Back from Pucón & examenes

I just took a prueba (test) and got back a recent prueba. I am not feeling very smart. I somehow have a difficult time sacando the good notas (grades). Even other gringos in my Conflicto Armado class managed the relatively good grade on that last test, and I studied my butt! off for it. And i did not do so hot. no. granted they took it in English, but still. hmmm. And today we had more problems with our Género y Derecho professor. She just isn't really accommodating with our foreign student-ness. We finally got to take the prueba, after it being rescheduled 3 times, and then apparently we ran out of time, without knowing how much time we had to begin with, apparently! and only the friend/Riley who was in the room with her (with the rest of the class, watching a movie) was 'lucky' enough to figure out that we were out of time- since the rest of us were in the library. The professor left- like, bounced, after forty minutes and we took an hour (the length of the class). SO now I have the test, and professor and Riley got into a tiff, and I don't know what will happen on Tuesday- cause we don't have till then. I hope not another academic failure. I don't know if I could handle it...
Thursday is Chilean Labor day, and I'm going to Mendoza, Argentina. Basically almost all my friends have already gone for a long weekend (it's right over the border- you take a bus), and had an amazing time. We will ride bikes between vineyards! yay.
So our program took us to Pucón, this beautiful town in the south of Chile, near to Puerto Varras (see earlier post, in March?) We didn't get to do everything we wanted because we were told all activities were possible rain or shine, so we planned and it rained, and then they said, nope, oops, sorry. BUT, the cabañas (cabins) were gorgeous and Saturday we did do some really awesome rafting. See pictures. jaja. The air down there is so much more clear and nicer than in Santiago. My snot isn't dirty when I leave Santiago for more than a day. too much info for some maybe, but so so true.
I've been missing you all. you know who you are. besitos.

¡Fútbol!

This weekend Ilana and I went to Valpo/Viña and I saw Jenny Ray!! It was wonderful. Jray invited us to a fútbol game in Viña with her friends. It was loco. and awesome. I attach here a little thing I found online about it. Our team won and the fans were amazing. They had big drums and flares and chants and songs! See below (fyi: Triunfazo = big triumph. We were rooting for O'Higgins!):

sábado 12 de abril de 2008

Triunfazo de O'Higgins en Viña: 3-1 derrotó a Everton

O'Higgins es segundo en el torneo con 26 unidades, tres menos que Universidad Católica que venció a Universida de Concepción po 2-0.-

VIÑA DEL MAR.- Un verdadero golpe a la cátedra provocó esta noche O'Higgins de Rancagua, al vencer a domicilio al ex puntero Everton de Viña del Mar por 3-1.

El cuadro celeste llegó en tre oportunidades al arco rival y con una contundencia del 100 por ciento, dejó con las ganas a los viñamarinos de seguir en la punta del campeonato.

Everton abrió la cuenta a los 4 minutos, con gol de Exequiel Miralles. A los 38 minutos, el pachorra, Cristobal González aprovechó una falla del portero Jhony Herrera, para marcar el 1-1. Comenzando el segundo tiempo a los 56, O'Higgins se queda con uno menos por expulsión de Roberto Cáceres.

Everton sumaba y sumaba ocasiones de gol pero los celestes no se dejaron amedrentar. En los 77 minutos, un contragolpe de O'Higgins, le permitió a Jean Bousejour, anotar la ventaja rancagüina. Tres minutos más tarde, en otra contra, Joan Henríquez dejó la cuenta 1-3 para O'Higgins que ahora disfruta su segundo lugar en la tabla de posiciones de primera división, junto al propio Everton y Universida de Chile con 26 unidades. Casi al finalizar el partido, se fueron expulsados en Everton, Nelson Acosta, Exequiel Miralles y Mauricio Arias, y en O'Higgins, Joan Henríquez.

Incidentes en la tribuna.

Coincidentemente con la expulsión de los evertonianos, la barra de los ruleteros se descontroló. Las emprendió contra la barra de O'Higgins. Hubo más de cinco detenidos en el propio estadio y un carabinero resultó gravemente herido debido a un piedrazo lanzado por la barra de Everton. Posteriormente, la barra rancagüina devolvió los proyectiles en contra del público de Viña del Mar. Al final lo que era una fiesta se transformó en un bochorno.- (TEXTO: Deporteros; FOTO: O'Higgins S.A.D.P.)

For those who can't read the español: the bottom part says: Incidents in the stand. Coinciding with the explusion of a bunch of the home team's fans, they lost control of one of the fences (in the section next to us/the fans broke it). More then 5 people were detained and a police officer was gravely wounded by a rock thrown by the Everton section. Later, the Rancaguin section (right next to us) returned to throwing projectiles against the public of Viña del Mar (us). In the end, what was a fiesta turned into an embarrassment.

¡UPDATE!

pues... what have I been up to? many things.... Last Saturday I went to the Isla de Maipo (which is not an island) for the festival of Vendimia- a wine festival, with my 'chilean amassador,' Tania, and our group from the program. It was really fun. Chile is well-known for its excellent wines- and I got to keep my wine glass. I saw grape stomping and Chile's national dance, cueca. We shared a delicious cheese plate and lots of yummy artisenal chocolates. Especially Alfajores- which are these layerered cookies with Manjar, covered in chocolate. Manjar is the chilean thing- its kind of like dulce de leche/caramel. they put it on everything. I don't really like red wine, which is supposed to be better than the white here- but that's ok. I just drank white anyway:)

I also helped bake cookies for this international student event at La Católica yesterday. Every country with exchange students had a table, and cooked food and stuff. We made a lot of stuff with pnut butter. and cookies with m&ms. and Mary from Alabama (a new friend), made sweet tea. We didn't have any cups so everyone just took swigs from the bottles. it was very nice.

I'm going to Cinehoyt this afternoon to see a chilean movie and then to see jazz with people from my program. so that should be fun. Tomorrow, Tania (ambajadora) organized a bbq (called an 'asado'- very popular here) in this park on a hill, for our little group.

On the downside, I have a scary test coming up in Conflicto Armado this Thursday. We had a study session with our Ayudantes yesterday (they are like our class T.A.s). And I have my first paper for my joke class, Imagen de Chile, due April 29. That's right after our trip to Pucón. I can't decide if I'm going to climb the volcano. I want to ride horses instead.

Also, I decided I'm not going to Israel this summer. The program didn't really work out and I think I'd rather be home for a month. Maybe work? money = useful/I will need after this trip.