Santiago: Semana 1

So, everything obviously was going just too smoothly because there was no line for customs, my bags came out in right when I walked up and I found my transfer bus right away. Buttt then, i arrived at my house and a guy answered the door and I was just looking around at this new place that I was going to be living and i forgot my backpack in the car. Which is nice and easy to do when you have 4 pieces of luggage. No more buying things for me. Anyways, i was going to go watch a futbol game with some of my new roommates at a bar when i realized, then freaked out. So i had no computer, no phone, no chile money. ONe guy told me where i could go make a phone call so i went, and talked to the guy that worked there, he helped me find the phone number on the internet, then i called the place. Luckily, he was on his way back to give it to me. Then i had no money for the man at the store since i had argentine pesos or american dollars. He told me that i could come by tomorrow when i had chilean money to pay him. I put on my karma necklace just this morning and i think that it is helping. I must have done something good along the way. A little overwhelmed so far, but everything is going to be fine!

Monday was my first day of school here. I have a woman teacher this time who is much more organized than my last teacher and is more on task, but I also liked how you could change the topic at any time with my last teacher. There is an american girl and braziallian guy in my class. There was a lunch to welcome the new students just like the last time...good empanadas. I already talked to the housing lady here though so I can change to a homestay. The student house I live at already had a meeting about who told on who for having too many parties. I swear its real world on mtv times two since there are 15 people in this one house. Andddd I have no hot water. none. So i did not shower. I went on a city tour with the activity guide; carlos, and some other new people. This city is much cleaner than Buenos Aires, but also less busy. If Buenos Aires was San Francisco, than Santiago would be Portland. Or something like that. The buildings here are really beautiful though, and I am glad I walked around. That night I just hung out with some of the roommates. My bank card didn´t work all day though, so luckily the new canadian guy made some nachos for everyone to eat. Everyone kind of has their set groups of friends already, so I am really going to have to put myself out there a little more and kind of invite myself places. Not my favorite thing to do, but oh well.

Tuesday was better. My bank card worked, so I could actually buy food! I got gyros from the shop near my house and went back to eat, and everyone was there so I joined. Luckliy it was nice outside because the days before were way tooooo cold. And the house has no insulation so I swear it was colder inside than out. I took a shower in another part of the house so i could have hot water. Then i went to school for this conversation club thing and i said something and this girl was like oh where are you from? And i was like california, and your from new york right? she was like ya how did you know? I said, well i had lunch with you at my house for the past two hours. She didnt even recognize me after i had showered! I must have looked really bad. Some girls were going to the movie theater since it was 1 mil peso movie day (which is like 2 dollars...too many currencies to figure out!). We wanted to see the movie with Richard Gere and Diane Lane, pero it was sold out. So we saw Tropic Thunder but here it is called Guerra de Pelicula which means movie about war. Their translations are weird. I went with my roommate Frida from sweden and two other girls from new york. We had pizza before hand and it was actually good! I have been enjoying the food here much better than Argentina. I think Argentina has good food when you go out for nice dinners, like the steak and stuff, but Chile has better everyday cheap food. I am glad I went with them, cuz the first day felt a little too lonely! I forget that these things take time, and it has only been like 2 days. It would be so much easier if I had friends in every city that I go to!

Wednesday. I went to class. it was fine. After class I went out to lunch with some of the girls that I met the day before, then that night was fun. Some people got tickets to the Chile vs. Argentina futbol game, but it was already soldout so I went with the rest of the crew to a bar to watch the game. There were so many people there very into the game. They would stand up just randomly and scream CHI CHI CHI LE LE LE VIVA CHILE! Then they had this other cheer that was something about how Argentines are gay, pretty funny. Chile won for the first time in a long time so everyone was in a great mood. I feel like I am just hopping on the bandwagon cuz just a couple of days ago I would have been rooting for Argentina! but oh well, i am not that into it.

Thursday after school i went to SUBWAY! It made me so happy. I love finding food that reminds me of home. I went on a run after school since i felt so unhealthy and then when I was done with it I felt like I had smokers lungs since the smog here is so bad. I guess i will just have to hold off on the working out! darn. After that I went to a wine tasting at school. It was nice but I really think that people who talk about wine are full of it. They smell all these different things in the wine that I am like, how the hell did you smell that from this. It smells like wine. But, it was an experience nonetheless and I learned some new spanish vocabulary since the whole lesson was in spanish. After that I went home and had to study! This school is more worried about the tests and such than Buenos Aires. Or maybe it is just the difference in my teachers. So, i studied for the first time in a while.

I passed my test friday but it was more serious that the last tests that I have taken. I had to do a minute speech on jobs in the US. After class there is the graduation speech like every friday but in Santiago we have completos. THis consists of a hot dog with tomatoes avocado mayo and ketchup on top. Oh it was so goooodd. Not the combo you would thing of but still delicious. THere was nothing really to do that day so I played card games with my roommates in the afternoon. I learned a new game called shithead. There was 8 of us playing and so we decided whoever lost had to run to the boteleria and get a liter of beer for everyone to share. Of course the second game we played I was off and running to the boteleria. I don´t like losing card games! Later that night a lot of people came to our house since I think it is just a constant party stop then we went out the a bar in Bella Vista which is Santiago´s main night clubs and what not. Luckily, not everyone stays out til 6 in the morning so I went home at 2 and actually felt normal the next day.

SAturday I moved to my new home! I was immediately greeted by Ana Maria, mi madre for the next three weeks. She was off and running out to lunch or something so I just unpacked. Then I was without anything to do and was kinda antsy in the house so I went out looking for an internet cafe. On the way I ran into some people from school who were going up to el cerro de San Cristobal and watching the sunset. So it was perfect timing! I went with them and then went back to have my first dinner with mi familia. Ana Maria is so great and just sits and talks with me while I have dinner. It was steak and potatoes and salad and dessert and wine. I felt like a queen! I went out with some people from school again...it seems like a constant celebration of someones last night. We went to a regaton club and then a samba club. Muy divertida. I slept in on sunday and woke up to breakfast awaiting me. I went out with Josi (a girl i met in buenos aires) and Dan...both americans...and we did some sightseeing and then went to an american bar where they were watching football. Not futbol. Just a week done, but already am feeling very comfortable! I am so glad that I moved.