Hello hello!
As we all could have probably predicted, here I am, almost a month later. It has been a wonderful month, although I have been sick basically the entire time. I think it all started with my weird virus in San Pedro, but has continued to be cold-like symptoms which morphed into a sinus infection which in turn became some strong seasonal allergies as soon as I was starting to feel better. Basically I've been a tired ball of mucus for a month, which isn't all that different from what I usually am. Plus, slugs and snails are some of my favorite creatures and they're slow-moving balls of mucus, so I guess that's the positive side of it all.
I ended up celebrating the 18th by taking squad pics with my spanish class (pictured below), sleeping, and getting out of bed briefly to be dragged to fondas (basically celebration areas that are tiny state fairs) by my lovely friends. We went to one at Ines Suarez, which was like a cute farmers market with people dancing the cueca (national dance of Chile, based off of the courting ritual between chickens) (no, I'm not joking). We also went to one at el Estadio Nacional (national stadium) which was essentially a state fair, complete with dangerous, loosely-secured rides and food of questionable sanitation standards. Here is a sequence of me eating cotton candy at the Estadio Nacional fonda.
The next weekend was spent almost entirely with Steph. I just can't seem to get rid of her! Friday night we sought out and devoured Papa John's pizza, which is the pizza that tastes the most American here. We also ate a lot of ice cream. The next day, we went to what was essentially Santiago Pride parade! It was fantastic to feel surrounded by accepting people who were all there to celebrate who they are. Chile is pretty homophobic in general (especially the older generations) because it's a pretty Catholic country. There are gay bars and there's definitely gay life in Santiago, but you rarely see gay couples holding hands, so it was nice to be back in an environment that accepts and celebrates difference in sexuality and gender. Steph and I were told we were a cute couple, and this was the first thing that came to mind.
Honestly, life in Chile has made me even more aware of my privilege in the US. I have tried to be very intentional about recognizing it and checking it in the US, especially after arriving at Carleton and being made more aware of the importance of doing that. As a white, cisgender person in the US, I have very rarely faced discrimination of any type, and what I have felt has only been because of my gender and my religion. One of these traits is only recognizable if I tell people that I'm Jewish, which rarely comes up in conversation and which is easily withheld in situations in which I feel uncomfortable. For the first time in my life, here in Chile, I look different. I'm recognizably not "normal," not "Chilean-looking," not latina. Mostly, this is met with curiosity or heightened interest. Rarely is it met with hatred or distrust. I think this has made me more cognizant of what the experiences of minorities in the US must be--although I still cannot claim to identify with or understand the feelings that must come with facing suspicion and hatred just because of skin color, dress, or gender identity. However, I am sympathetic, and I stand with these people with all of my power.
This past weekend, basically everyone from my program went to Chiloé together, which is an island off the south of Chile, basically in Patagonia territory. It was beeeauUUUtiful. We flew from Santiago to Puerto Montt, and then took a ferry from Puerto Montt to BahÃa de Puñihuil, where we saw penguins and dolphins!!! We had lunch with a woman who's worked as a guide there for many years, and she taught me how to properly eat an empanada. I will never forget her. That evening, we ended up in Castro, the capital city of Chiloé, where we ate a fantastic dinner and then learned about the history and life of Chiloé.
Pictured here is my friend and I pretending to be on the Titanic (before it sank), us on the bus headed to Castro, and two girls from my program sleeping in the airport before our early flight to Chiloé.
The next day, we drove to the comuna Chonchi, where we split into two talleres (workshops). One of them was a woodworking shop, where everyone made beautiful wood necklaces out of wood sustainably harvested in Chiloé. The taller I opted for was on a farm run by an incredible man named Don Luis. He worked for the first 35 years of his life saving money to start a farm, and he achieved his dreams! At 72 he's running around taking care of a many, many acre farm basically by himself. I was very overwhelmed by all of the baby animals. There were sheep, goats, chickens, ducks, turkeys, donkeys, peacocks, cows, dogs, and pigs. One of my favorite moments of the trip were walking through pristine forest that is on Don Luis' land which he's conserved for future generations (and he built a path through it all by himself--how cool is that???), which you can see here. Sorry the photo's so bad!! It's some of the most beautiful, green, earthy-smelling, untouched forest I've ever been in.
Another one of my favorite parts of this visit was hearing of Don Luis' technique for keeping his flocks safe from wild dogs who come in and attack them. Don Luis bred two big fluffy white dogs, and when the puppies were born, he took two of them at seven days old and bonded them with a lactating sheep who had just given birth. The dogs are now around a year old, and although they are still definitely dogs, they think they're sheep. They snuggle with the sheep and live in the same pasture as them, and they protect the sheep from any people or animals who they think may do their sheep families harm. It's adorable and smart and I love them.
Here they are, making sure we mean their families no harm! The sheep had come up to us to ask for food, but the dogs hung back warily.
Obviously this was another highlight of the trip.
That night we stayed at Hostal Palafito Cucao, in Cuacao, which was BEAUTIFUL. I would absolutely recommend it for any Chiloé travelers. Here's a map of Chiloé for reference, by the way.
The next morning, we woke up and walked from our hotel (which is technically in the Parque Nacional de Chiloé) further into the national park with an amazing guide. We walked several different loops and got to spend time both in the forest and on the beach. It was beautiful! The landscapes are so varied on this special island!
That same afternoon, we piled back on the bus and went to Dalcahue, which is a little town known for its artisanal markets. That evening, we made our way back to the ferry, back to Puerto Montt, and back to Santiago. It was a short trip, but it was absolutely beautiful and I know I'll make my way back to Chiloé eventually.
Now, back to normal life here for a few weeks! I'm still adoring my internship with the babies, and I'm starting a little workshop with the older kindergarden kids (4-5 years old) about healthy eating this coming Tuesday.
I can't believe I'm over halfway done here. Time flies!
Sending my biggest abrazos,
Nina
