Dancing. Bowling. The cinema and arcade games. Tennis. Biking. Yoga. Cooking. Spinning class.
Last weekend was not lacking in things to do.
I took it upon myself to fill my schedule with things I love after feeling a little down last week. Ta-da! I am loving life. Of course, I am still amazed at how often I think of home and all the wonderfulness it entails but I do realize I have it pretty dang good here. Living in another
country will always encompass up's and down's; much like life anywhere. It's important to realize, however; that one is not captive to their feelings.
The weekend began at 12:45 pm on Friday, when I got home from work. Getting up at 5:30 am has its advantages, namely being that I get home that much earlier. Spinning class at 1:15 pm. Homemade dinner en la casa with the Belles and then ... Fiesta Nikkita! Fiesta Nikkita happens once a month in Santiago at rotating choice locations throughout the city. This month happened to be at a posh two-story club located up winding cobblestone streets behind Barrio Bellavista. Of course, thanks to the c
onnections we are somehow fortunate enough to have, we were able to cut to the front of the line and receive VIP bracelets upon entrance. We went with our normal After Office crew, being Esteban and Coco plus friends. Some of their friends remind me of Chilean frat boys. There was, however; a Frenchie and her Mexican boyfriend who were boisterous, suave and fun. Tonight, Tuesday, we are heading over to her place for dinner with the same crew from Friday.
I think I finally crawled into bed at 6:30 am. Welcome to the Latin American life of carretes.
The rainy, gloomy Saturday afternoon was spent watching Federer take on Del Patro in Madrid. That's tennis for those you who are going, "Huhh?!". The Belles were kind enough to watch the match with me. On Saturday night, Kathryn and I went to Angels and Demons with Gustavo (one of our doctor friends). We went to Hoyts cinema in La Reina, which rivals and definitely comes out ahead of many movie theaters in the States. Three stories high and glistening with modernity, one might have the sensation of being swallowed alive upon walking in. We showed up for the 8:30 pm film but because it was the first weekend that the movie was out, we had to wait unt
il the 10:30 showing. No problem ... because those arcade games were calling our names. Gustavo didn't know what he was getting himself into when he went with two early-20's American ladies to the movies. However, I think he was the most into the games by the time we left the arcade to wait in a line that snaked down three flights of stairs for Angeles y Demonios.
I won a competition earlier in the week through a Santiago online English-language magazine, Revolver (http://www.revolver-magazine.com/), for a free bike tour of Santiago. Sunday morning it was! I was able to take Kathryn along for free and with a group of about ten people, we rode our beach cruisers to the important downtown historical sites and attractions. It was the perfect way to spend a Sunday morning. We ended the tour at El Mercado Central, the largest and most extensive seafood market in Santiago. There, along with the eight members of our tour, we endulged in Paila Marina, a seafood stew chock-full of any and all kinds of seafood you could imagine.
Bliss.
As we wandered back from El Mercado Central, we happened upon a protest and festival celebrating the right to smoke marijuana. Two guys sporting waist-length dreadlocks were jamming reggae onstage to a crowd of about a thousand people in the middle of a busy Santiago street. Traffic was cut off. With the carabineros (Chile's police force) standing by and watching, the free love crowd lit-up and indulged in their "right" to smoke. It was quite the scene.
Gustavo called in the afternoon wanting to play tennis that evening. It was my first time playing on clay and definitely a different sensation. After tennis, he dropped me off at home so he could go to mass and I could shower and then picked me up an hour later to go bowling with his little brother and some friends. Did I mention that Gustavo is on the national bowling team of Chile? He takes it quite seriously. It was neat to see how the "pros" do it. Gustavo and I took on the other three and we barely lost. Hahaha. I got home at midnight and collapsed into bed, ready to take on the colegio this week.
Luckily Thursday is a free day because it is El Combate Naval de Iquique, a day of celebration and remembrance of Chilean Captian Arturo Prat losing his life during a naval battle between Chile and Peru. Chilean patriotism became known as "Pratiotism". The event inspired thousands of Chilean youth to join the army and eventually seize the land from Peru.
On another note, Stephanie and I (and maybe Kathryn) will be moving out of our six-bedroom house on Manuel Montt to a new, modern apartment building on the other side of the street. There were several deciding factors that went into the decision that eventually overpowered the 'con' side of moving out. The house we live in is OLD and therefore, has holes in the walls, no central heating during the winter, lukewarm water and no water pressure for showers, a kitchen sink drainage system that brings old food up into the shower drain and out into a puddle of food while one is showering, owners that do cocaine and bring over their cokehead
friends ... among other things. It's time to move. We should find out today if we get the apartment and will begin moving shortly. I'm really looking forward to having my own space as well, as living with six people gives the place a slight 'hostel' feel. The apartment building also has a pool and a small gym on the bottom floor. Yes please!
That concludes this week's edition of what I did last weekend. Hahaha. Besos!
Last weekend was not lacking in things to do.
I took it upon myself to fill my schedule with things I love after feeling a little down last week. Ta-da! I am loving life. Of course, I am still amazed at how often I think of home and all the wonderfulness it entails but I do realize I have it pretty dang good here. Living in another
country will always encompass up's and down's; much like life anywhere. It's important to realize, however; that one is not captive to their feelings.The weekend began at 12:45 pm on Friday, when I got home from work. Getting up at 5:30 am has its advantages, namely being that I get home that much earlier. Spinning class at 1:15 pm. Homemade dinner en la casa with the Belles and then ... Fiesta Nikkita! Fiesta Nikkita happens once a month in Santiago at rotating choice locations throughout the city. This month happened to be at a posh two-story club located up winding cobblestone streets behind Barrio Bellavista. Of course, thanks to the c
onnections we are somehow fortunate enough to have, we were able to cut to the front of the line and receive VIP bracelets upon entrance. We went with our normal After Office crew, being Esteban and Coco plus friends. Some of their friends remind me of Chilean frat boys. There was, however; a Frenchie and her Mexican boyfriend who were boisterous, suave and fun. Tonight, Tuesday, we are heading over to her place for dinner with the same crew from Friday.I think I finally crawled into bed at 6:30 am. Welcome to the Latin American life of carretes.
The rainy, gloomy Saturday afternoon was spent watching Federer take on Del Patro in Madrid. That's tennis for those you who are going, "Huhh?!". The Belles were kind enough to watch the match with me. On Saturday night, Kathryn and I went to Angels and Demons with Gustavo (one of our doctor friends). We went to Hoyts cinema in La Reina, which rivals and definitely comes out ahead of many movie theaters in the States. Three stories high and glistening with modernity, one might have the sensation of being swallowed alive upon walking in. We showed up for the 8:30 pm film but because it was the first weekend that the movie was out, we had to wait unt
il the 10:30 showing. No problem ... because those arcade games were calling our names. Gustavo didn't know what he was getting himself into when he went with two early-20's American ladies to the movies. However, I think he was the most into the games by the time we left the arcade to wait in a line that snaked down three flights of stairs for Angeles y Demonios.I won a competition earlier in the week through a Santiago online English-language magazine, Revolver (http://www.revolver-magazine.com/), for a free bike tour of Santiago. Sunday morning it was! I was able to take Kathryn along for free and with a group of about ten people, we rode our beach cruisers to the important downtown historical sites and attractions. It was the perfect way to spend a Sunday morning. We ended the tour at El Mercado Central, the largest and most extensive seafood market in Santiago. There, along with the eight members of our tour, we endulged in Paila Marina, a seafood stew chock-full of any and all kinds of seafood you could imagine.
Bliss.As we wandered back from El Mercado Central, we happened upon a protest and festival celebrating the right to smoke marijuana. Two guys sporting waist-length dreadlocks were jamming reggae onstage to a crowd of about a thousand people in the middle of a busy Santiago street. Traffic was cut off. With the carabineros (Chile's police force) standing by and watching, the free love crowd lit-up and indulged in their "right" to smoke. It was quite the scene.
Gustavo called in the afternoon wanting to play tennis that evening. It was my first time playing on clay and definitely a different sensation. After tennis, he dropped me off at home so he could go to mass and I could shower and then picked me up an hour later to go bowling with his little brother and some friends. Did I mention that Gustavo is on the national bowling team of Chile? He takes it quite seriously. It was neat to see how the "pros" do it. Gustavo and I took on the other three and we barely lost. Hahaha. I got home at midnight and collapsed into bed, ready to take on the colegio this week.
Luckily Thursday is a free day because it is El Combate Naval de Iquique, a day of celebration and remembrance of Chilean Captian Arturo Prat losing his life during a naval battle between Chile and Peru. Chilean patriotism became known as "Pratiotism". The event inspired thousands of Chilean youth to join the army and eventually seize the land from Peru.
On another note, Stephanie and I (and maybe Kathryn) will be moving out of our six-bedroom house on Manuel Montt to a new, modern apartment building on the other side of the street. There were several deciding factors that went into the decision that eventually overpowered the 'con' side of moving out. The house we live in is OLD and therefore, has holes in the walls, no central heating during the winter, lukewarm water and no water pressure for showers, a kitchen sink drainage system that brings old food up into the shower drain and out into a puddle of food while one is showering, owners that do cocaine and bring over their cokehead
friends ... among other things. It's time to move. We should find out today if we get the apartment and will begin moving shortly. I'm really looking forward to having my own space as well, as living with six people gives the place a slight 'hostel' feel. The apartment building also has a pool and a small gym on the bottom floor. Yes please!That concludes this week's edition of what I did last weekend. Hahaha. Besos!
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