Thanksgiving 2013 | Diary

Another year has gone by, another thanks to give.

First of all, I'm really thankful for everything my eyes were able to see this year, from my mom and sister's smile, my best friends pixelated faces, my roommies' drunk faces, to the amazing landscapes of the world.

I'm thankful for learning how to forgive myself, for finally understanding the meaning of being free and for getting rid of my own demons.

I'm thankful for the stories I will tell for the rest of my life, that are so unbelievable most people will think I'm exaggerating.

I'm thankful for being able to feel real adrenaline rushes, for starting a new chapter in an unknown place, with no friends, no comfort zone; that's really pure adrenaline.

I'm thankful with God for showing me how strong I am and that life is as hard as you can manage. Because even when this year I was in my lowest point, now it is amazing to see everything from the top!

I'm thankful for learning to live for myself, to be happy by myself and to be loved by myself.

I'm thankful because even with the longest distance, every time I hear my mother's voice I feel like home.

But the thing I am most thankful for is that no matter how bad life can feel from a point, now I am sure it always get better.

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Chilean Cuisine Course | Diary

As a part of the activities we have (being exchange students), we had a cuisine course. I was amazed with all the details we got to know about Chile's culture trough they food. I have always loved to cook, it was amazing to learn new techniques and tips from another culture and at the same time mix it with my Course-mates, which are from France and Germany.

We learnt how to cook 5 traditional dishes: Empanadas de Pino, Charquican, Pebre, Salad and Mote con Huesillo. I really liked them all, but my favorite was Charquican because of the mix of flavors and the process of cooking. So, of course I took notes of everything and now, when I go back home, I will be able to make some of this for my friends and family.

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Week Eight | Chile Diary

15/09/13 - 22/09/13
If I had to define this week in one word it would be patriotic. First of all I didn't have classes (at Chile), neither work and the whole country was paralyzed because of their Independence Celebrations.
But besides that, in México we also had our Independence Celebration "El grito", two days before Chile, so it was literally a week of party. (Mom, don't get mad at me)

So, it all started on sunday, México's day we (Elena, Pato, Klaus and I) went to a mexican party at one of my workmates hostel and stayed there less than an hour because it was too crazy and even though it was a mexican party it was full of foreigners and the amount of mexicans was too little, so we came back to out apartment and conected via skype with Elena's family and watched "El grito" trough the T.V. (Of course we screamed and sang the anthem).


Then the Chilean party started, is amazing how much energy (and not to mention money) they invest in this celebration, 'fondas' all over the city (and I bet all over the country), special offers in alcohol, fast food and typical food.
I went to a fonda with all the friends, we danced, we ate a lot, we drink and I tried the typical chilean drink 'terremoto' it tastes weird, but I'm sure I'm going to miss it. Also I went to another fonda, a more traditional one which I fell in love with "Fonda Ines de Suarez".
On the 18th, which is the most important day of the week I went to a house party with one of my friends, we had dinner, some drinks and I got to spend time with a family as it was mine, it made me feel like at home for a while.
And on saturday we had a party at my place, where we played beer pong, I made some 'palomas' (a mexican drink) and we also sang and danced some typical music from México, Chile and Germany, we made our own fonda to celebrate friendship.

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La fonda | Chile Diary

The week of the 18 of september in Chile is just surreal, in this date they celebrate the First Government Junta, that is when the country was starting to be independent from Spain.
Besides the crazy-non-stopping parties, the flag everywhere and a lot of dogs dressed with typical chilean outfits, they also have some carnivalesque places where you go and have a piece of Chile in 2km(2).

I got to visit 'Fonda Ines de Suarez' which according to my bf is one of the best fondas (and I got to say it was my favorite), very typical, with a lot of options, full of people, and in a kind of fancy neighborhood.
Every day I fall deeper and deeper in love with all of this, the culture and the food (yes, I'm starting to like their food). The music is amazing, of course theY listen to the '40 hits' but they have this crazy love for 'cumbias" and "cueca", is just so nice to see, from young to old people, everybody dancing in the same dance floor, music you might think is only for school dances. I was totally amazed.
In some ways it reminded me a little of mexican parties but I thinks is that essence every Latin-American party has: colors, music, flavors and a lot of happy people.

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¡Viva México! | Diary

Being away from my home town makes me realize how much I love my country. Of course I miss my family and my friends, but I also miss the gastronomy, the people and the whole view, don't miss understood me, I am happier than ever living in another country, meeting new people and learning about a different culture and even though I have been here only for a month and a half I already feel a little bit chilean. But I don't know if every person passes trough this process or if it's something only mexicans suffer, sometimes I really miss my culture, I really want to eat something that can only be made in México and most of the time I miss the warmness of the people.

México es un país lleno de colores, sabores, alegría y amor. México es un país problemático, donde aún que no sepamos el porqué de las cosas nos unimos a las causas nobles. No hablo de un país perfecto, ni mucho menos rico, ni con buena economía, hablo de un país donde el calor de la gente vale más que el dinero, donde siempre hay alguien que te tiende la mano y te da una sonrisa. Un país que tiene una historia interminable y una de las culturas más interesantes y variadas del mundo. Un país donde comer es un placer, donde las cosas se hacen con gusto y donde nunca se deja de soñar.

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Week Seven | Chile Diary

8/09/13 - 14/09/13

This week started really good: The weather was warm so we were able to eat at the school's garden. Also, all week we had such an amazing package of classes and topics, I've learned a lot (honestly, a lot) about photography and cinema. I am beyond happy with my classes and everything this exchange has given me.

Also this week my mexican friends and I made Chilaquiles with some tortillas my friend Pato gave me last weekend, it was one of the best mondays of my life, I can't believe how much you can miss a simple thing as food and even feel like you need it. And we decided to start with a good attitude this week so we played some beer-pong on monday night.



Kind of the best things that happened was my first photoshoot with a model from Suicide Girls, I'm really excited with the results, I'm working to have them ready next week. Also I released another budoir serie which you can see it complete HERE. This was a project I put a lot of effort on it, I wanted to create a story with strong images but playing with the attitude and sexiness of the new generations.



This is my first real 3D project, we had to make a turntable and I decided to make this very clear-sleek design with a vinyl from The Strokes (The main reason -honestly- why I did this design is because I'm not really familiar with MAYA and I have to learn really fast, because, in comparison with my classmates I'm really behind).

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Weeks Five and Six | Diary

25/08/13 - 1/09/13 and 2/09/13 - 8/09/13
First of all I want to say I'm really sorry for not posting anything for the past weeks, but I was truly dying because of an infection in my throat. That's why I'm making this diary for both weeks.
Also I want to say that I GOT A JOB, two jobs, actually. I'm going to be working online with an App developer company and in Chile I'm going to be working with one of the biggest communities "Comunidad Po'" as a web developer/designer and in the photography and visuals department.

This weeks I made my first projects, one for my Special Effects class and the other one for the Photography workshop.


Also I did a trip with my class to Valparaíso and I went to two parties with the friends I made in the random 'trip' to Perú.
And as I was telling you, I didn't do a lot because I was sick, I actually missed a class because I couldn't get up (and my class was at two P.M. so, you can imagine). Beside that I went to my normal classes when I started to feel a little bit better and I went to a Chilean cuisine course.

I'm really excited with my classes, I've learn a lot and it is so much fun going into the class room, the classes are really dynamic and it's really interesting to use the equipment and being able to actually work on T.V. studios, having to write our own script, learning how to direct (which is kind of my favorite part) but also learn about Latin-American cinema, all the techniques and also learn some really kick ass software. Also, this weekend I went to Valparaiso with my friend Pato, I didn't take some photos because the trip was planned in the last minute and I left my camera at home.

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Valparaíso Photo Trip | Diary

Last monday I had the opportunity to make a little trip to Valparaíso, to make a practice of my Photography class. Our teacher told us he wanted us to see the city differently, he wanted us to take photos to the people, to the souls, he was teaching us how to see things.
I really liked it, going around the streets trying to get a real story in one shot, kind of stalking everyone and imagining what they were thinking or their next move.

You can see more photos of Valparaíso HERE

I did enjoy the focus of this trip, and even though we had to do the assignment, we also took some time to walk around and be tourists.
The three pictures I'm showing you guys are the ones I chose to present in class, we had to select out 3 favorites and then our classmates were going to vote for the best.
I'm really glad I did this trip because now I'm starting to look things differently, always looking for spaces that can work as a location for some films or photo shoots.

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Litoral central trip | Diary

I decided to make a video just for fun, this time I wanted to make this trip a little more intimate and share with you guys the emotions and the beautiful scenarios.
I did took some photos, you can take a look HERE

I have to say that I'm falling in love with all of this, every day I get to know something new or to see a different part of the city, a different view of the Andes or I get to know another person; makes me confirm that the fight of coming to Chile has been one of the better decisions I have made in my life.
Enjoy! No regrets!

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Week Four | Chile Diary

19/08/13 - 25/08/13

This week was pretty good, I cooked a lot and went clubbing with my friends
Also we had a field trip to Litoral Central to get to know a little bit more about the Chilean culture and to see the amazingly beautiful scenarios Chile has to offer.

During the week it was all normal and calm, you know, school, homework, sleeping, and eating, I don't do a lot because I have my own responsibilities, but the amazing thing about my school schedule is that I don't have classes on thursday, and in Chile the really big crazy parties are on wednesday is called "Miércoles Po" and I get to go all the time, this past theme was 'snow' and they painted our faces with some neon designs it was really fun.

Also I noticed that this week I did my food almost everyday, I didn't went out for lunch or meal, all week I ate chicken with something like rice, beans or salad.
And last but not least I went with my friends into a trip to Maipu, pomaire and Isla Negra.


And lastly, I dye my hair, I didn't attached photos because my rommies are helping me with that while I am writing this, but is a color I have never tried! Stay tunned!

Have fun and enjoy life!

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Room tour | Chile Diary

I really fell in love with the apartment we got at Chile, so I wanted to make a room tour and show you guys my half of the master bedroom (I share room with Elena, my classmate from México).
Even though I'm only going to be here for 6 months I wanted to make my room really personal, give it a little warm up, to feel it more like home.

First of all, the room is way bigger than the one I have at México, and the way it is organized makes it looks like a room from a hotel, so I wanted to give it some home-alike details.
First the little silver platter with my beloved rings (which my roommates hate, because I leave them everywhere). And then the little flower vase, with the tablecloth and my flower crown, it gives a really nice feminine touch to the room.


Then I bought the hooks to hang my necklaces, and I feel it adds a nice touch to the room, like a piece of art hanging out in the wall, I totally love it (when I'm back I'll do the same at my room). The room already had the bureau with the big mirror and as you can see I don't like having a lot of things on the top of it. Inside I have my make up, some papers and girl stuff. Another part that I like about this room is the closet, even though it is really empty, I like the structure and the color.
Bigger details as the big windows, the wide closets (There are two, one for each girl), the bathroom with the tub and the amazing big bed with white covers.

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Week Three | Chile Diary

12/08/13 - 18/08/13

I can't believe it has been less than a month, I really feel like I have been here for months! Well, at least this week was really calm, normal, like if I have been here forever.
I had my first earthquake while I was at a party with my friends I met at Perú, I gotta say it was funny, but I got really scared.

School is amazing! I totally love my classes! Also my schedule is really friendly with my sleep and my night-outs!
I didn't take a lot of pictures this week, I'm not sure why. The week it was all about the classes, and spending time with the roommies, but we had a day off from school because of some Chilean holiday, so I went to a party with my Chilean friends and in the weekend we went to the Costanera Center, that is the biggest Mall from all Latinamerica.
And this weekend the boys went to a trip to the southern Chile and Elena and I were all alone for the weekend so invited some friends to make some food and have a nice time.

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Week two | Chile Diary

05/08/13 - 11/08/13

This week was all about settling down, I had to choose my courses and get ready to start classes. I spent a lot of time with my roommates, looking for supermarkets, buying food and learning how to use a lot of the appliances we have at home. I definitely felt like a grown up this week, doing grocery shopping, washing the clothes for everyone and planning the things we were going to cook.



I didn't do a lot this week, I spent most of my time doing stuff for school, or paper work.I enrolled in school, my classes seemed really interesting and the teachers too. I'm going to take 4 courses; Photography Workshop, Film Workshop, 3D Tools and Special Effects Workshop. I am really excited to start my classes and do a lot of projects, meet my classmates and of course, learn a lot!



Also we had a Walking Tour around Santiago's Historical Center, we visited a lot of museums and we got to know a lot of local people and learn a little bit more about the lifestyle. I've been here for 2 - 3 weeks, and I have to say, this is an amazing-strange experience where I have learned a lot about myself. I have detected some things I want to change and I'm pretty sure I will.

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Week One | Chile Diary

30/07/13 - 04/08/13

Craziest week ever in my life. All the changes, the feelings, the excitement, everything is so surreal.

My first day at Chile was full of surprises, I stayed two nights at a hostel near to our house because I arrived to Chile the 29th at night, but the landlady from the house was going to give to us the keys the 31. So, the first day I had a bad jet lag and I had a big urge to sleep, that's why I woke up really late. Later I went for a walk searching for a bank and for food. Everything was so different, starting with the money change. At Chile we use two more zeros (comparing the money with Mexico's), so everything seems to be really expensive and it is very difficult to know if it is cheap or worth the prize. After we (Elena and I) survived our first day we went super early to sleep because at Chile is winter, and it's really cold, and we are not used to this weather.



The next day we woke up just in time to go for the keys and to meet our new family, our roommates: Charly, David, and later, Klaus, the newest member (yes, we are 5 at the department, 2 girls and 3 guys). I was totally amazed with our view and with the Whole department, it is really pretty, secure and with a lot of nice and 'home like' details.
I made a 'depa-tour' you can watch it HERE.




That day we unpacked, went grocery shopping, and stayed up late talking and getting to know each other. Then we had our first day at the university. We didn't go to any classes, just a little introduction to the system, to the teachers and crew.
It was a really fun-international day. We had to talk in some weird "spanglish" because some of the people who is at this exchange are from Germany, Austria, Brazil and some other places where they don't speak nor english or spanish, so they are still learning. It was really funny, everyone of us trying to communicate to each other like babies.
But then in my way back to our department something really sad happened, someone stole my iPhone, so this pictures are from other friends or instagram. I lost all my vlogs, also.




After spending two days at school, getting ready to start, knowing the system and chatting with all the international students we decided to go out on a friday night and here's another /curious different thing from México! here, at Chile, people go out from 23:00 to 4:00 - 5:00 in the morning, it's crazy! we arrived at our home at 4 in the morning, and, if I'm not wrong, the next day I woke up around 1 in the afternoon (13:00), cooked some food and then we went clubbing again!
Sunday was a calm day, everyone of us stayed at home to do some cleaning, washing the clothes and finally eat homemade food.
I feel so good right now, I do miss my friends, my house, my family, the weather, but being here is such a challenge and I love it! I really like my roommates, my new house, the school is amazing, I can't wait to start the classes!

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