Mi casa es su casa

Hola! When this gets posted (written over a few days in Word), it will be my fourth full day living in Viña del Mar with my amazing new host family. I live in a lovely apartment with a fabulous view of the water (pictures to come) with my host parents, Cecilia and Hector Barrera. They are two of the kindest people I have ever met; Cecilia is very attentive and eager to help me get adjusted and Hector is also very warm and well-tempered. They have a grown son, Cristián, who I have yet to meet, but I have met his wife, Priscilla, and my "host sobrina" (niece) who is just one month old. Her name is Julieta de la Luz and she is absolutely linda (cute)! Don't worry Jake, you're still número uno.

I also have an official host brother named Michel. Technically he is my cousin (his mother is Hector's sister) but he introduced himself as my host brother and that works for me too. He was the one that I met on Friday when we were all taken to a bar in Valpo to hang out with Chileans our age (Michel is 24). Muy divertido (very fun).

Anyway, I am slowly but surely learning how to get around town and also how to handle Chilean pesos. For some reason, I find it ridiculously difficult to switch to a different money system and I constantly need to consult with Cecilia before paying because I never understand the numbers right away. Yesterday I almost tried to pay for my micro (local bus) ticket with a diez mil peso bill, which I think is akin to attempting to shove a fifty-dollar bill into a pay phone. Oops.

My second misstep thus far (and there will be muchos...) was today when I took the micro home from Casa SIT. I was so focused on not missing my stop that I got off a stop too early and had no idea where I was! I called Cecilia and she couldn't tell from what I told her where I was, so she just told me to stay put and wait for the next appropriate micro. I did just that and it turned out I was right around the corner from the correct street and didn't know it. So I basically paid twice for my micro ride, but está bien because now I know. Also, today is one week since we arrived in Chile and I have not been robbed or attacked by one of the many stray dogs wandering in the streets. I consider this a huge triumph.

Today (Tuesday) Cecilia took me to the first lecture in a series that will continue for most of the semester on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Each time will be a different professor discussing a different topic (that we've read about in an assigned academic article). Today was "Chile in context" and it was pretty interesting although extremely information-dense. I most enjoyed seeing the university that these classes will be in—la Universidad Federico Santa Maria. It is so beautiful! I can't wait to take photos of the buildings and share them here because they are just exquisite with fantastic stonework and stairs that are dramatic though arduous to climb.

Figuring out a new city in a new country is a slow process that can be frustrating at times, but I am optimistic that after a couple more days of micro-riding I will feel more comfortable. An amiga from Oxy, Celeste, lives near me and I think after I get the hang of micro-ing I will walk to Casa SIT with her some days. We are also going to try taking the metro (which is above ground) to the university for our class there on Thursday. After a couple years of dealing with L.A.'s lack of public transportation, we are gobbling up all that this area has to offer!

Just met my abuelita Rosa, Cecilia's mother, who lives here but spends stretches of time with her other children. She seems very sweet but I had a hard time understanding her Spanish...ojalá que vaya a mejorar la mía para hablar con ella también/I hope that I improve mine so I can talk with her too!

PS: I can receive mail via Casa SIT, see address below. Gracias!
my name
c/o Casa SIT
Bellavista #1263, Recreo
Casilla Postal 8009 Vina 2
Vina del Mar, Chile