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| Andes Mountains |
My eyes were glued to the plane’s windows as it touched down in Santiago. This grand city is encompassed within the world’s most-renowned mountains, The Andes. Fortunately I have been lucky to arrive between days of rain so that the smog is reduced and the Andes are visible in most areas of the city. Please understand that although we have large landscapes in New England, these mountains are incomparable and truly beautiful.
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| Slang terms from my brother ("hijo") |
During my first few days in Santiago I have met wonderful
people between both my homestay family and my fellow “gringo” students.
(“Gringo” [men] and “Gringa” [women]; a term to describe people from the areas
of both North America & Europe. This term is not something that is
disrespectful, but basically is a way to describe a “foreigner”). Within
my homestay I live with my “mom”, Sandra, my brother, sister and another
student. Not only do I feel extremely comfortable living with my family, but I
also feel as if I am part of the family.
Within my homestay I have my own room within a four-bedroom
apartment. Like most apartments within the city, my room is large enough for only
a twin-sized bed and a small dresser. It is quite small compared to the one
that I have in the U.S., but I do love my tiny room. A few living differences
that I have noticed between these two countries are…
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| My Bedroom; Santiago, Chile |
(2)Take a shower FAST, you’re lucky to get 5
minutes. Heated water is scarce and most families need to use a tank-less water
heater. Plus, they like to conserve their resources.
(3)Be prepared to eat a large breakfast as soon as
you wake up. Meals are often similar to the U.S. with pizza, pasta and
sandwiches. Although their meal-times are different. Breakfast (“desayuno”) is eaten
as soon as you awake, 7:00-8:00am, Lunch (“almuerzo”) 1:00-2:00pm and Dinner
(“cena”) 8:00-9:00pm.
Overall, everything is going really well. I could speak of
the many things that I have learned and seen so far… but this post would be
pages and pages long. I’ll post more shortly!
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| Valparaiso, Chile |
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| Vina del Mar, Chile |
Hey, Nina! I just want to say that I think your journey will be a beautiful gallop to what will be not just a career but a life style. I Myself have been trying to do the same as far as not just class room education but living what will be my career. Of course it will take longer and be a bit more difficult with the twins but this won't stop my little family from getting the experiences we deserve. I hope that our paths will cross once again and this time we may be sailing together through our successes. Please keep posting pictures and use this blog as a daily diary if you can. It truly helps motivate me to get my butt up in those times where I feel like doing no more, or like there's nothing I can do anymore.
ReplyDeleteI miss you; Brittany B.