I Didn't Know What It Was, But I Ate It Anyway.: Chile So Far

Hello again!

As I write this second blog post it's currently about 60 degrees and sunny in Viña del Mar, Chile. It is also 8:15 pm. This is the greatest February weather I have ever experienced in my entire life.

We spent our last day in Olmüe going on a really nice day hike in the national park. Apparently from the tallest hill there (which is about a 4.5 hour hike, both ways) you can see from the Andes on one side to the ocean on the other, the entire width of Chile. We didn't have a chance to do it, but it's so close I might grab a bus out one morning and hike it with some of the girls.

View of the park

All of us!

While we were there we also got to go into an old mine from the colonial times and actually see some of the iron and copper that's still embedded in the rocks. It was really cool.

Unfortunately we didn't have any time in between when we got back from the hike and when we met our host families to shower and become presentable, so I wasn't making the best first impression. Luckily for me, no one else was either.

Mark (our program coordinator) scared the ever loving bajeepers out of me. He informed me right before we got on the bus to travel from Olmë to Viña that I was going to be attending a wedding with my host family! Surprise! In a panic I did my makeup on the bus and I got to get off first so that we could get my stuff and bolt. But it was only after I got to the house that I found out I wasn't actually going with them, it was only Diego (my eldest brother) and the parents. A+ first impression! We all laughed about it in the morning, since it was just Mark not really listening and just hearing the word "wedding" and not "Diego needs to pick Alison up so he can go to a wedding."

Sunday morning we got up relatively late and all sat around the table going over some of the rules of the house and just generally talking. Then we went out to lunch. Apparently it's tradition for the entire family to go to the same restaurant with every new American student.

Pancho, Ximena, and Diego

My room!

I had another day of relaxation where I got to hang out at home and bond with my new brothers. I have to say, going from a family where it's just me to one where I live with five other people has been one of the most dramatic shifts I've ever experienced. There's hardly any moments of silence, which I'm finding oddly comforting. It's nice to know that there are always people around.

Food has been one of the most interesting experiences. Pizza has been dinner for the past few days, but we also went to Ximena's café for lunch on Monday. They call it “musical,” and it’s actually the cutest thing in the entire world. They play music from the 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s, and have posters up along the walls with information about all the bands. Also the food is freaking amazing. They season the French Fries with all kinds of spices! I’m in love! The only problem is I keep forgetting to take pictures before I start eating!

Pizza! (No idea what was on it)

I also got in some solid bonding time with Diego and Nacho (the middle brother) along with Marciel (their cousin). Because what's better bonding than buying and sharing an entire bottle of Pisco? For reference: Pisco is a vodka-like drink but it's made of grapes, and is incredibly popular in South America. I had some when I was in Peru last summer, and it was absolutely spectacular. Still is.

Pisco and Canda Dry

Today I finally to experience the buses, Valparaíso, and go to my university! Conveniently, the bus stop is only two blocks away and it's a straight line between my house and school, no tricky switching lines or any complications that I have to deal with. And since I get off at a pretty common bus stop, there are a lot of busses I can take to get back home. It was nice to finally get to see the city where I'm going to be spending so much of my time, I can't wait to go on our tour on Thursday!

We had the first day of orientation. I got a little annoyed because we were supposed to meet with and talk to some of the students that help with the international programs, who are called "monitors," but we were supposed to have a print out of the classes that we wanted to sign up for. The only problem is that neither Mark nor Páme mentioned anything about it, so I didn't really have anything to talk about.

I'm really excited to sign up for classes. Obviously, I have a lot of my time dedicated to the history department, but I'm also looking forward to a class that explores the relationship between society and poetry, as well as the possibility (??) of a photography class, which would be awesome!

After we were done, Danielle, Monica, and I took the bus back to Viña and got me a SIM card for my phone, so I finally have a way of contacting people, which is great. Before that I was walking around with nothing. Granted, I'm not in a particularly dangerous place, but it still makes me feel better to have my phone work as an actual phone again.

We stopped at this really cute little restaurant for lunch. The nice thing about South America is that they don't just bring the check over right after you finish your meal, so the three of us were able to sit and have a few drinks and laugh and talk and just generally have a really nice time. After we went to this really cool little artisan fair where I got a super fantastic new scarf (that I'm going to wear all the time) and saw a really cute dress that I might have to go back for later.

Tomorrow we have a Spanish exam at 9 am to determine our level of Spanish going into the program. The idea is that we take it at the beginning and the end and feel awesome about how much we've improved. I'm not too excited though, 1) because it's at 9am, and 2) because I BOMBED the grammar part on the last Spanish exam we took, so goodness only knows how this is going to go. I'll keep you posted!