The Group

Me, Borja (Spain), K'pa (Basque), Simion (Germany), Ramon (Mexico), Xioming (Basque), Natherat (Spain), Marta (Spain), Aurora (France) 

La Serena Road Trip, Exams, Moving

well there were no classes scheduled for last weeks classes because it was the independence day for Chile. So me and 8 other friends rented a van and a car and went on a road trip north to do some camping and celebrate independence day for Chile. In the van we had Simion (German), Marta (Espana), Aurora (France), Borja (Spain), Natheret (Spain, she came down for about 10 days to visit Borja), and me (Canadian for those who didnt know). In the other car it was Ramon (Mexico), Xioming (Basque), and Kpa (Basque). For those of you wondering where Basque is it is a part of Spain that wants its inderpence and even though it is recognized as Spain they see themselves as their own country. So first we headed up to a place called Coquimbo. There was a huge circus thing going on and a bunch of people were camped out there on dirt... so we joined them. This place is kind of run down and you could see it in the people. They didnt stop staring at us because we were foreigners and they wouldnt leave us alone. It ended up being a little uncomfortable actually. So the next day we headed in Valle de Eike. This valley is know for its pisco production and they actually ended up naming a town pisco because of it. We cruised around there for about 3 days and camped in Pisco and an amazing little jem we found in the middle of nowhere with a swimming pool. It was great. In pisco is where we were for the independence day and we went to a couple parties in a big hall and in the plaza de armas. We had a great time and I couldnt have gone with a better group. 

When I got back reality kinda hit and I had to start studying for two exams that I had this week. One was in Administracion de Empresas 2 (Business Admin. 2) and Recursos Humanos (Human Resources). The Human Resources one was first and right before the test my proff wispered to me and asked if I would prefer writing in english (I said yes before he could finish). Then my next exam was yesterday and the proff doesnt know english so I didnt get that advantage. It was really really difficult and I would have done great if it was in english because I had the ideas but I just couldnt write everything I wanted to say. It was a case study analysis exam, yeah not cool. I hope the proff gives me "exchange student marks". 

And now tomorrow morning I am moving! I am excited. To be honest I dont really have a set place to live as of now. I am going to live with my buddy Borja. He is living with Marta and Aurora and Aurora is taking off for 10 days tomorrow and said I could crash in her room. They live in a 3 story place and each floor is its own house. The floor above has 2 people that want to move out by the end of the week. One guy told me last night that he was 99% sure, so that is great news. I can just move right up stairs, be close to my friends and live in the best cerro (hill) in Valparaiso. IF that doesnt work out Borja and I have a plan... its a good one! haha. So when you walk into Borjas place there is an empty place that could be a room and we said we would set up a tent there and both of us would switch off and on and split the cost of his room. Borja is always looking to save money since he doesnt have much so I think he would like this idea haha. I am sure I will be living upstairs though, dont worry ma and pa. 

So that is about all for now. I am getting used to life down here and starting to get comfortable and have made some amazing friends and I know some will be life long which is fantastic. Borja and his girl Natheret want Lauren and I to visit them in a year or more so we can do a road trip in Borjas van throughout all of Spain... is there a better way to see a country? really?! 

video

If you wish to get a little better feel for Valpo check out the cheesy video at the bottom of the page. Click on the first one and you can watch it at the top of the blog. 

Update

Well since my last post I have done a few pretty rad things. First of all I found out that there was a pro volleyball tourny going on in Vina del Mar (city attached to Valparaiso) so I HAD to go check that out. Sure enough Brasil was playing and they brought some of their best players to the tourny like Giba who is considered to be the best player in the world. Yeah so amazing. I watched Venezuela vs. Uruguay and Brasil vs. Columbia the first night then the second night I watched Brasil vs. Venezuela which was suppose to be the highlight game of the tourny. Brasil still rolled over Venezuela but it was a great atmosphere. So that was a huge highlight for me. 

After the game on the second night I met up with some friends and there was this kind of, I guess you would call it an art show/circus. It being held by lots of different kinds of artists in valparaiso and vina del mar. It was in a house where artists live for free and its a huge open space. Very cool atmosphere. There was a mime, jugglers, clown, trapeze act, and capuara. That was a very cool experience also. 

Other than that classes are still kinda kickin my butt because of the spanish barrier. There are days where I am on and can understand a lot and days when I am exhausted and things fly over my head. It is getting a little better each day. I have an exam coming up in less than two weeks where I have to read an article about a business and write a short essay about the types of styles they use and stuff... not a problem in english but this has to be all done in spanish. AHHH! I will let you know how it goes. 

I am also playing on a basketball team here. Each area of the University creates a basketball team for the semester. So we have a team with all the exchange students. We are actually pretty decent compared to the chilean teams. Tomorrow we play in the semi finals! In the quarters we played a team and won 52 - 9. haha yeah it was a blow out. 

So that is about all for now. Hope you like the new sleek look of the blog. I am home in 78 days... but whos counting haha. 

3 months today

Hola amigos, 

So last week Lauren was here visiting me and we had so much fun. We checked out santiago and caught a fubol game which was actually pretty crazy. The crowd was fighting to get into the stadium  then we found out we got sold fake tickets so we tried getting in anyway and we snuck past the guard. So we got to watch the game! It was a lot of fun. We did some other things in santiago like went up to a verry popular hill and saw a fantastic view of santiago, through the smog of course. We also checked out a couple markets, museums and other stuff. 

After that we came to Valparaiso where I live. We pretty much lived like royalty going to amazing dinners every night. We didnt go out because we usually ate so much we just wanted to watch a movie. We went to a famous poets house here in Valpo. His name was Pablo Naruda. He has some amazing poems. We also found some cool cafes. It was a great time. 

Since then I have been a little bumbed that she left me here to fend for myself but its all good haha. I have changed my flight to december 5th so I can get home on december 6th (my bday). I figured I would make it a good day. I still have to make the changes but I should be home on the 5th or 6th if things work out good. 

I have to find a new house to live in. First of all we had a spaniard living here and he moved out now it is me, a german and a chilean lady that is a little weird. I told her I am going to move out at the end of the month. She actually decided to move out to because she cant afford the house so really I have no choice. I am hoping to find a place with a mexican and argentinian. It would be really good for my spanish and they are good guys. One of them plays on my basketball team. 

So I think these three months will go by pretty quick with classes getting pretty busy, jay coming to visit me in november and such. I am kinda missing some things that Canada offers. But I am soaking it in here and realize I will all be home before I know it. 

Miss you all and I hope everyone is safe and healthy. I AM! 

Chau!