Welcome Back!!!!

Hello everyone!!! Welcome, or welcome back, to my blog.  I have been here in Chile for 4 days and have lots to report on.

I just barely made it here, thanks to the Boston thunderstorms on Tuesday.  Most of you know that I don't run, but did I ever.  With a backpack on, just as attractive as it sounds.  I was one of the last people on the plane, but I made it!  Once we landed, customs took no time at all, and Roswitha and her dad were right there waiting for me.  They even brought me a coffee (or the Chilean equivalent....).  On Wednesday I slept through the daylight, as it gets dark here between 5 and 6 during the winter.  Ross and I went out to buy some things I needed and then had some visitors! My apartment is really homey; she put up decorations and had all the furniture in advance.  Our living room/dining room is spacious and comfy.  My room is a good size with lots of storage.  And we have our own bathrooms, score! The biggest setback is our fridge situation.  We have a mini-fridge for the two of us.  It's working for the time being but I don't know how long it will last!  So Wednesday night Ross' boyfriend Pancho came over with his brother Eduardo and my friend Diego too.  We made vegetarian tacos (it was no Anna's Taqueria, sad day) and hung out.  Pancho Eduardo and Diego talk really fast and Chilean amongst themselves, so that was a struggle.  But we had a really good time, until I practically fell asleep on the couch haha!

Thursday I began to unpack, and Ross' mom came by.  She is super nice and offered me some more furniture to borrow too.  We went out in the late afternoon on an errand that should have lasted maybe an hour.  I'm getting used to the Chilean way  of life, which is quite slower than we're all used to.  Everything here takes longer.  Way longer.  Like I said, I'm adjusting.  We ended up going to a feria (an open market on the street) and then to another quick one, and then finally grocery shopping for me which was the original goal.  It took over three hours.  I felt like a huge dummy in the grocery store, because I forgot to weigh my stuff!! Here, you pick your fruits and veggies and weigh them right there and get a price.  It's the same for bread.  They bake fresh bread about every 15-30 minutes and you pick the type you want.  Go figure you have to weigh it before you pay for it! Silly gringa I am!  Then at night Ross took me along to her friend's birthday party.  I reconnected with one of Ross' other friends who I hadn't seen since my semester.  It was really great.  None of us (especially me) knew anyone else at the party so we got to catch up.  But after trying so hard to understand all of that fast, Chilean Spanish my brain started to shut down.  Ross had to take me home because I still didn't (and still don't really) know my way around.  This area of Viña is unfamiliar to me, but there are parts that I remember like the back of my hand.  I'm getting better though!

Friday I woke up and wasn't feeling so great about the whole move, which I'm sure will continue to come in spurts.  I tried to make myself some coffee without a coffee maker which was semi disastrous, but I did manage to get a little, ha!  I finally got my keys Thursday evening, thus making it way easier to leave the house! I was feeling sad and lonely so Diego offered to have lunch with me and even came all the way to Recreo to pick me up.  My neighborhood is called Recreo, it's really residential, and pretty big.  Mama's house is about 15 minutes by bus, Diego is about about the same.  It was nice that he came to find me because my phone doesn't work and it would have been a disaster.  The only downside to Recreo is that it is right in the middle of Viña and Valparaíso, so the busses never charge the "local" fare which is cheaper.  Anyway, after lunch with Diego and learning that part of town, it was time for what I thought was a job interview.  Turns out I already had the job, it was an orientation! I will be teaching English at an Institute called International Center, and it's classes for adults.  Each class is one on one.  You find out who you are teaching and the level about 15 minutes before the student arrives.  You open to the lesson in the book and guide them through it.  No prep work and no real thinking involved.  It's a start ;) Right now I only have two shifts a week, and shifts are three hours each.  I also met the other American girl, Dana,  from my host house that relocated here.  She actually got me that job, so that's cool! She is from Acton, and got really excited when "wicked" slipped out of my mouth haha.  As it turns out, Dana lives just a block from me, about 5 minutes walking!  Tonight she is having a party, so I'm looking forward to meeting more people!

My Spanish is coming along slowly but surely.  In Chile they have a very distinct way of speaking that takes getting used to, so even though I speak the language, at times I feel like I really don't! I've learned how to light the stove and turn on the gas for a hot shower, small victories.  I'm sure that soon enough it will feel like home again.  Missing everyone! Send emails and facebook messages!!!!

Lots of love,
Caroline