Orientation and my Homestay Family

During our 5 day orientation, my group of 21 stayed together in a hotel. I think it's safe to say that we're a fun group with diverse personalities and interests from all over the country. It's nice to know that we're in this together. We were privileged to get perhaps the funniest sex talk that ever happened from a local doctor. We spent a large part of the week on the beach and at bars. By the weekend, we were sleep-deprived, sunburned, a little hungover, and hopefully STD-free. On Saturday, we moved in with our host families.

For some reason, I thought my Chilean family would be more conventional than my North American family. In the last couple days, I have thrown that notion entirely out of the window. My host family consists of a couple named Mabel and Emilio who own a bar named the Rincon Bolivariano (after Simón Bolívar, of course). They want me to come eat lunch there every day during the week while they're working. I literally could not make this up if I tried. Their house is absolutely gorgeous and is complete with a framed Che Guevara poster, a piano that is purely decorative, and perhaps the most interesting bookshelf I have ever seen.

They also have a dog named Cerati who tried to eat my bra right after I washed it and went to go hang it up to dry. I'm going to assume it was a welcoming gesture and he hasn't decided that he hates me already.

 At this point, the only thing I can say with certainty is that I have no idea what comes next. Your guess is as good as mine.

Miners

I'm a terrible person for thinking this is funny, but I came across this knitted tapestry in a museum and couldn't help myself. Santiago has some of the best museums in South America and this week, I went to as many as possible.

On Tuesday, I officially start my semester in Valparaiso! I'm pretty excited to finally start classes. Through the School for International Training Program, I'll get to do awesome things such as a short homestay with an indigenous family and a month long research project. My 3 short weeks here definitely didn't do Santiago justice, but it'll have to do, for now. I can always come back!

God is Bigger than Your Problem

La Chascona

After being in Chile for about two weeks, I can definitively say that my Spanish is predictably pathetic. I understand enough to get by but it is not easy. I'm spending the first few weeks of my time here taking language classes in Santiago before I head off to Valparaiso for my semester.

Yesterday, I volunteered at an animal shelter, playing with and feeding rescued dogs that are up for adoption. When I told a friendly teenager and fellow volunteer that I was American, she immediately switched into English and started telling me all about how she moved from Florida when she was 10 and has lived in Santiago for 6 years and it definitely gets easier, so don't worry. I didn't have the heart to tell her that I should be practicing Spanish as she prattled on.

La Chascona

About a week ago, I saw a bumper sticker that said "God is Bigger than Your Problem." It sounds a little better in Spanish, but you get the idea. I'm trying to keep things in perspective and know that even if I have no idea what's going on half the time, that's kind of okay. In fact, confusion and disorientation is part of the objective. If you're uncomfortable, you're doing it right.

Without a doubt, I'm also having fun. I'm super enjoying the summer weather, cultural tourism, incredibly cheap fruit (avocados are everywhere here) and the opportunity to not take my life so seriously.

I also visited Pablo Neruda's Santiago house, La Chascona. The photos I took don't do the place justice, but it was pretty magical. He has three houses, scattered throughout Central Chile. My goal is to see them all. And then perhaps to learn something about Chile's culture, history, social problems, etc. But, for now, I'm taking things one day at a time.