PISCO ELQUI / BIKE TOUR

Let me preface this with the truth: it had been a long, long time since I had been on a bike anywhere other than in a gym, and riding a real bike is quite different than a stationary bike. I was expecting this to be a miserable experience but worth it for the beauty, but it was a lot of fun. We really wanted to see Pisco Elqui and the surrounding area, and we eventually settled on a bike tour offered by Turismo Migrantes. They drove us to the top of the hill, and then let us find our way back to town. The photo above is where we started...

Above is the river that we went down to — one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. It had a few leftover campfire pits, and I would love to bring Brandon back here and camp under the stars. It was so peaceful, and the openness was just unreal. Getting back up the hill made me want to die, but it was worth it!

We biked a bit further and came across this breathtaking crevasse, one of several that was just incredible. I can only imagine what this would look like covered in snow.

We got back into the city surprisingly fast — the drive to the top seemed eternal, but getting back to Pisco Elqui was surprisingly prompt. I admit, I was happy to get back and have some juice! 

This was the day before the tour, at one of the hotel/bars we snuck into for a photo. The lighting was wretched, but you can see the important things: The beauty of the valley and the crevasse behind me. Incredible. I'm so happy to be in Chile.

LA SERENA / VICUNA

Last week we had a lot of free time, so a few of the girls in the group and I went on a little bus trip up to La Serena/Vicuna/Pisco Elqui for a few nights. I've split up the photos between the two posts so as not to inundate you, but it was breathtaking. 

First stop was La Serena, a mid-size coastal city. It was a long, long bus ride (12 hours+ total) and we were pretty tired when we arrived. We didn't really do much in the way of touring the first day, but we did go for a shortish afternoon walk to the beach. I was surprised at how warm the water was! I am used to the frigid waters of Oregon, and I assumed that the water here would be the same. I really enjoyed slipping my shoes off and enjoying the warm sand and water after the long day!

The main strip had several sculptures, mostly portraying people in acts of bathing or playing with children. This bathtub fascinated me though! Why? Why have a random tub on the side of a walkway? What does it mean?

We spent one night in La Serena, and then traveled to the Pisco Elqui/Vicuna area. We went to Vicuna for the observatories, and it was so worthwhile. The ozone layer is much thinner here than it is in Oregon, and the visibility was amazing. Watching the stars that night, looking into the telescopes, every minute was just mesmerizing. There was such a peaceful stillness there on the mountain, and I hope to experience that again.

Random tidbit: Chile has a great deal of the same franchises/stores as Oregon, and I had seen several McDonalds while here, but no Subways. I had just spent a solid 20 seconds whining about it while walking past McDonalds #20000 when we came across this beauty. I don't eat a ton of Subway in the U.S., but this was such a nice taste of home. I really, really enjoyed that veggie sub! We ate local cuisine every other night, and only stopped here because it was a holiday and a great deal of the good, non-chain restaurants were closed. I'm really trying to eat/shop local as much as I can while here.

FREEDOM AND FEAR

Today was my last day of class for the summer! It feels strange to have finished off a year of Spanish in  two months, and I already miss going to class. I'm one of those people who whines about getting up early, having homework and getting stuck working on projects, but misses the crap out of it when it is over. I guess I'm a glutton for punishment? 

I'm completely and utterly terrified though. I'm not quite sure how well I did on the test today, and if I didn't do well, I may not be able to go to Chile. See, the previous terms consisted of four tests, each worth ten percent of your overall grade. That meant that if you struggled a bit with one of the concepts, you weren't completely out of luck.  However, this term we only had two tests, and each test was worth 25% of your overall grade. This would have been fine, except for the fact that the tests were the same length as the previous tests, and the questions were very similar. 

It doesn't seem like a big deal, but look at it this way: I usually scored about 88 on the previous tests. Not bad at all, considering we spent about two days on each chapter and I was working full time. This term we spent the same amount of time on each chapter, but everything was worth roughly twice as much as it was before, taking my comfortable 88 and making it 44. Not reassuring numbers in a 400 point class. Those numbers can make an A student a C student in no time flat. 

I admit, I have checked the website over and over again, and my grade probably won't be posted for another three or four days. I feel like I'm dying! 

I have an enormous amount of nervous energy because of it. I managed to finish putting away all of the bedroom boxes and reorganize all of the bedroom after class, and still feel twitchy and anxious, even though it is nearly midnight and I got very little sleep last night studying. I'm just stuck in this awful cycle of could have, would have, should have. What if I had studied harder? I should have quit my job sooner, and then I would have had more time to study. 

I also fear that it is a self fulfilling prophecy. I haven't bought my plane ticket yet. Maybe I've known all along that I'm inadequate? Incapable of doing well enough to do something like this. Maybe I'm too stupid to try.