Thearley

Goodness Gracious Me!! It's www.thearley.blogspot.com

Wednesday, March 30, 2005

Edmund who?

Gebs, I have been in Chile since the beginning of March, I am on exchange here for semester 1.

Anyway to more informed readers, hope you all had a good easter. As you'll be aware from my last post I spent the weekend in Pucon with the German couple whom live with me in the flat in Santiago. Friday we hired a pair of motorcycles, without having to present a driving license of any discription and bearing in mind that I had never riden a motorcycle before. Despite almost causing an accident on my first attempt, I soon picked it up and we tore up the local roads all day, the only problem coming when a pack of dogs (suprise, suprise) chased us.

Saturday was our biggest day, we got up at 6am to climb Volcan Villarrica, which is an active volcano just outside of Pucon. It took about 4-5 hours climbing up the glacier through snow to reach the summit, where you can stand and watch whilst the volcano spits and bubbles lava, really quite amazing to think that you can climb it then stand as close as that to the lava- if there were anything like that in oz then the government wouldn't allow you within 10 kms of the damn thing. I think I really looked the part, with huge boots and crampons, an ice pick and huge backpack; the whole way up there Lenz refered to me as Edmund- alluding to Edmund Hillary (the first man to climb Everest, for those of you as badly as informed as Gebs). Coming down was a bit quicker as there are slides carved into the glacier, and you simply slide down the side of this mountain at quite a frightening pace- its a bit like going on a bobsled, but without the bobsled. However you then come back down to the snow line, where the glacier and snow stop and have to walk the rest of the way down.

Saturday evening we went to some thermal spas, which were nice but since they were in the middle of bloddy nowhere we spent most of the time on the bus. On sunday we went horseriding, which seems a bit tame compared to motorcycling or climbing a volcano, but it was another first for me and I had some horse named Ginder (meaning "sweet cherry") with a temperament somewhere between dementure and al-qaeda; the thing was insane. However I managed to stay on and by the end of the ride had a certain degree of control.

I am now back to uni, struggling still. By the way Chile drew 1-1 with Uruguay and this Wednesday play Paraguay. Be in touch soon.

Monday, March 21, 2005

I am the dancing queen!

Greetings all subscribers, thanks for your continued patronage.

Last Tuesday I went to the Estadio Nacional for the Copa Libertadores clash between "Universidad de Chile" and "The Strongest" a Bolivian team. The Copa Libertadores is the South American equivalent of the Champions League, and you know its important when the officials are escorted onto the pitch under the protection of riot police who shield them with their nice cosy Roman style riot shields. It was a somewhat bizarre yet enjoyable evening, I was supposed to go with a group of Australians who I'd met at Uni; the plan was to meet at the statue of the naked man outside the stadium. I rocked up to the crumbling monolith that is the Estadio Nacional and asked a friendly looking, machine gun wielding policeman on horseback if he knew where I could find a statue of a naked man. Suprisingly he was quite helpful and I found the naked man statue, however in typical Aussie style my new amigos didn't show up; I later found out when leaving the stadium that there are about 15 naked men statues all around the stadium, each one depicting a different ancient greek olympic sport. Anyway I watched the game which finished with Universidad de Chile winning 2-1 and in terms of excitement was perhaps only surpassed by the incident at half time when some drunk tried to steal my sandwich; I'd gone downstairs to get something to eat and on the way back to my seat this guy approached me asking for some of my sandwich/bit-of-bread-with-ham-in-it, when I refused he tried to snatch it from me. He was quite persistent and I had to revert to English telling him to "f#%K off" and giving him a good shove.

Anyway my week only got better from here, I attended my first Salsa and Merengue dance lesson on Saturday afternoon. Talk about dirty dancing; there was an old guy who seemed to take too much interest in the young girls and gradually as the class progressed and he got hotter, he would undo another button of his shirt- by the end of the class he only had one button done up! For my first class I thought I'd done quite well, I didn't fall over or tread on anyones toes- so a success as far as I am concerned.

Saturday night, the whole flat went to the birthday of one of Eduardo's friends. It was quite possibly the strangest party I've ever been to. It is typical in Chile as many other latin countries to not start partying until 12 or 1 O'clock, so we (Eduardo, Jonathan, Lenz the German guy and Verina the German guys girlfriend) arrived at about 12.30. We had bought between us quite a substantial amount of booze, but it didn't really seem to last long since almost everyone else there helped themselves also. Eduardo's dealer; Max was also there and Lenz bought a joint, however there seems to be some sort of clause within Chilean drug dealing whereby when you buy a joint you have to let the guy who sold it to you smoke half of it! Max is quite the role model- he's about 30 and has a wife and two children, however seems to spend most of his time dealing and since Eduardo is perhaps his biggest client he is also around the flat alot. Anyway, there seemed to be most of Santaigo's homosexual crowd at the fiesta and at about 4 O'clock in the morning we were treated to a Drag show, by Raimundo (going by the stage name of Bambi) who is another close friend of Eduardo's although he doesn't deal. Apparently Eduardo who is an Actor/writer and pot head by trade also dabbles in a bit of drag and has promised to one day give us his rendition of "it's raining men". Furthermore he has invited us all to go to his favourite Santiago Gay Bar some time in the future, so I'll keep you posted as to how all that goes.

This coming weekend I am going to Pucon in the South of Chile with Lenz and Verina. We are going to climb the Volcano and there are various other activities available such as rafting, horse riding etc. So I'll post again when I return or whilst down there.

Footnote: whilst in Pucon we are going to watch the Saturday night Chile vs Uruguay game in a pub (it's being played here in Santiago), will let you know the result, the consequences could be important for Australia later this year who have to play the fifth placed South American team to qualify for the World Cup. Have a good Easter all.

Wednesday, March 16, 2005

21%

Did you know that 21% of librarians are thought to be caring human beings? No thats complete bollocks actually.

Last week I sat a Spanish exam for foreign exchange students with the purpose of discerning who was in need of the intensive EspaƱol para extranjeros (Spanish for foreigners) program offered to exchange students. However there are only a certain number of places so those who want to take the course must take an exam to see whether they are actually in need of it. I scored a mighty 21%, not only is it a not-so-shit-hot grade, but it was also the lowest score!!!!! and whats even better is that it practically guarantees my place in the course. I can't believe it, not only do I hold the unenviable record of "Man with fairest complexion in Australia AND Chile", now I am also the worst foreign Spanish speaker in what is one of South America's largest universities and in a city that claims to be a "University city". Santiago has three main Uni's, so what? you may ask, so does lil' ol' Adelaide. But Santiago's claim to being a university city rests on the plethora of "private" universities that people seem to found in their garden sheds (which more often than not double as their home). I wouldn't be suprised to one day walk past the Zankov University of Burrito-ing.

Not much to report from the weekend, other than I got soaking wet in a downpour and discovered that Chile has not yet realised the wonderful invention that is "the gutter". The roads here are those flat, concrete American affairs and they don't camber into a gutter; so when it pours the roads become rivers and you have to walk about 10 feet from the kerb to avoid being sprayed by the passing maniac buses. Another interesting statistic is that 21% of bus drivers in Santiago have served time for a serious offence. The bus drivers here are paid on commission and so the more passengers they pick up, the more they earn. Consequently all the buses or "micros" as they call them here (despite the fact that they are about the size of a Ghan train carriage) drive like buggery to pick up all the passengers they can; there are no designated bus stops so they stop anywhere and everywhere inbetween hurtling along the streets. When you cross the road here, you really take your life in your hands.

Anyway must go, another lecture to misunderstand. Hello to all.

Footnote: Rob and other interested parties, Iam devising a way to smuggle as much $2 litre bottles of Escudo back to Oz as possible. Will keep you posted.

Friday, March 11, 2005

The "Chile on a thong strap" guide to talking yourself out of a fine.

Thankyou to all readers who continue to send their messages of....well...not quite support, but generally taking the piss. No really I enjoy reading your comments- keep them coming. I guess before I go any further I should address a few points raised in your comments; firstly Phatty T it would take a helluva lot of $2 litres of Escudo beer, and to be honest I wish you would try to think of something else- you really are a concern (readers who are confused as to what I am referring should read comments of previous post). Krystle thankyou for your not so kind words, I will try to have some postcards in the post soon, those lucky enough to be sent one will probably receive it before Christmas.

Anyway to the issue of this post's title; I borrowed a book or to be more accurate a few pieces of paper stapled together from the library a few days ago. It took about 2 hours of walking between different libaries spread over the vast expanse that is San Joaquin campus, to find the damn book which I borrowed under the assumption that since it was a reserve collection item and the inside back cover had 13.30 printed on it, then I would have to return it within 13 and a half hours. I did this only to discover yesterday when I tried to borrow another book that it was over due since 13.30 refers to half past one in the afternoon and not a loan period of 13 and a half hours. The surly library clerk then refused to issue the other book I wanted and informed me that I would have to pay a fine. This seems to be some sort of curse of mine, during my first year at UniSA I was actually banned from the library for a period of 2 months (can you imagine, how absurd), and those of you who were unlucky enough to attend the Norwood Morialta High School with me will know that I never got on too well with librarians. Anyway readers, I have always enjoyed a good confrontation with authority; its a perverted past time I take pleasure in, and I couldn't let this opportunity to indulge in what is for me an almost orgasmic hobby and in a foreign language pass by.

The best way to express yourself in Spanish as well as most other latin languages is to use over-the-top gestures and facial expressions. Trying to explain that I'd misunderstood the strict loan policy (even UniSA let you have the damn books a bit longer), I threw my arms around and screwed up my chin like Maradonna (of Argentinian soccer and bloating up like a whale fame) whilst screaming and shouting like Madonna (of Evita and miming the words to her own songs fame) . Needless to say it worked and the librarian looked genuinely impressed with my grasp of the language (its all in the gestures), he nulified the fine and issued the other book I'd wanted. I would judge this to be my first great success in a foreign language.

To other affairs of the past few days; yesterday I became the newest student of the Jose Luis Tejo Academy of Dance; I am enrolled in a 4 week basic Salsa and Merengue course, or at least I think thats what I enrolled myself in. It doesn't start for another week but I'll be sure to write about it once it has started, the "Goddess" had better have her dancing shoes on stand-by in July!!!

This weekend I venture further into the Santiago Night scene, Friday night I am having a few drinks with an English girl named Alison that I met, she seems quite neurotic so it should be interesting. Then Saturday night I have been invited to Natalia's birthday, where undoubtedly she will try to extort more money out of me (she seems to see me as her rich foreign freind and enjoys getting me to pay for things; I've never met anyone so upfront about asking me to pay!)

Anyway will write about how it all went soon, take care all, have a good weekend and keep the comments coming.

Wednesday, March 09, 2005

Into the twilight zone

Mel, your dead right I'm out of my comfort zone... I feel as though I am on another planet most of the time.

Today is my second day at Uni, and it isn't getting any easier. My first lecture yesterday, I didn't understand a word the guy was talking; everyone speaks so fast here and seem to swallow the ends of words. On top of the language issue, there also seems to be a lot more work than at good old UniSA; this one course I went to yesterday involves weekly mini-tests on that weeks reading, monthly bigger tests and a final exam at the end (assuming I live that long), and of course this is all in Spanish. On a brighter note I went to a lecture today and the lecturer said that if needs be I can do my work in English for that course, however I shall strive to keep all work in Spanish (what a hero!).

Anyway to a slightly more interesting subject, I went out for a few drinks last night with an Australian girl who resides in London and is now also studying here. We went to what is apparently the student district, Bellavista. Got stuck into some more of the $2 litre bottles of beer, I have been drinking them since I arrived and only learnt yesterday that the Chilean thing to do is to share them between two or three people; stuff that!!! its much more fun having one to yourself, and especially at $2!!!

We also had a bite to eat in what was really quite a seedy pub; my best description would be a cross breed between the Crown & Anchor and the Berkeley on Hindley street. However musn't complain too much, there was even live entertainment; a pack of stray dogs chased each other around our table! Speaking of live entertainment, Lenny Kravitz is playing here tomorrow night and Santiago is plastered in Lenny Kravitz posters which are written in both Spanish and English for ignorant foreigners such as me, the English part reads: 'Lenny Kravitz Alive-March 9', I couldn't stop laughing the first time I saw it, I wonder what he sounds like dead?

Must go now- another lecture to attend, probably pointless really since I'll spend much of the time wondering what on earth is going on.

Sunday, March 06, 2005

Nightlife report 1

Firstly let me say thankyou to all of you who have posted, it's good to hear from you all and is only when travelling alone like this that you appreciate the company of you friends.

A few days ago I met a Chilean waitress named Natalia, who offered to show me the best nightlife Santiago has to offer. Last night (fri night) I accompanied her and a few of her amigas on a sojourn into the depths of Santiago's night scene. We met at Natalia's work, the 'Vinilo' restaurant where I had met her earlier this week, had a few drinks and from there went into the Centro (city).

In the Centro we went to a club called the tunnel, which predictably was downstairs in a cellar, to be honest I wasn't that impressed but Natalia and co seemed to think it was great and joined in some bizarre dancing that involves throwing yourself thorugh the air screaming (emil you would have loved it). First impressions of the night scene in Santiago: not favourable.

Now to address a few points raised by readers in my last post; Luke there are no LBWs to report and until you mentioned it I hadn't really been looking, also I left that damn T-Shirt at home (ahhh the shame, I will never wear it). Furthermore, nothing on this trip has brought me closer to the Lord...sorry.

Eduardo has gone away for the weekend, I have instructions to look after his cannabis plant! Also he has given me a more comprehensive lesson on using the hot water, so hopefully next time I have a shower it will be at least warm.

Bye for now, thanks for the comments, will post soon.

Thursday, March 03, 2005

The Chilean Apartment

As I sit here in an internet cafe (doesn't serve food, is only a hall type thing full of Chilean weirdos) in central Santiago, only a few streets away the HQ of Chile's Investigative police (like the Australian Federal Police) is burning down. The HQ is not too far from where I stayed for the first two nights- the Sama Hostel; someone should burn that down.

Come to think of it, much of Santiago could do with being either burnt, bombed or simply knocked down; so much of it is so run down and dirty that it doesn't amount to much more than third world standards. They would be better off starting from scratch. However I have since moved into Eduardo's flat in Providencia, a more affluent area (fewer stray dogs), it is much more pleasant and comfortable than the hostel, and even has hot water although its a bit tricky to get it going.

Have spent most of today shuffling between Chilean International Police offices so as to get my 'Cedula' which is an identity card that is compulsory- what a hassle, beauraucracy here is worse than in Australia.

Eduardo is very nice (and very short), there is a miserable German with a buzz cut named Jenz also staying there, one of Eduardo's pipe puffing friends from Spain, Marcel. And also another Chilean called Jonathan (odd name for a chilean) who I think is Eduaro's 'partner' (still trying to work out if they are gay). Anyway last night we all watched 'The neverending story' in Spanish; can you imagine it?- 2 chilean poofs, a VERY stereotypical German, a stoned Spainard and me all watching what was a bad enough film in English, let alone Spanish.

Anyway must close now, would be good to hear from any of you that can be bothered. Will post again soon. Bye.