Just Call Me the Goddess of Camping

I have learned many important skills growing up in New York City, including how to walk like I mean business, how to spot fake designer merchandise, how to navigate crowds as if I were a small child to get the best spot at a concert/on the subway/when needing to see a celebrity and so on. I would not give up these abilities for anything in the world and I adore New York City as if she were my own sister. However there are many things that New York didn’t teach me, and I discovered these holes in my skillset this past weekend when I went camping.

Now I know what you guys are thinking, “I bet Rebecca carried out this camping weekend with the same grace in which she carries out her everyday life!” Ah yes you would be right because like I said, growing up a child of concrete sidewalk has taught me many things, but jumping, balancing, judging distances from which it’s safe to jump and balance were not included in the package.

We went on a hike that essentially began off the side of a highway up the stream of a creek (not a river as I was I corrected) that at first was pleasantly covered in garbage. We questioned what we were doing in the hike in a landfill but decided to keep going to see if the views would improve. They definitely did because as we kept walking the garbage cleared and visible were these hugemongus rock walls, desert-like plant life, clear sky above, and mountains like enormous shoulders surrounding us.

Now, I said that I wanted everyone to slow down so I could enjoy the breathtaking nature-ness of it all but really it was because I was having a hard time! This particular trail has us climbing up rocky inclines, sifting through sharp bushes like I was Indiana Jones, and hopping on stones back and forth across the creek! Picture me doing all of these things for a minute. Alright, that's enough I think to understand the state I was in.

Along the trail there were all these Chilean families and groups of friends who set up camps. At some point when it clearly seemed like I was having trouble getting back across the creek a Chilean man offered to give me a piggy-back ride across. I swallowed my pride and jumped on… I was not going to have an opportunity for me to make it across the river without falling in pass me by! At some points though I just went for it and walked through the river without even trying to use the rocks, a girl knows when she’s been had!

The creek eventually led us to a beautiful waterfall that we were able to wade around in. Despite all of my ranting, the entire hike was incredibly lovely and fun. I truly enjoyed the experience even though I wiped out so many times on the way back that my friend insisted I hold on to his forearm for protection. One of my favorite moments from the hike was when another friend turned to me and said “So uh, did you ever play any sports in school?” The funny thing about it is that I actually did! What do you think gave it away that I’m not athletic?

The rest of the weekend was also super great; we slept in tents on this campsite that sat on top of a river and in front of a mountain. I did not sleep very much, nor shower at all but it felt so liberating to be dirty and stanky without caring. We ate roasted marshmallows, laughed a lot, and enjoyed each other’s company without distractions. There is nothing like looking up at a clear sky filled with stars, maybe not even dare I say looking out the artificial stars created by my favorite skyline. 

Ciao! 

The view from our tents!

View from the hike... so worth it!

Playing in the waterfall 

The waterfall 

Can I still be a Cruzada even though I'm Jewish?

This past Thursday I went to my first futbol (read: soccer) game and it was quite possibly one of the most fun nights I have had here! Like in every other country that is not the United States, futbol is obviously huge here. Sometimes when riding the metro or walking down the street I can hear people in jerseys singing team theme songs, waving flags, and hanging out of bus windows getting pumped up for the game later that day. When I heard that my friends were going to a game I immediately jumped on the opportunity. We went to a Universidad Catolica versus Bolivia game and it definitely lived up to the very high expectations I had for the evening! Universidad Catolica is a private university here in Santiago but the team is not made up of students from the school. The team is made up of professional futbol players, and while the University used to be affiliated with the team, it is not anymore. Likewise the fans (called cruzados/as meaning cross or crusaders as I learned from Google translate), are not necessarily students from the University. That being said, the game definitely felt like a rowdier South American version of a college football or basketball game.

When we arrived at the stadium we sat in what would be the equivalent of a student section, with bleachers and people who jump a lot. There was a guy selling peanuts, but no beer as futbol fans can get violent. When the coach for Bolivia came out the audience let ring a million catcall whistles and it was impressively loud! Now I know where they learn it from when they call out to my girlfriends and me!

While the announcer was listing the names of the Bolivian players, the crowd shouted out something similar to SUCKS after each one just like we do with such good sportsmanship at Maryland. My favorite chant though was when the fans would continuously sing “no tienen mar” which translates to “you don’t have a sea”. I was very proud of myself when I remembered the historical context for this cheer. Chile went to war with Bolivia and Peru in 1879 in a war called the War of the Pacific. To make a very long story a very short story, in this war Chile acquired all of Bolivia’s access to the sea and they are still very bitter about it. I just thought it was hilarious that over 100 years later this serious historical insult was being used at a futbol game!

At the start of the game there were fireworks that went off right above our heads, people were throwing streamers and also climbing up the fence that surrounded the field. I also learned a lot of very neat curse words that probably made me seem very Chilean shouting them when everyone else did! It was also very hard to see if the ball actually went into the goal or not so I will admit that there were definitely times when I was cheering very loudly in a crowd of dead silence thinking there was a goal scored when there definitely was not! I think then people realized I was American. Foiled again!

Sadly the game ended in a tie, but thankfully I am not too committed to the team so I was able to have a fabulous time regardless! I can’t wait to go to more games with my newly expanded vocabulary!

Ciao!

The futbol field

Dudes climbing the fence

Sparkler at the game!

Casually enjoying some futbol, so you can see I have friends here!

It is really beautiful here! Come visit me!

Hi everybody and happy Superbowl Sunday!

I know it has been a little while since I have written, but I am attempting to make these posts a little bit shorter so here are a couple highlights from the past week. Last week USAC took us on a trip to the Andean Museum about 45 minutes outside of Santiago. The Andean Museum is made up of one man’s personal collection of artifacts from the indigenous people who used to live here. There were so many beautiful pieces of patterned pottery, ornate hats, and gold ornaments. The most impressive part of the museum is that it is also located in a functioning vineyard and winery. The vineyard looked like a movie set behind the museum! Next door to the museum there is a beautiful building with a Spanish rooftop where they sold the wine and one of the most picturesque gardens I have ever seen in my life. It seems like the most perfect wedding location if anyone is interested in a destination wedding in Chile! Please invite me!

Later that day some friends of mine and I continued the theme of indigenous culture by attending a festival celebrating native culture. The festival was on top of a mountain where you could see a large portion of the city. It is always my favorite to see the city as the sun is setting and then when the stars come out. The moon was huge and I was feeling incredibly lucky as I looked out into Santiago, the place where I live right now (in case you forgot)! There was traditional music accompanied by these dances that we attempted to mimic but probably looked foolish. I ate the most ENORMOUS corn on the cob, bought these really cool earrings in the crafts section of the festival, and drank a terremoto.

I will pause here to explain terremotos. A terremoto is basically the second national drink of this country, and directly translated it means earthquake. I forget if I discussed them already, but if I did I think they deserve another mention. A terremoto is a drink that consists of white wine, pisco, grenadine, and pineapple ice cream on top. You must exercise caution when drinking a terremoto. It is better to share one with a friend, because they are so sweet and delicious that you may forget that they are even alcoholic. Do not forget! They are!

The last thing I want to talk about is how my Spanish is coming. I am starting to hang out more with Chileans, going to parties with them, and meeting up with them during the week. It is definitely helping my Spanish and I feel like it has already improved drastically from when I arrived. Last night I had someone tell me that my Spanish seemed very “fluid”, but maybe he said “fluent”? Either way I am taking that as a compliment and trying to speak Spanish as much as I can! I am trying to figure out how I will keep up my Spanish when I come home, so if anyone wants to volunteer to be my speaking partner when I come home I would greatly appreciate it! I’ll make terremotos!

Ciao and GO GIANTS!!!! 

The winery building

Our wedding!

Sharing a terremoto!

View from the indigenous festival

REALLY BIG CORN!!!!

Pretty area at the festival

Some of my friends!

View from the mountain at night, check out the moon in the background!