It doesnt get any better than surfing

Surfing is so freaking amazing. It is definately my new favorite sport. There is no better feeling than riding on top of a wave. Saturday I went back to Concon to try a little more surfing. Im definately getting the hang a grasp on it. I got up and rode the wave at least 4 or 5 times. And when I say ride the wave I mean ride. Those waves carry some wicked velocity. Outdoor adventure rocks:)

Bring it on Chile

I now remember why I chose this beautiful country. I wanted to be fully submersed in a culture completely unfamiliar to my own. My wish has been granted. In advance, I have to thank the people of genuine spirit and generosity of this country, because without them I wont be able to survive. My decision will be a trade off; I will have to work harder than ever before to learn a language and culture completely foreign to me, but the reward will be oh so sweet. My first week of classes has been overwhelming to say the very least. In my empreza class I am the only gringo. The teacher doesnt hesitate to point that out. He pokes fun at me sometimes by telling the girl next to me that she will have to explain to me what is going on. Wayon (dude), Im getting what youre throwing at me. We have to do a group project in the class that describes a businesses operations. Today we chose to do a local beer company in Valparaiso. It way my idea and the group really liked it (Parker 1, Language barrier 0). Today I went to my first class of Reccoursos Humanos. There had already been 2 classes before, but because I had to change my classes around I just entered. The teacher wasnt there, it was only the teachers assistent. We watched a movie about new techniques of cooking, and the obejective is to relate the movie to fundamental business processes. After the movie everyone organized into their groups (problem was I had no group). Thank goodness, a group of students were very kind to accept me into their group. I felt like such an moron sitting there, because I didnt really catch the concept of the movie. When one of the students finally asked me what I thought I drew blank. Do you know how hard it is to eleborate your thoughts in another language (Parker 0, Language Barrier 1). The two girls in my group were very nice to sit down with me after class and discuss the movie, I am going to watch the movie again and get a clearer idea about what I need to do.Yesterday, I walked into my pilates class 5 minutes late and there were over 100 students in the class. The teacher waved a familiar wave, everyone in the class looked over at me, all girls i might add. I went to sit down, but there were mats, so I had to sit on the floor. After a minute of feeling awkward and cramped, I got up and took off [Parker 0, Social insecurity 1]. Yesterday, I went to my danzas traditionales class. There are five guys and over 20 girls [Parker 1, Social insecurity 0]. We are learning a whole bunch of different dances begining from the north of Chile all the way down to the south. Today, I started class at 10 in the morning and finished at 8. I met 7 new amigos and amigas and got invited out to two different places tonight [Parker 1, Social insecurity 0]. When I got home I received a message from someone who is terrified to come to Chile and asked if I could be of some assistance. It will be my pleasure to answer questions and help her in any way I can [social responsability 1, thumbs up for me]. All in all things are looking on the up and up. School is definately going to be a struggle, but my life has given me alot of struggles. I am staying positive and I think that is the only way to go, because I am not willing to give up. Shout out to my mom for adding me to facebook. Love you mom :o

Cambio no es muy faciles

It has been a long time since I have blogged. I guess inspiration was lacking. My friends left from the summer semester. I feel like the time stopped moving and I began playing a waiting game that is all too familiar with the waiting game I played before I got here. When I think back now I can allude to the part of the bible I just finished reading. Forty years Moses and the people of Egypt wandered the wilderness. I may not fully understand the purpose of my journey, but I am sure that my feelings will better be fulfilled if I constantly evolve to become more knowlegeable and skilled in my endevours. Anyways people i´m back!!! This is the most excited I have ever been to start school. The classes that I am taking include Communication and Literatura Chileno, 2 courses de negocios, a traditional dance class, and an outdoor education class (I am especially excited for this class because we get to go on 5 field trips throughout the year). There are alot more intercambio students this semester. Students here are from all over the world. Orientation started last monday. On tuesday we went on a bus tour to all of the different campuses (The system is a lot different here because there are over 15 campuses located throughout Vina del Mar and Valparaiso. My favorite campus is Sausalito it is located in Vina above a beautiful laguna.)  My days are starting to get filled up. Kayaking and salsa on mondays, traditional dance and pilates on tuesdays, pilates on thursdays, and outdoor education on Fridays. Not to mention my other classes during the week and homework. My weekends will be filled with weekend trips with friends anbd my outdoor education class. And yes I still will find my chance to go to Argentina. The bicentenial for Chile is in September. Chi Chi Le Le Le, here we go:)

Travelling

Travelling is so exciting. I get to see the world from an outside perspective. Everything I see is a new experience, every experience is unfamiliar, and unfamiliar experiences are intriguing to my mind because I am not used to them. Not only do I see things differently, but my interpretations change, my reactions change, my expectations change, my thoughts change. One of the enlightenments of my trip is how everyone around me is so attracted to my presence. To feel like people want to pay attention to me is a feeling that I have sought during my life. I now realize that people warm to me because the feelings I have on the inside are projected outwards in my actions. Needs and desires are merely a reflexion of inaction, people react by pushing feelings outwards through actions. My trip has been so exciting because it has forced me to commit my feelings into actions. As time evolves during my experience my reactions will change. They say that it takes someone at least six months to adapt to different culture. I am positive my life will change throughout these six months. On saturday all of the friends I have now are leaving, the great experiences we shared will be unforgotten memories. My family and I are adopting new ways of interacting. Communication is more complicated, I need to start bonding on a personal level, otherwise; I do not know how to interact with them. The awkward stage of meeting and getting to know eachother will come to an end, and we will have to work towards a new level or risk disinteraction. When I begin school next week I will have to adapt to a new routine. I will have to make new friends and forge new relationships. I will no longer have a crutch of communication I have now with my Gringo friends. This is a new and terrifying experience. I have given myself to my cause, and I am ready for new experiences. My feelings are never fulfilled. I am constantly evolving and growing more knowledgeable. This is my road to self actualization. This is what travelling is all about.

Maitencillo

Even though I didnt get to go to Buenas Aires I still had a great weekend. Thank you havi for inviting me to your aunts cabin. I had a really nice weekend. On friday we took the bus to my friends aunts beach house in Maitencillo (the same place my chilean parents have their house). On our way up to Maitencillo we my a day trip to Valle Hermosa (beautiful valley). Valle hermosa is surrounded by beautiful valleys and is the capital of sweaters of South America. The town was a mile long street of stores selling sweaters, a whole lot of sweaters. They had some really great sweaters, they are made with Alpaca material. I bought a couple. They had some beautiful sweaters and summer dresses for girls. That reminds me, I am having a hard time with gift ideas. I could really use some input. Dresses, scarfs, jewelry, sweaters, mittens, hats, shoes, cigarettes, wine, and other stuff is really cheap down here. Give me some ideas amigas y amigos. Anyway, We got to the beach house that night and Havi made us a great meal for dinner with beer and wine. That night we went to the beach and jumped around on the rocks as the waves crashed and the stars lit the sky. The next day we woke up and went back to the beach. I collected a bag full of seashells. She sells sea shells by the sea shore. Say it ten times fast. Saturday night we got back to Vina.We drove to Valparaiso Saturday night to go party. It was an interesting night. I saw my pilates teacher there. And these girls came up and started taking pictures with me. At first I thought they were taking pictures so I moved out of the way, but they followed me and jumped beside me to take more photos. Yeah im a rockstar. On sunday I just chilled out and watched movies and had a lazy day. Pretty good weekend aside from getting trapped in the Andes. Argentina Im not giving up on you.

Dont cry for me Argentina I wiill be back

I left for Argentina on thursday morning. Warning, dont ever try to go to Argentina without your passport. I left my passport in Vina. Worst day of my life. We got to the Argentina border at around noon. All I had was a photocopy of my passport, my visa, and my student ID card from the U of L. They made everyone get off the bus at the checkpoint and it was time to say goodbye to my friends; they wouldnt let me in. I asked the Cabineros for some help and they pointed me towards a store with telephones and burgers. All I remember is that the Andes are really f#@king cold. I called my mom in Chile to let her know what happened, then I went to figure out how to get back to Chile. Four hours later a ski bus picked me up on his way back from Mendoza. I got to Santiago around 10:30pm. There were no buses back to Vina, but luckily someone asked me if I needed a cab for 15000 pesos (30 dollars). I got back to my house around 1 am. About 7 hours before I would have made it to Buenas Aires. Argentina I will see you soon. Im happy that my ticket is still valid :).

Extreme Sports por el fin de semana

So can I just start off by saying I love Chile one more time. On Saturday me an four amigos/amigas took a bus to Concon to go surfing. Surfing takes a little practice (trust me its harder than it looks). First you have to swim out to the perfect spot. Then you have to choose your wave. About 10 second before the wave comes, turn around paddle for your life and feel the wave. As soon as you feel the wave taking you for a ride you gotta pop it like a rockstar. Back foot first, front foot next and then hands up, and ride that bad boy till the wave falls down. Takes a little practice and rough wipeouts, but riding that wave is the best feeling in the world. Our instructor was awesome. First we took a long run down the beach to get warmed up ( I didnt understand why he made us run at first; I thought he was just fucking with us cause we were gringos, but we had to get warmed up cause surfing takes alot of energy). Then he taught us how to get up on dry land. Finally, the best quote of the day ´´lets go do therapy´´, and he pointed out to the water. We surfed for about 2:30 to 3 hours. Got up a couple of times and started to become like those professional riders you see in surf magazines. Surfing was freakin gnarley!!! At the end of the day i was so tired I got smoked in the head with my surf board ouch!!! After we finished surfing we ate empanadas at the surfing hut during sunset and then went for a horseback ride on the beach. Anyone who is ever in Chile should definately go to ConCon. The bus ride is beautiful and ConCon is a place with great restaurants, ice cream, and lots to do. The surfing place I went to is called esculas de surf, and their website is www.escuelasdesurfchile.com. You can catch any bus from Vina or Valparaiso that says ConCon on it. The whole day cost less than $50 dollars.

On Sunday we went Canopy (Zip Lining in English). I dont know what was more fun canopy or surfing. Canopy is in the Jardin Botanica on the Outskirts of Vina del Mar. Jardin Botanica is a huge rainforest with over 10,000 different trees and plants nitive to Chile. Plants in the area range from different types of medicinal plants, palm trees, cacti, palm trees, fuchsia. It is lightly dense area with trees and plants, creeks, ponds, and other beautiful surroundings in humid tropical like forest. We got to the park around four oclock and lost our way for about half an hour. We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. It was pretty dark by then because of the solar eclipse. Canopy in the dark is crazy. By the end it was pitch black and the only way to see the end of the line was the flash of our camera. The instructors there are very careful and you are strapped in at all times. At times we were more than 200 ft in the air (Not recommended for people afraid of heights). We took turns zip lining from one platform to the next. Some of the lines seemed close to half a football field long. When you are zipping between trees and braches in the dark it is super freaky intense. There are about 10 zip lines to do and the course took about 1:30 with four people. After we finished Canapy it was like 7 oclock and we were about to catch a taxi outta there, but none of our cell phones had reception and the guide told us it was unlikely that a cab would come into the national park at that time of night. He told us that they would guide us through the forest to where we could catch buses. Thank fricken god because these guys had head lamps and guided us through the rough terrain of steap and narrow paths with big rocks and streams. There is no friken way we would have made it out of that forest alive with the little light we had with our cell phones. i fell a couple of times into ditches and stubbed my foot on rocks, so I dont even want to think what would have happened without a flashlight. Man, I bet all those guys thought of us as stupid gringos. I don´t blame them. Those guys were muy bacan. I talked to them about the forest. The instructors were all graduates of a program that teaches sociology of the forest. The natural environment is very important to them and they talked to me about sustainability and eco-tourism. They travel to different canopy sites in Chile. One guy told me that his families house was destroyed by the earthquake. His father is rebuilding the house and the new home is almost finished. I would like to volunteer one of my weeks to go help with the reconstuction. Those guys have the best job in the world and their passion for the environment is inspirational. Canopy is another thing people should put on their do not miss list of things to do in Chile. Zip lining costs only $20 dollars and a well  earned tip. We took a collectivo there and a bus back. The website is www.conopysuramerica.com. 
What a great weekend!!

Settling In

I bought a guitar the other day and my papa Chilena is teaching me how to play. Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Ti Da. My goodness I am not very good. Practice, Practice, Practice. I am so busy with everything. Guitarra, Pilates           ( Mardes y Jueves), Intercambio with other Chilean students, School work, comidas, and of course fiestas. This weekend my friends are trying to rent a cabin in the woods. It has waterfalls, horseback riding, wilderness, and other beautiful scenery. If that falls through im gonna travel up to ConCon to go surfing if the weather holds up. Still trying to figure out my weekend. Well see what happens. Yo check out some of the sweet graffiti pics I took this week.

Casino

Anoche, vamos a el casino con mis amigos gringos. On our way there we ran into a large group of flaites (Sketchy Chilenos). Big trouble, they chased us and punched some of my friends in the face. Jeremiah got it the worst. I felt really bad, but all I could do was stand back and yell run. I felt so bad afterwards cause I think it was partly my fault. I mistaked them for all the other nice chileans in Chile and was like waaasssuuuppp. I think it offended them. Shit, my bad; i´m just glad nobody got seriously hurt.We still ended up going to this disco bar at the casino. I danced up a storm on the dancefloor with Marlene, our spanish tourguide. These chicanas sure know how to move their hips. It is not easy keeping up with them.

Tonight, im going to call Camilla to come out with me. I really like Camilla, but it is really hard to get to know someone with the language barrier. It just makes me want to work that much harder for her attention, and if she is a down to earth girl then thats awesome. She is a very cool girl. Camilla is 22, she just recently moved away from her parents. She has a nice pad in Renaca overlooking the beach. Renaca has the longest beach in the region and is busy with people in the summer. Camilla goes to university and is taking courses in adventure tourism. She is an avid surfer and loves the outdoors.This weekend definately seems like it is passing by way too fast. Aya quiero mas de tiempo por los fin de semanas.

Los fin de semanas en Chile

This weekend was kinda crazy. On friday I came home from shcool so I could watch the soccer match. There was a bunch of people here for a barbecue to watch the match. After, I went to Church with my Chilean sister to watch a play. It was so cool. A bunch of teenagers put on a play about the hardship of growing up and the pressures of life. They sang a bunch of songs (even all the single ladies and the backstreet boys in spanish. It was hilarious). After the play, I met up with a bunch of gringos. We went to a club called la sala in Valparaiso. Me and Anne got giggy on the dancefloor to this type of music called Regaton. She was a really good dancer so we decided that every thursday we would go to Llevo for salsa lessons a juntos. I didnt get home until 5 in the morning. On saturday I took it pretty easy. I went shopping in the morning for clothes and a present for my moms neice because it was her 6th b-day. Calle Valparaiso is the best place in Vina to go shopping. The clothes there are super cheap and of good quality. That night we went to the neices birthday party. It was so cute. In the morning me and my Chilean mother and Father went to Maitencilla to their beach house. They lent me a bike and I biked around for a bit along the beach and watched people surf. I cant wait to go surfing next weekend. Maitencillo is pretty small. Not too many people there during the winter but in the summer its an attractive tourist area. The rest of the weekend was pretty out of control, I went out with some friends that night, and at the end of the night I met una chica chilena named Camilla. I ended up at her place that night. Nothing too crazy happened, but Chilena girls are definately muy passionante. The next day I left Camilla´s place after the soccer match. After that I met up with Anne and we went for a nice walk along the beach. We encontered a bunch of other gringos and chatted for a bit (Funny im in Chile and everyone I meet is gringo). On our walk we saw this guy making sand mural. They were the best I have ever seen. What an amazing artist all he had was sand and water and made it into this magnificent lizard looking thing. Another person was juggling fire on a unicycle. People are incredibly artistically talented here. Everywhere I go I always see something amazing. The street performers, the graffiti, and musicians are some of the best I have seen in the world. The weekend had finally come to an end. Oye, los fin de semanas en Chile jajaja!!

 I love Chichou. This is unfermented wine ripe from the vines.
We picked up a couple of bottles on our way to the beach house.
 Mmm Yummy!!

View of Maitencillo. The place my chilean parents have their beachhouse.

View of the coast on our drive back from the beach

La Universidades y los estudiantes

 School Field Trip to Pablo Narudas House



The first day of clases was on Monday. There were so many gringos there. I met alot of people, exchanged some numbers. The University is located on the edge of Valparaiso. It is a brick building built in the early 19th century. The main area of the university is an open air concept ( So when you are inside, it still feels like youre outside). On the first day we toured the University. We visited where our classrooms would be and chose the classes we wanted to take, but for most of the time we watched the soccer game between Chile and another team in the teachers lounge. It was kinda weird cause the teachers that will be teaching me later were swearing at the TV and shouting loudly. The classes im taking are Literatura y Cultura Chilean y Grammatica. After school my mom picked me up. I think she might be cooler than me because when I got out be was chattin it up with all the other moms. First day of classes went well, I was pretty excited to start classes on tuesday.


Pablo Nerudas House

View from Pablo´s House

My Family, house, and Valparaiso.

The taxi dropped me off right in front of the house I would be living at for the next six months. This is a great place to live. Its a gated house in Vina. The location is very convenient. It is located 5 blocks away from the ocean, has great views, is a safe neighborhood, and all of the buses take me to Valparaiso and downtown Vina. My family here is very nice, they welcomed me into their home with open arms. Nury is my Chilean mother and Daniel is my Chilean father, Nury has two children from a past marriage in the house. Their names are Ignacio and Valentina. Valentina is 19 and Ignacio is 14. When I got here Nury and Daniel took me shopping at the local market to buy fresh fruit. I had no idea what was going on. I just kind followed them around like a lost puppy dog all day. Thats all I can do right now, just sit back and try to figure out whats happening. Mi espanol es muy poco, but slowly I am able to understand more and more through experience. I think that is why I am so incredibly amazed by Chile. There is so much to do, so much to see, and I want to see it all. After the fruit market, they took me on a tour of Valparaiso. My profile picture is from one of the balconies people go to sightsee. Valparaiso has steep hills and goes very high up, so the views are incredible. But the hills are also very dangerous and the place where tourists are most frequently robbed. Valparaiso is where my University is located. There are many poor and dangerous areas in Valparaiso and the city is not as clean as Vina. Personally though, I love valparaiso. The city has so much flavour. The streets are always busy with street merchants and up in the hills the ecclectic architecture, incredible graffiti and artwork, historical landmarks, and ocean views give the city its calouful flare. Here is some pics of the view from the house and the view of the city from the hills of Valparaiso.

City Views (Middle), Pics of Me and my parents (Top), and view from my house (below)

Taxi troubles

I´ll begin where I left off. As I exited the doors of the airport I was accosted by taxi drivers. I was their peice of meat. I walked by a hoard of them abbruptly and went to the very end of the airport to gather my thoughts. One of the taxi drivers even followed me to the end, but I told him to &%$# off. After checking the information, I knew the transportation I was supposed to take from Santiago to Vina. Only problem was, I had booked my flight late and I was not sure that the info I sent to my host University had arrived in time for them to know when to pick me up. After searching around the airport for a while, I was certain that no one was coming to get me. It was time to take a taxi. I knew that I was going to get ripped off but what could I do. The trip took about an hour and a half and cost 200 dollars. Heres some pics I took on the way.

Getting Here

Chile is unbelievable. I have been here for a total of 5 days, which already feels like an eternity. Where do I begin. The journey to get here was a long one. This is my first time travelling solamente, the whole experience up to this point is too overwhelming for words to describe. It began when I boarded the greyhound to Vancouver. Saying goodbye to my family for 6 months was emotional. After 14 hours of travelling on the bus and an uncomfortable sleep, I was determined to get my visa from the Chilean embassy. I got my visa 1 oclock that afternoon, and somehow managed to book a flight to Los Angelas that evening(it was much cheaper to buy a flight from Vancouver to Los Angelas and then a return ticket from Los Angelas to Chile- I know kinda dumb hey, thats what I thought too but I was willing to prolong my trip to save an extra $500). That night I arrived in Los Angelas at 9:30. It was the night the Lakers won the championship. I had no energy to celebrate and plus I still had my hundred pound bad of luggage with me, so I boarded the first hotel shuttle I could find that took me to a hotel called La Hacienda. If you didnt already figure it out from the name of the hotel had a Spanish appeal- everything from the spanish architecture to the spanish staff to the 50 plusers salsa dancing in the bar gave it a spanish appeal. The next day I got up early and went to a electronics store to buy a camera. The camera I bought was sick; HD capabilities, 10.2 megapixels, top of the line. It cost me $500 dollars, but I got a sweet deal. It took alot longer than I thought to go shopping and it was time to get to the airport with only three hours left to spare before my flight. My last leg to Chile boarded at 2:30 pm. It was an overnight flight, and I had the whole seet to myself, so I just kicked back and relaxed. The time had finally arrived. All passenjeros dissenbark we are in Chile. Once i got through customs, I knew it was time. On the other side of the salida I would officially be in Chile.