mari(full of)grace.

I open at the close.

2011-07-12T13:13:00.000-04:00

una despedida a mi hermoso Chile:

de verdad no me gustan las despedidas entonces no voy a decirte "chau". sé que regresaré, y además no podría alejarme de ti. sé que me cambiaste pero todavía no sé en todas las maneras; no puedo saber hasta que regrese a mi país, si me daré cuenta a partir de una semana o veinte años, no sé. pero ya sé que tu pasiaje,tu cultura y más que nada tu gente me han cautivado. siempre estarás en mi corazón.

besos de ti,

maría gracia.

so yes, basically my study abroad blog was a fail, but it was more from a fear of writing than having a lack of things to write about. keep a lookout.

alerta de tsunami

2011-03-11T21:02:00.006-03:00

(Yes, I'm going to update you all on the past two week's events later this weekend--highlights include orientation, beach every day, sickness, and falling off of a bus--and I'll post them when they chronologically happened (so before this post), but considering today's events and the fact that people might become worried about me if they're keeping up with the news, I'm going to be posting any updates here.)

I've been glued to the news all day. In case you didn't know, there was a huge earthquake this morning in Japan (8.9 to be exact...the images are horrible). The force has caused potentially-tsunami-sized-waves directed at the coasts of many countries that border the Pacific Ocean, and considering the fact that the ocean hugs the entire coast of Chile, the whole country is in "Alerta de tsunami". This isn't as severe as being in "Alarma"--it just means that there's potential for tsunami waves. If it was "Alarma," the waves would definitely be coming. (Think "Tornado Watch" vs. "Tornado Warning").

That being said, if there were to be tsunami waves, the government has released times of expected impact with the coast--Viña del Mar, where I live, isn't supposed to receive any action until around midnight. Easter Island, which is a territory of Chile, has already been evacuated in case of waves because they would be the first area to be hit. It was projected to be hit by the first wave around 9.00 CLST (CLST is 2 hours ahead of EST), but nothing has happened yet--it's still very calm. The government will base their projection of the size/force of the waves that will hit the continent on what happens on Easter Island.

While there haven't been many people in the streets at all today, all of the Chileans are very calm about the situation. My host mom says that if we do have to evacuate to the hills, once we hear the alarms we have an hour-long window to walk from our apartment, in downtown Viña, to Sausalito, which is the highest spot in Viña. Tatiana's also said that since we're about 10 blocks from the beach and there are other tall buildings in front of us, our building won't be structurally affected. This is good, because I've only had to pack a small backpack for my documents, medication, and electronics. Hopefully everything will stay calm, but it's good to be prepared.

Update 22.12 CLST: Tatiana, Sebastian and I are driving up to a friend's house who lives in the hills. It's pitch dark now, so we couldn't walk anyway if there was a city wide alarm. But nothing is happening yet, we're just going up to the hills to pass the time. If it gets to be one in the morning and still no big waves have come, we won't have anything to worry about and we'll go home. Love you all!

Update 23.25 CLST: All of Chile has moved to Alarma, but were already in the hills. were watching on the tv that theyre evacuating viña del mar. Im on Liuva's computer (daughter of Tatiana's friend) so the keyboard is all weird. Also, because its her computer, this will be my last update until I get home! but im safe :))))

Update 1.43 CLST: Home!! While there were strong waves breaking, they didn't come past the beach :) Now, bed time.

Even though Chile's been lucky enough to have calm waters, please keep the Japanese people (and any foreigners in Japan--especially students) in your thoughts and prayers <3

La ciudad jardín

2011-02-28T19:39:00.004-03:00

After waking up super late (noon, to be exact, and I'm still tired! haha), I unpacked completely--my clothes are all folded, hung up, or put in drawers, which is a miracle, I know. My host mom, Tatiana made a tomato and basil pasta for lunch, which was delicious. Among other things, I brought 3 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies (Tagalongs, Thin Mints, and Samoas) for my family, which they were excited about because of course they've never even heard of Girl Scouts, let alone had Girl Scout Cookies. Then mi madre took me on a driving tour of Viña/Valpo, taking the scenic beach highway even though it takes longer to get around. We stopped at a few spots so I could take pictures.

It's so beautiful here...I was wearing shorts and a tshirt and felt perfectly content.

More photos after the jump :)

Tatiana and I climbed this rocky hill, which presented some awesome photo opportunities both on the way up and once we got to the top.

This is a natural rock-wall that people can climb with the assistance of a belayer. (Note the rope on the left hand side.) You start on the right hand side, where the rocks are smaller and easier to grab, and gradually make your way to the red flag. Tatiana said that she did it once and her arms hurt for days after...I really want to try but my upper body strength sucks :/

Beautiful sand dunes! The kids here sled down them like they're snow-covered. Tatiana said that when she was younger, all of the area where the highway and skyscrapers are built looked like this, and you had to get from the center of Viña to the beach by long, windy roads. It makes me sad because most of the skyscrapers mar the landscape :/

We continued on the highway toward Reñaca Beach and drove through Concón, which is a small town to the north of Viña. The coast road is very windy, sandwiched between the cliffs which separate it from the beach, and the rocky hills. All along the highway are small restaurants that boast having the best seafood in Viña--the fish is caught fresh daily, and some restaurants on the coast-side always have nets in the ocean and don't catch their fish until you order it. Every time I rolled down my window, the smell of seafood mingled with the scent of salt water. Houses are built into the hills and on top of the cliffs. Tatiana's parents live in one of the houses on the coast-side--it's a cute red house with an unbroken view of the ocean. I can't imagine living there.

An apartment complex built into the hillside. I want my house to look like this.

This is Playa Amarillas, which is a popular place to swim. It's also curved inward and protected by the surrounding rocks, so not much wind comes through, which makes it a great spot to sunbathe.

The view while driving into Concón--foothills of the Andes. I'm pretty sure that they're the size of some of the mountains in Tennessee, look like little hills compared to the High Andes.

A cute house in Concón.

Coming back into Viña del Mar we could see one of the city's many gardens--this one in the shape of a seagull, which are plentiful in Viña and Valpo.

There are a few castles along the highway that look like something from Italy or Spain. Crazy.

I really want to take a horse-and-buggy ride around Viña sometime.

Just a taste of the colorful buildings of Valpo. We didn't drive up into the hills (it'd be like trying to navigate Lombard Street in San Francisco!) so I didn't take many pictures.

It was one of the most beautiful drives I've ever taken in my life. It was super fun to get to know Tatiana a bit better and to sing along to Nelly Furtado and Juanes with her. Definitely a great first day in Viña.

Finally here!

2011-02-28T12:00:00.001-03:00

I'm finally in Viña del Mar! The fight from Dallas to Santiago was 10 hours, and luckily the seat between the guy in my row and me was empty! So we switched off who got to lay down and sleep, haha. He was super nice--he and his brother own a lodge in Chaiten and go down to check up on things a few times a year. (I totally looked them up online--check out their photos here, they are unreal! How can you catch fish that big??) The meals weren't bad either--breakfast was a hot croissant/yogurt/fruit, and lunch/dinner was an indian curry with spinach and rice. Nommm.

One thing I am sad about is that since I was in the center part of the row, I wasn't near a window, so I didn't get any photos of the Andes when we were coming in. Big regret because the sun was setting and the view was breathtaking. I should have just asked someone. Oh well. On the flight back, I'll get some shots.

We got into Santiago around 8:30 CLT (CLT is 2 hours ahead of EST, just as a reference), but then I didn't get off the plane til around 9 because I was in the back. It seemed like forever that I had to stand in line--I think that both the visa line and customs took 2 hours total. I met some girls going to PUCV on the plane/in the airport, and it turned out that the three of us were all riding in a taxi van to Valparaíso together. The two hour ride was long, but it was fun to chat with people who are also international students! Valparaíso at night is so pretty--the lights on the hills were reflecting in the water so beautifully. Viña del Mar, where the three of us all are living in a home stay, is about a 15 minute drive from Valpo. It's equally beautiful in it's own way--it's called "La ciudad jardín" or "The Garden City," and there's flowers and trees everywhere. It's also much more gridded than Valpo.

After a hot shower, a quick tour and some food cooked by my host mom (it was so precious, she had rice and mushroom casserole and salad for me), I called my parents, and went to bed. Phew.

still stateside...

2011-02-27T01:17:00.001-03:00

I'm sitting in a hotel in Dallas, Texas, instead of sleeping on a plane heading to Santiago, and I am very saddened by it. My flight was delayed until 7am, but I didn't get to the hotel until midnight because our bus driver lacked any sense of direction and couldn't find the hotel. (Seriously...we were driving around for an hour. wtf.) Considering my tiredness level and the fact that I have to be back at DFW at 5, I think that if I sleep I'll oversleep my flight. Which would be bad.

Aside from the whole arriving-in-chile-9-hours-later-than-expected thing, today has been a good travel day.

Knoxville was beautiful from above.

The Tennessee River and surrounding clouds were stunning--definitely going to miss them.

I sat George on my tray table because he was just not getting enough room to breathe, and I thought he looked quite dapper. Thus begins my airplane picnic photo shoot...I should do airplane photo shoots more often, they're quite fun.

I just loved the way the sun was setting on these wave-like clouds. So pretty.

"happy birthday"

2011-02-26T20:15:00.001-03:00

Because yesterday was my last full day in America, and also because I'll have my birthday when I'm in Chile, my dad took Chelsea and I out to our favorite mexican restaurant to celebrate. Cheese dip, fajitas, and a pie in the face. Best unbirthday dinner :)

one week!

2011-02-17T23:04:00.000-03:00

soooo excited :D