Cumple doble en Peru

Oh heyyyy there, guess who just back from 2 weeks in Peru and is ready to tell you alllll about it?  Sit tight, this could be a long one.  Let´s just say our "cumpleaños doble" in Peru was a huge success (with a few minor hiccups along the way).  What hiccups?  Well, for starters my camera got stolen...at Machu Picchu...on the LAST day of our trek...before I uploaded a single pic on my camera.  Boo.  Luckily, I´ve scrapped together a few pictures and we didn´t let that ruin our experience in Peru.  

Ok, now let´s rewind back to the beginning of the trip.  We set sail (so to speak) on Saturday, October 13th in the wee hours of the morning.  We took a bus from Iquique to Arica, a taxi from Arica to Tacna and another bus from Tacna to Arequipa.  Simple, right?  Should have been but sadly, it was not.  When we got to Arica, a man working at a (reputable) bus company offered us a ticket to Arequipa for 18,000 pesos (about 40 bucks give or take) which seemed pretty legit considering we´d done no research into the prices.  We figured we skip the step of going to Tacna, finding a bus etc etc.  Turns out, the guy just taxied us over the border, walked to the ticket booth with us and bought us a 5,000-peso ticket to Arequipa.  Since the taxi ride across the bored is usually about 3-4,000 pesos, we basically paid $20 each to get our hand held to the ticket counter of a crappy bus company.  We ended up not even using the tickets because we weren´t familiar with the brand and really wanted something we knew was reliable/safe.  Ooops, rookie mistakes that someone who has been in South America for NINE months really shouldn´t be making...but C'est la vie.  

Finally, 6ish hours after we boarded a nice, SAFE (you're welcome mom and dad) bus, we arrived in Arequipa.  We were given a hostel recommendation from a friend and we really loved where we stayed.  We spent Jeff´s birthday doing a mountain biking tour of the Arequipeañan countryside (of which, no photos remain), exploring downtown and noming on all kinds of good (and super cheap) food.  For dinner we had some Peruvian delicacies.  Jeff tried llama (I, of course, refrained) and I had some delicious ceviche.  That night we had a few beers with some new friends at the hostel and the next morning we checked out of our hostel and did some river rafting.  

Later that night, we set off  to Cusco which was about nine hours by bus.  We arrived at 6:30 am which wasn't exactly ideal since we couldn't check into our hostel until 1:00 pm...but we made the best of it.  We wandered around the Plaza de Armas and the local market, ate a delicious breakfast and drank some coca tea while we waited to take a hot shower and a quick power nap and head out again.  Our few days in Cusco were great, complete with horse-back riding, rock-climbing and some lovely little strolls around the city.  After four days, we set off on our trek to Machu Picchu, the best part of our trip.

 

Day one of the trip, included a fairly-long ride in a van after meeting up with the rest of our group (13 in total).  I got pretty car sick while we were heading up a long and windy road into the mountains but was fine as soon as we got out and got some fresh air.  We did a four-hour bike ride (all downhill) through some gorgeous landscapes and then grabbed some lunch at a local restaurant.  Some of the group went to go river rafting but we sat it out since we had already gone once on the trip and wanted to save a little bit of cash.  As a group, we decided to mix up the regular plan of the trip and stay at a residencial family house in the mountains instead of the hostel in Santa Maria. Those of us who opted to the skip the rafting, hiked up to the house after lunch and the others came after their rafting trip.  The house was called La Casa del Mono (and yes, they had a pet monkey) and it was kind of a make-shift hostel/organic farm/educational station where they show the process of making chocolate and coffee.  There was an AMAZING view and it cut a few hours off our hiking for the next day.  

Day two was still a hike-all-day kinda day.  We had a few little stops along the way, including a dip in a river and crossing the rapids in a "cable car" (aka a 2x4' scrap of metal attached to a cable that goes over a river...eeek).  Our day ended in a trip to the hot springs in Santa Teresa (fabulous), dinner in the town afterwards and crashing out in our hostel to get up bring and early the next morning for zip-lining!  

Zip-lining was great and our hike (walk really) on day three was absolutely beautiful.  We walked about three hours to Aguas Callientes where we had our own room in the hostel and a hot shower for the first time in three days (yesss!)  

Day four was (of course) the most amazing view of all, Machu Picchu!  We got up at 4 am, hiked up (and I mean straight up) for a little less than an hour over about 2,000 stairs (not exaggerating) and finally we were there.  The ruins were covered with fog and it was an awesome (although partially obscured) view.  Eventually the fog burned off and we were able to explore MP with our trusty guide, Yawer who was really great the whole trip.  Unfortunately that is where my camera got snagged but we tried to make the best of things and thoroughly enjoy one of the Seven Wonders of The Modern World.  After we returned to Aguas Callientes, we grabbed some pizza and beers with a few friends and hopped on a train back to Cusco.

Day One

 

Day Two

 

 Day Three

Day Four!

Back in Cusco, we wrapped up the trip by buying a few souvenirs and grabbing some drinks with the friends from our trek before starting our long series of bus rides back to Iquique.  Thanks for such a great time Peru, it won't soon be forgotten. 

Feliz Cumpleaños a Mi Querido Chile

Cumpleaños feliz
Te deseamos a ti
Feliz cumpleaños Chile
Que los cumplas feliz

 Just ten days after Chile's celebration of 202 years of independence, I celebrated my monthaversary with Chile once again.  I'm up to eight now and my passport now has six Chile stamps for the cops at the border-crossing in Peru to eyeball suspiciously (much like they did last night).  I'm just a tourist, I swear!  

For el dieciocho (Independence day), Jeff and I had three days of vacation from work so we decided to chill in Iquique for the weekend and hit up a few asados with friends.  Then on Monday, we headed up north to Arica in hopes of visiting Lauca National Park  and popping into Bolivia to do a little visa renewing.  Unfortunately the tours were closed for the holiday.  I couldn't bring myself to go to Tacna yet again so we stayed in Arica and tried to make the best of it by exploring some different areas, vising the Fondas and day drinking on the beach (pictured below).

This weekend we returned to Arica with the same intentions but once again plans fell through.  We ended up crossing back into Tacna, Peru for a few hours and then going to Arica for the night.  We decided to forfeit the other half of our flight and took a bus down this morning.  Overall it was pretty disappointing considering the money we spent on the both trips and the fact that we still haven't seen Lake Chungara or anything else in Lauca.  We're thinking about hitting it on our way down from Machu Picchu at the end of October (which by the way is this month...can you believe it?!) if we can swing it.  

On the home-front not much has changed.  I'm still really liking my job although I'm getting considerably fewer hours which is a little worrisome financially.  Our lease is up on the 13th of this month and after that our living plans are still a little up in the air.  We're planning to store our luggage at a friend's house while we're on our trip and move into a new apartment on November 1st.  We have a place in mind but we still have to check it out and figure out the details with our friend who is the owner.  Meanwhile, I'm going a little stir-crazy in Iquique and have recently been thinking about moving back to Santiago.  As I've mentioned before though (and as Jeff loves to remind me) I change my mind and thus my plans a lot so don't hold me two it.  For now, I'm here in Iquique and trying to focus on the short-term plans: get the apartment cleaned up and moved out, find a new place to live and have the most amazing trip/birthday ever. Beyond that, vamos a ver.  Happy October everybody!     

Los Días Pasan Volando

A big hello to all of you good people who keep up with my little blogski here (I know, it's really difficult since I update soooooo often...)  Here I am again; now with seven months of life in Chile under my belt (can you believe it??).  The last month has seen a few exciting events although, to be honest, nothing too radical has changed (sorry to disappoint).  For one, August brought me back to the beach.  Now I'm back to running and surfing once again which was a bit of a shock to my post-death-bed body al principio.  I'm still readjusting, but luckily I've come a long way from my level of strength and stamina the first week back which was laughable...to say the least.  

August also brought me my first NON-laughable paycheck of the past seven months, whoot whoot.  I've now been working at my "new" job for about a month and a half and I'm still loving it.  I'm really lucky to have such great students and coworkers and I honestly enjoy what I'm doing (much more than I ever enjoyed being threatened and cussed at by teenage boys). Even when I have one of those days when making it to a class seems like a chore, I can push myself by thinking about my students and I'm genuinely motivated to keep chugging along through my (often very long) day.

Being an English teacher has really given me the opportunity to give my mother-tongue a nice hard look and think about things that had never before crossed my mind.  Like what the hell does "got" actually mean?  And why DO we use auxiliary verbs in some questions and not in others?*  Sometimes I feel like my English is actually getting worse, the more I dissect it.  As far as Spanish goes, sometimes it feels like it is improving and some days my brain just doesn't function in either language, let alone both.

There are some words that have been irrevocably changed into Spanish in my brain, so much so that the English translation has left my vocabulary entirely.  Examples include: palta, teraza, salvavida,chauchera, banano & chocopanda.  Side note: thank goodness we've seen less of the latter up here in Nor Chil (Yes, that's short for Northern Chile).

Although my vocabulary is growing (slowly but surely), my grammar still needs a little love and attention which will HOPEFULLY be happening shortly when my boss gets a move on with this whole Spanish class thing at the academy.  I'll keep you posted.

Jeff has been understanding more and more, which is great, although we still agree that he would benefit from a formal class which we plan to get started real soon.  He's still working at the institute where I use to work and seems to be enjoying it for the most part, although he still doesn't feel like a "real teacher".  He's learning more and growing with his teaching style all the time which is pretty cool to see.  However, I do think he misses the whole being threatened and cussed at by teenage boys thing (to each their own I guess).

We are planning to take a trip to Machu Picchu in the beginning of October (before raining season) if we can pull it.  We still haven't solidified anything and (as you've noticed if you've been following along with my blog posts) plans change quite a lot around here.  For now, we're just taking things day by day and enjoying the little things like our little beach-side bike ride today and the delicious homemade pesto that I made (first pesto I've eaten in 7 months, yikes!)  Ok, that's all the news for now.  Un besito, chauuu!  

 

*I would be happy to explain either of those things to you in great detail...for a small fee of course.  Teachers gotta eat.

6 meses en 16 fotos y 600 palabras

In celebration of my 6-month-a-versary here in Chile, I bring you a collection of 16 of my favorite photos from Chile so far.  I can’t believe how fast the time has gone.   I know I always say that but seriously…it really blows my mind that I’ve been here for half a year already.  I could spend this whole blog entry waxing poetic about my time in Chile but I guess I should conserve my 600 words and let you all in on some recent updates in my Chilean adventure. 

First of all, as of last Thursday, I am 100% E. Coli freeeeeeee which is pretty exciting.  Tomorrow morning I’m going surfing for the first time in over a month.  It’s been such a bummer not being allowed to get in the water so I’m pretty stoked to be back.  Hopefully I haven’t forgotten everything I’ve learned so far, we’ll see I guess. 

The second bit of news is that I recently got a new job working at a different language institute in Iquique (the same one where Ruby works).  I’m bummed about leaving my co-workers at my old job but really excited about this new opportunity.  I’ll be making considerably more money which will help take the financial stress out of my life finally (whoot whoot) and I will also be teaching in a completely different environment.  At my old job, all of our lessons were pre-prepared with corresponding powerpoint presentations.  It was nice because it required little to no lesson prep but it didn’t leave much room for teacher creativity.  After teaching each lesson a number of times, it starts to get a little super boring.  I’m excited for the chance to have more control over my classroom and mix it up.  It’s also nice to have the same students in each class because I can tailor my class around their specific needs and weaknesses.       

I started the job on the 17^th and so far everything is going great.  I haven’t met that many of my co-workers because I teach most of my classes in the office building where the majority of my students work.  It is a mining company that is pretty close to my old work (about a 30 minute walk from my house).  The past few weeks, I’ve spent a considerable portion of my day there; teaching, lesson planning, paper working and trying out all of the flavors in the Nescafe “Alegria” machine (sorry Dad, Nestle owns this country…what’s a girl to do?”)

My plan (as of now) is to stay at this new job from July to July so I can have a full year at the same place on my resume.  I’m really enjoying it so I don’t think that should be a problem and they also allow me to take free language lessons there as a perk of the job.  It seems like the process of getting that off the ground might be a little tricky but I’m excited to get that started.  I am also allowed to take vacation there any time I want which is great.  I’m definitely okay with keeping Iquique as my main hub if I am able to launch off and travel from here.

Jeff also got a job (at a different language school) and will be starting this week!  That will probably allow him to extend his ticket and stay out here with me for longer, although we haven’t solidified any plans yet.  About the only thing that we know for sure is that we will be back at least for a visit in August 2013 for Mallory’s WEDDING!  Beyond that I’m not sure about any plans to visit home although I suspect I might be back sooner to see all of your lovely faces.  Stay tuned for updates.

    

Cerro San Cristóbal in Santiago

 

"Spanglish" Language Intercambio

 

Graduation from Bridge TEFL with our IDELT certifications

 

Sunset in La Serena

Viña del Mar

First dinner in Iquique

Hostel living

 

New job!

 

Iquique Love Fest with Danillo and the girls

 

Surfing in Cavancha

 

Jeff in Chile!

 

After an English lesson with Alvaro and Eduardo

 

El Morro de Arica

 

Fiesta de La Tirana

My adorable students

\ 

My beautiful home

Adventuras en La Tirana

Last weekend, Jeff, Ruby and I made a 50 mile trip inland, by taxi, to the small village of La Tirana.  I've heard a variety of estimates regarding the day-to-day population of La Tirana, ranging from...well...zero...to about 800 but, during Fiesta de La Tirana, the town reaches full capacity at around two-hundred to two-hundred and fifty THOUSAND.  Each year in mid-July, the masses gather to ask for blessings from the Virgin of Mt. Carmel, dance and demonstrate their devotion or just to observe the remarkable spectacle that has become Chile's most celebrated festival.

People come to La Tirana from all over Chile, as well as Peru and Bolivia.  There are innumerable dancing groups that dance and sleep in shifts so that the celebration of the virgin can continue all day and all night for an entire week.  A co-worker of my good friend, Kenita, has a house near the plaza so we were able to use that as a main hub for the weekend.  Because La Tirana is essentially a ghost town for the vast majority of the year, the houses are very crudely assembled.  Many of them (including the one we stayed at) have dirt floors and cardboard-lined walls.  

The house itself was packed since all the whole family had gathered there for the festivities so we slept (very uncomfortably) in their truck for the night.  Since La Tirana is in the middle of the desert, it is very hot during the day and very cold at night.  It was the first time I've been able/needed to wear my winter clothes (gloves, hat, wool socks etc) in Chile.  

The next day, we did some more exploring of the town, watched more groups of dancers and bought some souvenirs.  We also tried some of La Tirana's delicious street food including churros filled with manjar, sliced up pineapples filled with icecream and sopapillas the size of dinner plates.  We even made it on the Iquique News.  First they interviewed me and then they asked me to have Jeff say something about the festival and translate it into Spanish.  It was pretty cool, but also kind of embarrassing (hope I didn't make TOO many mistakes).

Jeff and Ruby headed home with some other friends around 9:30 on Sunday night but Kenita and I wanted to wait until the main celebration which happens at midnight and includes a huge show and fireworks display.  The plaza was so packed we could hardly move but the body heat was much appreciated in the cold night.  Around two AM on Monday morning, we packed up and headed home by bus which arrived in Iquique at about four.  

It was such a cool event and I'm really thankful that I had a chance to witness it.  Jeff was bummed that he didn't get to try the traditional llamo (llama meat) but hey, there's always next year. 

Diga Ahhhhh

After 5 months of (almost) perfect health in Chile, I can now officially say that I have been sick in a foreign country; navigated my way through Chilean laboratories, a lime-green doctor's office and a crappy 24-hour clinic;  been pricked by Chilean needles and peed in Chilean cups (well ok, just one of those).  Although none of these things were necessarily on my South America bucket list, I have crossed them all off nonetheless and come out on the other side, relatively  unscathed.

It all started about three weeks ago when I suddenly felt nauseous and lightheaded in the middle of one of my classes and had to leave work early.  When I got home, I promptly went to bed and knocked out for 16 hours.  In the morning I felt a little out of it, but overall okay.  For the most part I was functioning alright at that point although I had a few more weird dizzy spells over the next few days. Then on Saturday, when I was walking home from work, I started to get a pain in my right side that felt like a cramp from running.  After a few hours, it went away and I forgot about it until it came back with a vengeance Tuesday morning at 4 am.  I woke up freezing with an extremely intense pain on my right side.  I spent almost the whole next day in bed and finally caved and went to urgent care the day after that.  A few hours and 20 thousand pesos later, I had a prescription for pain medication and an appointment for an echogram a week later.

Luckily my boss was not too stoked about the idea of me waiting a week to know what was going on and immediately made me an appointment with his doctor.  I went the next day and was recommended for 8 diagnostic tests.  48 hours later I had the results to all of them (drum roll please).  Turns out it was salmonella, e. coli AND a kidney infection.  The dynamic trio had me completely out of commission for about a week total but now I'm pretty much back in action.  I finished up with my cocktail of antibiotics and alphabet soup (pictured above) on Monday and tomorrow I'll retake the e. coli test.  Once I'm sure all of the bacteria is gone, I can finally get back in the water after 3 weeks of not surfing. 

The recovery process has been kind of lengthy but after a few days of antibiotics, pain killers and fever reducers, I started to feel much better and went back to work.  In the midst of my recovery, Jeff and I made a quick trip up to Arica/Tacna to renew our tourist visas last weekend.  Like I've said before, Tacna is nothing to write home about but Jeff was excited to get his first taste of Peru (in the form of fast food pizza and tocino del cielo no less) and spend some more time in Arica.  We had a nice time but I'm hoping my next border hopping mission will be something new and a little more exciting.
 

 

Amor en el País de las Maravillas

Well hello there.  Long time, no blog (per usual).  I guess I should start with the most exciting news...Jeff (pictured above) finally made it to Chile, yay!  He got here on May 27th and just passed his one-month-a-versary in Iquique a few days ago.  Since he arrived, he's been keeping busy learning Spanish, meeting new people, surfing and eating all the churros in Iquique.

He got his first chance to see Arica a few weeks ago when we bussed up with our two roommates and a couple other friends.  The original idea was to do a border hop so I could renew my visa but Jeff really liked Arica and we didn't want to rush things so we just opted to spend some extra time there and do another trip in a couple of weeks.  We checked out a few bars on Saturday night, and went to the Maui and Sons World Star Tour at El Gringo (although we woke up late and really only caught the last few waves and the award ceremony) on Sunday.  The runner-up ended up being a 16-year-old kid from the North Shore, which was pretty cool.  We ended the trip with one of Schopdog's famous beer rockets and hopped back on the bus around 9:30 pm for a 2:30 am arrival in Iquique. 

Back on the home-front, Iquique life hasn't changed all that much.  Kate and I are still working nights at the same English Institute (although she'll be gone for the whole month of July...wahhhh!).  Ruby just got an awesome new job this month so she's been pretty busy as of late.  The three of us have a few private students, which is great (although it can be a little unreliable at times).

So far no more news on future travel plans or when this Chilean adventure is coming to an end but I will definitely have a better idea of both of those things by the end of July (details to come).  In the meantime, hope all is well with all of you lovely friends and family members that care enough to keep tabs on my little blog. Que estén bien.  ¡Cuídate! ¡Chaoooooooo!