Challenges, Presentations, and Celebrations
Hi all,
I honestly struggled to write this update a little because it had been a bit of a hard week. But I have overcome some challenges and have a brighter perspective for it.
At first, I didn’t know whether or not to share this, but think it has been an important enough part of the past two weeks and my process of learning and adapting overall. I got my phone stolen last week on my way to the metro from the university. Long story short, I put it in a different pocket of my backpack than I usually do and it got stolen from there. Thankfully, I was safe and didn’t really have an interaction with the person who took it. I was heading to bible study at Delaney’s and was glad to be with a safe group of folks after something so stressful. I could still use my computer to do what I could to reach out to my host family, family at home, and Lizette, my program coordinator. Lizette was extremely helpful and sent me some directions about best ways to move forward within a few minutes of my conversation with my host mom. My host family helped me buy and set up a new phone, which was simpler than expected. A challenge like this definitely brought with it a wave of homesickness. Realizing that fixing it was more complicated here than at home made me miss more familiar solutions and resources. At the same time, it also showed me that I have a lot of resources here to get through whatever challenges might arise.
Speaking of tech issues, my computer was acting up the other day, which especially scared me because I still have WhatsApp on my computer with my original number, which is my primary way of communicating with folks at home. Before heading to Delaney’s yesterday for our weekly bible study group (the same one I was heading to last week), I went to a computer shop that my host family had mentioned. I walked in and explained the problem. Rodrigo, a young guy who worked there, was incredibly helpful with getting it fixed. It was just him and his boss in the storefront with various tools and computers they were working on. He explained what had happened and that it was a fairly easy fix. When the computer eventually worked, his boss saw the Nat’s and O’s logos on my computer background and we talked about that for a little while, which was really comforting. It was a much easier fix than I anticipated and I am so grateful for their help. I definitely feel a lot better now knowing that all my things work for what I need them to do (and can still use my original WhatsApp, which is a relief!).
All that is to say, I am glad I could get things figured out and in a way feel empowered by being able to fix things with some help but still independently. Those challenges definitely made even more grateful for the ease that comes with having functional devices, especially as we rely on them so much in our daily lives.
My friends and I have agreed that classes have really picked up the past few weeks. We joke that it’s now really STUDY abroad. It definitely feels more like a normal semester now than it did before. I’ve had presentations during the week and activities with my group and friends on the weekends.
Delaney, Peter, and I went climbing with Andrea after church two weeks ago and got empanadas at her favorite place in Con-Con afterwards. It was a beautiful day and we got to walk on the beach around sunset, which was lovely! We were all relatively new to climbing, so it was good to be similar in that respect. I wasn’t very good at it, but I had a ton of fun! On the way back, we stopped at Roca Oceanica, which is across the street from the sand dunes my group went to during one of our first weeks here. At the dunes, Delaney, Olivia and I had tried to get down to the bottom, which it looked like we could get to. We eventually learned that the point we were trying to get to was across the street and we couldn’t get there. Roca Oceanica is where we were trying to get to, so it was really cool to finally get to see it! And to think about how long it feels like it’s been since our adventure at the sand dunes.
As I mentioned, I have been going to a bible study/devotional book club on Thursdays at Delaney’s. Her host siter, Angeles, started the group based on a devotional book she read a while ago and invited a few of her friends from church. I’ve loved getting to know Angeles. She recently graduated from nursing school and studied in Spain last semester. She also is part of the group of us that runs a few times a week. For bible study, Angeles, a few of her friends, Delaney, and I each share a few treats during our discussion. Yesterday, most of the other girls couldn’t make it, so I ended up having once with Delaney and her host family. I might have explained once before, but it is basically an evening meal centered around bread, tea, and conversation. It is always a special thing to share! Delaney joined us for once a few weeks ago, so it was really interesting to see her host family’s way of doing things. It was very similar and I am so glad to have shared that time with them. She, Angeles, Jafa (her host mom) and I ended up talking about the devotional that we would have discussed during the group today, which was lovely.
I have definitely missed Holy Week services like I’m used to at home, but have loved getting to know different traditions. There have not been services through the church I go to, but I went to a service at PUCV on Wednesday and am going to another one at a local church with Delaney tonight. That church is actually where there was a day of exams for the community through CESFAM and a few local universities yesterday.
Yesterday, a few of us from CESFAM went to a church in the community. My understanding is that days like these are made available periodically to support folks on waiting lists or who are not up to date on their annual exams. I helped a little with taking patients’ vitals and at one point got to observe biomedical students from PUCV. They were performing eye exams, which is definitely not my strongsuit, but I was fascinated to learn about them! I had to deliver a test order to a patient in the tent where they did these exams and ended up meeting the director of the program, which is at a different campus of PUCV. Opthamology, dentristry, and blood tests were outside and folks from CESFAM were inside. We had set up tables around the room for different specialties. There were nurses, doctors, social workers, and nutritionists inside as far as I know. Several patients came with their family members to all get caught up on their checkups. It was really fascinating to see so many resources in the same place. I’m always learning a lot about the healthcare system here, between my time at CESFAM and my Spanish for Health class.
Two weeks ago, I had my presentation on public versus private healthcare systems in my Spanish for Health class. We had to interview at least three people for the presentation. I interviewed Angeles, Constanza (intern at CESFAM), and my host brother. I was expecting to interview my host mom, but she and my host brother were sitting together and he was extremely helpful. He gave several examples of his experience with the healthcare systems and personal frustrations. It was definitely interesting to hear his frustrations with the wait times in the public system, while also reflecting on my experience at CESFAM.
After I interviewed my host brother for the project, he told me about a wine festival in Casablanca, about 40 minutes away, that Sunday. I already had plans with some friends after church, so I suggested we check out the festival. It was a gorgeous day and I’m really glad we went! It was Fiesta de la Vendimia, which celebrates the grape harvest. Although it is a wine festival, it is super family friendly. Of course there were wine tastings, but there were also local artists, music, dances, and a grape-squashing competition. Couples would go up to race to fill up jars of juice by stomping on grapes and folks would gather to watch the competition. There were also dances put on by local groups of all ages.
I used a few pictures from that festival for my Intercultural Communication presentation this past Wednesday. I love how this class gives me a new way of thinking about my observations and curiosity in things that seem different. The instructions for the project were very vague and were centered around pictures we had to take to reflect on course material, especially visible and invisible aspects of culture and our reactions to our observations. We presented last week and were all interested to see our various interpretations.
We have also had a few activities through ISA (my study abroad program) the past few weeks. We went to Cielo Abierto and the Sebastiana a few weeks ago and Quinta Vergara last week. Cielo Abierto is a collection of murals outside in Valparaíso and is designed to be a more accessible way for folks to access art. A lot of the murals have been painted over, which adds a layer of complexity. I think there are 20 murals or so, spread out throughout hills near La Sebastiana (one of Pablo Neruda’s houses). We also visited La Chascona in Santiago (another one of Neruda’s houses), so it was interesting to compare them. There is one more in Isla Negra, which I would like to check out at some point too. Both Pablo Neruda houses we’ve visited so far showcase his ecclectic collections and tendency to throw eccentric parties. La Sebastiana seems more serene than La Chascona and has a major theme of Neruda’s use of nature to inspire his work. We have definitely learned a lot about the controversy of respecting Neruda’s work, while acknowleding that there were various issues with how he treated folks, especially women.
As I mentioned, we also went to Quinta Vergara for a group activity. It ended up being just Lizette, Olivia and me, which was really nice. We had the group meeting outside, then had time to explore the art museum. I hadn’t seen Olivia in a while, so it was nice to catch up with her. She goes to the business university, so we don’t go to school together. We walked around the art museum, which reminded me a lot of Black Rock, our local art center at home. Work of different local artists gets cycled through, so it seems like there is often something new to see. It is a free museum and is really close to my host family, so I hope to go back a few times.
My host family has celebrated several birthdays recently. Anto turned 14 and Alonso turned 2, so April has been a month of celebrations! My host family threw Anto’s birthday party, where a few family members and her friend came over. I was glad to meet a few family members I had not met yet and see others who I had not seen in a while. We saw a few of the same folks at Alonso’s birthday party in Santiago last weekend. That was the most calm 2-year-old birthday party I think I’ve ever been to. Of course the kids were all very energetic, but their families did really well at keeping things relatively calm. I met a few new folks, although it was definitely hard to focus on conversations with so much going on. I am always grateful to be invited to family events and really enjoyed both birthday parties!
Clare, Delaney, and I are going to the botannical garden tomorrow. Evidently, there’s an event going on, which I’m looking forward to! We’ve been trying to make plans to go to the garden together for a few weeks, so I’m glad we’re finally making it happen!
I’m definitely looking forward to the Easter Sunday service! It will be in a different church building, so I’m excited to be in a new church and see their Easter tradition. I struggled for a while with missing familiar traditions, but recently have realized it’s all just part of adapting and learning. I also had struggled a lot with feeling I wasn’t doing much at CESFAM, but have come to realize that that, too, is part of being here to learn.
Over the past few weeks, I have been especially grateful for messages from folks from home. Feeling so loved and supported has really helped me get through challenging moments recently. I am so grateful to be able to write this update and be on the other side of several challenges.
With excitement and gratitude,
Bethany
