Bacán.

Hiking Cerro Providencia in the Andes! Muy Bacán. 

After my series of unfortunate events last summer, I decided to go all in for $UMM3R2k!9. Right after my exams, I flew down to Viña del Mar, Chile, where I participated in a month-long Spanish and medicine program. I stayed with a host family with three little girls (10, 7, and 5), had daily Spanish classes, and got to shadow different doctors in clinics and hospitals. It was kind of intense...but also very awesome. Every day brought new moments of challenge, awe, exhaustion, and inspiration. Overall, the people I met in Viña, Valpo, and Santiago were incredibly kind and friendly. I even got to spend some time with my brother, Sebastian, who flew down two weeks after me to start a language program as well.

 Street Murals in Valpairiso 

 I found another Eph, the lovely Astrid!! Here, she shares a contemplative moment.

Valparaiso mi amor

With my three host sisters!! Florencia, Nancy, and Helen

Nice. 

Samantha, our very cool cat. She likes to surprise people when they open their window blinds, as depicted in this photo. I was shocked when my host sisters told me she was 10 years old because she is lively and so very sly. Then by the end of my stay, I learned they had been speaking in cat years all along. 

Sebastian and I at Las Dunas in Cón Cón. 

One of the highlights of my trip was definitely hiking Cerro Providencia. A group of us went right after it snowed in the Andes, and it was truly breathtaking.

Best. Day. Ever. Not depicted was the condor we saw, which was truly a wild sight. They look like giant majestic prehistoric creatures meant for snatching up baby goats. So here are some memes instead. 

Also...

Not many Chileans speak English, and Chilean Spanish is pretty unique. As Lucy can attest, Chilean Spanish has a whole slew of phrases and words used all the time, but that you probably won't hear anywhere else in South America. Here is a list of survival words in case anyone might need it someday!

Chilean Slang 101: 

-Pololo/a: boyfriend/girlfriend

-Huevón: A word to refer to literally anything (like 'dude' or 'buddy' in English, but also can have offensive or naughty meanings, especially when used in the plural form)

-Cachai?: "get it?"
-Cacho: "I got it!"
-Arto: a lot (instead of mucho)
-Altiro: immediately, like right now!

-Po: no real definition, just an affirmation after you say anything (ex. "sí, po", or "no po") 

-Bacán: Cool (a.k.a "the only work you really need to know")
-Carrete: Party (but like a rager)
-¡Chuta!: Sh$t!
-El taco: traffic
-"Que feo tu modo": "How ugly/evil your ways" Not actually sure if this is just a Chilean phrase, but it was used all the time haha
***Also, no one uses Adios. Only Ciao. And Chileans can tell who is a foreigner just by the way you pronounce Hola.

As I said, this summer I really am packing it all in, because on Sunday I flew straight to Palo Alto, CA to start my job at a clinical neuroscience lab at Stanford. I will primarily be working on a clinical study called EMPOWER, and conducting research on effective opioid tapering methods and developing effective pain management strategies for patients with chronic pain. Although I miss Chile, and am currently still jetlagged and confusingly speaking Spanish, I am really excited to be in this beautiful place, and to get to work on this study. Plus, I definitely needed a break from all that Reggatón. The word on the street is that The Sybenator is also out here, and I hope to track him down for some adventuring soon!




Sending everyone much love and good wishes,

Carmen