Post-Op

First, I just want to say thank you to all the well wishes that I received!! It was great to see that people were thinking of me oceans away.

The surgery went well yesterday. I got in at about 8:30 a.m. and got ready for surgery. Once in the operating room, I was pleasantly surprised at how new all the equipment was. Soon, I realized that they were only going to do a local anesthetic on my arm, and they asked me if I wanted to watch. One of the big surgical lamps had a camera in it that was connected to a TV, so I couldn't actually see them doing the surgery. At first I thought, no way do I want to watch myself get cut up. After about ten minutes of sitting there doing nothing, I decided I might as well. It wasn't nearly as bad as I had imagined.

The strangest part might have been that my brain thought my arm was somewhere else and felt it there and my real arm felt like a twenty pound appendage that didn't belong to me!

But there are some elements of hospitals that are just typical - the food was not so great, the nurses always come at the most inopportune times to do tests, and you just want to leave. But, friends did stop by with sweets and there is wireless internet here, so it hasn't been too bad.

I also have a pretty unique souvenir from Chile - a titanium plate embedded in my hand.

Surgery...

After talking to the doctor again about the surgery and a more in-depth look at what it entails, I have decided to do the surgery tomorrow and have a pin put in my hand to put the bones back into the right place.


[a picture of my x-ray. as you can see, the knuckle of my ring finger is at about the same level as my pinky... which it is not supposed to be. oh yea, and there is that large break too.]

The doctor says that I will have the bones moved into the right place so that they can heal correctly. Without the surgery, the hand would take a month in a cast to heal. With the surgery, about a week with restricted movement is all I need. [And then three months of no contact sports... :(] So, I have chosen to have the surgery.

I'm not really too sad about this all, except for the fact that I have to miss my trip to San Pedro de Atacama, a desert pueblo in the north, that I had planned for the upcoming long weekend.

Being at the doctor's also makes me laugh a little bit. All I can think of is middle and high school Spanish, we when had units on health and the doctor's office. Then, I would think to myself, "Am I really ever going to use this?" Even if I studied abroad, I sure hoped that I wouldn't have to go to the doctor for any reason. We'd have this silly skits about going to the doctor, explaining symptoms, getting treatment, etc. But hey, this has all come in handy now. First, I can explain to everyone that "Me fracturo mi mano" [I fractured my hand], which is pretty basic. But after getting my blood drawn today, I could also say, "Ojala que no me desmaye" [I hope I don't faint]. The situations just feel like I'm back in the skit during an elementary Spanish class... quite comical in the end, actually.

Bad News Blogs

Today, I had my first rugby tournament with the UPLA team. We were matched up against the Sporting Club's team and the U de Chile team. Playing 7s rugby, we decided to play three seven minute halves for each game instead of two.

The good news: we won both games and I scored a try.

The bad news: I broke my fourth metacarpal of my ring finger of my right hand while tackling someone.

I went to a center that specializes in trauma, and apparently the best place for broken bones in the area. In less than two hours, I was seen by the doctor, got an x-ray, got a response from the doctor (that I would need an operation to fix the break), and got my arm put in a temporary cast to restrict movement. But, this was of course because it was a private place, not a public hospital - meaning it costs a lot more.

On the positive side, it was also a good test of my Spanish to see if I understood what the doctor was saying and communicate what happened and what I needed for insurance. But as back-up, two girls from the team came to help me and keep me company.

Updates on the situation forthcoming...

I like blogging...

When I started this blog, I wasn't sure if I was going to keep up with it while so much was going on. But luckily, I have, and I really enjoy writing and sharing my experiences, even if I don't always know who I'm sharing them with!

I like blogging so much, that I've decided to start a second one. You may think I am crazy... and you may be right. The other blog I am starting is simply to record recipes that I have been learning/ making while abroad. I am learning recipes of traditional chilean dishes (like empanadas and pebre), sharing some classic recipes from home with my housemates by making them treats (like cookies, kanelbullar, and chocolate balls), and am experimenting with new things (like soy products). All of these things I just want to write down, record and share with anyone else who is interested.

Check it out!

The Present and the Future Collide

As some of you know, and my profile describes, I will be going to Berlin for the spring semester to study abroad again. This week, I got the final confirmation from the FU-BEST program that I had been accepted, and that I would begin to get more information [like what classes I will be enrolled in and what my host-family assignment is] in the coming months.

I finally now know that I have to be in Berlin on January 9th, which means I leave the United States on January 8th. Honestly, this gives me more time than I expected at home, but I still only have 19 days in the U.S., and only 13 days in Maryland. A slightly terrifying thought, since I will want to see as many people as I can in this time period, as well as get everything ready for Germany.

I have a little less than three months before I will be in Berlin, in a completely new experience. But I feel like I can't think about it too much, because I am still here in Chile and have to remember that I have two months left here, but here are some of my thoughts.

I went back and looked at what I wrote three months before coming here to Chile ["The Process of Getting Ready"], and I was very focused on what this experience would be like, since I had no idea what to expect. Going to Germany, I feel like I have a better idea of what the experience is going to be like. My choices for living situations were to live with a family or live alone in an apartment. Since I am not such a solitary person, I choose to live with a family - which I am very excited about. I also know concretely all the classes that are going to be offered, so I think that there will be less of a hustle and bustle about choosing classes and making sure I will get credit for them. Finally, I've been to Germany twice before and that gives me some confidence that I know what it will be like.

Of course, wait about three months and then you'll see whether my feelings about Germany are the same, or whether all my expectations yielded different results.


[Checkpoint Charlie sign from my trip in the spring...]

Spring has Sprung!

This Saturday night at midnight, we moved our clocks ahead one hour for that "Spring Forward" that we all love. Although not having to use the estufa (space-heater), not having to wear four to five layers at all times, and no more rainy days were indications that spring was on it's way, it has become much more evident in the last week.


[another beautiful day in Vaparaiso's spring]

All around town, flowers are starting to bloom both in flower boxes and on the hillsides. Our garden has been cleaned up, and looks a lot less like "The Secret Garden" and more like a real one. The days are so warm that short-sleeves are almost necessary (although some Chileans are still walking around in jackets), and I have to but on sun-screen and sun-glasses everyday. The nights are getting warmer as well. Sitting in my room, I can have the window open and hear the birds chirping away. All beautiful signs of the spring time.

But moving our clocks forward is not only a sign of spring, but a really nice benefit. True, we did lose an hour and I am no longer in the same time-zone as you east-coasters, but having that extra hour of sunlight is fantastic. It adds so much to the day! I'm so glad that spring has finally come. And unlike Maryland, there are no showers in the spring, just beautifully cloudless days by the ocean, which let you have fantastic asados!


[asado on the roof]


[i made some kanelbullar/cinnamon rolls for the gang]


[Sigrid, Cari and me on the roof]

Being an American in Chile? Think again

[Article I wrote from the Retriever Weekly, UMBC's school newspaper. Original content can be seen at www.retrieverweekly.com.]

Foreign Desk: Being an American in Chile? Think again

By Kristina Gaddy
Foreign Correspondent, The Retriever Weekly

Reading what other foreign correspondents have been writing from their adventures in Russia, England, and anywhere else in the world that UMBC students go for study abroad, there is one thing that I cannot identify with while studying here in Valparaiso, Chile.

While other students write about what is different between America and where they are, and how they might stick out as Americans, I can't say that I stick out as an American and I can't really talk about America being different. This isn't because my red hair and blue eyes stick out in a sea of black-haired, brown-eyed people and it isn't because, try as I might, I still have an accent, and it isn't because things in Chile are very different from my life in Maryland. It is because I am still in America.

Chile is in South America and, to the Chileans, it is elitist bordering on offensive to refer to the United States as America or to U.S. citizens as Americans since they too are Americans - South Americans.

So, when referring to what we usually call America, instead we have to say "Los Estados Unidos," and when referring to Americans, say "estadunidenses" or "gente de los Estados Unidos." This gets cumbersome, so the Chileans say "gringos." (Gringo is not an offensive term here, just what they use for the 'Americans' that come to their country.) And when trying to be more politically correct, they usually say "North Americans." Though Canada and Mexico are still in North America, they are also very different from the United States.

Using to learn a different term for my home and my nationality is just one of the things that is different about being in Chile and is just a glimpse at the things I am learning about Chile, the rest of the world, and myself.

Copyright: The Retriever Weekly

¡Fútbol!

It is pretty commonly known that futbol, or soccer, is much more popular in other places in the world than it is the United States, and that it is very popular in Latin America. To know this fact is one thing, to experience it is quite another.

While I am thinking about the Rugby World Cup, my first one since starting to play rugby and an event that only happens ever four years, the Chileans were totally pumped today to see Chile play Argentina for qualifiers for the World Cup in soccer.

Walking down the street in Vina, all the TVs in shops and kiosks were showing the game, as well as a huge screen that had just been set up in a plaza. If someone wasn't watching the game, they would probably have been considered a little crazy.

In the end, Chile lost to Argentina 2-0. I'm not sure of what implications this has for the team and their chances at going to the World Cup, but Giorgio made it clear what he thought the implications of this loss were for the Chilean people. He stated, in all seriousness, "Si ganamos en futbol, hay un mejor eficiencia en el trabajo" [If we win in soccer, there is a better efficiency in the workplace]. After what sporting event would the people of the United States be more efficient in the workplace?

Pichilemu - Days 4 & 5 [10/07-10/08]

Our fourth day of Pichilemu was much more relaxed for me. Although we got up pretty early to check out the surf, I decided not to, since it was still really windy and I was really tired.

I did take a walk around Pichilemu to check out the town, and realized how quiet it really was. Although there are lots of houses, hardly anyone seemed to be in town, and there were hardly any people on the streets. Being in Pichilemu was super relaxing because it was so tranquilo, but I couldn't help but wonder what it would look like in the summer, packed with vacationers.


[ovens for cooking the empanadas]

On our final day, we tried to get up early to catch the bus for Santiago in the morning. And although we did get up for breakfast at 9, we didn't get served until later, and didn't finish eating until about 10. Then, we decided that we wanted some empanadas for the bus ride. The best place for empanadas in Pichilemu is a little hole-in-the-wall store that is right by the old casino. The woman who runs it was super nice, and we got fresh, oven-baked empanadas with whatever we wanted inside them! These were the best empanadas that I've had in Chile. We also bought cocadas (a pastry made of coconut, although most of the time they are macaroons, these were different) and alfajor (a pastry of two soft cookies with manjar/dulce de leche in between and covered in chocolate. Delicious treats for the ride home!

Pichilemu - Day 3 [10/06]

After another early breakfast, we decided to go to Punto de Lobos, which is a little bit outside of Pichilemu. We called a taxi to take us there, and some Chilean surfers passing by were nice enough to take two of the boards there for us.

Punto de Lobos was really pretty, and there were some good waves further out, where all the surfers were catching them. Further in, we tried to get some waves, but the wind was still making it hard.

Right when we were about to leave, we noticed that our friends that took our boards for us were about to leave as well. Selma and I hitched a ride from them, and they took us back to our hostel. It turned out that they were renting a house right around the corner from where our hostel was, and invited us over for an asado later.

In attempts to find lunch, we went into the center to find something as cheap as the day before. After looking at no less than five menus and sitting down in two restaurants before choosing to keep looking, we finally ended up at Pin-Pon, which specializes in seafood and had a pretty cheap menu. I ended up getting grilled fish and french-fries for about 3USD, which was one of the specials, while Selma and Scarlett got "Pastel de Haiva" (literally Crab Pie). Although none of us knew what this was when they ordered it, the dish ended up being like a big serving of crab dip, which had a taste like enchiladas, and was really good.


[pastel de haiva]

Biking around town, we stopped by some artesenias and found a great ice cream place called "Banado en Chocolate," which specialized in ice cream that took a little bath in chocolate.

In the evening, we decided to go to MaxiMoto, where they had a racetrack for four-wheelers. We tooks some cheap laps around the track, but the main attraction was really the great music that they were playing the whole time, that we couldn't help but dance to.


[Scarlett, Selma and Dave rocking out in front of MaxiMoto]


[Riding on the four-wheeler!]


[taking a couple of laps]

For dinner, we decided to eat at the Puente Holandes. Although the food was very good, it was a little expensive for what we were getting. After dinner, Selma and I went over to the surfer's house for their asado. It turns out that they are students from Santiago, who are renting the house between April and December of this year. They told us that they are paying about $300 USD a month for the house, which they are splitting between 7 people. They were all very nice and hospitable, just like all Chileans, and told us that if we wanted to come back, we were more than welcome to stay at their house.

Pichilemu - Day 2 [10/05]

We got up early for breakfast at 9:00, which is included in the price of the room. This fueled us up for our trek to find a leash for Dave and a place to rent surf stuff.


[our view during breakfast, the day started out a little cloudy]

At Lobos del Pacifico Surf, you can rent anything you need to surf in Pichilemu.
Selma and I rented boards, wet suits, booties, and leashes for 6.000 pesos a day, which is about 12 USD [for one day, it is 8.000].


[surf shop right by the ocean]

After we suited up, we headed to the beach that is across from the shop to surf. There were already lots of surfers in the water, some in groups, some in classes, and some by themselves. It was kind of hard to catch waves at this beach for us beginnings because it was really windy and since it is a bay.


[one of the beaches in Pichilemu]

At about 1:00, we headed back to the hostel, showered, and headed back into town to find an ATM and some lunch. [When traveling in Chile, it is important to remember that a lot of places don't take credit cards, some always have cash, or an easy method to get cash.] After we found the much needed ATM, we also found a super cheap and delicious meal. An appetizer, main course, and dessert only cost us about 6 USD!


[Selma and I at lunch]


[our dessert - platano con miel/ banana with honey]

We devoured all the food pretty quick, and with our sights already set on once/dinner, we headed to the supermercado to pick up some groceries. We decided that we would make bread-pizzas, but also bought candy marshmallows and chocolate-covered crackers, in hopes of making something that resembled a s'more.

On our way back, we stopped at some artesenias by the beach to buy some souvenirs. Traveling through town was done on some sweet bikes that Marcel was providing us with. Although they are in very bad condition, they serve the purpose of getting around the small town very easily.


[biking by the artesenias]


[me and my totally rad bike]

After we got back to the hostel, we took it easy and watched the sunset over the pacific ocean from the beach.


[the view from front of the resturant watching the sunset]


[the sunset]

We started our once by making some delicious guacamole with the fresh paltas that we got at the supermarket. Then, we proceeded to the kitchen to try to make the pizzas that we had planned on. We had round pieces of typical Chilean bread, tomatoes, cheese and salami [for the meat eaters]. This whole process turned into quite the fiasco. When we got to the kitchen, there wasn't any gas hooked up to the stove or oven. After asking Marcel for the gas, we basically only had a camp-stove set-up, which left making pizzas out of the picture. What we ended up doing was making Chilean-style grilled cheese, but it was still good and a good effort.

Pichilemu - Day 1 [10/04]

After the infamous history test, Selma, Scarlett, Scarlett's boyfriend Dave and I got on a bus to Santiago to start our Pichilemu weekend adventure. Pichilemu is about four hours south of Valparaiso, and known around the world for it's great surfing conditions.


[Selma, Scarlett and Dave on the Vina-Santiago bus]

To get to Pichilemu from Valparaiso or Vina on the bus, you have to first take a bus to Santiago, and then a bus to Pichilemu. The bus from Vina to Santiago leaves about every 15 minutes, is a nice, clean bus and only costs about 2 USD for students. When we got to Santiago, we had to find a bus that went to Pichilemu, and decided to take a Pullman del Sur Bus that left about an hour later. This bus cost about 7 USD and was way different than the bus from Vina to Santiago. First, it was an older bus, which meant it was less comfortable. But, it also started to get kind of strange when we got out of Santiago into the country-side. Basically, the bus turned into a micro; stopping to let people off and on, and there were even lots of people standing in the isle.

We got into Pichilemu at about 9:30 p.m., making the whole trip last about six hours, and had a taxi take us to our hostel. This involved the taxi driver strapping Dave and Scarlett's boards to the roof.



Scarlett had booked us rooms at the Pichilemu Surf Hostel, a new and clean hostel located super close to the ocean and across the street from Puente Holandes, a restaurant owned by the hostel owner, Marcel.


[nice clean rooms... and suuuper comfy beds]

After unpacking, we checked out the restaurant with a glass of wine from the restaurant and Marcel lit up the bonfire for us to warm up a little.


[bottle of wine from a winery near by... had an interesting story of the maker selling helicopters to Iraq and not being able to leave Chile because of the US Government or something...]


[Marcel lighting up the bonfire on the beach]

Tests and Papers and Studying, oh my!

They half-way point of my time in Chile has come and gone, which brings a lot of mixed feelings, but it also brings the half-way point of the semester here, which means one thing: midterms.

This week, I have one exam in history (which involves 60 pages of reading on the history of Valparaiso from 1820-1880), a take-home essay for art (encompassing all of the reading that we have done so far in the class- too much to think about), and next week I have my first test in montanismo.

Needless to say, I have been reading a lot, studying a lot and trying to make sure I can handle whatever my first exams in Chile look like. I knew I was here for study-abroad, but this amount of work is verging on what I do in the U.S.!

I'm also writing this post to procrastinate studying more... I've read too much about immigration to Valparaiso and Valparaiso's expansion as a port...

Salsa!

On Monday I went to my second salsa lesson at St. Maria, the University that is about three blocks from my house.

I'm not sure if it is an official organization or school-sponsored event, but every Monday and Wednesday at about 7, or whenever they feel like getting set up and started, students put on a salsa lesson for eager students.

The lessons are interesting and different. For one, they are run by students so they can do completely ridiculous things to lighten the atmosphere and its fine. Although the lessons are serious, they are not monotonous and boring. Teaching us that "azucar" is a movement 'closer' to your partner is just one example... The other thing that fascinates me is that there are always more guys than girls at the lessons. One factor could be that St. Maria has more male students than female, and so more males come, but this still seems strange. And, most of the male students seem to know what they are doing, or at least know more than me. On top of that, most of the female students that show up are exchange students, most likely from La Catolica, where I am studying. But I can't complain - I don't have the fear of having to be the wall flower that sits out of the partner-dancing.

Having these lessons and various places that also have salsa dancing and lessons is giving me a great opportunity to learn! With so many resources, I should come back dancing salsa like a pro! If only I was more coordinated...