SORRY ABOUT THE MONTH LONG ABSENCE!!!

First of all, sorry about my one month long absence from my blog. The problem with this whole study abroad thing is that you get so busy with class, traveling, soccer that your blog takes a back seat. But then I spoke with my mother today and since she is using my blog to show her students pictures of my trip because the school district has blocked my photo site from the district network I guess I have to get back on track with my blog. So much has happened since I last updated I don't really know where to start. First of all, I FINALLY started classes. I finished at Pomona in mid December and then didn't start here in Chile until almost a couple weeks into March. I have four classes, two at la Universidad de Chile and two at la Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. At la Chile I have one class called "Análisis de discurso y manejo de crisis" (a Political Science class focusing on Political Discourse with a focus on Chilean topics), and another called "Chile, L@s Chilen@as, y su cultura" which is a class that covers various topics regarding Chilean culture and includes going to museums and various places throughout Santiago. At La Católica I have two classes one called Desarrollo Político de Chile (Political Development of Chile), which is class on the political history of Chile since Independence. Also, Poesía Chilena de fin de siglo XX (Chilean Poetry from the end of the 20th century), which I like a lot because you don't just study Mistral and Neruda but actually get a better overview of Chilean poetry as a whole. All of my classes are going pretty well and I have no complaints. So that I can finish this post and still have time to study, I will leave the subject of classes at that. But if you want to know more just let me know.

Also, a very integral part of Chilean life is fútbol, or soccer as you folks call it back in the States. I have been two three games so far and have had such a great time. The passion is contagious. I went to one game between one of the best teams in Argentina vs. the most popular team in Chile (Boca Juniors vs. Colo-Colo) and the Chilean team upset the Argentinians 2-0 which resulted in massive celebrations throughout the city. Also, last night I went to the game between Universidad de Chile vs. Colo-Colo, which is the biggest rivalry in Chile. Colo-Colo was definitely favored but Universidad de Chile pulled the upset 1-0 and it was quite amazing the spirit they have for their teams. I was especially happy because Universidad de Chile is the preferred team of my family, and so I don't get thrown out of the house it is mine as well. There are fireworks, chanting for the entire game, especially since we sat in the gallery section that is notorious for their spirit.

I also took a week long trip to Parque Nacional Torres del Paine, which is one of the most recognized tourist destinations in Chile. It is located in Patagonia at the very southern end of the country. I went with three other students from my study abroad program and we took our backpacks, a couple tents, sleeping bags, and food and trekked around the park for 6 days/5 nights. It was my first backpacking experience, which was challenging to say the least but the geography is incredible. The first night we camped with a view of a glacier...the first time I had ever seen a glacier up close and in person. It truly was an amazing trip and a unique experience for me. We also saw flamingos, which was interesting because I did not expect to see flamingos in Patagonia. I also got to see the Straits of Magellan, being that far south seemed totally mindboggling to me, but it is part of the glory of Chile.

Now I am back in Santiago in my host family's apartment. I am still really enjoying living with my Chilean host family and am having a great time getting to know the fellow students on my program. My family is so welcoming and hospitable...and the food is still amazing ;)

As for things to come: This week I should be starting to volunteer at a school to teach English to Chilean students at public schools because resources to teach English in the poorly funded public schools are scarce. I will report more about that when I get started.

I guess that is all for now...I better get back to studying. I hope all is well and if you have any questions about anything just let me know!

Jonathan

Back from the South/Starting Classes!!!

I spent last Wednesday to Sunday in Southern Chile in what is called the Lake District. It is definitely a really awesome part of the country. It is where Chile begins to break up and lakes dot the entire country until you get down to Patagonia and the ocean breaks through. I went with five other students from the program and we had an awesome time. We began our trip in Valdivia, which is recognized for the considerable German influence in the city (as in many places throughout the south). My closest encounter to the German influence came by way of the kuchen, which is german cake with various types of filling (usually fruit) which is absolutely delicious. From there we visited the coast in a town called Niebla, which has black sand, my guess is that it is of volcanic origin. Regardless it makes for an interesting beach, much more similar to those you would find in Northern California, while the beaches in the north are more similar to those found in Southern California, most geographic features are just reversed. We then went down to a town called Entre Lagos which is right by a national park called Pueyhue and hiked 22 km (11 in each direction) to what we were told was a lake, but was more of a pond than anything else. The scenery was still worth the trip. From there we went to Puerto Varas (another german town) and went to Parque Nacional Pérez Rosales and kayaked in Lago Todos los Santos, which has an amazing emerald color and sits at the foot of a huge volcano (Volcán Osorno). After that we finally had to return to Santiago because this week was full of orientations are the two different universities we are attending and classes begun at one of the universities. The two are Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (PUC or La Católica for short) and Universidad de Chile (La Chile for sort). They have distinct characters. One has the wealthier student body, greater resources and a relatively uncontroversial existence (La Católica), while La Chile is known for its independent spirit, diverse student body, controversial past (opposition to Pinochet, common student protests). It is very much a Stanford/Berkeley type of dynamic. I am going to take classes at both so I can see how the dynamic manifests itself in the social sciences and literature which is where my classes will be focused. My specific schedule is still in the works, but I will post it when it becomes available. I hope all is well in the States. I am doing great and enjoying Chile and getting used to taking advantage of the public transportation system on a daily basis :) . I am going to cut my post there because I have lots to do (including figuring out my schedule and going to a welcome party for international students at la Católica) but more to come soon!

Off to the South...School starts on the 5th of March!

Last weekend I had the pleasure of visiting Valparaíso which is Chile's main port city.  I went with a couple of my friends from the program and met up with others in the group at a hostal in Valpo.  The first thing we did was sample Chorrillana which is the dish Valparaíso is known for.  It is french fries, meat, onion, and egg basically but it is incredibly delicious, probably not the best for you though.  I also had the opportunity to walk around the city and ride the acensores, which are the old early 20th century lifts that take you up the hills of the city because they are so steep.  Some people refer to the city as the San Francisco of South America.  I returned to Santiago Sunday night after struggling to find a bus because vacation time is over for the Chileans and they are all headed back from the beach to Santiago to get back to work and to school.  This week we finished up our introductory seminar class (except for the essay I have to write) and visited the Historical Museum in the Plaza de Armas which has basically every artifact from the history of Chile including Salvador Allende Gossens glasses that were broken during the coup in 1973.  I had the pleasure of encountering the Chilean bureaucracy this morning when I went to the Registro Civil to apply for my cédula de identificación (basically the Chilean green card) for my time in the country.  I arrived at nine and left after noon, so it was quite an occasion.  I am now preparing for my trip south to Valdivia with some of the group as it is our last weekend before school starts.  Classes begin at la Católica March 5 and la Chile March 10.  I still don't have a set schedule but will later this week so I will be sure to let you know all my classes when they are available, and pictures from my latest journey.  Also, I am only posting some pictures on the blog (they only allow five per post) and the rest are in my Picasa album http://picasaweb.google.com/jbp12005/Chile

Bienvenidos de Chile!!!

I write to you from my comfortable bed in my new home in Chile.  I live in the community of Las Condes, which is generally considered to be one of the wealthy neighborhoods in Santiago.  I live with my Chilean mother, father, and sister (who is 24).  The father owns a restaurant, the mother is dueña de casa, the person that takes care of the house and sister works for a large retail store in Chile.  They are quite welcoming.  I spent the first weekend with them in Viña del Mar, which is one of hte most beautiful beach cities I have ever seen with some of the greatest sunsets imaginable.  I have had the opportunity to see lots of awesome things already.  This week we started the program's beginning seminar class called Contemporary Chile.  We basically cover a different subject each day and visit a place or watch a film connected with the subject.  We have been to La Moneda (the Presidential Palace), La Chascona (Pablo Neruda's Santiago home) and la Plaza de la Constitución where you can still see some damage on buildings from the coup in 1973.  I am getting more and more accustomed to Chilean life.  One of the more challenging aspects is learning Chilean spanish which is one of the more challenging forms of Spanish around.  I am learning the Chilean slang (po - which you say at the end of phrases when addressing a friend or family member, cachai? - do you understand?).  Those are a couple of the most common ones.  I am also getting used to the metro, which I take back and forth to class everyday.  It is the most densely packed metro in the world besides Tokyo, I believe it reaches something close to 9 people per square meter during busy hours.  It can be crowded but is incredibly convenient.  My host mother cooks a lot which basically means every meal is a challenge, although quite tasty.  I guess the poor description of Chilean food depends a lot of who you are with because I have only found it to be incredibly tasty.  Tomorrow is a busy day so I am going to cut this message short, I might be going to Valparaíso this weekend, which is Chile's main port so I will have much more to report when I get settled and learn more about the city.  

I have arrived in Chile!!!

Well after much anticipation I have finally arrived in Chile.  My travels began when I woke up at 4am on February 11th to fly from San Francisco to Miami.  After my 5 hour layover in Miami I began my flight to Chile.  Midway through the flight they alerted us that one of the passengers was having a health emergency and we had to make an unplanned stop in Ecuador so the woman could receive medical attention.  Anyhow, we finally arrived in Santiago at about 9am Chilean time which is five hours different from the Pacific time zone.  So I am actually writing this message at about 1:30am, partially because I took a long nap during the middle of the day just to recover from all the traveling.  After I awoke I cruised around Providencia, the part of Santiago I am staying in before I move into my homestay.  I had a delicious meal with fresh juice.  Fruit here is nothing short of amazing.  I walked by a store and smelled the peaches like two stores down.  I think tomorrow I am going on a fruit quest.  It is in some ways surprising the different types of things that have made it from the US to Chile.  McDonalds and Dunkin' Donuts to name a couple.  I hope to see more of the city and meet up with some of the other students on my program when they start coming in tomorrow.  The Spanish here is definitely going to take some getting used to.  Chileans make a habit out of dropping letters off of words and throwing in Chilenismos as they are called as often as possible, so it will definitely take some adjustment, not quite like the Spanish I am used to at home.  Well I guess I will stop at that for now.  It is getting late and I am sure I will have more exciting things to say when I get some sleep!  

Hasta pronto!

Headed to Chile!!!

February 10th, 2008 at 7am I will be headed to Chile for my study abroad semester.  I will make a quick stop in Miami and then off to South America I go.  I will be back on August 8th, 2008 just in time for my mother's birthday.  I can be reached at either of my emails jbp12005@gmail.com or jbp12005@pomona.edu.  Thanks to you all for your support and I hope to hear from you all soon!