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.