Surprise Me!

Tiffany and I knew we wanted to have a gathering before we left Valdivia. We set a date and place (Sunday at the park) then, like anyone that wants to advertise an event, we made a facebook group. The day before our arranged party, Rodrigo told us that our party was not going to be at the park, like we had planned, but at his house. Ok, we thought. That is fine as long as everyone knew the changes. He assured us that everyone would know.

The morning of our party, Pia told us that our party is not going to be on Sunday, but it was going to be on Monday. Ok, but we would have to tell everyone again because Rodrigo just told them something different.

Moments later, Rossio told us that the party was actually going to be at the church and not at Rodrigo's home. Huh? Ok ok ok. Now that we had changed the time AND place of our party hours before it was supposed to happen, we relied on our friends to inform the masses.

When we arrived to the party that we had originally planned, we were quite happy to see that it had turned into a surprise party...for us! I have never planned my own surprise party, but I might consider doing it more often. It was great. We played Spoons and ate treats and took a GREAT series of photos.

Hot Water

After our trip through the caves, we were completely soaked. COMPLETELY!

The professors took us out to lunch then we prepared to go to what they continually called "a spa". They described it as a place with "naturally hot water". We have been known to get lost in translation. I will admit it has happened more than once, so we were pretty sure they meant "hot spring". We were fully expecting to stop on the side of the road somewhere in the mountains and jump into a hot pot.
However, this time the professors knew what they were talking about. They brought us the Menetue spa in Pucon. It is a nice resort in the Andes with naturally hot water pumped into baths. Here is a picture of us minutes after handed our towels and caps. I guess we won't doubt our professors anymore.Why our two professors would want to go to a spa with us, I am not sure. But I wasn't about to question it. We were warm. We were happy.

"Guano is a self-sustaining ecosystem"

This weekend, our professors brought us to the Eureka Volcano, nestled in the middle of the Andes and closer to Argentina than Valdivia. At the foot of the mountain are lava caves. They are the only tourable lava caves in South America and we were happy to get out of the poring rain and into the caves. Unfortunately, there wasn't any guano in the caves. The only animal that survives these beasts are small crickets. With or without guano, these caves were Planet Earth material.

There were different types of lava formations. Some looked like cow dung
and others looked like chocolate.
The caves were fully lit and professional then when we hit the end, they turned off the lights and we had a moment in the silence. You couldn't tell if your eyes were open or closed. It was my favorite part of the tour. So for all those curious what it looked like, I included a picture.

Black and White is Always More Dramatic

We went out to a dance/fiesta at the stake center on Friday night. It was in the stake center cultural hall; therefore, all of the photos we took that night had the horrible yellow tint to them. You know the one that I am talking about? The one that makes your pictures looked aged about 20 years or a product of the 80's. After fruitless editing on the computer, I decided that void of any color was the way to make them presentable.
As I walked into the dance, I had some MAJOR flashbacks to youth stake dances in Maple Valley. Disco ball. Paper streamers. Old music. Practically empty, even after we showed up the traditional 30 mins late. Yep--just like I remembered it. I surveyed the refreshments table and prepared for a night of light snacking, occasionally singing along to the music, and carefully calculated trips to the restroom to break up the time.

However there are a few major differences between dances in Chile and the stake dances of yesteryear:
1. Lights remain on. Turning them off would lead to risque dancing.
2. The music is all salsa latin music. Reggae salsa. Mexican salsa. Samba salsa.
3. Instead of Red Vines and M&Ms, they have crackers, cookies and soda pop set out on the long rectangle tables. meh.
4. Everyone dances in two long lines and not the traditional American circles/clump-things
5. You dance with the same person for extended periods of time, not just one song. This can last for half an hour or the entire length of the dance. (Not dancing for an extended period of time insults your dance partner as I came to learn.)
6. The dances last much longer. We were lucky to leave at about 2 am.
7. And everyone at the dance--get this--actually dances. Weird, huh? At one point, I counted only 2 people standing along the wall of the room.
Nadia and Rocio are some of our favorite Chileans. They were the most fun at the dance! They were eager to learn "American dance moves" and loved mimicking all of the youth stake dance classics ("the sprinkler", "the shopping cart", endless jumping for no reason, etc.)This last photo was after the dance contest. As you can see in the back of the picture, Tiffany and Pablo moved on to the next round. Jaime and I lost. Next time I will win. Next time I am in Chile and forced to participate in a dance contest....next time...

The Wheels On The Bus Go Round and Round...and round

Yesterday Tiffany and I went to the bus terminal and bought most of our bus tickets for the rest of the trip. It was a slightly sober part of the day, not only because we spent so much money on bus tickets, but it solidified the reality that we are in fact leaving Valdivia on Wednesday morning.

Here is a summary of the damage--
Valdivia to Osorno: $3000 pesos, 2 hour bus ride
Osorno to Bariloche: $13,500 pesos, 8 hour bus ride
Bariloche to Osorno: $13,500 pesos, 8 hour bus ride
Osorno to Santiago: $12,000 pesos, 20 hour bus ride

Still to purchase--
Santiago to Valparaiso: 3 hour bus ride
and
Valparaiso to Santiago: 3 hour bus ride

I don't think I will ever want to ride another bus again after this experience.

Is there any city more beautiful than this one?

I didn't think so.

Creative Liberty

Many times while blogging, I have a compilation of photos. My sister is kind enough to arrange them for me with the promise that I will bring her something cool from Chile. I simply email her the pictures and--poof!--a couple days later she sends me a beautiful arrangement.

Last week, I sent her this short message: I am granting upon you creative freedom with these pictures. Something super cool. I am always happy with what you send me something back.

With these pictures:Today, she sent me this message: Be careful when you say creative freedom.

With this picture:I believe her now.

All-Stars: Chilean Edition

Prof Nunez: Frequently addressed as Profe and Pepe. Has only worn a tie twice in his life, and I have witnessed one of those times.

Nadia: Mother of the cutest little 7-month old girl, Flora. Loves chocolate and cookies and just about everything else sweet. Served mission in Argentina.

Sergio: Has a sweet volleyball spike, a funny "hoo-hoo" laugh and an ardent theory that Sponge-Bob-Square-Pants is Chilean.

Anibal: Plays soccer, volleyball and everything else, but basketball is his favorite. He lives in Niebla and is studying business at UACh.

Sebastian: Works in my lab. Serious arachnophobia, but always has his hair just the way he likes it. Only taking two classes right now: English and Evolution.

Walter (or Balto): Karate kid of Chile. The first time we played volleyball at church, we exchanged "victory" dances after good plays.

Jorge: Plays the cello, piano, guitar, violin and probably a couple other instruments. Loves movies and volleyball. Has great British accent.

Pia: Aka "La Pia" or "Pollo". Our first good friend in Chile. She takes us on walks to the park and calls us to make sure we attend the church activities.

Poster time.

Last Friday, I attended a presentation where some of the professors of Universidad de Austral spoke about their research to city and government officials. My professor spoke about his new book and the struggles that they experienced in its production.

Tiffany and I made a poster to display our work and advertise the PIRE project in general. We were only given a couple days to put it all together, but I think it came out alright.

It was rumored to be the second time in his life that Professor Nunez has worn a tie, so I made sure to document it.

Afterward, they had general social time. We couldn't have any of the drinks, so we thought we would try some of the crackers. Bad choice. They looked pretty but they were THE nastiest thing I have eaten in Chile. Hands down.

Cha-chow!

I realize that I have been a slacker on the blog writing lately. Today, instead of a typical 9-hour lab day, the professor is taking Tiffany and I to one of the local parks to...well, look for more frogs, but *fortunately* it gives me a couple extra hours in the morning to catch up on some recent activities.

The first and one of my favorite recent activities was going to an orchestra on Monday. Jorge, one of our best friends here, is a professor at the music school and gave us tickets to the orchestra. The same orchestra that left two days later to tour Italy and Switzerland--wow. Getting dressed up and waiting in the church/concert hall was exciting and reminded me of similar feelings of anticipation for concerts in the states. And the performance was amazing! Nutcracker in the first half and traditional Chilean music in the second half.

I only took two pictures that night. This one, then one of the empty stands before the performers came on stage. I thought this was the more interesting of the two.

Why don't we do this?

Here in Valdivia, there is a certain tradition. Some may call it "hazing", others "cruel and unusual punishment"--I like to call it "Hilarious"

Every year the first year students at each university are put through an initiation process. Basically they are painted, drenched with water and other foods, then told to beg on the streets for money. From what I understand, they have to receive a certain amount of money to buy clean clothes back from the second-year students.

Each day is a different vocation at a different school, so for the first couple of weeks of classes, there are dirty first-years roaming the city, doing just about anything for a couple coins--even posing for a picture with some Americans.

Who Said I Can't Be 10 Feet Tall?

I used 1 ml test tubes for all of my DNA isolations, gels products and other tests. While working, I would daydream about being a giant. Now, I am working with PCR micro test tubes which are even smaller. They contain a tiny amount of liquid, smaller than a tear drop. And they literally make me feel like this: (but with maybe a bit more clothing)

10 Reasons

To avoid homesickness, it is necessary for me to find joy in random things here in Chile. These are the top reasons why yesterday was awesome, in no particular order.

1. It was sunny and clear blue skies after a cloudy morning.
2. My PCR gel had the positive results that I wanted. booya.
3. We played volleyball for hours after being in lab all day--the perfect way to release some pent up energy. Teams of three. Jorge, Tiffany and I were unstoppable.
4. I found out that I have tickets to an orchestra down here, next Monday. It is the regional orchestra that is traveling to Italy next week and starting an international tour in Europe, so I anticipate a great concert.
5. I was supposed to identify 30 frogs post-mortem (something that is actually really hard because they look so similar). My professor checked my work, like a pop-quiz, but literally. And...I got them ALL correct!
6. The professor at the pension, where we live, gave me a ride to school after lunch break, so I saved a whopping $170 Chilean pesos on a bus ride (about 32 cents).
7. Sebastian agreed to let me attend English class with him next week.
8. Lunch was followed by pepinomelon, a Chilean fruit that is just like an apple/pear, but I like it because it is exotic and new.
9. My shower was the perfect temperature, not the series of scorching-hot and then suddenly ice-cold that it typically is.
10. My friend, Cami Richey (she is awesome), entered the MTC.

Go UACh fútbal!

As I was walking to lab today, I saw this and had to take a picture. All of the laundry in Chile is hung to dry, but I guess I had never imagined the university's team jerseys out on the line. I just thought it was pretty.

FHE

This Monday, I gave the Noche de Hogar (FHE) lesson...in Spanish. It was my first time speaking in front of people. And although it was a close group of young single adults and friends, I was really nervous. I spent a couple days working on my lesson: reading, writing, then translating into Spanish. Fortunately, with the assistance of an online translator and the help of a good friend, I was able to finish just in time. I spent Monday afternoon practicing my pronunciation and trying to get the words to flow instead of the Spanish spaghetti topped with marble meatballs that it felt like in my mouth.

After done, I was pleased with the discussion, general impression, and mostly--the relief of finishing. The evening concluded with some homemade sugar cookies, sudoku puzzles and chatting. It was a good night.

"Mayonase"

At school my typical jar of mayonnaise lasts through fall and winter semester, then I would grab it from the back of the fridge and throw it away before I left my apartment for summer. However, Chileans eat mayo on EVERYTHING. Hotdogs. Rice. Avocados. Potatoes. Chicken. Steak. It is only sold in giant bags and consumed as quickly as milk.

At first I was hesitant. When pressured, I would politely put a scoop on my plate and only barely dab my food in it when someone was watching. However, I am starting to enjoy it on...well, just about everything. I think it adds a creamy and pleasant zing! and I find myself reaching for the bowl of mayo just about every meal.

And before all of you comment "Gag. That is so gross!!!" or "Eww." or "I just vomited a little in my mouth", just try it.

ANOTHER week of frog hunting?

(I know--it sounds repetitive to me as well.) But it is true. I rode down to Castro, Chiloe with Sebastian and Felipe. It is a six hour drive to Castro, then we drove a couple more hours of driving each day, to find good hunting roads along the island. Basically, a week of a lot of time in the car.

Unfortunately, Felipe had a limited number of CDs. I thought I was never going to recover after listening to Felipe's favorite, Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon for 5 hours. straight. Felipe then put in an "American favorite": Bee Gees. I can handle the Bee Gees, I thought. Disco Fever. However, after the fourth straight listen, I was barely staying alive. But then Felipe decided to put in Los Trios, a Chilean group, and the guys sung along to these songs for a couple of hours. As I was dying a slow and painful death, all I could think was "put the Bee Gees back in...please". That is when Felipe really surprised me. "What is this we have here? Romantic Songs CD? Who put that there?" He put it in and we were then serenaded by these 90's stake dance cheesey love songs for a couple more hours. gag. haha. another gag.

Needless to say, the first thing I did when I got back to Valdivia, was plug in my computer and head straight to itunes. Happiness is listening to whatever music you want...[content sigh].

Gel Time

Here are my results from last week for those interested:Yay me.

Lab Week!

This week I began the first of a four-step process in my lab work: isolation of the frog liver DNA, gel electrophoresis to confirm presence of DNA, PCR to amplify DNA, then DNA sequencing for comparison. On Monday, I was introduced to the machinery in the lab by Dr. Nunez as mentioned before. I started the process with just two frog samples each test run, then quickly became comfortable enough with the protocol to work more.

Limited equipment, only 12 samples at a time, and up to two hours of waiting between certain steps of the protocol, the procedure to isolate the DNA for all 75 samples can take quite a long time. I would use these periods to write, read literature, and simply daydream...but eventually bored of these activities. Sometimes 10-hours a day in the lab and no internet access--what was I to do? Photo Booth and iMovie were my answers.

Tristram, this video is for you because you said I could post as many pictures of myself as I wanted to.
Mom, I am sure you noticed that my outfit didn't change during the movie. Don't worry. It represents one day and I did change my shirt the next day...maybe.
Dad, note that I am doing work and not just spending three months in Chile playing.
Dormans, there is one pose in there specifically for you.

It's my blog, so get use to it.

Update: After a week in the lab (and 361 photos later), I have completed about 60 of the 75 DNA isolations and confirmed 28 of those with a gel. YES!

Nicole Koontz Workspace

On Monday I started my first day of lab work with my frogs. Dr. Nunez helped me review the protocols and introduced me to what he called my "workspace". I resisted giggling just a little as my mind automatically thought of The Office. Thank you Dwight Schrute.

I also included a photo of the school's autoclave (yes, it is a communal autoclave and all the labs have to share.) It is just about a million years old and it is questionable whether it actually cleans the tools and other equipment that we put in it. hmmm.

Souvenirs for one and all.

Last weekend, we went to Niebla beach with our friends Jorge and Anibal. It was warm and sunny in Valdivia, not extremely hot, but tolerable. Tiffany and I decided to skip the jackets. It's the beach, right? Sun. Frolicking. Sand castles. These are the only things allowed. The particular beach that we visited is called Niebla--which means "fog" in Spanish--and true to its name, we experienced some less than ideal weather. I think we were right in the middle of a cloud. It was brisk and quite chilly. Instead of playing in the water, we decided to climb some rocks, wrap our towels around ourselves for warmth, and walk the beach. Personally, I decided to slip a couple times, cut my legs up, and fill my backpack with a collection of good skipping rocks which I intended to throw somewhere. Unfortunately, I forgot about the rocks until we were on our way home, but I thought of something else to do with them...
Of course! Souvenirs! To remember the event, we made some personalized souvenirs for Jorge and gave them to him the next time we saw him at FHE. I think he liked them.

To all those back home: Don't get too jealous. I will definitely make you some souvenirs too. And I think you will like them!

I dream frogs now.

These are photos of my latest frog collection trip in Parque Alerce Costera, just a couple hours south of Valdivia on the highway and a couple more hours on dirt roads--seriously in the middle of nowhere.Philipe drove his car which took quite the beating with mud, rocks and a group of researchers climbing in and out every ten minutes. Eventually, we even killed the battery and had to push start the car.
It was quite the rainy situation from 8am until 10pm, but for one brief second as we were preparing to leave, the rain stopped and we could see some of the beautiful valley vista.