4 days in!

Holaaaaaaa!

So my goal in writing this is to not make it simply a list of things I've done and more-so a collection of thoughts and stories, but this post is most likely going to be like a list because I'm really tired and want to get it all down before I forget what I did!

Friday evening I went out with my host dad & sister to get a cell phone at the mall. It took over an hour! At first I thought I needed a chip for an old phone I had, when I actually needed a completely new phone because the other wouldn't work any more. We went to like five places in the mall looking, and we ended up buying it from the first place we went to. Simoné was presenting me with lots of different options - it was really hard to take in all the different prices and services each company offered. I'm already bad at making decisions in English, so you can imagine what it would be like for me in Spanish. Right after we got back to the apartment I looked for my phone but couldn't find it. César went to go look for it in the car, and we called it, only to find it in the lining of my purse along with tons of other lost objects. It was really funny, because I'm pretty much known back home for losing my phone all the time. It's no different here in Chile apparently!

After going to the mall, me and my host sister went to a fiesta that some students at UAI were hosting. On the way, Lori and I stopped at Cafe Journal to check it out. We took a colectivo to the general area and walked to the party - we were surprised we were able to find it! I would have never been able to if it weren't for her. The party was SO cool. It was at a really swanky apartment- i am surprised that it belonged to a university student! The view from the balcony was gorgeous. It overlooked the ocean, and there was even a jacuzzi! It was really fun to be out with (almost) the whole group. There was a good mix of Chileans and Americans (de Oklahoma y Minnesota :)), and Lori and I met a really nice guy that goes to UAI. When Lori and I returned to the apartment, César and Gladys were up in bed waiting for Simoné to return. It was really cute and reminded me of my parents at home. :)

The next morning my family and I left the apartment around 12. Glady had told me that we were going to take a tour, but I thought it was just going to be around Viña. We all got in their Suzuki and headed out- we drove for about an hour and a half before finally stopping. They had planned an afternoon tour of playas (the beaches). We went to several places: Maintecillo, Laguna de Zapallar, Horcón, Ventanas, Quintero, y Ritoque. Each place we went was more beautiful than the last. Horcón was a really neat place. It's a small fishing village "una caleta de pescadores" with a bunch of ex-hippies living there. An old man selling jewlery asked us if we wanted to smoke grass with him. Haha. No. In Quintero we went to a restaurant that their family owns and operates. Me and Lori got to meet all of the family, including Baby Lukas that we had heard about. So adorable!! The servings were HUGE. I was so exhausted from the combination of food and lack of sleep the night before.

Ritoque was by far my favorite stop - it was SO gorgeous and felt magical. There is a cliff we climbed to overlook the ocean. The waves there were so calm and peaceful, unlike the other beaches we had visited. During the car ride there, we listened to traditional music that seemed to fit the atmosphere quite nicely (my favorite song lyrics were "lo bueno se queda, lo malo se va"). On the way back, we listened to Radio Disney in Spanish - it's Glady's favorite because, in her words, "Soy joven de corazón (young at heart)." It was fun hearing all the English songs in Spanish. My favorite: Si yo fuera un chico (Beyonce's If I Were a Boy). :) Lots of the music popular here is in English too.

After the day trip, I went to Mara's house with Todd, Ellen, and Shannon. We hung out with Mara's host sister and her friends in the basement. They taught us a ton of Spanish words and Chilean slang. It was really good practice for speaking. We left sort of early because the next day we had class. I had four classes on Monday, because I wanted to see which ones seemed the best for me before I picked which to take. Originally I was planning on taking Political Science, History, 316 (prereq), and sem, but now I'm going to take Advanced Grammar, Literature, 316, and sem. I think this will be much better for me, and I have Thursdays off! In 316 we got to design t-shirts about ourselves and in Literature we got to draw for twenty minutes. Pretty sure I'm going to love these classes!

I took a colectivo home with Todd and Mara, because we are all in Chorillos. I told the driver I needed to stop at Hospital and not at Colegio Aleman like Todd and Mara, because it's a good 20 minute walk from my house. He must not have heard me, because we passed the Hospital and he kept going! I started yelling "Aquí, aquí, aquí" until he finally heard me. However, he thought aquí meant in a neighborhood we were passing, that goes up a long winding hill. He drove the whole way up the hill before stopping, so I had to make the long descent back down to get to my apartment. It was super funny. The driver was trying to help but only made the trip longer. It was a good chance to see more of the city though, because I was on the top of a really big hill.

Yesterday after lunch I got a metro card! I went with Glady y Lauren, and we had to wait for nearly an hour to get it. But now that I have it, it's fantastic! So much easier than the micro and a TON cheaper, which is always good. Yesterday evening I went out with my sisters (Simoné y Luna), two cousins of ours, Lauren, and Gannon. We went to a little cafe called "La flor de Chile" first. We stayed for a good two hours, first outside then in. Afterward we went to Cafe Journal (the American hangout, I've heard) and met up with some other people from our group. It was really, really fun. We got back home a little after one (really early here in Chile, but it was a Monday!). Today I had 2 classes, with a really long break between them. After class I returned to my apartment.

When I arrived, Gladys and Lauren were standing at the door holding something behind their backs. Suddenly they pull out leather belts and start pretend whipping me! I was super confused about what was going on, haha. They had been waiting for me to come home for nearly two hours, because when I told Gladys I'd be home at two (son las dos), she heard that I'd be back at twelve (son las doce). They were scared when I didn't return, and had called me a good ten times on my celular, which I turned off because I was in class. César had gone out to look for me on the metro, because they thought I had missed my station and gone too far. In the morning Gladys had told me that cell phones don't work in the metro - she thought this was why I wasn't answering! I felt really bad about the whole situation & was super embarrassed, but Gladys said the only thing that matters is that I'm safe. We joked about it the rest of the day and knowing this family, probably will for the rest of the trip. We laugh constantly here - it's a very happy home!

Tomorrow I have three classes again, but I don't know what I will do after. I think some of us might go shopping! I really want to join the local gimnasio, but it's pretty expensive. I would love to try aerobics classes in Spanish!

Adios,
Liiiiiiiiiz (how Gladys pronounces my name, the i in Spanish sounds like an e in English in case you didn't know!)

Mis padres chilenos, César y Gladys

Laguna de Zapallar

La familia sin Lori y Luna :)

Ritoque