Here are some pictures from Santiago... I will try to get some from Valparaiso as soon as I can!
Although I don't know when I will be able to post next becasue we are going to San Pedro and I don't know how much internet I will have... So talk to you soon!
http://s237.photobucket.com/albums/ff91/jenniferyoung120/Santiago/
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Monday, September 24, 2007
Santiago September 21st-25th
Friday September 21st:
Today was field trip day. The group boarded a bus in the morning and enjoyed a two hour ride to the city of Valparaiso. Upon arrival, they went for a tour through the building that houses the Congress of Chile. Manwell was quick to take over the seat of the President in the Senate meeting room and controlled the floor during a pressuring interview. They interviewed a secretary of a congressman and asked questions relating to their energy policy and their plans for sustainable energy. After the tour ended they made their way to Pablo Neruda’s house. Pablo Neruda was a Nobel Peace Prize wining poet and author who was Chilean born and raised. He has houses all over Chile and after his death they were remodeled and turned into cultural museums highlighting his life and works. The group boarded the bus and drove to the coast for lunch, which they enjoyed along a pier in the bustling port of Valparaiso, Chile’s first and biggest port city. After a lunch of pizza and sushi (interesting combination…) they took to climbing and exploring the city’s hills. The city of Valparaiso is situated on over 30 hills, called cerros, which overlook the ocean and port. As they rode the trolley up Cerro Allegre, they were treated to an amazing view of the city and the colors of the buildings. They were able to walk off they lunch as they made their way around Cerro Allegre to Cerro Concepcion. The remarkable part of this area was the artwork they discovered on the walls of the buildings. Some may call it graffiti, but the local culture was displayed through cartoons, paintings, and murals lining the city streets. These works obviously took a significant amount of time and talent and were a unique addition to the culture of the city. After descending Cerro Concepcion, they took a quick detour to Vina Del Mar, a bustling coastal town on the outskirts of Valparaiso. They were then treated to a local ice cream parlor by the teachers of Spanish class. A lot of the members were surprised to find out what flavors they ordered! After a nice walk along the beach during an amazingly colorful sunset, they boarded the bus and returned to Santiago.
Saturday September 22nd:
After a long day of touring and walking through Valparaiso, the group woke up ready for another day of class and tours. Luckily, they were staying close to their hostel, exploring the Santa Lucia area. First stop was the Museum of Pre-Colombian Art, which specialized in representing the culture of each region in Chile through the art of their native crafts and carvings. After an engaging tour with a bilingual guide (a nice treat) the group walked to the Plaza de Armas, which is a courtyard that was used by the conquerors from Spain as an area to store weapons and artillery. While there, they toured a Catholic church built in that time period. They enjoyed lunch in a park close to the church where they take Spanish classes and afterwards settled in for another afternoon of class. After class, the group took showers and got “gussied up” to go to a local Chilean salsa club to attempt to learn, or embarrass themselves while trying, the salsa. It was a long interesting night and the cultural experience that the group had will not be soon forgotten.
Sunday September 23rd:
After dancing the night away at the salsa club they group was treated to restful day off. Most of them woke up around noon and then formulated their plans for the day. While some members rested at the hostel others took off to explore the city a little more. They came upon a bazaar filled with local crafts and artwork. It seems that, even though they are thoroughly enjoying their time in Santiago and being in a big city, the group mentality seems to be turning to the adventures that lie ahead of them in the Atacama Desest…
Monday September 24th:
Today they went to school first thing in the morning. And they learned about numbers and money! During their afternoon café Claudia took some of them shopping. They bought yarn so Esther could crotchet hats and scarves, and power adapters so they could plug in their electronics. In the afternoon they went to the Senatur (which is the National Tourism Center). They listened to a presentation about tourism in Chile. There was a joke that had been going on all day as well. Claudia mentioned to them that tomorrow (Tuesday) they would practice waking up early for their flight on Wednesday. They were going to have to wake up and be ready by 5:00am so they could prove to Claudia that they could be on time… fortunately Jen proposed the question; what if we pack up all of our stuff the night before and make sure that every one is packed, then can we not wake up early? Though after a short time and a group vote about waking up early they learned that it was only a joke!
Tuesday September 25th:
Today was their last day of school!!! YAY! They tried to watch a Chilean movie about the school system, but they couldn’t get the sound to work and without the sound the movie was pointless. So, instead they went to Universidad Catolico and played some sports in their field. A bunch of the boys played an amazing game of basketball. Around 2:00pm they said goodbye to their teachers and went home. When they got back they spent some time packing their stuff so they can hop on a airplane to go to the Atacama desert tomorrow!
Today was field trip day. The group boarded a bus in the morning and enjoyed a two hour ride to the city of Valparaiso. Upon arrival, they went for a tour through the building that houses the Congress of Chile. Manwell was quick to take over the seat of the President in the Senate meeting room and controlled the floor during a pressuring interview. They interviewed a secretary of a congressman and asked questions relating to their energy policy and their plans for sustainable energy. After the tour ended they made their way to Pablo Neruda’s house. Pablo Neruda was a Nobel Peace Prize wining poet and author who was Chilean born and raised. He has houses all over Chile and after his death they were remodeled and turned into cultural museums highlighting his life and works. The group boarded the bus and drove to the coast for lunch, which they enjoyed along a pier in the bustling port of Valparaiso, Chile’s first and biggest port city. After a lunch of pizza and sushi (interesting combination…) they took to climbing and exploring the city’s hills. The city of Valparaiso is situated on over 30 hills, called cerros, which overlook the ocean and port. As they rode the trolley up Cerro Allegre, they were treated to an amazing view of the city and the colors of the buildings. They were able to walk off they lunch as they made their way around Cerro Allegre to Cerro Concepcion. The remarkable part of this area was the artwork they discovered on the walls of the buildings. Some may call it graffiti, but the local culture was displayed through cartoons, paintings, and murals lining the city streets. These works obviously took a significant amount of time and talent and were a unique addition to the culture of the city. After descending Cerro Concepcion, they took a quick detour to Vina Del Mar, a bustling coastal town on the outskirts of Valparaiso. They were then treated to a local ice cream parlor by the teachers of Spanish class. A lot of the members were surprised to find out what flavors they ordered! After a nice walk along the beach during an amazingly colorful sunset, they boarded the bus and returned to Santiago.
Saturday September 22nd:
After a long day of touring and walking through Valparaiso, the group woke up ready for another day of class and tours. Luckily, they were staying close to their hostel, exploring the Santa Lucia area. First stop was the Museum of Pre-Colombian Art, which specialized in representing the culture of each region in Chile through the art of their native crafts and carvings. After an engaging tour with a bilingual guide (a nice treat) the group walked to the Plaza de Armas, which is a courtyard that was used by the conquerors from Spain as an area to store weapons and artillery. While there, they toured a Catholic church built in that time period. They enjoyed lunch in a park close to the church where they take Spanish classes and afterwards settled in for another afternoon of class. After class, the group took showers and got “gussied up” to go to a local Chilean salsa club to attempt to learn, or embarrass themselves while trying, the salsa. It was a long interesting night and the cultural experience that the group had will not be soon forgotten.
Sunday September 23rd:
After dancing the night away at the salsa club they group was treated to restful day off. Most of them woke up around noon and then formulated their plans for the day. While some members rested at the hostel others took off to explore the city a little more. They came upon a bazaar filled with local crafts and artwork. It seems that, even though they are thoroughly enjoying their time in Santiago and being in a big city, the group mentality seems to be turning to the adventures that lie ahead of them in the Atacama Desest…
Monday September 24th:
Today they went to school first thing in the morning. And they learned about numbers and money! During their afternoon café Claudia took some of them shopping. They bought yarn so Esther could crotchet hats and scarves, and power adapters so they could plug in their electronics. In the afternoon they went to the Senatur (which is the National Tourism Center). They listened to a presentation about tourism in Chile. There was a joke that had been going on all day as well. Claudia mentioned to them that tomorrow (Tuesday) they would practice waking up early for their flight on Wednesday. They were going to have to wake up and be ready by 5:00am so they could prove to Claudia that they could be on time… fortunately Jen proposed the question; what if we pack up all of our stuff the night before and make sure that every one is packed, then can we not wake up early? Though after a short time and a group vote about waking up early they learned that it was only a joke!
Tuesday September 25th:
Today was their last day of school!!! YAY! They tried to watch a Chilean movie about the school system, but they couldn’t get the sound to work and without the sound the movie was pointless. So, instead they went to Universidad Catolico and played some sports in their field. A bunch of the boys played an amazing game of basketball. Around 2:00pm they said goodbye to their teachers and went home. When they got back they spent some time packing their stuff so they can hop on a airplane to go to the Atacama desert tomorrow!
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Dinosaur National Monument River Trip Pictures!
Here are the pictures for the river trip. Enjoy!
http://s237.photobucket.com/albums/ff91/jenniferyoung120/River/
http://s237.photobucket.com/albums/ff91/jenniferyoung120/River/
Crawford Pictures
Sorry I took the pictures off the blog, I think it is easier this way. Let me know if you guys can't view them or something! I think all you have to do is click on this link.
http://s237.photobucket.com/albums/ff91/jenniferyoung120/Crawford/
http://s237.photobucket.com/albums/ff91/jenniferyoung120/Crawford/
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