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This beautiful quote, from the famous Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda, has stuck with me over the weekend. The English translation for this line says, “Today is today, and yesterday was it. There is no doubt.” How thoughtful and peaceful, right? I'll talk more about Pablo Neruda and this quote in just a bit! Anyway, I can't believe we just closed on week two and starting week three. I have been enjoying every second that I’m here whether it’s going to Spanish classes at ECELA, visiting Universidad Mayor, going to our Placements, meeting up with our friends from UMayor for dinner and drinks or going on different tours. Everything was perfect and I know that our final week here will be just as great as the other two weeks. On Friday after Spanish classes, we went to Universidad Mayor for a little gathering, where my classmates and I reunited with our Chilean friends and we met other students from UMayor who had visited Buffalo State in the past. It was so cool being able to get to know past delegates and hear them talk about their time spent in Buffalo. Two students that visited Buffalo in 2017 had came back last summer to go to the wedding of one of the girls who went to Chile the last time. I thought that was cool and it shows how well they bonded. I know I have established a great relationship with this year's delegates, that I want to invite them all to be in my wedding, whenever I get married, ha-ha. On Saturday, ECELA offered a tour to Isla Negra, which is where on of the three homes of Pablo Neruda is located. I jumped on this opportunity, because I had some background knowledge of who Pablo Neruda is and why he is so important in Chile, through a book that I will be using for a Read Aloud activity at one of my placement and from reading one of the blogs from previous students. The first stop we made was market where locals sold their crafts. There were lots of pottery sold here in different sizes and shapes and for really good prices too. I wanted to buy a few bowls, but I was afraid that they would break on the way back to the United States. However, I did purchase a Jenga set (for a great price), a dream catcher, and handmade jewelry. After given an hour to shop, we had lunch at a restaurant that located in the market before we drove to Casa de Isla Negra. Casa de Isla Negra is the name of Pablo Neruda's house turned into a museum, in Isla Negra. His house sits high up, so that it looks over the beach and the water, which you could definitely get to see that breathtaking view from his bedroom. The tour into his house was a self-guided tour, where we each had an electronic device that would tall to us and describe the rooms and all of his trinkets Pablo had received throughout the years. Listening to the story behind Pablo himself, but also about his mistress, the rooms, and why he placed his trinkets in a certain manner just summed him up to be a really thoughtful man. He really was a sweet and adorable man, and is a gem to Chile. By the end of the tour, I had declared Pablo Neruda as my favorite poet (Sorry Edgar Allen Poe!), and bought three books of his poetry, where each book had a different theme. The poems are written in Spanish, but the book comes with the English translations. However, I’m determined to just read the ones in Spanish and try to decipher them myself. The gift shop is where I saw the quote, that I mentioned in the beginning. It was on a postcard and one of my classmates pointed it out to me and asked me to translate it for her. Once I read it, I fell in love with Pablo Neruda even more. Now I want to live by this quote for the rest of my life! The final destination of this Saturday trip was to the beach, Punta de Tralca. We walked around the beach and up to this rocky hill, where we got the perfect and breathtaking view of the Pacific Ocean as the sun started to set. We stayed for an hour, which was perfect as I sat on top of a rock and relaxed. On Sunday, half of my classmates went trekking across the Andes where the other half went to a vineyard. I decided to go to the winery because I have never participated in a wine tour and my ankle has been bothering me lately, so I didn’t want to irritate it more by trekking. Hopefully the next time I come to visit; I will be ready to go trekking. Anyway, we went to Undurraga Vineyards, which is one of the oldest wineries in the area and it produces a large amount of Chilean wine that is exported all over the world! I learned that about 70% of Carménère wine is produced in Chile due to the perfect climate, the wine barrels are mainly produced in France and in the United States where in 5 years they are later sold to vendors that make liquors such as Pisco, whiskey, etc. I loved learning how they plant the grapes in a certain way to how they transfer the grapes to the machines with woodchips to turn them into a liquid before storing it into the barrels. Of course, my favorite part of the tour was tasting the wines. We tried four types of wines, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carménère, and a dessert wine (I cannot remember unfortunately). I normally drink sweet or semi-dry white wines, but I was very surprised how delicious the Cabernet Sauvignon and the Carménère were. I ended up buying a bottle of Carménère to take home with me, it was that delicious! I was one happy camper by the end of the day
5 Comments
Cristi Terrell
6/18/2019 09:46:23 am
This looks like such a fantastic day!!! The views are breathtaking and now I plan to learn more about Pablo Neruda. And you know a wine tour is right up my alley!! I know the weeks are churning by, but I know you are soaking up every experience ❤️🙏🏽❤️
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Dr. Patti
6/18/2019 11:56:09 am
Carmen - You write the most detailed and beautiful blog posts. Thank you for sharing so much about your adventures over the weekend. I have been to Isla Negra 3 times and could go back over and over again. It is such a neat place and the story is so interesting, as you said. I always think when I am trying to work/write, that if I was sitting at Pablo's desk with the window overlooking the Pacific, I would perhaps be more inspired, though I doubt I would be a world-renowned poet. Ha ha. Enjoy week 3!
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Shannon Budin
6/18/2019 09:34:00 pm
Your photos are amazing. I love your reflections and details! It sounds like you are making life long friends, too!
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8/11/2022 08:22:34 am
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Solicitar un préstamo ahora
1/24/2024 11:07:39 am
Buenos días señor / señora,
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Author¡Bienvenido! Welcome! My name is Carmen and I am a Mathematics Education major at SUNY Buffalo State College. This will be my first experience going abroad with the school. I am beyond excited what Santiago, Chile has in store for me. Please tune in to my blogs as I share my travel experience as well as sharing another perspective of education outside of the United States! ArchivesCategories |