La Vendimia

Saturday morning I woke up with 3 hours of sleep, packed up and headed out to the Chilean countryside. Mel's Chilean mother, Pati, had invited us to a Vendimia, wine festival, in San Fernando just about 2 hours south of Santiago. We arrived early and headed to her son's farm welcomed by what seemed like 20 dogs and an offer of a typical Chilean country drink of 'vino con pomelo,' or white wine with grapefruit. Before receiving this welcome drink, we searched out the only grapefruit tree in the midst of fields full of peach, almond and grape trees. We found 3 ripe grapefruits and headed back with our harvest to the house. We sipped our drink and got to know the dogs personally. One of the dogs, a basset hound, had recently given birth to 9 little pups. We took 4 of them with us to sell at the fair. After a squished ride, while holding the pups in my lap, we arrived at the vindemia. Running on an empty stomach at 3 p.m., I was ready for food and my eyes immediately landed on this feast of meat.

A little out of character, but starving, I split a plate of pure meat with friends and enjoyed every bite of it. Then on to the wine. Following the advice of Chilean friends, I started with white wine, then moved to the reds. I learned the signs of a good wine, such as the amount of legs, the color of the shadow, and the peak of the bottle. I definitely had some favorites, if only I had written down their names. Made some friends, including a Yoga instructor who taught me his theory of universality, Canadians who told Mel and I they thought were Chileans because of our Spanish (either they knew nothing of Chilean Spanish or they were just attempting to flirt), and many puppy inquirers.

Hours later, we left the Vendimia and headed back to the farm, this time with more friends. Here, I met several WWOOFers, World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. This is the program I had planned on doing for the first two weeks of Chile, but unfortunately did not work out. The farm was owned by an American and co-run by a Texas Longhorn alum. They told us all about their farm in Southern Chile, and one that grew the same fruits in Washington. The fruit we heard the most about was the horned fruit. It is a cross between a cucumber and a citrus and is only grown on these two farms.

We tested their acclaimed horned fruit the next day for breakfast, and it was quite unique. It was very interesting to learn about this form the owners and the workers and I urge to you read more about it here on their website.

Back to the fiesta. I conversed in Spanish with Chileans, North Americans, and a German. Impossibly, we grilled more meat and I ate it with pleasure. By the end of the night, I tested out my dj-ing skills and watched my friends dance around the campfire. I ended the night cuddling with Mel on an air-mattress and woke up to eggs, bread, home-grown peach marmelade and good company.

The next, Pati and Mel were headed off the Vendimia for another round. I had a quiz to study for, so they dropped me off at the bus station. I closed my eyes as soon as I boarded, and opened them what felt like 2 minutes later in Santiago.

A little more of a wino,
Lauren Adele

Quédate, quédate luna.

To start off this post, please click this link and listen to the first song. (Double click then press play song on the left side).

Last night the full moon was the closest it's been to the Earth since 1993. Read more about it here.


We took this opportunity to travel outside of Santiago a little bit to a town called Cajon de Maipo. Anna, some Chilean friends and I set out for our adventure with word of live music and a celebration for the full moon. We knew little more than that, so as we arrived to Cajon we asked some locals about the festival. First ones hadn't heard of it but pointed us in the direction of the place where we thought it was. We arrived there and asked more people, at least they had heard of the festival, but apparently it was in the opposite direction. We headed back across town and drove in the outskirts. The road we took was absolutely gorgeous, lined on the side of a mountain, looking down at a valley with a river cutting through. The mountains were stunning, stripped with different layers of rocks wearing their geological age for everyone to see. It was as if these mountains had the wrinkles of an old man and were proud of them. We continued on a 30 minute drive appreciating the sun setting behind the majestic landscape. 


We had just about given up when we found a dirt parking lot full of cars. We got out and realized the party was on the other side of the valley, with the river between us. Hesitantly, we followed the dirt path towards the other side of the valley. To our pleasant surprise, we found a suspended bridge connecting us to the other side. We ran across, jumping and making the bridge go in directions it probably shouldn't have, pausing in the middle to feel the power of the river below and bask in the incredibly bright moonlight. 


We found the live music, plopped down on the large blanket and listened. The band consisted of about 6 or 7 members and included woodwind instruments such as the saxophone and clarinet. The band switched members and out came a woman playing a squeeze box, a young boy on a drum set definitely bigger than him, and various other instruments. After they finished, a man introduced the next arrangement and invited everyone to come forth and dance. Without hesitation most of the small crowd came forward, all howling at the moon. We watched for a bit but couldn't help but join in. This began our 45 minute dancing session in the middle of the mountains soaking in the rejuvenating energy of the full moon. And we danced until the music stopped.


After resting, we got on the road back to Santiago, of course stopping at the first empanada stand we saw. 


Las estrellas brillan y la luna se sienta en su silla,
Lauren Adele

Happenings

A few highlights from the past few weeks.

March 6, 2011
This is the day that I found those poems I posted last week. Melanie and I met up with the intention of going to an art gallery and climbing a hill. In a sense, we accomplished that, but a different art exhibit and a different hill than previously planned. We explored an alternative bookstore on the way to a park full of different art sculptures. The first one I saw was the one I posted along with the poem. That one was my favorite of the park. We enjoyed admiring the art, discussing the artists, and watching people meditate under the trees.
We then walked about ten minutes from the sculpture garden to Cerro San Cristobal. We had climbed it before, but decided to do it once again. We found a nice part of the hill and did some yoga together with a lovely view of the city.

Overall, the day was relaxing for the body and the mind.

March 8th, 2011
The night before Melanie's 21st birthday. Melanie's Chilean mother had made us reservations at a local bar/disco. We got there, ate some sushi and sipped on champagne. At the beginning of the night, the bar was almost empty. By 2 or 3 in the morning, it was almost impossible to move from one part to the other. Overall, I enjoyed some spanish conversation and people-watching as they danced to the loud reggaeton music. Best of all, Melanie enjoyed her 21st the way that was intended!

March 12, 2011
Yesterday, we went to another birthday party which we were invited to by Melanie's host sister, Josefina (middle of the picture below). This one was a asado, or grill, in the Santuario de la Naturaleza, or Nature's Sanctuary. It takes about 20 minutes of driving, 10 of which are winding up a hill, and we arrived to a beautiful spot with a river and green trees surrounded by mountains. The birthday girl and all of her friends were some of the friendliest people I've met! We ate, drank, conversed and enjoyed the scenery.

Later that night, Anna and our Chilean friend Chris went to a hill overlooking the city. I'd been to this spot once before but it truly is stunning! There's a sea of city lights sparkling accompanied with the noises of the city, barking dogs, honking horns and faint music.

[video coming soon]

Todavia explorando mi ciudad gigante,
Lauren Adele

Universidad

Here is my oh so lazy school schedule for this semester!

Historia de Chile y America Siglo XX: Monday and Wednesday 11:30-12:50
This class is a history designed for geography students. We are studying 20th century Chilean and American history. The professor called role the second day and asked if there was anyone's name he didn't call. I rose my hand and pronounced my name, only to have to spell it out for him. He then asked which state I was from and with my response of Texas, he made a joke about Mexico that I'm not quite sure I understood. The whole class thought it was quite hilarious though. I am the only foreigner in my class, and have yet to really make a friend. That is my current goal for that class. Prospective difficulty: medium to high.

Geomorfología: Monday and Wendesday 2:00-3:20
This is my geography class on Geomorphology. It's more of a geology of the earth class, for science brains. Very interesting to me, a little bit of a review but in Spanish. Already had a quiz, which unfortunately I was very not prepared for. Apparently, I hadn't understood that we needed to read a chapter. And I may or may not have slept less than 3 hours due to a friend's birthday the night before. (Don't worry Mom and Dad, the grade will be dropped). Once again, I'm the only foreigner. Prospective difficulty: high to impossible.

Fotografía: Thursday 2:00-6:20
Ahh photography. This class is on a different campus, Campus Oriente. It is the art campus and rightfully so, it is beautiful. The building is ornately old with vines overtaking the plazas. The students all have a different style and I feel at peace while I'm there. The class seems good so far, just learning the basics. I owe this opportunity to my brother, Philip, for letting me use his film camera. I have met a fellow exchange student from California. Prospective difficulty: easy to medium.

So yes, that puts me at a leisurely 3 classes in 3 days a week total. Maybe I'll have time to learn another language.. like Spanish!

Semi-academically,
Lauren Adele

Recurso Humano

"De las estrellas vengo

he ido y vuelto desde tiempos ancestrales.

Pese a ser de todo el universo,

es aquí donde siempre vuelvo.

Me rigen las fuerzas del cielo y la tierra,

pertenezco a un orden universal.

No soy un milagro, soy un instrumento

creado y deseñado para

dominar mi propia bestia."

Fernanda Cerda Rodriguez

"Hombre en su ruta

Cual laberinto cerrado

Arroja sus dardos con arrogante

Desprecio y yerra cegado."

Sin Nombre

Google Translate

Valdivian Museums

A little late, but better than never.

We went to three different museums in Valdivia. All three in the same area, next to the water. The first was the Museo de Ciencias.

I must say I was a little disappointed at first because there was more history than science in the beginning. It told the story of Germans immigrating to south Chile and began a biography of Rodolfo Amando Philippi, who turns out to be a pretty cool dude. Then there were some neat preserved bugs and such.

Then we moved to the Museo Histórico. I enjoyed this museum a lot. One of my favorite rooms was dedicated to the silver jewelry of the Mapuche Indians. If you know me, you know I love some silver jewelry. These pieces were intricate and artful. Each piece was accompanied with an old photograph and a Mapuche Indian wearing the jewelry. My other favorite room was the display of Javier Mancebo's photography "conjugaciones", of which some happen to be on this blog.

Now, the best for last, Museo de Arte Contemporaneo.

This new museum, set up in a warehouse with large windows and a view of the river, contained the best art exhibit I've seen. I can describe it, and I can show you pictures but I can't give you the feeling I had while I was there.

First, there was a large room with different pieces.

The first display that struck me was 2 paintings and a video in the middle. The video showed the blank canvas, and several live birds with paint on their wings flying around and painting the canvas. While I was conflicted about the use of animals and paint, it was still pretty amazing to see.

After admiring the pieces in this room, we ventured in a dark dungeon in the back of the room (the entrance is visible in the picture above). There were too pitch black tunnels covered in cold musk and old   bricks. At the end of each tunnel, a movie screen was playing a film. The first, a modern rendition of Gone with the Wind alongside the original. The second, a display of rocks and a film of water. It was eerie to walk through alone but absolutely enthralling.

Melanie and I then exited and were excited to find an upstairs room as well. This room had a large amount of different paintings and exhibits from different Chilean and Argentine artists.

I felt a connection with almost every one. On the way out, I found postcards and bought about 6 different ones. I've filled them out and will send them to you all as soon as I find a damn post office in this city!

Melanie and I then found a nice cerverceria with the best beer I've had in Chile yet and discussed our awe of the art exhibit. We both agreed it was pretty much perfect. As was the beer.

All of these photos are courtesy of Melanie Scruggs, whose blog can be found here!

Artfully satisfied for now,
Lauren Adele