Kelly – Page 2 – GW Blogs from Abroad

La Campana

AdminApril 8, 2013December 14, 2018

One of our program guides is very familiar with the mountains and hills that surround Valparaiso/Vina del Mar. To help us become more comfortable with our surrounding he offered to take a group of us up a mountain. The hike was significantly harder than any of us imagined. A walk quickly turned into a practically vertical climb followed by a scramble over rocks on all fours. While the day long hike was a challenge, and communicating in Spanish only added to the exertion, the view was most certainly worth it.

Cliff — The final part of the hike included scrambling over rocks to climb atop this cliff.

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Pastel del Choclo

AdminApril 8, 2013December 14, 2018

By kbartz34

This post is full of Chilean life - both in sustenance and in culture! Pastel del Choclo is a very traditional, Chilean, summer dish. If you have a chance to learn how to cook food from a native, take advantage! Below you will find pictures from my host mom's mini-cooking lesson. Saludos! (Health! Enjoy!)

Finished Product — Baked to perfection in a special homemade dish, this hearty and slightly sweet specialty is worth a special trip to Chile.

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Citizen Participation

AdminMarch 25, 2013December 14, 2018

By kbartz34

Although Santiago is Chile's official capital, Congress convenes in the beautiful coastal town of Valparaiso. The structure of the building says a lot about democracy in Chile - from the crowd fences to control unruly spectators (yes, Congressional sessions are open to the public - and "communicating" with the floor is common practice) to the date it was built (during Pinochet's regime) to the proximity of a Catholic church (which shares the same grounds).

The View From Outside — Perhaps this many windows in the Congressional building points to the value of transparency in democracy.

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Bringing GW with Me

AdminMarch 18, 2013December 14, 2018

By kbartz34

Before I left for abroad, dozens of friends and family members passed on advice. Perhaps the wisest words were these: "Make sure that you remain present always. Of course you will miss home, but try to focus instead on all of the new adventures you are having." While I am definitely remaining "present", I have figured out a few ways to incorporate my GW experience with my experience abroad. Witnessing worlds collide...Raise High!

Climbing a Mountain — I climbed a mountain, La Campana, with members of my study abroad program. During the trek I made sure to plug my good friend who is running for SA President back home!

...continue reading "Bringing GW with Me"

Pablo Neruda’s House

AdminMarch 11, 2013December 14, 2018

By kbartz34

I am not sure if Pablo Neruda, a famed Chilean poet, is romanticized more for his poetry or his incredible homes. The pictures included in this week's post are from his home overlooking the bay in Valparaiso. The upside of traveling with a Study Abroad Agency? Personalized tours of places like this! "I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. I love you simply, without problems or pride: I love you in this way because I do not know any other way of loving but this, in which there is no I or you, so intimate that your hand upon my chest is my hand, so intimate that when I fall asleep your eyes close." - Pablo Neruda, 100 Love Sonnets

Garden perspective — Part of the reason Pablo Neruda's house is so beloved is for its spacious gardens in the midst of a crowded city.

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Open Hearts & Open Stomachs

AdminMarch 4, 2013December 14, 2018

By kbartz34

Sopa de esparragos — Served before almost every lunch, this cream of asparagus soup is excellent with the addition of fresh paprika and cilantro!

Food in Chile is very important, especially to my host family, Food means meal time which means family time. In effort to provide a little context to these photos, let me explain: breakfast is very casual and similar to the U.S. (mainly cereal, yogurt, and fruit). Lunch is the biggest meal of the day and is eaten around 2 pm My host family drops whatever they are doing to come to the table for a few hours. Lunch is usually a few courses often including a soup, salad (lettuce with lemon juice and salt or tomatoes with onions), meat (a lot of beef), and bread. Finally we have "once" which is like a small meal around 9pm. We always drink coffee or tea and then share some sort of dessert bread alongside cheese, ham, avocado, and more bread. I am still alternating between being stuffed and starving, but I'll get used to the Chilean way someday. ...continue reading "Open Hearts & Open Stomachs"

Life in Chile

AdminFebruary 25, 2013

Cada Dia — A street vendor selling a selection of mixed meat (including chicken, hotdogs, and cat) alongside a mural by one of Valparaiso’s famous street artists. It reads: “resistance is not terrorism” – an important connection to Chile’s past.

Uniquely the same — Chilean sunsets are supposed to become more beautiful as it gets colder. Only three blocks from my home, observing the sunsets along the coast is easy. It is amazing to think that I will be able to count my days by sunsets as beautiful as this first one.