Friday, August 22, 2008
Mountain Resort!
Yesterday... Saturday, August 23, 2008, the COPA program took all of the students who wanted to go to a Mountain Resort called Hacienda Santa Martina. The resort, about a half hour up the mountains from Santiago, is absolutely amazing. Its a lot like a country club where wealthy Chileans pay 5,000 dollars a season to be a member. The resort has pools, hot tubs, tennis courts, basketball courts, a gym, exercise classes, saunas, massages, etc.
I first went to the locker room, which was interesting because everyone was quite... "free" if you know what I mean. Everyone really treated this place as a sanctuary and donned their birthday suits whenever they could. I got ready to spend the day at the resort by changing into my workout gear. They had a scale at the resort and I got on and I thought it was broken because it said that I was 25 pounds lighter then when I left the United States. I told the guys from my group and they tried the scale and said it was right for them. So in other words in the last (almost) 2 months, I have lost 25 pounds. I was quite pleased, I need to keep up whatever I am doing... I guess. I spent a little bit of time in the gym and then I went to a spinning class (cycling class) with some of the other people from my group. Spinning classes are where you are on a stationary bicycle, there is music, and a trainer who tells you how fast to go, how much tension to put on your bike, and pushes you to work harder and stay on beat with the music. If you know me very well you can assume that the instructor was often telling me to work harder and I was always off beat, so he kept trying to get me on beat... which didn't turn out to well in the long run.
After spinning class, I took a shower in the locker room ---- which was amazing. They had extremely hot water (a luxury I don't have at my host family's home) and really good pressure. It was fantastic. Afterward, I got dressed and went down to the restaurant where COPA had paid for a buffet lunch for us --- that was to die for. I had a plate full of some of the best food I have eaten here in Chile. Then we got to go to the dessert bar, which also had fantastic deserts, I had a little bit of a lot of them because they all looked so good. So much for losing 25 pounds. I am lucky this is the only dessert bar they had had on my trip and probably my last. :)
The best was the tres leches cake. I really want to learn how to make it so I can share it with people at home.
After lunch, I changed into my swim trunks and went with the group to the hot tub. I spent the entire afternoon in the hot tub. It was so relaxing and wonderful. The only bad part was that a dense fog had plagued the mountain side resort all day. So we could not see any of the views. We were lucky though because later on in the afternoon the fog began to break and we could see all of the amazing mountains that surrounded us. It was beautiful and stunning. After the hot tub, I took another shower and got ready to go home. It was a wonderful day and so relaxing!
I first went to the locker room, which was interesting because everyone was quite... "free" if you know what I mean. Everyone really treated this place as a sanctuary and donned their birthday suits whenever they could. I got ready to spend the day at the resort by changing into my workout gear. They had a scale at the resort and I got on and I thought it was broken because it said that I was 25 pounds lighter then when I left the United States. I told the guys from my group and they tried the scale and said it was right for them. So in other words in the last (almost) 2 months, I have lost 25 pounds. I was quite pleased, I need to keep up whatever I am doing... I guess. I spent a little bit of time in the gym and then I went to a spinning class (cycling class) with some of the other people from my group. Spinning classes are where you are on a stationary bicycle, there is music, and a trainer who tells you how fast to go, how much tension to put on your bike, and pushes you to work harder and stay on beat with the music. If you know me very well you can assume that the instructor was often telling me to work harder and I was always off beat, so he kept trying to get me on beat... which didn't turn out to well in the long run.
After spinning class, I took a shower in the locker room ---- which was amazing. They had extremely hot water (a luxury I don't have at my host family's home) and really good pressure. It was fantastic. Afterward, I got dressed and went down to the restaurant where COPA had paid for a buffet lunch for us --- that was to die for. I had a plate full of some of the best food I have eaten here in Chile. Then we got to go to the dessert bar, which also had fantastic deserts, I had a little bit of a lot of them because they all looked so good. So much for losing 25 pounds. I am lucky this is the only dessert bar they had had on my trip and probably my last. :)
The best was the tres leches cake. I really want to learn how to make it so I can share it with people at home.
After lunch, I changed into my swim trunks and went with the group to the hot tub. I spent the entire afternoon in the hot tub. It was so relaxing and wonderful. The only bad part was that a dense fog had plagued the mountain side resort all day. So we could not see any of the views. We were lucky though because later on in the afternoon the fog began to break and we could see all of the amazing mountains that surrounded us. It was beautiful and stunning. After the hot tub, I took another shower and got ready to go home. It was a wonderful day and so relaxing!
A Discussion about Summer 2009
Since I am on the topics kick now, I am starting to put up the blog titles before I get the blogs done, so I know that I want to talk about. It is like a foretaste of the amazing blogs you can read when I am done!!! This blog is very important however, because I need advice on future plans. I have talked to my Mom and Carrie about this, but I want some more perspectives. So here it goes.
The Summer of 2009 has a lot of possibilities for me and right now I am having a difficult time deciding what to do.
1.) I have the opportunity to earn 8 Political Science Credits through the University of Minnesota's SPAN program. This program works with a qualified professor, in this case: Dr. Cris Toffolo, former director of the Justice and Peace Studies Program at UST and a Political Science Professor, now she is the director of the Justice and Peace Studies Program at a Illinois Public University. The program would include classes during the spring of 2009 to prepare by reading materials, participating in discussions, and doing preparatory homework for an 8-10 week personal, independent research project in South Africa during the summer of 2009. The course teaches you methods of research, advises you on your research and topic, and ultimately you spend 8-10 weeks in South Africa gathering data and analyzing situations for your research. Then you return and in the fall of 2009 you write a 50+ page research paper which is graded. The cost of the program is $4,000 which is just about equivalent to a 4 UST credits, so essentially I would be getting 4 credits free. The catch is I still have to pay for my airfare, food, lodging, and travel in South Africa which I would budget between 4 and 6 thousand dollars. So, in total, I would get 8 credits, a trip to South Africa, and an amazing research opportunity for about the same cost as going to St. Thomas for the same amount of credits. I could also possibly present this research at conferences around the United States with the help of UST through grants as well. I am pretty much a guarantee in for this program because I have worked with Dr. Toffolo in the past and it would undoubtedly work out.
2.) There is a program on campus for students interested in research. The program pays students $4000 over the summer to spend 40 hours a week researching and working with a professor of their choice on campus. If I kept my schedule at work, I could essentially work during the summer at the City of Prior Lake, earning more money, and also have an amazing research experience on campus. Through this program, I would present my research on campus and I could possibly present my research at other conferences around the region and the US. The catch for this one is I don't receive credit, most likely hampering my ability to graduate a semester early in December of 2009, which means I would need to stay at UST until spring of 2010. In the end I would be ahead financially and also I would have an amazing research opportunity. I would also be able to spend more time with my family compared to this summer. Another catch to this program is that I would need to be selected to get the $4000 grant and to perform research over the summer. I am not sure what my chances are at this, I like to believe I have a good chance, but it is much less certain compared to the SPAN program.
Both opportunities have negatives and positives. I am stuck between a rock and a hard place to choose. Any advice you can give me would be excellent. I don't have to make a choice right away, but I want to spend some time thinking about my options!
Thanks for you input in advance. If you haven't commented on my blogs in the past it is really easy to do!
1.) Click on the comment link at the bottom of this blog.
2.) Write your comment on the right hand side of the next screen.
3.) Choose the "Name/URL" button and type in your name.
4.) Sometimes you have to type what a picture says to ensure original comments.
5.) Finally hit Publish Your Comment.
6.) YOUR DONE! YOU SENT A COMMENT ON MY BLOG! CONGRATULATIONS!
*** This is a disclaimer for those who maybe are not so sure about the internet. Everything currently on the internet is being cataloged by GOOGLE. So everything that you write or put on the internet is being catalog and could be brought back to life in the future. Remember that what you write on a blog is not confidential (if you want to leave something like this you can choose Anonymous instead of the "Name/URL" button in step 3. This is important, for example, if I were to run for office in the future, someone in 50 years could pull up this blog and say I said something that was inappropriate or whatever... just be careful, because I would be terribly sorry if my blog hurt someone in the future! ***
The Summer of 2009 has a lot of possibilities for me and right now I am having a difficult time deciding what to do.
1.) I have the opportunity to earn 8 Political Science Credits through the University of Minnesota's SPAN program. This program works with a qualified professor, in this case: Dr. Cris Toffolo, former director of the Justice and Peace Studies Program at UST and a Political Science Professor, now she is the director of the Justice and Peace Studies Program at a Illinois Public University. The program would include classes during the spring of 2009 to prepare by reading materials, participating in discussions, and doing preparatory homework for an 8-10 week personal, independent research project in South Africa during the summer of 2009. The course teaches you methods of research, advises you on your research and topic, and ultimately you spend 8-10 weeks in South Africa gathering data and analyzing situations for your research. Then you return and in the fall of 2009 you write a 50+ page research paper which is graded. The cost of the program is $4,000 which is just about equivalent to a 4 UST credits, so essentially I would be getting 4 credits free. The catch is I still have to pay for my airfare, food, lodging, and travel in South Africa which I would budget between 4 and 6 thousand dollars. So, in total, I would get 8 credits, a trip to South Africa, and an amazing research opportunity for about the same cost as going to St. Thomas for the same amount of credits. I could also possibly present this research at conferences around the United States with the help of UST through grants as well. I am pretty much a guarantee in for this program because I have worked with Dr. Toffolo in the past and it would undoubtedly work out.
2.) There is a program on campus for students interested in research. The program pays students $4000 over the summer to spend 40 hours a week researching and working with a professor of their choice on campus. If I kept my schedule at work, I could essentially work during the summer at the City of Prior Lake, earning more money, and also have an amazing research experience on campus. Through this program, I would present my research on campus and I could possibly present my research at other conferences around the region and the US. The catch for this one is I don't receive credit, most likely hampering my ability to graduate a semester early in December of 2009, which means I would need to stay at UST until spring of 2010. In the end I would be ahead financially and also I would have an amazing research opportunity. I would also be able to spend more time with my family compared to this summer. Another catch to this program is that I would need to be selected to get the $4000 grant and to perform research over the summer. I am not sure what my chances are at this, I like to believe I have a good chance, but it is much less certain compared to the SPAN program.
Both opportunities have negatives and positives. I am stuck between a rock and a hard place to choose. Any advice you can give me would be excellent. I don't have to make a choice right away, but I want to spend some time thinking about my options!
Thanks for you input in advance. If you haven't commented on my blogs in the past it is really easy to do!
1.) Click on the comment link at the bottom of this blog.
2.) Write your comment on the right hand side of the next screen.
3.) Choose the "Name/URL" button and type in your name.
4.) Sometimes you have to type what a picture says to ensure original comments.
5.) Finally hit Publish Your Comment.
6.) YOUR DONE! YOU SENT A COMMENT ON MY BLOG! CONGRATULATIONS!
*** This is a disclaimer for those who maybe are not so sure about the internet. Everything currently on the internet is being cataloged by GOOGLE. So everything that you write or put on the internet is being catalog and could be brought back to life in the future. Remember that what you write on a blog is not confidential (if you want to leave something like this you can choose Anonymous instead of the "Name/URL" button in step 3. This is important, for example, if I were to run for office in the future, someone in 50 years could pull up this blog and say I said something that was inappropriate or whatever... just be careful, because I would be terribly sorry if my blog hurt someone in the future! ***
Ballet and Opera Plans
I am so excited because I have been researching different things to do around Santiago and I came upon the metropolitan theater is going to be doing some amazing shows while I am here in Santiago. The ballet is doing Sleeping Beauty, by Tchaikovsky --- one of my favorites, the opera is doing Marriage of Figaro, by Mozart. I am so excited and I am going to go with some of the students from COPA. These tickets are a little more expensive for here, but comparatively to the US they are very cheap... around $18-24 bucks for decent seats.
There are also a lot of other arts events around the city. I am going to probably go to a lot of these because you can get seats for around 4 bucks, which in comparison to the Minnesota Orchestra is very, very cheap. It should be pretty amazing and I am going to keep you updated as I go to them on how they were.
I first went to a ballet with Carrie in the twin cities when we saw the Nutcracker, two Christmases ago. I also went to Sleeping Beauty with Sarah, my friend from college, in Vilinus, Lithuania. It was probably the best arts event I have ever attended and was excellent. I hope that the ballet here in Santiago is as good, but I don't know if you can ever beat those Russian and Eastern European dancers, they are so good!
There are also a lot of other arts events around the city. I am going to probably go to a lot of these because you can get seats for around 4 bucks, which in comparison to the Minnesota Orchestra is very, very cheap. It should be pretty amazing and I am going to keep you updated as I go to them on how they were.
I first went to a ballet with Carrie in the twin cities when we saw the Nutcracker, two Christmases ago. I also went to Sleeping Beauty with Sarah, my friend from college, in Vilinus, Lithuania. It was probably the best arts event I have ever attended and was excellent. I hope that the ballet here in Santiago is as good, but I don't know if you can ever beat those Russian and Eastern European dancers, they are so good!
Logic Games and LSAT Prep
Well, I brought my LSAT prep book and Logic Games book to Chile with me in the hopes that in some free moments I would start studying. As you can probably guess, I am having trouble finding the time to do that between studying for my other classes, traveling, and going out with friends, but I have found some time.
I am enjoying the logic games, but I am pretty scared in general for this test. I can do everything in this book very well, the only problem is time. I hope that I can study for this test enough so that by the time I take it, I have become so fast with the logic games --- etc. that I just can wiz through them... but I don't know if that will happen.
I have also decided to take the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) which if I decide to drop the law school thing (not planning on doing that now mom), but if I do, I can use my GRE score for the Graduate School applications.
Actually the logic games are kind of fun and I wish that I would have played them when I was younger... something I plan on telling my kids to do when they are growing up. Its a lot about organizing information and short term memory.
Here is an example... (this is a great time for you to take an extra break at work and see if you can get the problem done in the 9 minutes allowed per set of questions.
An amusement park roller coaster includes five cars, numbered 1 through 5 from front to back. Each car accommodates up to two riders, seated side by side. Six people—Tom, Gwen, Laurie, Mark, Paul and Jack—are riding the coaster at the same time.
* Laurie is sharing a car.
* Mark is not sharing a car and is seated immediately behind an empty car.
* Tom is not sharing a car with either Gwen or Paul.
* Gwen is riding in either the third or fourth car.
Which of the following groups of riders could occupy the second car?
(A) Laurie only
(B) Tom and Gwen
(C) Laurie and Mark
(D) Jack and Tom
(E) Jack, Gwen, and Paul
If Gwen is riding immediately behind Laurie's car and immediately ahead of Tom's car, all of the following must be true EXCEPT:
(A) Gwen is riding in the fourth car.
(B) Paul is riding in the third car.
(C) Tom is riding in the fifth car.
(D) Laurie is riding in the third car.
(E) The first car is empty.
Which one of the following statements CANNOT be true?
(A) Neither Tom nor Gwen is sharing a car with another rider
(B) Neither Mark nor Jack is sharing a car with another rider.
(C) Tom is sharing a car, and Jack is sharing a car.
(D) Gwen is sharing a car, and Paul is sharing a car.
(E) Tom is sharing a car, and Gwen is sharing a car.
If Paul is riding in the second car, how many different combinations of riders are possible for the third car?
(A) one
(B) two
(C) three
(D) four
(E) five
Assume that a seventh rider is riding with Jack in the first car, but that all other rules remain unchanged. Which of the following is a complete and accurate list of the riders who might be riding in the fifth car?
(A) Mark
(B) Gwen, Paul
(C) Tom, Laurie, Paul
(D) Tom, Laurie, Mark
(E) Tom, Paul, Laurie, Mark
I am enjoying the logic games, but I am pretty scared in general for this test. I can do everything in this book very well, the only problem is time. I hope that I can study for this test enough so that by the time I take it, I have become so fast with the logic games --- etc. that I just can wiz through them... but I don't know if that will happen.
I have also decided to take the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) which if I decide to drop the law school thing (not planning on doing that now mom), but if I do, I can use my GRE score for the Graduate School applications.
Actually the logic games are kind of fun and I wish that I would have played them when I was younger... something I plan on telling my kids to do when they are growing up. Its a lot about organizing information and short term memory.
Here is an example... (this is a great time for you to take an extra break at work and see if you can get the problem done in the 9 minutes allowed per set of questions.
An amusement park roller coaster includes five cars, numbered 1 through 5 from front to back. Each car accommodates up to two riders, seated side by side. Six people—Tom, Gwen, Laurie, Mark, Paul and Jack—are riding the coaster at the same time.
* Laurie is sharing a car.
* Mark is not sharing a car and is seated immediately behind an empty car.
* Tom is not sharing a car with either Gwen or Paul.
* Gwen is riding in either the third or fourth car.
Which of the following groups of riders could occupy the second car?
(A) Laurie only
(B) Tom and Gwen
(C) Laurie and Mark
(D) Jack and Tom
(E) Jack, Gwen, and Paul
If Gwen is riding immediately behind Laurie's car and immediately ahead of Tom's car, all of the following must be true EXCEPT:
(A) Gwen is riding in the fourth car.
(B) Paul is riding in the third car.
(C) Tom is riding in the fifth car.
(D) Laurie is riding in the third car.
(E) The first car is empty.
Which one of the following statements CANNOT be true?
(A) Neither Tom nor Gwen is sharing a car with another rider
(B) Neither Mark nor Jack is sharing a car with another rider.
(C) Tom is sharing a car, and Jack is sharing a car.
(D) Gwen is sharing a car, and Paul is sharing a car.
(E) Tom is sharing a car, and Gwen is sharing a car.
If Paul is riding in the second car, how many different combinations of riders are possible for the third car?
(A) one
(B) two
(C) three
(D) four
(E) five
Assume that a seventh rider is riding with Jack in the first car, but that all other rules remain unchanged. Which of the following is a complete and accurate list of the riders who might be riding in the fifth car?
(A) Mark
(B) Gwen, Paul
(C) Tom, Laurie, Paul
(D) Tom, Laurie, Mark
(E) Tom, Paul, Laurie, Mark
Vice Presidents
Sen. Joeseph Biden...
I tend to like Sen. Biden a lot, however, I like him much more in the arena of the United States Senate then in the Naval Observatory where the Vice President resides. I like Sen. Biden because he is blunt, tells it as it is, and knows his stuff on almost everything --- especially foreign affairs, where I tend to agree with him the most. At the same time the reason he wouldn't make the best vice president is because he is blunt, tells it as it is, and could overshadow Sen. Obama in the White House Situation Room --- which is supposedly what Sen. Obama wants. Sen. Obama has often said he wants to be challenged when it comes to the tough issues, especially in times of crisis.
Overall, Sen. Biden will help the Obama ticket because he will be able to take the brunt of the foreign policy criticism Sen. Obama has been challenged with in recent weeks. At the same time, he can't take it all. Adding someone like Sen. Biden, who could be a heart beat from being president, to the ticket, doesn't make him the one who has to make the tough and quick decisions, and thus doesn't solve the problem of Obama's inexperience totally. Yes, it helps, but it doesn't make it a slam dunk.
I think that Sen. Biden's life story is one that is extremely compelling. Sen. Biden grew up with humble roots and when he first got elected to the Senate his wife and daughter died in a car accident, his two sons were spared but had to recover for quite some time. Sen. Biden told his sons that he wouldn't leave them and thus he commuted on a train from Delaware to DC every day so he could be with his family. What commitment and honor... look it up on a map, the commute from Delaware to DC is not easy. Sen. Biden is a man with extraordinary character, from what I have read about him, and to be totally honest I am overall glad he was chosen to be placed on the ticket.
On the other hand, I need to criticize Sen. Biden a little more and also criticize Sen. McCain. In the case of Sen. Biden: You can't claim to be Sen. McCain's friend and then go on the attack. You can't claim that Sen. McCain would be a great president and say he has become a right-wing crazy. Sen. McCain, like Sen. Obama and Sen. Biden are all gifted and extraordinary people, people I am proud to call my fellow Americans and people who will do great things if elected to the oval office.
In the case of Sen. McCain you can't expect to make fun of Sen. Obama's popularity in, to be totally honest, ABSOLUTELY pathetic campaign ads calling him the One, and expect people to think you are a honestly nice guy who wants change as much as Sen. Obama. Baloney! Also, figure out how many houses you have and own up to it. The Obama camp rode McCain's behind all week for 'forgetting' how many houses he had... when it was obvious that he didn't know how to put the political spin on the question and answer it. It happens to candidates all the time and it is making me believe that McCain is not running this campaign like he wants to or the way that would be best for him. Its the problem Vice President Gore had and Sen. Kerry had. They didn't run a campaign that reflected themselves. McCain shouldn't have to think, if I say seven then I will get in trouble, so what do I say... oh I will get back to you on that. He didn't forget he didn't know the formulated answer to say and thus did what he could to get out of the situation. To follow that up, I am quite upset with the way McCain has run his campaign because I don't think it is reflective of his character, personality, and best attributes. He is being dictated to by the RNC and the RNC is going to kill their candidate unless they back away and let McCain be McCain and not pander to the right wing of the right wing party.
Although this election seems to be about change (all over), the typical campaigning that is being waged by the candidates is anything but the change I can believe in. It is making me quite upset every time I hear the stupid "change we can believe in" again and again when everything I see is the same. Change starts from day one, it starts from the campaign, it starts with the way you live your everyday life, it starts with your tv ads, it starts with the way you address the other person, its not a slogan that you paste on a bumper stickers.
09/06/08
Well... maybe you have been checking this post for an update on the Sarah Palin VP pick, and the truth is, I have been trying to formulate my opinion on this quite surprising choice. So here it goes for the people who want to know.
I think that Gov. Palin was a obviously surprising choice and I think it will be a big flop or it will be a great choice, and I am leaning towards the great choice side of the debate. She seems to be an intelligent, focused, charismatic, and eloquent individual. I am happy that we have a woman in the race, not for the sole sake of having a woman on a ticket, but because it serves as a sign that our country really is progressing. I was quite impressed with Gov. Palin's ability to give a well presented speech at the convention last week.
I am a little worried that Gov. Palin is a little inexperienced being from a state with a small population and literally geographically isolated from the rest of the American public. Considering I feel like one of our top priorities needs to be to restabilish our world reputation, picking someone who has zero foriegn policy experience is troubling to me as well.
I must say something to the issue of her Daughter Bristol. I think that it is admirable and responsible of Bristol choosing to have her child. I actually have been thinking and praying for Bristol and her boyfriend because that has to be a really tough position to be in, and no one deserves their personal mistakes on the front of national newspapers. I also can't imagine the pressure that they both feel now when making decisions for themselves and their decision's impacts on the campaign, etc. At the same time, I almost think that Gov. Palin and Sen. McCain are using this as a perfect opportunity to bring social conservative issues to the forefront in a hope to get them excited about the ticket and make them vote in November because there had been worry that they would stay home. I think that if this happens to be the case, which I am not 100% sure about, leaning towards the no side actually, then I will have lost a lot of respect for the Maverick and his choice for VP.
On the other hand if we return to issues, I think that Bristol's case shows very clearly that abstinence only education is not a very responsible way of looking at youth sexual education. I hope that we stay away from issues like this however and focus on issues of the economy, foreign policy, health care, and ethics reform for this election --- as I see them as much more important topics.
I do think that Gov. Palin and her entire family are very beautiful and it will be interesting to see how much she impacts the election in the next --- less then 60 days before the election. I am very much looking forward to how well she holds up to Sen. Biden in the VP debate, because everyone knows that he is a skilled politician with great debating skills.
It will be fun.
I tend to like Sen. Biden a lot, however, I like him much more in the arena of the United States Senate then in the Naval Observatory where the Vice President resides. I like Sen. Biden because he is blunt, tells it as it is, and knows his stuff on almost everything --- especially foreign affairs, where I tend to agree with him the most. At the same time the reason he wouldn't make the best vice president is because he is blunt, tells it as it is, and could overshadow Sen. Obama in the White House Situation Room --- which is supposedly what Sen. Obama wants. Sen. Obama has often said he wants to be challenged when it comes to the tough issues, especially in times of crisis.
Overall, Sen. Biden will help the Obama ticket because he will be able to take the brunt of the foreign policy criticism Sen. Obama has been challenged with in recent weeks. At the same time, he can't take it all. Adding someone like Sen. Biden, who could be a heart beat from being president, to the ticket, doesn't make him the one who has to make the tough and quick decisions, and thus doesn't solve the problem of Obama's inexperience totally. Yes, it helps, but it doesn't make it a slam dunk.
I think that Sen. Biden's life story is one that is extremely compelling. Sen. Biden grew up with humble roots and when he first got elected to the Senate his wife and daughter died in a car accident, his two sons were spared but had to recover for quite some time. Sen. Biden told his sons that he wouldn't leave them and thus he commuted on a train from Delaware to DC every day so he could be with his family. What commitment and honor... look it up on a map, the commute from Delaware to DC is not easy. Sen. Biden is a man with extraordinary character, from what I have read about him, and to be totally honest I am overall glad he was chosen to be placed on the ticket.
On the other hand, I need to criticize Sen. Biden a little more and also criticize Sen. McCain. In the case of Sen. Biden: You can't claim to be Sen. McCain's friend and then go on the attack. You can't claim that Sen. McCain would be a great president and say he has become a right-wing crazy. Sen. McCain, like Sen. Obama and Sen. Biden are all gifted and extraordinary people, people I am proud to call my fellow Americans and people who will do great things if elected to the oval office.
In the case of Sen. McCain you can't expect to make fun of Sen. Obama's popularity in, to be totally honest, ABSOLUTELY pathetic campaign ads calling him the One, and expect people to think you are a honestly nice guy who wants change as much as Sen. Obama. Baloney! Also, figure out how many houses you have and own up to it. The Obama camp rode McCain's behind all week for 'forgetting' how many houses he had... when it was obvious that he didn't know how to put the political spin on the question and answer it. It happens to candidates all the time and it is making me believe that McCain is not running this campaign like he wants to or the way that would be best for him. Its the problem Vice President Gore had and Sen. Kerry had. They didn't run a campaign that reflected themselves. McCain shouldn't have to think, if I say seven then I will get in trouble, so what do I say... oh I will get back to you on that. He didn't forget he didn't know the formulated answer to say and thus did what he could to get out of the situation. To follow that up, I am quite upset with the way McCain has run his campaign because I don't think it is reflective of his character, personality, and best attributes. He is being dictated to by the RNC and the RNC is going to kill their candidate unless they back away and let McCain be McCain and not pander to the right wing of the right wing party.
Although this election seems to be about change (all over), the typical campaigning that is being waged by the candidates is anything but the change I can believe in. It is making me quite upset every time I hear the stupid "change we can believe in" again and again when everything I see is the same. Change starts from day one, it starts from the campaign, it starts with the way you live your everyday life, it starts with your tv ads, it starts with the way you address the other person, its not a slogan that you paste on a bumper stickers.
09/06/08
Well... maybe you have been checking this post for an update on the Sarah Palin VP pick, and the truth is, I have been trying to formulate my opinion on this quite surprising choice. So here it goes for the people who want to know.
I think that Gov. Palin was a obviously surprising choice and I think it will be a big flop or it will be a great choice, and I am leaning towards the great choice side of the debate. She seems to be an intelligent, focused, charismatic, and eloquent individual. I am happy that we have a woman in the race, not for the sole sake of having a woman on a ticket, but because it serves as a sign that our country really is progressing. I was quite impressed with Gov. Palin's ability to give a well presented speech at the convention last week.
I am a little worried that Gov. Palin is a little inexperienced being from a state with a small population and literally geographically isolated from the rest of the American public. Considering I feel like one of our top priorities needs to be to restabilish our world reputation, picking someone who has zero foriegn policy experience is troubling to me as well.
I must say something to the issue of her Daughter Bristol. I think that it is admirable and responsible of Bristol choosing to have her child. I actually have been thinking and praying for Bristol and her boyfriend because that has to be a really tough position to be in, and no one deserves their personal mistakes on the front of national newspapers. I also can't imagine the pressure that they both feel now when making decisions for themselves and their decision's impacts on the campaign, etc. At the same time, I almost think that Gov. Palin and Sen. McCain are using this as a perfect opportunity to bring social conservative issues to the forefront in a hope to get them excited about the ticket and make them vote in November because there had been worry that they would stay home. I think that if this happens to be the case, which I am not 100% sure about, leaning towards the no side actually, then I will have lost a lot of respect for the Maverick and his choice for VP.
On the other hand if we return to issues, I think that Bristol's case shows very clearly that abstinence only education is not a very responsible way of looking at youth sexual education. I hope that we stay away from issues like this however and focus on issues of the economy, foreign policy, health care, and ethics reform for this election --- as I see them as much more important topics.
I do think that Gov. Palin and her entire family are very beautiful and it will be interesting to see how much she impacts the election in the next --- less then 60 days before the election. I am very much looking forward to how well she holds up to Sen. Biden in the VP debate, because everyone knows that he is a skilled politician with great debating skills.
It will be fun.
Care Package!
Last week I got the best surprise in the entire world! A carepackage from my parents! It was absolutely wonderful. It had cookies, two pairs of jeans, a pair of sweatpants, mike and ikes, twizlers, and scotcheroos or special k bars as others like to call them. It was a great day booster! The best part was everything smelled like my house... which you may not know, but is amazing when you have been away from home for a long time.
I shared the mike and ikes with my COPA friends in the COPA office. They were addicting and we had them gone by the end of the day! We all decided that the red mike and ikes were the best... go ahead and debate me on that, I know I will win! :)
The special k bars were a hit at home with the family, but I kept most of them for myself because I love them so much! Jaimito, the 8 year host brother, loved the cookies and every day he would ask me for una gailleta (cookie) until they were both gone. Everyone also tried the twizlers, which they had never had before (they being my host family). They enjoyed them and again, Jaimito wanted another.
The jeans have been a huge saver. I brought quite a few pairs of shorts, but I didn't expect it would be so cold, so now that I have 4 pairs of jeans, I feel much more clean, since I can switch them out more often. :) The sweatpants also help a lot especially during the cold nights! burrr.... My mom made the joke recently that "what did I expect I was going to Chilly....!" What a clown. It is pretty true though, it is very cold.
The address to send care packages is on the right hand bar at the bottom, if you scroll down you will see it. My parents sent a rather large package which cost 60 dollars, which was worth it considering the jeans were in inside. However, if you want to write a letter, that would be much appreciated and wouldn't hurt your pocket book to much. If you are intent on sending a package, I highly suggest a bubble mailer with small things in it because a full bubble mailer will cost about 10 bucks... according to my COPA friends. Otherwise, keep reading the blogs, comments are always appreciated, or you can e-mail me at matthewjeldred@yahoo.com. I try to respond back as quickly as possible because I love hearing from people!
Today, Saturday the 23 is the 1st Month Anniversary of being part of the COPA program here in Santiago. On the 5th of September, it will be the 2 Month Anniversary of being in South America... time has already flown by! It is a little sad though to see facebook statuses saying that people are returning to St. Thomas. I love being here, but there is something about St. Paul and St. Thomas that just makes me so happy... especially in the fall. Enjoy it for me if you are returning there... I am quite jealous, just like I will enjoy the 80 degree weather in November and December while the blizzards are going on up there! :) BTW, I bought a new pair of sunglasses today that were 4 bucks and they are white. I think they look pretty cool. When I get a picture of me with them on, I will add it to flickr!
If you haven't checked out the pictures yet, check out the flickr blog from August and it will give you the link to the pictures. They really are fun to look at. You can also comment on the pictures on that site if you wish!
I shared the mike and ikes with my COPA friends in the COPA office. They were addicting and we had them gone by the end of the day! We all decided that the red mike and ikes were the best... go ahead and debate me on that, I know I will win! :)
The special k bars were a hit at home with the family, but I kept most of them for myself because I love them so much! Jaimito, the 8 year host brother, loved the cookies and every day he would ask me for una gailleta (cookie) until they were both gone. Everyone also tried the twizlers, which they had never had before (they being my host family). They enjoyed them and again, Jaimito wanted another.
The jeans have been a huge saver. I brought quite a few pairs of shorts, but I didn't expect it would be so cold, so now that I have 4 pairs of jeans, I feel much more clean, since I can switch them out more often. :) The sweatpants also help a lot especially during the cold nights! burrr.... My mom made the joke recently that "what did I expect I was going to Chilly....!" What a clown. It is pretty true though, it is very cold.
The address to send care packages is on the right hand bar at the bottom, if you scroll down you will see it. My parents sent a rather large package which cost 60 dollars, which was worth it considering the jeans were in inside. However, if you want to write a letter, that would be much appreciated and wouldn't hurt your pocket book to much. If you are intent on sending a package, I highly suggest a bubble mailer with small things in it because a full bubble mailer will cost about 10 bucks... according to my COPA friends. Otherwise, keep reading the blogs, comments are always appreciated, or you can e-mail me at matthewjeldred@yahoo.com. I try to respond back as quickly as possible because I love hearing from people!
Today, Saturday the 23 is the 1st Month Anniversary of being part of the COPA program here in Santiago. On the 5th of September, it will be the 2 Month Anniversary of being in South America... time has already flown by! It is a little sad though to see facebook statuses saying that people are returning to St. Thomas. I love being here, but there is something about St. Paul and St. Thomas that just makes me so happy... especially in the fall. Enjoy it for me if you are returning there... I am quite jealous, just like I will enjoy the 80 degree weather in November and December while the blizzards are going on up there! :) BTW, I bought a new pair of sunglasses today that were 4 bucks and they are white. I think they look pretty cool. When I get a picture of me with them on, I will add it to flickr!
If you haven't checked out the pictures yet, check out the flickr blog from August and it will give you the link to the pictures. They really are fun to look at. You can also comment on the pictures on that site if you wish!
The Best Empanadas in Santiago
Well, my friend Sam, who surpringly goes to Carelton College in Northfield only about 20 minutes from my home in New Prague, struck a gold mine one day and found the best empanadas in Santiago.
Empanadas are a very typical food of South America--- especially Chile and Argentina. There are many, many, many types of empanadas and sadly they aren't the best if you are on a diet, but they are absolutely irresistible. They are a pocket of dough that is filled with any number of things including cheese, ham, chicken, beef, fish, mixtures of vegetables, etc. My favorite empanadas are ham and cheese or cheese --- which is on the boring side, but they are ones that I know I like, so that is what I go for.
This little hole in the wall store sells drinks, empanadas, deserts (especially an amazing sugar cookie that I have to get when I go there) and other stuff. It is on a plaza by the La Moneda (the presidential palace). It has a little awning that looks like an Italian flag, but don't let that confuse you, all of the food they serve is authentic South American. Um... Humm. Very good.
When mom comes in December we will definitely frequent that stand at least once and if anyone ever gets the chance to come to Chile and stops in at Santiago, make it a part of your visit to the La Moneda. I promise you won't regret it!
Empanadas are a very typical food of South America--- especially Chile and Argentina. There are many, many, many types of empanadas and sadly they aren't the best if you are on a diet, but they are absolutely irresistible. They are a pocket of dough that is filled with any number of things including cheese, ham, chicken, beef, fish, mixtures of vegetables, etc. My favorite empanadas are ham and cheese or cheese --- which is on the boring side, but they are ones that I know I like, so that is what I go for.
This little hole in the wall store sells drinks, empanadas, deserts (especially an amazing sugar cookie that I have to get when I go there) and other stuff. It is on a plaza by the La Moneda (the presidential palace). It has a little awning that looks like an Italian flag, but don't let that confuse you, all of the food they serve is authentic South American. Um... Humm. Very good.
When mom comes in December we will definitely frequent that stand at least once and if anyone ever gets the chance to come to Chile and stops in at Santiago, make it a part of your visit to the La Moneda. I promise you won't regret it!
The Olympics --- A Foriegn Perspective
I learned during the Olympics that no matter how much I love NBC's reporting on politics they are dumb and stupid.
All of this anger comes from the fact that NBC does not allow people outside the USA to access their live or recorded video of the Olympics, which is really stupid. Here in Chile, when they only have a handful of people going to the Olympics they have no need or desire to show the Olympics to their population, only the sports in which they are participating or important international events like Michael Phelps' 7th win.
So, when the Olympics started, I assumed that Chile broadcasting like USA broadcasting would play the opening ceremonies in the eventing. WRONG. They only play it live, which means that it played at 8am EST and never again. Reportedly they did play it at some ungodly hour like 2am or something... but still. I missed the most amazing opening ceremonies in history because I was still sleeping.
I never saw my favorite sports like swimming, diving, rhythmic gymnastics, or water polo... and I felt like a failure.
It is weird, I was talking to my host family about the Olympics and they said that you have to first qualify for the Olympics before you can go, which is why Chile only had a few athletes attend. They said it goes by region, that many south American countries have to duke it out before they can even go to the Olympics. I guess we have Olympic trials, but we have so many people that represent our country at the Olympics that I assumed that everyone had as quite a few athletes as well. I believe Chile had around 25 athletes at the games. I also don't think they won a medal.
The Olympics are definitely a bigger deal in the United States. I still maintain that we beat China in the total medal count and I think that it is pathetic that they put their money on sports that will get them more medals for the sole purpose of winning the gold count. I think that total medals won is much more important because it says, we help all of our athletes become better individuals and we recognize everyone's strengths and weaknesses. If China really is that worried about medal counts then maybe they are 'making up for something' as in making up for the millions of people that are in absolute poverty, making up for their horrible environmental standards, making up for their horrible human rights record, making up for their mistreatment of workers... and the list goes on. If my country loses the gold medal count, but wins the overall medal count because we focus on everyone... I respect and believe that my country is better. It really doesn't matter anyways because a medal count does not mean that you have become a developed country... its the statistics that make that true or false and looking at the statistics China is a ways off.
All of this anger comes from the fact that NBC does not allow people outside the USA to access their live or recorded video of the Olympics, which is really stupid. Here in Chile, when they only have a handful of people going to the Olympics they have no need or desire to show the Olympics to their population, only the sports in which they are participating or important international events like Michael Phelps' 7th win.
So, when the Olympics started, I assumed that Chile broadcasting like USA broadcasting would play the opening ceremonies in the eventing. WRONG. They only play it live, which means that it played at 8am EST and never again. Reportedly they did play it at some ungodly hour like 2am or something... but still. I missed the most amazing opening ceremonies in history because I was still sleeping.
I never saw my favorite sports like swimming, diving, rhythmic gymnastics, or water polo... and I felt like a failure.
It is weird, I was talking to my host family about the Olympics and they said that you have to first qualify for the Olympics before you can go, which is why Chile only had a few athletes attend. They said it goes by region, that many south American countries have to duke it out before they can even go to the Olympics. I guess we have Olympic trials, but we have so many people that represent our country at the Olympics that I assumed that everyone had as quite a few athletes as well. I believe Chile had around 25 athletes at the games. I also don't think they won a medal.
The Olympics are definitely a bigger deal in the United States. I still maintain that we beat China in the total medal count and I think that it is pathetic that they put their money on sports that will get them more medals for the sole purpose of winning the gold count. I think that total medals won is much more important because it says, we help all of our athletes become better individuals and we recognize everyone's strengths and weaknesses. If China really is that worried about medal counts then maybe they are 'making up for something' as in making up for the millions of people that are in absolute poverty, making up for their horrible environmental standards, making up for their horrible human rights record, making up for their mistreatment of workers... and the list goes on. If my country loses the gold medal count, but wins the overall medal count because we focus on everyone... I respect and believe that my country is better. It really doesn't matter anyways because a medal count does not mean that you have become a developed country... its the statistics that make that true or false and looking at the statistics China is a ways off.
Tansantiago --- El Problema
So, if you didn't already know from just knowing me in general or from reading my blogs... for some reason I tend to view the world as half empty. Which I personally hate about myself. I wish that I could enjoy things to their fullest all the time and I really do try to work on this everyday... but for anyone who is the same as me, you know its not easy to change. I think it actually is something that is handed down from one side in particular of my family and is probably a mixture of good and bad, but mostly bad. This particular side of my family tends to be pretty critical of everything... which contributes to our hard work ethic and desire to change things, but also leaves us a group of glass half empty people. But this is just a side note, introduction to the real blog of the problem of the mass transit system in Santiago.
This blog, you may first think is just a rant by me of how bad the system is, but its really not just me. If you talk to ANY person who lives in Santiago they will bitch, moan, complain, throw a hissy fit, etc... about this topic for at least 15 minutes. So I am going to use this blog to explain to you why the system is so bad.
Every Monday morning, I have class at 8:30 at the Catolica Campus across town. I get up at 7am, rush through the shower, shaving, teeth, grab breakfast on my way out, and get to the bus stop around 7:40. I wait, and I wait, and sometimes when I am lucky, the bus comes in 5 minutes... but most of the time I wait until almost 8am. You are probably asking, well if the bus comes at 8am, then why don't you just come at 8am? The answer is you never know when the bus is going to come and if you miss the 7:50 bus you may not get the next bus until 8:10 OR LATER ensuring your tardiness to Chilean Geography.
When the bus finally does come, it is PACKED with people, maybe 3 people can scoot in on the bus and stand in the doorway, just allowing the bus doors to shut. You may say, well the bus is just very busy... the problem is many times the back of the bus is empty and people don't move to the back of the bus to make room for the new people getting on, or when people get off the back of the bus, they don't fill in those spots making room for more people.
Another problem with the bus system, is that many times the one bus will come and be packed, people will push and shove to get on, the whole while three empty buses have stopped behind the full bus and no people go to the empty buses where there is more room to sit. I have at times seen one full shorter bus, and three longer buses that are half full to empty in a row and where do the Chileans go, the full bus where they can have some strange man with a guitar feel them up. Its pure insanity. Both of these problems however, seem to be more about the people who get on the bus then the bus system itself... right? WRONG.
Why are there two empty buses following a full bus in the first place. Wouldn't it be smarter to have buses come every 5 minutes instead of a parade of buses (sometimes 3-4 in a pack) at once every 20-25 minutes. It seems more logical to me. If there are more than 2 buses in a pack, then that 2nd bus should wait at the bus stop for a few minutes while the bus in front of it goes ahead. It makes sense to me. The Twin Cities bus system allows people to know that the bus comes at specific times and I don't know how they do it, but the bus usually at the stop between 2 minutes before or 2 minutes after when it should be there... of course this is different during weather, but come on, Santiago only gets rain and that is rare. When I return home from school in the evenings I wait at a bus stop where they have the pay box things outside of the waiting area. You are corralled like cows into lines where you then pay for this mockery and wait in a holding cell until an empty bus comes and you fill it up from every door you possibly can get through. I believe that if the windows were big enough people would throw their small children through so they could reserve a seat for them. So, the bus is now PACKED with people and I think the guy standing next to me is either feeling me up or he just... I don't know, but I move away and bump into some old women who looks like she wants to kill me. All the while there is a man who is taking up three people's spaces with his guitar and singing some Chilean Ballad and then begs for money from the millions of passengers on board. How does he get the money you ask? He, and his guitar, push through the crowd sticking his dirty hand in front of your face until you give him 100 pesos or more. Don't worry there will be more stories about these people later.
After I had experienced this a couple of times and witnessed the 'parading' of buses around town I thought to myself: gee, if I wait in the corral a little longer, do you think another empty bus will come and I can have almost an entire bus to myself. BINGO! Every time, as soon as the packed bus leaves a bigger one comes around the corner and me and my friends (natives who have also figured this out) jump on and can literally put our feet up on the four seats we have to ourselves. CRAZINESS!
A couple other stories, guitarists are not the only people who perform a service on the bus and beg for money. No, in fact, one day I had a guitarist, a singer, and a clown get on the bus at different intervals. I only pay the musicians if I think that they are good. Clowns, people selling toothbrushes, and people selling chocolate bars don't get anything. Three pretty good stories from the buses include the Clown, the toothbrush salesman, and the really bad singer. The clown, came on the bus and was crazy. He ran up to a little girl and started speaking in Spanish and literally scared her so badly that she jumped into her mothers arms and started crying... all the while, I was laughing pretty hard in the back of the bus and everyone on the bus realized that the clown should not be paid for his bad services. The tooth brush guy came on the bus in a suit with a really weird tie, that really wasn't a tie, it was a scarf that was tied some how like a tie. He had a voice like Bob Barker and he talked about how this toothbrush was special, it was from the United States, so it must be special, it has special brush technology that massages your teeth and gums, it also has a brush on the other end for your tongue because according to this guy, the tongue has the most bacteria on it. After his explanation, I started laughing because the guy sitting next to me was making faces that went along to this guys jibberish. He and I laughed pretty hard making it obvious that we thought he was nuts, and then the guy sitting next to us, bought two of them. Not such a bad day for the toothbrush salesman. The really bad singer, was quite simply horrible. She cantered a ballad that literally made me want to change buses. A Chilean woman I was sitting by looked at me and said, laughing under her breath that she would pay this woman to stop singing and get off the bus. She said she never took public transit because she had heard so many bad stories and that after today she would never use it again.
We can also talk about how the design of the buses is nonsense. In the twin cities you must climb on to the bus to get on. Thus the bus is 3-4 feet higher then the ground. In santiago 90% of the buses are all at the same level as the ground... probably for service to handicapped personalities, but the items they have to help handicapped people are inadequate any way. Number one, the buses are usually too packed to have someone in a wheel chair on the bus anyway, and also someone has to put the ramp out and bring it back in for the person. In the twin cities the device is activated by the bus driver and is done automatically, which frees handicapped people from requiring another person to help them. Thank God for the Americans with Disabilities Act, which I know has made new construction of some things difficult, but you don't see people in wheel chairs with the freedom that you do in the USA. Now, I know, I am in Chile, South America, not as developed as the USA, however there are 8 million people who live in Santiago and the transantiago system is used by almost everyone to get around. You would think that they could figure a way out to solve some of these problems.
The system, as I have written before was recently changed--- about 2 years ago recent and they admit that they need to work out some kinks. The system was changed primarily because of issues with the environment. Santiago is usually --- especially during the weekday grey skied because of the pollution cloud over the city. The government thought that if they changed the system to make it more efficient the pollution would go down. Instead, recent studies show that the pollution has stayed pretty much the same... which could be a success because as cities develop, Santiago is developing, they tend to create more pollution and if Santiago's pollution has been kept steady, this may have made an impact, but to most of the population of Santiago, those people who don't move to the back of the bus, they get pretty pissed waiting for that next parade of buses to come. I think personally that trying to rid a city of pollution is a great and worthy goal, however cities like Mexico City and Santiago, which are surrounded by mountains and don't have winds to push the pollution else where, reducing pollution is not going to bring you the blue skies you dream of. Its a geographical thing that really can't be changed easily or at all... unless you move the entire city somewhere else... which won't be happening.
On the other hand, the METRO system or the subway is wonderful. It is always clean, tends to have room (I have only had to push myself in once), and the people are very friendly. Chileans value their metro system a lot. It has been rated one of the most clean systems in the world and they work together... all of them to make sure it stays that way. However, the buses are a different story, there is graffiti, people get mugged, etc on the bus all the time. So, word to the wise, get a hotel or hostel close to the metro stations if you visit Santiago, I promise you will be SO happy when you can avoid the buses like the plague.
Another note: my professor of spanish told our class that the correct usage of problema (problem in spanish) is el problema (the problem). Every noun is either masculine of feminine in spanish. Usually if the word ends with a its feminine and thus is la whatever word. So you would expect that problema would be la problema. But, instead its el problema. My professor said that the reason this was spelled this way is because men are the problems. The word for answer is la repuesta. So, she said women are the answers. I don't subscribe to this, but find it funny.
To end this blog I will bring up two items that I think will make you laugh:
DOGS DON'T HAVE TO PAY TO USE THE BUS! One night I was on the bus and as we were getting on the bus, this dog jumped on the bus with us. It was quite comical. He laid down, chilled for a little while and then when his time came, he got off the bus at one of the stops. I asked the guy next to me if the dog had his Bip card, the card you use to pay for the bus, and he just laughed and smiled.
WHEELS ON THE BUS! The entire time I was writing this blog, the song kept going through my head. Especially the part where the bus driver says: Move on back! Move on back! Maybe whoever wrote that book or song, needs to introduce it to Santiago bookstores or the singers on the bus need to sing it... because its advice would be very good I think.
This blog, you may first think is just a rant by me of how bad the system is, but its really not just me. If you talk to ANY person who lives in Santiago they will bitch, moan, complain, throw a hissy fit, etc... about this topic for at least 15 minutes. So I am going to use this blog to explain to you why the system is so bad.
Every Monday morning, I have class at 8:30 at the Catolica Campus across town. I get up at 7am, rush through the shower, shaving, teeth, grab breakfast on my way out, and get to the bus stop around 7:40. I wait, and I wait, and sometimes when I am lucky, the bus comes in 5 minutes... but most of the time I wait until almost 8am. You are probably asking, well if the bus comes at 8am, then why don't you just come at 8am? The answer is you never know when the bus is going to come and if you miss the 7:50 bus you may not get the next bus until 8:10 OR LATER ensuring your tardiness to Chilean Geography.
When the bus finally does come, it is PACKED with people, maybe 3 people can scoot in on the bus and stand in the doorway, just allowing the bus doors to shut. You may say, well the bus is just very busy... the problem is many times the back of the bus is empty and people don't move to the back of the bus to make room for the new people getting on, or when people get off the back of the bus, they don't fill in those spots making room for more people.
Another problem with the bus system, is that many times the one bus will come and be packed, people will push and shove to get on, the whole while three empty buses have stopped behind the full bus and no people go to the empty buses where there is more room to sit. I have at times seen one full shorter bus, and three longer buses that are half full to empty in a row and where do the Chileans go, the full bus where they can have some strange man with a guitar feel them up. Its pure insanity. Both of these problems however, seem to be more about the people who get on the bus then the bus system itself... right? WRONG.
Why are there two empty buses following a full bus in the first place. Wouldn't it be smarter to have buses come every 5 minutes instead of a parade of buses (sometimes 3-4 in a pack) at once every 20-25 minutes. It seems more logical to me. If there are more than 2 buses in a pack, then that 2nd bus should wait at the bus stop for a few minutes while the bus in front of it goes ahead. It makes sense to me. The Twin Cities bus system allows people to know that the bus comes at specific times and I don't know how they do it, but the bus usually at the stop between 2 minutes before or 2 minutes after when it should be there... of course this is different during weather, but come on, Santiago only gets rain and that is rare. When I return home from school in the evenings I wait at a bus stop where they have the pay box things outside of the waiting area. You are corralled like cows into lines where you then pay for this mockery and wait in a holding cell until an empty bus comes and you fill it up from every door you possibly can get through. I believe that if the windows were big enough people would throw their small children through so they could reserve a seat for them. So, the bus is now PACKED with people and I think the guy standing next to me is either feeling me up or he just... I don't know, but I move away and bump into some old women who looks like she wants to kill me. All the while there is a man who is taking up three people's spaces with his guitar and singing some Chilean Ballad and then begs for money from the millions of passengers on board. How does he get the money you ask? He, and his guitar, push through the crowd sticking his dirty hand in front of your face until you give him 100 pesos or more. Don't worry there will be more stories about these people later.
After I had experienced this a couple of times and witnessed the 'parading' of buses around town I thought to myself: gee, if I wait in the corral a little longer, do you think another empty bus will come and I can have almost an entire bus to myself. BINGO! Every time, as soon as the packed bus leaves a bigger one comes around the corner and me and my friends (natives who have also figured this out) jump on and can literally put our feet up on the four seats we have to ourselves. CRAZINESS!
A couple other stories, guitarists are not the only people who perform a service on the bus and beg for money. No, in fact, one day I had a guitarist, a singer, and a clown get on the bus at different intervals. I only pay the musicians if I think that they are good. Clowns, people selling toothbrushes, and people selling chocolate bars don't get anything. Three pretty good stories from the buses include the Clown, the toothbrush salesman, and the really bad singer. The clown, came on the bus and was crazy. He ran up to a little girl and started speaking in Spanish and literally scared her so badly that she jumped into her mothers arms and started crying... all the while, I was laughing pretty hard in the back of the bus and everyone on the bus realized that the clown should not be paid for his bad services. The tooth brush guy came on the bus in a suit with a really weird tie, that really wasn't a tie, it was a scarf that was tied some how like a tie. He had a voice like Bob Barker and he talked about how this toothbrush was special, it was from the United States, so it must be special, it has special brush technology that massages your teeth and gums, it also has a brush on the other end for your tongue because according to this guy, the tongue has the most bacteria on it. After his explanation, I started laughing because the guy sitting next to me was making faces that went along to this guys jibberish. He and I laughed pretty hard making it obvious that we thought he was nuts, and then the guy sitting next to us, bought two of them. Not such a bad day for the toothbrush salesman. The really bad singer, was quite simply horrible. She cantered a ballad that literally made me want to change buses. A Chilean woman I was sitting by looked at me and said, laughing under her breath that she would pay this woman to stop singing and get off the bus. She said she never took public transit because she had heard so many bad stories and that after today she would never use it again.
We can also talk about how the design of the buses is nonsense. In the twin cities you must climb on to the bus to get on. Thus the bus is 3-4 feet higher then the ground. In santiago 90% of the buses are all at the same level as the ground... probably for service to handicapped personalities, but the items they have to help handicapped people are inadequate any way. Number one, the buses are usually too packed to have someone in a wheel chair on the bus anyway, and also someone has to put the ramp out and bring it back in for the person. In the twin cities the device is activated by the bus driver and is done automatically, which frees handicapped people from requiring another person to help them. Thank God for the Americans with Disabilities Act, which I know has made new construction of some things difficult, but you don't see people in wheel chairs with the freedom that you do in the USA. Now, I know, I am in Chile, South America, not as developed as the USA, however there are 8 million people who live in Santiago and the transantiago system is used by almost everyone to get around. You would think that they could figure a way out to solve some of these problems.
The system, as I have written before was recently changed--- about 2 years ago recent and they admit that they need to work out some kinks. The system was changed primarily because of issues with the environment. Santiago is usually --- especially during the weekday grey skied because of the pollution cloud over the city. The government thought that if they changed the system to make it more efficient the pollution would go down. Instead, recent studies show that the pollution has stayed pretty much the same... which could be a success because as cities develop, Santiago is developing, they tend to create more pollution and if Santiago's pollution has been kept steady, this may have made an impact, but to most of the population of Santiago, those people who don't move to the back of the bus, they get pretty pissed waiting for that next parade of buses to come. I think personally that trying to rid a city of pollution is a great and worthy goal, however cities like Mexico City and Santiago, which are surrounded by mountains and don't have winds to push the pollution else where, reducing pollution is not going to bring you the blue skies you dream of. Its a geographical thing that really can't be changed easily or at all... unless you move the entire city somewhere else... which won't be happening.
On the other hand, the METRO system or the subway is wonderful. It is always clean, tends to have room (I have only had to push myself in once), and the people are very friendly. Chileans value their metro system a lot. It has been rated one of the most clean systems in the world and they work together... all of them to make sure it stays that way. However, the buses are a different story, there is graffiti, people get mugged, etc on the bus all the time. So, word to the wise, get a hotel or hostel close to the metro stations if you visit Santiago, I promise you will be SO happy when you can avoid the buses like the plague.
Another note: my professor of spanish told our class that the correct usage of problema (problem in spanish) is el problema (the problem). Every noun is either masculine of feminine in spanish. Usually if the word ends with a its feminine and thus is la whatever word. So you would expect that problema would be la problema. But, instead its el problema. My professor said that the reason this was spelled this way is because men are the problems. The word for answer is la repuesta. So, she said women are the answers. I don't subscribe to this, but find it funny.
To end this blog I will bring up two items that I think will make you laugh:
DOGS DON'T HAVE TO PAY TO USE THE BUS! One night I was on the bus and as we were getting on the bus, this dog jumped on the bus with us. It was quite comical. He laid down, chilled for a little while and then when his time came, he got off the bus at one of the stops. I asked the guy next to me if the dog had his Bip card, the card you use to pay for the bus, and he just laughed and smiled.
WHEELS ON THE BUS! The entire time I was writing this blog, the song kept going through my head. Especially the part where the bus driver says: Move on back! Move on back! Maybe whoever wrote that book or song, needs to introduce it to Santiago bookstores or the singers on the bus need to sing it... because its advice would be very good I think.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Class Registration
Well, I am coming back out of the cave now. I will update you on my first month in Chile by writing blogs that address specific topics like: Public Transportation, Classes, Sights, Host Family, etc. I hope you enjoy!
Class registration is very different here in Chile compared to my typical process in the United States. In the United States, the schedules for classes are usually on the university website more then four months in advance, allowing students to find which classes they want to take and plan their schedules. In Chile, the schedule is released the week before classes start and everyone frantically runs around 'testing' the classes they want to take for 1-2 weeks before officially registering with the university registrar.
I attended 7 classes: Chilean Geography, International Economic Relations, Themes of History, Republics and Communities: Democracy in Crisis, Economics of Copper, Coal, and Mining in Chile, Spanish, and History and Culture of Chile. Now, I am officially registered in Chilean Geography, International Economic Relations, Spanish, and an Independent Research Project. I am quite excited about these classes.
Chilean Geography has already been very interesting and because Chile is such a geographically rich country it has been extremely educational. This class is split into two sections, one focusing on Physical Geography: Volcanoes, Mountains, Sea, Valleys and the other section is focused on Human Geography: People, History, Culture, etc. As a class we are going to do a field excursion to Vina del Mar, a city about 2 hours away. I am really excited, I think that this field excursion will be a lot of fun!
International Economic Relations, is taught by a professor who works for the Chilean Foreign Affairs Ministry and has many contacts. For example last week's class was focused on Chilean relations with China and the Chinese Ambassador came to speak at our class. It was interesting to hear from her about what they thought was so special about China. She brought up the Olympics, the Great Wall of China, the Forbidden City, and Tiananmen Square (for reasons not including the student protests that we all know so much about). The Olympics seemed to be her most important consideration and she probably talked about the games for more the 1/3 of her presentation. Later in the semester we have a presentation by the Brazilian Ambassador to Chile. In this class, I am going to have to work with a group of Chilean students to design a paper and presentation about the Chilean economic relations with Japan. It will be a nice chance to meet Chilean students and understand them better.
In Spanish things are much like classes in the United States because it is taught through the program I am here through Institute for Study Abroad. It has been fun and interesting because you can put into practice everything that you learn as soon as you leave the classroom. I am working really hard to pick up the language better, and I believe strongly that I am, but its an uphill battle. We had our first quiz last Monday and we turned in our first essay on Wednesday.
My Independent Study is probably the thing I am most excited for, although it will be a ton of work. The independent study is focused on the Chilean Copper Industry and its impact and connections to World History. I am trying to get this to count as my World History requirement for my International Studies Major. The Chilean Copper Industry is interesting because it really does show the connection Chile has to the rest of the world. Many of the copper mining companies were not set up by Chileans but foreigners. Later, during the Allende --- Socialist/Communist regime, the mines were nationalized and the world powers lost their 'cheap' copper. Then, as Gen. Pinochet came to power through Military Coup, he privatized all the mines again. The copper mines explain many of the major historical themes: colonization, influence of the International System, rebuke of the system, and the current rise of globalization. I hope it gets approved, but even if it doesn't this project will be extremely interesting because it combines all of my interests of Economics, History, and Public Policy. The final product of the project is a 25+ page paper, written entirely in Spanish, that discusses my hypothesis, research, and conclusion.
Another great thing about my schedule is that I only have classes on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. This allows me more opportunities to travel, study or experience Chilean culture. Almost everyone in my group has Fridays off, so its nice to have Thursdays off so I can really focus on things I want to do alone.
As a 'gift' for getting our registration done, the IFSA program is taking all of us to a mountain resort tomorrow. I am pretty excited and I will have to write about how it goes on another blog!
Again, sorry for the time away. I was trying to acclimate to the culture, which, to be totally honest, has not totally occurred. I will try and get you updated quickly and stay updated in the future!
Class registration is very different here in Chile compared to my typical process in the United States. In the United States, the schedules for classes are usually on the university website more then four months in advance, allowing students to find which classes they want to take and plan their schedules. In Chile, the schedule is released the week before classes start and everyone frantically runs around 'testing' the classes they want to take for 1-2 weeks before officially registering with the university registrar.
I attended 7 classes: Chilean Geography, International Economic Relations, Themes of History, Republics and Communities: Democracy in Crisis, Economics of Copper, Coal, and Mining in Chile, Spanish, and History and Culture of Chile. Now, I am officially registered in Chilean Geography, International Economic Relations, Spanish, and an Independent Research Project. I am quite excited about these classes.
Chilean Geography has already been very interesting and because Chile is such a geographically rich country it has been extremely educational. This class is split into two sections, one focusing on Physical Geography: Volcanoes, Mountains, Sea, Valleys and the other section is focused on Human Geography: People, History, Culture, etc. As a class we are going to do a field excursion to Vina del Mar, a city about 2 hours away. I am really excited, I think that this field excursion will be a lot of fun!
International Economic Relations, is taught by a professor who works for the Chilean Foreign Affairs Ministry and has many contacts. For example last week's class was focused on Chilean relations with China and the Chinese Ambassador came to speak at our class. It was interesting to hear from her about what they thought was so special about China. She brought up the Olympics, the Great Wall of China, the Forbidden City, and Tiananmen Square (for reasons not including the student protests that we all know so much about). The Olympics seemed to be her most important consideration and she probably talked about the games for more the 1/3 of her presentation. Later in the semester we have a presentation by the Brazilian Ambassador to Chile. In this class, I am going to have to work with a group of Chilean students to design a paper and presentation about the Chilean economic relations with Japan. It will be a nice chance to meet Chilean students and understand them better.
In Spanish things are much like classes in the United States because it is taught through the program I am here through Institute for Study Abroad. It has been fun and interesting because you can put into practice everything that you learn as soon as you leave the classroom. I am working really hard to pick up the language better, and I believe strongly that I am, but its an uphill battle. We had our first quiz last Monday and we turned in our first essay on Wednesday.
My Independent Study is probably the thing I am most excited for, although it will be a ton of work. The independent study is focused on the Chilean Copper Industry and its impact and connections to World History. I am trying to get this to count as my World History requirement for my International Studies Major. The Chilean Copper Industry is interesting because it really does show the connection Chile has to the rest of the world. Many of the copper mining companies were not set up by Chileans but foreigners. Later, during the Allende --- Socialist/Communist regime, the mines were nationalized and the world powers lost their 'cheap' copper. Then, as Gen. Pinochet came to power through Military Coup, he privatized all the mines again. The copper mines explain many of the major historical themes: colonization, influence of the International System, rebuke of the system, and the current rise of globalization. I hope it gets approved, but even if it doesn't this project will be extremely interesting because it combines all of my interests of Economics, History, and Public Policy. The final product of the project is a 25+ page paper, written entirely in Spanish, that discusses my hypothesis, research, and conclusion.
Another great thing about my schedule is that I only have classes on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. This allows me more opportunities to travel, study or experience Chilean culture. Almost everyone in my group has Fridays off, so its nice to have Thursdays off so I can really focus on things I want to do alone.
As a 'gift' for getting our registration done, the IFSA program is taking all of us to a mountain resort tomorrow. I am pretty excited and I will have to write about how it goes on another blog!
Again, sorry for the time away. I was trying to acclimate to the culture, which, to be totally honest, has not totally occurred. I will try and get you updated quickly and stay updated in the future!
Friday, August 1, 2008
Flickr
I started adding pictures to my flickr site. I am going to try and put some pictures on the blog, but I will have ALL of my pictures on flickr, with comments on most of them. So go check them out!
I hope you enjoy them!
I hope you enjoy them!
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