i made it

Well...I'm here! My family here is wonderful. I have a mother named Enriqueta who always calls me her hijita (little daughter) and a host brother, Pablo, who is 26 and is an assistant professor and grad student at my university. Enriqueta is really into astrological signs. When she found out that I was a scorpio, like Pablo, she was convinced that I am "very organized." Haha...and that is why i don't put any stock in interpreting astrological signs.

Enriqueta and Pablo live in a house that is connected on all sides with other houses. It is one floor but we can hear the people on either side of us all of the time. The people next to us have a kid and a dog. yay... however, good news...We have a cat!!! named Perla. She is so friendly and fat. Whenever anyone is eating fruit she is right there begging for some and she has already claimed my bed as her territory so...i guess she likes me. The house is in a residential area that is right off of a busy street that leads to a business sector with lots of shops and cafes. There is also a strip of cute little pubs right by my house that we went to the first night with one of the host brothers here.



I came here expecting it to be somewhat like El Salvador and thinking that I would be right at home but it is very different. First of all: everything is waaaaay more expensive than i thought it would be. this is definitely not a third world country. There are a few people selling pirated movies and sunglasses on the streets but definitely not enough for my tastes. Secondly: the shops and restaurants are much more european and the effects of globalization are very obvious...sushi restaurants (yay!), chinese restaurants, italian pizza shops, german pubs, etc. Third: the transportation system is not just buses that pass every few minutes and that cost a quarter. Instead, there is an awesome metro system that takes you pretty much anywhere in Santiago and a really confusing bus system.

Anyways...it will definitely take me a while to adjust but I've been exploring a bit and really like the area that I live in. My university is right in the middle of the city (about 15 min away on the metro) and is very small but pretty. We start spanish classes on monday and i'm kind of glad. It will be nice to actually have a schedule. I'm currently looking for a non-profit to work with as well, but no luck so far. Well, i'm off to find something to do tonight.