Valparaíso

What a weekend! It all started Friday with my first day at my internship. I'm working with an organization called Programa Prevencion Comunitaria (Community Prevention Program) in a barrio called Cerro Navia. What a difference from my home in Las Condes. The neighborhood is so poor and underdeveloped, I really hate how stratified society is here. For my internship I am working with the kids in the neighborhood and teaching them about human rights. Each month the organization picks a human right that we teach, the kids then decided what kinds of activities they want to do to demonstrate or exercise that right. The kids are so adorable! They vary in age from 7-15 and are all incredibly sweet. Working with them is going to be a challenge for sure, but it's one that I am incredibly eager to take on. They all speak at the same time, run around when they are supposed to be sitting, and don't take direction very well. I feel like a mute and I forget all my spanish whenever I try to talk, but their smiles make me smile. I left my first day completely exhausted.

That night it was time to relax with dinner and wine. 8 of us were supposed to make dinner but that turned into chips and dip and ordering pizza. Unfortunately the pizza tasted like play-doh, literally though. So the food was kind of a bust, but I still had a really great time relaxing and staying in, it was a good break from the clubs and bars. I spent the night at Hannah's house with Lauren and Christina. We clearly would not all fit on the one bed. I think I got a solid 2 hours of sleep that night on that wood floor, but whatever it was just another hilarious memory.

Valpo

Graffiti everywhere! It was pretty too!

In the morning we all headed to the bus station to leave for Valparaiso. Only a 1.5 hour bus ride and we were there! I had heard so many wonderful things about Valpo, but I was somewhat underwhelmed. It was still a really fun trip, but I wasn't in love with the city. Seeing the poet Pablo Neruda's house was really cool and it was fun to roam the streets. Some people say that Valpo is  like a mini San Francisco, but I must say, I think my City by the Bay has a lot more charm.  One thing that Valparaiso is known for is their graffiti. It's actually good! These people are true artists, not gang members who tag walls all over the place. I'm always jealous of people who can create art, I just think it is the most awesome talent ever. The graffiti definitely gave the city a youthful feel. That night we went to a club called El Huevo, that's right it's called The Egg. The club was pretty awesome. It had multiple stories and each story had a different "theme". You went from reggaeton to techno (naturally everybody was fist pumping) to salsa to pop. It was really fun to just dance and be kinda crazy.

La Sebastiana, 1 of Pablo Neruda's 3 homes.

Lot's of colorful houses.

Chorillana

For lunch the next day we were on the search for J. Cruz, the birthplace of Chorillana. We found it after wandering for most of the morning. It was in a sketchy alley, naturally all the best places are holes in the wall. You would never guess that this tiny restaurant, tucked away in a corner, would be the creator of such deliciousness. After Chorillana I would say that the next most exciting thing that happened was my friend Lauren almost getting her backpack stolen... We were sitting the in bus station waiting to get our tickets validated and Lauren was watching multiple people's backpacks, big mistake. Some guy just ran by and snatched a backpack from right under Lauren's legs! She screamed real loud, which was good cause it got people's attention, "STOP YOU SHITHEAD, STOPP, STOPP!" I was standing in line and didn't realize that it was Lauren who had screamed, but our friend Daniel was quick to react. He took off running after the guy. It all happened to fast, and I was completely useless. Lauren and I walked outside and I saw Daniel walking back, WITH LAUREN'S BACKPACK! He caught up to the guy and the robber dropped it. We got lucky. It was definitely an experience, but after that I was ready to get out of Valpo. I'm glad I went and saw it, but it wasn't the best trip I've taken in my life.