Getting to Know My Chilean Family

The past few days have gone by so quickly! It has been difficult to find time to update my blog. As the final day of orientation came to a close, it was time for everyone to find out about their families. We got to see photos of our family and our program directors gave us a brief description of each of the members. I was so excited to meet mine!

That night, we had a cocktail reception where we each got to meet a member of our family. I felt a little extra special because I had 2 people there to meet me! I met one of my new cousins, Javiera, and my host brother, Cote. Cote lives in Santiago, but he came to visit for the weekend to get to know me and spend some time with the family. It turns out that Cote is married to Carol, the host sister of one of the other girls in my program! They are expecting a son, Nicolas, in December--unfortunately I will be back in the US by then.

On Saturday, I finally moved in with my family! My host parents are incredible!!! They are such kind, welcoming people that I felt right at home. My room is cozy and has a terrific view of Valpo, as you can see below.



Cote showed me around the beaches of Viña and the surrounding area. We picked up Carol and Kerry, another girl from my program who Carol's family is hosting, along the way. It was such a gorgeous day! I was so glad we took advantage of it.






My whole family ended up eating dinner at Carol's family's house. We all went over to talk and spend time together, but as it got late, the decision was spontaneously made to stay and eat. I love how close all of these families are!

Yesterday, I went to a soccer match with my host dad, Cote, and Cote's godfather Pavo in Playa Ancha. The men in my family are huge fans of the Santiago Wanderers. The club is based in Valpo and is the oldest soccer club in Chile! Although it wasn't the most eventful soccer game I have seen, it was incredible to see the energy all of the fans brought--it reminded me of being at a Duke basketball game (except all the chanting was in Spanish)! There is even a man who brings tons of tiny scraps of paper to each game and distributes them so that everyone can throw confetti. The Wanderers ended up winning the game 2-0!

Orientation Begins

My SIT orientation formally began yesterday at our hotel in Viña del Mar. After traveling to South Africa, some of the information (like the safety tips part) seems really straightforward. I'm starting to learn much more about how the program works, and I'm getting really excited about meeting my host family, going on the rural excursion, and conducting my independent study project.

We went to downtown Valparaíso for the first time yesterday and I fell in love with it! Our group took a bus (which Chileans call the micro) downtown and walked to the harbor. The view was spectacular. Here are some pictures:




We all hopped into a boat our program rented and got a tour of the coast. Our guide (pictured below) was such an amazing man! He explained that he did not have the finances to formally study English; nevertheless, his English was incredible. Clearly, it was a skill he had to learn in order to make a living that relies so heavily on tourists. He told us entertaining stories, often in Spanish because we insisted on improving, and pointed out the sights.






The highlight of today was our trip to downtown Valpo. We were each assigned groups and had to approach random Chileans in the street in order to learn about common phrases and slang. It was a bit intimidating to have to approach strangers and speak with them in Spanish! Nevertheless, Teshka, Peter, and I had a blast! We sat in the Plaza Echaurren for a bit and soaked in the sun and the view. Then, we took a cable car (called an ascensor) up one of the hills. There are a total of 15 ascensores in Valpo, of which only 7 or 8 are in operation. Although the area was a bit touristy, it was also beautiful! We also had a very interesting discussion with one of the shopkeepers about Augusto Pinochet's military regime. Every bit of Valpo I see makes me want to experience more! I'm so glad I have the next 6-7 weeks to do everything!

Arrival in Chile!!!

When I flew into Chile yesterday, I promised myself that I would make an effort to blog more frequently than I did in South Africa. As an added bonus, it appears that the internet is more reliable, so that should make things easier!

Pretty soon after my plane landed yesterday morning, I began meeting other students from my program at the airport. We had communicated by email in advanced and selected the Santiago Airport Dunkin' Donuts as our meeting point. It was really nice to discover that there were people from all over the country with all sorts of backgrounds. After a couple of hours, it was time to meet Danko, one of the SIT coordinators in order to board our bus to the hotel. We soon discovered that we would be living in the hotel (which has free wi-fi!!!) until Saturday. The bus ride took about an hour and 45 minutes. It felt like an incredible luxury because of the view and the fact that the seats were about 1o times more comfortable than the plane seat! Here are some photos I took from the bus:






We reached the hotel in Viña del Mar in the late morning and settled into our rooms. The day was pretty much all about exploring the surrounding area of Viña and getting accustomed the the deliciousness of Chilean food!

Even though I am so excited about being in Chile, I am still overwhelmed about the transition from South Africa to the US and then the US to Chile in such a short period of time. I think it may take a little getting used to!