Where did November go??

Well hey! I’m going to justify my lack of blog posts lately with the excuse that I have been trying to take advantage of every moment here in these last few weeks before I leave :( That and the fact that 80 degree weather and the beach 5 minutes away are not a conducive combination to any sort of productive activity. Some highlights of the past month:

World’s largest pool

A few weekends ago a group of us hopped on a bus and headed south along the coast to a little town named Algarrobo, home to San Alfonso—a resort with the largest pool in the world.  Now, disclaimer, I realize that it is probably kind of excessive and not the most environmentally friendly attraction or wisest use of resources but I let go of that in order to take in the absolute luxury and beauty of this place.  Some kids I was with were like “oh yeah, we stayed in a place kind of like this on my family’s vacation to Mexico”.  Not me. Our family vacations consisted of week-long rugged camping trips with the Moore brothers (not that I’m complaining-- those trips gave me much more character than my pampered friends). But anyways, I was like a kid in a candy shop at this place.  It was so lavish!!! For once, the weather cooperated with us and we spent the weekend basking in its glory.  

Thanksgiving Chilean Style

As we all know, Thanksgiving was last Thursday.  As part of our program, our university here had offered to host a Thanksgiving dinner for us and our host families to share this tradition with them.  At first, the plan was for us to make the all the food for the dinner.  Unfortunately, the reality was that the majority of us have kitchens the size of closets and half of the group’s families don’t have cars.  The prospect of transporting dinner for 75 people on Viña’s downright insane public transportation was comical, but not realistic.  So, the kitchen at the university ended up making the food and, to my surprise, it was delicious! The only thing it was missing was stuffing and pumpkin pie, but it sufficed :) Most Chileans really have no idea what Thanksgiving is besides what they see in the movies (my sister’s boyfriend somewhere got the idea that Thanksgiving dinner always consisted of someone dressing up like a turkey) so it was fun to share this special day with them.

                  The big 2-1

The coming and going of Thanksgiving always signifies one thing for me: my birthday is right around the corner.  This year was sure to be unique for a number of reasons.  For one, obviously, I’m in Chile.  But also, it was my 21^st! (wow, that’s still weird to say…I’m so old) It was interesting situation because technically I have been legally able to drink ever since I stepped foot in Chile back in August so I didn’t have the whole “my first drink at a bar!” thrill, but it was unforgettably enjoyable nonetheless.  My birthday fell on a Monday, so the Saturday before I took a trip to a little town called Maitencillo with some friends to explore.  That night, we went to a big concert in an outdoor ampitheater featuring “Los Tres” a famous Chilean band-- spectacular! Later, we had a big party chock full of friends, singing, cake, and of course, a drink or two.  The celebration didn’t end there—the next day was the birthday of my host brother’s girfriend/baby mama Paoli so we had a cute little combined celebration at my house with some of the best cake that has ever graced my lips.  My little host mom knitted me a thick scarf for me to use when I return back to the land of the ice and snow, it was adorable.  Finally, the day actually arrived.  I had class in the morning but I spent the afternoon on the beach in the 80 degree sun with friends.  Nothing better :)

Birthday on the beach! With my Chilean friend Fran

Tomorrow officially marks the one-week point of my time left in Viña, and to say I’m fretting would be an extreme understatement.  From December 8^th-19^th I will be backpacking through Peru and Bolivia with some friends and then I’ll return to MN right in time for Christmas!  These have been the four fastest months of my life and leaving is going to be rough. But as sad as I will be to depart, the prospect of returning home and seeing everyone is quite appealing as well. Wish me luck in finishing my Viña bucket list in this next hectic week! Miss you all!!

I'll miss these November sunsets