Thankful for.....

It's Thanksgiving this week. Ya know the funny holiday where Americans watch the Macy's Thanksgiving parade, eat, sit on the couch and watch football, eat desserts, nap and then go shopping the next day. It's a bizarre tradition for anyone who hasn't grown up with it to understand but Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. The food, football, family and a million reasons to be forced to count your blessings. This year my family will be here to celebrate Thanksgiving in Chile. So here's what I say Thank You to Chile and this whole experience for:

• the countless times I laugh and smile because I don't know what's going on
• ice cream (manjar, peanut&chocolate, Gran Duke, Mora)
• empanadas (chicken, corn and cheese)
• my health-not dying in Bolivia and not having massive scars from the bug bites
• public transportation and somehow not getting ran over by buses 
• the bagel shop
• strawberries and all fresh fruit every day
• having the ocean just a walk away
• skiing in the Andes (the PERFECT blue bird day at Portillo)
• improving my Spanish and finally having a clue as to what is going on
• my iPhone 
• being able to see desert, high plains, glaciers, mountains, beach 
• peanut butter (even if it is $7 a jar)
• parents sending me a care package
• casual reading books
• skype and Viber
• runs along the coast
• sunsets over the ocean
• for kind people giving us gringos directions when we're lost
• nights at Merano, Oasis, Journal, Juglar spent sharing stories

Shout out time because what I'm most thankful for are the people in my life here who have contributed to this being an incredible experience-

• "the boys" (Mat, Mark, Murphy, Logan, Brandan, Austin, Paul, Rob)- for the countless teasing and calling me "mom", quoting movie lines that of course I have never seen, the women jokes and having the goal of me becoming an alcoholic (not even close to happening).  But the never ending big hugs and times of laughter and sharing in the greatest adventures I've ever had
• Meghan, Kelly, Jen- for somehow still dancing with me and just laughing at my "dad" jokes. For baking every week and sharing in my love of chocolate and peanut butter. morning runs on the beach or sunset ice creams. oh and thanks Jen for providing Netflix to all of us. thanks kids. 
• Caroline- Tuesday/Thursday school bus rides
• Andy-for your grizzly bear look but your kind heart :) for also being my dance partner and keeping me safe at Mero
• Cali&Erin-for pizza night and sharing in all our adventures here and life pre-Chile. and Cali for sharing books, laughter and Morachas.
• Jaime- for help planning trips and making endless copies for personal matters. and for getting me cookies :)
• Megan&Tyler- for your Christ like presence
• Nate, Jason, John- for sharing your funny stories about your travels and for providing endless laughter listening to your raps
• Emily, Megan, Eden, Nikoll, Lexi, Myrna, Lindsey- for the nights at Lime, or the nights out or sharing in our baked goods
• Jody-for being my first friend and roommate in Santiago
• Casey&David- for waiting with me at the bus stop to go home at night for what seems likes hours. and David for giving me your jacket those first few weeks when I was always freezing
• Sam&Ben- for sunset walks, undying love for each other and your senses of humor.and Sam thanks for being my partner in Patagonia next week.
• Taylor-for being the only one in ISA with a Southern accent 
• Hannah&Alex- for keeping me alive in Bolivia and showing us around Cusco. for showing us the nightlife and Cusco on a lighter note. and for Hannah coming to Patagonia next week
• Manuel Casanueva- for being all of our favorite professor here. for teaching not from the books but rather from documentaries and personal experiences. and for dancing in class.
• Kristoff, Pierre, Anna, Ina, Lorenzo, Michael and all the other international students from outside the USA- for sharing your cultures and speaking english even though it isn't your first language
• Macarena, Giovanni, Esteban, Carlos- for giving me an insight to Chilean life
• my host family and all their friends- for taking me and loving me as your own. for laughing at my mistakes and enjoying my successes. for teaching me about Chilean culture, sharing your food, and for contributing to me growing as a person. 
• Brittney, Rachel, Annie, Laura, Garret Kiki, Allison, Ali, Irene, Sam, Rylie, Katrin, Susie, Hannah, Megan, Ana (DU friends)- for your support and encouragement and listening to my adventures via skype and viber. and for sharing your adventures with me.
• Allison, Tiffany, Angie, Mike, Devin, Zoe, Brad, Steph, Kylee (friends from home)-for being interested in my life and keeping me updated on what's going on at home. for sending snap chats of the fall colors or the falling snow
• Mom, Dad, TJ- for allowing me to come on this journey and supporting me. for listening to me ramble on skype. for enjoying my success and adventures with me. I can't wait to spend Thanksgiving with all of you here. 

So thank you all for contributing to my baggage as I carry it along with me on this journey called life!

ISA 

the boys

Andy

Rob, Murphy and me

"We must find time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives."-JFK

a few of my favorite things

It's time for Oprah's annual favorite things list so I figured I'd shard my favorite things about my time abroad. My list doesn't include high priced fancy purses and make up. Some would say it's on the simpler side of things, but hey life is simple when you don't choose to complicate it.

1) Baglemania- Chile's only bagel shop. The only bagel shop for 17 million people! It's located upstairs of the Santa Isabel on 1 poniente and 9 norte in Vina.  The owner even gives a 10% discount to students. They have different types of bagels, but only plain cream cheese. Nonetheless it's a little taste of home. http://www.bagelmania.cl/index.html

2) The beach- promising beautiful sunsets every night. The best sunsets were in August and September. I'll miss watching the waves kiss the shore.

3) Empanadas- Chicken and cheese, hawaiian, cheese. The best empanada I had was with Andy in Reñaca at a little shop next to 6 other empanada shops. El Mono in Con Con had great empanadas too.

chicken, corn and cheese empanada

4) Ice Cream/Gelato- Bravissimo & Mo's.  Manjar mixed with chocolate, or maybe mora (blackberry) or frutilla (strawberry). the Grand Duke flavor in San Pedro de Atacama was amazing too. It's usually $3USD for 2 scoops of ice cream in a cone.

5) Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand- my favorite book I've read here. I recommend it to everyone. A story of courage, determination, survival and family.  The movie comes out Christmas day 2014 so you have a bit of time to read it before you see the movie.

6) 500 peso coins- 500 pesos=$1USD so when you get a 500 coin it can be used for so many things. Murphy has a stack of them to buy coffee at school on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I love them for the bus, Cali buys treats with them.

7) iPhone 4S- thankful for this gadget and all it's fun-snapchat, instagram, viber, ScoreCenter.  And thankful to the camera and it's fancy panorama pictures

8) Buff Headwear- I have 2 buffs with me that mom got me for my birthday and I love them! I have a headband and an original buff that I've worn as a headband, neck gator, and beanie.  Everyone should own a few buffs http://www.buffusa.com/sports

9) Pizzeria Ecuador- we discovered this place last week on Calle Ecuador in Valpo (#277 calle Ecuador) The pizza was super good. For $7USD you get 3 toppings on an 8 slice pizza so last week we tried a strange combo of chicken, onion and honey. Turned out to be tasty dispite what you are thinking. Can't wait for pizza Tuesday tomorrow to try something else.

10) Guatero- a rubber bag filled with hot water with a fabric covering. It's used to put at the foot of your bed when it's cold and it keeps you nice and warm. For those of you who know me well know that I am ALWAYS cold so this was a lifesaver the first few months here. Mama had it ready for me every night.  I'd say it's pretty close to being as good as my electric blan ket back at DU.

guatero

11) Cupkiss-  discovered by Kelly and Meghan. A secret gem located on 14 norte and about 2 poinente in Viña.  The little shop has about 10 kinds of cupcakes-lemon, blueberry, strawberry, peanut butter, nutella, white chocolate, vanilla, and our favorite....carrot!  At $2 a cupcake it's a good thing we didn't discover this place sooner or we'd be even more broke

12) Sal Merono (better known as the beach clube)- okay this place isn't actually one of my favorites, but every time I've been a new adventure occurs.  Like the one time I went and forgot to bring any sort of ID so I used Kelly and passed back. You only have to be 18 to get into clubs and bars here so it wasn't like I was doing anything illegal I just forgot my id. Funny thing is Kelly had her MA ID and she's about 5'2" and 110 lbs and has light brown hair so anyone in the states would clearly laugh at our attempt, but it worked.

13) my journal- for all those stories that I'll look back at laugh at in a few years, or months.

14) avocados, strawberries, clementines- each eaten on a daily basis. No produce is pumped fill of pesticides and preservatives so it's all fresh. Produce is generally very cheap too

15) ted.com/talks, documentaryheaven.com- for those times when nothing is appealing on NetFlix and you want to learn a thing or two

I think I've had lots of favorite moments here that aren't necessarily "things". Like the mornings spent baking, or walks along the beach at sunset, or Sunday lunch with my family. Moments of sitting on bus rides somehow still enjoying ourselves 12 hours later. The times playing cards and listening to oldies music. The times spent meeting up to do homework with friends but really just sharing stories of our lives. Those would be my favorite moments.

“Because there’s nothing more beautiful than the way the ocean refuses to stop kissing the shoreline, no matter how many times it’s sent away.” - Sarah Kay

Climbing to heaven

This past weekend we took a trip with our program down south to Pucón(International Study Abroad). I think we were all hesitant and had our reservations about going with the program because there were around 60 of us and 3 coordinators and at this point we're pretty over the whole kindergarten field trip stuff. But nonetheless they paid for our bus tickets and cabins in our "included excursion" so I guess that saved a little money while we paid for everything else on our own.

            Thursday night began waiting for 40 minutes at the bus terminal and collecting our $10 for 3 days of breakfast from the trip coordinators.  The 12 hour bus ride began around 9pm.  The routine has become very familiar at this point-put your bag under the bus, find your seat, talk to friends and eat snacks for a few hours, try and get comfortable and sleep around midnight and see how long you can stay asleep.  Never mind the ever changing temperature in the bus, flickering lights, occasional kick to the back of your seat and that one person who snores. After finally getting to Pucón around 9:30am and checking into our cabins we boarded another bus and set out with all 60 of us for a tour around Pucón. The weather was super rainy which turned out to be pretty fun as we climbed up to 3 waterfalls and all pretended to be the next Tarzan. We sampled 5 kinds of bread and some sort of milk in an old Mapuche hut (indigenous group), went to a lake and natural hot springs and the waterfalls. After the drive back all smelling like wet dogs it was time for us to make dinner on our own.  After making fettuccine alfredo, chicken and broccoli it seemed like going to bed was the best idea. Meghan, Kelly and I shared a queen bed with Jen having the twin to herself.  Believe it or not 3 people in a queen isn't bad unless someone is an ugly sleeper and makes noises when they sleep (mmmm Meghan). Saturday we went hidrospeeding.  Another activity that is probably outlawed in the states or would at least require a waiver, but in Chile all it requires is some cold hard cash.  Us 4 girls and the guys piled into yet another white van and made our way to the river.  We suited up in those ever form fitting wet suits, water socks, helmet, life vest and to top off the outfit...flippers.  We also got our little foam boards that would be floatation devices for the next hour. Quite a comical scene as we jumped stumbled in the glacier water ready to float over some rapids. The guides we were with would ask us to try and stay in a line like ducklings with their mom, but that obviously would prove to be difficult and not as fun. We made it down the class II rapids laughing most of the way, in between shocks of water rushing over our faces. After learning we only went through class II rapids and our guides have done class V I'm determined to find more places to hidrospeed.  Fun fact- Mike Horn holds the record for highest waterfall hidrosped/riverboarded in Costa Rica on a 22 m (72 ft.) waterfall.

After some wraps for lunch and singing entertainment provided by Kelly and I we headed to the lake filled with glacier water. As if we weren't cold enough from the river Kelly and I went for a swim and stayed in the water for almost an hour while everyone else hung out on shore soaking in the rays and quite possibly letting their stomachs soak in some beverages (but that's not legal in public places like the beach so we'll let you leave what happened on the beach up to your imagination).  Regardless it was a lot of fun just to be outside in the sun with friends.  Saturday night was more pasta and chicken for dinner and then bed time at midnight.
      Sunday morning's wake up call came at 5:50am and I was pumped. I've always loved mornings and this was going to be no exception. We made breakfast burritos in the dark for fear of waking up the other members of our cabin. We met the boys and our tour guides at 6:45am and got suited up in our climbing gear to climb a volcano.  We had boots, jackets, helmets, backpacks...the whole bit. In our white van we headed about 40 minutes to the base of Volcan Villarcia. It was a beautiful, sunny day as we hopped on the chairlift. Jen survived her first ever chair lift ride and after that we were ready to start our 4 hour ascent to the summit of the active volcano.  As I looked up the mountain I kept thinking about "the ants go marching one by one" because there were probably 20 tour groups all keeping a steady pace up the switchbacks.  The volcan had just gotten fresh snow so the whole climb was in snow. Our guide paced the front and we all followed like dutiful soldiers. At the beginning everyone was talking and the boys played our favorite 20 questions game, but towards the end everyone was silent. It wouldn't have mattered if you did talk because the wind was so strong that you couldn't hear anything.  Our cramp-ons and ice picks became our best friends up that mountain. I wouldn't say hiking it was the most fun, but the summit was definitely worth it. After reaching the summit just before 1pm celebration ensued.  A gallizion or so photos were taken, sandwiches were feasted on and beers were shotgunned using an ice axe to open them. Brandan lost a bet and had to lay naked in the snow; Kelly, Meghan and I took our 5 layers off and ran topless through the snow making the other people on the summit wonder if we were from the circus or something.  The smell of sulfur was powerful much like the geysers at Yellowstone. There aren't very many places where you can peer into the top of an active volcano. We had climbed about 4500 ft. The summit of the volcano is 2,860m (9,383ft). The decent was only about 2 hours because with the help of your butt and ice pick you can slide down for good chunks of time, walk for a minute or two and continue sliding down.  The fog had rolled in so you would slide into complete oblivion.  The feeling of penguin sliding down a volcano is something everyone should experience. So go for it the next time you climb a volcano.  By the time we reached the base we were all soaking, but completely elated.  There's something about conquering a physical feet like a mountain and realizing you're only a small part of this great big world. Standing a top an active volcano above the clouds looking out to the vastness almost gives you the feeling of being invincible. Maybe not invincible, but the feeling that if climbing volcanos is possible what is impossible?

Pucon Tours was awesome to go with and for $95USD for 2 days of entertainment we were happy.

     After a quick swim in the lake, showers, and chicken salad we piled back into a bus to head back to Vina.  After several jokes about the Jac bus station, manjar and cookies, predicting my friends futures, and me asking a million questions we all fell asleep  attempted to sleep. We arrived in Viña around 7am and had classes that day.
    Now back to the title of this post it comes into play with a book I read on the trip called Proof of Heaven by Eben Alexander. I've read a few books now about people's near death experiences and their trips to heaven and returns back to earth.  Reading a book like this when you're with a big group of people makes for a great conversation stater because everyone has their own opinions.  I don't know how much of people's "journeys" to heaven really happen and how much of it is a chemical released in your brain after you die but it's interesting to read about.  After discussions between my friends and me we've all concluded that we just want to go to heaven one time, and never come back. Say what's up to the Man upstairs and hang out with Him for the rest of eternity.  I think heaven is a happy place full of incredible powder ski days, beaches, waterfalls and millions of new and old friends. All I know is that if heaven is as great as my life has been the past 20 years then I'll be happy for eternity.

Meghan, Jen, Kelly and I

photo cred: Brandan Clark

Ants go marching one by one photo cred: Andrew Bernstein

Time

Time: "the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole." 

  In the United States and many other places in the world the ticking of a clock is always present. Even if you don't think your conscious or subconscious recognizes time believe me it does. You know that saying "time flies"? Well does it? I mean obviously it's just a figurative saying because time can't FLY, but what does that saying really mean? That life is just happening quickly and we don't take time to sit and reflect about what is actually going on around us? "being on time" or "staying on time"in Chile is less revenant than I've ever experienced before. I have professors that have shown up half an hour late to class or ended class ten minutes early, or both.  Some Chilean students have just left class in the middle of a lecture.  The buses don't run on a schedule and you can't find any info online about them.  Mass always starts a few minutes late, restaurants close for a few hours on Saturday afternoon. I'm convinced the Chilean postal service just picks days they choose to deliver mail and other days just holds onto the mail.  Mom told me something the other day that rings so true; she said "I think that's the biggest thing you've learned down there. How to be at the mercy of others. Going along with whatever comes your way." It's true. Going along with the public transportation, the countless strikes of the postal service, trash men, registration offices, and school where classes may be cancelled last minute or professors may come late.

I think I enjoy what I have been able to experience here and have really learned to just slow down. I find myself walking quickly on the sidewalk until I catch up with a group of chatty teenagers and at their mercy I walk behind them with a slower pace. Or when I see a grandma and I catch up to her and it's almost like a punch to the face, when I am forced to slow down and take in all that's around me. We live in a world where everything is trying to be sped up. We speed read, speed date, speed walk all in hopes of getting more done.  My life has been go, go, go since I was 5 years old and that was incredibly emphasized in middle and high school when I was up at 5am to ice skate and mom would turn my lights off at midnight while I was studying if I wanted to skate again the next morning. In college that continued as I spent countless nights watching the sunrise and taking power naps on the floor of my freshmen dorm lounge at 3am. I'd walk around campus with my iPhone sending emails on my way to class and making phone calls during breaks. I'd eat meals with my laptop open so I could study for a test. I'd be in the car going skiing studying flash cards.  This isn't to say that these habits are bad because I think I've accomplished quite a few things in my 20 years, but it's like living in the fast lane 24/7. I've always said I love everything I do. I love tutoring, skating, playing lacrosse, skiing, working out, organizing events, volunteering, etc. but it's easy to get caught up in the rush.

Here I sit without a phone and stare into a friend's eyes when having lunch because there are no other distractions.  I walk down the sidewalks and look at the flowers and smell the bbqs and listen to the blaring soccer games on tv roaring out people's windows instead of being fixed on an iPhone.  I stay in bed because it's okay to not be awake by 8am on the weekends.

I'm sure I'll continue to go back to my life being busy, busy but I'll be more conscious of time. I'll realize how important it is to just be present in the moment.  I think being present only improves relationships with friends, coworkers, family, etc. And after all, the world needs more love and compassion.

I recently watched this Ted Talk and Carl Honoré sums it up perfectly. It's really, really worth taking the time to watch it. He discusses the view of time in the west saying we have an idea that " You either use it or lose it. Time is money" If time is scarce do we have to speed up our lives to do more with that time or just enjoy what we are already doing?  Is it possible to slow down and still enjoy our lives and have adrenaline rushes without being overloaded and constantly on the run? I'd like to think so.