ok, here it goes.

well, thurs night i took a bus for 11 hours SE to Pucon, we arrived at 8am and had a full day from there. we stayed in a really nice cabana, will cute rooms and i stayed with all girls i like. we went to have lunch made by some mapuche women, mapuche are one of the indigenous peoples of chile, who have had problems with political and racial oppresion. well anyways, the food was amazing, they use this fruit/seed to make it all and it was delicious. we ate with hand made dishes outside in a cute cabin like thing overlooking the river, it was gorgeous. then we explored the area/river awhile until we went to a bonfire at one of their houses. it was just a huge field with sheep, pigs, and dogs everywhere. we learned how to make yarn and weave, make sopapillas, play a game kinda like field hockey, learned a traditional dance and how to play ahorn mad of an antler and roast those fruit things on the fire. they were the nicest and most genuine people i think i have ever met. at the end we stood in a circle holding hands, to symbolize their belief that we are all connected and there is no end, they thanked us so so much for coming to learn about their culture and for caring and sharing time with them, it was just a really beautiful moment cause we were def the ones who should have been thankful. it was a really great day.

that night my roomates and i made pasta and just hung out, it was a really fun night, i like all my friends here alot :) then sat i went rafting! it was awesome. not too intense, but definately not something im used to. the guides name was the same as mine, even spelled the same, apparently its a typical guys name here....anyways, it was just soooo gorgeous, you could see the volcano (still active!) from the river and it was just a gorgeous day. we also got to jump off a cliff into the water and that was so fun. then after that my friends ashley vanessa and i went to look at the rest of pucon, it was kinda a letdown, really touristy, but there is a lake there that is just so so beautiful. then that night we went to dinner at a restaurant in town with the program and then just chilled in cabana again.

sun i didnt get to go to the hot springs with the program cause we had a bus that left at 3 to go 6 hours south to puerto montt to start our sothern adventure!. i went with 6 of my friends and then by chance like 8 others from my program were doing the same thing. so we took that bus and then stayed in a really sketchy hostel. it was creepy and dirty and overpriced. we went to get food but it was like 11, so we went to some sketchy bar where they like opened a peep hole first to let us in....bad sign number one. then inside they only had empanadas de carne...sweet. some creepy old drunk guys were flirting with some girls and just kept saying in english "pretty women" and when they left threw 1,000 pesos (only like 1.50) at the table haha. and then on the way home like a pack of 9 dogs walked us home, but they were fighting and it was kinda scary, they just kept surrounding us. anyways, so then we slept for like 4 hours and went to the airport.

after like 3 hours of delays (because there was no pilot??)...thats chile for you... we flew to punto arenas...its the 2nd southern most town in the world until u hit antartica! also! on the plane, i saw the andes, an erupting volcano, and a glacier! how cool is that?!! anyways we didnt stay in punto arenas til later, we then took a 3 hour bus more north to puerto natales. we stayed in a really cool hostel there with a guy names juan. he knew everything about the torres del paine and helped us plan our trip. then the next morning at 7 we took a 2 hour bus to the torres, they looked so intimidating from far away. the mountain was like all u could see and it was surrounded by gray clouds and just looked terryfying, the fact that we were going to hike that and live there the next few days was so daunting. umm so then i got into the park as a chilean :) that was a happy moment. then we took a catamaran to the left side of the park where glacier grey is. we checked into a refugio its like the step below a hostel, only this one was really nice. then we went on our first hike to see the glacier!

ok so this day was one of the best/scariest/strangest of my life. we walked for about 4 hours in the rain and cold to see the glacier. it was absolutely amazing. bigger than i couldve even imagined. we saw icebergs, they looked fake, they were like food color/jello blue. and they were fucknig huge. and the glacier was just gigantic, my pictures dont do it any justice. u see it and it really does take your breath away and just kinda changes ur view of the world. well maybe just me. but it was incredible. which then led to my downfall. because some other girls and i wanted to keep going to get closer, cause it u go the right way u can actually touch it. so we kept going, and after about and hour more of really hard hiking through brush and in pouring rain now, we realized we werent even close to the glacier (it just kept seeing to get farther....) and that we couldnt make it home b4 dark. so we tried to get back as fast as we could, literally like running sometimes on the flat parts. but it def turned dark b4 we could get back. so the woman i was with/leading (she is 45 and really awesome, but acts like shes 20) started panicking and it was almost impossible to see the path and it was freezing and there really are pumas in the forests there, so needless to say, i started to get scared. anyways, by total luck, we ran into 3 boys in our program who had lights and they led us back. i also just want to point out that all i had eaten within that day and the day before was a small quesadilla and an apple....and then i hiked literally 8 hours straight, not once sitting. and for some reason when it was all done, i just laughed and wasnt tired or upset, well except that i was so wet and cold, but i was actually proud we made it and was still really happy with the day. ok so anyways, then we made waaay too little pasta in the communal cabin thing, we all ravaged around the one pot, it was really funny watching us all 7 of us around this little pot. then i hung my clothes by the fire, considering thats all i had to wear all week....and then passed the fuck out.

then wed we took the boat back to the center of the park, took a bus to the right side, and then a shuttle to the base of the next trail. we found out there that the refugio we wanted to stay in, closed that day...por supuesto. but we found out b4 we hiked two hours straight uphill so that was nice. so instead we just stayed at another refugio and chilled that day. we were kinda bummed that we lost a day hiking, but in the end i think it was a blessing in disguise. it was a really gross cold and rainy day and we were all tired, hungry, wet and sore. so it was so great to get a real dinner, a fire and just sit. we had a great bonding day too i think. and it was really cool to see all the different types of people from around the world that were there. we met a girl from germany and some guys from australia, isreal, holland. it was cool.

hmm, then thurs we got up really early to see the sunrise on the torres (when i say torres i mean the 3 big towers in the mountains) it was a beautiful red/pink/purple sunrise, which yet again my camera does no justice to. then we hiked 4 1/2 hours up to the top. that was the hardest hike i have ever done. it was literally like rock climbing the last 45 mins. i honestly didnt think my body would make it up there. it was cool tho cause we went from ground level, following an absolutely gorgeous, fresh, bight blue river (too bad my camera sucked at getting the color) then up to the side of a mountain where we could see all kinds of waterfalls down the opposite mountain and then finally we were up to the top snowy parts and then at the top! the torres actually looked smaller from there than from far away, it was strange. but we lucked out and had a gorgeous sunny day. that was prob one of the best moments of my life. everyone at the top was just so happy to be there, it was such a positive energy. we were all proud of ourselves and awestruck by all the beauty we could see and it was just so cool to see other people experiencing the same great thing as me.

so then we worked our way down and ate lunch halfway down the mountain. then just walked all the rest of the way. it was so so so so pretty. you could see for miles. 3 different lakes, lots of mountain ranges, waterfalls, rivers, the perfect sky, it was alll soooooooo gorgeous. i cant even describe it. ive never felt so lucky to be alive. not to get all cheesy, but i really do think everyone should get to experience that place. it changes u i swear. ok so then we hung out at the cool hostel the rest of the asfternoon, took the same buses back to puerto natales and stayed in the same hostel with juan and cooked more pasta hah. then fri we went to punto arenas (the southern town) we stayed at this absolutely adorable hostel with a woman named elbia. she was so so nice to us and just wanted to help and talk to us. we played kings in the common room, that was hilarious and then we went to a restauurant called santinos that some awesome chilean photographer told us to meet him at. we had drinks called glacial and lago grey (places at the torres) and they just looked really cool. we also saw the cool photographer (vincente haha) then we went home, some friends drank more, but i feel asleep...

then sat we just flew to santiago and took a bus back to vina and i was finally home.
so that was my trip. i think i cant really get across how awesome it was cause it was just (dorky moment coming up!) it was really a great personal trip. i think i grew a lot, moved on alot, got to understand myself and really appreciate life. i could go on about really boring and cheesy things i realized, but i just dont want to type anymore.

so if u read this. thanks, i appreciate u caring. i hope u can experience something that makes u excited to live like this trip did for me!

much much love from chile!

ok, so i dunno if i really have anything too exciting and new to talk about...but watch this turn into yet another long ass post.

sunday i didnt really do much, i hung out with my bro and his friend again and had din din with the fam, but didnt really do anything. monday i went to class from 10-4, and that was sad. um but when i got home my cousin pedro and his friend christopher were there and so we hung out for a bit and then we all went to the beach to meet some of my gringa friends. it was so nice out and i really like my cousin so it was fun.

then tues i just had dance class, which is always fun, then ran lots of errands all around town, i went to lots of cute little shops too, i think im finally rememebering where all the little places i like are! then i was in a bummed out mood, but my friends came to get me to go out for st pattys day. it turned out to be really fun, we just went to the cafe really close to my house, it was packed. they dont even celebrate st patricks day here, it was just another typical tues night of partying. so i just hung out with some friends for awhile, nothing crazy, but i really enjoyed it.

um so wed i went to drawing class veeeery early, it was entertaining...i really cant draw. then hung with the mom at home, went to grammar class and then i went to the mall. i literally went to like 10 stores trying to find a non disposible water bottle. they only use thermoses here for some reason... its kinda funny here cause the simplest things im used to just knowing where to get or that are everywhere are more complicated to find here. and everything is really just a small specialty store, except for the one huge "jumbo" which i guess is like walmart. i also saw starbursts on display in a candy store as the special candy, and it made me laugh. then i had a really good dinner with my mom and dad, it was really good conversation. then webcammed with the fam, packed and talked to people.

today, i just have to go to a short class and then we are leaving for pucon for the weekend, and then torres del paine!! im sure the next post is going to be very long ;)


and also,
http://images.google.cl/images?q=torres+del+paine&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=3djCSfOCA-DZmQfmguz9Cw&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&resnum=4&ct=title

...i am so lucky!

ok, so lets see whats happened since thursdayyyy, well that day i went for a run and to the beach :) it was fantastic, i just ran random roads trying to learn my way around more, got kinda lost, but ended up at the shore, so it all worked out ha. then i had my literature class, its kinda a joke, we just read a story every week and spend 2 and a half hours talking about it, really boring. not to mention it takes me forever to read these stories cause i have to look up every 2 words...fun. then later we had another pointless program meeting and then i went out with some friends.

it was a really great night. we just went to a bar and hung out, but i really really liked all the girls i was with and i think we were all bonding and getting to know each other. we were all going through something that night and were all there for each other and also i guess we are just the only ones who can really understand what its like to live here and go through all these new things, so it was just really fun. plus i met some chileans which is always fun.

then friday i bought my tickets to torres del paine!!! if u dont know what that is, look up pictures cause its breathtaking. it is very far south, almost to antartica/the end of the world, it is huge mountains with glaciers and penguins (!!!!) and lakes and just all around gorgeous. usually it takes a 5 day hike to see the whole thing, but some friends and i are going to do 3 days of day hikes instead of camping out and stay in a hostel cause we just arent that intense/cant afford to rent all the stuff. but it should be amazing, we are also gonnna spend a day on the penguin island and then just exploring some towns in the south. im really excited for all of it, i like all the girls im going with, including vicki who is 45 and the coolest mom i have ever met. she is such an inspiration, i really hope i have the balls she does to try new things and do what i want when im her age. so it should be a great trip, plus i get to miss school for a week so thats nice too.

then later that day i ate at vanessa's house, her "nana" meaning maid basically made us a delicious lunch, its still really weird getting used to the idea of being served by a maid, my family doesnt have one but lots of my friends do and it just feels weird. but anyways, then we went shopping at the mall, which was kinda a disappointment cause it was just a huge, american like mall with lots of the same stores and tons of mcdonalds. but at the same time it was nice to see stuff i recognized. we also got ice cream, which was so good. it was manjar flavor, which is like a dulce de leche spread thing they have here. it has literally changes me life, it is so so so amazing. (i think chels is the only one who will get this reference, but it is like peara in spread form) its the most delicious thing ive ever tasted and i just eat it by the spoonful. mmmm

ok so that was a tangent, but then we also went to this cute botique that has awesome clothes and i got a cute handmade notebook, its all sooo cheap too. then fri night i stayed in, made some much needed phone calls and passed out. saturday i had a big family lunch, went to the beach with the gringos, that was fun, it was some of the people i dont usually hang out with, so it was good to mix it up. then i had a huge family dinner with everyone and my little "niece" who is 10 and "nephew" who is 5 put on a singing and dancing show, it was so adorable. they just pranced around lip syncing to spanish kids music...does it get any cuter?? then we went to "cafe juglar" its this awesome hippie hangout. its sooo relaxed there and the people are just so awesome. people were playing the drums and we had this drink called "vino con fruita" its just wine with fruit and juice and ice cream and its amazing. so we just chilled there. but then i headed home kinda early. and today i ran to the beach again and ate some great cake and more manjar and am procrastinating from doing some hw. so thats it.

im really bad at writing short posts.

ok. so ive been really homesick recently, but some recent things have really put my mind into perspective.

and i realized that i dont want to waste my precious time here upset that im missing other things. because i am lucky enough to know that i still have people who will be there when i come back. and its sad that i cant be with them (if u are reading this now u are most likely one of them) but also the best feeling that i know i have people who will always care even if i go do my own thing for awhile. i am also lucky enough to be making really good friends here, which sucks cause in the end thats more people to miss, but the point is, the fact that i have people to miss is amazing.

so i guess this is my thank you to whoever is reading this and all my friends who are always there for me and show me they love me. especially being here, knowing i have your friendship is, i dunno really how to explain it, reassuring, and just makes me feel really lucky. im just happier here knowing that i get to have a great time here and i still get to return to wonderful people. so, there really isnt any reason to be sad, cause no matter what, im lucky.

i know this isnt really an update like this blog is supposed to be. but as down as ive been, and then getting all the love and support from people like i did, just opened my eyes to how great i have it and lucky i am to know people like you.

so sorry i got all mushy, but i really wanna make sure that the people i love know it. thanks for putting up with me!

also, chile is still awesome.

peace and love from your overly emotional bilingual babe! (thats pushing it, but i love alliteration)

ok so, its my third day of classes and all i have to say is oh chile. yesterday i had danzas tradicionales and that class was awesome. it was all white kids but my professor can really dance and it was just really really fun and not awkward at all considering we were all just swinging out hips and dancing with random people the whole time. the dumb part tho is that schedules and course books just tell u the name of the room u are in, not what building or clue to what floor or anything. this is tricky cause classes are held in over 15 buildings in 2 different cities...so finding them is always a lot of work. so after lots of work and looking stupid and asking multiple times where this class was, i finally found it in the basement of some random engineering building...? whatevs. then i came home and almorzared with the madre.

then i thought i had class at 345, but turns out when the schedule said 8th period, it really meant end of 7th, which was 45 mins earlier. so i looked in the class, saw it was all chileans (like at least 45) and i couldnt understand the board and decided to fuck it and left. i dont need the class anyways, it was kinda just for fun, i might try again next week, but who knows. so i walked back home, usually its like a 15 min bus ride, so i walked for like an hour and decided to go to the beach. best decision ever. i sat there for like 2 hours watching people, writing, and just realizing where i was. i still dont quite understand that im in a different country. then went home and ate, waaay too late, i dont like eating dinner at 10....

so today i had drawing at 815....only the professor didnt show up til 9...and then told us that class would start at 9 from now on. and that was boring, got out early, came home then decided to try out a class at 1145....only it really started at 10, why my schedule said different i dont know. bu ti wasnt the only one so it was all good. but the lady said there wasnt room and it looked waaay too hard so i left.

i have to say that being here has really really made me appreciate my home and english like i never thought i would. i will never ever take for granted that i can fluently speak and write in english. the fact that i dont have to think when i want to say something and really get my idea out is so priceless to me now. i used to think it was ugly and too common, but now i really am proud that i know it. its just very reassuring throughout all this that i at least know one language. and the way things are done here and just the way of living has made me really appreciate my real life. i dont know what it is, i think its partly materialistic. i like my space and dont have it here, i especially dislike that u can hear everything in the bathroom. and ive never wanted candy more. candy here doesnt really have flavor. i miss that too, flavor. we just eat veggies and fruits and plain pastas. nothing really has flavor. i also appreciate that i understand how things function in america, whereas here its just all new and doesnt really have any reason to it. i love it here, but i think it has unbelieveable put my life into perspective and i will not forget how great my life is when im back in america. um, so that got kinda deep randomly...this is proving to be a very eye opening trip.

ok gotta go to grammar class! hah i feel 12. hope u are enjoying whatever country u are in!

peace and love from your chilean chica!

so i wanna try to update more often so they are smaller posts, cause honestly i get bored with myself typing it all...

so sat night i hung out with my bro for awhile in his room, met his friend and yo estaba volando, figure it out or ask me... so then maggie and camilla came over and we went to meet my "cousin" john to go to some party that paul (previously mentioned awkward cocky lustful kid) was having. also, side note, john my cousin is the most awkward boy ever created and i wish i wasnt related to him. haha, well i just wish he wouldnt cling to me, he doesnt even talk to me in english, super awk.

soo we went to this party, it was pretty fun, a good mix of chileans and gringos, it was kinda cool to always be switching between english and spanish. and they had a drum circle and it was really cool. but i helped to take care of paul who was wayyyy too drunk and that was sort of annoying. then we were supposed to hang out with my moniter, marco, but he didnt respond to my text....so we just decided to go home instead of some club some others were going to.

sunday i didnt do anything and it was amazingggg. i slept alot and then ate with the fam and just chilled in my room. i tried to webcam with the whole fam, i mean like padres, aunt, cousins, g-parents, it was kinda weird.

and today i had my first classes in 3 months! i had psyc of love and sexuality at 10, it started like 15 mins late cause my teacher couldnt find a place to park his motorcycle....the class is mostly foreign kids and only like 6 chikeans, which is kinda sad. the prof talks really fast, but i pretty much understand, he also is used to foreign kids in his classes so thats good. he seems really relaxed and the class sounds interesting. some kid even left to smoke while we were in class, just outside the door. VERY relaxed. then i had to go across town to my grammer class. this class is only for exchange students, so thats lame. but im actually excited to take it cause it deals with all the things i have problems with, like using ser/estar preterito/imperfecto etc. so im a nerd and excited about learning that. also my prof, pedro, is super young and chill, he doesnt care if we come or are late and gets that we are gonna travel. he is really cool. school is just so different here, we dont have syllabi, its like no big deal, and no books (mostly cause its waaay to expensive here) so this should be interesting.

i was also very proud of myself for taking the buses everywhere and knowing which to use and where to get off, id never gone to those buildings before so it was a relief i could do it. i also stopped to have pizza with some friends, it was a wonderful change from the veggies my mom is so prone to feeding me. although it was supposed to be a fast place (it looked really american like a subway) but it took like 25mins for us to get our food. chileans really are laid back about everything, i need to get in that mindset cause for now its kinda annoying.

anyways, im out of things to say, that was still kinda long.....

peace and love

just to make jgerbs happy, im gonna try to make this the longest post yet. so fuck you.

so sunday i went on the tour of tours next to mine and it was the first absolutely beautiful day we had. all the places were so amazing (i put pics up on fb). my brother, his friend oscar, dad and mom went with me. it felt so normal and i pretty much understood everything that was going on. i felt like a total tourist taking all those pics when there were just like, ya im awesome and have seen this everyday of my life, no biggie. but they were really excited to show me stuff it seemed. i was surprised my bro and friend wanted to even come with us, but they were really nice and cool and talked to me the whole time, they even invited me out with them that night, but i was too tired to try and socialize with new people in spanish so i just went home with the parents. i didnt do anything that night, which was a nice change.

then monday was the most pointless day of my life. i had to be at school early to sit there for 3 hours while we had orientation for international students. the stupid lady just talked at us about the schedule we had for the next week, which was in the program we were all holding....so stupid. then i went home to eat, had more classes with my program...also very pointless things. they just sit us in a stifling hot room while we listen to someone tell about the history of chile, but u cant hear anything cause of the traffic around us. waste of my lifeeeeee

but then i went shopping at a ferria, like an art market. i got a banano, which is a fanny pack. its awesome. everyone here carries those instead cause its too dangerous to have like a backpack or purse. i also got a sweet change purse cause pretty much all the money i use is coins. it was so cool.i am def gonna be broke when i leave here, i saw soo many bags, scarfs, skirts, tie dye, and jewelry i loveddddd. im so not kidding when i say i was meant to live here. also, the amount of hippies in this place is amazing. ive never seen so many people with mullets and dreads. its amazing. seriously everywhere u look is a really really awesome looking person. um, so then i walked home that day and just chilled at home with the madre.

tues i had to wait outside in the cold from 830 to 1130 to get my student visa registered...i was very cranky. i went home to eat, then went to program class again. i like lunches cause i just eat with my mom and we get to talk alot. she is really cool and we really get along. she always knows how to finish my sentences and im so glad im to the point that we can actually have like a actual meaningful conversation. we've talked about relationships, moving, types of people, traveling, idk just everything, its really cool. i also went to a class about volunteering here, i want to go to a hospital and talk to the patients or maybe this home for girls who ran away b/c of bad living situations. it all sounds really cool. i think it was that night that i went to my "aunts" house. we had drinks with my uncle, cousin, there exchange student, my g-pa and some other guy. it was really cool. my cousin is so awesome, his name is pablo, he is 20, and so so nice. i met him earlier that day, he helped me get my phone connected cause i couldnt understand the automated voice haha. ive since hung out with him at my house, he seems so sweet and really talkative hah. also, i was glad to not be the only exchange person, even tho we were only allowed to speak in spanish it was still good. i was lost sometimes during the night, but did better than i expected. everyone was so nice to me and kept telling me how pretty and charismatic i was. that made me really happy, cause im always kinda afraid i just sound stupid when i talk and none of my personality comes through. its kinda weird tho that chileans really just tell u what they think, but so far its all been good so ill take it hah.

wed nothing really happened i dont think, just more all day orientation shit that was pointless. o i went on a tour of the school buildings, which are all over these two towns, so i guess that was kinda helpful. im really glad i finally know where all the buses will take me, where i can get them, what metro stops to take, and which collectivos i can get where. it is so helpful to finally know pretty much where everything is and have a hold on the public transportation. i also talked to my "advisor" here that day to try and figure out my classes.

thurs we went and signed up for our classes...i have such an easy schdule :) no classes on fridays. on mon psyc of love and sexuality at 10, then a spanish grammer class for extranjeros, tues just traditional dances of spain (well and maybe a social psyc class, it depends if i like it after the first day) and wed drawing (but at 815am ughhh) and grammer again, thurs just my programs spanish lit class. thats it...classes basically only meet once a week. its so easy. then i went to the beach after that :) it was so fun, my first time really just chilling on the beach. some guys next to us were playing the drums and i yet again was hit with the "what the fuck. where am i??" feeling. then i went to my first "real" class, its through my program so i dont think it really counts. after we all went out for a drink, only it was expensive so we just hung out and talked. it was really fun. im so happy i always have new people to meet and really get to know.

then fri i had to get my chilean id....weird. we waited at a dmv (bmv depending on what state u are from) like place for 3 hours. then went to a panaderia and got a donut. amazing. we ate in the plaza then walked home. on the way home we stopped at a pier one like store, only it was waaaay cooler and so so cheap. i was in love with all the kids stuff and some of the other stuff too. i want to move here just so i acn decorate an apartment with stuff from there. then fri night i had dinner with the mom, we talked about me meeting chileans and being young and stupid haha and sex....ya she is awesome. then i went out with my chilean friend marco (he was my tour guide) and 2 other americans and we went to his friends bday party, so i got to meet lots of chileans, and some french exchange students? we just went to a bar and talked, which was really hard for me, it was so loud and they spoke really fast, to be honest half the time i just zoned out and nodded. then we went upstairs and danced. marco tried to teach me to salsa...haha it was fun but really awkward. also the french dude awkwardly tried dancing with me, i kinda let him do his awkward moves and just slid away hah. gotta love the effort tho. it was really really fun. i also got 3 numbers...just cause all chileans want is sex with gringas according to my neighbor camilla, the awesome chilean girl. then marco and some other kid took us on the bus and walked us home. im glad they did cause it was like 430 and some sketchy people were out. i talked to marco alot on the bus on the way home, he was really cool and i think we can be really good friends.

so today i finally slept alotttttt. ive just been hanging in my room, its nice to be alone for a bit. tonight i am going to a party at this kid pauls house who is in my program and then either a discotec called goose or marco also invited me to go out with him and his friends to get food/drinks. soo who knows. i still dont believe this is my life. but i have to throw in there that chilean friends are the best. they are so cool and genuine. everyone should have some haha. ok time to go eattttt.

i hope this was the longest post ever. and whoever actually read it, congrats, im impressed.
peace and love from chileeeee

holaaa, soo we went to cafe journal thursday night, that was really fun and interesting, i got to meet some chilenos and hang with my group too. speaking spanish in a loud club and understanding is very difficult, i suppose the chilean beer and pisco sour didnt help. the alcohol is much stronger here, just fyi, if u ever find yourself drinking here. and they seriously fill up your glass like more than half full with rum or some other alocohol and only like a little coke on top...ridiculous. the night ended up very interesting with some blonde guy in my group proclaiming his lust for me...awkward and annoying. then i went home with 2 other girls on my street, i am really lucky that i have girls who live close, its pretty dangerous here at night, especially for us gringas (although according to the chilenos here i kinda pass as one if i dont open my mouth hah)

so then friday we had 3 hours of orientation classes and then had lunch in the plaza de vina. it was cute, we ate on the steps to a fountain in the middle of the city. i kinda dont like when im in our huge group tho because then we definitely look like a bunch of gringos. so then we went to la sebastiana! its pablo nerudas house that it built way up on a hill in valpo. he has a magnificent view of the ocean and all of valpo and vina. its 5 stories, has soo much cool art and colors and is just really unique with random roooms. after that we went on a walking tour of valpo to see some of the graffiti. that was awesome too, there are soooo many artists in valpo, its a really unique and cool place.

umm then later that night i went to get pizza with some kids from the group and then out to some random bar with maggie (a girl who lives by me) her sister. who is so so awesome and helpful, conner, laura, vanessa and some other chileno. it was really fun, some bars here arent what u think of usually. they are just lots of rooms with tables so u can sit and talk. of course there are others for dancing, but there are just sooo many you can have both kinds. the only think that kind bothers me is that you can smoke anywhere here. like grocery stores, anything. so in the bars and things its kinda hard to breathe sometimes and the smoke is rediculous, we all always look like we are high out of our minds when we leave cause the smoke just hurts so bad. but besides that, its really fun.

then sat morning i went surfing! we got up early and met at some surf shop a boy in my groups brother owns. we drove like 40 minutes away to playa ventana, i kinda secluded small beach up north. we got all suited up and then had a very quick lesson on the beach before just basically being told to get in and go. it was actually easier than i thought. i mean i wasnt good by any means, but balancing was really easy if u just laid or kneeled on it. i was able to stand up 4 times, not long, but its a start! it was really really fun, even just watching everyone else was fun. i really reccomend trying it anytime u can. then on the way home we stopped and got emapanadas. if there is anything im going to get fat off here its the empanadas and ice cream. and thats saying something cause the portions here are fucking huge. mmm.

when i got home that afternoon i awkwardly walked in on a family lunch at my house. there were lots of people i hadnt met yet so i had to sit and eat with them and try to make conversation. its really nerve wraking (sp?) meeting new chilenos, especially cause usually if they arent involved in the program somehow, they talk super fast and arent as understanding if u dont get what they are saying. but it was still good. o my god, also they werent kidding about the best fruit in the world being here. honestly, its not fair that we cant always experience this. i already feel sad that im not going to get in the future. i cant explain how delicious and juicy and sweet everything is. its absolutely amazing.

bueno, then i went out last night to my friend jenny's house and met her mom and sister and all her friends. they are crazy but so much fun. they just sit around drinking and smoking with her mom (and i mean like drinking alot, chain smoking and marijuana) her friends were so nice and had no problem helping us out or being patient. i felt so lame cause they were just wasting time til 4am when they were going to go out....i was so trying to be in bed by then. chileans really never sleep. en serio. then her mom and chrisitina/maggie played the guitar and we had kinda a makeshift sing along. they know all types of english music, its so cute to hear them sing it with an accent tho. so we did that til they left at 4 and took a collectivo home, which is like a taxi but with a set route. and this morning a got up late and had breakfast lunch with the fam, now we are going on a tour of runeca and con con, two cities next to mine!

also, ive almost been here a week! holy holy cow time flies!