Princess and the Frozen Pea

It's really cold lately, which means I never want to get out from underneath my pile of six warm blankets that I sleep under every night. Its like the Princess and the Pea, only I'm the freezing pea under an infinite pile of warmth.

Balty is better! And louder than ever. This morning when I made it home from class he couldn't wait to tell me that he did NOT throw up today, and he gets to go to school tomorrow! We've really bonded since the naked-dancing-on-the-bed incident, that's for sure. I guess I've seen it all ;)

Today's lunch was probably the best yet. Priscilla called it somethingo somethingo italiano...whatever it was, I could eat it every day: a zucchini-like thing cut in half and filled with a meaty cheesy mixture, then baked. Served with white rice and onions and a small avocado salad. WOW.
After a small siesta, I went back to school to meet with Carlos (our advisor) and some other internationals. We walked to El Hogar de Nino Amor, a home for children where I will be volunteering in addition to the English-teaching job that Lauren and I are taking on every Monday.

There are 17 kids between the ages of 1 and 8 that live in this home. They have parents, but are unable to live with them for various, sad reasons. The woman in charge, Senorita Luz, showed us around. She is probably about 70 and couldn't be nicer. It must take a super special person to run a place like this. I'm looking forward to my first official day on Thursday :)

After leaving el hogar, I took a stroll to the metro and caught a train to Lauren's casa. I showed up without notice, as I am currently without minutes on my annoying go-phone...but was informed upon my arrival that we would be leaving soon for a cheap movie in Valparaiso with Lauren's fam! The movie was good...too bad it was in Chilean Spanish meaning I could only decipher about 40% of what they were saying...

Whats great about a great lunch ?
It leads to a great dinner. Yummo.

trust me- its delicious.

Hasta luego,
Lesley

Ciento cincuenta...

is the amount of pesos it takes to buy the most delicious pastry I have ever eaten in my life. Marshmallow cream/solid sugar and sprinkles piled on top of a cakey pastry with manjar...doesn't get any better than that.

Class was difficult to sit through today for a few reasons:
1)lentils for lunch means stomach ache in class
2)I woke up at 6:30
3)same teacher for two classes in a row
4)it's cold outside today, which means it's also freezing inside the classroom (no heaters)

BUT now I'm home, and after another plate of lentils I'm feeling....healthier than ever?
Anyways, everyone can be sure that I will never again eat a single lentil upon my arrival in the United States come December 11.

Balty is feeling better and working on homework, as I should be.
Instead, I'm celebrating the fact that Lauren and I are officially the owners of plane-tickets to Peru. Hellooooooo Machu Picchu :) I want to meetchu.

Hasta manana,
Lesley

Balty's barfing

This morning I woke up at the crack of dawn to an unfamiliar sound. Sure enough, I peeked through my curtains to see that the sun has begun rising and much to my surprise, the wierd sound that I was hearing was that of a rooster's annoying screech. It isn't as pleasant as I once thought...

At 7:15 I was out the door and dashing to the Metro. I made it JUST in time to catch the train and was at the Vina station on time at 7:30 to meet Lauren. We walked to the school where we now teach english.

I didn't really know what to expect from a public school here but basically could not have guessed that it could be any worse. All of the teachers are very nice, and I really like the students, but discipline is impossible and there is no order whatsoever in the classroom.

Lauren and I were placed with a younger teacher, Ana Karina, who only teaches English. Her english skills are pretty good, but it is obvious that she needs help in teaching the students how words should really sound, etc. We had three different classes today, and all were the same age group- 17+.

Any North American would be in shock at how the students act. Today we saw hair straightening, drawing on the wall, cellphone conversations (talking, not texting), crying from embarrassment of speaking in english, makeup fixing, and one girl was even making dredlocks in her hair. The class was all-girls, and its crazy how different they are from senior girls in the US.

They had to make presentations in english in front of the class, but most were to embarrassed to present...so they didn't. Its like most of them have nothing encouraging to make them work hard...its wierd. NOW I know why most people here get into private or semi-private schools.

There is another volunteer working with/for our teacher. Her name is Janet, and she is from Australia. She deserves a lot of credit for volunteering everyday in these classes, and many of the students pay attention to her. She's very nice and I think she appreciates the fact that now, Lauren and I can give her the help that she needs. The Chilean students have to hear english coming from people who speak english. It works the same for us when trying to learn spanish...we need to hear spanish from a native spanish speaker before we can truly understand how it all fits together.

And thats my analysis of the day.

Balty is still sick and has to miss more school. I think he gets sick because he never eats his vegetables and doesn't like fruit.

Now I have class.

Until later,
Lesley

The Emmy's!

As always, I slept in this morning and lazed around until lunch. Patricio came home around noon, so Priscilla really went all out for lunch. We had a shell-fish casserole, soupy thing that's covered in cheese. It's very delicious, but I have figured out that as much as I love seafood, "shellfish" are not my thing. They aren't oysters or mussels, they aren't shrimp...its a schlew of very odd shaped sometimes gritty things. But I clean the plate anyway :)

After lunch, I took a 40 minute stroll to Starbucks and met Liz, Lauren, and Gannon from Minnesota. On the way there, I was barked at by the most giant dog in the universe. Bigger than Cookie.

BIG DOG

The beach was super great today, and crowded! September is apparently going to be a month of complete partying here in Chile. September 18 marks the 200th anniversary and EVERYONE is so excited. I have been told that there will be fireworks all along the coast...I can't wait. Everyone knows I go nuts for fireworks.

walking to Starbucks

We "studied" for a while at Starbucks and afterwards, made a pit-stop at the famous Bravissimo for some gelato. I could eat crema frambuesa any time, any day.

Starbys

Twenty minutes and a crazy colectivo ride later, I was home in an empty apartment. I knew something had to be wrong- things were out of place.

Sure enough, the fam came home around 9:45...Balty had to go to the hospital! I knew he had a stomach ache before I left for Starbucks but didn't realize it was so serious. He's okay though, and is chillin in bed.
Priscilla whipped up some hamburgers (cooked in the frying pan) and the Emmy's are on. GOOD NIGHT.

Tomorrow we begin our careers as volunteers for the Chilean government. Lauren and I will be waking up at the crack of dawn (literally) to teach english at an elementary school from 8-12. We get to do this every Monday- I'm pumped!

Until tomorrow,
Lesley

A top day

I woke up this morning a little nervous.

I went for a run to Valparaiso and felt SO great until I ran straight into the seaside fish market. I turned around and ran home to avoid puking, but saw some cool things along the way.

Valparaiso!

I planned it out so that when I got home, Balty and Priscilla would be at Balty's soccer game. I came home sweaty and ready to perfect my diaper cake. Valentina was home, but that was a good thing because she lit the gas so that I could take a hot shower :)

The cake...is perfect. I'll admit I'm proud.

Around 2, Valentina came into my room and said VAMOS! My plan was slightly ruined, and since Prisclla wasn't even home, I couldn't give her the cake. Valentina flagged down a colectivo for the two of us and we cruised to Vaparaiso to Priscilla's mom's house (crazy abuelita). I wish I could have taken a million pictures of the house- it was unbelievably cool. It's old, overlooks all of Valpo and Vina, is bright blue, has HUGE rooms, and squeaks when you walk around.

After enjoying a lunch prepared by crazy abuelita, Balty and I went skateboarding! Then, he took me to a museum but unfortunately, it was closed. Dont forget, Balty is only 7. We went back to the house and Priscilla and I took a nap. After we woke up, I played with their dog, Tommy...I wish I could keep him.

the view from Abuelita's

From the awesome abelita's house, we went to Patricio's mom's house. That would be my other fakegrandmother. I realllllly like her a lot, she is a kindergarten teacher. Her house is super cool as well, and about 20 people came over for the baby shower. We ate empanadas, drank hot tea, ate more empanadas, and passed around the bread until it was time to open presents. I am SO happy I didn't bring the cake with me. Showers are not the same here.

diaper cake

I got to meet a lot of really nice people tonight, and feel so much closer to my family. I am always happy to overhear Priscilla telling her friends that I am good at Spanish, and it happened a lot tonight. I left earlier than the rest of my family and got a ride home. Now- I'm laying in bed and can barely keep my eyes open. I will give Priscilla the cake tomorrow, and that's the perfect plan. She's going to love it.

Until tomorrow,

Lesley

Cake Boss

Ok, Fridays might be better.

This morning I slept in until about as usual, since there are no classes on Friday. I lazed around all morning until lunch which was the most...different and unique...yet. The rice and tomatoes were great, but the mystery meat balls/rolled up balls of foreign origin were questionable. Anyhow, it was pretty good. Sometimes its better to think about the helado/icecream at the end of the road. Priscilla LOVES ice cream so we eat it every day after almuerzo/lunch.

Priscilla went shopping after lunch and took Balty to school, so I had a while to enjoy being home alone. I got to Skype with a much-missed friend online-which made my week- and then I was pleasantly surprised by Lauren's invite to go on an adventure, so before I knew it I was out the door- headphones in, cardigan on, and Metro bound. I made it to Lauren's after a pit-stop for a coke (diet pepsi, ugh) where we watched part of a movie and had a good time analyzing her American housemate, Liz. Such a funny girl, she is.

We ventured out into Vina with the hopes of finding a festival that we had heard about...but the plaza was festival-free. We walked around a bit, slightly disappointed, but headed towards the mall to buy supplies for my gift to Priscilla. Tomorrow is the day...
I will be attending a baby shower in Chile. I don't know what it is...but showers kind of freak me out. I guess I'll be overcoming that fear tomorrow.

After browsing through the cute baby section at Lider, wishing we could buy every article of clothing at the ever so fashionable Zara, and replenishing our bodies with a fresh batch of salty Burger King fries, we successfully encouraged Jemima, Nicole, and Corie to meet at Diego Pizza for a low-key girls night. It was very fun, Lauren and I found a GOOD pizza (called Gringo, lol), and after several glasses of wine for Jemima, several loud laughs from Nicole, an infinite number of glances and stares from fellow pizza-lovers at Diego's...we left and went to Bravissimo for the most delicious gelato known to man. I love that crema frambuesa.

So that was a great adventure. I made it home around 11 where I found Balty (funny story ahead) playing video games and Valentina, the babysitter/Priscilla's sister, sleeping.

The time was right to start my project! It's not easy, making a diaper cake
1)in poor lighting
2)on a bed
3)with just two hands
4)without making a sound
5)without suggestions from others on ribbon colors, etc.

BUT I did it and personally think I have created a simple masterpiece. Maybe I can open up a diaper cake boutique in South America, where the trendy gift is unknown, and make millions of pesos. Pictures tomorrow, because I know that I will make changes in the morning.

supplies

On to Balty:
Short story shorter, I glimpsed into Balty's room as I was walking across the hall from my room to the bathroom and saw Balty standing on his bed, legs spread out, hands straight in the air, COMPLETELY naked, dancing to the music on his TV. He saw me see him, I ran into the bathroom silently dying from laughter, and when I came out of the bathroom, his door was shut. Since then, we have bonded :)

Until manana,
Lesley

pelicans, playa, and pancakes

Thursdays are the best. Only one class in the morning, a day of whatever I want, and no class tomorrow.

Class was interesting this morning. I could probably write a book about the things that I've learned in class but will save that for later. It's all related to the fact that in the past 25 days since I've been here, I've figured out that South Americans don't particularly love North Americans. Never before have I had to hold my tongue when I get ready to say "I'm American"...but I could go on forever, so I won't.

After class, Lauren, Nicole, and I took a stroll to the beach. It was a perfect day for a nap in the sand- blue skies and a semi-warm temperature. The beach is a different thing here- people come in their lunch hour or whenever they can just to relax for a few minutes...or all day. Today an old man showed up about the same time we did. I saw him choose his spot in the sand and sit down with his newspaper and briefcase looking a little out of place in his slacks and nice work shirt, but happy.
The next time I looked, he was stripped down to his swim trunks and sweater (tucked in) just taking in the sun. How cool!

William and LA with the dog of the day :)

After a while some more of the international group showed up, so we had a nice visit with a bunch of the Germans, William from OU, and LA from LA.

After the beach, I walked home along the water...you wouldn't believe how clear this ocean is. I know it has to be pretty deep, but when you look over the rail to the bottom you can see straight to the rocks. There's an old concrete area on the water that I pass by everday and am always tempted to go down into...so today was the day. It was probably not a good idea, which I learned as soon as I went down two flights of rotting stairs and smelled something similar to what a dead body might smell like...but was comforted by the sight of another photographer on the hunt for a good picture. I didn't find anything too great but DID get closer than ever to a pelican...it had to be at least three feet tall. Scary.

pelican pal

I finally made it home, where I enjoyed a delicious lunch with Priscilla and her friend Fernando. He was nice but spoke wayyyyyyyyyyyy too fast and had the nerve to quiz me on my Spanish.

Later, Lauren and Nicole and I met up again and went to the mall/Walmart to buy some necessities and school supplies. Afterwards, we gave in and all enjoyed our first cheeseburger. They went to Burger King, I went to McDonalds. It was probably not a good idea, since I had dinner less than an hour later, but it was SO worth it.

For dinner- pancakes and grilled cheese. YUMMO.

In Chile, pankcakes are rolled up like enchiladas...and they eat them with manjar, a creamier milkier type topping. I prefer hot strawberry syrup at from ihop but manjar will do :)

Tomorrow most of my pals are going skiing, but I'm planning on staying in Vina and relaxing at the beach all day...lets hope I wake up to sunshine!

more interesting graffiti

Until tomorrow,

Lesley

G-g-g-gringa

Wednesday was nice, and even nicer because it was cheap movie night at the mall!
This week's movie of choice: Los Hermanos (Brothers). It was scary/sad/real/surprising/really good...
and the popcorn was even better.

Ahzha (pronouced Ahhsia). Lauren and I went to the bus station and officially purchased our bus tickets to La Serena for spring break, yay! Now we just have to plan the trip to Peru...and its looking like its going to be one pricey adventure. But I'm not leaving South America until I see Machu Picchu.

We have discovered the beauty of the Metro/subway...so clean, quick, quiet, and it doesn't require speaking to a driver. Mess-up free! It looks deserted in the picture below because at this particular time it is...but in the morning and around 4 PM it's crazy town. Another good thing about being a Gringa: if the Metro driver sees you sprinting down the stairs to catch the train, he will wait for you to get on. Even if it means the entire world is staring at you thinking you're so annoying, it's worth it.

nice, right ?

I'm pretty sure...

...that a seagull just landed inside my room on my window sill and flew out when I turned to look. I should maybe look out for potential unwanted pets.

(4 hours later)

After the hugest pasta lunch I could ever imagine, I walked across town (literally) to STARBUCKS!
Sometimes, when you're in a foreign country, there are some things that make you feel so good...Starbucks is one of them. I got to meet some of Liz's friends (Liz is Lauren's American housemate) and we all just kind of relaxed at Starbucks for a while. Everything is priced exactly the same, only in pesos, so I can't go there often...too expensive. But it was definitely worth it. Afterwards, we walked down the street and had empanadas. Tonight I tried champinones con queso (mushrooms with cheese). Delicious.

It's interesting to sit and talk with people about their experiences with their families here in Chile. I have the perfect family for me- even though I'm without a lot of things I normally have, they themselves are what I was hoping for. However, Priscilla mentioned at lunch today that its getting tough for her to walk Balty to school. I'm thinking its about time for me to step up and take him if she needs me to...I think she's at that point where everything is a little harder? I don't really know, but I should probably soak up the personal attention that I'm getting while I can. I really need to ask her to show me how to light the gas for hot water...what's going to happen when she's in the hospital !?!?!?

An hour later and I'm sitting in bed enjoying a dinner of ramen-like noodles, yogurt, bread, and KIWI JUICE. I was scared to try the seedy green concoction that Priscilla brought to me and thought I might take a sip and gag...but its so good! I eat kiwi for breakfast, so she must have had some extra and mooshed it up into liquidish form ? Anyways- its great. Who knew!?

YUM!

The movie of the night: Rachel Getting Married.
So intense!

....well that was short lived. Saxophone Boy is at it again and I can't hear anything over the squawks- I seriously need to ask him if he wants lessons.

Until tomorrow,
Lesley

Multiculturalismo...try to say it three times.

This morning, Lauren and I went for our usual Monday "morning" run to the beach, and as usual it was great.
I want to start running more often...I think I'm eating enough bread to counteract how ever many miles a day I am walking and running. LOTS of bread tonight for dinner.

you know...just running along the beach

When we finally made it to the water where we typically rest, we saw this!

Next to Tierra del Fuego- where we celebrated Girls Night Out, last week

You can't really tell in the picture- but these guys were fully loaded for a combat mission: guns, flippers, scuba gear. There were pretty many people gathered around to watch them but they went elsewhere to execute their super secret mission.

Class was very interesting today.
It was the first day of the course called Cultures in Contact. Fortunately and unfortunately, it turns out that the teacher is the same for the current events class that follows immediately after...and he is SO intimidating.
We get to interact with Chilenos and share our thoughts about culture in each of our own native countries. Today, we split into groups based on where we are from and each group presented to the class 1)what we are as Americans, Chilenos, Australians, etc.(personal/national identity) and 2) what we thought Chilenos would be like before we arrived.

It's tough to describe what it means to be American to a class of foreigners without sounding overly prideful. After all- most people think that their country is great. We just think we're greater!
I'm espescially interested in what it really means to live in such a multicultural place after last night's homework- a paper: Multiculturalismo, es posible ? (globally)
In my paper, I went on and on about how I thought America was a good example of a working, sometimes dysfunctional, multicultural society.
The only problem is...during class this afternoon the teacher basically negated that idea and said that multiculturalism doesn't exist yet. I'm looking forward to reading his comments on my paper...or being called out in class to explain :/

Lots of homework tonight, better get going on that before I get too tired.
SO many good movies on TV right now...currently watching Volver.

Until tomorrow,
Lesley

The miners are alive!

After a nice lunch with Priscilla and Balty I was thinking what a great Sunday I was having when all of the sudden...

I BROKE A PLATE.
it shattered all over the kitchen floor.

It's much harder to communicate "im sorry" in Spanish. I tried my hardest to tell Priscilla how bad I felt- I hope she got it. Also- let's hope that wasn't a favorite plate of hers. That will never happen again.

Today on the lunch menu was a pasta salad with tomato, avocado, tuna, lettuce, and lemon sauce. It was very very good and healthy as usual. I need to remember these things that I'm eating so I can make them when I come home. I'm thinking that someday soon I'll try and cook something delicious for the fam, possibly a dessert. They don't ever have warm cookies here- a simple batch of chocolate chip cookies might do the trick. Too bad I can't whip up some cake balls or something a little more fancy.
Priscilla made flan...I think I could eat it for breakfast lunch and dinner. Oh wait....I DO! But I'm not complaining, it's very good- like in Texas.

We officially have running water again, thank goodness...but my shower wouldn't get hot this morning. That makes 3 cold showers so far. All of which were painfully frigid.

During lunch we watched the news...the miners are alive ! I'm not sure if it has been such a huge story in the US but just like if something major were to happen in the states, this has been all that is on the news for the past few weeks. 33 miners were trapped for 15? days and after everyone thought they would surely be dead...they're all alive. People are rejoicing!

Until later,
Lesley

A day of siesta.

That's a dog at my apartment...huh ????

Today was a lazy (verrry lazy) day. It sure was nice to see family, online!

Girl's Night, Thursday :)

Its Official...

I am officially Chilean for the next four months. This morning, Lauren and I made it to Valparaiso (by ourselves!) via the Metro (a subway) to pick up our Chilean identity cards.

After the most delicious lunch ever, I was able to rest for 5 minutes before hopping back on the Metro and meeting Lauren on Alvarez to go buy yarn and knitting needles. We went to Nicole's casa where Nicole's madre taught Lauren how to knit.

We decided to make Puppy Chow for Nicole's mom and walked to the grocery store to buy ingredients. Sadly- there were no Chex and no chocolate chips so we had to make due and make our "Chile Chow" with cheerios and chocolate bars. It was delicious but probably not too appealing to Chileans.- I don't think they like peanut butter too much.

The best thing about having a great lunch in Chile is that you can be 100% sure that you'll love your dinner...they are the same! I ate in my room tonight- I guess I missed the family meal (oops). As I was flipping through the channels hoping to find a good movie in english...I FOUND A BASEBALL GAME! Red Sox vs. Blue Jays...what a great night. When someone hits a homerun the Spanish announcer says "GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLL." They love "El Big Papi." Too bad the Red Sox are losing 14 to 0 in the 6th, OUCH.

I'm a little stressed about tomorrow...

From 3 PM until 8AM on Sunday we will have NO WATER. No bath, no toilet, no cooking, no drinking, no washing hands. Ahh! I guess I'll be hanging out at Lauren's for a while :) Hopefully the weather will be better tomorrow than today and we can make it to the beach.

true beach bums: Lauren and Lesley

Until tomorrow,

Lesley

girls night out

Wednesday night movies at the mall are only 1.600 pesos! That's only $3.20.
We saw Inception/El Origen. Thanks to a sold out 8:45 showing, we ended up leaving the mall at 1 in the morning. Let's just say...we probably shouldn't try that again.

There are several bus lines that operate in Vina and all are apparently very competitive. They hire guys off the street to stand at each bus stop (there are billions everywhere) and keep track of the time intervals between each stop. Last night on the way to the mall I'm 100% sure that our driver was trying to break a record. NEVER have I been in a bus going that fast on a regular street...dogs, people, cars, other buses- LOOK OUT.

Weird things I've noticed in Chile:

Mayo is equivalent to ranch in the US, but used on any and everything. Potatoes, salad, meat, pizza...
Mayo, ketchup, mustard etc. dont come in bottles, mostly bags...even jelly!
The "ladies first" rule does not apply.
No one wears makeup (yay).
Pharmacies don't sell food or cokes.
It's okay to graffiti the side of a building in broad daylight.
Car horns are extremely overused.
Forget ice in your drink- what's ice?
There are security guards even in grocery stores.
ALL parking lots have attendants...who expect money.
Sunday is literally a day of rest- get out of bed only 3 or 4 times throughout the entire day.
People don't text.
No one is phone-addicted.

This could go on forever.

Tonight was "girls night out." First- about 15 of us met at Tierra del Fuego for wine and sunset...the view was great and the weather was perfect. Today was the warmest day yet- and I think I said that yesterday. After wine, we walked a few blocks to Fellini's for Italian food- I had gnocchi with shrimp sauce...delish. We are lucky to have such a great international group this semester...everyone is a lot of fun. Some creepy guy (but not so creepy when his wife showed up) asked us to take a picture with him...weird. Gringa=celeb in these parts.

Spring break plans are in the making...let the budgeting begin!

Go America

The crazy abuelita (grandmother) was here again, today...but after a nice lunch together she isn't so bad after all. Either I'm already getting better at Spanish in just a day or she was speaking slower for the gringo guest...we talked a lot. She asked me about typical American food...that one's a doozy. All I could think of was pasta, sandwiches, hotdogs, and pizza. And apple pie. CrazyAbuelita told me that most of the students that this family has had in the past and made it seem like none of them knew spanish AT ALL. So...I think I'm on the right track, here.

Balty is even sicker and Priscilla was gone all day- she had to go to Santiago to sell clothes? Not sure.
Right now I hear a woman speaking through a megaphone outside. Instead of ice-cream truck...they have vegetable trucks! I guess she's just being vocal about her superior verduras (vegetables), I wonder if they sell.

on the way to the beach

Today was the first warm day yet- it felt like spring. I didn't take any colectivos today (yet) which means I walked for a total of an hour and half. I found a really nice way to get to the beach- better views, less people, and its flat. The only downsides are that its along the highway which means lots of beeps, tons of weird smells, and a chance of getting hit by a bus...I'm willing to take the risks, the view is GREAT.
The waves were so huge today that there was hardly any space to sit without being doused with freezing water.

on the way home from school

I think someone may have taken Negrito from the beach- he wasn't around today. Ugh. We'll have to find another :( 

Classes are going great- very different from classes at OU. Life is easy here- there's not so much panic about cramming and studying and doing a million things for homework. We aren't assigned 100 pages to read and so far have had to do nothing that makes me nervous or worried about grades, etc. I'm wondering if this is how it is for everyone or if the international program is generally less difficult and demanding.

One class is about contemporary issues in Latin America. My teacher speaks no English, which means he doesn't know that he needs to speak slower for the gringos in his class. I have basically discovered that he doesn't like the United States and today- Anastasia from France outwardly expressed the reasons why she thinks the US stinks. Gosh. 

Its too bad I cant put my thoughts and words together fast enough in Spanish or I would have had some good comebacks for her- she's one that we have all had awkward encounters with. That's fine- the Americans still love America :)

No enchiladas in Chile...

Tonight, Priscilla and I had a definite fakemother-fakedaughter bonding moment at the dinner table. Lately its just me and her that eat together since Balty is so sick and Patricio is always at work on the ship. FINALLY we had had a real conversation.

I asked her "Tienen enchiladas aqui en Chile?" with the hopes that she would say "SI!!! Nos encantan las enchiladas! Puedo servirlos manana!"

Sadly- she looked at me totally dazed and confused. She has never heard of enchiladas. I guess we might have to visit the "Tex-Mex" restaurant that I found a couple miles down the street after all.

Priscilla invited me to her baby shower and said that I should really go. The only thing is...I'm going to have to mentally prepare myself for a few hours of solid Spanish chaos. I know both of the grandmothers and they are both crazy- speaking faster than lightning, scooting around in their slippers, making me eat weird pastries when I'm sufficiently full...but it will be fun.

Its like I'm living in a classroom- there are no breaks from Spanish and I'm learning new words and phrases every minute. Even if I don't talk a lot I can listen to people speaking all around me and am learning to comprehend Chilean spanish- which is very different than the "Mexican" spanish that we study at OU.

AOII on the mind.

I never knew how much I loved my sorority until this past week...
I thought it might be kind of lucky for me to be missing work week and rush and all that comes with it-but its just the opposite...I WANT TO BE THERE SO BAD.

Then I saw this picture and I'm so happy.

Pledge Class 2010 :)

My G-Littles are somewhere in there!
(could I sound any more like a crazy sorority girl!?)

I'm writing lots of letters tonight and watching a fashion show on TV...Chileans get some good channels!

Scoot scoot scoot...

Last night lasted longer than I thought it would, but it was great. I decided to join some friends for dinner to celebrate Greta from Germany's 23rd birthday. We went to Cafe Journal, the "gringo hotspot" and enjoyed wine and wine and more wine and pizza for hours and hours. Jemima from Australia made a cake! It was great- I didn't realize how much I have been craving chocolate...there isn't much of that readily available around here. I guess I could probably start a stash in my room...

some of the group in Santiago- William(OU), Nicole(OU), LJ(OU), me, Lisa (Germany), and Jemima (Australia)

For some reason Priscilla wasn't home when I came home from school today. Her mom is here with Balty- she is LOCA TO THE MAX. She made my lunch, which was nice...but is weirding me out a little. She scoots around the house in her slippers and has this creepy glance that I cant figure out. Is she watching me right now through the tiny crack in my door? Probs.

I fed my breakfast sandwich to a cute dog this morning on my walk home...he definitely needed that.

It's a good day for walking and a great day for the beach...maybe I'll go.

We found a really nice spot where there aren't too many people UNTIL about 5:30 and its couples' paradise. Suddenly you look up from your book and there are couples all around waiting for the sunset. Its funny and kind of gross but very entertaining :) I need to get a tennis ball to start throwing around with Negrito.

Until later,

Lesley

Lentils, lentils, lentils.

There's nothing like running along the Chilean coast in the morning and feeling the refreshing mist from the Pacific waves to cool you off. The waves were huge this morning, even coming over the sea walls and spraying the sidewalks!

Today I feel so good- I'm glad that we have finished week 2 which according to Uncle Tim is the worst. It wasn't a bad week, just a realization that this isn't exactly a vacation. We are going to be here for four months :) NOW I feel like i'm in my groove- walking home I felt so comfortable and free. I have nothing to lose here and no time restraints or schedules. It's nice.

After running, Lauren and I relaxed on the sand for a while then went across the street to the pharmacy to buy water (or in my case today, a Diet Coke). I should have brought more pesos but didn't, so it was a 45 minute walk home for me. Oops ! Walking home is great though- I pass by a furniture store, some sushi places, lots of fresh vegetable markets, a dog food store, intersting people...and lots of dogs!

a HUGE sand sculpture on the beach

Lentils for lunch today- ugh. They're alright until we eat them again for dinner in the same day...but I can take it. After all...they're healthy. Claudia, Priscilla's friend, came for lunch again today. I think she thinks I know no Spanish so I don't really talk to her but she's nice. She's older and gives Priscilla advice. Balty is sick and Claudia knows just what to do.

In my house, if I can't say it in Spanish then I can't say it at all- there's no point. Sometimes it stinks, but that's how I'm going to learn. I'll admit, Google Translator works wonders when you're desparate:)

Class at 4:40 today and Jemima (from Australia) made cupcakes for Greta's (from Germany) birthday! I cant wait- a cupcake sounds like heaven right now. Do they even eat cupcakes here ? I dont know.

And for those who think I'm enjoying lots of Mexican food here in Chile...get it out of your heads! They don't eat enchiladas, quesadillas, and tacos. There are never chips and queso and sopapillas aren't ever drenched in honey. The word "taco" is more commonly used as a term for "traffic jam." I've been eating plenty of very very fresh avocado, hot milk (from a box-no refrigerated milk here), lentils, and fruit. They eat mayo on EVERYTHING here, even pizza...yikes. Water is an issue. Im not sure if its safe to drink the tap but I have to...these people are dehydrated! Also- water with gas is not my thing.

Until tonight,
Lesley

So its day 14 in Chile! Here goes nothing:

Yesterday was great. I woke up at the crack of dawn to jackhammers and metal clinging and the loud builders right outside my window as usual to prepare myself for what would be the longest day yet- great but soooo long. Priscilla somehow managed to wake up and make my breakfast at 7 AM.

a typical breakfast

She lit the gas so that I could take a hot shower and in no time I was out the door trying to flag down a colectivo with frozen, wet hair and a jacket that’s too light. It’s a good thing we have such a small apartment so she can hear me wake up in the morning- otherwise it would be freezing showers for me. I’ve had two of those- they were painful to say the least. But refreshing! I should learn how to light the gas myself.

Surprisingly, I was able to communicate to the Micro driver that I wanted to go to the bus station and was there on time. Priscilla packed me a lunch- four sandwiches, some yogurt, and a roll of cookies. Does she think I’m Sasquatch or something?! Only kidding- she knows I like to feed the street dogs and probably just wanted me to save the dog population of Santiago. Bob Barker needs to start going public in South America, I’m serious. They don’t buy puppies here; they just pick them off the streets and take them in. Maybe I’ll bring one home to Texas…

The hour bus ride to Santiago was nice, and the views were great on the way there. Chile is so pretty- you leave the beach and suddenly you can see the Andes Mountains peeking through the trees. Who knew?! We got to visit La Moneda-where the president of Chile works, a few museums, an art school, the central market, and San Cristobal- a mountain lookout that proved to me just how huge Santiago really is. And I thought Dallas was a big city. We ate lunch in Central market and passed a REALLLLLLY cool fish-market.

the smelly fish market

I almost barfed walking through- the smell was intense- but saw some things you definitely wouldn’t find on the docks in Destin or at Boutins in Baton Rouge: sea urchins, fish the size of Free Willy, octopus, GIANT oysters, etc. For lunch I ate two empanadas- Camarones con Queso (shrimp and cheese). I can’t get enough empanadas- can’t wait to explore them in Texas when I come home in December. I tried my first Pisco Sour and probably had a little too much wine for lunch but I have to indulge while I’m here- after all we are in Chile…Wineland.

happiness is: shrimp empanadas and wine

Chileans love gringos. A typical day walking on the streets in Santiago or Vina I hear “QUE HERMOSA QUE HERMOSA,” “QUE LINDA, QUE LINDA” or “You are veddy beautifulll.” However- I feel safer walking around in Vina even at night than I would feel walking around Arlington. It’s weird- but different because there are always people around, cars driving by, lights on, and dogs to follow you anywhere you need to go! If you ever need a self-esteem boost, come to Chile! We all get flashing headlights, car horns, whistles, shouts…but all in good humor. It’s the norm here, no one takes it seriously.

Speaking of dogs- Lauren and I have one! His name is Negrito and he lives on the beach. We see him every time we go to the beach and every time he is ready to come with. He follows us around, lays in the sand and relaxes, then follows us home when we are ready to go.

Not Negrito- but another fellow beach bum :)

I found the Chilean equivalent of Wal-Mart the other day. It was like walking into heaven- a taste of home. Is that weird ? Also- Lauren and I went to the movies on Wednesday and for two hours forgot we were even in South America. It was great! This week we hope to see Eat Pray Love...it comes out today and I’m tempted to hop on the bus and just go see it- I can’t wait.

Until tomorrow,
Lesley