Fotos! Family in various forms.

Me and my famfam! yaay!

Me in my new alpaca sweater from Argentina with my honorary host bro Cristian.

Fotos! Valparaíso tour!

My friend Daniela from my public health class and her nephew, Luca. Daniela and her sister gave me a tour of Valparaíso this evening!

Interview (Part II)

Hello all!

I've included here my responses to a few more interview questions presented to me by a gal from Scripps. Enjoy!

1. What was the name of your town/village in Senegal and how large was it?

I spent the semester living with a host family in Dakar –Senegal’s capital. I spent a week living with another host family in a village called Louly Ngogom –which is a few hours south of Dakar. Dakar is a huge city containing a large percentage of the nation’s population. I’m sure wiki could give you a rough count. Louly Ngogom couldn’t have had more than 2,000 inhabitants, and probably less. Their primary language was Serer while Dakarois speak Wolof and, for the most part, French.


2. What was the house like that you lived in there?

The house I lived in while staying in Dakar was quite large, containing an inner courtyard, two floors, and a terrace. I’d say we were upper-middle class. We had a gas stove, but my host mother preferred the slower and more flavorful method of cooking over charcoal. When the shower broke, we spent the rest of the semester showering out of a bucket. Regardless, the water was always cold. We flushed the toilet by throwing a bucket of water in. The house was comfortable and inhabited by three generations, but fans were absolutely necessary during the beginning of the hot rainy seasons. We had our fair share of fine china, a basic TV, a pristine dinning room, and plenty of room to throw parties. My friends oftentimes commented on how lovely and large our house was by comparison to theirs, but I visited several houses that were as posh as any upper-class house in the US.

My temporary home in Louly Ngogom was composed of a collection of buildings made of cement or thatch amidst an enclosure covered in sand. We were very rich, housing a large political figure of the area, and the couches in one formal sitting room attested to this wealth. We cooked over embers, showered out of buckets, ate around one flashlight over dinner, and used a hole in the cement for our personal endeavors. Decoration was non-existent outside of the one showy sitting room and meals were taken outdoors.

I’m not sure about which home you were inquiring about, so I thought I’d just cover both of them. ☺


3. Are you now living in Vina del Mar? How big is that and how near to a major Chilean city?

Viña del Mar is pretty much a suburb of Valparaíso, which is either the second or third biggest city in Chile. I take a bus twenty minutes into Valparaíso for classes during the week. My home here is similar to those found in the states, we have a huge mall three blocks away, and lovely monuments and parks mark the cityscape at regular intervals. However, my friends and family here constantly emphasize to me the great degree of poverty found in other parts of the country.

Art

My latest art project. If my prof approves, I will be using this for a block ink printing piece.

Fotos! The best in life: Food and Family!

My mamá, my baby nephew, and our lovely neighbor Miré who is practically part of the family.

An appetizer! Its some sort of mejillon, or mussel.

My host father, Jorge, and my little nephew.

In spanish, this is called tuna. It is a delicious fruit with round seeds in the middle that comes from some sort of cactus. yum! AHA! I just looked up the translation for tuna! It's a prickly pear! (*Don't pick the prickly pear by the paw. When you pick a pear try to use the claw!*)

My host father eating tuna. :-)

THE CHILE QUIZ! PLAY TO WIN!

Are you ready for a game?!?!

Today’s game is called, “The Chile Quiz!” No, its not academic, and yes, there is a prize, so roll up your sleeves and whip out a blank word document, because we’re about to get down and let the good times roll!

How this works: okay, so I’m providing you with a series of multiple choice questions concerning what I’ve experienced of Chile thus far. Your job is to answer them to the best of your ability BEFORE checking the key that I will place at the end. THIS IS AN HONOR SYSTEM! Your karma points will go way down if you tell us all that you got a perfect score, when in fact you feel that you deserved a C! So, answer them all, grade your quiz, and post your score in the comments section of this post –or send me your results via facebook or email. Whatever works. And now for the good part: WHOEVER GETS THE MOST CORRECT WILL RECEIVE ONE GENUINE, HIGHLY-SOUGHT-AFTER POSTCARD FROM YOURS TRULY!

Let me repeat that, I will send you a POSTCARD with a Chilean stamp and everything if you show me your mad, superior skills on this quiz. :-D I hope you’ve rolled up those sleeves already, because here we go!


* * *


THE CHILE QUIZ

1. What is a “pololo?”
a. A tasty Chilean rice dish.
b. A boyfriend.
c. The typical wart found on every Chilean host mother’s face.
d. A fruit.

2. What controversial dictator hangs heavy over Chile’s recent history? (okay, I know this is academic, but don’t you dare go consulting wiki!)
a. Pinochet
b. Mussolini
c. Salazar
d. Piñera

3. What is Jocelyn’s favorite type of Chilean food/drink thus far?
a. Her mother’s special pork and bean stew.
b. The abundant avocadoes.
c. Pisco sour: almost like a margarita –but better!
d. Fruit juices: freshly blenderized!
e. b and d.
f. a and b.

4. What is the name of the meal that Chileans eat in the evening?
a. La té.
b. La once.
c. La merienda.
d. La cena.

5. Which of these are you LEAST likely to find on a bus?
a. A clown.
b. The ice-cream man.
c. A fortuneteller.
d. A baby.

6. Which of the following does Jocelyn frequently pause to do during her walk home from school?
a. Buy an avocado from the corner store.
b. Do pull-ups at the park.
c. Climb up the alley wall.
d. Have tea with Sadio.

7. If Jocelyn lives on 12 Norte and her university is at the corner of Argentina and Brazil, how many blocks does she walk to school each day?
a. Only a few; it’s not far!
b. Too many! Aaaaack!
c. I don’t know what you’re talking about; the concept of “blocks” doesn’t exist in Chile.
d. Why would she walk when she could just take the bus?!


8. Which of the following items, bought in Chile, is priced incorrectly (in US$)?
a. Box cutter: 30 cents.
b. Postcard: 40 cents.
c. 10 Multimedia CDs: $10.
d. One pad of lined post-its: $5.

9. Most Chileans live with their parents until they…
a. …turn 18.
b. …go to the university.
c. …graduate from the university and get a job.
d. …get married.

10. What act will most definitely get an exchange student kicked out of their host family’s house?
a. Coming home drunk.
b. Not coming home at all.
c. Having a significant other sleep over.
d. a and c.
e. a and b.

11. What is the name of Chile’s primary indigenous population?
a. Mapuche.
b. Puelche.
c. Huaorani.
d. Apache.

12. What nickname does Jocelyn’s host family give her?
a. Jocey.
b. Hijita.
c. Gringuita.
d. a and b.
e. All of the above.

13. Which value is typically held in higher esteem by Chileans? (at least according to my Public Health professor)
a. Friendship.
b. Honesty.
c. Responsibility.
d. Cleanliness.

14. What was the magnitude of Chile's largest earthquake in recent history on the Richter scale?
a. 7.5
b. 7.8
c. 8.8
d. 9.5

15. Who makes my bed in the morning?
a. Me.
b. My host mom.
c. My nana.
d. Nobody.

BONUS QUESTION!!!
Name as many of my classes as you can, or at least their fields.





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Key: 1-b, 2-a, 3-e, 4-b, 5-c, 6-b, 7-d, 8-c, 9-d, 10-d, 11-a, 12-e, 13-a, 14-c, 15-c.

Don’t forget to report back on your results! ;-)

Fotos! Escaleras y palabras.

Photos of some stairs on campus.
"Because I want nothing, I have everything."

"Everything for everyone."