It's been a while

I've been AWOL for a while, which, apart from this very lazy week, suggests how much we've been up to down here in South America! After exams, Anna and I had to say goodbye to Alejandro, our upstairs neighbour who has been like a grandfather to us for the past 5 or so months. Our escapade to the most generous Italian restaurant in the world was indicative of the size of the Mango Sours that he made us for the final farewell. To say it was a pint of cocktail would be no exaggeration. 


As soon as Anna could escape from the 9-5, we sped off to meet Cris in Sao Paolo. On the plane, I was stuck between a rather... ahem, large fellow and a young guy who prompted Anna's admiration. She told me loudly how lucky I was, only to discover that he spoke immaculate English! My rosy cheeks lasted all the way to Brazil. 


Sao Paulo is one of the most cosmopolitan cities I've ever been to, especially for Latin America, which was such a lovely surprise after Santiago's dull attractions. We attended a family party and attempted to become fluent in Portuguese with the help of Cris and her friend Karen, who had come to visit us previously in Chile. The number one event? Feijoada of course! It is as dodgy as it sounds:

I was expecting rice and beans. The accompanying pork parts were slightly less welcome. We had tongue, crackling and all kinds of innards. Hmmmmmm...

We soon headed to the coast between Sao Paolo and Rio to enjoy Cris's beach house. And then I realised why it's called the rainforest. The downpour was torrential, and it just never ended! Nevertheless, we bbq'd and birdwatched to our heart's content. It turns out that Anna is afraid of spiders. 

But that was ok. There was plenty of other wildlife :)

The beach was paradise after the storm, and I got so burnt that my face peeled off...

We ate calamari and fried shrimp fresh from the Atlantic, then breezed along the winding jungle roads to the airport. Next stop: Buenos Aires. 


I have actually visited BsAs before, but didn't get the chance to see the best bits, such as the antiques market in San Telmo or the little cafes in Palermo. This time around, I immersed myself in the possibilities of a vintage fur coat or an antique Chanel handbag, stopping only for Italian-influenced cuisine.

And then the sickness hit. I felt so nauseous and weak, I had to go to bed for almost the entirety of the next two days. Call it a pre-Christmas diet, but it was not a pleasant experience! Perhaps the worst of it was the knowledge that Anna and I faced an imminent 24 hour bus journey back to Santiago. Fortunately, I rallied just in time to get caught in a storm before the big bus ride. The rain in Argentina is quite similar to the downpours we suffered in Brazil, and within 5 minutes we might as well have been dunked in the swimming pool. Luckily, there was just enough time to change clothes before racing to the bus station and getting comfortable with a glass of unexpected champagne. First class travel!


This past week has been a full of 'lasts'. The last time we would go to Jack's burger bar, where our favourite waiter (nicknamed "Sonrisa") wasn't even there to serve us; the last time we would ride the metro, or walk the familiar route to the metro stop; and the last time we'd enjoy a glass of Chilean pisco or wine in our apartment. My time in Chile has been absolutely invaluable and I wouldn't change a thing about it- I didn't even get robbed! Maybe one day I'll be back to this city which I have called home for these short months. For now, I'll board the plane and hope for a snow-free runway at Heathrow so I can be home for Christmas. Thanks for reading!

La Entusiasta
xxx

The Painful Days of Revision

I'm currently on the slow trudge towards my last exam of this semester... Let me tell you: it's not fun.
To lighten the load a bit, and to reward my survival of yesterday's exam, Anna and I joined Alejandro for a night on the tiles. That is to say, we didn't actually go clubbing or anything (the dude's 67, and although he may be well up for it, I don't think we would have been able to keep up!)- we actually had a rendez-vous for ice cream. 


The ice cream parlour is quite a phenomenon in Chile, and Bravissimo is THE place to go if you want a proper sundae (and yes, it does tickle me that it has the same name as a British lingerie shop). We pored over the menu amidst Alejandro's adamant claims to the waitress that it was my birthday (he was angling for an extra scoop), and finally settled on what looked like the most modest option: three ginormous hunking scoops in a glass sundae dish the size of a small yacht. I opted for avellana (hazelnut), menta chips (mint choc chip) and some kind of maracuyá cocktail (passion fruit), which turned out to be rather scrummy. I, nevertheless, in true Jasmine style, couldn't finish it. What a wet blanket.


What drove me on in the eating stakes was the promise of the best Italian restaurant I had ever been to. I pointed out that I had been to Rome. Alejandro didn't care. In my ongoing quest to find the best fettucine in the world, I agreed to continue on to dinner in the aforementioned restaurant, despite my stomach's best interests. Let me just make this clear: I have never EVER seen such a big plate of pasta. EVER. Just  the sight of it was offputting, and even the reams of certificate's declaring the chef's participation in the 'Best Pizza in the World' competition (I stress, participation, not any kind of medal or trophy) could not persuade me to eat more than a few bites. Suddenly the families filing out with doggie bags galore made sense: this meal was going to last me for a few days. Having said that, I ate it for lunch and dinner today and it's all gone...


After that amount of carbohydrates, Anna and I were all too ready to topple into bed, and I was very glad to remember that my next exam wasn't until next Tuesday; some respite, at least.


La Entusiasta
xxx

Santiago Funtimes

Incredibly, the last weekend of my time in Chile is fast approaching. We've been frantically trying to cram in all our favourite bits of Santiago one more time before our trip to Brazil, but i think the most important thing is to enjoy the remainder of summer before we plunge into an icy European winter!  I've been trawling the internet for a coat and boots, and I can't wait to have a little shopping spree for work clothes that will last me through my placement in Spain. It's a time of transition!


Over the next two weeks, my final exams will be dramatically played out amidst scenes of hectic revision and last-minute cramming sessions, but I'm hoping to emerge with a decent pass and head off to Sao Paolo with a clear head. We've been invited to go to Cris' beach house for a few days before crossing the border to Argentina. Let's hope there'll be time for a boat trip to Uruguay too! It's going to be a bit of a desperate attempt to round up those last Christmas presents and finish off our tans. I'll be honest, I won't be happy if I'm not the brownest member of the family on Christmas day!


Yesterday was a bit of a coup for me, as we learnt how to make sushi from a true expert- Cris' Japanese/Brazilian friend Karen. It was absolutely delicious, and surprisingly simple (although I doubt my mum would trust me to make it at home- food poisoning, anyone?). The cherry on the cake was an evening of shopping, where I was inaugurated as a true Latina upon the purchase of a pair of skintight, bum-hugging jeans (I'm channelling J-Lo, don'tcha know). The chocolate sprinkle on that cherry was the fact that we squeezed in a trip to the cinema to see the most recent instalment of Harry Potter. And, in case you're wondering, yes, I did cry when Dobby died...


Besitos,


La Entusiasta
xxx

A List

1. Weather here is so temperamental: yesterday I was snuggled up in two jumpers and a jacket; today, the girls and I are going to Alejandro's other apartment to make use of the top floor pool with views of the Andes!


2. If anyone ever suggests that you read a book by Jose Donoso, I recommend you pass the opportunity up. 100 pages down and still no idea what's going on...


3. It's nearly November! That should mean sweet potatoes and parsnip soup, but instead it means salad and ripe strawberries. I could get used to that, I suppose...


4. Springtime here smells just like it does in England: freshly mown grass, wisteria and jasmine crawling over the fences, honeysuckle and sneezing fits.


5. I found out this week that I'll have all of December free! Any suggestions for what I should do?


La Entusiasta
xxx

A Visit from Mama and Papa

After two weeks of adventures with my lovely parents, they have finally abandoned me to the Chilean wilderness for my last eight weeks in South America- so I thought this was prime time to fill you in on what we got up to together.

Mum had been told specifically what type of clothing would be necessary to offset her platinum blonde bob, which would essentially serve as a siren for unscrupulous thieves and bottom-pinchers, and I was confident that the whole trip would be a success if she followed my advice. However, if you've met my Mum, you'll know that telling her to leave her white linen trousers at home is essentially a lost cause. They pulled up to the building not in grungy traveller's gear, but rather in brightly-coloured smart M&S jumpers and the aforementioned white trousers. Sigh... The clothing saga would follow us first to Valparaiso, where there was a distinctly chilly coastal wind blowing, and then to San Pedro, where we had to dress to suit temperatures between -10 and 35 degrees.

Our trip to San Pedro de Atacama gave us a glimpse of one of the most interesting and beautiful parts of Chile- and also offered the opportunity of a few hours of tanning time! We stayed in Hotel Altiplanico, which was like a tiny village of luxe mud huts under the Atacameñan sun, and organised to go on a few desert tours, including Death and Moon Valley, the salt flats and lagoons, geysers, and a guided tour of the universe visible from this corner of the southern hemisphere. We woke up early every morning, suffering through the freezing temperatures to watch the sun rise over the Andes. Sometimes the silhouette of the mountains looked like an Art Attack project- a wash of watercolour and black paper cutout, or three tons of dark socks on top of a sea of crumpled orange t-shirts. We tested the boiling water of the geysers and the icy depths of the salt water lagoons, but I have to say that the best bit of the trip for me was looking through our guide Alain's telescopes to see nebulae, Jupiter's moons, double stars and Mars. I've never heard such a good explanation of the time-space continuum, and even with a few trips to the NASA space station in Texas under my belt, I'd still venture to say that the view of the universe from Alain's backyard was the most impressive I've ever seen.

Of course, the visit to San Pedro would not have been complete without an adoring fan of Maria Elena Swett (supposedly my lookalike) asking for my autograph... Ok not quite, but I did get asked for a picture with one store owner!

More adventures from Ma and Pa's visit soon!

La Entusiasta

xxx

Back in the Game

Greetings!! Sorry for not updating in yonks; I've been sans-ordinateur for a ridiculous amount of time- but my good old Tosh is up and running once more thanks the gormless charms of Miguel at PC Factory. There is so much to share, some of it may have already escaped my memory, but I'll do my utmost to fill you in.

Uni life is more or less uneventful; I mostly toddle through the days and try to absorb as much as possible. The highlight of my week is, without question, Spanish classes with Señor Bobbert, a German pedant with a taste for novels by Philip Roth and an immense capacity for remembering names. Thanks to those 3 hours a week, I am a subjunctive machine! I have resorted to irritatingly pointing out to friends (both foreign and Chilean) where the use of subjunctive would be optimal, and where it is absolutely obligatory, just in everyday conversation. They love it, I can assure you...

Last weekend, we took advantage of the two Bank Holidays for Independence Day and took a girly road trip up north to La Serena, on the coast. Anna, Cris, Laure, Mirva and I squished into a tiny white chav car and whizzed up the highway (when I say whizzed, we stayed within the speed limit for the whole 6-hour journey, of course!) to the beach, where we had assumed it would be boiling hot. You may be able to tell from my tone: it was not hot. It was bloomin' freezing. After such a long journey with only one CD, of only 10 tracks (Passenger, if you were wondering. Quite apt now I think of it), we were going slightly doolally. Not as doolally, however, as the people of Punta de Choros appeared to be. Two hours up a dirt and gravel track, we arrived at Punta de Choros, population 50, which is famous for being a secret wildlife hotspot. We had our 6th empanada of the weekend and got in the queue to take a boat out and see the dolphins and penguins, but (as much as I hate to generalise), the people running the attraction seemed to have an IQ of about 83- perhaps due to the village's tiny population and remoteness. Due to lack of organisation on their part, we had to wait over two hours whilst half of Chile overtook us in the queue, before we finally saw the magic- and gosh was it magic! Tiny waddling penguins, scores of dolphins, giant lazy sea lions and a mischevious little otter entertained us as we huddled on our little motorboat and wished for a bit of sunshine. Absolutely incredible!

Unfortunately, on the way back we got a bit lost. On a dirt road in the middle of the desert, being lost is not the best feeling, but my Finnish friend Mirva entertained us with a game of 'Who Am I', using loo roll taped to our foreheads. Our journey back to Santiago was even more fun thanks to the imaginative boys in the car next to us, with whom we exchanged written messages pressed against the window for a good couple of hours! What I would say is, the road up the coast of Chile must be one of the most beautiful in the world, right up there with the Amalfi Coast in Italy.

Next weekend will bring a trip to Mendoza, Argentina, so I'll be sure to keep note of any anecdotes to post! Hasta pronto :)

La Entusiasta
xxx

Random things about Santiago

1. There are loads of McDonalds here, but most of them only sell icecream. Not that I object, particularly, to the overconsumption of icecream, but part of me does wish it was a Ben & Jerrys on every corner rather than a rubbish Mr Whippy drowned in manjar (like dulce de leche).

2. In almost every apartment, there is a tiny annex for a live-in housekeeper, also known as a "Nana". They do all the housework and cooking (hence why Chilean kitchens are so pants), and often take care of the children as well. This tickles me, because in my family we use the word "Nana" to mean "Grandma"... so, essentially, my mum is a Nana! Hehehehe...

3. You can see the snowy mountains whilst sitting under a palm tree

4. The postal service. is. terrible. It basically consists of a few men on bicycles with cardboard boxes taped to the handlebars, riding around and chucking the post in the general direction of where it´s meant to go. It is currently the bane of my life. I will say no more.

5. It costs less to buy a three course meal than it does to get a Big Mac meal. Not that I´ve had a Big Mac.

6. For some unknown reason, chocolate here, in the birthplace of the cacao bean, is the worst I´ve ever tasted. I crave Green & Blacks!!!!!!

7. Supermarkets are open until 9pm most nights, and the metro is open til about 11pm, but they close earlier on weekends. Where is the logic?!

La Entusiasta

xxx

Adventures in a Narrow Country

We had a barbecue on Friday. Three girls had just moved into Alejandro's apartment on the second floor, and it has become some sort of tradition to throw a celebratory asado to welcome newcomers to the building. The party ended up comprising 15 people- and somehow we still managed to buy too much food! Alejandro drove Anna and I to the working class outskirts of Santiago (the class system is very apparent here, and nobody seems embarassed of it), where the buildings change shade from the creams and brick-reds of Providencia to the Mexican yellows and pistachios of the graffiti-strewn suburbs. The butcher that Alejandro frequents is located in someone's garage in one of these communities. We pulled up to the curb, waking a couple of stray (or otherwise uncollared) dogs, who were free to roam in and out of the butcher's premises, and were introduced (with besitos, of course), to the butcher, his family and coworkers, and their resident pooch, as Alejandro's two 'rubias'. Seeing that we were English, they promptly offered the obligatory "Hello, how arrre yew". But we weren't interested in niceties; we were just worried that there were no gloves or plastic sheets involved in touching, weighing or wrapping the hunks of steak and sausages we were about to buy. "They'll be cooked anyway..." we told ourselves.

Screeching away from the butcher, we spotted a lady selling vegetables in her front room, so Alejandro reversed at about 30mph into oncoming traffic to backtrack and buy some tomatoes. 5000 pesos and 4 bags of vegetables later, we headed home to start cooking. The pisco flowed freely, and there was so much food left over that we're still eating it today! Anna and I headed to bed as the others ventured to pubs and clubs at 2am- we were planning on paragliding the next morning...

Five of us girls headed into the mountains the next morning with the intention of finding some sort of adventure, and, although paragliding didn't come into play, we happened across a national park and decided to ride some horses. I'd never ridden a horse before, but Choncho took fairly good care of me in spite of the occasional wild canter and frequent pitstops (he definitely had the munchies). I reckon our horseride through the wilderness, with the snow-capped mountains peeping up towards the sun, was the best thing I've done so far in Santiago. It was tranquil, but exciting, and I still ache- that must mean it was good exercise! There's still a way to go before I attempt the 6 hour ride and asado on offer, though!

La Entusiasta
xxx

Thoughts for the Day

1) I'm dangerously close to developping an addiction to True Blood

2) If Ruth comes round today, I might pretend I'm not here...

3) I'm reading Pride and Prejudice online

4) Uh oh... keys in the door...

5) Not Ruth. Phew!

6) Meeting Finnish Mirva for coffee at 4 to further avoid Ruth

7) Should have bought some wine from Concha y Toro... gonna have to go to the supermarket now!

8) Just finished the last of my Galaxy bar :( but still have 4 Flakes :)

La Entusiasta

xxx

Houston: We have a problem

...and the problem is Ruth, our million-mile-an-hour landlady who, tonight, is planning to sleep on our sofa. Let me introduce you:

Ruth was widowed in November of 2009 and she talks about it a lot. In fact, she talks about everything a lot. You could sit and listen to her for 3 hours solidly without ever needing to have understood a word she said, because she doesn't stop for breath. Behind her high-necked coat, which she frequently adjusts to ensure it covers her mouth, she babbles (mostly unintelligibly) to us, dropping every other letter just to cement our confusion. She has never lived on her own, and her second husband is a much-missed companion around the house: as a result, she terrorises her daughters (of two different fathers) and grandchildren, flitting between their houses and our flat several times a week. Unfortunately for us, her daughters are used to their mother's antics by now, so they no longer answer the phone to her and they don't let her have the keys to their houses (oh! that we had caught on quicker!)- this is what has landed us in a predicament tonight, as she can't get hold of anybody to let her in to her daughter's house, where she's staying for a while before moving out of the city to Rancagua.

This is our current situation: Ruth is in the living room chatting away to our Brazilian flatmate, Cris, and a friend who has come round to see Cris for a drink; meanwhile, Anna and I are plotting how to get rid of Ruth without offending anyone. Cris' friend obviously finds Ruth as difficult to understand as we do, despite the fact that they are both Chilean, and he is starting to get frustrated with the gooseberry in their little party...

I'll keep you updated on how it goes and whether we are sharing our Cheerios with Ruth in the morning...

La Entusiasta
xxx

Barrio Brasil and the Vegetarian Restaurant

Barrio Brasil is always referred to as a 'bohemian' neighbourhood by the Chileans, because under Pinochet, it was where the left-wingers and anarchists plotted and where the hippies came to eat vegan food. Hence, this would have been the logical choice for any vegetarian outing. In fact, it wasn't even us who chose the restaurant today- it was our new friend, Pablo, an acquaintance of A's colleague (hmmm one day I'll have to start using names...). He took us to the main plaza, turned promptly into a discreet doorway and climbed the dark stairwell lined with dust-encrusted empty bottles of red wine which led to a shrine to Che Guevara. We continued past the shrine. Logically, we emerged in a library.

Cunningly concealed in this library, however, was a vegetarian restaurant run non-profit by three very friendly Chileans (not the three above, who are two very friendly non-Chileans and Pablo). We had a three course meal consisting entirely of vegetables and fruit followed by tea for under 2000 pesos (about £2.70), and gleaned as much knowledge as possible about the socialist movement under Pinochet from our new mates. Overall, a very entertaining afternoon!

La Entusiasta

xxx

Induction Day!

The night before my induction into La Católica, I tagged along with my Brazilian flatmate's friend, Bárbara, to watch the São Paolo footie match. After having eaten dinner with Anna, I wasn't expecting to have to sit through the 90 minutes of appalling football with a mountain of meat and black beans in front of me- somehow, I managed to eat a chicken heart which appeared to have been marinated in salt (luckily, my caipirinha assuaged the disgust...). Bárbara taught me a bit of Portuguese and chatted up the Brazilian waiters, so overall I'd say she had a pretty good night, but I was exhausted by half-time. Sadly, my exhaustion was not reason enough for Bárbara to let me go home. We continued the night across town in Bellavista, at a packed club where we had to queue for half an hour at the smoke-filled bar for a can of beer. As if this wasn't enough, a Bolivian exchange student had taken a liking to us- so much so, that he nearly followed us into the ladies' toilets! My Brazilian flatmate, Cris, eventually arrived to save me from both the bar and the Bolivian, and I escaped at half past 1 to nab a taxi home. Phew!

In anticipation of induction day today, I arrived early at the campus- which was lucky, because, of course, I got a bit lost. Luckily a few friends from Bath joined me and together we found our meeting and received our official credencias to identify us as students- which means heavy discounts on the metro!!!! Oh, the excitement...
A tap on the shoulder during the break, and suddenly I was face to face with (you'll never guess)... the Bolivian from the previous night. My heart sank. I quickly made my excuses and plonked myself between a Finnish girl and an American who were looking to do business courses as well. An hour later, and the coast was clear: I was not going to be followed home by the Bolivian. Satisfied and having heard the responses to every conceivable question relevant to business modules, I headed home to the prospect of Ruth (of whom more is to follow) sleeping on our sofa tonight. Joy...

La Entusiasta
xxx

Valpo!

Hello! Here I am, posing with Ruth's umbrella (more on Ruth in another post. She deserves a whole one to herself) in front of the bus which is taking us to Valparaíso, a port town to the north of Santiago. Buses are a key mode of transport in South America, and they're actually quite luxurious! More legroom than an airplane, more convenient than trekking to the airport, and some of them sport seats that recline all the way into beds!! After flying to Chile with Iberia, this bus was positively sumptuous! The journey to Valpo was less than 2 hours, and we had no real plans for the day apart from general exploratory wanderings. As luck would have it, we fell into the trap of asking a tour guide for a map, and were promptly sold a day on a tour bus, which drove through Valpo as well as nearby Viña del Mar and Reñaca, which are beach towns.

The tour guides swapped in and out throughout the day, but our first one took us up a cerro to see the view of Viña's beautiful beaches, pumping 'Smack my Bitch Up' (sorry Mum, but it's true!) out of the bus speakers. We visited a shop where lapis lazuli is sold at double the going price, half-justified by the fact that the semi-precious stone is only found in Chile and Afghanistan (and I know where I'd rather visit at the moment...). Sadly, I hadn't brought my millions with me that day, so we left empty-handed and continued to Reñaca to feast on Peruvian-style seafood and Pisco sours, as well as the interestingly luminous Inca Kola (below).

We got a bit distracted after lunch, as the beach looked like this:

!!!!!!!

When we finally got back on the tourbus 10 minutes late (which, frankly, is early for Chileans, but our fellow tourists were Brazilian...), they gave us a round of applause. Oops!

There were a few stalls outside Pablo Neruda's house, La Sebastiana in Valparaíso, and one of them was selling these enormous rabbitskin slippers with sheepskin linings. I would have been tempted had they not still smelled of cuddly bunnies...
The day was rounded off with a browse round the markets, where I very nearly bought various knitted goods made from alpaca and llama wool. Nearly, but not quite.


In fact, that's a small fib: The day was actually rounded off with us getting on the wrong bus back to Santiago, and accordingly chucked off of it. All great fun :)
I'll be back with stories from La Vega soon!


La Entusiasta
xxx

The Earthquake at La Piojera

Despite my lack of obligations over the past week, my flatmate A had been busy slogging through translations at her placement in Tobalaba, and deserved some sort of celebratory drink. Upon the suggestion of her fellow interns, we all ventured by metro to La Piojera, a bar on the other side of town (and when I say 'other side of town', I do mean it in that very class-driven way which implies that the 'other side' is much rougher than 'our side'). We were the only 3 remotely blonde girls within a 10 mile radius, which, unsurprisingly, earned us a round of applause as we entered the bar- luckily some of the interns were slightly less conspicuous, otherwise it could have turned into a standing ovation.

Now, the explanation for this sudden desire to visit what was essentially a back room in a Mexican-yellow warehouse was the drinks menu: namely, the famous Terremoto, or Earthquake. This devilish concoction consisted of white wine, Fernet and pineapple icecream- basically, to consume more than 2 would have you rolling on the sawdusted floor. We all managed to finish about 1 and a half to the tune of 'Este Farol no Alumbra' before heading for Bar Constitución medio-curados* to have a boogie with our new Peruvian friends.
Our only regret was going on a Thursday- A had to go to work the next morning!

La Entusiasta
xxx

* medio-curado = half-drunk

First Night in the New Flat

After having traipsed halfway across Santiago (and back... several times) looking for the perfect flat (which we found on the 2nd day, manifested in the unattainable upstairs floor of a downtown Starbucks), we chose the first departamento we'd visited. Typically, this first of many was by far the best in terms of location, interior and neighbours. Having said that, the title of 'best' isn't so difficult to obtain when most of the competitors we visited were blighted by massive internal cracks, remnants of the earthquake (terremoto) earlier this year, or otherwise rendered unsuitable by either a) being located in what was essentially a shed at the back of someone's garden, or b) being inhabited by what I would term 'junkies' suffering from interminable hangovers.
The first departamento, which had initially seemed imperfect and easily beatable in our Ikea-loving eyes, suddenly seemed like our little corner of paradise in this city of earthquakes, sheds and junkies. The kitchen is now where we drink our tea and eat Nutella on toast, rather than a tiny galley of lurid green cupboards. The water, which is most frequently lukewarm for showers and washing up, feels positively boiling in comparison with the icy water of our previous accomodation. They even put a bed in my room!! 
So it seems A and I have found our home for the next 6 months on Avenida Holanda, a short(ish) walk from Tobalaba metro station and a slightly longer metro ride to my university. In fact, we have been very lucky in finding this departamento, mainly because of our extremely friendly neighbour and all-round caretaker, Alejandro (feel free to insert a Lady GaGa lyric here). Yesterday afternoon, he and our Brazilian flatmate Cris(tina) cooked a mountain of traditional Brazilian and Chilean cuisine for us and the new tenants upstairs, including blood sausages, pan amasada, farufa, tomato and onion salsa and steak. I have to admit, I did sneakily donate my Chilean black pudding to A's plate, but the rest was absolutely delicious, and we couldn't have felt more welcome.
It's A's first day at work today, so I am left to fend for myself- luckily, our friend M has arrived from the UK and has a couple of weeks left before she starts work, so we are planning trips to the ski slopes and thermal spas to occupy us for a while. Today, we're off to explore the shops in Parque Arauco, where I hear Toy Story 3 is playing in the cinemas... My nephew may well be jealous!!

Besos,

La Entusiasta
xxx

We Made It!!!

After much kerfuffle over heavy bags and disorganised handluggage, A and I have finally made it to Santiago de Chile! In fact, the entire journey was rather uneventful and punctuated only by a few hours of wakefulness. Can't say that I'd want to spend another night on an Iberia Airbus again anytime soon, though...

The plan is to scout out a pair of sim cards for our unlocked phones, and then explore a bit of the city. Think we've been a bit lucky arriving today, as the hostel is doing free pasta and wine tonight- what more could you ask for?!

Updates prontisimo

La Entusiasta
xxx

Fantastic Fiesta

¡Hola!



A mahoosive thank-you to everybody who came to have a go at merengue dancing last night for my leaving do! About 70 people showed up in the end, so all those hours slaving over chilli con carne were well worth it (but I still never want to see a pound of mince or a tin of kidney beans again...). People came from up north, the other side of the M25 and even all the way from Gavlarland (aka Billericay) to say goodbye, so I felt very lucky to have such wonderful family and friends. Most impressive by far, however, were my parents, Auntie J and my sister, all of whom spent the majority of the time running around to cater for everyone- Thank you!


Just off to do some last-minute packing now after an afternoon sat in the British sunshine :D


Hasta pronto,


La Entusiasta


xxx

The Last Slog

Hi everyone!


Time has been racing by, and it's now only a week and a day until I venture out into the big wide world! This week is going to be packed with all those niggly jobs, like getting my phone unlocked and somehow getting hold of some Chilean pesos- and what's more, I've got a leaving party to organise for Friday!!


The party is going to have a latin theme, with a merengue teacher and free-flowing margarita (which I have yet to buy...). Today I went to Sainsburys with my sister and nephew and bought an obscene number of bottles of fizzy drink at my mother's request, and then headed to Lakeside to scout for dresses. Finally found a lovely one in French Connection (and it was on sale :P bonus!!) thanks to the help of about 5 shop assistants dashing about trying to find me something. A big trip to Costco is stil on the cards for tomorrow, though!


I've nearly filled my immense suitcase with vacuum-packed jumpers and, at the insistence of mama, pillows, but I'm a tad worried it will be too heavy for me to lift. That's not to say it will be over the weight limit, but I'm only little!


One last word on the subject of Skype: it's brilliant, isn't it!? Since my lovely BF left for his placement I've fallen in love with Skype- my only issue is that the sound is a bit temperamental. No need to faff around with letters now though, eh? (Although I'm still expecting a couple, *ahem*).


Will hopefully fit in one more post before I leave to fill you in on the fiesta :D


Besitos,


La Entusiasta
xxx

New Camera!!!

So my new camera arrived today. It's a Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ8, which was recommended on every forum I looked at (Thanks, Lisa, for trawling the web for reviews!), and I love it so far! Am out in the garden right now looking for things to snap :)


The only problem is, I ordered an SDHC card to go in it, but it doesn't seem to be compatible. Argh! Since I tore the packaging open with my teeth, I'm not sure how happy Amazon would be about taking it back either... it's very annoying. To be honest, I had no idea what SDHC meant, so it's my fault for not finding out!


Anyhoo, the other tidbit I have to share is that I bought a mahoosive suitcase in TK Maxx for only 40 squid. It's one of those with the wheels that go every which way, and is just so ginormous, I can't even tell you. If I get the camera functioning properly, I'll upload a picture of it :D


Lovage,


La Entusiasta

Home and Reality

I moved home from university yesterday in anticipation of the big trip.


It's quite a strange feeling to know that many of the people you're leaving behind will never cross paths with you again. But onwards and upwards! I'm planning a road trip with my lovely flatmate E back to uni to clean our accomodation- does anyone know what sugar soap is and where to get it?? Apparently we have to wash the walls with it. I reckon our self-styled mannequin, who sits in the living room after having been rescued from a dumpster, might have to return to her rightful home as well. If it were my flat, I don't think I'd be prepared to entrust all cleaning responsibilities to a bunch of 20-somethings, but it's worth the deposit to get scrubbing, so E and I are heading up with a playlist full of Radar Detector to get sudsy!

Our mannequin, Jayne

I've also got to sort out my mobli and bank account before I leave- seems like the 'to do' list gets longer every day! But the good news is, my lovely sister is organising a going away party for me! Hopefully not too many people will have left on their placements beforehand- nobody likes an empty village hall, eh? We're thinking merengue lessons, margaritas and Corona, and maybe a visit from my good friend Señor Cuervo (it just wouldn't be a party without him).


Off to see Gerry Howell's comedy show tonight in Camden. Looking forward to a few giggles!


Hasta pronto :)


La Entusiasta

Keeping a record

My alternative blog:

I was initially going to keep a journal of my Chile experience in this little book, from Paperchase. It's a bit sad to keep it all locked away like that, though, especially when I'll have to regurgitate it all in multiple emails afterwards! When I visited Argentina for a month with some schoolmates, some of my most vivid memories were spent in Internet cafes recounting foreign incidents, such as the time I was on washing-up duty halfway up an icy mountain after a meal of porridge (let's just say the sponge and the porridge simply ended up frozen, and tears may have been shed!). People need to hear that kind of comic tragedy! I think I'll still use this journal, but as more of a scrapbook.

I'm also thinking about getting a new digital camera... any suggestions? Mine is a tad old hat now- it's the Nokia 3210 in camera form. I'd like to be able to take really good quality photos without being a camera expert (not asking much, eh?).

La Entusiasta

xxx

Warning: La Entusiasta has entered the blogosphere!

¡Hola!



This is my official entry into the blogging world. I’m about to embark upon a year of challenges: namely, my Year Abroad. Next month, I’ll be heading to Chile for some intensive Hispanic culture shock, and I’d like some company on my trip. I’m hoping this blog will be my link to home, in the UK, and provide anyone who reads it with some sort of insight into my Chilean adventure.


Signing off, but not for long! ;P





La Entusiasta

      xxx