dear santiago weather

I do not understand you at all. Last week, it was over 70 degrees and I was sweaty and gross and wishing that I had packed some shorts. Now I'm back to freezing to death in my unheated house. I was under the impression that you were supposed to be springlike during this semester, but that appears to have been a dirty lie. Unfortunately, I am unprepared for both summer and winter, so you really need to start being more normal now.

I have to bundle up in my bedroom. Sad.

santa lucía

Alex and I went to the top of Cerro Santa Lucía to see the view of Santiago. I still can't get over how beautiful everything is here.

Fountain at the bottom

Part of the way up. I don't even know what this building is but I thought it was amazing.

On our way up...and we run into a tiny cathedral. That's how Santiago rolls.

I thought it was kind of cool that so many people graffitied the leaves of this plant (not that I'm advocating disfiguring living things or anything).

The view from the top.

reasons i may die this semester

1. The smog. Did you know that Santiago has the worst air pollution in the world? Because it does. And my lungs & throat are complaining.
2. My total lack of a sense of direction. Today I accidentally got on the wrong bus, ended up in a section of the city I was totally unfamiliar with, wandered the streets for a while, and made myself into a prime mugging target. Que bueno.
3. Insane Chilean drivers. I am scared of cars, driving, and crossing the street -- and unfortunately, all of these things are 103685 times more dangerous in Chile. Por ejemplo, my bus ran THREE red lights on my way home today. I would have gotten off, but then there's #2 to worry about.

cooooolo, colo colo colo

Today I became a true South American and attended my first soccer game! All the AU kids in my program and I went to the Stadium Estado Nacional to watch Colo-Colo play against Universidad Católica. From my very limited understanding of Chilean soccer, there are three popular teams in Santiago: Colo-Colo, Universidad Católica, and Universidad de Chile. Since we have been in Chile for a week and don't have any strong team allegiances yet, we randomly decided to buy tickets for the Colo-Colo section and root for them.

It was a good choice (even though Colo-Colo lost 2-1) because the fans were crazy. They easily outnumbered and out-chanted the Católica fans. We couldn't understand all of the words to the chants, but we did join in on the "Cooooolo, Colo Colo Colo!" ones. When Colo-Colo made its first (and only) goal of the game, I thought a riot was going to break out. It was really a crazy kind of energy that I've never experienced in the US -- which is a shame, because if our sports games were more like that I would probably care about them more.

Unfortunately, I have no pictures to share with you because the police guards told us not to use our cameras in the stadium -- apparently, the fact that we're gringos combined with the blatant use of expensive technology would put us at a higher risk for getting mugged. Awesome. But luckily we all survived and decided to be Colo-Colo fans until we die. Now we have to work at learning the chants and appropriate swear words so we're ready for our next game...

this is where i live

The view of Santiago from the top of Cerro San Cristóbal. Unfortunately the air quality is really bad, and this was a super smoggy day. Ew. I hate to think about the fact that this is what I breathe every day.

Statue of the Virgin Mary at the top of Cerro San Cristóbal. She is supposed to protect the entire city of Santiago from this vantage point.

La Virgen.

Mural outside of Pablo Neruda's house in Bellavista.

There are tons of beautiful murals all over the city.

View of río (river) and cordillera (mountain range) from downtown Santiago.

I love that the mountains make everything look like a postcard all the time -- even the highway.

why thank you, but i am already well aware that i am a gringa.

"Tara, do you have sunscreen? Are you wearing it??? You should always wear your sunscreen. And put on your sunglasses, too! Don't you see how sunny it is? You have to protect yourself!"

- my host mom, on the first warm day of the spring

why santiago > dc

Public transportation is SO FAST here. It's absolutely incredible. I have to take the micro (which is what they call the bus here because Chileans have weird names for normal things) and the metro to my university, but the long commute is bearable because I have never had to wait more than 30 seconds for either of them. They're always magically there whenever I need them.

Granted, the awesome public transportation is not a very well-kept secret. It's always PACKED with tons of people (none of whom understand how good they have it because they've never waited for a red line train for 20 minutes at 3 am). But even when there's absolutely no way that I can fit myself onto a packed metro train, there's always another one in less than a minute so it's never a problem.

All of you who are spending the semester cursing the track maintenance and the AU shuttle, be jealous. And please don't remind me that I'm going to have a rude awakening when I get back to the District.

crazy chilean cats

They sure do love their pets in Chile. It seems like every Chilean household has at least two pets -- and that doesn't even include all of the stray animals that wander all over the city.

My family contributes to the phenomenon by giving a home to three attention-hungry cats. My host father refers to them as the regalonas (which roughly translates to the pampered, spoiled favorites) of the house. I definitely see where he's coming from. They sit wherever they want, and there have been times when my host parents have encouraged me to pick a different seat at the dinner table rather than disturb a sleeping cat. They whine to get in and out of the house, and everyone happily opens doors for them. They sleep curled up on my pillow, and they protest loudly when I move them so I can go to sleep. Worst of all, they all still have all of their claws (which may be the real reason they rule the roost).

So far this week, a different cat has kept me company each night. Last night, Mancha slept curled in a ball at my feet....until 6 a.m., when she decided it was time to wake up and started purring in my ear and licking my face. Tonight, it's Natalia who refuses to leave my bed. I'm anticipating another early wake up call. They're cute but they need too much petting all of the time. Ayyyyy gatitas!

i will start taking pictures soon, i promise.

So far, I have visited La Palacia de la Moneda (Chile's version of the White House where their president lives), La Plaza de Las Armas (one of the oldest plazas in Chile with beautiful architecture and lots of street performers), some gorgeous cathedrals, a contemporary art museum, two restaurants, and some parks. I sort of suck at bringing my camera everywhere I go. But I will start. In the meantime, I will steal pictures from my lovely group members.

photo credit: Alex

La Palacia de la Moneda. The current president, Michele Bachelat, doesn't actually live here -- she chose to keep living in her own home in Las Condes (my neighborhood!).

Photo credit: Alex

In front of a cathedral in downtown Santiago. Notice how Quinn could totally pass for a chilena, but I kind of ruin it for her :(

Photo credit: Alex

La Plaza de las Armas

Photo credit: Alex

A street performer in La Plaza who immediately spotted the gringos and pulled us into the middle of the circle to help him with his act. He referred to me as "la rubia" and totally put his hand on my hair -- my host father was RIGHT!

Photo credit: Dan

El Museo del Arte Contemporánea

you live right in front of the mountains (and other important facts about chile)

On Monday, all the AU students in my program started orientation. During the next week and a half, we'll basically take a crash course in Chilean language and culture. Some good things I have learned so far:

• Las Condes lies to the east. The Andes are also in the east. So basically, head towards the huge mountain range to get home.
• When ordering a torta (a traditional Chilean sandwich), ask them to hold the mayonnaise. You won't be sorry.
• Don't worry about bundling up for the commute to school, because the metro is always so packed that the body heat from the closest 30 Chileans will keep you very warm.
• Traffic rules in Chile are up for debate. Buses clear a path for themselves by honking until cars get out of their way. Cars may or may not decide to make turns while pedestrians are still in the crosswalk. There are lines painted on the street, but none of them seem to mean anything important.
• No matter what, it will always be colder inside the house than outside. Even if you enjoyed walking around in the sun in a short-sleeve shirt during the day, you will always need 9 blankets at night. There is no scientific explanation for this other than that Chilean weather is crazy.
• Even though there are some light-haired Chileans, you will always attract attention as a blonde. People will stare at you like you're an alien. No matter how good your Spanish gets, you will always be the biggest gringa ever.
• You will not understand Chilean Spanish. You will try your best to decipher the "caichai"s and the "po"s and the slurred words, and you will fail. Chileans joke that they don't speak Spanish; they only speak Chilean. You will come to believe this with all of your heart.

don't let them touch you!

Now that we've had the weekend to meet our host families and settle in, the real fun starts. Our week-long orientation begins tomorrow, so I'll have to navigate the metro for the first time to get to my school, La Universidad Diego Portales, which is in the central part of Santiago.

My host parents have lots of advice about how to handle my first day: carry a copy of my passport and leave the real thing at home, keep as little cash as possible in my purse, remember to take the red line on the metro (just like in DC!!), bring a camera so I can go exploring, check out the winter clothes on sale, don't let anyone touch me...

...Wait a minute. What? Touch me??

"In Chile, we have a few rubios (blonde haired people), but it is still a rare thing," my host dad explained to me. "When you walk down the street and also when you are on the metro, people will stare at you and try to touch your hair. Men will talk to you. If you are uncomfortable, just cross the street."

Oh, Latin America. I knew that everyone here loves blondes...but I didn't know I would have to worry about being petted on the metro. Vamos a ver.

i thought i liked carbs before i came to chile.

In Chile, all we eat is bread. Bread with butter, bread with jam, bread with oil and balsamic vinegar, bread with manjar (a dulce de leche spread). For desayuno (breakfast) and once (evening tea, around the same time Americans would eat dinner), my host mother offers me nothing but coffee and bread and insists that I have 3 helpings. I really love bread in all its forms, but I don't know if I can eat two meals of white bread every day for four months. My host parents keep calling me "flaquita" (skinny little girl) and trying to give me more and more bread all of the time. I definitely will not be anything close to a flaquita for long if this keeps up!

Also, Chilean salads consist of tomatoes, onions, unidentifiable crunchy green things, and MAYONNAISE. So maybe I should just embrace the endless carbs??

small victories

Things I have accomplished so far:

• Tried pisco, a traditional Chilean liquor. It's really sweet and can easily be drunk by itself. My family offered me a shot before lunch (apparently that's how they roll in Chile).
• Explained the difference between Amish and Mennonite to my host mother. And I think she actually got it.
• Learned the Latin American version of Kings...although I don't know enough dirty words to play "yo nunca nunca he" (never have I ever).
• Mastered the califont well enough to take my first hot shower!!!
• Used my credit card to withdraw about a billion Chilean pesos. I think the exchange rate is around 540 pesos to the dollar or something equally ridiculous.
• Made my first transaction in Chilean pesos. I am now the proud owner of a Chilean hair drier, which will hopefully prevent me from freezing to death in the future.
• Activated my Chilean cell phone so I can feel like a real person again.
• Learned crucial Chilean vocabulary like pololear (to date), carrete (party), po (their version of "pues"), and guagua (a baby, although it will ALWAYS mean "bus" to me!)

wise words.

I've been here for less than 12 hours, and there's already been a lot of talk about Chilean men. I keep telling everyone that I'm not looking for a Chilean boyfriend, but they don't seem to listen.

"These men, they want to take you to the bed first! And only after that will they compliment you on your personality! Be very careful." - my host father

"In Chile, we use hands for empanadas...and men." - my host aunt

"It is better, being a single and free woman in Chile. Or at least that's what all the men would tell you!" - my host mother

"Diana is allergic to cats and men! Smart girl!" - my host father

"These Chilean men, they love the Americans. They love the easy women. They will think you are easy and fast. They will love you. Be careful!" - my host father (I'm still trying to figure out if I should be offended by this one)

bienvenidos a santiago!!!!!

I AM HERE.

My plane arrived around 8 am this morning, and my host parents were at the airport to greet me. Their names are Álvaro and Margarita Hurtado, and they might be the cutest people ever. They host tons of exchange students, so there are actually two other college students (one from a different part of Chile and one from Colombia) staying with them for this semester, too.

The Hurtados live in Las Condes, a residential area of Santiago where all of the host families for my program are located. Their house is adorable and brightly colored, like everything else in Chile (this is why I belong here. It's all so happy!), and the best part is that I get to live IN MY OWN COTTAGE in the backyard. I have a bedroom, bathroom, and tiny living room all to myself, completely separate from the main house. Check out the pictures! Now that I'm actually in Chile, I promise this blog is about to get a lot more visually stimulating.





The front of my little house. Beinvenidos!






My teeny tiny living room. And my own exercise bike?? The gray microwave-ish box in front of the TV is the estufa, the kerosene heater that Chileans use to keep their homes warm. I'm missing central heating already. There may be some wool socks in my future.




My bedroom. Notice the door handle, where I am still reppin PR pride. (Okay, maybe that came from Alejandro's car. But I am still reppin it.)






My bathroom, where I took the COLDEST shower of my life. There's no hot water in Chile, so it has to be heated by a wood stove called a califont...but mine was still freezing. Fail. Also, the sign on my bathroom door is sooo much better than "el baño." I like Chileans already.

and away we go!

I'm (finally) getting ready to board the plane that will take me to Santiago by 7:45 am tomorrow morning. Alex, another AU student in my program, is on this flight with me -- which is awesome because she was able to meet up with me at the airport and relieve a little bit of my intense boredom. She can also relate to the "omg wtf ahhhh I'm going to CHILE?!??!?!?" emotions that I'm currently experiencing. I've never been on an international flight before, so I'm pretty pumped for the movies and meals that await me. And sleep. Lots and lots of sleep.

Hasta pronto, Santiago. I hope we get along.

oh hey dallas. let's spend the entire day together.

I am currently camped out in the Dallas airport, paying too much for wifi and waiting for my gate number to be announced. This is the most epic layover of my life. Since my flight to Santiago doesn't leave for another five hours, I plan on occupying my time by:

• Facebook chatting anyone and everyone I know
• finishing season 5 of LOST, even though it will probably give me nightmares
• counting all of the newsstands in the terminal
• reading an issue of Cosmo from cover to cover and observing the judgmental looks I get from strangers
• trying to cram a lot of weird Chilean slang into my vocabulary (since when is gua gua a word for a baby??!?!? My fellow Puerto Ricans, please back me up here)
• eating a giant bag of trail mix
• making an intense Spanish language playlist on my iPod
• failing to solve some New York Times crossword puzzles
• forgetting every verb conjugation I've ever learned
• getting super nervous about the next 4 months

tomorrow tomorrow tomorrow tomorrow

I am going to Chile.

Here's to safe travels (for me and all my carefully packed luggage).

if you live in dallas...

you should come and entertain me during my EIGHT HOUR layover in the Dallas airport on Thursday afternoon. In all of my efforts to pack light, I don't think I'll have enough to keep me busy. I know I should be used to boredom by now, considering I spent my summer working as a campus host and trying not to fall asleep at the front desk...but I'm almost done with the last season of LOST, and that was my secret to surviving all summer long.

The first time I ever flew, it was with Nicole during spring break of our freshman year. We were taking a short flight from Baltimore to Boston that got delayed an entire day. So we ended up getting very well-acquainted with BWI, making some new friends in the terminal, and taking a shuttle to a nearby hotel so we didn't have to spend the night on those uncomfortable airport chairs. We eventually made it to Nicole's house a full 24 hours behind schedule.

I guess in light of that traumatic airport experience, I should be able to handle anything. But I'm still really really really not looking forward to this intense international flight. And I still want you to come to Dallas and hang out with me.

by the numbers

suitcases I'm allowed to pack: 2

pounds each suitcase is allowed to weigh: 50

months I have to pack for: 4

seasons I have to dress for: 3

days until I leave: 4

pairs of shoes I wish I could bring but will never be able to fit: 9

freak outs I have had: 36060753659

thanks, mom.

"Don't even worry about leaving for a whole semester, Tara! I'm working really hard at winning the lottery so I can come visit you."

unexpected challenges arise

I just thought about the fact that people in Chile are going to ask me about my tattoo, and I should probably have a response prepared for them. I'm pretty sure having to translate that benediction into Spanish on the spot would involve stuttering, stammering, and poorly conjugated verb tenses...and I can just picture the confused looks on the Chileans' faces as they wonder why I chose to put such ineloquent words on my body.

"Prepare a good translation of my tattoo" is a weird thing to add to my to-do list. But okay.

fun fact

Did you know there is no time difference between the East Coast and Santiago???

Because there's not. And it's going to make my life a lot easier. Now you have no excuse to not stay in touch.

maybe i'm reconsidering this whole "abroad" thing...

Sooo I checked my email yesterday and found an itinerary from American Airlines in my inbox. They just wanted to remind me that my flight to Santiago leaves in EXACTLY TWO WEEKS. As in, fourteen days from now. As in, I'm trying to say goodbye to DC and I have to go back to Pennsylvania and spend quality time with my brothers and pack my life into two suitcases and I should probably get a whole lot better at Spanish and I'm running out of time for all of these things.

Why does going abroad have to be so crazy?? I feel like I'm not going to be able to get excited until I'm sitting on that plane. Until then, I will probably split my time between being overwhelmed, crazy, and a giant ball of stress. It's what I do.