Where do I even begin? Honestly, these past 72 hours have been absolutely sensory-overload and emotionally/mentally-draining, but they have been, on the whole, fantastic! So I might as well start from the beginning and I will try to leave nothing out so that you all (my "followers") will be able to paint a picture in your minds of my experience thus far.
Well, Tuesday the 23rd (D-Day) arrived pretty quickly. (And by D-Day, I mean, Departure-Day.) Honestly, I wasn't ready to leave the U.S., which may come as a shock to most of you. I felt a little unprepared, probably because I felt like I was a study abroad "veteran" since I had already been to Spain. However, I think I was pretty darn prepared - or at least the airline attendants thought so when I arrived with two 50 lbs. bags as well as a backpack that was filled to the breaking point (literally - I had to buy another at the airport in Dallas, which is kinda a funny story if I wasn't so stressed out at the time). Anyways, I took so much this time for a few reasons. When I went to Spain I tried to "rough" it - BAD idea. So this time I brought some comforts with me, such as my sweatpants and sweatshirt. :) But let's not get off on a tangent here. I had a hard time leaving the U.S. because this time around it seems as if there is more on the line. When I return (which is open-ended) I won't have college to fall back on as my safety net. I will be in the "real" world, which begs the question of what the heck I am going to do with my life?! (PS I'm open to suggestions!) Other than leaving all the security and comforts the United States holds for me, I also had to leave a lot of people that I care about deeply, which, this time around, really hit me hard. At the time and still, it kinda makes my heart ache a bit. When did I get so sentimental?? Haha. No sé. (I don't know.)
To make a long story short, my long flight out of Dallas to Santiago went by quickly. I got on the plane, ate dinner, took a sleeping pill, put in ear plugs, sprawled out across the three seats I had since the plane was barely half-full, and I passed out for the next seven hours or so until I woke up to a warm croissant and some yogurt. Best ten hour flight of my life. As we began to descend, I first noticed the AMAZING view of the Andes Mountains. Whoa. They make the Rockies pale in comparison. (Note: From just about any point in Santiago you have a stellar view of the Andes. It is absolutely surreal.) From there, our program (USAC) carted us to a hotel in Vitacura, una comuna de Santiago (a neighborhood, more of less). For the next 24+ hours, we had our orientation, which there really isn't much to say about. I was able to meet some people in my program, which was great!! Then, on Thursday, the real adventure began when our host families picked us up.
I was fortunate enough to have a host mom who loves to Facebook so I had already "met" her. In person, however, she was so much better!! I have a host mom (Mamá or Ana María) and a dad (Papá or Jorge) as well as two sisters - Annia (21) who studies music and sings very well AND Macarena (19) who goes by "Maca," studies mathematics, and likes to knit and crochet. We also have two dogs (perritas) - Sofie (a medium-sized dog) and Vilma (a golden retriever) who both live outside. To my surprise, my host family lives in a home in la comuna Ñuñoa. (Great location: Very close to the Metro stop Bilboa. Note: The Metro system of Santiago is SUPER-nice and modern and clean!!) Mi familia chilena also shares their home with the mother of Jorge (Papá) but it is almost like a duplex but not really... Anyways, I have my own room and bathroom, which is pretty private. Also, the family as wi-fi, which is a HUGE plus for me and for you all, since that way I'll be updating this blog more frequently and with more details. In general, my host mom explained her family as una familia muy simple y tranquila (a family very simple and tranquil). They love to hang out with one another, are very relaxed, and love to laugh - Perfect for me! Also, I want to mention that their favorite pastimes is talking, which is a huge plus. Unlike Spain, I am able to begin my life with my host family with the ability to speak in complete sentences and understand what they are saying without them having to dull it down too much. Thus, we are having a lot of fun communicating already. The ability to laugh at oneself is probably the most important quality at this point in the game. And communication is key. Especially as we get to know one another as well as our habits, pet-peeves etc. OH! One more thing. My host family LOVED their gifts, which consisted of a coffee mug with a picture of Snake Alley on it, a melted bottle (by Hannah Lloyd) that had a hand-painted (by me) skyline of Chicago and can be used for cheese and crackers or just as decoration. Moreover, I brought them Reese's Pieces because they don't have peanut butter nor do they have any Reese's products in Chile. The girls, I brough scarves, which they also love. It was a SLAM DUNK if I don't say so myself. :)
¿Qué más? What more? Well, Santiago is a huge city of 5.7 million people, más o menos (more or less). There are tons of stray dogs and cats wandering the streets, which adds a little "charm" to the city. The first night I was with my host family, Mamá and Maca took me to load money on my BIP! card (metro card) as well as to JUMBO. Now JUMBO is as close to Walmart as Chileans get (although I was later told that Walmart bought out a Chilean company awhile back so technically Chile does have "Walmart" but under a different name.) JUMBO has absolutely EVERYTHING. And to my surprise, JUMBO carries pretty much all the same brands as in the U.S. For example, I bought Herbal Essence shampoo and conditioner, Colgate toothpaste, St. Ives lotion, Treseme (spelling?) hairspray... I also bought slippers since, like in Spain, Chileans don't have central heating, thus it's a little chilly inside la casa. I've learned how to turn on the hot water heater, use the hot water bottle to put at the foot of my bed, as well as turn on the small gas heater in my room. Another random note: I have yet to actually try the water, which is safe but takes awhile to get used to. I guess it's a little "minerally" so I am slowly weening myself off bottled water as to not get sick. So far so good. (Unlike Spain where I threw up all day on my second day there - not a fond memory.)
That reminds me... the food... I don't want to go into intense detail quite yet. I am going to wait a week or two so I have had more experience, but I will tell you that Chileans are known to put mayo on EVERYTHING. Tonight at dinner my host mother told me NEVER order food with mayo on it outside of the home because some places don't store their mayo well and one man recently died of salmonella or something like that. Speaking of current events, many of you may have heard that there are quite a few large demonstrations and protests going on in Santiago. This is true, but I am going to write an entirely separate post just about the political situation so stay tuned.
Really quick, before my computer dies, today after my run in the park, I met up with my Chilean friend, Christian, who I was put into contact with through a friend from Chicago that studied abroad in Santiago a year or so ago and met all these Chileans at the church he attended. Anyways, we got together for café con leche or in this case, Starbucks. Haha. He also took me to La Plaza de Armas and the area Bellas Artes. It was my first experience actually IN Santiago and it was wonderful!!! More details to come but right now my computer is near dead.
Stay tuned for more details tomorrow!!!
Saludos cariñosos,
Sarah
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