how to get there and said i don't want to see that map for the rest of the day and this is the last decision that I am making. Erica out. (30 rock anyone)

As expected that was not the last time I saw the map that day. It was almost comical how bad a sense of direction my one friend had. If I was actually trying to accomplish something specific that day I would have been a little upset, but because we had all day to do whatever I just kinda laughed it off whenever we ended up going the wrong way or not finding what we were intending to find. We decided to spent almost the entire day in the main downtown area of Santiago. It was home to lots of museums, markets, plazas, fish restaurants, and this main attraction the Cerro Santa Lucia--its this tiny mountain in the middle of the city that gives you the second best view of Santiago. We weaved around the city streets for awhile just talking and admiring the city. We found the main plaza that had lots of cool artwork, CHESS (that was the one thing i wanted to see), vendors, a protest, and lastly some political voting station. It was very busy but relaxed at the same time. We decided to enter this church but then realized that they were actually holding mass so we left right away. Upon leaving I was bombarded with ladies trying to sell my rosaries. Como se dice "Jewish"? jaja yeah they were relentless so i just kept saying "soy Jewish! soy JEWISH!" After the plaza we hit up the main street full of interesting people selling interesting things. There was a man without legs just chillin the middle of the street, some gypsy kids trying to see flowers, the usual stuff I guess.

We decided to get a small snack and sample the Chilean version of the empanada. It is not a half moon shape like it is in BA, instead its squarish and only comes in one flavor: Pino. Empanada de Pino is basically carne but it comes with one half of an egg (ewww) and an green olive (with the pit. all the olives have the pits in them so now you have been officially warned). Besides the egg and olive it was very good, almost better than the everyday BA empanadas. After the snack we explored some more. We found this "mall" that contained only peluquerías. I have never seen so many hair salons that look EXACTLY the same in one place before. It honestly looked like a mall full of arcades and stores but once you look closer you realize they are all hair salons. The best part was this man came up to my friend Steven and asked him if he wanted a haircut. The man had this crazy hair that looked like a wig but I couldn't say for sure. It was also a mullet and the man was wearing very tight leather pants. He wins for most interesting so far in Chile. After the hair cut stop we found our way across the river and into the sketchy area of town. Suddenly something caught our attention. We followed it until we were within ten feet of it. it was, it was, it was CARLITO!!! Carlito is a llama :) Reese and Steven got some quality pictures with Carlito. he was awesome. He came with a handler and a body guard. The body guard was Paco the cross eyed, flea infested Husky. He would not let people get close to Carlito unless they paid. It was a funny scene. After we paparazzied (i made a new word. deal with it) Carlito we took a detour through the fish market. It was kind of cool seeing live lobsters, crabs, urchins, clams, mussels, and hermit crabs crawling or walking around. I thought I would be disgusted by all the fish starring at me but surprisingly I wasn't. I thought it was cool, my friend Mychal did not. He ran into a barrel and almost ended up with a crab to a face. Would have been hilarious.....

We made our way back to that main Plaza (i'm too lazy to get up and look at my map to tell you the actual name of these places but if you really care i did write it down). All of a sudden there was this protest charging through the square. All of my friends starting running in the other direction but i ran towards the protest. Like a moth to a light I was intrigued by the protest and wanted pictures. Reese was like, Americans always make the mistake of getting caught up in the protests and end up getting pick pocketed. I was willing to take the risk but sadly my friends were not so I had to walk away :( The last stop of the day was to Cerro Santa Lucia. It was pretty awesome. At first its this castle but once you get to the top it becomes this park with an awesome panoramic view of the city. The best part was when we got to the top there were these people role playing some fight sequence just like in Role Models (kiss-anthia anyone?) It was pretty entertaining. The view from the top was sick. We had a pretty clear day with minimal smog so we could see pretty far. I polled everyone at the end of the trip and it was a unanimous decision that this was the best thing of the trip. After the trek up the hill we had finally worked up an appetite so we decided to splurge and hit up the famous seafood restaurant for some authentic Chilean Sea Bass. The whole day Mychal was like "i can't wait for some CSB baby!" Well we got it. I decided to be a little more adventurous than I normally am and got my sea bass with a special sauce and "the fruit of the sea". I had no idea what that meant but I just assumed it was like berries of something citric. Boy was I wrong! jajaja FYI fruit of the sea means a medley of mussels, small bits of lobster, shrimp, and something else that i ate anyways. To be honest it wasn't bad and i ate everything but the shrimp. the best part was next to us was this tour group from Brazil. They splurged big time and ordered the 900,000 Pesos Crab. They brought out two gigantic crabs and put on a show for everyone as they crack it open and serve it. I know my mom wouldn't have enjoyed it since she enjoys doing the hard work of cracking the sucker open. I took the courtesy of snapping a picture, might as well.

After a long and exhausting day we decided to head back and take a little siesta. well, at least i took a siesta. Three of us metro-ed home while the other two decided to walk. I knew they were going to have issue finding their way back home but i didn't say anything. It took us 10 minutes to get home via metro. I attempted to nap but was unsuccessful b/c our other roommates were home and wanted to socialize. Gosh darnit can't a girl get a break from talking. Just Kidding...everyone knows how i love to talk. no but seriously it was probably for the better. I found out that Sam from London weeped like a baby when he saw Leona Lewis preform the song Footprints In The Sand live. He absolutely loves her. This is rpized info i would have missed if i was asleep. Finally, a good 45-60 minutes the two people that decided to walk came back. What happened you ask? They walked 45 minutes in the wrong direction when it suddenly hit them that they might be going in the wrong direction. The best part is we walked them to our metro station before we left AND we gave them the map. They ended up taking the metro home after all. Sigh, some people..... 

Once everyone was back we just hung out in the common room together. The most exciting event of the night was that I found out The Kooks were playing in Santiago that night. I really wanted to go but I heard that tickets were sold out so I was bummed. BUT then these two girls came into our room and asked if we had seen this girl Mary (from Holland) because they had bought tickets for the show and had one for her but they were leaving now and couldn't find her. After waiting a few minutes they decided to head out and asked if I wanted the ticket. Well at first i was gonna take it but then i overanalyzed the situation and decided that i didn't want to go to the concert with strangers, i looked and felt disgusting, i didn't want to desert my friends, and lastly i wasn't in the right mood (i discovered im pretty moody), so i turned it down. The best part was they offered the ticket to Reese and she jumped at it. She was like "see ya! I'll bring you back a tshirt." jaja nice. Well it was just her luck because as soon as they opened the door Mary showed up and claimed her ticket. The best part was that Reese started downing this wine because she was all excited about going to the concert, and then when she found out she got cut, she started downing the wine because she was depressed. jaja I'm not sure if this is an alcoholic tendency in the making, but we all just let it happen b/c she was pretty upset about missing the concert. 

 Maybe Its just me, but after spending the past 48 hours together and talking the whole time I just want to zone out for a little. Apparently nobody else in my group felt the same way. I think everyone thought I was in a bad mood, but really i was just not in the mood to converse. I NEED my alone time and I had yet to get it since we left for Santiago. This was the first flag i noticed during the trip that I'm destined to be a loner jaja that sounds awful but I'll explain this later. I was fine with talking with some of the hostel people because they were a change of scenery, but i just couldn't talk to the people i came with. I love them, but i was already sick of them. Finally after some time we decided to get a cheap dinner. The hostel pointed us in the right direction and we set off to find it. It was a little farther than we expected and we ended up not finding the cheap restaurant but got roped into going to this other place by this waiter guy. The food was good but our estimated budget for the trip was not gonna cut it. Also the waiter took forever so our estimated one hour meals took three. uggh At the end of the meal I was ready to get back ASAP and just relax. Well Reese was sloshed so she was moving slower than a turtle. I was cold, tired, and i knew how to get home, so i just took off. I ended up running into Kelvin on the street and we got to talking and decided to set up beer pong at the hostel since he traveled throughout the USA and never played it. I wasn't really gonna play but he didn't have to know that.

So finally got home and ended up just hanging out at the hostel since we missed the group of people going salsa dancing, curses! I actually can't remember what i did that night but that's not because I was sloshed! its prob bc i didn't have my trusty journal with me to take notes on the day. I'm such a nerd. 

I want a shirt that says "its chilli in Chile"

This past weekend I had the awesome experience of traveling to Santiago, Chile. Since it was a national holiday on Monday, me and four other ISA friends decided to make it a four day weekend and hit up CHILE. Best decision of the BA trip. I absolutely loved it. We left Thursday after class. Our trip began with a 15 hour bus ride to Mendoza via semi-com Omnibus. This included one of those chairs/beds that goes almost horizontal so you can sleep. The trip started off a bit slow and we were actually a hour and half late arriving in Mendoza, but at least we didn't miss our connection. That would have been a disaster. I knew I was gonna enjoy the ride when the bus attendant handed us Bingo Cards jaja. We were five out of maybe 10 people actually participating and we still didn't win. Curses. The winner got a full bottle of wine so we were a little bitter about the loss. Next, the bus played What Happens in Vegas (Ashton Kutcher film) which I had not seen before and gave us dinner and wine. The meal was okay but the wine was awful. I had to eat a bread stick in between each sip in order to get it down but i was determined to finish my cup. I would have enjoyed the entire trip better if i wasn't sick and blowing my nose every 10 minutes. Normally i enjoy bus rides/car rides but the headache, runny noise, and clogged throat made it difficult to be comfortable. Eventually i fell asleep and got a decent amount of shut eye. The stars and the moon were so bright in the country side. I sometimes forget how awesome the sky looks at night since I'm always in a city. 

Like I mentioned earlier, we made it to Mendoza a little late but at least we made it. The second bus was more enjoyable for me because it was a twisty trip through and around the Andes Mountains and past the border. I cranked up the iPod and started snapping photos of the Andes. Just like when I was in Italy and became obsessed with the Alps, I had the same thing happen with the Andes. They were simply amazing. I just look up at each massive mountain and think about how insignificant I am compared to it. Profound, i know, but nature brings it out of me. This bus played another Ashton Kutcher movie, My Boss' Daughter (awful!!), but I didn't really pay attention to it. What is it about Ashton?!?!? I enjoyed the ride through the mountains because it often felt like a roller coaster. You know how you are suppose to coast around sharp corners or slow down because you might tip over, yeah this bus driver did the opposite. I swear the driver was accelerating around the turns. I found it entertaining while others found it terrifying. Tomato, tomahto. Crossing the border into Chile was an interesting experience. First off we had to tip the guy for searching our bags. Huh??!?! Its like paying the guy that tells you your getting audited. Awfully silly if you ask me. Next we had to take all of our belonging off the bus with us and get our passports and papers inspected. I wasn't that worried except for the fact that the inspector man kept sneezing on my passport. I mean gross. I was already sick, I didn't need el gripe thank you very much. After that line we were herded into a smaller room and lined up as a man collected another paper from us and gave us the evil eye. I felt like I was an illegal immigrant (again) and that at any moment someone was gonna point to me and take me to the back room, never to return again. Lucky for me that didn't happen and i was clear to cross the border. I highly recommend everyone attempt to cross the border of a country by bus, it makes for an interesting experience. 

Eventually we made it to Santiago. Upon arrival into the city we were all looking out the windows and were a little disappointed with what we saw. The joke of the trip was trying to find Santiago, we couldn't see it. Once off the bus everyone just starred at me and was like, now what? As if I have all the answers.... well first we tried to find an ATM because none of us had Chilean pesos so we couldn't afford a taxi or metro ride even if we knew where to go. Well none of the ATM's were working for anyone's card so one guy Drew exchanged money at a counter in the bus station so we had SOME money. Next i looked up the address of the Hostel because I was the only one that wrote it down. Actually i was the only one to do ANY research on CHile before arriving. Honestly they were damn lucky that i am responsible and a well seasoned traveler for they could have be stranded without any directions. Basically i was the life-saver of the trip. Not even gonna act surprised...anywho, by memory i figured out approximately where we should aim for and hit the metro. It was pretty crowded but it had more space than the BA subte. The only difference with this metro was that each stop and start was accompanied by abrupt jerks so even the most skilled balancers, like myself, fell over each time unless you were holding onto a bar. At least i didn't run into anyone. 

A few things to note about Santiago: one PDA is EVERYWHERE. I was in the city for what, like 20 minutes, and already i saw at least four different couples just going at it in the metro and on the street. Grossss. Second, the currency is $1 = 575 Chilean Pesos, so everything looked extremely expensive at first. We were all shocked when our metro ride cost 460 pesos. In BA the metro cost $1.10 Argentine pesos. I can finally say i was a millionaire....in Chilean pesos that is. Lastly, in Chile they speak "normal" spanish, not castellano so when my friend Mychal called the Hostel for directions he was saying "ca-shay triana" instead of "ca-yeah triana". its hard to type out the pronunciation differences, but they are significant. So it was a little difficult for us to transition back to Normal Spanish, or as my friend Justine calls it "mexican spanish". Eventually we got the correct metro stop to get off at from the receptionist and then i found our street on the metro map so we knew where to go. 

We walked around in front of the building for a little while looking for some kind of marquee, but finally a man started waiving at us and shouted "Americans!!" so naturally we followed him. jaja its funny how easy it is to call us out. Once we got there we checked it, dropped off our bags, found an ATM and figured out how to get money out. The receptionist Monica was very sweet and incredibly helpful. She provided us with a map, information on where to go each night and day, and answered all of our questions. After getting our money we checked out our room and freshened up. This was my first experience with a Hostel so I had absolutely no idea what to expect. Elizabeth had told me a little about them before i left. The main thing i took from her stories was that hostels are awesome....and now I know why. We all wanted to be together so we signed up for a $10 US a night 8 person co-ed room. The room came equipped with four sets of bunk beds. Ooop here comes the Camp Chateaugay flashbacks!! I claimed a bottom bunk. I was just thankful I didn't have the bottom bed right in front of the door. Reese (another ISA companion) pointed out that when people come home drunk they're most likely to hop into the first bed they find and you don't want it to be your bed, or do you????!!!!? jaja. Good point, situation avoided!

The Chilli Hostel Santiago was an adorable hostel. It came with a respectable bathroom for each sex, free access to a communal computer, outdoor and indoor sitting areas, bbq and kitchen, lounge area, free breakfast, and a crucial location. Muy Precioso!!! We decided to pay the 400 pesos and eat the all you can eat bbq dinner that the Hostel provided on Friday nights. At first we were the only names on the list so we were a little worried that we would be the only people at dinner. Not to worry, for the majority of the Hostel attended the all you can eat and drink dinner. It was a FABULOUS dinner of choripan, vino, steak, vino, SALAD :D, vino, vegetables, vino, pasta, and did I mention vino? ;) It was heavenly and the Chilean 300 peso wine (very cheap!!!) was muy delicioso. Now I don't consider myself a red wine drinker at all, but that was all they had so i sucked it up and i ended up really enjoying it. That night I met so many amazing people it was almost a little overwhelming. I met this incredibly sweet girl from Holland named Mary. She was traveling for the year and had just came back from BA. She was very helpful and gave me some great suggestions on things to do in Chile. I also met Sam from London and Kelvin from Scotland. They had met each other along the road and decided to travel together for a little. They were hysterical and had some hilarious stories. They also introduced me to a new card game that I hope to teach my yanki (pronounced sh-ang-key) friends :) I met Barry from Dublin--he was so well educated and well spoken i felt kind of dumb talking to him but he was very sweet and lastly I was introduced to Laura form Ohio who was doing the exact same program I am doing in Spain but in Chile. That was great because I asked her all kinds of questions about the program and experience and we exchanged emails so that we can keep in touch. She told me that she got rid of her Book of Face because she didn't want her students to find her on it. Makes sense... Yeah so it was an amazing night and a great start to the trip. We had intended on going out but we ended up having to much fun at the hostel playing cards and taking that we all decided to just stay in.

I guess I was just excited to finally sleep in and not have to set an alarm clock. Our goal for the morning was to wake up in time for breakfast (11am). I knew that wouldn't be a problem for me. Night one in Chile and I already considered the trip a success. I'm kinda easy to please.