Chileen in Chile

And just like that, it's Sunday again! My weekend is ending on a high note after getting over a pretty rotten 24 hour fever that hit me on Thursday. I was disoriented and a little freaked out when my host mom looked at the thermometer and said: "yep, definitely above 37." I was like !!!!! 37!!!! that is so low!!!!! Then I woke up a little and remembered everywhere else in the world 37 degrees *Celsius* is normal. None of that 98.6 crapola. But I got over it as everyone does, and yesterday, Maria and I watched our very first frisbee tournament! We did our best to not project our American-ness as we tried to cheer for Shayna and Bryce.  They are such superstars! Today,  Chelsea got the full 3 points after winning their game against Everton on a beautiful afternoon at Stamford Bridge. And now I'm just cuddled up in my bed listening to some smooth tunes as I finish up my Spanish homework. Not a bad end to a week at all. "View" of Santiago from Parque Mahu...

I come to you from my cozy room having just watched the final "I've Had the Time of My Life" scene from Dirty Dancing which was released exactly 30 years and 3 days ago. It left me feeling a little mix of happy, full of that weird sensation of smiling at a screen when you are alone, and nostalgic for my favorite movie that I love to share with all of my favorite people. So the best way to cope with that is to whip out a new blog post and type away my thoughts! This week has flown by, and I honestly keep forgetting that today is Sunday. The only constant reminder I have are the overly thick packets on architecture and public art theory sitting by my side. Here is to real homework once again, and my brand new pens that I am very much looking forward to using for annotation! Have to use that $50,000 peso "school supply" allowance on something. The major event in my week came on Thursday, when I, along with Joel, went to the CONIN headquarters in Providencia,...

To get everyone in the mood, please watch and/or listen!!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuLBhxZUkmU . Also shout out to Maria Grant and her faboo blog ( http://anothergringa.blogspot.cl/2017/08/when-you-see-southern-cross-for-first.html ). It makes me chuckle when we more or less have the same title and hyperlink the same CSN live concert video. It was just too applicable. Stay tuned for an explanation why! Welcome back! The adventures have continued, and that has caused me to publish this sucker a couple of days late. I apologize greatly, but my lack of wifi and space for my computer on the weekend journey pushed me back a day. "Oooohhh and what journey might that have been, Olivia?" Wow! So happy you asked! 12 of the 15 of us Jumbos en Chile took advantage of the long weekend formed by Tuesday's national holiday and flew up to the Atacama Desert, the driest place on the entire planet. And boy oh boy can I agree with that statement. Have any of you been to Arizona?...

Greetings from Valle Nevado! Dear Judy and I are hanging out in a restaurant that is far too nice for a ski slope and have 100% turned it into our lodge for the day. The manager was not thrilled when we took out our brought-from-home sandwiches, but there is quite literally no other indoor place to hang on this whole slope, so here we are. Our toes had no other option. Perks of following Dr. Mini's instructions of no lateral movement and staying inside on this beautiful ski day are as follows: 1. Hanging with Judy Chen! I did not know Judy at all before coming on this trip, and what a joy it has been getting to know her. I have never met anyone who is as engaged as she is, and I am in incredible awe at her ability to sketch things so perfectly and meticulously and quickly all while taking notes on any thought that comes to her mind. It is inspirational to watch her with her Moleskin and pen. Actually so inspirational that I bought myself a mini Moleskin and am attempting to be mo...

Hello hello hello! Before I dive too deeply into the good stuff, I would like to take a special moment to wish two of my loyal followers a happy birthday! As of Friday, Haley "Harold" Ladd-Luthringshauser is 24! I love you with all of my heart, and I am honored to have a big sister like you to look up to and emulate. The second birthday shoutout goes to Layla Susan Varkey, who, on this day 20 years ago, changed the world forever. I love and miss you chica. And with that... greetings from my new home in Ñuñoa! Yesterday, orientation officially came to an end, and all fifteen of us Tufts in Chile kiddos moved in with our new host families around Santiago. We all scattered within four different neighborhoods situated to the southeast/east of the city (Ñuñoa, Providencia, Las Condes, and La Reina). I was very much ready to move off of my top bunk and out of the Happy House Hostel (as much as I loved being with my fellow room 19-ers, we all needed to unpack desperately). It was ...

Hello my lovely friends and family. This week has been a harder one for a variety of reasons. I want to preface this post by saying that it is not a very upbeat one as this week has not been an upbeat one overall. That being said it has been one with a tremendous amount of learning and reflection on the history of an incredible country. Thank you for coming back to read  Chileen in Chile  :) As more families and travelers that shared Happy House Hostel with us move out and continue on with their journeys, we remain. We are all antsy to move in with our host families this coming Saturday, to finally unpack our oversized suitcases for good, and to stop having to climb up to the top bunk (in eight of our cases). Beyond our housing situation, this week has been filled with 10 different lectures on topics of Chilean history in addition to various bus rides and field trips. Not only is it quite exhausting to sit through two hour lectures on history to begin with, it is ever more e...