Chilling in Chile: Hola from Chile!

Hola everyone!

I made it to Santiago! The weather here is GREAT! It's like early June-- sunny and in the 70s! The flight was LONG, but I slept a little. I had a window seat, and I've included a few photos from the plane below. Overall, it was a pretty good flight. When we finally landed in Chile, it was 1pm and we were starving! We had to go through customs and immigration and everything, though, so it took FOREVER for us to get out! I was so glad that they did not lose my luggage. That would have been bad! But it was all good.

We took a tour bus to the university, where our families were waiting for us. I am living with a 33 year old woman and her husband and 7 year old son. My roommate Lisa and I are sharing a room with a gorgeous view of the city AND the Andes mountains! It's sort of unreal, actually. Our room is pretty small, but we've got a nightstand and a closet with shelves, as well as two drawers that lock for our important stuff, so we are pretty happy.

After we were settled in, the 7 year old Tomas took Lisa and me on a tour of the city! Let me tell you, you have not seen a city until you've been shown it by a 7 year old! We were walking on low walls, crossing grassy lawns, and jumping over cracks. Tomas showed us the pet store and his school and a great ice cream shop. It was pretty excellent. We had dinner then at 9pm! At school, my friends and I eat at like 5, so this was so different! AND it was still light outside! Chile weather is the best.

This morning, Lisa and I changed money and then we went to the university for orientation and a history lesson on Chile. Apparently 40% of the population lives in Santiago! That's pretty crazy. After the lesson, we ate lunch and then left on our tour of the city! We went by bus through the city and got out several times to look around. We got out at this one really busy plaza and got to see some statues, fountains, and the Cathedral de Santiago! I'd never seen a cathedral in Latin America, so that was pretty cool. We also went to this great little market full of arts and crafts from Chile! There was pottery, jewelry, paintings, accessories, and even animals! I bought a few things, but I keep having to remind myself that I'll be here for a whole month, so I can't go crazy.

When we got back home, I went with some students and we walked around the city and bought some ice cream! Now I'm back in my room waiting for dinner. It's 8:45 and it's STILL light out! Man, I love this country.

Classes start tomorrow! I'll update again soon!