My First Two Days in Santiago

Hola a todos!

So I've just moved into my homestay! I live with one older woman alone, but she has grandchildren that come over very frequently. Her mother, who is 94, and her two sisters also live in the apartment complex. So far she has been very accommodating and sweet. I think she misses her children very much, so she has students to replace them!

The last two days have been two of the longest, yet two of the best, days of my life. We arrived in Santiago at 4 in the morning to 25 degree weather, in a city that lacks any sort of central heating. I had one fellow student on all of my flights named Josh, who is a huge soccer fan and a fast friend! We made it through customs with no problem! We then proceeded to spend the next seven hours sitting in the airport freezing our butts off. After that, all 35 of us met up and proceeded to a hotel in downtown Santiago, which was very quaint. However, it was too quaint to comfortably host and feed 35 people at one time, so it was a bit hectic. We rested for a little and then took off for the Catolica campus, where we had a brief orientation lecture. Then we dined at the Gatopardo, an old political club turned restaurant which was muy delicioso!

After dinner, a few of us kids went out to have a few drinks/explore the area, and it was great! I got to know quite a few kids in the program in the process, but after drinks is when it got a little interesting. (Don't worry about the next part, we were in a very safe area!) Josh and I were the last to leave and were relatively unsure of where we were going. But as my father has taught, it's not about the destination, it's about the journey. We were only a few blocks from the hotel, but it took us an hour to get home as we couldn't find it! I probably talked to fifteen people on the street asking for directions (and having some great conversations along the way!), but not a single person had any idea where the hotel was. Eventually we went into another hotel and asked for directions, only to find that we had been very close the whole time. After that, I stayed in the lobby talking to the two reception workers and one other student for almost an hour and a half, about just about everything imaginable. So you'll be happy to know that I am practicing my Spanish day and night! I can already feel myself getting better. Chileans speak a very bad Spanish and it's very hard to understand. But on the bright side, if you can understand Chileans, you can understand anybody!

This morning we had breakfast at the hotel and began our orientation lectures at the Catolica campus. They taught us how to use the metro and the buses, as well as all about Chilean culture. Tomorrow it is going to be much more of that, with language classes to boot. After lunch, we went to buy our cell phones (just little, cheap pay-as-you-go phones). My group went right through the city center to find them, but we had to go to six different stores in order to find enough for everyone, so that took like three hours. But I suppose, once again, it's about the journey, not the destination. When we got back to the hotel, it was time for our families to pick us up!

I live in a very quaint two bedroom apartment. I have absolutely everything I could want, and she is a very good cook! We are provided three meals a day, which is going to be quite the lifestyle change for me. Well, we have an early day tomorrow so I'm off to bed! I miss you all very much and am still extremely sad to have missed the reunion!

Buenas noches! Besos y Abrazos! (Hugs and Kisses)