Dear Diary,

Wow it's been some time since I've written in you, in fact my last journal entry was during my Asia class last Tuesday! I have to warn you that I'm watching the mundial (World Cup) right now, so I'm not able to write as much as I'd like. Things with me have been going pretty well; classes are getting a little more intense with the ending of the semester so that has left me with papers and projects that I don't really want to do.

Last weekend on Sunday Laura and I went to Cajón del Maipo yet again. This time we braved the public transportation to get there and it proved to be successful! We just had to take Line 4 of the metro (which is by far the best) to its end and hop a bus down to San Jose de Maipo, which is a super cute town with not a whole lot going on. There is a plaza in the center that has a mini artisan fair on Saturdays and Sundays so we poked around there a bit and then decided we should decide what to do after each buying a cutesy pair of earrings for less than $1 each. Not bad. We wanted to do a little trekking (or hiking as some may call it) but we had no idea what to do. Luckily we found a tiny, one-desk tourist information spot that was OPEN and for a Sunday here that can be hard to come across! We told the guy that we wanted to do some trekking (for free) and he directed us to a little 17 km hike just down the road. At the end of the 17 km sits Las Lagunillas, which is a little area of ski resorts, an expensive hotel and a cute family-style restaurant with what may have been the world's greatest service.

The day was absolutely amazing and full of sunshine so we started the hike sometime around noon. I knew from the get-go that we wouldn't make the 17km in the time that we had allotted for the hike but I was determined to get to those darn Lagunillas anyway. So we hiked for about 7 km or so, wandering through the mountains and wondering all the while just how we got there. We were literally IN the mountains just walking along a road and enjoying God's creation. After we hit 14:00 hrs (2 pm) we decided we should get to the Lagunillas. Fortunately for us, cars had been passing all the while, braving the windy, rocky path up the mountains with their coolers of meat to have asados I'm sure. We threw out the thumbs and after about 5 cars passed we finally got accepted into the back of a nice family's pickup truck. They took us to the top, the children turning around all the while to see these strange gringas in their truck and when we arrived we really had no idea what to do. We ended up finding a cute restaurant and had some great cazuela which is like a Chilean chicken soup. It had zapallo (squash), a segment of corn on the cob, a little bit of rice, a chicken leg, a potato, and some other little veggies stuck in there. That came after some delicious pan amasado (homemade bread) and chilean salad (tomatoes and onions... mmmmm).
We got all that for about $10 each and left with full guatas and big smiles. We walked for a little bit, took some silly pictures (one of my newly-discovered favorite pastimes, seemingly) and then hitched a ride back down with another family. They took us all the way down and we hopped out right in front of the bus that we needed! You could say it all worked out pretty well! We got back home in great time and good spirits. It really was a great day!

I think the coolest thing about our mini trip was that the day before we were there, in the middle of the mountains, we were on the beaches of Viña del Mar! Laura, Ellie, myself and two of our Chilean friends (Pablo and Sebastian) went to Valpo for the night on Friday night to check out a semi-famous discotheque there. It's called El Huevo, the egg, and it is famous for having 4 different environments, or rather, there should be something for everyone. Well I didn't really care for it so much, (especially when I woke up the next morning and my eyes were literally on fire from all of the smoke!...) but it was fun to dance with Laura and practice our Salsa with Pablo. The best part was that Pablo has connections there for lodging so we stayed with his friend Aldo (or maybe it was Arlo? I don't remember) in his realllly nice apartment for the night. The next day the boys went and bought some mariscos at the fish market because Valparaiso is a port city, and prepared some delicious mariscos for us for lunch.
Laura, Ellie and I went to the beach while the boys were cooking and just talked about life; it was a really nice time and was a great way to take advantage (buzz word: aprovechar) of our little time left here. Before getting back on the bus Laura and I went and found some amazing alfajores (my new favorite cookie treat) that Laura had supposedly tried with her friend Amy. She said they were the world's greatest and yes, she was right. I was hoping it would last me longer but unfortunately I finished that baby off before I got home. Mmmmm manjar.. I will miss you.
We finished off our treats and I got home just in time for Mama to offer me more.. oh boy. Overall it was a super weekend and this week I was busy doing tedious things (e.g. studying), getting yellow fever shots and searching for the changing of the guards ceremony at La Moneda--I am determined to see it before I leave Chile!! Oh, and for the yellow fever shots it was quite the process! And let me tell you right now, it pays, LITERALLY, to know Chileans! I knew we had to get Yellow Fever shots before going to Bolivia (which is one of our destinations come July) so I asked Pablo, who has traveled quite a bit himself, if he knew where to get it/how to go about it. He gave me every last detail and helped me take care of all of it. First, to get the shot you need a prescription from a doctor with their special stamp. Of course I know zero Chilean doctors but luckily Pablo knows one! He took us to his office and this nice man had actually spent about 20 years in the U.S. so he was delighted to speak English with us. He happily wrote us the prescriptions for the vaccination for free (this was the equivalent of having an entire check up and physical, we just skipped that part) and the next day Pablo directed Laura and I to the Hospital Salvador which is over 200 years old! The vaccination clinic was extremely chiquitito (a.k.a. super small, as in one tiny hospital room) but the woman who gave us the shots was a sweetheart. It also may have been cheaper to do it here and so far so good! I got the poke yesterday and I'm feeling great today!...minus the fact that I can't feel my left arm. But that goes away, right?

Yesterday was the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and being as that is the Patron of the University Católica classes were suspended, yet again (not that I have classes on Friday, but I wasn't able to teach either which means Kelsey = sad). There was a special mass at Casa Central (the University's main campus) at 9:30 am so I decided to go to kick off my Friday the right way. I showed up dressed as per normal (jeans and tennis shoes), backpack and all that I'd need to spend the rest of the day studying. I arrived at the mass after combing through all of Casa Central trying to find it and when I found it I instantly started to sweat; it was one of my worst nightmares--I was BY FAR the most underdressed person there, as if being a gringa doesn't stick out enough already. There was a Latin choir and orchestra, a lot of professors dressed to the nines and me. I was mortified to be so underdressed and had I noticed before I got to my seat I wouldn't have paraded down the center aisle and sat one row behind the reserved section right in front. It doesn't matter because the mass was beautiful and it was another great experience at La Católica. Oh, and right after I left I saw my phone and Pablo had sent me a message in Spanish saying, "Kelseyta, don't be scared if you see a lot of people dressed really formally, the students are always invited and never come!" ...would've been nice to know before sweating through a week's worth of antiperspirant.

So I am growing to love Mama more and more every day. I am so lucky to live where I do and would be so content staying here with her, eating lunch together, every day until I leave. I love her and Carlos and the way they tease me all the time. I also love breaking all of their preconceived notions about the young people of the US; I am simply happy. I also had so much fun last night! I went to Jess and Alyssa's for the "cena de inles" so we could have an english dinner with gringa food and our native language.

When I got there I was pleasantly surprised to see more Chileans than gringos so I scoped out the ones that wouldn't insist on speaking english. Found a couple of 'em and "shot the shit" (excuse my language) with them all night, talking everything from tennis to what their dads do to U.S. politics (a favorite of topics down here) to famous celebrities. When they found out I was a Republican and even better yet Catholic their reaction was hilarious. One of them literally could not believe it seeing as most of the gringos that come here are liberal Democrats (not that there is ANY problem with that!). His reaction was priceless, "Ella es como nosotros, weón!" (She's just like us dude!!), as he slaps his friend on the back. But the way in which he said it was by far the best. He was so surprised, it was hilarious. I also threw in a couple "cachai?'s" to win some brownie points after taking up their offer for a piscola (pisco + coke) ;-).

Oh man I should get to my work. I ended up staying in today so I could do exactly that and after discussing Latin and South American geography with Carlos and mama as I ate meat that was practically still bleeding and watching the U.S. tie with England, it's time to hit the books! I'll write again soon seeing as I still have half of you left to fill before I leave Chile!

Love always,
Kelsey Marie

p.s. In case this ever finds its way to my blog I decided to throw in a link to a few vids I just uploaded to YouTube. One is just a little bit of the La Piojera atmosphere and the other is a mini documentary from my day in Cajón with Laura.
Click me! to see La Piojera and Click me! to see my mini documentary (Warning: May be a little shaky!)

Ode to My Brown Fleece

I had the unfortunate happening of losing yet another of my favorite things down here in Chile: my brown fleece. As you can imagine my disappointment was high, but I decided to channel my energy into remembering why I loved that brown zip-up jacket so much by dedicating a poem. Here it goes:

You kept me warm both day and night,
and although I had yet to wash you, you still smelled alright.

Around the world with me you went,
from Argentina to a Patagonian tent.

You kept your softness perfectly in tact,
and although pricy, you were worth it, that´s a fact.

I have enjoyed my days of cuddling up in you,
especially now that it's winter here, these days were not few.

After irresponsibly leaving your black brother behind,
I relied solely on you to heat me up in a bind.

I have known you now for not even a year,
and to be without you is what I most fear.

I'm not sure what I'll do without you
on those days that are freezing cold,
because at times I feel cold-blooded,
or at least that's what I've been told.

Please know, my dear brown fleece
that dearly you will be missed,
I'll have a hard time replacing you,
just the thought makes me clench my fists.

I hope that with your new owner
you can have what we once did,
but know that it will never be the same
because a farwell to thee I must bid.

Farewell dear fleece, you have served me well,
and now to thee I have but one thing left to tell;

Gracias, thank you and danke schön,
if we meet again it will not be to soon.

Forever and always,
Kelsey Marie

I'll miss you brown fleece, we had fun together!

How do you say baby shower in Spanish?

Oh, baby shower. Ha, who knew? Well if you can't hypothesize from that intro I did indeed go to a baby shower this weekend. Mama's niece, Pia, had a guagua (baby) and had everyone over at her house in Pirque (just south of Santiago) to spend time with the baby, eat snacks and of course gift her something useful for a newborn. Although I was not originally invited Mama decided that she would be so nice as to extend the invite my way. She told me that I needed to have a gift and that she was making a torta de pañales, a.k.a. a diaper cake. She thought of it all by herself, too! I was impressed, not gonna lie. I had two days to think of something creative, and if I was coming with someone bringing a diaper cake my gift had better be good.

So of course I hit the books (ahem...opened my laptop...ahem) to do a little investigating to find ideas for last minute and inexpensive yet creative baby shower gifts. Well 9 out of 10 searches suggested diaper cakes and the other 1 suggested planting a tree. Hmmm. I guess that means Kelsey needs to put on her thinking cap and find something creative all on her own! Well rather than doing that I went to bed and when I woke up the next morning the first thing I saw was the colorful Easter basket my parents had sent me!

(Cue: light bulb)

Unfortunately the basket was covered in pink and the baby is a boy, but I was able to go to the mall and find some cute basket-stuffers (including perhaps the cutest baby mittens I've ever seen) and some blue and white ribbon to cover the basket. It ended up turning out great and Mama was a little jealous (not because my gift was better than hers, but because she wanted me to leave her the basket, which I would have done anyways!) The other moms there liked the gift too, so I was able to enjoy a moment of "gringa pride" for not being a total flake 100% of the time.

The rest of the pre-Sunday week was also pretty great: Tuesday I took a test for my class on Asia, and was surprised to celebrate Cuasimodo at San Joaquin! I went to Mass at 1:00 and before entering I saw a procession of people in white on horses coming down the street. They parked the horses outside of the temple and went inside. They were all wearing spurs and white clothes with coverings for their heads (I'm not sure why). Cuasimodo is a celebration in Chile that is usually celebrated the Sunday after Easter and it is a ceremony of bringing the Eucharist to the sick and the elderly who could not go to receive it themselves. This procession was pretty cool and an answer to my own prayers! I had found out about this tradition after the fact so I was unable to see it for myself and was a bit bummed. All of a sudden I'm on campus over a month later and they are celebrating Cuasimodo! How nifty!
On Wenesday before my one and only class I went to another UC-sponsored sports taller (workshop..ish) and had a great time! It was Fitball UC and was a workout with giant "fitness orbs," as some may say. Not only did I get a free hat from Energy Fitness and a free apple but I also made a friend named Paulina and our photo made the website gallery! After class I went to Patronato with Steph. Patronato is a sector of Santiago lined with a lot of really cheap stores where not only women go to find great clothing deals but also robbers to try to get away with a wallet or two--but no worries, we made it out A-OK! The $12 jeans and $10 hoodies didn't exactly reel me in but it was fun just to see how cheap clothing really is here and talk to a couple of the kiosk-owners feigning interest in their products.

Thursday we got yet another professor in our Asia class (this being our fifth) who just talked and talked and talked. It was actually pretty awesome and I could understand him! Not being the youngest professor I've ever had made him seem a bit more credible (General rule of thumb: the older the professor, the easier to unerstand), and he came in beginning to talk about Confucius and somehow worked his way to talking about parks in Korea and massaging cows to get good beef in Japan. It was inspiring to see someone with such a broad knowledge base! After class Ellie and I met up with Chama and Pablo for some chelas at Budapest cervecería. Apparently it is known for an artisan brew and because we pass by every day on our way to and from school we decided we would finally give 'er a try. It was a really nice night so we sat outside, enjoyed some quesadillas and beers, and made it home and in bed before 12:30. Not a bad start to a weekend!

On Friday night after teaching I was lucky enough to see my friend Hector! He came to SPHS (Sauk Prairie High School) when I was a senior and was in my Spanish class hoping to pick up on a bit of English. We jived really well and always had some great laughs so when I magically remembered that he lives in Chile I decided to send him a message and next thing I know he calls me and invites me to a birthday party! He coincidentally lives about 15 minutes from me (which is SUPER CLOSE) and it was so great to catch up and go to a birthday party for a complete stranger. Luckily this complete stranger 1) had delicious lúcuma birthday cake and 2) rented out the upstairs to a bar so it was free to get in.Saturday we all went out to celebrate our German friend, Svenja's last night in Santiago. She had been here for a year and was finally going back home. She lived in Casa Suecia so I met her there and she is a total sweetheart. We found a place that lets in extranjeros (foreigners) and students for free so we went there and next thing I knew it was 5 am! Well as they say in Chile, aprovechar!

I got up on Sunday just in time to get ready and go to mass at 12:00 and then headed to Pirque for the shower! It was really great to spend some time with Mama and the rest of the fam, including four-year-old Esperanza and my other cousin, Maria Jesus.
We played with the puppies, they showed me the river and we played with play-doh. I've never felt like such an adult. However, there were some great photo ops:
I am now ready to begin a new week after getting jacked up at spinning tonight and enjoying a beautiful, sunny day with gorgeous views of the snow-topped Andes!

Besitos!
Kelsey Marie

Wait, what?!

For those of you who have never lived in Santiago you may not be aware of how essential the metro (subway system) is to the way of life in this city. Hundreds of thousands of people use it every day and if you catch it at just the right time (between 7 - 8 am and 5:30 - 8 pm) you are just lucky enough to even get on amidst the masses of people. There is a yellow line painted about a foot and a half away from the track and there is a law that you are to stay behind said yellow line until the metro approaches, as shown in the picture.
I have now had the conversation with a variety of people, seeing as I use the metro multiple times each day, about how weird it would be if someone jumped into the tracks. I know, morbid, right? Well It's just a thought. Anyway, yesterday on my way home from school I had to transfer from the green to the red line and after letting one train pass me by (because of all the people) I decided to jump on the next one. Phewfta, made it. Well after 3 stops the train comes to an abrupt stop and the lights go out. What?! The announcer came on over the loud speaker within a few minutes and told us that someone had crossed the "line of safety" (a.k.a. yellow line!) and although people may step over it occasionally as the train approaches, the train would never stop for somebody simply stepping across the line. Wow, apparently I wasn't the only person in 5.5 million people itching to find out what happens when you admit yourself to the steel tracks!

Road Trip!

Well that pretty much sums up the last 4 days of my Chilean life! On Thursday night Ellie, Pablo, Sebastian (referred to as Chama), Arlan and myself all set out for an adventure due to the fact that May 21st (which happened to be Friday) is a national holiday (ergo, no classes) commemorating a naval battle that took place in Chile. We skipped town around 8:30 pm and because there is about a 5 1/2 hour drive to our destination we decided to stop in Los Vilos, a little roadside town revolving around it's rocky beach of approximately 50 square feet, for the night and hit the road again the next morning. We pulled into the rickety little town around 11:30 pm and started asking around for the cheapest cabaña (like a mini cabin) we could find. By we I of course mean Pablo and Chama, but they ended up using their charm and finding us one for 4.000 pesos (approximately $8)/person. Not bad! So we stayed there for the first night. I was the first to go to bed (at around 3:30 am) and when the others decided to finally come in I was just about to fall asleep and the entire place started to shake. I thought there was an earthquake until I realized that it was just the outstanding structure of the stilted cabaña for which I paid eight dollars.
The next day was Friday, May 21st, and as aforementioned, it is a national holiday so naturally that means there was a nice early morning parade. We all woke up around 9 am (some earlier) to the sounds of a high school-type marching band and that led to us hitting the road by no earlier than 11:30 am. We made a little pit stop in Huentelauquen for some of their deliciously famous cheese and shrimp empanadas. They had an exquisite taste and made me realize that I really don't think I'll get sick of the empanadas here. The cheese makes a difference and being a (sometimes) faithful member of the Badger Cheese Club at the UW I definitely have to say that this cheese was pretty delightful. We set out again and after falling asleep while rocking out to my favorite group the Beatles, I woke up to see a new landscape: sandier mountains covered in cacti! I have a fetish for cacti and for some reason just can't get sick of them. The fact that they are so exotic and different than the trees I know just captivates me. Well we arrived at our next destination, Valle del Encanto (which roughly translates to valley of enchantment), via dirt road to see just what we could see! This valley is famous for it's archaeological excavations and petroglyphs which are images engraved into the surfaces of rocks. I don't exactly know how old or who made the ones we saw, but they were surprisingly pretty entertaining.

After goofing around in the valley and taking a bunch of silly pictures in the ancient Inca baths we made our way up and out onto our next destination: Valle de Elqui. There we were to have a "wicked" asado and go to the Mamalluca (mama-YU-ka) observatory and then camp out for the night. (As an aside, the names of the places only get stranger, so stick with me.) After getting there we had a few hours to kill so we decided to find something new and exciting: eat, have a beer and play pool. We did this and while in the middle of our intense game of billiards Pablo got a phone call. It was Mamalluca and unfortunately the weather was cloudy so the observatory canceled all of its tours for the night, which actually proved to be a big letdown because Chile has some of the world's best observatories and I was hoping to get a sneak peak at the stars (which, as many of you may know, I love). We made a reservation for the following night and then skipped along to Guallaguaica (wai-a-WIKE-a) where our friend Arlan happened to have a family friend with a weekend home. Patricia and Arturo just happened to be there and very graciously opened their home to us. The house was extremely basic and rather than being worried about 5 young adults coming there for the night they were most worried about us being comfortable. The 3 guys stayed outside in the tent we brought along while the girls were spoiled with a mattress inside the house. We had a great asado and took some cervezas down to the beach and just enjoyed the evening. We came back and yet again I was the first to go to bed, this time around 1:30 am. I find it ironic that I go to bed earlier when I'm on vacation than on school nights. Hmmm.

The next day we left early (on Chilean time) - 10 am - and headed for Punto Choros to go on a boat ride to the National Reserve of Isla Damas. There are penguins, pelicans, sea lions, vultures and a plethora of other types of wildlife. The drive was about 2 hours and something but was totally worth it. We finally got a change of scenery, more than once! It began with the ocean and we were driving along it for quite a while until we came to a turn and headed into a more desert-like setting. We got to Punto Choros and made it for the dock where the boats take off. The tour was awesome and the boat we were on was so small. Just think: 12 people, one small boat and the big blue sea. It was pretty 'righteous,' as some may say. We got off the boat on Isla Damas and explored a bit, taking silly pictures, tripping into the water while trying to take silly pictures and watching the waves crash over the huge rocks. It was 100% worth it. We re-entered the boat, headed back and realized we had 2 hours to get something to eat and head back to Valle de Elqui to make our reservation at the observatory. We got some more empanadas, these being even better than the last and got in the car to brave the nice and smooth, purely gravel road. We found out along the way that the observatory yet again canceled the showings due to rain at the observatory, so our plans for the evening opened up quite a bit.

We went back to Patty's house to see if we could see the stars from there, didn't stay long and then headed back to Coquimbo, which is like the Sauk City to the Prairie du Sac, only to La Serena. We got some amazing ice cream and sat outside and froze while eating it. I'm so glad that people from Wisconsin aren't the only ones who like to eat ice cream in the cold. After that we of course bought some more Escudo and found a cabaña. We ditched our stuff and then headed out in search of what else, but food. Ellie and I got some sandwiches while the boys got chorrillana: greasy french fries topped with fried eggs and onions mixed with beef and chorizo...mmmm bring on that heart attack! We then made our way back to the cabaña and played a couple entertaining drinking games (all innocent, don't you worry!) until around 2:30 when we hit the hay (all of us finally going to bed at the same time!).

We got up on Sunday morning and Pablo, Arlan and I went to mass in the cathedral in La Serena and met up with Ellie and Chama after for lunch at El Plebeyo which was a simple little restaurant in La Serena just across the street from the beach. We each ate enough for the day, including loco (a crazy type of marisco), ceviche (a salsa made out of fish and lime) and congrio a la plancha (grilled fish). It was a delicious and expensive meal but you can't put a price on being able to walk on the beach with Ellie afterward and giggle like girls without a care in the world. Needless to say, it was a lot of fun.

Highlights of the trip:
-Singing in the car while Arlan played the guitar and learning two new songs in Español.
-Using the 10 second timer function on my camera.
-Drinking beers on the orilla del mar two nights in a row, different locations.
-Hanging out with Ellie and discovering so many more things we have in common.
-Seeing a real jote (HO-tay) (vulture)! There is a term for guys here in Santiago that are always trying to get with girls and that is a jote. I never got a decent explanation so seeing a real one cleared up the definition for me.
-Boat ride on a sunny day in the ocean and seeing pelicans.
-Trying to flip my coin into the 'cave of wishes' when we were in the boat and having it bounce back. Apparently I demand too much with just one wish!
-Eating amazing empanadas and ice cream.
-Seeing the different landscapes and a couple of amazing sunsets.
-Being called a chiquilla all weekend long.
-Playing hangman with Chama and Ellie on the way home.
-Learning the phrase, estoy como quiero and using it to the boys' disadvantage.
-Seeing all the cacti, especially the ones with flowers.
-Not having a care in the world for the weekend.
-This picture:And that pretty much sums up my road trip up north!
More to come,
Kelsey Marie

What did YOU do last Tuesday?

Well I don't know about you, but I went to La Previa Restobar and sang karaoke! Cristian, one of our friends, goes every Tuesday and in fact is probably there getting his voice warmed up as I type! Laura, Ellie and I went for something a little different to do and for an excuse to stay up late on a school night. We may be 20+ years old but that doesn't mean we are irresponsible! We got there 15 minutes after happy hour ended but that did not deter us from having a good time. Cristian so graciously signed us up as the third act of the night, so we had to think on our feet and choose our fate quickly. We ended up going with Gloria Gaynor's-made famous hit, I Will Survive and not only did we win the crowd over instantly with our blond hair, but also with our amusing dance moves and should-be-famous singing voices. Maybe we'll get discovered next Tuesday and can spend the rest of our lives traveling around South America. Or, maybe we'll just go, belt out a couple ditties, embarrass ourselves on stage and wake up smelling like an ashtray the next morning. The latter is certainly more likely.

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday were pretty standard and fortunately for all of us one of Mama's friends, Verónica, is here visiting from northern Chile and she is a real hoot! I've been able to have lunch and once (own-say - Chilean's version of dinner/tea time) with them a few times and have thoroughly enjoyed every minute. From talking about la Farandula (Chile's version of Hollywood and famous people) to earthquakes to family life I have had a great time cracking jokes with those two ladies. They sure are entertaining and they like to feed the niña (a.k.a. me) way too much! But mama prepares great meals so I suppose I'll take one for the team.

Side note: I really love the Chilean way of eating. It's so basic. Bread for breakfast, big lunch that always consists of (at least in this household): a fresh salad, some sort of main dish, and a dessert which is usually a fruit of some sort and then bread and butter, avocado, or cheese with coffee or tea for dinner. I do love it. When we all have once together mama usually prepares a whole bunch of add-ons for the bread, but my favorite is definitely the palta or this new blueberry marmalade she just opened. Mmmmm.

After spending a great time at Ellie's house on Friday night reliving a little bit of high school days, we got up bright and early and went on our third and final trip with our Michigan-Wisconsin program: Viña Concha y Toro, which is a winery that boasts some world-famous and Chile's best wines. We toured the place, enjoyed samples of two of their finest wines and made our way out before 1 pm. We then were able to enjoy a delicious lunch at Restaurant el Bosque, which is an exquisite restaurant in Cajón del Maipo, the same place where we went to the water reserve last weekend. We all ate just enough to pass out on the way home, or at least I did, and I do not regret it.
Lunch consisted of:
1 pisco sour
1 jugo natural de piña (fresh pineapple juice)
1 roll with pebre (Chilean salsa)
1 small cheese empanadita
1 small empanadita de pino (meat)
1 chicken breast with cheese and red pepper
1 slice of delicious lúcuma ice creamish cake

So you could say we really got our money's worth and aside from it being a great environment, it was just a buena onda as they say here, everybody laughing and enjoying each other's company. After a nap on the bus I finally had the opportunity to bake for the first time since my arrival! For those of you who do not know me, in Wisconsin I had recently taken up a new found appetite for baking, literally. I went over to Casa Suecia, which is the student residence where Steph lives (along with about 30 other international students from all over the world), and her, Kathy and I made cookie sandwiches with manjar (dulce de leche) in the middle. They were gone within the hour but those that were able to enjoy them did and that's where the joy of baking comes in!

Rolling into Sunday and I have definitely saved the best for last. My friend Pablo had told me a while back that he would take me to Los Andes (a little tiny town about an hour north of Santiago), to see Santa Teresita de los Andes. The experience in and of itself was marvelous but just being able to see that part of Chile and really be submersed into the back-country was unforgettable. To paint a picture: on the way there we saw real huasos (a.k.a. Chilean cowboys) riding their horses in their matching hats and panchos along the highway. It. was. awesome. The shrine was tucked up into the mountains and being a Sunday there were quite a few devout Catholics and interested tourists in the neighborhood. After walking around a bit, praying at the tomb of Santa Teresita herself, and being amazed at all of the people who have left her their keys along with a variety of other things for the Santita, we went to mass which lasted no less than an hour and 20 minutes. The priest was talking for a radio broadcast which meant clear and easy-to-understand castellano (what the people here call Spanish). Ergo, I understood nearly everything he said and didn't get sleepy after the first 20 minutes of the homily as has been known to happen (flashback to Epiphany mass with the Pope in Rome...).

After mass we were on a one-track mindset to get some grub. We went to an awesome little locale tucked down a side street in the country called El Chilenazo. I am still not sure what that means so if someone has a clue and would let me know that would be great. In this venue we enjoyed some Chilean traditional folklore, countryside hospitality and the best part: a free bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. We were both extremely impressed with the fine quality of a free wine and pleasantly surprised as well. I was also able to try for the first (and hopefully not last) time one of Chile's famous dishes: pastel de choclo! Here is the recipe, and mom, it may seem difficult, and it is. That's why Mama Maria never makes it. (But I still expect you to practice and have it perfected by the time I get home!) A lot of people that I had talked to have not liked it, but my gut (pun intended) told me that if it is anything like a casserole, I'd be in love. I ate nearly all of it and am already seeking the next opportunity to enjoy it again!
We then made our way even further north and closer to the Argentina border to a pueblito even smaller yet! It is called San Felipe and is made famous for a hill with a large wooden crucifix at the top.

The legend of the crucifix goes like this: there was a huge storm in 1934 and a large pine tree fell down. The city of San Felipe hired German sculptor, Peter Horn, to use the wood from the tree to build a cross at the top of the hill. After getting the wood to the top he worked and camped out for about 50 days on the hill and did not come down until it was finished. The crucifix is magnificent, and on the way up the hill there is a path lined with the stations of the cross which has led this to be a destination of many pilgrimages and retreats. When you get to the top the view is spectacular. The best part: you can keep going. So naturally, we did. Of course this is right up my (v)alley so we stumbled up the next path where we saw yet another peak and continued to ascend. Although slightly dangerous, the views were incredible. It truly was different than anything I had ever seen, full of natural contrasts: mountains all around, farmers' fields, cacti, green pastures, desert, horses, approaching storm clouds, sunshine and tiny San Felipe tucked in the middle of this natural masterpiece. I absolutely loved it.

The quickly approaching fall colors also played their part in making this scenery even more portrait-like, and the weather was absolutely stunning. The forecast for the weekend was rain, rain, rain. All I saw was sunshine, blue skies and happiness which made for some unforgettable experiences with great people.

Tonight I finally decided to crack down and go check out a gym that is about an eight minute walk from my house. I've walked by it before and it seems to be pretty well-known, so I figured I would give their spinning class a try.

Side note #2: When I first got here I was tempted to just go and use my free trial class at all the gyms in the area, but I decided that I shouldn't for a couple of reasons: 1) It's a tad dishonest and 2) How am I supposed to make any friends that way? When I told mama that I was going to try a spinning class at the gym she thought it was the same one Ellie goes to, because I had gone with her in the past. I told her it was a different one and she recited my same idea back to me, "How Chilean of you!" she exclaimed. Oh how great it feels to finally fit in, that is, until I got there and was asked if I was Brazilian. That's a new one!

The class was a lot of fun and extremely hard. The instructor scared me into joining the gym so I am officially a member of something other than the PUC! (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile) Better late than never! And I already made friends with the people at the front desk. Boy, do I love Chile.

Besos a todos,
Kelsey Marie

Not your average trip to Cajón del Maipo!

For a while now Laura and I have wanted to go to Cajón del Maipo, an area in southern Santiago and try some of their outdoor adventures that they are known for (namely rafting, horseback riding and trekking). I asked my friend Pablo the best way to get there and he decided it was in auto and that he would graciously take us! So on Saturday we all met up in the morning and off we went. Cajón del Maipo is a very quaint part of Santiago and consists of one long road along the river. As you drive through you are presented with places offering everything from rafting to paintball and there may have been about 75 or more small, family-run kioskos offering "empanadas de pino, mote con huesillos, pan amasado and heladitos". The entire way it was one after the other, each being manned by one or two people, just simply relaxing and being ready to serve at a moment's notice. After making it all the way through this part of it we passed through San José de Maipo, a super adorable municipality and then continued on to the mountains. We traveled along a not-so-well-beaten road for about 2 hours, even having to physically move the boulders to the side on occasion and finally came upon paradise within Santiago's limits.
It was absolutely unbelievable. The lake is actually a water reserve in the middle of the cordillera that collects the water from the snow in the mountains and takes it downriver to Santiago where it is consumed by the roughly 5,300,000 people that live in the city. It was absolutely amazing to just spend time there for free rather than paying $30 or more to ride horses for an hour or go rafting and freeze. Before heading out for the day we stopped at Lider (supermarket) and picked up the necessities: meat, meat, and beer. It was definitely a day where we would be eating like real men but hey, when in Chile! I also tried for the first time the famoso "Fanschop" which is a mixture of orange Fanta and schop which is the term for a glass of beer. Although that may sound a bit strange, it was actually very delicious and gave me just enough energy to crash in the car on the way home.

Our asado from Saturday consists of the following: world's best choripán, chorizo + toasted bread (preferably marraqueta, Chile's deliciously popular bread) followed by half of a cow. If you are wondering if four people could finish all that, the answer is yes, but don't worry, two of them were Chilean men, and let me tell you, these guys can eat.

Overall it was a great day and although we didn't end up doing any of the seemingly "normal" activities in Cajón del Maipo, we got to see a somewhat "hidden" sanctuary of nature up in the mountains!

Yesterday was mother's day and unfortunately I had no mother to celebrate with. I went to Ellie's house for another asado where her dad spoiled me with all kinds of meat and some of Chile's finest wine, and then came home and spent time with my family here. Although I missed mama it was fun to spend time sharing with my family without a "buffer" in between us!

This week it is going to be study, study, study (well, maybe) and continue to enjoy Santiago! Until next time! Besos a todos!