Puro Caballo

On our first Saturday our study abroad group had our first excursion. About half an hour inland of Valparaiso we stopped at a chocolate factory and were able to by some chocolate. It wasn't very good chocolate though, but at least I got to climb a walnut tree and a windmill of an old guy working when the wind blows.

After stopping by at the chocolate factory we continued inland a little bit to a ranch called Puro Caballo. We saw two people dance the national chilean dance called the Cueca. There were also two people playing music or it. One playing the guitar and one playing the accordian.



Afterwards we ate lunch in a restaurant there. For everybody but Jen it was a huge slab of meat and mashed potatoes. They made a salad and mashed potatos for Jen. For desert we had a baklava type thing with manjar (dulce de leche) instead of honey and nuts. There were also oranges and pineapples. I gave Jen my pineapple.



After lunch we sat down at the rodeo ring and watched a horse show. They demonstrated the agility of the chilean horses that can actually run sideways and showed how they catch bulls with the horses.


In the end they demonstrated how the horse could even dance the Cueca.

Josh's 24th Birthday

Jen and I spent the day together on my birthday (like we've spent every other day together on this trip). After our classes we had lunch at home. I don't remember what it was any more, but I'm sure it was awesome because our chilean mom always made us awesome food. After lunch we walked to the beach and spent some time practicing the sport that's even more popular in Chile than soccer, especially on the beach or any public place really.




We took a frisbee with us to the beach and started throwing it back and forth to each other. It almost hit a couple of people that were sitting on the beach and after awhile one of them started playing with us.


We played frisbee until sunset. After the sunset we walked to the supermarket where Jen made me wait outside while she got ingredients for dinner which she wanted to be a surprise for me. I waited in the bedroom writing in my journal while she got dinner ready, which ended up being what I suspected, a delicious vegetarian lasagna. It was so good that our chilean father that hates mushrooms took a second serving.



After dinner, Gloria (our host mother) brought out a birthday cake. We sang happy birthday and ate the cake. Afterwards, I worked on my homework... watching the soccer game between Chile and Bolivia.

Valparaiso- First City Tour

This is one of the main plazas in the city. It is right in front of the port area, and has a sculpture of Arturo Pratt. So, I can't remember exactly, but he was a naval hero who was killed in the war between Chile and Bolivia and Peru. Maybe Chile's war of independence. Anyway, every city in Chile has at least one street named after him.
When they were planning this monument, they asked Rodin for a sculpture, and he made one of a fallen hero, naked, with a yelling angel over him. The goverment said they were looking for something a little less alegorical. Rodin was pretty offended. But they now have a maquette of his sculpture in front of the Cultural Center in Vina del Mar, which I did a report on for my class.




This is a view of Vina del Mar, from a place called Yugoslavia Street. There were evidently quite a few immigrants from there. Also many from Italy and Germany. Now it is in Cerro Alegre\Cerro Concepcion, part of the city that is designated by UNESCO as a world heritage area. Its kind of artsy and touristy now. Here's a picture of Josh on that same street, and another view of the hills.



This is a statue that was meant to be about justice, since it's in front of the courts in Valparaiso. However, the people who commissioned the artist did not pay what they had agreed to, so instead of blind-folded woman with a scale, she has a sword and she's looking at everyone. Our guide said that the artist wanted to say there is no justice in Chile.


This is Marlenne, she was our guide for all the city tours and workshops we did on tuesdays during our time in Chile. She is studying law at the Universidad Catolica where we took our spanish courses. We became friends and we went to her home many times with the missionaries and Todd for lessons.
These are some examples of the graffitti in Valapraiso. It is quite common, and most of it is really good or at least interesting. There will be more pictures to come.