Hola a todos! Wow so on Monday it was officially a month abroad! A month into something I actually never thought I would do and it has been more than worth it.
Since we last spoke, there has been a lot going on. Two weekends ago the CIEE group all went to Pucon, which is one of Chile's most well know outdoor adventure cities. They have huge lakes, mountains, a volcano, waterfalls, etc., etc. You name it they have it! It is about a 10-12 hours bus ride from here in Vina del Mar and we left on a Thursday night and arrived early Friday morning. That started the trip off interestingly...10 hours in anything for me is enough. After arriving we went straight to a Mapuche community, (the indigenous people of central and southern Chile) went to a museum, ate some native cuisine and trekked back into the country to visit a small town in our huge tour bus. If we didn't stick out enough being from the US, now with our tour bus going down a narrow dirt road wasn't helping. We arrived there finally and began our Mapuche experience. We learned some dances, drank some mate (herbal like tea) and played a sport called "balin". Its just like field hockey and was very fun!
Saturday was labeled as our "free day." We had the opportunity to pick several activities through an adventure agency. These activities included climbing the volcano, horseback riding, rafting, trekking, mountain biking, etc. A few other friends and I chose to go fishing. The owner of the cabins we were staying at knew some local fishermen and so on we went. There were several boats with two people to a boat and a guide. The guide baited the hook, navigated the sometimes rapid filled river, and told us where to "throw it." It was so fun. Anna Perkins (a fellow Wofford student) and I were in the same boat and caught 5 trout. I must admit she caught 3 and I only caught 2, but none-the-less we had a great time.
Our last day, Sunday, we toured the "region" which included three hikes to three different "saltos" or waterfalls. There were magnificent. Afterward we enjoyed several hours in a natural hot spring. Doesn't sound so much like school, huh? Here are a few pics of the saltos.
For the last two weeks I have been going to class, meeting new Chilean friends, and enjoying the two cities! School here is way different than any other place I have been. For instance, my Business class has only met two times in the scheduled 6 or 7 because of different school cancellations. I am taking classes with mostly "primer ano" (first year, freshmen) and they have a lot of activities going on for the first couple of weeks and for one reason or another, class is taking a back-seat!
Next week is called Semana Novata. I am still kind of unsure about what that means but I do know, no one goes to class and most of the classes are canceled. Hence, it is the week to travel and I am leaving Saturday with two other friends to fly down south and hike in the Patagonia region for a whole week! I will post afterwards and let you know how it goes.
I tried out for a "baby futbol" team last week which in Chile is the type of indoor soccer they play, especially in the cities. There isn't much green space big enough for full fields so they play in gyms with different rules. It is very fun and very fast paced! Wish me luck, I need it to represent Wofford soccer!
Hope everyone is doing great. Please feel free to email me with any questions or thoughts you have. And remember I have a bunch of pics posted at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/McCubreyEJ
Hasta luego, que te vaya bien!
Chett
Sorry if the formatting looks weird, I don't know whats wrong!
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