Try, Try and Try again

TRIED: About a month ago when I was walking home from school, somebody on the street handed me a little flyer advertising the 10th anniversary of the Vina del Mar International Marathon. There was a 10K, a 21K and a full marathon (42K or 26 miles), and it happened to be on the exact same day that my mother in the US would be celebrating her birthday. Partially because I wanted to do something special in honor of her and partially because I’ve wanted to attempt one of these for quite some time now, I decided to sign up for the 21K, my first half marathon. The month went by, and despite the fact that I hadn’t trained as properly as I probably should have, on October 13th, at 5am in the morning, I was at the bus stop, yawning, but feeling ready to run.

Before the sun rose, about 5,000 fellow runners and I met in the town next door to Vina del Mar called Reñaca, and when the miniature cannon went off, off we went. The first part of the race was surprisingly easy because I started off at a comfortable pace, and the wave of people around me pretty much carried me right along. Plus the entire course stretched right alongside the coast of the mar, an incredible view and source of motivation. After a while, the massive block of runners started to disperse as it always does, and one of my best friends here, Dania, met up with me on her bike (she biked the entire race by my side-she’s the best, I know). I was feeling a little bit nervous, but still comfortable and confident overall, that is until I saw the course maker which read 2k. It’s one thing to think about running 13.1 miles. It’s a totally different feeling when you realize you’ve been running for 10 minutes and you still have 19 more kilometers to go...

However, thanks to an incredible amount of support from friends, my faithful biking buddy by my side, and a lot of built up emotion and thoughts to occupy my mind, I finished every single meter of that race without stopping once, and at an almost perfectly consistent pace of 8:19 per mile. My final time was 1:48 minutes which put me in third place in my category, and in addition to two verrrry exhausted legs, I left Reñaca that day with two medals (one for third place and the other for completing the 21K). Sometimes all it takes is traveling to another country to find the confidence to do the things you never would have imagined possible.

Can you find me?? 

First time on a podium! 

TRYING: I’m not going to lie, waking up before 8am for class is not something I’m always overly thrilled about. However, there’s a silver lining to everything, and thanks to the early beginning, two of my four days of classes have early endings, leaving two afternoons of freedom! Every Tuesday, my friend Dana (the girl from Seattle) and I take advantage and head out to Valparaiso. On our first trip, our mission was to encounter the Museo A Cielo Abierto, something in Valparaiso that we were learning about in our culture class. Although we failed in completing that mission, we were definitely successful in another sense. That afternoon we met a young Chilean student who had studied in France and was more than willing to help us practice our Spanish; we found Pablo Neruda’s house and took a self guided tour; we stumbled upon a small jewelry shop, and chatted with the owner, learning about his craft and also that we could make our own earrings or ring next time we stopped by; we ate some incredible ice cream at a local shop, and we talked and talked and talked.

Another time we met a man who was selling books in the street, and he helped us pick out some basic, but classic reads. We’ve wandered up and down several hills, ducked in and out of all sorts of shops, and eaten LOTs of ice cream. My favorite discovery thus far was this sketchy looking staircase with an amazing mural on the wall. Dana had the idea of finding out where it lead, and so up we went. It turned out to be a meditation and yoga center that had a strong tie to Indian culture (I’m pretty sure they even lead trips to India), and also happened to serve fairly cheap and absolutely delicious food to customers sitting on little pillows on the floor. Not long after we plopped down at the low tables, we were joined by a Chilean student who was getting his PhD in Valparaiso, and for the duration of our vegetarian deliciousness, we chatted away with a complete stranger. Every time we go, we try to do something new, go somewhere we’ve never been and talk to at least one person who we’ve never met before. Oh, and have a blast, but that usually comes naturally. During our excursions, not only have we gotten to learn a little bit more about the city, but we’ve also learned a little bit more about eachother; we have a friendship I’m really excited about and thankful for.

Dana and I on one of our many wonderful excursions. Love that girl. 

The dining room of the Indian food place. 

GOING TO TRY: One of my cousins here is part of the Chilean Navy and happens to be a big fan of sailing, off roading, surfing and so much more. One of my running buddies goes surfing often enough that he bought his own wetsuit. One of my volunteering opportunities is helping children with handicaps participate in a handful of outdoor sporting activities, like surfing. One of the beaches not too far from my house is famous for being a great place to learn to surf. One of the best surfers in the world comes to Valparaiso occasionally to work with children, teaching them how to do what he loves best. If you haven’t gotten the hint yet, SURFING is the next activity on my list of activities that tengo ganas de hacer (that I realllllly want to do).

My favorite season is autumn, and I miss the changing leaves, the crunch they make under my bike tires, the perfect sweatshirt and shorts weather, the smell of fresh pumpkin chocolate chip bread, the crisp, clean air, the growing excitement for Thanksgiving, and the million other little parts of fall that make fall fall to me. But it’s hard to be melancholy when here summer is on the way. Eventually my home state will be covered in snow, and I’ll be (hopefully!) at the beach, practicing my newly learned talent: surfing!!

This was taken at one of my volunteer session with ADAPTA (more to come on them later). Slacklining now, surfing in the future! 

This is my Chilean cousin Rodrigo (I can't say his name, and he can't say mine.. So we call eachother primo and prima) waiting for a wave on the beach where I'm hoping to go with him sometime.