Sunday, March 23, 2008
Cascada de las Animas
today Bimbi, Luke and i went to a national park called Cascada de las Animas. we took a 2+ hour trail ride on horses, got beautiful views of the mountains and a look at the waterfall itself! here are some pictures and a short video... i'm still learning!
pretty flowers
view from the entrance
mighty dirty river, the Mapoche
on top of the nearby mountain
bimbi on her horse - one of the first times!Saturday, March 22, 2008
Las Señoras Zamoras
since my arrival, i have been staying with las Señoras Zamoras, two sisters in their 50s, and Camilla, a 20-year old daughter of one of their friends. it was set up through my language school and is in a great location, right across from a metro stop.
Elena and Erika are sisters, but Elena is the older one and definitely runs the house. she also has all sorts of funny rules such as:
1. as soon as you enter the house, you must wash your hands
2. when eating at the table, you just use the tablecloth, and when you are done, it must be removed
3. you may not wipe your hands on the dish towel, nor dry the dishes with the hand towel
4. same goes for the bathroom - you are not to use your bath towel to dry your hands.
5. there is a certain way to wash the dishes, involving a little cup that holds soapy water - you are to dip the sponge in the cup and then commence washing
i'm aware that these seem to make sense, but it is odd since she is picky about nothing else. she doesn't care if i'm out late, or if i don't come home at all. she's growing on me, though.
since my spanish has improved, it is easier to understand the women. they can't remember to speak slowly, so i just nod along. occasionally, elena will look at me and say in spanish "you don't understand." then she sighs and tries to explain a different way, often with better success. however, she likes keeping tabs on me and is always asking me what i'm going to do, where i'm going, etc. they are certainly both quirky, but it's nice to have some people with which to practice spanish when i'm not in class.
i'm sure more elena adventures are to come. i'm going to see if she'll help me call for apartments... though she has her own opinions on that as well!
Elena and Erika are sisters, but Elena is the older one and definitely runs the house. she also has all sorts of funny rules such as:
1. as soon as you enter the house, you must wash your hands
2. when eating at the table, you just use the tablecloth, and when you are done, it must be removed
3. you may not wipe your hands on the dish towel, nor dry the dishes with the hand towel
4. same goes for the bathroom - you are not to use your bath towel to dry your hands.
5. there is a certain way to wash the dishes, involving a little cup that holds soapy water - you are to dip the sponge in the cup and then commence washing
i'm aware that these seem to make sense, but it is odd since she is picky about nothing else. she doesn't care if i'm out late, or if i don't come home at all. she's growing on me, though.
since my spanish has improved, it is easier to understand the women. they can't remember to speak slowly, so i just nod along. occasionally, elena will look at me and say in spanish "you don't understand." then she sighs and tries to explain a different way, often with better success. however, she likes keeping tabs on me and is always asking me what i'm going to do, where i'm going, etc. they are certainly both quirky, but it's nice to have some people with which to practice spanish when i'm not in class.
i'm sure more elena adventures are to come. i'm going to see if she'll help me call for apartments... though she has her own opinions on that as well!
estoy aquí!
well, i made it. i'm aware i'm going to have to do some backtracking, but i'd first like to share my experiences this evening.
i had a late start of the day because of a late night, and eventually wandered out of the house around 9pm, after spending the afternoon watching Ben-Hur in dubbed Spanish with Erika, one of the ladies of the house, while simultaneously looking for apartments online and catching up on business affairs.
i was headed out 'sola' because all the lovely people i had met last night had gone to the mountains or to the beach. i decided to take advantage of my lonely planet guide and find a new part of town in which to have dinner. off i went, to a new part of providencia.
av. providencia is beautiful, with plane trees lining the avenue and wide sidewalks for ample strolling opportunities. there are churches scattered here and there, restaurants and stores all mixed together with apartments and office buildings above.
however, on this good friday of semana santa (holy week) there was hardly a soul in sight, and i set off feeling as though the street had been made just so i could walk its length. i arrived at the restaurant, only to find that it was closed. i was about to turn around when three young people started asking me questions in rapid spanish. turns out they were foreigners as well, and that my handy-dandy lonely planet had the very restaurant listed that they were looking for. we started back towards the correct street, and i asked if i could join them since my restaurant had been closed.
so, there i was, with three new friends, Lina, David and Álmanzo. They study engineering, politcs and geography, respectivally. And, it turns out it was Álmanzo's birthday. We headed to Pizza Nuestra, which was delicious and very Italian in its thinness, and had a good time discussing what we all did, how we each came to be here, and then finally, the Iraq War and the upcoming election. (They want Bush out and the war over.)
My new friends walked me all the way back to my homestay and then we exchanged numbers and they walked off into the night. I think this is a good town.
i had a late start of the day because of a late night, and eventually wandered out of the house around 9pm, after spending the afternoon watching Ben-Hur in dubbed Spanish with Erika, one of the ladies of the house, while simultaneously looking for apartments online and catching up on business affairs.
i was headed out 'sola' because all the lovely people i had met last night had gone to the mountains or to the beach. i decided to take advantage of my lonely planet guide and find a new part of town in which to have dinner. off i went, to a new part of providencia.
av. providencia is beautiful, with plane trees lining the avenue and wide sidewalks for ample strolling opportunities. there are churches scattered here and there, restaurants and stores all mixed together with apartments and office buildings above.
however, on this good friday of semana santa (holy week) there was hardly a soul in sight, and i set off feeling as though the street had been made just so i could walk its length. i arrived at the restaurant, only to find that it was closed. i was about to turn around when three young people started asking me questions in rapid spanish. turns out they were foreigners as well, and that my handy-dandy lonely planet had the very restaurant listed that they were looking for. we started back towards the correct street, and i asked if i could join them since my restaurant had been closed.
so, there i was, with three new friends, Lina, David and Álmanzo. They study engineering, politcs and geography, respectivally. And, it turns out it was Álmanzo's birthday. We headed to Pizza Nuestra, which was delicious and very Italian in its thinness, and had a good time discussing what we all did, how we each came to be here, and then finally, the Iraq War and the upcoming election. (They want Bush out and the war over.)
My new friends walked me all the way back to my homestay and then we exchanged numbers and they walked off into the night. I think this is a good town.
Monday, February 18, 2008
chile!
Teatro Municipal, my future home!
i have received, signed and faxed my contract. it's official! i was deeply scared of the possibility of it not going through, but lo and behold, i have a job after all. i was so relieved when i got the notice, i literally burst into tears. hurrah for new beginnings!
Monday, February 11, 2008
...
in certain cases (Jorge, for example) instead of using an ellipsis or an et cetera, he says "ta ta ta ta ta."
For example: the flowers could be pink or white or ta ta ta ta ta.
i LOVE this onomatopoeia, and encourage everyone to use "ta ta ta ta ta."
For example: the flowers could be pink or white or ta ta ta ta ta.
i LOVE this onomatopoeia, and encourage everyone to use "ta ta ta ta ta."
Monday, February 4, 2008
Jorge!
i have purchased spanish lessons. private, one-on-one, 8:30am spanish lessons. my teacher's name is jorge, de colombia. when i initially spoke with raul gonzales, of the gonzales language school, i requested someone who would work on my conversation and not speak english with me. grammar i can do on my own. i need my speaking spanish only time.
jorge doesn't speak much english. he speaks haltingly and of course with an adorable accent. he's probably in his 50's, with a son my age and a daughter in high school. an example of jorge's english follows:
me: "cuando una cosa no está mucho dinero"
jorge: "ahh! cheap? cheap?"
me: (excited) "si si si!"
jorge: he proceeds to write it on the board to make sure we're for sure on the same page.
"s h e p."
me: i nod.
sometimes, however, when he writes an english word on the board, he asks me if it's correct and i'll fix it, or praise it accordingly. mostly, we're buddies. the conversation drifts along as it would with any friend.
friday, we started with what i do when it's cold out, hot out, etc. then we moved on to the neighborhood that i want to live in once i arrive in Chile, called Bellavista. (in the south american pronunciation, it is more like bejabista, which makes me think of bouillabaisse.) i describe the neighborhood, the two collinas (hills) y el zoológico! (very excited about that one.) the discussion then progressed to the ridiculous number of activities i pursued as an over-achieving child. after the swimming came up, and he found out i swam "la mariposa" (butterfly), he mentioned that he once had a girlfriend for two years who was a swimmer and swam butterfly in the pan-american games. this got us onto relationships. i discussed my recent one, which got us into the feared south american "machismo."
now. the machismo is the type of man found in all countries where men are beautiful and flirtatious, namely france, italy, and, clearly, south america. however, unlike general guys whom will sometimes admit to having a wife/girlfriend etc, these machismos love to take advantage of the beautiful women around them by seducing as many as possible.
they do this in a variety of ways, mostly by praising, spoiling, whispering lovely things into the ear, and certainly without wearing la argolla de matrimonio (that would be the wedding ring.)
jorge speaks vehemently against these men.
"lillian! these men are very very (think berry berry) bad and are lars.
me: "qué?"
j: "lars. de don't tell de truth!"
me: "oh, LIARS!!! cómo se dice, liars?"
j: "MENTIROSOS! los muchachos de sur americana son mentirosos!"
i love this new word. it sounds dirty and sneaky just saying it. fitting for its definition.
i have heard of this phenomenon, so i ask jorge, "if they're so sneaky and clever, how am i supposed to know if they're mentirosos or not?"
jorge continues to tell me that i must speak with the women. ask people, "take notes" (i couldn't believe it), and follow up. if he asks you to go to a bar with him, ask someone else if it's in a good part of town. basically, one must do thorough homework prior to making out, or you might be chased down by a wife or mistress. latina women are fierce.
jorge then says: "lilliana. soy un papá. tengo dos hijos, y te dico la verdadero. no dices 'si' a la primero hombre qué dice 'hola.' Tu debes tener paciencia, paciencia. Hablas con las muchachas, preguntas sobre el muchacho. tu estás joven (young), y debes estar tranquila."
so. no saying yes to the first man i meet. i have to take notes and talk with the ladies. at least this will force me to be VERY selective. i'm looking forward to the challenge.
jorge doesn't speak much english. he speaks haltingly and of course with an adorable accent. he's probably in his 50's, with a son my age and a daughter in high school. an example of jorge's english follows:
me: "cuando una cosa no está mucho dinero"
jorge: "ahh! cheap? cheap?"
me: (excited) "si si si!"
jorge: he proceeds to write it on the board to make sure we're for sure on the same page.
"s h e p."
me: i nod.
sometimes, however, when he writes an english word on the board, he asks me if it's correct and i'll fix it, or praise it accordingly. mostly, we're buddies. the conversation drifts along as it would with any friend.
friday, we started with what i do when it's cold out, hot out, etc. then we moved on to the neighborhood that i want to live in once i arrive in Chile, called Bellavista. (in the south american pronunciation, it is more like bejabista, which makes me think of bouillabaisse.) i describe the neighborhood, the two collinas (hills) y el zoológico! (very excited about that one.) the discussion then progressed to the ridiculous number of activities i pursued as an over-achieving child. after the swimming came up, and he found out i swam "la mariposa" (butterfly), he mentioned that he once had a girlfriend for two years who was a swimmer and swam butterfly in the pan-american games. this got us onto relationships. i discussed my recent one, which got us into the feared south american "machismo."
now. the machismo is the type of man found in all countries where men are beautiful and flirtatious, namely france, italy, and, clearly, south america. however, unlike general guys whom will sometimes admit to having a wife/girlfriend etc, these machismos love to take advantage of the beautiful women around them by seducing as many as possible.
they do this in a variety of ways, mostly by praising, spoiling, whispering lovely things into the ear, and certainly without wearing la argolla de matrimonio (that would be the wedding ring.)
jorge speaks vehemently against these men.
"lillian! these men are very very (think berry berry) bad and are lars.
me: "qué?"
j: "lars. de don't tell de truth!"
me: "oh, LIARS!!! cómo se dice, liars?"
j: "MENTIROSOS! los muchachos de sur americana son mentirosos!"
i love this new word. it sounds dirty and sneaky just saying it. fitting for its definition.
i have heard of this phenomenon, so i ask jorge, "if they're so sneaky and clever, how am i supposed to know if they're mentirosos or not?"
jorge continues to tell me that i must speak with the women. ask people, "take notes" (i couldn't believe it), and follow up. if he asks you to go to a bar with him, ask someone else if it's in a good part of town. basically, one must do thorough homework prior to making out, or you might be chased down by a wife or mistress. latina women are fierce.
jorge then says: "lilliana. soy un papá. tengo dos hijos, y te dico la verdadero. no dices 'si' a la primero hombre qué dice 'hola.' Tu debes tener paciencia, paciencia. Hablas con las muchachas, preguntas sobre el muchacho. tu estás joven (young), y debes estar tranquila."
so. no saying yes to the first man i meet. i have to take notes and talk with the ladies. at least this will force me to be VERY selective. i'm looking forward to the challenge.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
