Once we got to Mexico City we had almost five hours to kill, so we first dealt with my flight fiasco and then we went and got subway, which was actually really good :) Then we loaded the plane to learn that one of our pilots could not make it and so we were delayed another four hours (from 2:00am to 6:00am). Melissa was great and let me sleep, and once we finally got on the plane for the eight hour flight we had emergency row seats and slept almost the whole time. Total flight time was about 13-14 hours. On the plane we got to meet a really cute Chilean family that told us all about where to go and gave us their contact information in case we wanted to visit! My spanish feels a bit rusty but it went great!
We arrived in Santiago at like 6:00pm local time and it felt extremely hot! Customs was easy and the people were nice. Chilean spanish is very fast and they tend to shorten their words when they speak. I am going to have to get used to that! Melissa and I then took a cab to my house where we go to meet my wonderful family that consists of a mom and dad and three little kids, ages 9 years, 6 years, and 3 months!
Melissa was with me when I met my family because the cab would not drive her into Viña because there is a huge international music festival happening, luckily her host brother was able to pick her up!
To get to my house from the street there is a long set of stairs that lead to the house which is very much Valparaíso. It is small and colorful and is attached to the house of the grandparent and in the back there is a third house that is owned by one of the brothers. They all share a patio that has an amazing view of the coast line and the city. It is breathtaking how beautiful it is right now here. The first night was extremely long so I went to bed early so that I could get up for orientation the next morning.
Orientation lasted from tuesday to thursday and was somewhat organized. We got general information about the school, tours of the main buildings, had both oral and written spanish tests, and I got to get to know a good group of friends! The only thing that stinks about going to school here is that the different schools within the university are all spread out among the two cities and you have to figure out how to get to all of them. I found out that there is a bus that stops right in front of my house that can take me straight to my school and to Viña, which is where almost all the other students live! Here is a picture of the main building of my school: Casa central
I also had to plan out my schedule. Based on our oral and written tests they placed us in levels in which we could take classes. Mine are:
Otherwise everything in great, but I am still getting used to this culture and language. Chileans speak very fast and tend to cut there words short. I think I am already getting better because I have more confidence in my abilities!
Melissa was with me when I met my family because the cab would not drive her into Viña because there is a huge international music festival happening, luckily her host brother was able to pick her up!
To get to my house from the street there is a long set of stairs that lead to the house which is very much Valparaíso. It is small and colorful and is attached to the house of the grandparent and in the back there is a third house that is owned by one of the brothers. They all share a patio that has an amazing view of the coast line and the city. It is breathtaking how beautiful it is right now here. The first night was extremely long so I went to bed early so that I could get up for orientation the next morning.
Orientation lasted from tuesday to thursday and was somewhat organized. We got general information about the school, tours of the main buildings, had both oral and written spanish tests, and I got to get to know a good group of friends! The only thing that stinks about going to school here is that the different schools within the university are all spread out among the two cities and you have to figure out how to get to all of them. I found out that there is a bus that stops right in front of my house that can take me straight to my school and to Viña, which is where almost all the other students live! Here is a picture of the main building of my school: Casa central
I also had to plan out my schedule. Based on our oral and written tests they placed us in levels in which we could take classes. Mine are:
- Historia urbana e historia regional de Valparaiso (urban and regional history of Valparaiso)
- Historia de america latina en el siglo XX (history of latin america in the twentieth century)
- Poesia chilena del siglo XX: Neruda...(Chilean poetry of the twentieth century)
- Español comunicacional y cultura chilena avanzado (communicational spanish and chilean culture)
- Gramatica del español
Otherwise everything in great, but I am still getting used to this culture and language. Chileans speak very fast and tend to cut there words short. I think I am already getting better because I have more confidence in my abilities!
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