We May Have Lost the Battle...

The days have been long around these parts.
I only have class nine hours a week and neither my internshipnor my extracurricular classes have begun. In order to combat boredom, I have been in search of fun, free activities around Santiago (I am tryingto save money so that I can enjoy my (potential) trips to Peru, Argentina, and Brazil!).
Last week (I think...), after dreaming about cookies from NYC's famous Levain Bakery(which I have never actually visited), I decided it was time to get baking. Althoughthe recipe for these cookies is top secret, there are tons of imitations floating around the internet. I have made these cookies a few times before and they are TO DIE FOR. This time, I used a recipe I found on a food blog called Love from the Oven. One of my roommates, who is from France, told me that these are the best cookies she has ever had in her life. I suppose I can chalk these up as a success :)




Another day, my friend Jade called me and asked if I would like to go to a large, outdoor market with her, called La Vega. Although you can find fresh fruitsand vegetables on most street corners, La Vega is supposed to be one of the best in Santiago and is also supposed to have delicious fruit smoothies.  As I have been experiencing withdrawals from Blenders, a chain in Santa Barbarathat has the best fruit smoothies EVER (and I used to work at Jamba Juice, so thatis an educated opinion!!!), I was very excited to check this place out!





While they did have a wide array of fresh fruits and veggies, I think I will stick with the fruit stand around the corner from my house. I suppose I am a little bitter because our smoothies ended up being super gross... (the lady actually added an entire carton of milk to the blender, which made our "smoothies" into flavored milk). I did buy some yummy grapes and nectarines, though! And Jade had a field day because she used to work at the farmer's market in Goleta and she missed the atmosphere. 


Not gonna lie, a lot of my time here has been spent catching up on Gossip Girl (Dan & Blair?!) and The Office (*yawn*) and KKTNY (I miss Shango :( ).Hey! I can't spend every day climbing mountains and playing with penguins!!!Jade and I decided to get out of the house the other day by bringing some readingmaterial and homework to a nearby park and having ourselves a little picnic. I brought grapes (from La Vega!), a chicken wrap, and homemade brownies. Jade brought a few oranges and some almonds that a friend sent her fromthe farmer's market she used to work at in Goleta. We read half-heartedly and ended up just chit-chatting the afternoon away. It was really nice. 





This means I accomplished goal #020: Have a picnic.
But thennnnnn. I get home, check Facebook, and see that my sister and her friends had a full-on picnic by a lake that put my lazy afternoon to shame. 

photos courtesy of Samantha Holt's facebook page :)

Dear Michelle & co:Although I am impressed and incredibly jealous of the pleasant afternoon you held, I wanted to warn you that I will be coming back with a vengeance! My challenge, should you be willing to accept, is A PICNIC WAR. Best 2 out of 3???? xoxo Marcella

María & María

(Mom & Nana chillin' at Stabucks. Nana read the bible while

 Mom attempted to call her entire phone book via Gmail)

All week my nana was dying to see the giant statue of the Virgin Mary that sits 

atop of Cerro San Cristóbal. We had to wait until Thursday, however, because it was really cloudy earlier in the week, and we wanted to get a clear, unobstructed view of the city.



When Thursday came and the sun was shining, my nana was so excited! Her excitement was contagious and the three of us energetically climbed the 200 steps to the top of the hill (after we took a cable car that went 300 meters into the air).





 The view from the top was incredible. What is more, the feeling at the top was incredible. The combination of the lush garden, which bragged tons of beautiful plants & flowers, and the soft, spiritual music wafting out of strategically placed speakers resulted in all of us feeling so overwhelmingly at peace.We actually sat up there for quite some time, just soaking in the atmosphere.





Before leaving the hill, we stopped by a beautiful little chapel that was tucked away, behind the trees. 





Overall, nice afternoon :)



It was St. Patrick's Day so in the evening my mom came out with me & my friends,where we tried to teach Chilean bartenders how to make Irish Car Bombs...Major fail... haha ♥

Jack & Jill Went up the Hill

So I have two new things to blog about! 

Firstly, I have accomplished goal

#076: Get a pet.

This is Jack and Jill (Mother Goose not pictured)

Okay, okay. Technically these cuties are not mine. 

Here is the story: my roommate Emily works at DAWG, a dog shelter in Santa Barbara.  

She takes home puppies all the time to be "socialized" hehehe, and the puppies usually

stay with us for a couple of days. This time, however, was different. 

DAWG rescued a pregnant puppy (Previously Bertha, now known as Mother Goose)

and when she had her puppies, somebody had to foster them for the first month

because they were too young to be adopted. 

Emily, of course volunteered. 

So you are probably thinking: "That doesn't count! They're not YOUR pets!"

That is true; they're not. The reason I am crossing this goal off my list is

 I am finally experiencing what it feels like to have a pet, 

which is what my Day Zero Project is all about right? Having new experiences?

I have never had a pet in my lifeeee and have always wanted one.

I used to see pets as little toys hahahaha but now, after having had all these puppies stay 

with us, I can really see that they have their own little personalities.

 Jack and Jill are literally the most adorable puppies IN THE WORLD 

but can be quite a handful sometimes. They always cry for attention 

(sometimes endearing, sometimes annoying), they pee on our couches,

 and they always try to eat our food! 

(I know my hand looks ginormous in the next picture,

 but that is just because these babies are so dang tiny!)

Anyway, today I gave in to Jack's crying and I let him up on the hammock with me.

P.S. Did I tell you that Jack is my favorite? Shh.. don't tell Jill... she has a crooked eyeball.

Which leads me to our next goal:

#012: Take a nap on a hammock

P.P.S. Oh did I tell you I bought a hammock? I DID!

I have always been pretty prone to stress/anxiety, especially recently,

 so it has been nice to lounge around on our pretty little hammock. 

Next week I am going to start something called Bikram Yoga,

which is yoga in 105 degree weather. I cannot wait! I miss yoga so much!

It was a pretty fitful nap, though. I was worried about the other puppies,

who were walking around crying and barking, and I was kind of afraid that Jack was

going to pee on me & my blanket! Haha but I was able to sleep for a bit. 

Ughh. Isn't Jack so precious?

Love these things. Don't know how I'm going to say goodbye :(

♥