Bienvenidos a Viña!

I am now at my pensíon in Viña del Mar, Chile. After a few hours of anxiety, a few days of gringos, and a few weeks of hostels, I could not be happier to be here. You truly underestimate how wonderful it is to unpack until you've been living out of your backpack for over a month. Better yet, I have a room all to myself, and I cannot imagine a more simpático y choro* Chilean family.

I suppose I have a few days of catching up to do. I am terrible at blogging when I'm tired.

The night before we left, a bunch of kids from ISA went out to carretear. I hung out with mi amigas en Santiago antes de meeting them at a bar. Due to this, I showed up without having eaten dinner, or stopping at the hotel to get money. My hangry attitude was not entirely appropriate for a discoteque, or for the Chileans constantly grabbing my arm or asking me to bailas. Oh well, you live and you learn (to get drunk before going out).

I arrived at my pensión on Sunday, and immediately loved the house and the dynamic between the 60 something year old Rosa, her two 20 something sons, and the 4 other Chilean students. Although my Spanish is not super bueno, they really do try to explain things to me, slow down when they talk to me, and listen when I manage to say a few jumbly spanish palabras. I've already had a heart to heart (in Spanish) with Romina, the 22 year old architecture student, and another (in English) with Pancho, the 2(3?) year old business tourism student.

School is bueno too. I took a diagnostic exam yesterday that put me into an intermediate Chilean Culture and Conversation and Grammar class. The teachers seem nice, and speak very slowly. Not to mention, I'm only too excited to learn how not to sound like a 3 year old child all the time.

We had a tour of Valparaíso, which was lovely, and actually reminded me quite a bit of San Francisco. I forgot to take my camera, but I'm sure I'll have plenty more opportunities to take pictures. Now, I have some homework to get to, some once (basically bread with various toppings and tea) to eat con mi familia, and some sleep to catch up on before I go out with Paco for a carrete mañana!

*I apologize for the random spanish phrases, especially those in Chilean slang. Hint: if it's not on google translate, try http://cachandochile.wordpress.com/glossary-glosario-chilenismos/

Blogging in Chile

Blogging is a ridiculous word (try saying it aloud). Yet here I am, blogging, and rather than making excuses for why I'm writing a blog (I'm in Chile, I'm a bit lonely, I want to recuerdo this experience), I'll just do it.

Friday, June 18th, 2:55 pm, Hotel Rent a Home in Santiago, Chile

I'm lying in my bed in the living room, listening to the omnipresent sounds of construction. Santiago is a city, as full of brand new buildings, monuments to a rich cultural heritage, and graffiti. The metro is amazing ($450 pesos to go anywhere in Santiago, cars coming every couple minutes, and easy to navigate) the people are warm and friendly (sometimes a bit too friendly)...

We have an orientation in an hour...wah wah wah. How Not To Be A Gringo 101, taught by the perfectly lovely Lizette. Sitting in a room of 25 gringos, being told about how to use common sense, drives me a little crazy. But I do need to get over myself, because I will be getting orientated for the next few days.

The people on the program are mostly quite nice, although I don't talk to everyone. My roommates are like 3 characters from a sitcom. There's Laura, the party-hard sorority girl from Boulder, Brenna, the much chiller girl from Boulder, and Colleen, the no nonsense mommy/English teacher. I was forewarned by Jane about cliques, and she was undoubtedly right. They form quickly, and while I was originally standing back and judging them, I have let go a bit and tried to befriend a few people, with limited degrees of success... To be honest I do not see the point of coming to Chile to befriend a bunch of white, college aged Americans. That said, it's always nice to have a few people you like who will be living in your area.

Today we went to the Presidential Palace, saw the changing of the guards, visited a beautiful cathedral in Plaza de Armas, and had lunch in Mercado Central. Then we chartered a bus to take us back to our hotel, gringo style.

Before this post gets too rambly, I'm going to sign off. It was nice meeting you blog! Hasta pronto!