i haven't updated this one as much as the other simply because I can't figure out how to post pictures anymore, but today i am having a terrible day and can't write about it on there cause i don't want to worry the padres. nothing is actually wrong. i am just sick and feel so tired and can't breathe the air here really well. the combination of pollution/smog, smoke and talking so much with so many new people has really killed my throat. not to mention the air in general is thick and hard to breathe. so that has been really annoying and I am ready to leave the city.

also, it is cold, obviously i dont like this. i hate having to time my showers so the cold water isn't too cold cause it's also freezing outside and im not a fan of shivering all the time. thank god for my down sleeping bag. so today was just one of those days where i was uncomfortable and cold and tired and so i wanted to be home and didn't want to deal with the little hassles of learning my way around here. it will get better, just today wasn't so great. at least i go to the warmer city of arica on sat! bright and early-leaving at 6:30am.

but the important part i should update about, which i will add pics to in the other one eventually, is that i went to visit vivi and guido (my old host parents) yesterday. i got out of my orientation early at 4 and metro-ed to the bus station and then took a 2 hour bus to their house. i was really proud that i remembered how to get to their home from the bus station, especially since so much has changed there since i last lived there. it is even prettier than before because when i was there there had just been an earthquake so everything was a bit messy, but now it is all new and reconstructed and was absolutely beautiful.

so i went to their house and had dinner with vivi and their new host kid, then she and i hung out. i had planned on leaving that night around 10, arriving to santiago at 12, but she said i couldn't go so late to the city, so i should spend the night and take a morning bus. so then guido came home and we all talked and he looked at his new camera i brought him and they showed me pictures and then we went to bed. so then i got up at 5 and guido walked me to the bus stop and i got back around 7:45, took the metro to the hostel, changed my clothes, and walked to orientation. it was a very long day to say the least. not only cause i got up so early, but also i didn't sleep at all because their house was so so so cold.

it was really nice to see them and strangely normal and familiar. i will see them again in december before bill comes and then again when we visit for the new year so that is nice that i will see them so much

so tomorrow is the last day of orientation and tonight is our last night all of us together (all 80!) so people want to go out and as much as i want to join in, i think my body would actually implode if i did. so instead i think i will go to bed now. start fresh and again tomorrow.

hope you are enjoying your warm beds and the sticky weather.

sick love from chile

I'm alive. I'm tired. I'm happy.

I was very energized to write this entry earlier, but I am losing steam as the day progresses.

I left Cbus yesterday at 1pm after some tearful goodbyes, flew to Dallas, had an 8 hour layover and departed at 9:25pm to Santiago. The wait was surprisingly ok, but the flight was a little rough, only because it was especially cramped and cold, but I got some sleep and before I knew it, it was 8 am and I was landing.

The view from the plane as you are heading south along the Chilean coast before you turn east to head to Santiago is beautiful.

The sun was rising over the Andes, the water on the coast was crashing, the fog highlighted the peaks and lakes, it was beautiful.

After 2 hours in immigration and customs, I finally made it through and without a hangup found my transportation company and joined a car with another volunteer, Katie. We talked a bit on the short drive over and then moved all our junk up four flights of stairs to our room, which we share with one other volunteer, Marissa.

Our hostel is nice, pretty basic. The other volunteers all seem nice so far. A group of us hung out at the hostel for a bit this afternoon and then walked around to whatever that smaller hill in the middle of the city is. --Chels we went there before with the castle, garden and Neptune fountain on top. It was smoggy but you could kinda see the mountains which was nice. Then we kept walking, saw a cathedral, the plaza de armas, a kid's park that was interesting and walked on back to the hostel. It was a nice day, not bad weather at all, but now it is starting to get cold. So now I am killing time until dinner at 7:30--looks like some sort of spagetti with potatoes an/or eggs. we shall see.

This day has been such a blur, I don't think it has hit me yet, it feels strangely comfortable and spanish, although I haven't used a ton yet, hasn't been a struggle. So I guess we are off to a good start, I have orientation tomorrow 9-6.  Hopefully I will get to bed tonight early, but off to meet other volunteers now.

Love from Chile,

Cali

ps...does anyone know why I can't post photos anymore?

turns out packing 6 months worth of stuff in 40lbs is kinda difficult.

i am currently in "i want to get this packing and goodbyes over with and just be there" mood. i am slightly stressed because packing is ending up being harder than i expected and I just found out (thank goodness in time) that my flights for tomorrow have been changed. Thanks American Airlines for notifying me-insert angry sarcastic cali-. so that means less time with family and more time alone in an airport..a little less than thrilled about this.

but I think what this all boils down to is that I am very anxious/sad about actually leaving. I know I have done this before, but it's different now-cough cough bill exists- and also I am more mature and actually get along with/miss my family. so I'm just going through the usual "what am I doing" phase, which I'm sure will pass as soon as I land Sunday.

I am still excited, don't get me wrong. I dont want to come across as a whiny brat...poor me I have awesome opportunities to go amazing places but all I can do is complain about missing people. I'm just in a mood I guess, and mostly I just want to get the sad goodbyes over with.

anyways, I just needed to get that out cause I was turning into a little ball of emotions. talk to you on the other side!...or maybe from dallas.

here we go again.


It almost feels like I just stopped writing the novels in this blog, but here I am, three years later, ready to document my travels in Chile once again. I think I am still a bit in disbelief that this is actually happening. All year it felt like I had so much time and so much to do before it was time to leave, but here I am two weeks before I depart and I think anxious is the word I am looking for. I am anxious to see what happens, but excited to give it my all.


I found out this afternoon that I will be living in the XV Arica-Parinacota region (http://www.aricaparinacota.travel/eng/01infogen_tips.htm). It is the most northern region and I am extremely excited because this is the region that I wanted to live in the most--mostly because it is supposed to have wonderful weather (mid 60s-80s all year!) and we all know I need me some warm weather :)

Possibly my new home town!

Receiving my placement also made this adventure seem more real and exciting, but overwhelming that it is coming up so soon. I have a lot to do to get ready, between packing, trying to learn something/anything about teaching English, practicing spanish, and spending time with my peeps (shout out to my mama) I feel like the days are slipping away quickly.  

So that's enough blabbing, time to do some of the many things I just mentioned. Thank you for taking time to read my blog and I hope that I have some good moments to share with you in the future.


ps. i promise to try to keep it shorter than last time, but...let's be real. 

its the morning of the day i leave chile. WHAT.
i have now been up for more than a day. and will not sleep again til tonight at 8
we spent the night partying, it was the most random night ive ever had.
then we saw the sunrise on the beach. and what happened? well there was a rainbow from the ocean....of course there was. thank you chile, how i will miss you.

more to come later.
for now, prepare for more waterworks.


"it's all here for you, as long as you don't fly away"

for one last time, peace and love from chile <3

sooooooo its hump day of my last week here....

also i think i start the majority of my posts with so or ok. i need to mix things up every once and a while.

anyways, i just thought i would fill in the last few days while i had this break tonight. monday was a good day, me and kathleen walked to sams house to go to the mall to buy our harry potter premier tickets. on the way we decided to stop into little shops that looked nice and bought chocolate and some ice cream, it was a beautiful sunny day and we just walked all around vina. then we went to the mall and got our tickets :) and then we met betsy at the plaza and got on the metro to go to limache. we just rode it there and stayed on and came back, but it was a pretty ride, u got to see some of the country, but it was also sad cause u could see the poverty and it was just so weird to see how much poverty there was right there so close to me that i never even realized. then on the way back we got interrupted and bitched out by some lady, she was mad that we had our feet resting on the seats of the metro. and let me clarify that 1, it was seriously the tips of our shoes on the seats and 2, it was on teh plastic part not even the cushion part...anyways in english she yelled at us in front of everyone being like "take your feet off there, i dont like gettting shit on my clothes, get it? got it? good." although her english wasnt that fluent... and she said something else and we just said YEP and looked away. then she had the nerve to tell everyone around her in spanish what she said to us and that we were stupid gringas and blah blah, and i just turned to her and told her i could understand her thank you and she just acted like she didnt hear. so we were all really upset that she was so rude, but she got it in the end cause she couldnt find her card to get out of the metro and last i saw she was stuck behind the barrier haa.

anyways so then after that we went home for a little bit and then we went to kathleens house. we got all dressed up for a "girls night" haha and made cookies at her house. they were delicious. and then we all went to the sheraton bar to have a nice night out. we were gonna go to the casino, but it was already one by the time we were leaving the sheraton so we just decided to go home haha. a little fome (lame) but whatever.

then tuesday we went to a goodbye lunch for nick at cafe journal. it was really nice it was nick paul ashley kathleen betsy sam and i. it was a good lunch and sad to say goodbye again. then i went to the ciee office to get my still broken camera and ended up talking to glenn and gloria (people who work at ciee) for like 2 hours... then i went to valpo to coyote with my friend carla. we just had a margarita and talked, it was great, i love talking to her cause she is just a really nice person and we really get along and also cause it makes me feel like i really can talk in spanish cause we just have normal girl hanging out conversations but all in spanish. and then at the end we took the sacrificio mayo hah which is a flaming tequila and something else shot...i was very scared. but actually it was really sweet and i liked it. hah so then we left and i went to sams house b4 the harry potter premier! hah only i was kinda drunk by the time i got there ahah so i tried to sober up so i would be able to understand spanish hp. anyways then kathleen came over too, they drank some wine and we ate and then we went to the theater.

its not as fun here cause u have assigned seats in the theater. so there is no need to get there way early and get all pumped up in the theater with everyone. although i did see one theater where it seemed like people were doing that, so maybe it was just hte one i was at. but anyways, we went there and got this HUGE thing called pophome, which is the biggest popcorn ever. also its the best cause they have like caramel corn and regular popcorn. it was delicious. anyways, then we realized that i had lost the tickets somehow...great. so i panicked and was freaking out and feeling horrible, but the people were so nice, we told them and they just made us wait til the end to make sure our seats lined up with the ones we said were ours. so we got in . andddd the movie was incredible....even tho we were in teh first row haha. but i thought it was so great. i really enjoyed it.

so then today i walked to valpo with sam betsy ashley and kathleen and we just took pics, saw the graffitti and the sea lions and then went to an artisan fair to get last minute gifts. i also had one last churro and really good fresh juice. it was another great day, lots and lots of sol. and now i am just wasting time until i go over to camillas house (maggies old host house) to have a goodbye dinner with them...thats gonna be weird, i really love her family they are so so nice and i feel so special and like i really live here cause im just going to have dinner with my neighbors, just some random chilean fam. hah

so i guess thats all for now, im trying to stay busy and appreciate it all, but at the same time i honestly just want to be home. i feel bad for saying that cause i need to appreciate this, but im glad the time has come. ok time to go.


"i'm sane but im overwhelmed. i'm here but i'm really gone. i'm lost but im hopeful baby."

peace and love from chile

sooooo i have alot to update on and i havent quite been able to find the motivation to do so even tho its all great stuff. but im coming to the realization that my time is ending and so i need to make sure i remember the last few good days.

so the thurs i left before going to san pedro i went to stay in hostel bellavista with vanessa elizabeth maggie and kathleen. we drank wine, make tacos and REALLY burnt brownies, exchanged pics and music and just talked most of the night. it was a really great way to spend our last night all of us together. the place was so beautiful and we had it to ourselves and i just loved spending time with them. then the next day we walked around valpo a bit looking at the open air graffitti museum again and then went to a feria of jewelry. then i chilled at home a bit. it was really fun cause my bro was getting all dressed up for some presentation and my cousin was over and we had a really great conversation ( i have a little crush on him so it was extra great hah) and then maggie came over, but she was balling and just really upset about leaving and saying bye but then eventually calmed down and we just hung out and then went to vanessa's. on the way there we saw terra and had a good talk for a bit and then we said bye and terra cried and it was sad, she is such a great genuine girl. and then we hung out just a little bitat vane's and then maggie left, it was really sad and i cried alot hah.

then vane and i went to the bus terminal to meet kathleen and eli to go to the airport to go to san pedro! so we spent that night in the airport and then caught a flight at 6 to san pedro, we got in at 9 and then got settled into our hostel and went to figure out what we were going to do. then we had lunch and went on our first tour to valle de la luna y valle de la muerte (moon and death valley) . we saw valle de la luna first and then went to some caves that were really cool and then went to the sand dunes to watch the sunset over valle de la muerte, it was so beautiful. the colors were great.

then that night we went out to dinner with anna and roxanne to some outdoors place, it was good, but soooo cold. then we went out to SPACE the observatory out at some french astronomers house in the desert. it was really fun, the sky was soooooo beautiful. i think im kinda biased cause, i might be crazy, but i feel so different when i look at the stars, like things make sense and im always where im supposed to be and if not, im at least still close to others cause we have the same sky. the guy was sooo funny and i loved hearing him talk in spanish cause it gave me hope for my own spanish. and i learned alot (for example did u know that all the light we see from stars is actually year old light, thats how far away they are. and the closest one is 4.4 years old light. insane.) and then we had great hot choc and went home to the hostel and passed out in literally all the clothes and sweatshirts i had. (17 layers in total)

then the next day we went on an all day tour from 8-5 of the salt flats, which were sooo amazing. they (well all the sights really) are surrounded by over 15 volcanoes, its soooo cool. and the salt flats arent flat at all, everywhere u look its just all salt rock chunks as far as u can see to the mountains and volcanoes surrounding you, witht the exception of laguna chaxa. where the flamengos live! we saw 3 types of flamengos and a type of bird that lives only there. then we went to 2 other lakes, miscanti and some other m one and they were soo pretty, the blue was insane and they were surrounded by mountains. then we had lunch and saw the inca trail, that the incans used to come into chile when they were taking over basically, its sweet and the path is marked by rock formation. then went to a small town by san pedro and saw llamas and looked around. then that night we went out to dinner, but before we met this potter named fernando who was clearly flying high and we played his clay and gourd instruments and danced and learned about him and it was soo fun. then we went to eat and went to bed early.

then the next day we went to the museum of archeology (i cant spell that) and artisan shopping. then we went on a tour of laguna cejas. this was the best one. we floated in a salt water lake, it was soooooo awesome. it was cold on the top layer but under it was so warm. and u didnt have to kick or anything, if u just pretended u were standing up, u would just bob there, it was sooooo strange. one of the coolest things ive ever done. and then we went to another ugly lake and then to a reflective pool that was sooo clear and like a mirror. and then we went to one last lake that is very shallow so u kind of look like u are walking on water. and then we watched the sunset there and it was soo great, we were surrounded by the water, volcanoes, desert and mountains and the moon was out too, it was soooo gorgeous. so then we made some pasta for dinner and slept early

the next day we got up at 330 to leave by 4 am to go see the geisers for the sunrise. it was so so so cold and the bus ride was equally not warm. we got there and saw 64 steaming geisers and it was pretty, but honestly not as great and moving as i was thinking it would be, partly cause it was so cold. also cause kathleen got altitude sickness and we had to make sure she was ok, it was scary, she was sooo pale and about to pass out and couldnt hear us sometimes, we had to lay her down, raise her legs, warm her up, put pressure on her head and give her oxygen. and then our tour guide and a doctor got into a weird fight about what was best for her and the guide almost left us there....stupid boy. well she eventually got better and just rested in the bus while we had bfast. then we went to the hot springs which only eli swan in. i wanted to but it was soooo cold there was no way i was gonna change into a bathing suit. so we did that and then we went to a smallllll town and had sopapaillas and empanadas and i think the other girls tried llama. then that night eli and vane left and it was just kathleen and i. we went to eat with nick conner and paul and had a fun night. then the next day we went to ride horses to "la garganta del diablo" devils throat...but turns out im terrified of horses... we got two really pissy horses who did not want to take us out and a tour guide who didnt know what she was doing. kathleens horse was crazy and wanted to be the leader and so it kept running to catch up to other horses that werent in our group and were in front of us and mine was trained to just follow him, so we just kept taking off, neither kathleen or i knowing anything about horses or what to do. it was really scary to me, id never been on a running horse and they would NOT listen when we did what we were supposed to to stop them. and our guide was always so far behind, well after awhile of that we just asked to turn around cause it was not fun at all, we were both terrified of falling off or our horses just getting more mad. so then we walked back to the town, meanwhile they got all calm all of a sudden cause they knew they were going home and so we took a small tour of the town with them, that actually turned out to be really fun. and then that night we walked around the town to see the great stars and turned out there was a blackout in the town. hah it was so fun, at first i didnt even notice and kathleen did and just grabbed me and hugged me haha, but then we took advantage and really got some good views of the sky. then we went out with paul nick and conner again and some brazilian girls. (we also found out that the really cool brazilian couple we met got engaged! they were sooo cute and happy to tell us).

then the last day we were there we rented bikes and rode all around, that was so fun. we went to some old ruins and then we found a cave so we climbed in it and up and ate lunch there where we could see all around to diff valleys. then we crossed some rivers with our bikes which was interesting, mostly cause im too short haha. and then we went to some dried up salt river by garganta del diablo and valle de la muerte. it was soooooooooo amazing. it was absolutely silent there, you could only hear the rocks cracking. and everywhere u looked were diff types of mountains or volcanoes or desert or rocks, it was just amazing. so then we hung around there and then went back to the hostel, showered, hung out, shopped and then we made dinner and met some really nice kids from scotland, we ate with them and had good conversation. o i forgot to mention that the last night we had 2 british boys be our roomates, but we went to bed b4 meeting them and b4 they got back and we didnt know what to do about the light, so we left them a note saying they could turn it on even if we were asleep, adn when we woke up they left us a note saying "cheers for the note, we tried our best not to disturb you, see you in the morning <3 alex and simon" hah and it was so cute, we were happy they didnt think we were creeps for leaving the message, but ironically after we never really met, we talked a bit later in the day, but thats all.

anyways so then that night we took a bus to calama...the ugliest city in chile and then flew to santiago at 11 and then we had to spend the night at the airport again and then caught the first bus out at 640 to vina. we got home and i passsssed out haha. then i went and said bye to eli, it was sad, she cried alot. and then i went home for a bit and then way later in the day (meaning 1230 at ngiht actually) i went out for italos birthday/vane's last night. we went to a bar close and just hung out with some of italos friends and then danced, but i left way early (like 230 ha). so then sat i went to say bye to vanessa, it wasnt as hard as i thought it would be, i think its just all becoming to unreal, so i dont feel much anymore. then kathleen and i went to meet al and virginia to get empanadas. we talked all about our favorite and worse moments and things like that here, then we went to the beach, then kathleen and i stayed and shopped and watched the sunset. then we met al and quentin at the movies to see transformers. then we just walked home and i stayed in.

then today i went to the thift and antique fair with kathleen and ashley adn we saw the most amazing sunset...then we were gonna go plant trees in a park but the girl never called us back...so instead we went to sams house and then we went to cuenavaca for some mexican food and then bravvismo for ice cream and made our plans for the next week, haha we will be so busy. i just cant believe i can put all the days i have left here on one page and i have to pick and choose now what i do. o how timhe flies. alright so here is potentially what ill be up to all week:

Mon Jul 13
		11am – 12pm	BUY HP TIX
		1pm – 4pm	Limache, Graffiti
		9pm – 10:30pm	Sheraton Bar
		10:30pm – 12am	Casino
Tue Jul 14			START PACKING
		11:30am – 12:30pm	POETAS PAPER DUE
		12:30pm – 3:30pm	Boat tour -- Valpo bay
		7pm – 8pm	Cal -- Dinner with intercambio girl
		8pm – 9:30pm	Sushi
		8:30pm – 12am	SALSA
		10:30pm – 12am	karina + roderigo
Wed Jul 15		11:30am – 12:30pm	WALK TO VALPO
		12:30pm – 2pm	naval museum
		2pm – 2:30pm	subida cerro alegre
		2:30pm – 4:30pm	shopping -- pedro montt
		7pm – 12am	HARRY POTTER
Thu Jul 16		1pm – 2:30pm	Quinta Vergara
		1pm – 3pm	marco
		2:30pm – 4pm	Museo Fonck
		4pm – 6:30pm	calle valpo + TRENZA
		5:30pm – 7pm	alberto
		8:30pm – 9:30pm	cesar -- sam
		9pm – 12am	HUEVO
		9:30pm – 12am	soccer boys

Fri Jul 17		2:30pm – 3:30pm	bikini wax
		3:30pm – 4:30pm	pedicure w/ ash
		6pm – 8pm	sam -- dinner w/ sarah
		7pm – 9:30pm	dinner with host fam
		9:30pm – 10:30pm	juglar
		10:30pm – 11:30pm	coyote
		11:30pm – 4am	mystery?? maybe journal???
Sat Jul 18		11:30pm – 4am	mystery?? maybe journal???
		5:30am – 7am	SUNRISE
		3:30pm – 4:30pm	leave for stgo
		8pm – 9pm	flight leaves 9pm – 12am flying to USA