Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Wrapping it up
But I want to make it clear; this semester hasn’t been all negative. It’s been pretty spectacular actually. The opportunities to meet new and exciting people and learn a distinct language and culture, to travel and discover new beautiful parts of the world, to get to know a city and region at a very intimate level... But I didn’t need to post all that. You can see my photos, I can talk to you about it, but the great parts of life aren’t that interesting. This blog would be even more boring than it already is.
But with all the incredible ups there have also been a few huge downs. The stresses of a study abroad experience in such an isolated world away from family and friends have given me the most challenging struggles of my life. Homesickness, social isolation while being trapped in a Spanish-speaking world, preoccupation over the lack of close and meaningful interaction with others, struggles with a slower and less efficient pace of life, challenges to my values, beliefs and customs, and frustration with a culture which is sometimes hard to understand and adapt to… Those are just a few of the emotions and tests which have worn me down. Yeah I don’t think it’s like this in all study abroad programs. But in one with such a big focus on immersion and dedication to the language, the struggles can be really debilitating. And I think that was true for pretty much all of us in the program in Valdivia this semester. We got emotionally beat up. It’s something they don’t mention in the Schools Abroad handbook, it’s supposed to be all fun and games. Yeah, it wasn’t what I expected, but I wouldn’t change anything because while it was an emotionally taxing experience, it has been incredibly gratifying.
A few days ago, I had a chance to go to the beach one last time with a few friends. After five months living here in Valdivia, just 20 minutes from the Pacific Ocean, I still never actually went for a swim. I came that afternoon resolved to finally do so. It didn’t matter that it felt like it was about to snow when we stepped off the bus, nor did it matter that there wasn’t a single ray of sunlight in sight. It didn’t matter that I didn’t bring a decent towel or warm clothes or that none of the others were going to swim. I needed to do it, not to prove a point, but to bring some sort of closure to my experience here.
It was more than just a quick polar bear plunge into the frigid 50 degree ocean. My body’s clash with numbingly cold water helped bring this whirlwind of a study abroad experience to an end. It knocked out all my frustration, stress, loneliness, and isolation. The icy water told me, this is IT, this is life, let it beat you up and kick you around, just live it and LOVE it because when you come out of it you’ll be stronger.
My semester in Valdivia may not have been the ideal study abroad experience. But I wouldn’t change it at all. It’s given me plenty of positive, unforgettable memories, and the struggles which never let me be made me a stronger and better person, and for that I am grateful.
So what am I up to next?
This Sunday, I leave the city I’ve called home the last five months for good. But I’m not coming home immediately. I’ll be heading to Buenos Aires for a week to spend the holidays with relatives. Then on December 28th I head back down to Southern Chile, starting a sixteen-day solo trip south through Chilean and Argentinean Patagonia. I will be covering a large corridor between Puerto Montt, Chile and El Calafate, Argentina in an ambitiously short timeframe. But hopefully it will give me a chance to relax and reflect, and I’m sure the solitude will get me even more pumped than I already am to return to friends and family back up north.
I reunite with my fellow Middkids/Valdivianos Lilly and Allison in Puerto Natales, Chile on January 13, where we hope to trek the entire Torres del Paine circuit. If you haven’t heard of Torres del Paine, do yourself an eye-candy favor and complete a quick google image search. After finishing the trek we’re off to Punta Arenas, the largest city in Patagonia, for a brief visit, and then Ushuaia (the southernmost city in the world) for one last hurrah of hiking and hopefully a boat trip on the Beagle Channel… I’ll be back in the States on January 29th and just a few days later will make the trip back up to Middlebury.
Well that’s it from Valdivia. I’ll update again when it's right.
Anyway, I love you all, and can’t wait to see you again.
-Alex
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Quiet Study
But in all seriousness, everything is so much louder here in Chile. My nights are dominated by the sounds of nervous neighborhood dogs barking (here in Chile dogs sleep all day). Most days I wake up to the loudest and most obnoxious bird call in existence... the call of the queltehue. If I'm lucky, a neighbor's insanely loud burglar alarm is also going off (while crime rates are relatively low here, people are obsessed about protecting their home with fences and security systems. 99% of the alarms that go off are caused by somebody opening a door before deactivating the alarm...).
Life at the university is extremely loud. Not just in the study lounges. In my climatology class, I always have to sit in the first row if I want to get a chance to hear the professor, the other 80 people in the class are busy chatting with their friends. With no air conditioning, windows in Chile are always open, so you might be trying to enjoy a nice discussion on Argentinian history while some guy with a leafblower drops by.
It keeps life fun and interesting, but it'll be nice to come back to a slightly quieter world.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Sports
So last night I went to a pro basketball game with a Chilean friend. I'm not much of a basketball fan, but since this is part of the Valdivian experience, why not? It seemed like half the city had the same idea, including the entire police force (they're called carabineros and wear sweet green uniforms here). It was nice to know we were safe.
The game ended up being pretty worthwhile. I still don't understand where the away team came from- their jerseys all said Boston College Eagles but they were almost all speaking Chilean Spanish. (Since when does Boston College have a Chile campus? not sure) Both teams had a few Americans on their team- for the guys that don't make it to the NBA, Chile is a great alternative! (as long as you don't mind playing in a different language). Anyway the game went back and forth, and after Valdivia blew a 20 point lead and was down by 1, it all came down to a fantastic but tragic ending for the home team as Valdivia missed a last-second 3 point attempt and was left on the floor weeping. Well maybe not weeping, but pretty close. The whole game was really intense. The players and fans let it all out and were really into it- great sport atmosphere.
Afterwards, my friend and I walked back outside only to be greeted by near hurricane force winds and drenching rain squalls. I really do love Valdivia.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Classes
First a few details about the academic side of my program: in our program we directly enroll in the local university (in this case, Universidad Austral de Chile) so we don't have any special classes or professors, and we don't get too much extra help as international students. We take classes (or at least try to) side-by-side with Chilean students in order to help with the immersion and cultural experience.
In Chile, students don't really have any flexibility in the classes they take- once they choose their major, their class schedule for the next four years is set. That creates problems for us gringos who arrive on campus wanting to pick classes "a la carte". Want to take a history class, a forestry class, and a film class? You'll likely have to see a dozen people in a dozen buildings spread out across the campus just to figure out the schedule for each class. And you're not out of the woods once you find the class. The big issue is that everyone seems a bit reluctant to get started after winter break... Most Chilean students seem to be skipping the first few weeks of classes, and professors don't always show up either. It's difficult to get a sense of how the class is going to be if you're the only person who shows up! Another slight problem I've had to deal with is that a few of the classes I wanted to take simply don't exist at all. Oh well. So I'll update the academic side once again once things settle down. Those of you at Midd- pass on my warm regards to the registrar's office and bannerweb. I miss them terribly.
Anyway I'm gonna sign off now. Right before writing this I got back from watching an incredible football game at a bar popular with the university kids. Chile just DESTROYED Colombia in a World Cup Qualifying match and all of Valdivia is going nuts. Now it's almost midnight and it's time for the celebrations/carrateando to begin...
Climatology
Calm after the storm
I've probably mentioned the rain a few times in this blog but rain is such an essential part of the experience here I thought I'd dedicate a whole entry to it. Plus, I think I'm gonna take a climatology course this semester so I should probably start getting used to talking about weather...
In short, August was a climatological nightmare. It rained 29 out of 31 days, and the last 10 days of the month it just dumped on us non-stop. September, on the other hand, has been incredible. We’ve had a few soggy days but the sun has made quite a few extended stays as well. Everyone's spirits are up.
So what's this rain really like? Let’s look at a few U.S. city average yearly rainfall statistics, just for reference. (Thanks wikipedia)
Burlington, Vt: 34.6 inches
Seattle, Washington 37.1 inches
Washington DC: 39.1 inches
Ok, so what about Valdivia????
106.4 inches. 9 feet of rain each year. On average, the amount of rain that falls in Valdivia during June and July is more than what falls in Seattle in one entire year.
I really shouldn’t be trashing Valdivia for its excess of liquid precipitation, though. All the locals I’ve talked to have told me this was the most insane August they’ve ever experienced (my Chilean family has lived here almost 40 years and can’t remember a rainier August). And three times Seattle’s annual rainfall isn’t really THAT much. At least we’re not talking Indian monsoon rain or Amazon jungle quantities of rain here. I was reading the other day that some town in India gets 470 inches (39 feet) of rain per year while parts of Colombia get 450+ inches of rain as well. And at least all these rainy days make it a lot easier to enjoy and take advantage of the sunny ones...
Anyway, here's my message to all of you people enjoying life in the U.S. or in other significantly drier locales: appreciate your beautiful weather, because somewhere in the world, someone is getting absolutely soaked right now.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Communication
Caramba it's raining hard right now. I'm going to bed.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Transport
Micros (buses)
Micros are common throughout
Colectivos
These are basically taxis that have predetermined routes, squeezing as many people as can fit into the vehicle. I like this option for the quickest way into the center. But they don’t go to the university. They’re also really cramped. And the cost adds up if I take them several times a day.
Bike
I bought a bike this week. I’m really happy with it. It’s really cheap and crappy but gets the job done- it gets me places. The one problem is that
I’m still trying to figure out the best solution…
Monday, August 11, 2008
Arrived in Chile!
Anyway it’s great to finally be here after the crazy amount of paperwork and preparation.
One of the main pedestrian paths with the city cathedral in background
There are about 140,000 people living in Valdivia. Although it is not all that big, it’s really not that small either, with plenty of good food, entertainment, and historic sights to see. There are few cities in Latin America that can match
River market complete with lobos del mar and assorted birds
But more than anything else,
Botanical Garden
Skiing,
I’m living with a great Chilean family a five-minute drive/25 minute walk from downtown. It is a nice middle-class neighborhood, reminiscent of suburban neighborhoods in the U.S (although generally, houses are much smaller here). Although I definitely regret being a bit removed from the center of
(Avenida Picarte/main street)
So what am I doing now? Well I’m not all that sure really. The first days here have been a bit crazy, figuring out class options, internships, registering with the police and civil registry, trying to get credit card issues resolved… But thankfully, classes don’t start for another three weeks (a two-month strike by students last semester forced the university to compress this coming semester. So I have a lot of time to finish getting everything sorted out. One thing I have started is my internship with a local environmental group (more on that some other day).
Well, I should probably get some sleep. Tomorrow is a big day. I work at my internship in the morning and in the afternoon I’m going shopping with my host mother to get a bike (fast, cheap, ideal transportation for
Feel free to check out my photos on my facebook page. I’ll add more as the semester goes on.
I’d love to hear from you- shoot me an e-mail!
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Dell
Last year up at school I had a bit of a problem with my cheap Dell printer (I think they actually paid me something like 20 dollars to get it with my computer). Well maybe it wasn't just a bit of a problem. It actually kind of caught fire.
Needless to say, I was quite concerned. So I called up Dell asking them what they could do for me. I couldn't really understand the guy on the other end of the line. Sometimes I couldn't tell if he was even speaking English. By the end, all I could really make out was "No problem sir, no problem. I will handle everything!". I thanked him and hung up with little faith I could get it fixed, so I resolved to look for another ridiculously cheap printer as soon as possible. But only two days later a surprise package showed up for me at the mail center. A brand new printer. Free. Sent overnight from Dell HQ. I was happy.
Just over a year later, my laptop decided it had enough. It started complaining about its case being opened and closed on a daily basis, and one of its hinges gave out. Ouch. I can't take a laptop to Chile that has its electronic guts spilling out. So on a whim I called Dell to ask how much pain, suffering, and money I would have to go through to get it fixed. Turns out I had some sort of warranty I had never known about, still in effect. I called them on a Monday evening to report the issue. Tuesday morning I get a pleasant wake-up call from my local Dell technician. He was ready to make an appointment! And the next day my laptop had a brief surgical operation and is now as good as new.
Dell is my hero.
Photos
Monday, June 16, 2008
Key terms
Pigeons
These freaks of nature are everywhere in Dubrovnik. I want to kill them all.
Sea Breeze
Dubrovnik has had the best weather ever. Perfect temperature in the low 70s F/ low 20s C. And the breeze has been fantastic. Couldn't have had a better day for the beach today.
EURO 2008!
As I write the after-parties are just getting started after Croatia just beat Poland to advance as a top seed to the quarterfinals. Europe loves football and it has really added to the atmosphere. Very nice.
Cats
I'm sure this town has more cats per capita than any other town in the world by far. You literally can not take one step without seeing one of the cute skinny bundles of fur lounging around on the floor. Seems to be taking care of the rat problem.
$$$
Compared to Bosnia this place is mad expensive (Disclaimer: this is my first time to Europe so I'm not used to Western Europe prices). Granted some stuff was worth it (i.e. climbing the city walls, a really moving war photography exhibit) but for most of the museums, restaurants, etc... give me a break!
Alright... since I have to get up in 4.5 hours for the flight home it is time for me to sign off. Photos WILL be posted as soon as I return.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Arrived in Dubrovnik
The last few days in Sarajevo were pretty relaxed. We went to Bledinje Nature Park on Thursday, whose main attraction was two 2,000 meter peaks surrounding a massive, stunning, mostly uninhabited valley. There is a ski area there but practically nobody visits the park in the summer and that's a shame because along with Sutjeska (park I mentioned earlier) this is one of the most beautiful spots in Bosnia.
We were going to go rafting on Friday but decided to cancel due to the cool, rainy weather (it's actually rained all but one day on the twelve days of the trip so far). So we ended up just exploring more of Sarajevo, going to some of the museums we missed on Wednesday. They were mostly not that interesting/lacked good English explanations for their exhibits, but I learned some more great history of Bosnia. Factoid of the day: It was in Sarajevo where Gavrillo Princip shot Franz Ferdinand and his wife in 1914, sparking the First World War (a war which went on to kill 20 million people and indirectly led to World War II as well).
Today we got up early for the long trip to Dubrovnik. We did get to spend a few hours in Mostar, one of the few areas in Bosnia which does get a bunch of tourists. Its main attraction is a beautiful old 450 year-old stone bridge (destroyed in the recent war but rebuilt using the same ancient methods in 2004).
Nearby in Blegaj, where a large river gushes out of a tremendous cliff next to an old Dervish Monastery.
I know I promised photos and I WILL get around to posting a few of them soon, probably tomorrow. It is late now and I need some sleep!
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
More explorations
Yesterday we got to to see one of the forestry projects my Mom is working on in person. It's been great on this trip to be able to see not just the tourist stuff but also some of the development and progress throughout the country as it recovers from the war.
My Dad and I started today by climbing up the narrow streets above our pension to the side of ancient fort that had protected the city. We had some outstanding views of the entire city below us. Later on we took the tram to the other side of town and walked a ways to the Tunnel Museum.
The 800 meter tunnel under the airport was the only connection Sarajevo's citizens had to the outside world from 1992-1995 when the city was surrounded and under siege by Serbian troops. The Serbian soldiers subjugated the citizens of Sarajevo to daily shelling and sniper fire. 12,000 people were killed and 50,000 were injured during the siege- almost all civilians. The Tunnel Museum, operated by the father and son whose home served as one of the tunnel's entrances, was a grim reminder of the recent horror experienced by the people of Bosnia. Definitely the best place I've been so far in the country. If any of you are interested in learning more about the conflict in Bosnia or general Bosnian history, check out these wikipedia articles: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Sarajevo and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bosnian_War http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Bosnia_and_Herzegovina
I wish I had time to talk more about the country's history but it's really been fascinating learning about it here in person. There's a saying that Bosnia has more history than any other country and I believe it!
In the afternoon my sister arrived to join us for the second half of our trip. My Dad and I, seasoned tourists familiar with the entire city-- showed her around the old city. We got to see an awesome chess game with giant pieces.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Sarajevo
It is hard to imagine only 13 years ago the same residents were being shot at and shelled daily. The scars remain everywhere we go- burnt out buildings, bullet holes in walls, and shell markings in the sidewalk.
Yesterday we got a chance to explore parts of Sutjeska National Park near the border with Montenegro. Sutjeska offers some of the best scenery in this part of Europe. The two highest peaks in Bosnia tower over 2300 meters (7,500 feet) and looking at them made me feel like I was in Colorado or Alaska.
Have to head off to dinner now. Updates will probably be rare/brief for the next week as I don't have access to internet that often.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
First Impressions
I had an adventure seeking out a power adapter for my computer charger earlier tonight, having to go to three stores and desperately asking a dozen employees if they spoke any English or could otherwise help me find the adapter. Thankfully I eventually got the said item and have since promised myself to memorize essential Serbian/Croat phrases for the remainder of the trip. There are very few foreigners and very few English-speakers in this part of the world- at least when I traveled to Latin America I knew the local language...
Now I am sitting in a hotel room which luckily has internet access- not sure how much I'll have when we get to Sarajevo in a few days. Well after spending my first full day in Europe I'm ready to call it a night and crash...I'll close with a few photos and (hopefully) write again soon.
Main Catholic Cathedral in Zagreb (it's under renovation)
The Banja Luka fort.
The connection is pretty limited here so hopefully I can post more later.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Heading Off
Friday, May 30, 2008
The First
So here goes- Alex blogging. I was convinced to start this after discussing with some of my college friends how we could stay in touch while we're spread out all over the world. Many of us will be speaking different languages and living completely different lives this coming junior year, so a blog seems like the best way of staying at least partially connected. Maybe it will expand into something permanent and less focused- we'll see.
So what am I up to now? I just returned back home to Arlington after completing my sophomore year up at Middlebury College. I delayed my return as much as I could, getting a chance to make some money working at the school's recycling center and witnessing a very pleasant commencement ceremony. It is nice to be home though. In a few days I'll be heading off to Croatia and Bosnia with my family. More on that adventure later!
Anyway, thanks for stopping by! I'd love to hear from you- family, old friends from high school, friends at Midd, other acquaintances... Please feel free to comment, e-mail me an update on your life, send me your blog url, etc... Hope everyone is having a great start to the summer.
Happiness is only real when shared.
-Chris McCandless