Let's Celebrate: One Week!

Hola everyone!

Today, Madeline and I are celebrating our one-week anniversary of being in Chile. Woo hoo! In honor of the seven days we've been in this fascinating country, I'm going to list my seven favorite things about la vida chilena.

1. Today, in an effort to eliminate just a small portion of all those carbs we've been eating (in the form of bread, pasta, and potatoes), Madeline and I went running along a path near la cordillera, the Andean mountain range. As I mentioned in my former post, rain clears up the smog that typically makes the vista hazy. And boy o boy did it rain last night. So clean(er) air + a cold front that has brought much snow to the mountain caps = quite the magical backdrop for some exercising. Adding to our pleasant jog was a setting sun that made the magenta pink clouds look like, in the words of Madeline Swayze, "an alpaca tongue. Unless, of course, alpacas have black tongues. Then I retract my simile." To verify the legitimacy of her figurative language, I have included a picture of an alpaca tongue. I'll let you be the judge of Madeline's proficiency in making realistic comparisons.

Also included below is a picture of la cordillera during the daytime (taken today from the top of Santa Lucía Hill in Santiago).2. Also tonight, I played volleyball, or vóleibol, with my host parents. At first, I wasn't going to play. I had just wanted to tag along to take pictures. But when my parents introduced me to the group, they feigned that I was a Nordic import, ready to contribute my height and ferocity to a good match. Coincidentally, my mom had brought an extra pair of knee pads. So I played with the senior league-ers, and now my arms are swollen and bruised. But for good reason. I had a blast, and everyone was very patient with my rusty joints!

In the picture below appear the trophies, proudly displayed in the dining room, that my parents have won + a picture of the lovely couple whose teamwork earned them.




3. I'm in avocado paradise here. We eat avocados, or palta, with everything. Hamburgers. Bread. Spoonfuls alone. Ahhhhh. Christmas better be avocado season in Kansas City ...

4. As Madeline mentioned, we took a trip to La Vega, a ginormous open air market where independent vendors (many of them Peruvian) can sell their harvest. While I am usually averse to any sort of "cat call," I found much humor in the comments, or piropos (both whispered and shouted), that came out of the mouths of the Shrimp Man, Pickles Man, and Pumpkin Man. "I love you." "You're beautiful." "Hi there." If I ever need a confidence booster, I'll head to La Vega again.

5. I met my future co-ed touch rugby team last week :). Ali, the gringa girl who stayed with my family the whole past year, also played touch rugby with my host sister Paulina. Ali has been traveling throughout South America since classes ended a few weeks ago, but she's in and out of the house and will be departing very soon for los Estados Unidos. The small gathering, complete with cheesy garlic bread and red wine, was a goodbye party for her and an introduction for me. As if understanding my parents wasn't hard enough, Chilean youth have their very own accent and vocabulary. Sooooo I'm simultaneously excited and nervous to spend more time around the team and pick up on some more chilenismos.

6. Chileans add an article before names. So I'm not just "Abby," but "la Abby." I'm sure this doesn't directly translate as "the Abby," but it's nice thinking my family thinks I'm the only Abby in the world.

7. The Bachelorette is available in Chile. In the spirit of Latin America, go Roberto. For those of you who have no clue what I'm talking about, you should watch the super high-quality reality (joke ... maybe) television show The Bachelorette. It'll transform you.

Thanks for reading! ¡Buenas noches!