Living

This is one of the strangest posts I'll ever have I'm sure, but after going to to one of the largest cemeteries in South America my curiosity peaked.  I've always thought cemeteries are interesting because there are more people buried under the ground than alive on earth. There are about 15 dead people to every 1 living person. There are currently seven billion people alive today and the Population Reference Bureau estimates that about 107 billion people have ever lived. How cultures deal with death is fascinating to me. I want to live for as long as I can and would never want to know the date of my death if I could, but death doesn't scare me. I don't want a grave in some cemetery somewhere with a bunch of other people. And throw a party with ice cream and bright colors for me instead of a funeral with crying and people dressed in black.  This life is supposed to be happy so find reasons to rejoice in it everyday.  But back to the Cemeterio General visit in Santiago.....

The cemetery has over 2 million graves on a plot of land of over 210 acres. It was established in 1820 and houses some of the most prominent figures in Chilean history including Salvador Allende (past president) and Victor Jara (poet&musician). As you enter the cemetery the tombstones are hug, stone sculptures. They have the usual date of birth and date of death inscribe on them and some have sayings and messages.  Many families are buried together under large mausoleums symbolizing the importance of family in Chilean culture. As you walk through the streets (there are street signs) you begin to see a change in the tombs. It really is like visiting a city with different class structures. The tombs toward the back of the cemetery became less grand and eventually at the very back crosses are the only markers.  There are tall apartment like structures which hold 10 stories people.  The plots at the back are close together and overruled by weeds.  There's a section for "No Names" dedicated to the people who died during military power and whose bodies were never identified. There were rows and rows of rusting metal crosses in organization similar to Arlington.

apartment like tombs

30+ flower stalls outside the cemetery with old men and
women making beautiful bouquets for people to
place on the graves of their loved ones

family mausoleum 

"No Names"

Victor Jara's grave

Chile and the United States have the same average age of life expectancy, 79. From what I've observed in my time here the "old people" are still going strong. They take walks, dance, share stories and don't eat more than they need to. I've seen just how powerful close family connections can be. I've watched my dad pull over on the side of the road to a statue of "Ave Maria" so he can pray for his deceased parents. I listened as he talks about a funeral of a close friend. People here appreciate the privilege of life. They really appreciate connecting with one another. I'm not saying that Americans and people from other countries don't, but I've noticed it more here. Taking time to stop and smell the roses and watch as people in heaven paint the sky each night.

I've had the opportunity to talk to many of my friends here and we commonly bring up our futures. We're in our early 20s and we're living in Chile for 5 months! We have this incredible opportunity and what is it for? I have friends who are graduating soon who plan to lead back country ski tours or help open a yoga studio. These dreams scare many of our parents because aren't we supposed to get a degree and go to work using that degree? For many people of my generation we just aren't ready to head straight into the work force with a full time job in a cubical at age 22. One day maybe we'll get there, not not at 22. I've learned that following your passion eliminates stress. If you're passionate about something then all the work necessary to pursue your passion is worth it. I think these past months have shown me what it's like to really slow down and LIVE. To live and to love every single day. To truly appreciate each day and realize it's a gift. To appreciate my friendships I've made here and the friendships I maintain from back home. To really be presently happy.

This is one of my favorite poems.....

The Dash-Linda Ellis 

I read of a man who stood to speak

At the funeral of a friend

He referred to the dates on her tombstone

From the beginning to the end

He noted that first came the date of her birth

And spoke the following date with tears,

But he said what mattered most of all

Was “the dash” between those years

For that dash represents all the time

That she spent alive on earth.

And now only those who loved her

Know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not how much we own;

The cars, the house, the cash,

What matters is how we live and love

And how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard.

Are there things you’d like to change?

For you never know how much time is left,

That can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough

To consider what’s true and real

And always try to understand

The way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger,

And show appreciation more

And love the people in our lives

Like we’ve never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect,

And more often wear a smile

Remembering that this special dash

Might only last a little while.

So, when your eulogy is being read

With your life’s actions to rehash

Would you be proud of the things they say

About how you spent your dash”

Dieciocho de Septiembre- Chilean Independence Week

This past week was Independence week here in Chile. It has been a celebration since 1811 commemorating the formation of Chile as an independent nation state from Spain in 1810. It's like the 4th of July, but enhanced to make it a week long celebration with no school or work. Since we first arrived in Chile we have been told this is a celebration not to miss and it definitely lived up to the hype. I live really close to the "Sporting club" which is a giant horse race track and coincidentally the site of a major fonda (party) for independence week. The best thing I can compare this fonda to is a county fair in the states. There were food huts and carts, games, a flea market, and little rides. Games like darts, knocking over milk jugs, etc. where every prize was alcohol (that part is different than in the states). I went to the fonda 4 different times with various people and each experience was a little different.  I definitely enjoyed the banana manjar gelato. Manjar is like sweet, creamy, milky caramel that can be eaten on just about anything.  The clubs and bars all had specials and continued to provide entertainment until 5 in the morning.  I really loved how dedicated every Chilean was to the holiday-most houses displaying Chilean flags, cars with ribbons, and typical Chilean hats and dresses worn. They are all very dedicated to alcohol too. At the fonda I swear there were groups of 14 year olds walking around drinking. People all over drinking beer, wine, pisco, terremotos (wine+ice cream and sometimes grenadine), chicha (fermented grapes or apples).   My host family has a vacation home in Olmue which is about a half hour drive from Vina. The house reminds me of a beach house and has a trampoline, pool, fire pit, huge outdoor grill, and lots of avocado trees.  Andy and I took the metro and then a bus (1.5 hr trip) and met my family on Thursday. There were 20 people there all family and family friends enjoying lunch.  We had an absurd amount of meat and salads followed by Chilean yard games. Andy and I were on a team and provided much laughter to the older generations as we weren't the best at the games. Hey they've had 50+ years of practice and here we are just 2 gringos trying to experience the culture! We had about 8 different desserts for "once" (Chilean tea/coffee time with breads or desserts).  My personal favorite was the raspberry cheesecake! I spent the night on the top bunk with momma on the bottom bunk and papa snoring on the trundle. Boy can he snore!!!! Andy likes to play this game and think back to exactly 6 months from the exact day and imagine what his life was like and what he thought he would be doing in the next 6 months. Back on March 20 I was in Seattle for spring break hanging out with my friends and cousins. I knew I was going to be in Chile in 6 months and that I would have a great experience, but I didn't know I'd be sleeping in the same room as my host parents in their quaint vacation home after meeting all their extended family and friends having a big BBQ.  The next day Brandan came out and hung out with the family and different family friends and extended family. More meat, potato chips, and salads! Brandan was brave enough to try this black blood sausage inside intestine. I definitely shied away from that and took Brandan's word that it wasn't good. We still aren't exactly sure what it was, but the Chileans loved it.  We played more games and had another 8 desserts before Brandan and I headed back to Viña.  Papa was a riot the whole time just so into the festivities. He kept saying that he gets crazy for independence week. We played fusbol and he told us to call him "Champion", and later proved that name after winning with sneaky moves. Olmue is a nice little town in the country and I enjoyed it's solitude.  The weekend was spent with friends relaxing on the beaches of Viña and Con Con (beach town about a 20 minute bus ride north of Viña).  We had more empanadas and gelato and I discovered I really like corn and cheese empanadas.
     Today I hung out at the beach and read my book and spent time looking out into the horizon. I skyped a couple of friends tonight and Mike said "Erin do you ever just sit and think that you're really, actually in Chile?" The answer is yes! Every day I have moments when I think "wow I am living in a different country with a new family, speaking a foreign language and meeting new friends." Looking at the vast ocean realizing that as the sun sets here it's rising for my friends in Australia I realize how big this world really is and how I'm just a small part of it.

"You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life."- Albert Camus 

La Campana in Olmue

Jen and I enjoying churros and french fries at the fair

Papa playing games at the fonda

Alcohol all over

Our trip to Mars AKA San Pedro de Atacama

Where is the driest hot desert on earth located? CHILE!!!! That just happens to be where I'm living for 4 months (not in the desert, but in the country).  Naturally and adventure needed to occur here.
      Thursday- Austin, Logan, Brandan, Murphy, Paul and I loaded up on a stinky, smelling bus. You know the kinds of buses that have the doors that fold in half and puff black smoke out the back? It's called the bus' breath I think. And you cover your ears when the bus breaks because it makes a loud screechy noise? (Junie B Jones reference, just helping you to recall your childhood!) The buses are actually really nice and we sat up top in the first row enjoying the landscape. After transferring from the bus, to another bus we made it to the airport in Santiago. It costed about $7USD/person to get from Vina to the airport by bus, cheap and easy. Coming from the States where you literally have to take off everything to walk through security and you have about 30 pairs of eyes staring at you as you walk through the machines we all laughed at the process in Santiago.  We didn't even present a boarding pass or ID as we walked through the machine with our shoes and jackets on.  No one even monitored the X-Ray machine as our backpacks went through. We definitely could've brought drugs or other things and no one would've questioned us (we'd never do that though!).  The airport is really nice and has Starbucks and Cinnabun! Brandan and I opted to share a NY pizza with BBQ sauce and meat. Not too shabby Chile.  After boarding our plane which was about 40% full (something I haven't seen in the states in years) we had one of the most beautiful 2 hour plane rides I've ever had; flying directly north following the Andes mountains the whole time. LAN airlines gives you more than peanuts when you fly, imagine having cookies AND a brownie AND crackers on a flight instead of a pack of peanuts! After arriving at one of the world's smallest airports in Calama and walking on the tarmac with outrageous wind gusts it was clear we were no longer in our little beach town. As Dorothy, and Austin put it "we're not in Kansas anymore".  We still needed to get to San Pedro which is about an hour and a half from Calama. As I've stated before no matter how hard I try and plan and investigate bus options there is just no telling what you're actually going to get. This meant we took a private white van (we've traveled in a few of those now) directly from the airport to our hostel. It cost $40USD/person roundtrip. STEEP!!!! But it literally was our only choice unless we took a taxi and who knows what they would've charged 6 gringos. None of us were thrilled to pay that so we thought about other options...smart right? So we asked about renting a car, logical. Until of course NONE of the rental car companies have any cars available.  Turbus does leave out of Calama, but only at certain times of the day and we arrived after 5pm which happens to be when no buses are running.  The ride was breathtaking however. I said "If you had to describe the middle of nowhere I think this would be a perfect description."  A perfectly, beautiful middle of somewhere.
       We stayed at Sol Atacama hostel for $15USD/night. The owner was a 26 year old party animal named Andrés. If you're looking for a wild time stay here, or just stay with us, more about that later. We found a little market which was perfect for buying pasta, salami, cheese and bread, the workers just laughed at our large purchases every time we came in (you really want a whole sleeve of salami and 20 eggs??). This time the hostel let us use the kitchen. The kitchen consisted of an old oven/stove, fridge and sink all outside.  Nonetheless I whipped up some dinner and we were all content after 8 hours of travel by plane, bus and automobile.  We made some friends at the hostel and hung out talking sharing cultures (American, Swedish, New Zealand, Chilean). Andrés liked to practice his english especially swear words. Really dude you don't need to use those in everyday language. Have you ever explained to someone what LOL means? probably not expect maybe to your grandmother. Now try explaining that in Spanish. That's exactly what Murphy and I tried to do. We told him exactly what it meant, but if you're learning english then you don't really need to know texting lingo. Anyway, Andrés also enjoyed calling me "mamacita" after he found out that the boys affectionately refer to me as "mom" sometimes. (secrets out I guess, sorry Mom that yet again my friends call me this). After many ping pong games and a few bottles of pisco we headed to the desert. After walking a couple hundred yards we lied down on the sand and looked up at the stars. It was a half moon and since there's a hole in the ozone layer here the moon is still incredibly bright. None the less it was beautiful. Logan enjoyed pointing out some constellations that we had learned about in La Serena.
   Friday morning called for a breakfast of scrambled eggs with cheese! Always one of my favorite meals.  These eggs were definitely fresh with a few feathers still attached to the shells. ha We decided to rent bikes and cruise. For $6USD we each had a bike for 6 hours. We met up with Jen, Andy, Rob, Mark and David and the 12 of us cruised through the desert. We followed bumpy roads for about 16km.  Logan served the consequence of off roading through sagebrush when he got a flat tire and had to go back and get it fixed.  Once we got to our destination, Lagoon Cejar we were welcomed by a little Chilean man in a hut asking for our money. Of course you want money just to see the lakes, $3USD/person.  After coughing up the dough we went to the salt lakes. These little lagoons were like mini Great Salt Lakes.  It ranks #10 directly after the Great Salt Lake as the saltiest lakes on earth. Just like the Great Salt Lake only tourists would think of getting in, and that's exactly who we were. I was the first to hop in the frigid water and float around. You literally just float similar to sitting in a lounge chair. The color was an intense blue matched with the bright white salt around it. Parts of the lake were really deep and you couldn't see the bottom, the boys are still convinced there might be monsters down there.  We all relaxed, rather baked, in the sun attempting to play hacky sack barefoot.  I was probably in the water for 20 minutes and was covered in salt. The lake had a flamingo enjoying it too! We made the hour bike ride back where by back took a beating from the sun. Ice cream was necessity at that point. You could see both the fear and the enjoyment in the little Chilean lady's eyes as 12 gringos gave her business. I had chocolate and banana with berries. Delicious! We headed back to our hostels and chilled.  Murphy and I taught Brandan how to play cribbage and typical beginners luck he beat both of us. We only played half a game so I guess he didn't technically win a full game.  Murphy and I whipped up some incredible guac and we combined that with chips, salami and cheese for dinner.  We're getting pretty good at this hostel life.  We hung out at the hostel all night with new people we met. Turns out these people would later become our enemies and make it so we were almost kicked out of our hostel.  These girls didn't stand on good terms with any of us for very long. They were just very....different and not any of our speed. One girl asked if she could wear Logan's jacket even though she had a jacket on. She decided to take off her jacket and wear his. Chick- if you're trying to get a guy by taking his jacket when it's 30 degrees outside and you already have one it's not going to work! Anyway one girl preceded to have a "healthy debate" as she later called it, with Mark about careers and her future. She was wasted mind you and talked about how society is so sad that you get a job based on a resume and a transcript. She thinks it should be all about personality. Well that helps contribute to your resume and your transcript. The fact that she's failed 7 classes contributes to who she is a person. She wants to change the world and believes that every parent that works full time and makes a decent amount of money is a bad parent and doesn't spend enough time with their kids. She also said that she hates her mom. Well I have news for you chick.... my parents work full time and they love me and spend time with me. They're working to provide an incredible life for me. I'm thankful mom and pops for the work you do so that I can have the experiences that I have. I know that one day I too want to help change the world, but I want a job so I can provide a lifestyle for my kids similar to what I've experienced. Oh gosh this debate turned into her crying and just being an emotional drunk.  I was in bed trying to sleep while listening to all this. I could go on for days about her but I'll stop.
       Saturday- another breakfast of 20 scrambled eggs with cheese for 6 of us.  We headed into town to walk around. There are about 2000 residents in this town built with 7 foot mud walls. It's comparable to Native American villages in the Southwestern part of the states. That's the best way to describe it. It was so different, but yet so beautiful.  We set up a tour and then searched for "adventure hats" for a few of the boys. They were successful in finding bucket haps with sun flaps.  Rob and Mat purchased "desert scarves" too. What a group we were. 9 of us went on a tour with K2 Touring. We were in yet another van and drove through Death Valley. You know the scenes in Star Wars where the pods race through the desert like canyons? That's how we felt. Literally looked the exact same. We arrived at giant sand dunes ready to sand board and ski.  After getting fitted for our boards we climbed up the sand mountain. You wear shoes and just strap into a normal snow board once you're at the top.  After the boys had a little bit of liquid encouragement we were ready to fly down.  It was so fun to straight line down the mountain. I think Murphy gets the award for best falls of the day after he tomahawked a couple of times. Mark mastered the face plant and Brandan looked like a coal miner when were were finished. I think I had about 6 runs including one on skies. Rob and I were the only ones that tried skiing and talk about a work out hiking up straight sand carrying skies and poles while wearing ski boots! You couldn't go very fast in the skies but still fun. Rob had an excellent crash all captured on Mat's camera.  Maybe this is what aliens are doing on other planets while we usually ski on snow?  After death valley we headed to valle de la luna (moon valley) and watched the sunset. Some places of this valley haven't seen rain in hundreds of years.  sunset was pretty and we were all on such a high after the dunes that even the simplest things were incredible. As I went to the edge of the cliff one tour guide said "be careful. with this wind you could go over if you don't have wings or don't know how to fly" thanks for the warning! I lived to tell the tale obviously.  Another night of guac and chips with chirizo and grilled onions! yummy.  We made friends with 3 different american girls at our hostel who were actually cool. Oh Andres told us we weren't allowed to drink at our hostel or hang out there during the night after the previous night's incident. That didn't stop us! ha After finishing 2 bottles of pisco and 12 beers between 5 people we were ready to go out on the town with our new friends. We wandered around town, and couldn't be more American; dancing and singing in the streets, parkour, and the general loud english being spoken. We decided every bar was too expensive to even hang out in, so we went to the boleteria. After a purchase of 4 bottles of pisco and Coke the adventure picked up. One Chilean started talking to me saying that he knows where to get weed. He casually pulled some out of his pocket as we're in the street. It's midnight and you're in the middle of the street hanging out, interesting guy.  A few people were happy about that weed after packing it into a cigarette using the end of a pair of headphones. After posing for pictures with another hammered Chilean we wandered to the desert making an important stop on the way....a playground!! We must have spent an hour at that playground. Picture 12 Americans doing 360s, backflips, balance beams and yoga all while taking pulls of pisco. Mat at one point forgot my name and tried really hard to remember it and settled on "Erika". Rob made lots of new friends with stray dogs and enjoyed having them bite his hands thinking that was a fun game. Mark went to the desert by himself and came back 20 minutes later and kept saying how "crrrrrrazy" the desert was. We eventually all wandered to the desert and were all together at that point. Mark, Logan, Austin and Brandan made their way to a gypsy tent and danced with 70 year old women and had a guy chase them out the door, Rob wandered around by himself, Mat and Paul went back to the hostel and Murphy and I raced through the desert. Not sure what happened to everyone else at that point. Mark and Logan told Murphy and I about their adventure and then we decided we should probably run through the desert again. This is when, at the exact same time, Murphy and Logan ate the desert as they fell running over a hill. That image will be engrained in my mind for ever.  After looking at the stars while Murphy kept saying "well hey there nothing" and me questioning him saying "well hey there something" in reference to the night sky we made our way back.  We ran back and as I look to my right there's Mark passed out on the ground. I slap him a few times and eventually get him to stand up and continue running. Mark made it back to his hostel and Logan, Murphy and I made it to ours only to find Andres' mother extremely upset with my friends. Apparently music had been blaring, profanity was yelled (which she was uncomfortable with because she doesn't understand english), and a mess was being made. I calmed down mama and told her not to worry that I would get everything under control.  The chicks that we didn't like from 2 nights before happened to be there which made for a bad encounter between the boys and them.  I walked Rob back to his hostel because mama was especially upset with him. When I came back I found Austin trying to wash his face telling me how uncomfortable he was, Mat in bed speaking spanish to me, Paul and Murphy passed out, Logan arguing with the chicks, and Brandan no where to be found.  After pulling Logan away from almost getting in a fight we went and looked for Brandan. Where do you start looking for someone at 4 in the morning in the middle of the desert on the Bolivian border? Yeah we didn't know either so after calling him 15 times and texting him, shouting his name and wandering around we went to bed. At 6:30am I got a call from him telling me he was with people, but didn't know any of them (obviously because everyone he knew was asleep).  He said he thought he needed to go North West to get to town and somehow made it to the hostel and I let him in. He was freezing and had lost his hat, but what a relief that he was safe and not with some gypsies or on a truck crossing the Andes to Bolivia. This was one of my favorite nights of the trip and one of my favorite nights of my life. I was constantly laughing and having great conversations, loving life being sober. Murphy and I kept talking about how life is like a wall and you're constantly moving forward, you don't know what's going to happen at the end of the street, what will happen tomorrow, or what will happen in 10 years. All you know is life is going to keep going (never sure for how long you'll be around) so hang on and love the ride.
   Sunday- more eggs for breakfast and lots of stories for me to share with everyone about the night before. We then attempted to ride bikes, but with 40mph wind gusts and no shelter it was brutal. We were again covered in sand and mud after having to cross rivers. We didn't ride very far and turned around headed to an ice cream shop instead (good substitute!)  The Grand Duke was the favorite kind amongst all of us.  We were all pretty tired and the weather was brutal so we decided to hang out and watch American football. We watched at the Broncos yet again dominated. By 11 we were asleep.
  Monday- travel day. Left the hostel at 8:30 (actually 9 because of Chilean time) and got to the airport at 10:05. My flight was at 10:30 and everyone else at 11:30.  LAN airlines has great customer service and they got me through the line and I was set. Security again was actually a joke and I walked right on the plane to seat 1A sitting all by myself enjoying the view again.  We made it back to Vina at 6 after taking 2 buses after the plane.
     This trip was phenomenal. Being able to share experiences and make memories like this is my favorite part of life. Being able to meet new people and hear new things contributes to my desire to continue traveling and trying new things every day. On the trip I finished the book Into the Wild, the story of a 24 year old seeking adventure in the Alaskan Wilderness for 112 days living on the land alone, and as Chris reflects on the last days of his life he says "happiness only real when shared".   Although I don't completely agree with this statement because there have been plenty of times when I'm happy alone, I think happiness is enhanced when shared. It's every girl's dream to travel with 9 guys and be the only girl right? This trip was awesome and I thank all the boys for contributing to its success. Thank you for constantly teezing me, being thankful when I cook you food and keeping me safe from pursuing Chilean men. Thank you for opening my eyes to new ideas and experiences and reaffirming that there are great people in this world. Most importantly thank you for making memories with me that will last a lifetime that we'll be able to share with our grandkids, and some memories that will remain in my journal.

Sorry this was so long, but I'm sure you were just surfing facebook anyway so reading this was at least a little productive!

    "The desert is the environment of revelation, genetically and physiologically alien, sensorily austere, esthetically abstract, historically inimical...its forms are bold and suggestive. The mind is beset by light and space, the kinesthetic novelty of aridity, high temperature, and wind. The desert sky is encircling, majestic  terrible. in other habitats, the rim of sky above the horizontal is broken or obscured: here, together with the overhead portion, it is infinitely vaster than that of rolling countryside and forest lands.... In an unobstructed sky the clouds seem more massive, sometimes grandly reflecting the earth's curvature on their concave undersides. The angularity of desert landforms imparts a monumental architecture to the clouds as well as to the land....  To the desert go prophets and hermits; through deserts go pilgrims and exiles. Here the leaders of the great religions have sought the therapeutic and spiritual values of retreat, not to escape but to find reality."- Paul Shepard: Man in the Landscape  (exported from Into the Wild)

Rob on the bike ride

flying over the Andes

Main Street San pedro at dusk

Valle Nevado

It's almost spring here, which means there aren't many more ski days left. Naturally we needed to another ski day so I began looking into how we could ski another resort besides Portillo since we skied there last month. 

   Friday morning came early as Mark, Logan, Murphy, Austin, Mat, Rob, and I met at the bus terminal in Viña at 5:15.  We left promptly at 5:30 headed to Santiago on a big tour bus that was at least 90 degrees inside. After arriving in Santiago at 7am we headed to the metro for our 30 minute subway ride. 7:30am+Friday+big city=rush hour so consequently we were jammed against the window for the ride with our backpacks and many clothing layers. We got off the subway and began looking for a building called "Omni" to meet up with our tour group. We could feel all the stares from the Chileans as they see 7 gringos walking down the street with backpacks just trying to go skiing. One guy saw us and motioned us in the right direction and thank God he did or we would've continued wandering. After meeting up with the tour group, SantiagoExchange, we headed on our 37km drive to the Andes. There had to be at least 50 switchbacks on the road up the mountain. Logan said it was probably the prettiest drive he's been on. I would compare it to Going-to-the-sun road in Glacier National Park in Montana. It was beautiful with waterfalls, desert cacti and then finally snow. We got all situated with rentals and were skiing by 11am.  You know those songs that you hear and can't get out of your head? Well before skiing we heard "You're the Voice" by John Farham and that's all we thought about all day, because we had no idea what song it was and we only knew part of the chorus which goes "woah, woah, wo-oh oh...."(check out the song and it'll be in your head too) Stay tuned as the boys have pledged to make an epic music video to it . Anyway, the snow wasn't the greatest, but it's hard to complain when we're all used to skiing in either Colorado or Utah(Mat goes to Westminster in Salt Lake and the rest of us go to DU). It's just late in the season here and nowhere has had a very good year for snow. We had fun being on a pretty deserted mountain skiing fast and making jumps. There really is no feeling like flying down a mountain as fast as you can with the wind straight in your face. A cheeseburger and french fry lunch was included and enjoyed, except maybe by Mat who probably got food poisoning from it.  Going to ski resorts here you see a lot of Brazilians and North Americans so it's fun to meet new people and exchange stories of why you're here in Chile. After a snack of peanut butter sandwiches, Pringles and carrots (it was like me feeding my little kindergarten soccer team) we left the resort at 5pm and headed to the metro. Riding the metro at 6:30pm on a Friday is also a very busy time. This time we were even more cramped than the morning. Santiago's metro is the 18th busiest subway in the world. Daily there are 2,400,000 passengers that use South America's most extensive subway system. Chile is a safe country but when you're using public transportation and everything about you screams "gringo" you've got to be careful, which we were of course. We bought tickets for a 7:50pm bus ride back to Viña and were able to get home for the last third of the Chilean National futbol game (Chile won 3-0). At the end of the day I was elated. Happy to have skied, been with friends, and been in the mountains. Really, what more could one ask for? 

Valle Nevado

We're getting good at the chairlift selfies

Logan 

Merica. They absolutely love when we take group pictures! 

You don't see this every day in the states

There have been several times here when I think "that wouldn't fly in the US" or "you don't see that everyday back home".  I often laugh at these times thinking how different other cultures are, but yet how similar they can be as well.

1. Stikes
   In Chile if people aren't happy with a current situation they go on strike. For example, the postal service was on strike all last month demanding higher wages. This meant no mail into the country (well the mail got dropped off in a big pile in Santiago) and no mail leaving the country. This is apparently acceptable here and happens multiple times a year. Now the Registro Civil (DMV, marriage license office, ID) is on strike. There's no telling when these strikes end. You just have to wait them out.  Students are often on strike as well demanding lower tuition at universities. One of my professors here said "If you American students were Chileans you would not be going to college, but rather protesting because your tuition prices are outrageous in the states." I suppose this is a good way for them to get what they demand, but creates an added adventure for citizens.  Don't worry we had to sign a paper declaring we won't participate in any protests while here.

2. Tattoo artists at the flee markets
    Looking for a quick tattoo and want the serenity of being on the beach while getting one? Come to Chile, where you need look no further than the local flee market. A man can give you a real tattoo within a matter of minutes as you sit in front of passer byes and then you'll be on your way.

3. Jugglers/street performers
    You can make money here by performing your latest and greatest talent to drivers as they stop at the stop light.  Anything from flame juggling, salsa dancing, unicycle riding, and break dancing on your head will fly. At the university the other day someone was juggling 4 top hats in the middle of the common area. He was quite entertaining to watch.

juggler at school

4. Hitting other cars
    If you get in an accident in the US what do you usually do? File a police report if the damage is over $1000 or if less than that you settle with the other driver. Here it seems common to have a couple of door dings or dents your car. It adds character to it. I have seen countless fender benders where the drivers simply wave to one another and continue on their merry way. The other day on the bus to school we turned right and literally moved the car next to us as we scraped the side of it. Despite scaring the poor driver and moving her car several feet we continued driving.

5. Wild dogs
     DOGS EVERYWHERE! literally everywhere-parks, restaurants, the beach. Petting the dogs results in a new best friend for you who follows your every move. The dogs chase cars like it is a game of tag. They get so close to the cars as to bite the rubber on the tires. Sometimes people leave food out for the dogs, other times they rummage through the trash.

6. Street Sweepers
   Not the big street sweeping trucks, but rather workers with brooms. Many streets are swept by hand every single day.  Real manual labor right there.

7. Buses with no rules
    Public transportation here is very common. A lot of families have no car or only one car, so public transportation is necessary. You can take buses all over the city and to other cities which is great, but be prepared to literally jump off the bus when you are ready to go because the drivers rarely come to a complete stop. You also never really know how much is going to cost. It could be anywhere from 300 pesos ($.60) to 500 pesos ($1USD).  The rate changes depending on what bus you take and what time of the day you take it. There are no schedules for the buses you just stand on the sidewalk and wait till you think you see a bus going near where you need to go.  One night my friends and I jumped on a bus and were the only people stupid enough to get on after the co-pilot hopped out and asked "need a ride" and we said "sure". Our ride could be comparable to Harry's ride on the Knight Bus in Harry Potter. The driver was going 70mph while passing cars with only inches to spare as we flew across the aisle. After jumping off the bus we were amazed we survived and couldn't stop laughing.

8. Window washers
    While at a stop light you can have your windows washed by 2 guys who will use Coke bottles filled with water to squirt liquid on your car and then squeegee it off. You pay them what you see fit. While your car is parked on the street it is common to come back and see that someone is washing it or the windows for you.

9. Lack of lines
   I don't think Chileans were taught how to stand in a single file line in kindergarten.  Getting on the bus each morning to school requires you to be aggressive as you push through the crowd. At mass when receiving communion usually people get up row by row and walk orderly to the front of the church. This is not the case here where instead everywhere stands up at the same time and weasels their way in.

10.  Audience while you run
    Last week I went on a run. It took about 10 minutes to run to the beach after dodging cars, people and pot holes. I proceeded along the beach and then trough the city on my way back home. It's nice to have encouragement while you run but I'm not sure that cat calls, kisses blown, and honks were the encouragement I was looking for.

*These instances could occur in the US, but I don't usually encounter them throughout my daily life at home in America. I'm comparing this experience to mine in America because that's where I know best. I love encountering new things every day that reinforce that I'm not in America anymore!