After a month and a half in Chile...

Hello everyone!

So I have never done a blog before, and I haven't yet blogged on this trip, but I am going to start blogging in addition to sending emails so that I have something that I can direct people to if they want to hear about my trip. If you are on my email list, then you have already read this entry :)

So surprise surprise...I like Chile. Here are a couple interesting observations I have made so far:

-The Spanish here is super difficult to understand because Chileans leave off consonants and speak with tons of slang. However, that means that I am learning to understand Spanish really well (I hope...).

-Secondly, Valparaíso (my city) is awesome! It is super unique and artsy and full of really neat hangouts. Also, it is in a central location in Chile, which means I can explore lots of the country very easily. I posted a couple pictures of Valpo above.

-Thirdly, I have noticed that Chileans are super lax about lots of things. Honestly, I thought I was used to this cultural habit after spending lots of time in Mexico, but it is definitely different here. For example, I went to class yesterday and the students talked through the entire class while the professor lectured. Then, halfway through class, they all got up and left before class had even ended. I followed, naturally, but was (and still am) confused. ;)

So, in addition to being thrown into a new culture, I have been experiencing lots of other new things as well. For one, I started rock climbing, which I have been doing about five days a week. This new sport has brought me to some really neat places in Chile and Argentina, and I have met some amazing climbers (gringos and Chileans) that are so helpful and have taught me so much. By the way, all the pretty pictures above are of places I have been climbing on this trip!

I also started my classes with Chileans, finally, and I seem to be learning a lot. I decided to take a break from mathematics and study social work for the semester. It is really interesting to take university classes in a different country, and I had no idea how much of a shock the teaching style would be. In all of my classes, the students seem to be in charge. They lead votes to make class end early and pick the due dates for papers and tests. It seems so odd to me, but it is quite normal to them. The students here seem to have a very powerful voice in general—for example, last semester, they led (and won) a five-week long strike to demand that the public buses do not raise student bus rates.

Also, for the past two weeks I have been spending time with my friend Sarah, who came to visit me here before she goes to Bolivia to start an internship for the semester. We spent a few nights in Santiago, traveled and climbed in Mendoza, Argentina, saw a winery and tasted wines, climbed in Con Con (a rural town on the beach north of Valparaíso), climbed at Las Chilcas (my home-away-from-home here in Chile), explored Valparaíso and Viña del Mar, and just hung out. She leaves today, but I am so happy that I had the chance to spend time here with someone I care about. I am not homesick by any means, but I was longing for a friend that I could share some of my experiences with. Therefore, when she came, I was ecstatic to be able to show off my new home!

Well, that is about all for now! I will try to post another update sooner than a month and a half from now, so that I can tell more detailed stories and post more pictures. Please let me know how everything is going on your end!

Besos y abrazos fuertes,

Ana María