I finally made it!

Here's a link to the slide show of the pictures I took the first couple of days here! Enjoy!

Well everyone, after months of anticipation I finally made it to Santiago! I've been here about a day and a half and I couldn't be happier. 

I arrived yesterday at 6:15 in the morning and even after taking a few naps in about 3 hour spurts, I was still feeling very tired when I landed. My flights were uneventful but very pleasant, and I felt lucky that I was able to sleep. When we landed, I went through immigration and customs, which went much easier than I was expecting (even though they did have to look through my bag to make sure the JellyBellies I brought for my family weren't anything illegal) and I was able to order a shuttle to take me to the Hostel where I was going to meet up with a few other girls from my program. 

I got to the Andes Hostel at about 7:30, but I was not able to check in until 2pm! So I basically lazed around in their recreation area, reading, napping, and just waiting for the other girls from the program to get there. At noon, someone turned on Obama's inauguration on CNN, which I enjoyed watching (feeling a little sad I wasn't at home basking in the historical event with my friends and family), and at around 1:45 the girls finally arrived! 

We all checked in, and were able to settle a little bit in our rooms before returing to watch the inauguration. I had called my Chilean friend, Diego (who is the boyfriend of one of my classmates at UCSB), to see if he was able to show me around a little bit that afternoon, and luckily, he had just gotten off work, and he said he could meet me at the hostel around 4:30.

At around 3:45, the other girls were wanting to take a walk around the hostel, so they had asked the front desk for a recommendation. I was excited to get out and about after having sat inside all day, but I knew it would be a short walk for me so I could get back in time to meet Diego, who I was sure was going to be fashionably late as most Latin Americans. But just as we were crossing the street to start our walk at about 4, Diego was walking right toward us!! It was such impecable timing, I could not believe it! The other girls were shocked that I knew someone practically right away, and we had such a blast! Diego took us to do some sight seeing around our hostel. First to the top of a small hill called, el Cerro Santa Lucía, where we got to see, what I thought were amazing views of Santiago as a whole. 

After we climbed down the hill, we walked back to the hostel so I could store Diego's backpack (it was so hot outside to carry!) and we also got a snack at a little empanada shop. I had one with spinach and cheese, and it was the perfect afternoon pick-me-up. We then took the Metro for one stop to get to another hill, much bigger than Santa Lucía, called Cerro San Cristóbal, where we got even greater views of Santiago! We paid about 3 dollars to take a trolley to the top of the hill, which was so steep that I couldn't look down with out getting a little freaked out. Cerro San Cristóbal has many activities, like a zoo, which we passed on the way up, and a couple of swimming pools, camping areas, restaurants, and a church at the top. 

After walking around the hill, looking at the sights, and taking lots of pictures, we stopped at one of the small restaurants and got popcicles to cool ourselves down. While we were eating our popcicles, we noticed a gondola ride a few feet away from the restaurant. We went to check it out to see where it went, how long it was, and how much it cost, and it was only about 4 dollars to get a half hour ride around the hill to get even more views of the city. We decided to jump on the chance, because we didn't know if we were ever going to come back, but only 4 people could fit in each gondola so, Diego decided to stay behind and rest in the shade while we took a little trip. It turned out to be really fun! It was a little freaky at first (the old age of the gondolas combined with my fear of heights was a little tough to get over) but we had a great time after all! It was a hot ride, because the gondolas were mostly glass, and didn't have much ventilation, but we got to see parts of the hill we would have had to hike to, and parts of Santiago that were blocked before.

After such a good day, we also had a nice evening. We didn't even get back to the hostel until around 8pm and it was still really light out so it felt much earlier! We hung out in the recreation area again, and I was able to call my family on skype and check my email, and around 10pm, we went up to the roof of the hostel where they were having an asado (BBQ) to celebrate Obama's inauguration! Lots of Americans were staying in the hostel, so it was a very fun celebration. We went to bed around midnight, after walking around a little bit outside, and then deciding we were too tired to continue.

This morning I woke up around 9 and took a shower (which was just a stream of water coming out of the wall-- at least it was warm!) and packed up, ate breakfast (grilled ham and cheese sandwich, slice of pound cake, tang, and tea), and waited for the 2 taxi's we ordered to take us to La Universidad Católica for our first orientation meeting at noon. We got there about a half hour early, so we were able to put our luggage down and get acquainted with the UC campus office before we met with our host families that we will live with for at least the next 3 weeks. 

We went outside for a bit with other students from the program, and many families were already waiting for us outside. As I was going around introducing myself to the other kids in my program a Chilean woman came up to me and enthusiastically asked me what my name was, and then introduced herself as Alejandra, my host mother! She had recognized me from the photo that EAP had sent her, and she was so excited to meet me before everyone else! After being given some instructions for the next day (tomorrow), and everyone was assigned to their families, Alejandra and I took a 5 minute cab ride back to her apartment, where she showed me around to my room, and then began preparing lunch. I was able to unpack a little bit, take a breather, and write in my journal before lunch. 

At lunch (around 1:30), which consisted of rice cooked with carrots and other veggies, beef, and salad (AND A DELICIOUS PIECE WATERMELON FOR DESSERT!!!), Alejandra and I got to know each other a little bit. She told me about her 2 grown daughters (one of which is married, has three kids, and lives not too far from here, and the other who still lives at home but will marry next month), and  her business as a seamstress and host mother (since she separated from her husband). After lunch we continued talking for a little bit and then her younger daughter, Carolina, 29, came home she helped me connect to the WiFi, which I was so happy about because now (for the next three weeks at least) I don't have to go on a journey to find an Internet Café, and I can use Skype to call home easily.

Around 6:30, when it got cooler and more bareable to walk outside, Alejandra took me out to know the city a little bit, and so I could buy shampoo and get a card for the Metro and bus system here. The city is really nice! I will be able to walk everywhere (the bus system doesn't run on a schedule, so it is unreliable), and the Metro station is only 5 minutes away (which is closer than my school! -- about a 20 minute walk). 

A little after 9, she served dinner, which was basically left-overs from lunch (still as delicious as the first time) and now (at a little after 10) I'm sitting in my room finishing this up for you all! 

So, I know this entry probably seemed like a novel, but at least now you know that I'm having fun and keeping busy! This weekend, my program is taking us on an orietation field-trip to Cajon Maipo, which is about an hour away, before school starts, so I have some travelling to look forward to, and then the Intensive Language Program will start on Monday! Tomorrow, we have a program orientation and I will be meeting with my language teachers and some Chilean University students who will show us around in the afternoon. After my first couple day's uphoria, I am feeling very comfortable in my new home-away-from-home, and I'm looking forward to see what comes next!

Talk to you all soon!

Love, Amara