We followed our day-trip to Monaco with a visit to the cities of Cannes and Antibes. Cannes is the city where the very well-off are willing to pay a slightly exorbitant amount of money to do nothing. Besides the phenomenal beachfront littered with every luxury brand imaginable, along with a “caviar house,” there is not much to do in Cannes save enjoy a scoop (or two) of gelato on the beach. So I did. After I soaked up an adequate amount of sun, a small group of my cohorts and I made way for the neighboring town of Antibes. Antibes was my favorite part of the Cote D’Azur weekend because the city is able to capture a quaint, small town feel while still embodying the plush environment of southern France.

I had researched Antibes before we left and discovered that Picasso spent time working in the “castle” along the shore, focusing on antiquity through the lens of modernity. A friend and I quickly made our way to the Picasso Museum in order to delve into the works of Picasso and his contemporaries for a meager three euros. Antiquity and classical artwork is a personal interest of mine, thus it was fascinating to see how Picasso utilized the themes and figures in the ancient works in his modern style. Picasso’s other works clearly had Mediterranean influence and with such a magnificent setting as Antibes, it is no wonder that a vibrancy and happiness emanated from the paintings and sculptures.

That night we joined the final celebrations of Carnaval in Nice and what an unexpected surprise that was. The floats and costumes were elaborate manifestations of wild imagination, some at least two stories tall, and the whole city was out to partake in the festivities. Children peppered us with confetti and silly string and participants in the parade gladly broke rank to dance with onlookers. It was an excellent way to conclude my visit to the French Riviera and I long for an opportunity to return!

Yesterday I had my first real day of meeting the other college students here at Alberto Hurtado! My university is very different than Loyola for a lot of reasons, first off there is actually an equal ratio of sexes, if not even more boys than girls.. my life feels more like it is at an equilibrium that way! My school is also a lot smaller than Loyola, it almost feels like high school honestly, how the classes are smaller, everyone here is more laid back similar to high school oh and just overall all the students and teachers and people as a whole are shorter and look younger. It is nice because I feel like finally I am tall or at an average height! My friends and family are always telling me that I look really Chilean too!

I really do have so so so much more respect for foreign exchange students! I am only here for 6 months, I don’t know how all of the students that are at loyola for 4 years do it..it is such a change and you feel so strange and out of place, but I guess that feeling is only something that can help you grow as a person.

So, yesterday was freshman and exchange student orientation, and lets just say I really did feel like I was a freshman all over again. It was over 100 degrees yesterday, I literally felt like I might pass out at some moments. We ended up in a huge tent outside having to listen to speeches from the president of the school, student leaders, professors, etc.. it was quite boring honestly but really good practice for my spanish. Orientation started at 8:30 yesterday but I accidentally ended up sleeping in until 8, and the school is about 45 minutes away from my house on the Metro, but when I woke up and my Chilean mom told me don’t worry you will be right on time for Chileans, I was a little less worried although I still did act like I was in Chicago and ended up half sprinting and half power walking to the metro while my water bottle in my backpack broke and ended up pouring water all down my back..embarrassing start to my day.

The metro was SO JAM PACKED with people!!! I literally had to push and squeeze my way in and hold my arms really close to my chest so I could fit inside the doors while they were closing, guess that is something I will have to get used to! The metro was just mostly filled with lots of businessman in suits going downtown to work, woman going to work and lots and lots of college and high school students. I only ended up being 2o minutes late to school, and the majority of the students were just showing up! Typical me I got lost in the building and couldn’t find the journalism class room but ended up outside of the Political Science room and just went in since that is my double major too. Most of the day I was just stared at and pretty sure a lot of people were talking about me in spanish but I would never know..I did make a really good friend who is also a foreign exchange student from Guadalajara, Mexico. Her spanish is much easier to understand and she even told me that she had trouble understanding the chilean spanish because of how fast they speak! I did also make a few chilean friends who really want to learn english! They agreed to help me with my spanish and I’ll help them with their English- win win!

Today I was finally able to catch up on sleep a little bit, and I woke up to my chilean mom knocking on my door saying that she had a gift for me! A big pink package from my family back in the states!!! The best thing that I could ever imagine!!! It was filled with all my favorite things, dark chocolate, clif bars, sundresses and skirts, and of course a card from my mom 🙂 Little things like that really make me realize how lucky I am to have such an amazing family that will always be there for me, no matter if I’m literally on the opposite side of the world, down the street, or in Chicago. 🙂

Today is my host brothers birthday, he is turning 30 years old, but of course he looks like he is 20. He is so nice and I just met him the other day but he teaches palates and Tai-Chi and invited me to go to one of his classes soon, so I can’t wait for that! Tonight my mom is going to make a Torta or Birthday cake and we will have a little get together at the house! My host sister has also been helping me find a used bike on the chilean E-bay called Mercado Libre, we found a really good one that costs about 40 pesos or 80 U.S dollars and tomorrow night we are going to pick it up!! I can’t wait to get my hands on the bike and start to explore the city 🙂

Well, today I just plan on taking it easy, relaxing and maybe going to the university today to meet up with some friends!

I uploaded a picture of us in Torres del Paine, and I’m sure there will be more to come, because the pictures are so amazing and breathe taking!

Besos y Abrezos!

“Don’t tell me how educated you are, tell me how much you traveled.” – Mohammad

Wow, so here I am- back to home sweet home Santiago after 3 weeks backpacking throughout the south of Chile! I could literally probably write a novel about all of our experiences in the past few weeks, but to sum it up, we were so so so lucky.

We had amazing weather almost the whole time while hiking and camping, and of the 43 hours, yes 43 hours that we spent on a bus or plane over the 3 weeks, we had no accidents or delays what so ever- pretty rare and impressive for South America! We started off with a long overnight bus ride to Puerto Monte where we then took more bus rides and ferry rides to Chiloe, an island off of the coast of souther chile. We met up with the host brothers of Eva, another girl from Loyola. We then rented out a cabin for a day or so and just saw the sites of the island and cooked a magnificent dinner of fish and mashed potatoes!! After we took a bumpy bus ride to el Parque Nacional in Chiloe to do some very rainy but amazing hiking. We ended up doing one hike that just lasted about 1-2 hours but it was pouring rain and windy but ended up along a beach and it really was just one of those moments where I felt so alive and so happy! The next day we actually ended up doing a hike that was…brace yourself… 48 km long. Yeah. That means over 30 miles if you didn’t know. It was suppose to be a 2 day hike, but if anything could be said about that day it would be that we were unprepared. Unprepared is the biggest understatement ever! We hiked and hiked and hiked and oh my gosh I think my legs are still kind of beat up from that day, there still are blisters too and my skin is still really tan and freckly from that 12 hour hike! But it was worth the pain and ended up being one of those days I will never ever forget! So if you were curious and wanted to know how long it would take to do a 30 mile hike up some mountains.. it’s 12 hours. We left at 10:30 in the AM and got back around 11pm!

After Chiloe we took more buses and planes and ended up spending the night in an airport and frantically renting all of our hiking gear in a little town at the base of the Andes mountains and spending the night in our hostel before leaving on another bus to the base camp of Patagonia where we began our 5 day hiking excursion! It was the hardest thing I have done so far in my life probably, but one of the most amazing things also. Hiking and camping always makes me feel so accomplished, because everything that you do, you literally have to earn yourself. If you want a bed to sleep in, you have to set up your tent, and sleeping bag, if you want food, you have to start the stove, cook the pasta or if you want coffee in the morning you have to go down to the river and get water to boil to make the coffee, if you want to have those amazing national geographic pictures well, all you have to do is look outside your tent! But really, it was so magnificent and valle la paine!! (Worth the pain)

After Our Torres del Paine and Patagonia trip we ended it in Pucon, Chile a nice touristy town that was filled with fun things to do and relax in. It rained a lot of the time we were there but that ended up being pretty nice because I got the flu for a few days! One of the coolest things we did though was called Canyoning. We all had to put on hop in an off roading jeep and drive about 45 minutes outside of town up to this canyon/ mountain type of place where we put on wet suits, life jackets, water proof shoes, gloves, helmets and harnesses for rock climbing. We had 2 really cool guides and a photographer too that followed us around! She had the coolest job ever, and all my friends were poking me in the sides saying ” Hey shirls that is going to be you!”

For a few hours we were basically white water rafting without the raft! We got to swim through rivers and jump off cliffs and climb up rocks then slide down waterfalls! It was so fun but so exhausting! The next day was when I came down with the flu, probably because I swallowed so much of that ice cold glacier water every single time I would jump off the cliffs and hit the water- because lets just say cliff jumping isn’t really my forte.

Our 3 week vacation as a whole was one of those things that was so jam packed and adventurous it just flashed before my eyes and I can’t believe it over and already March. I met some of the coolest people ever while hiking in Patagonia and saw the best stars in the night sky!! Tomorrow I have to wake up bright and early and go to Alberto Hurtado for orientation for school! I still am not quite sure what classes I will be taking, everything is so disorganized here compared to what I am used to, but that is just another aspect of the culture that I am adapting to! I do know that for sure when I come back to the states in a few months I will look back and miss the laid back and relaxed style that is so unique to Chile and South America!

Today my sister and I spent most of the day together! My host sister is 27 years old, but acts and looks so young just like most people here! We slept in today until about noon then ate breakfast together, typical fruit and porridge and yogurt and then we went to the pool and swam and laid out enjoying the 90 degree weather! Then we came back had some lunch and just relaxed inside watching TV and talking and napping all day, it was such a relaxing and much needed break after our adventures these past weeks.

I will be sure to update you soon since my first day of Fall semester starts this Monday, how crazy is that?

Besos y abrezos!

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

And then again, some are.

How many times have I gotten lost since I’ve been abroad? Well, honestly, I lost count after the first week. But I can’t say that I have ever been upset about it. Getting lost is part of the adventure. Here are a few of the places where I have gotten lost so far:

1. Paris – Paris was amazing. But it is so simple to not know where you are. The fabulous thing about Paris is that every view is beautiful and offers something new. And if all else fails, the metro system is one of the best I have seen anywhere. It runs like clockwork and connects you everywhere. None of the famous Parisian sights are really close together, so the public transportation system becomes your best friend. My favorite part about Paris was sitting under the Eiffel Tower with all my new friends. I love them, they’re great. It was wonderful to share that moment with them. And did you know that the Eiffel Tower actually sparkles at night? Seriously, it sparkles.

Other highlights: The Louvre, Musee d’Orsay, Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame, The Champs-Elysees, Sacre Coeur, Montmartre, and the best bakery in the world

2. Venice – I went to Venice during Carnevale. It was amazing. Venice can be difficult enough to navigate as you wind through the endless, narrow streets. Throw a bunch of masks on everyone and it’s even more difficult to figure out. It was freezing when we went and we tried to keep walking as much as we could to stay warm. But every time we came across something beautiful (every few feet), we would forget our chills, throw off our gloves and snap pictures like crazy. It was beautiful. Everyone there was having a ball!

Other highlights: Piazza San Marco, the Accadamia Gallery, the Grand Canal (and all the little baby ones), the Rialto Bridge, and all the amazing mask shops (which were really like art galleries themselves)

3. Orvieto – I LOVED ORVIETO. It was my favorite place to get lost for a few hours. It’s just a cute, quaint town way on top of a plateau. The Student Life Assistants (SLAs) planned the trip and took about 15 of us through the school. We had such a good time. All we did was eat and walk around, enjoying the scenery. We were able to take a cooking class with wonderful Chef Lorenzo of Restaurant Zeppelin. I learned a ton and I can’t wait to go home and cook for my family!

Other highlights: A guided tour of the Duomo by one of our own JFRC professors, a cooking class, the fresh foods market, a local wine tasting and a local olive oil tasting, and walking around looking at the beautiful ceramics that make the region famous

4. Florence – Actually, I didn’t get lost in Florence. Rather, we lost my friend John. Don’t worry, he’s okay. He had a blast wandering around while the rest of us saw the sites. (He’d been there before). This place was beautiful, but it’s easy to go through your money too quickly. The markets are so much fun. They have beautiful products to offer and you get pretty good at haggling. Also, if you get the chance, climb the duomo! It’s terrifyingly high, but so worth it. You can see everything for miles and miles.

Other highlights: The Duomo, the Campanile (bell tower), Ponte Vecchio, San Lorenzo Market, Michaelangelo’s house, Dante Aligheri’s house, Galleria degli Uffizi, the Galleria d’Academia (where the David is!), and many other sites featured in Assassin’s Creed

The point is, if you’re not getting lost, you’re probably not really seeing anything worth seeing. So wander, get lost a little. But maybe bring a map, just in case.

I have officially been in Australia for almost two weeks. I have painfully neglected my blog in the meantime but I can say this I have been insanely busy and productive.

As I said in my last post that I was practically homeless upon arriving in Melbourne as I chose to find my own housing, I have since found a house and have lived here for a few days now. It feels fantastic to actually put my clothes in my wardrobe and my food in a cupboard. I am located  five minute walk from campus and ten minutes from my friends house which I am such a frequent visitor that they joke I’m their 5th roommate.

School officially starts next week so I am very excited  to start classes.  I have been informed that the academic environment is much more laid back in comparison to the US  (for example, we are expected to call professors by their first names) so I am anxious to see the differences for myself. We had orientation activities all week so I got to explore the campus a bit and meet other international students.  I only have classes three days a week Monday through Wednesday so I will have four day weekends. This is insane to me.

I also have been frantically job searching. I have an interview on Tuesday for a student mentoring position. It is similiar to what I do back in Chicago so I hope I get it. Cross your fingers!!

Last night a few of my new friends and I went to our first soccer game last night; it was Australia vs. Saudi Arabia and it was one of the world qualifying matches for the world cup. We bought student tickets for a measly  10 dollars (boy do I love being a student) and our seats were in the second row. Of course, we visited the sports shop and were decked out in Australia hats and scarves. By the way, Australia’s team is the Socceroos. How adorable! Although, we were down after the first half, the Aussies pulled out a win. It was so exciting and a great way to be initiated into  the Australia sports world. I am going to a Cricket game tomorrow which will definitely be an experience. I also hope to go to many footy games (Australia football) and the Grand Prix in Formula-1 racing. Needless to say I am a big sports fan!

I will write a post about my trip on the Great Ocean Road soon, I promise.

Happy Reading!

The playground of the rich and famous: The French Riviera! Last weekend I boarded a bus with 25 other Erasmus students and made the 8 hour drive to the Cote D’Azur (as the French call it) to enjoy a relaxing weekend. We arrived at our hotel in Nice and quickly made our way to our rooms after a full night of driving. I woke myself up early in order to stroll around the streets of Nice and start warming up my French vocabulary from high school and that my French friends in Barcelona taught me. It proved quite useful as I was the only person in our entire group that was able to speak French! I stopped at Cafe Malongo, a boutique espresso and tea cafe, to sip a café au lait and bask in the morning sun. I caught up with the rest of the group at the hotel and we made our way to the train station to head for Monaco, the city/country north of Nice. The 30 minute train ride is entirely along the coast and passes through big and small towns on the way; it provided quite the view of what to expect throughout the Cote D’Azur.

We arrived in Monaco and made a beeline for the harbor to “ooh” and “aah” at the boats, yachts, super yachts, and mega yachts. After we scraped our jaws off the docks, we walked along a path up the hillside in order to reach the castle of the Royal Family of Monaco. The whole harbor and much of the coastline was visible from atop the hill and it was clear that the luxurious lifestyle of Monaco continued along the seaside. While the group paused to take pictures with the magnificent background, I ducked away and started exploring the smaller side-streets nearby. The boulangeries and pâtisseries that lined the streets were stocked with fresh bread and sweet delights, the catalyst to the floodgates opening in my mouth. Succumbing to a temptation that even the most devout couldn’t resist, I nibbled (scarfed may be more accurate) on some macaroons of the utmost quality.

I rendezvoused with my friends at the church home to the tombs of the Royal Family of Monaco and paid my respects to Princess Grace Kelly and the rest of the deceased royals. We then all took lunch-I devoured a fresh tuna fish sandwich with olives, tomatoes, lettuce, and oil and vinegar-and meandered back down the hillside toward the harbor. We made a quick pitstop at the Ferrari garage and I still question whether they actually work on the cars or just display them for all to see. As the group stood with mouths agape at the beautiful craftsmanship, I took the opportunity to duck into more side-streets to read the menus and investigate what the plats du jour were for each restaurant. After my cuisinal curiosity was satisfied, I asked a shop owner which way to the Monte Carlo Casino and set off to find fame and fortune in the legendary lap of luxury.

While I was unable to enter the casino because I was under-dressed, I was able to see the caliber of individuals entering and exiting the establishment and I cannot wait to be one of them. Next to the casino is the Café de Paris with plenty of outdoor seating to grab a café au lait and drink up the atmosphere. It was starting to cool down with the seabreeze so we decided to make our way back to the train and head back to Nice for the night.

All in all Monaco was a captivating city and I am eager to return with a disposable income. Also, I still have the hardest time taking Kelly Grace seriously after the MadTV skit.

February 28, 2012

Nossa, Nossa

Ciao on this gorgeous Tuesday morning!  I have so much to tell you about today!  Nossa, nossa means wow in Portuguese and is a part of a song that brags the third spot on the Italian music hit list this week.  I hear it everywhere and I am not complaining!  This title seemed fitting to this blog post because I have seen three of my personal top travel hits in the past few weeks.

Two weekends ago a few friends and I headed south to Naples for better weather and lots of pizza.  We arrived at the train station, took a far too expensive cab ride to our hotel, and instantly went to find some of the famous grub.  It was amazing.  Naples is the “inventor” of the Margherita Pizza and each restaurant has an old family story to that proves they, in fact, are the true originators of pizza.  I’ll be honest though; I wasn’t just there for the pizza.  A few weekends back I ran into a small luxury vintage dealer at the outlet mall in Rome and noticed that the headquarter storefront was in Naples.  I had to find it.  Now, I am not sure if I need to call Apple and thank them for my new buns of steel or complain and cry, but my navigation system led me up about a million meters of back alleys and staircases to reach the main fashion street of Naples.  The supposed “30 minute” walk took my friend Lauren and I about 3 hours of sweat and climbing.  It was so worth it!  We shopped, ate, and left the touristy area to see the gorgeous natives of Naples.  The next morning, we woke up and took a ferry to Capri!  I am in love.  The many rocky cliffs in contrast with the foamy sea was a breathtaking scene.  Each home boasted a colorful theme of tiles and stucco.  I thought I would never see a place more beautiful…

Once again, I was wrong.  This past weekend I took a school trip down to Sicily.  If Sicily isn’t on the “top ten places to see before you die” list…it should be.  I flew into Palermo and stayed at an adorable bed and breakfast.  Claudio, the owner, gave my friends and I an amazing breakfast and a ride to the shuttle stop.  From there we grabbed the school bus and drove to Agrigento to see the gorgeous ruins of the Greek and Italian people.  The sea was so blue and the history was so vivid in the architecture of these ancient men and women.  We ate amazing seafood and woke up in the morning to head to Taormina.  Here is where I truly found the most beautiful city I have ever seen.  Tucked away in the cliffs with a view of the Ionian Sea and the volcanic Mount Etna, Taormina is flawless.  We visited the Greek theater and ate lunch overlooking the waterfront.  Adorable stores, amazing bars, and delicious restaurants fill the windy cobblestone streets of the city.  We walked around munching on their famous cannoli and luckily bumped into the festivities of Carnivale in the main square.  Costumes, food, drinks, confetti and families filled the streets with excitement!  It was the greatest day I could have ever imagined.

I flew back into Rome and remembered once again that I am, in fact, still a student.  A week full of midterm exams, papers, and presentations is ahead of me.  Luckily I am going to take the advice of the Roman people…as much as you work you should play twice as much.  Spring break is just around the corner and play is exactly what I am going to do!  Madrid, Alicante, and Barcelona to visit some of my best friends is exactly the kind of trip I need!  Viva Espana!

Ciao for now!

Christine

With midterms on the horizon for the coming week, most Loyola students back in Chicago would be having a pretty calm weekend catching up on their work while pounding cups of Dunkin’. Although this weekend the meaning of the phrase “work hard play harder” took on a whole new meaning for me. Prioritizing your time is obviously one life skill that students must practice in college, although sometimes you also have to take time to “stop and smell the roses” to appreciate all of the worlds wonders that lie there waiting to be discovered.

The ancient ruins of Sicily, including Greek temples built 300-400 BC, reflect that no matter how fast and stressful your life seems you have to stop and recognize the big picture is that you play only a very small part in the history of the world.

Sicily is really like no other place I have ever been. Its unique terrain will enchant you as you continually view ancient rubble lying in untouched states. There is definitely a more vacation oriented vibe here with the mountains, sun, and blue waters it relaxes you. The food is also unique compared to the other parts of Italy and our group was able to enjoy local eats including fish, sweet tomatoes, and canoli!

There were in total 49 of us on the trip, including 3 of the best JFRC faculty I could have asked for. We flew into Palermo and worked our way across the island leaving out of Catania. All three days involved touring ancient sites to which our history professor could speak for tremendously. We saw the cathedral of the Pantocrator at Monreale, Greek temples, a Roman villa (with some sexy mosaics) and a Greek theater. I was awestruck by the history of the island and it was inspiring to see how the character of the island has been built from so many different influences over time.

I came with one of my close friends from the Rome center and enjoyed getting the chance to spend time with whole a whole new group of people to share the experience with. One of my favorite moments included sitting down for lunch with a table full of new friends on a terrazza over looking the cliffs and the water.

The weather this weekend was a gift and so were the people. Sicily exceeded my expectations. You must go there and succumb to the charm and culture of this island! It is going to be very difficult focusing back in on our school work, although you have to do what is most important in each moment you are abroad. If it’s sleep, then sleep. Eat? Eat! Party? Party! Becuase there is a time and a place for everything.

Ciao!

Sorry guys, it’s been a while. I just came back from Florence and it was absolutely mesmerizing. My friend and I were supposed to go two weekends ago but because of the odd snowfall in Rome, we were not able to get proper transportation to get to the Termini stop and catch our train outta town. How sweet the wait was though! Picture this: Light blue skies above the Duomo with gliding white clouds, children laughing as they ride the Merry-Go-Round in the warmish weather, a chocolate festival in full scale with the different vendors displaying their best chocolate art and cuisine. Can you say, “Chocolate Kabob?” There was no meat in this dessert, and it was really cool. You know how restaurants have the kabob meat on a pole and shave it off for your lovely meal? That was how my chocolate was served. A huge block of chocolate on a pole shaved off to be placed in a square pancake. Oh, and there was a lot of whip cream and chocolate syrup to top off the sugar fest. MMMMMM.

I went to the Uffizi Museum were I saw brilliant Rennaisance works such as Primavera and Madonna with Two Children. Then we went to the Academia were I saw the David statue, sculpted by Michelangelo. Such a fabulous piece of work. If you haven’t gone or are planning to go, I cannot wait for you to see it! If you are into designer things, you could check out the Gucci Museum. It was very, well, Gucci. If you are looking to see a play, definitely check out the Teatro Verdi. Who knows, Cyrano De Bergerac may still be running by the time you make it there.

If you are looking to get in some good shopping, Florence is the place to go. Would you like to buy a pair of shoes not over 20 Euro? Well, go no further. Take advantage of the SALDI and get yourself a whole new outfit for less than 50 Euro. And I’m not even talking about the street vendors!

If you’re not into shopping, I highly suggest you check out a restaurant called Dante. They have magnificent food, wine, and hospitality. If you say you are a college student, they will treat you especially well. Also, check out the architecture. Since Florence is the birthplace of the Renaissance, just picture great artists like da Vinci and Michelangelo walking down the streets.

Remember that you can cover Florence in a day and half so if you’re looking for a fun weekend trip…you know where to go. Word to the wise, validate your train ticket before you get on the train! Also, if you are on a budget, you can find paninis for 2-3 euro from cute little shops named after famous artists and snag a great hot chocolate from a bakery. Or as the Italians call it, cioccolata caldo. Happy Reading!