La Portada y Ayquina

Antofagasta- La Portada
Aside from catching up with friends who I haven't seen since we all separated back at the beginning of August, I was able to visit La Portada- the main tourist attraction in Antofagasta. Getting there was a bit of an adventure. To begin with, we had no idea how to get there. The following is a continuous example of the true kindness and helpfulness of most Chileans. First, the dueña of the hostel in which we were staying was nice enough to give us rudimentary directions, which were helpful but eventually got us a little bit lost. She told us the following:

• Take a colectivo to La Plaza Colon
• From there get a micro bus that goes towards el Cerro Moreno
• The micro bus won't take you to La Portada, but it will drive past it

With these directions in hand, we set off on our journey. The colectivo ride was easy, but when we got to La Plaza, we couldn't find any micros that said they were going to el Cerro Moreno. So, we decided to flag one down and ask. The driver of this particular micro told us where to walk to catch the correct bus. Then, it just so happened that as we were walking to where he directed us, he was stopped at a red light and honked at us to give us further directions. With only a slight understanding of what he told us (he did not speak clearly) we began walking down a street. Again, no sign of micros going to el Cerro Moreno. Frustrated and with few options left, we entered a bus company office and I asked a woman working there. She gladly informed us that all we had to do was cross the street and there we would find "Mega Bus" a small company that goes to El Cerro Moreno. Finally, we bought our tickets and after waiting for a few minutes boarded the Mega Bus.

Now, we were sitting in the back of a cramped, small bus. We had no idea where our stop would be or if the bus would even stop without us notifying the driver ahead of time, so we told the driver we were going to el Cerro Moreno--mistake number 1. As we were driving we were able to see La Portada along the coast. So, we thought, ok the bus should be stopping soon. We waited and waited and sure enough La Portada vanished from view and the bus showed no sign of stopping. The other girl I was with got up and walked to the front of the bus to ask the driver if we had passed El Cerro Moreno. She also luckily mentioned that where we actually wanted to go was La Portada. As we had thought, we'd already passed La Portada, PLUS it was an actual stop. The whole time we were waiting for the stupid Cerro, when we could have been asking for our actual destination. Since we had passed it, the bus driver said she would let us off and we would have to catch the next Mega Bus going in the opposite direction. Begrudgingly we said ok, but as it turned out the bus driver didn't pull over until she saw another bus coming. She flashed her lights and flagged down the other bus. Then, she got out of the bus with us and shouted across the highway that we needed to get to La Portada and had missed the stop. So, we hopped on the other bus and stood in the front as we were driven back to La Portada. The bus stopped a few minutes later and we were at our destination, which was a sandy road in the middle of no where.

I can only imagine what the people on that bus were thinking. Two crazy gringas had just randomly gotten on their bus and then had been dropped off on the side of the road. As the bus pulled away we started the 20 min walk to our destination. By the time we had gotten there, the sun was setting and we just hoped it wouldn't be too dark for the walk back. Along the way we got many stares from cars that slowed down as they passed us on this small road. One car even stopped to offer us a ride, but we obviously refused (although I really wanted a ride!). FINALLY we got to La Portada and it was beautiful.

The walk back seemed to take less time, and we only had to wait a few minutes to catch a Mega Bus which would take us back into downtown Antofagasta. WHAT AN ADVENTURE

What we were walking from:














What we were walking towards:

La Portada

Ayquina: Celebrating The Virgin with Dances

Ayquina is a sleepy and practically uninhabited town for most of the year. Yet, when the first week of September rolls around, the town comes to life. Thousands of people come each day for about a week to pay respects to the virgin and watch the amazing dances. Others embark on a pilgrimage, walking from Calama to Ayquina, which takes about an hour by car. They are up against the blistering sun during the day and the frigid temperatures at night. All to show their devotion to La Virgen and hopefully have the virgin grant them some request in return. Here are
some of my favorite pictures of the dances.

Tinkus:


Los Reyes Morenos:

Chiu Chiu and Iquique

Chiu Chiu On a Monday Afternoon
On our way to Chiu Chiu we passed the Codelco Mine, the one in which my host dad works. We were also lucky enough to pass the vast area in which all of the polluted water from the mine goes. From what I was told and could see, the water is kept in a large area until it evaporates or soaks back into the ground. It definitely did not look like water, and as my host dad said what is left to see is just the pollutants. I realize there is no good way to dispose of harmful chemicals/substances, but this doesn't seem like the best way either.
Chiu Chiu was yet another small, desert town without much to offer, well except for the oldest church in Chile!

Next we ventured to Laguna Chiu Chiu, which legend has it doesn't have a bottom. It it fairly small as lakes go, but locals say even Jacques Cousteau couldn't find the bottom. I was also told the lake is called "El Ojo del Mar" because 1) some say the water comes from the ocean and 2) the small lake in the middle of the desert kind of looks like an eye.

Finally, we went to Valle de Lasana, an Atacameña community famous for the Pukará de Lasana, an ancient housing area that contains nearly 110 structures that form homes of 2-5 rooms with indoor patios. On our way out of el valle we were able to see some petroglyphs from ancient atacaman cultures.




Iquique
I don't think los chilenos on the bus to Iquique ever saw a group of gringos so excited!! Even though we got there at night and could barely see the beach, we were all thrilled to see a city alive at night. There were trees!!!! And high-rises and some appetizing restaurants and bars--what a concept! The next day we were able to explore the city and unfortunately my impression of it diminished. Don't get me wrong, it is still a pretty place with a nice beach area--probably more exciting to be there in the summer (instead of the winter). But I've come to the conclusion that everywhere in Chile has a certain grimy feel to it. It's difficult to explain, but its there and the other volunteers have noticed it as well. It was also interesting to see all of the tsunami signs--there were signs that said "Zona de riesgo" (which is where our hostel was) and "Zona de seguridad." Basically, if we had felt an earthquake while we were there, we would have had to run away from the ocean. Luckily that wasn't necessary :)

Then it was time for the Daddy Yankee concert!!!! It was disappointingly short (1hr 15min) and there weren't as many people there as I thought. It was in the big soccer arena which was only half-way full of people. Perhaps they have a strict limit to attendance--there was definitely room for more. I rocked out to the songs I knew, even dancing more than chilenos...they were way too subdued for my taste ;-) Finally, on Sunday we went to a restaurant called Brasileña run by a Brazilian woman who makes delicious Chilean food. I could eat her cazuela (stew) everyday!

Calama Happenings

The Little Things
I've been asked several times if there is anything that could be sent from home that I miss. While I greatly appreciate the offer (and wouldn't refuse anything) the things I really miss can't be sent through the mail.

Here are some examples:

• Toilet paper, soap and paper towels in the school bathrooms. Everyone has to bring their own toilet paper and either not wash their hands or use hand sanitizer
• Being able to wear a summer or a winter outfit and not have to continually adapt it to the changing temperatures. Not only is it extreme between morning and night, but also between inside buildings/in the shade, and outside/in the sun
• Drinking water from the tap and knowing there isn't ARSENIC in it (damn copper mine)
• Washing my face with warm water at night
• Communicating with people without having to wrack my brain to come up with the necessary words

School Time!
So far I love my school: the girls are well behaved and willing to participate (for the most part), and my co-teacher ROCKS! Plus with my help we are going to have a pretty good English Debate team :)



To the right is one of the patios in my school during recreo (or recess) which they have 2x a day, once in the morning before the lunch break and once in the afternoon after the lunch break. Even seniors in high school have 2 recesses a day! The majority of the classrooms are on the three levels you see.


One thing I never realized before starting to teach English as a foreign language is how difficult it is to pronounce! For example, in Spanish each vowel has one sound, and it is the same in every word. English, on the other hand, has about 70 phonograms (or possible sounds, depending on how letters are put together in a word). Imagine that! When they ask me, "How do you know that is how you pronounce it?" I have no answer because I don't know!


This is my classroom, which I am very lucky to have because teachers in Chile don't have their own classrooms. Instead, each grade has a room, and the teachers of the various subjects move between rooms.






This is the other patio in the school. You enter my classroom from this patio.












Stray Dogs
Are everywhere!!!! There are hundreds if not thousands in the streets of Calama (and in every other town/city in Chile). This is also something distinct to Chile. For example, I've been told as soon as you cross the border into Argentina, there is no longer a stray dog problem. There are no laws in Chile governing the ownership and responsibility of having a pet. So, most people will have a dog for a period of time, and when they can't afford it, don't want it, or are moving away, they just let it go. To make matters worse, most of the dogs aren't sterilized, so the population keeps regenerating on the street. There are also no laws governing the treatment of animals (or at least no one cares enough to enforce them).

One of the debate topics this year is the euthenization of street dogs. During the discussion on Friday in the Debate Club, one girl mentioned that municipal authorities have come to her condominium complex, rounded up the stray dogs and then abandoned them in the desert. That is how Calama has decided to deal with the problem :(

Birthday Party!!!!!!Today we are celebrating my host brother Cristóbal's 1st birthday!!!! The family has been up since about 8 this morning cleaning, moving furniture, and in general preparing for the fiesta (which doesn't start until 5pm!). Excited to see how a typical Chilean family parties! Pictures from the fiesta will be posted soon :)

Po

PO
Everyone here says 'po' after sí and no and also after sentences whenever they feel inspired. That's also where the new name for my blog came from, the phrase "Sí po weón" basically means "yeah man" and apparently young people say it all the time. Another linguistic oddity is saying "la" Kaylynn (or any other name) instead of just saying the name. Plus, my one host sister's nickname is "Titi"...I'm sure you all see the humor in that :)


CALAMA
Tierra del sol y cobre (land of sun and copper)
That is basically the draw of Calama. Most people who live here were not born here, rather they've settle in the city because of work. That is the situation with my host family and many of the teachers with whom I've talked. To be honest, Calama is not nice to look at, and the only reason it exists is because the largest copper mine in the world is about 5 minutes away. The people who live here absolutely make up for its ugliness and randomness in the middle of the driest desert on earth! Everyone I've met is extremely nice, inviting and caring.

Speaking of the desert, the climate here is severely extreme-- it feels like winter in the evening and morning and like summer while the sun is out during the day.


Sugar
ON EVERYTHING! Not even children in the US consume as much sugar as your average everyday Chilean. Its incredible...all they drink is soda or "juice" which I put in parenthesis because its basically sugar water with a little juice concentrate in it (yuk!). Plus, cookies and candy are always readily available.

Valpo y Viña

As Chileans like to call them, I went to Valpo (Valparaíso) and Viña (Viña del Mar) last Saturday. We took a guided tour so we were able to see both cities in only about 5 hours. Everything felt rushed, but at least I got to see what I did. The pictures say it all, so here are some of the best!

On the bus there we passed vineyards :)
Valparaíso y Viña:

Both were beautiful, but Valpo had a sort of grungy feel to it--Guess that makes sense seeing as though its one of the biggest ports in Chile. (Where we get all of our fruit from!) Viña was newer and cleaner, but didn't have the character of Valpo. Basically all the guidebooks say the same thing, and its true ;)

Valparaíso:






Viña:

Mountains, Coffee and Food

Mountains:
I've been in Chile for about 5 days now! When I first arrived I was lucky to have gotten here after it rained. The normal everyday smog that characterizes Santiago temporarily is lifted after a winter rain. So, I was able to capture some pretty amazing images of the city with the Andes clearly in the background. Some of the best pictures I took are from the apartment of a Mexican girl Melissa who also just arrived in Santiago and will be studying here for 6 months.

Even though the mountains are breathtakingly beautiful, it was odd because while I was admiring them, I simultaneously thought how sad it is that the ugly city prevents an unobstructed view. I hope to be able to see the Andes at some point just as they are--the way they should be.


Café:
No longer can I see a sign for a Café and assume it is a coffee shop I should enter. There are many places that could be labeled Café con Piernas--coffee with legs. Basically its coffee shops in which women dressed in slutty outfits serve coffee to businessmen--Dad did you ever go in one?!?!
We have passed the same places on our way to orientation for the past few days and I've been able to notice that the outfits of the women change everyday. So far my personal favorite was what they wore in one cafe on the first day: Short skirts, white button down shirts with black ties. A group of girls and I haphazardly went into one of these cafes to get coffee to go during a break on the first day of orientation. Glad I did it for the experience, but I'm sure no self-respecting Chilean woman would ever be caught dead in one. Don't Worry! There are still nice and delicious normal cafes. I went to one yesterday and got a hazelnut cappuccino--yummy. They also have internet so that's always a plus!


Food:
So far the food has been way better than I expected, and kind of better than Spain. I liked the non-Spanish food I had in Spain, but not so much the Spanish cuisine. Of note so far I've had a Churraza completo--HUGE sandwich with strips of steak, sauerkraut and a relish. Delicious but waaaay to big. I've also learned that all of my previous knowledge of Spanish helps only a little when at restaurants because Chileans have their own words for most foods (as well as most nouns).

AVOCADO!!!! They put it with so many things--I might be in heaven! Had a really good sandwich for lunch which was freshly sliced chicken, cheese and avocado. For dinner last night I had sushi, which was also delicious and not expensive at all! I got out about $80 on the first day and still have a good amount of it left. Everything is sooo much cheaper here. Still no wine, but that should change tonight! I also may go on a wine tour this weekend while we still have free time before teaching begins. More to come :-)