So this is Chile

I wont make these posts too long for the people who do actually read these, but sharing my 4 month abroad adventures might take some time.  Thus far Chile has proved everything it's ever been cracked up to be.  Tons of people, beautiful country side, incredibly fast spanish spoken, and lots of beer. Not to mention stray dongs all over the place and consumption of abundant amounts of bread at every meal, my two personal favorite things about this country (NOT).  We arrived in Santiago on Sunday morning and quickly became friends with 30 other people while waiting in the airport to head to Hotel-Rent-A-Home (very Spanish name).  The hotel was apartment style so we had a couple of roommates.  The past 3 days have been filled with LOTS of sitting and listening to our program coordinator. I'm so thankful that's done because it got a little repetitive. We toured Santiago and saw the presidential palace, a cathedral, the center of the city, and a vineyard.  We all felt like we were back in grade school on a field trip going place to place walking all together. That had to be a sight watching 30 gringos get off the bus with their big cameras around their necks.  I really liked the cathedral today because there was a mass just ending and the archbishop of Santiago was present and somehow David and I ended up being really close to him with a bunch of Chilean camera crews.  Santiago is massive-almost 7 million people! It reminds me of Salt Lake with its proximity to the mountains.  There was tons of smog and no one in the group really understood what it was, but after living in Salt Lake that's normal for winter time.  Last night was a  great night at Louisiana.  The ratio of Americans to Chileans in the bar had to be 5:1.  It was karaoke night...perfect for us gringos.  Classic songs were song while the DJ looked thoroughly ecstatic to have his job. haha The food is not very good here. It's pretty bland. If you order "pollo y papas fritas" you will literally get french fries and a piece of chicken.  There isn't much flavor. Their "ensaladas" are just iceberg lettuce with tomatoes and cucumbers with oil and vinegar for dressing.  Chile is the second largest consumer of bread after Germany.  They eat so much bread! Don't worry my host family knows I don't want any bread.  Speaking of host families we took the 90 minute bus ride from Santiago to Viña del Mar to meet our families. Everyone on the bus was twerking getting nervous.  It was funny to watch the host families pick us up. Imagine them looking at 30 gringos going "oh I don't want that one. oh please not the one with 3 suitcases. really the kid with the ski boots?"  I think it'll all work out for everyone though. I like my host family thus far. Things are going well. I'm freezing constantly because there isn't central air inside buildings and it's only 40 degrees at night.
      I'm really glad I had my 20 day trip to Costa Rica in December because that helped me prepare a lot for this trip. If I could survive that trip I can survive anywhere!
          I've met a lot of really cool people. There are 10 people from DU on the trip but none of us were super close before the trip. What a great crew we are though, taking over Chile.  It's been a blast to get to know everyone. We're planning trips already to go exploring! Chao 

adiós y buena suerte

Throughout the past year I've lived in Utah, New York and Denver. I've traveled to 22 states, Canada, and Costa Rica.  Every day has brought a new adventure. Thinking back on these experiences every one them has turned out to be incredible.  There's been difficult times, but those are all just learning experiences.  On to the future and great times ahead.  Since I was 7 years old I've said I wanted to study abroad for one year, first in a Spanish speaking country. Today that dream and goal becomes a reality as I leave to study in Viña del Mar, Chile.  I'll live with a host family, take classes with 80 other international students, run along the beach, hike Machu Picchu, attend church, ski in the Andes, and make friends for a lifetime. The most common regret I've heard from adults is they wish they would have studied abroad when they were younger. This will not be a regret of mine. I can't wait to see what God has planned.  There's a mixture of excitement and nervousness, but why be nervous? Every other time I've boarded a plane and gone somewhere where I didn't know anyone it's turned out to be one of the best times in my life. Yesterday on the bus my bus driver from Kenya said "I'm so glad you are going to study somewhere else. I appreciate people like that. To learn and grow with the culture and the people. You can't learn by just staying in one place.  Well here we go!!!!