So getting back to Valdivia was so weird and right and hard to explain. Ha. So different from last time. This time (even coming from the south) I recognized stuff long before we got to Valdivia. I got off that bus, and got my taxi to my house. Made some light conversation with the driver, just like a pro. It was sunny. We crossed the bridge. We passed Terpel. An entirely different sensation than when I got here in August. I kind of wanted to explode it was all so familiar and beautiful.
Got to the house, and it was like I was just coming back from a weekend trip. My host mom and I caught up in the doorway to my bedroom.
Nothing and everything is different here. Pao moved to Santiago. My host dad is changing jobs. My yarn was right where I left it. Astrud Gilberto´s still singing in the living room. On our street and in our garden there are new flowers for the season, some I´ve never seen before. Telma was missing. Vale still talks really fast. New posters in my room. One of the water glasses broke. That sort of thing.
My classes started that next morning.
“Bases Teóricas del Lenguaje y Comunicación.” Whatever that means. But, I think I´m really going to like it, it seems to be about language and phonetics and stuff—linguistics, really. But it is a little scary that it´s with Chileans. (I would have cried if I had tried to do this last semester, I think. )
“Francés.” That´s right, a French class. Also with Chileans. This should be funny. Sure, the class is taught in Spanish, but really, we´re all starting at square one. (Well, except for those cheaters who apparently studied before the first class).
“Comunicación Oral y Escrito.” Another Chilean class. With “forestry” majors, as far as I can tell. Anyway, I think we´re mainly just learning how to be good communicators? You never can be too good at that…
“Suprasegmental Phonetics.” This one I just go to, I´m not enrolled. ( I´m the “assistant.” ) It´s for English Teaching majors, and it´s dealing with intonation and stuff. It´s super interesting, although funny because when the professor asks me to give an example he often has to correct it… he teaches British English, and I´m just not British.
“History of Chile.” The name says it all. This one is with gringos.
- “Conversation and Communication.” We write papers. We talk. She corrects us. You get it. Also with gringos.
So speaking of gringos… the new kids from the states just got here! It´s a way smaller group; (of last semester´s 33, seven stayed, nine new ones came and now we are 16 in total). They go around reminding us of all the weird things that we´ve forgotten are weird.
Valdivia´s always been nice but it is just so pretty here right now; fall in March never looked so good. The days are sunny and the nights are foggy. Also, the homework load hasn´t really started yet, so I´ve been going to Niebla, carving pumpkins, teaching a little swing dance. Taking pictures, going on walks. Watching freshman hazing… “mechoneos,” which look kind of rough. (Food and vinegar and stuff being thrown, hair cut off… then that poor train of mechones and their elephant-style walk through campus, I assume being led to another fate.)
En fin, I´m so happy to be back. I´m excited to do minimal travelling and maximum living. I´m outta here, and I know I said I´m ready to settle down a little, but stay tuned because coming soon… Chiloé, take II!
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| What I see if I walk a little past my house. |
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| What I see if I take a micro (bus) a little past my house. (Saturday afternoon adventure, road to Niebla.) |
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| What I see if I go downtown (the waterfront). |
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| What I see right before my house (a giant orange-flowered plant). |
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| He made the mistake of becoming a freshman. |
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| It´s March. This is so weird to me. |
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| That night of the giant moon! |
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| Our very own murta bush! |
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| The familiar walk into the sunset, going home from downtown. :-) |
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| And that familiar walk across the bridge. |
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| And that one famous, ever-present dog. |
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| Can´t get enough of these hydrangeas, and they are EVERYWHERE. |
