Mendoza: 2011

Monday, December 12, 2011

This past weekend was a long weekend meaning we had off from Thursday until Monday. To celebrate Nicol, Lily, Franca and I drove to Chile so that they could show me where they used to live, where Nicol was born, and so that we could get some good old beach time! We set out Thursday morning at 6 a.m so beat the traffic, or so we hoped, of nearly thousands and thousands of other Argentinians heading out of the country for the weekend. The drive to Chile is straight through the Andes and is unbelievable. It is nearly too beautiful to describe in words. The landscape constantly changes from steep cliffs, to snow covered peaks to mountains straight out of the Road Runner cartoon. I found myself constantly saying, "wow, WOW, Wow!" After around 4 hours of driving we passed the Argentinian border control, the point where cars coming from Chile to Argentina must stop, and arrived at a tunnel. Half way through the tunnel we were forced to stop because of cars in front of us. I am not joking when I say we were stuck in this line for the next 7 hours. Nearly half of Argentina seemed to be stuck with us, on the only road from Mendoza to Chile. After ten minutes in the car I started to notice people walking around, trunks opening, picnic baskets coming out, and before long it seemed as though more than half of the cars in front of us had no people in them. Everyone was outside taking in the landscape, hiking, using the bathroom behind a variety of rocks, inside tunnels, next to waterfalls, basically anywhere they could find some privacy. (One of the many times I peed outside during this excursion, I found a great spot behind a rock, and shortly after I did my business I turned around and in the distance could see Franca and Lily laughing hysterically... I guess my hiding spot wasn't so good! Must have flashed half the cars with my white white butt! Well at least I gave them a laugh during the 7 hour waiting period!) Nicol and I took several walks through the Mountains, explored a waterfall, and took in the beautiful sights. Eventually the line moved and we made it to the Chilean border, got our passports stamped and continued on our way.
Once you cross the border to Chile the road curves downwards for around 30 minutes. Sharp, sharp curves, with beautiful views in the distance (photos in next post). Once we were past the curves we drove our way through the beautiful lush Chilean foothills. The topography in Chile is extremely different than the Argentina side. Everything is lush and green, with Avocado! plantations in every direction. On our way we passed the Avocado farm and house where Nicol was born, and eventually made our way to Reñaca the city where Nicol lived until she was 14. Reñaca is a coastal town bordered by Con Con and Viña del Mar, and is known for its beautiful beaches. We stayed in a great apartment two blocks away from the beach and spent our first night exploring town. I got to eat at Nicol's favorite childhood pizza place, Telepizza, which to her surprise still had her favorite promotion (Unlike Argentina, Chile doesn't have inflation problems). Friday morning we woke up around 10 and headed to Viña del Mar with Franca to do some shopping. I was in shock by how American everything was, from the store names (North Face, Merrel, Zara) to the Christmas decorations and music, Chile is a perfect example of globalization. I was even able to cure my frozen yogurt craving with some Yogurtland! Can you believe it! After a few hours of shopping and some Christmas presents, (Nicol got her much sought-after dress-up shirt and I got some beautiful t-shirts), we headed back to Reñaca for some lunch and beach time. Later that day Nicol and I headed back to Viña where she showed me her old elementary school, high school, the church were she had her first communion, as well as downtown. Later that night we headed back to Reñaca, had some dinner, then took Lily out for drinks while Franca went out clubbing. The next morning we woke up, met Nicol's Aunt and cousin for some tea and then headed to beach.
The beach was gorgeous! We laid our towels out, I put on sunscreen (sadly not quite enough), and we relaxed for 2 hours. An hour and a half too much for me I would say! If only you could all see my burns! They truly show my lack of sunscreen putting on skills! After our tanning session, Molly burning session, we headed home for a wonderful lunch, then took a Micro (bus) to Valparaiso. For most of the trip I really had no idea where I was going, lol, I was just following Nicol and her family allowing them to show me what they wanted to. For us this was a really special trip not only because we were on vacation but because Nicol was able to show me so many special places in her life. So when we arrive in Valpo I had no idea what to expect, all I knew was that some of my friends had studied there during their time at LC. Shortly after we got off the Micro we walked into a small building, payed for a ticket and got into a small car. Once in the car I looked up and saw a train track going straight up the mountain. Literally a vertical climb, in something that within seconds of stepping into I was cautious of! After a 10 minute climb with an unbelievable view, my heart rate racing, and my mind thinking "I am going to DIE," we arrived at the top. Once off the crazy ride we stepped out onto the beautiful quaint streets of Valpo. This part of town is filled with small winding streets, small quaint coffee shops, stores, and lots of colorful buildings. The streets maintain a very Chilean, South American feel, while at the same time evoking images of small cities in Europe. To say the least they were beautiful, with views of the ocean and thousands of houses along the hillside. We wound our way through the streets and stopped in various shops and cafés, and eventually made our way down towards the Port. At the Port we took a million pictures for Dad, and kept wishing him Mom and Nene were there to walk around with us. COME VISIT US!!! :)
On our way back to Reñaca on the Micro we spotted a Papa John's Pizza place, Nicol's absolute favorite and our regular dinner spot in Portland (much to my dismay, lol). We immediately got off the bus and ran, well not literally, but part of me was waiting for Nicol to take off in a jog, to Papa Johns and treated Lily to a wonderful dinner! After dinner we headed back to Reñaca and had a wonderful last night. Sunday morning at around 10 we got in the car and headed back to Argentina, this time without traffic!
I had a truly wonderful vacation and am feel so blessed to have been able to not only share it with Nicol but also her family. Hope you all enjoy the stories and the photos! Much love!

Friday, December 2, 2011

Job search!

Today marks the first day of my job search. My first completed application is in English, and can be viewed below. It is for The Vines a premier winery here in Mendoza. It is my longshot! My dream job one could say!!! You can check out the Vines website at www.vinesofmendoza.com.
Cover letter:
"To Whom It May Concern:

I am applying for a position at The Vines of Mendoza. My name is Molly Hetz, and I am a recent graduate of Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon. I grew up in Berkeley, California, which is located around 45 minutes away from the Napa Valley, Northern California’s wine region. Since I was a child I have been exposed to the culture of wine and have always been fascinated by its culture and production. I have visited many wineries in both California and Oregon, and during my visits have enjoyed learning about each vineyard and its unique perspective on winemaking. One of my favorite aspects of the wine industry is how each winery brings their own unique vision and passion into the production of their wine.

I have visited several wineries in Mendoza, and have seen many wonderful visions, but The Vines has captivated my interest beyond the rest. I am extremely interested in The Vines work as a Private Vineyard Estate that specializes in Personal Vineyard Development. I find the idea of facilitating and personalizing the winemaking experience through private ownership to be a very progressive model. Allowing individuals to independently manage their unique vineyards not only provides collaboration between winemakers in Mendoza, and wine enthusiasts throughout the world, it also provides unique educational enrichment for both parties.

I feel that I would be a great addition to The Vines team, because although I have not been directly involved in the wine industry, my varied working background has provided me with interpersonal skills to work effectively in a variety of different environments. I am an independent worker, leader, team player, and am very organized. I have created and run two international programs, and have sat on planning committees with both the Dean of Students and President of my alma mater. Now that I have graduated from college I am looking to further develop my skills as a leader, and learn more about business models specifically in the field of wine production. More specifically, I am eager to participate in The Vines creation of a unique niche of the winemaking industry.

I am willing to work in any capacity, and am planning on being in Mendoza until this upcoming June. I am currently studying Spanish at ECELA, a language institute in Mendoza, and am currently in their intermediate level. I hope to soon be able to call myself bilingual.

I look forward to hearing from you"

Next I need to translate my resume to send to other wineries and tourism agencies. This was the "easy part" :). Cross your fingers!!!!

Also! today I went for a wonderful run with one of my friends from the soccer team. We spoke spanish for the whole two hours, what a treat! I am getting better :). Now I am all showered, exhausted, and ready to head to Aristedes for some drinks with some friends from school, Nicolee and a friend from the soccer team. We are heading to a brand new Mexican restaurant in town!!! I'll keep y'all posted!

Tomorrow is a Beer Festival, I will let you know how that goes as well! :) Sure it wont be anything compared to a Portland Oktoberfest!

Much love!

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Soccer game

Yesterday, Con Rouge (my soccer team) had a soccer game in Godoy Cruz, a city that borders Mendoza City (where I live). Poor Nicol has three exams Tuesday so she couldn't go, soooooo by myself I organized with my teammates how we were going to go! Usually I sit back while Nicol organizes everything, but thiiiisss time I had to do it all by myself! What a big girl!!!! After 25 plus text messages, all in Spanish, I finally understood that I would meet some of the girls at one of their apartments, three blocks from my house. On my walk over one of them called me on my cellphone and spoke to me as though I had been living in Argentina my whole life! I was like "Eliiii, despacio por favor" (Eli, slow please). Buttt she just kept talking a million words per minute! Finally I got a word (in spanish) in edgewise and was like Eli, "I am walking to Mile's house, Bye" (Estoy caminando a la casa de Mile, Chau), and I hung up the phone. When I got to Mile's house she was waiting outside with her sister Anto, and together we walked to Plaza Independencia to meet Eli. Usually there is at least one person with a car driving from La Quinta, our part of Mendoza City, to the game. But yesterday no one with a car was going so we took a bus! What an adventure!!! After a 30 minute bus ride in the heatttttt we walked for another 20 minutes to the field. When we got to the field our teammates were laughing at us because we looked so destroyyeeeddd!!! The game started 20 minutes later and was against girls who made me look small. We played our hearts out, but boy was it HOTTTTTTT!!!! As a result of no one wearing shin guards we all leave the game limping, with huge bruises on our bodies. I managed to walk away from this game with a golf ball size bump on my shin and a very colorful bruise on my arm!!! Now I understand American rulesss!!!! lol! After the game we always sit and share a huge bottle of coke! Could you imagine that in the States? Not to mention that during half time the organizers of the tournament provide each team with a big 1 liter bottle of soda..... how refreshing!!! What happened to water!!! lol. All in all the game was great! When I got home I showered, and headed to Ayu's house (Nicol's grandma), for some apple pie and of course Coke! God do they love Coke here. At Ayu's everyone swooned over my bruises and made me put ice on them. The day ended with a great meal at Lily's house and a relaxing night with Nicol. Lights out early!!!

Classes

This past week marked the end of my 4th week at Ecela. I have moved up two levels and am now in Intermediate 2! WAHOoOOOO. I can definitely feel my spanish improving which is a wonderful wonderful feeling. Even though I only have 4 more weeks left of classes, I am so grateful that I have a strong foundation and books I can regularly review. Above are some photos of my class and my afternoon Conversation teacher. As you can see from the photo she is quite enthusiastic!!!

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Dinner with Ecela friends

Me, Anna (Austria), Emmy (Alaska), Felipe (Switzerland), Zach (photographer/Maine)

Tonight I had friends from school over for a wonderful dinner. We made raviolis, with basil from my garden, cheese, tomatoes and mozzarella, and of course cheese and crackers. Great Great fun!