This weekend I went to Isla Negra, a small coast town about 90 miles west of Santiago. I technically went there to work on a "school project," but a lot of fun was had as well! :) We played pictionary at our hostel, learned how to salsa dance, and even danced the cueca (Chile's national dance).
Photo 1: Neruda's house. We took a tour on Saturday afternoon. It was incredible! Two down, one to go.

Photo 2: My attempt at an "artistic shot" of the beach. Maybe I should leave these to Liz.

Photo 3: El Grupo :)

Photo 4: Pia and Fran, our new Chilean friends. Pia and Fran's mom owned the hostel we stayed at Saturday night. The next morning they gave us a tour of Isla Negra. They also played pictionary with us. Too bad I was terrible!

Photo 6: Devyn in front of La Nave Imaginaria. A local artist/ architect, who refers to himself as "El Capitan," gave us a tour of his home. It was incredible! He built the entire thing himself and currently lives in el barco with his three year old son.

Photo 7: Another "artistic shot" out one of the windows of La Nave Imaginaria. El Capitan used recycled materials to build his home. Unfortunately, that means he consumed most of the alcohol that used to fill those bottles. haha

Week 3: My school is an art museum

My Intensive Language Program is held at La Catolica's West Campus, which is dedicated to the arts. The campus is absolutely beautiful! The first few pictures were taken to make people jealous. The others were for laughs. The art students here come up with some crazy stuff. My personal favorite "sculpture" is a column made completely out of bread. That is basically my daily bread consumption here in Chile. I wish I was exaggerating.

Week 2: Museo de Bellas Artes

This week I started my three week Intensive Language Program at Universidad Catolica. Even though we have class for over four hours a day, the time passes rather quickly.
Although I only had Sunday off this week, I made the most of it. I celebrated the Fourth at a California Cantina with most of my fellow EAP students. We had a great time! The next morning I visited the Museum of Bellas Artes(which is free on Sundays).

Days 9-10: Valparaiso

I took a weekend trip to the coastal town of Valparaiso with 13 other students from EAP. We had a great time, even though we had absolutely no plans for the weekend. Luckily, we were all able to stay at the same hostel and watch the Chile vs. Brazil game together the following afternoon.
Photo 1: My fellow gringos in front of our hostel.
Photo 2: Taken from a lookout point over the ocean.
Photo 3: A typical Valparaiso street. This one was about two blocks from one of Pablo Neruda's homes, La Sebastiana, which we toured.
Photo 4: Telephone wires + graffiti= Valparaiso. The town is considered to be an "open air museum" by many.
Photo 5: Valparaiso-- again.
Photo 6: Liz and me in front of a naval statue. Being goofy as usual.
Photo 7: A picture on the way down a funicular. Also a picture of my new camera.

Day 8: Lonely Planet's "Two Hour" Walking Tour

In order to get to know the city of Santiago, I embarked on Lonely Planet's "two hour" walking tour with three friends. We saw the National Cathedral, Bank, Ex- Congress, Library, etc. They were all absolutely beautiful. However, there is visible earthquake damage to nearly all of these buildings (since they're ... a bit older). Although the epicenter of February's earthquake was 100 km south of Santiago, it still had a devastating effect on historical sights, old buildings, and public monuments.
Photos 1-2: In front of La Moneda, the center of Chilean government.
Photos 3-4: Cerro Santa Lucia. Cerro Santa Lucia is a large hill that overlooks the city of Santiago. As we quickly learned, it is also a popular place for local couples to canoodle. Unfortunately, the air quality in Santiago is so poor that it is difficult to see the entire city, even on a clear day.
Photo 5: We stumbled upon a Gay Pride Parade of sorts in a large park in the Bellas Artes district. Jessica and I were sooo excited to take a picture with this beautiful drag queen. She was prettier than any princess I've ever seen in Disneyland! :)

Days 5-7: Algorrobo

After a brief program meeting in Santiago, I headed to the coast for a three day orientation with 52 fellow gringos. Although we were in Algorrobo for a formal orientation, we found plenty of time to explore the beautiful city!
We stayed at a beautiful hotel across the street from the beach. I took the first two pictures on a morning walk.
The next five pictures are from an adventure on day 2 in Algorrobo. Kate + Liz + sunset + beach = the following pictures.
We were literally the only people on the beach. It's off season-- but that doesn't mean it's not beautiful. :)
The last picture is of the world's biggest pool, which is also located in Algorrobo. This picture doesn't even do it justice. It's massive! The security guards that patrol the hotel travel across the pool in motorized boats. I think that puts it into perspective.

Day 3: Photo Shoot

On Day 3, I finally met my host family. They are absolutely amazing! My personal favorite family member is my host brother, Diego. He's a 20 year old architecture student who is also in a band. I'm going to his concert next week. Should be memorable to say the least!
My host family lives two blocks away from campus. So, at this point, life is good!
The first picture is the view from my bedroom window. The second picture is my bedroom. That frog pillow is my pride and joy!

Day 2: Chile vs. Suiza

Life lesson of the day: For Chileans, World Cup > Work. Although I wasn't able to fully experience the celebration after Chile defeated Switzerland, I think this picture says a lot about Chileans' priorities. :)

Day 1

I should start out by saying that I don't think I'm famous enough to have my own blog. However, I'm willing to give the people what they want. And what the people want is a travel blog. So here it is!
Day 1: Andes Hostel with Ms. Elizabeth Marie Hallack. This photo says it all: We paid $42 for a room that was not big enough to handle all of our luggage.
Life lesson of the day: Bring ONLY what you can carry.
I know it sounds simple, but this concept did not occur to me and Liz until we were far from home.