Today as I write my blog I am starting my
countdown for the LAST two weeks here in Chile. Wow! This last month I´ve been
trying to plan each weekend with something fun since my time is limited. The
first weekend of November after Mom returned to the U.S. Emy and I did some
souvenir shopping around Santiago. We bought Christmas presents for our family
and friends, then after working up an appetite, went to eat at a famous burger
place called Mr. Jacks. We each devoured
our enormous burgers (my cheat meal since starting my Bombshell eating plan!)
Sunday, was the Color Run! Erin, Erin´s boyfriend Tyler who was visiting, Emy,
and lots more friends met up early Sunday morning. Before the race even started
we all started throwing our colored power on each other. During the 5K there
were four “Color Stations.” The first was purple, then pink, yellow and finally
green. By the end, we all looked a dirty brown color. We all danced together
and threw more colors on each other at the end! I found dark purple and pink
spots stained on my skin in random places for several days after the race.
Before
The
next week I started teaching the kids Christmas songs in English to practice
for the parents. We´re singing Rudolf, Jingle Bells, and a few other simple
songs. It sure doesn´t feel like Christmas with 80 degree heat here! On my day
off on Thursday, I slept in, worked out, and met up with one of my old students for
lunch at a Peruvian restaurant. We ate octopus and I tried a typical Peruvian
drink made with purple corn, yum! Friday, my girl co-English teachers and I, (Cata,
Pamela, and my boss Alicia) went out for Sushi after school. It was fun to talk
and they gave me a cute little Chilean flower calendar as part of my going-away
present.
Rodi, Kevin, Alicia, Noah, Me, Catalina, Pamela
Saturday morning, Emy and I left on the bus for the famous surfing
city, Pichilemu. Pichilemu is a one of the most popular surfing cities in Chile
where they hold surfing competitions each year. It is about four hours south of
Santiago. When we arrived, we checked into our cool hostel, named Sunset Hostel,
then headed to the beach. The weather was beautiful and sunny. As we were
walking on the beach, we signed up for some surfing lessons. After stretching , jogging on the beach and practicing, we hit
the waves. The water was really cold, so we wore wetsuits and booties on our
feet. The waves were perfect for us
beginners. After many tries I managed to
get my balance and "ride" a few waves! It was really fun. After, Emy
and I laid on the beach and soaked up some sun. It started getting cloudy, so
then we walked into town and shopped around some little shops and bought souvenirs.
For dinner we ate at a restaurant on the beach and had Causas. This dish had
shrimp and avocado in between two mashed potato patties. Que rico! (How
delicious!) Back at our hostel, we played some card games and drank wine with
our fellow hostel-mates, four girls from the U.S., one Chilean, and the hostel
worker from Switzerland. Sunday morning we slept in. I slept great that night,
the hostel beds were very comfortable, even though I had dreams about being late
to my wedding, ha! Emy and I borrowed
bikes from the hostel and rode about 4 miles to the most popular surfing beach,
Punta de Lobos (Sea Lion Point). It was pretty cold and cloudy, but we watched
some surfers ride waves and jogged along the beach for some exercise. Finally,
we took the 5 hour journey home to Santiago. Despite the long bus ride, the
views were gorgeous of the country-side.
As I write this, I´m finishing up the last
week before my VERY last week in Chile. This weekend my roommates and I are
planning a “Friendsgiving” at our apartment with food and friends to celebrate
Thanksgiving and to say good-bye since
many of us are leaving Chile soon.
Miss you all, and see you very soon!
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