Happy Tuesday!

Today was a GREAT day! Despite the fact that it was cloudy and rainy (it was snowing in the mountains, but luckily not down here!), I just really had a great day in Santiago. We had our CIEE class on "Contemporary Chile" in the morning, and I was so proud of myself for once again successfully navigating the metro and bus system to get myself there.  We got to learn all about Chilean Spanish, including the origins from Spain and the indigenous peoples, and about phrases they use only here, and the fact that they say -ch instead of -sh ("suchi" instead of "sushi"), and how certain linguistic things affect racism and the class differences  here. It was really really interesting!

Then we got to go walk around the two big markets here, el Mercado Central and la Vega. El Mercado Central is more touristy, but la Vega is HUGE and where the lower/middle class Chileans buy their produce and meat and fish and everything you could want. And it's just stall after stall of people doing their daily shopping. I'm excited to go back in a much smaller group, so we don't have to constantly be followed by catcalls and "gringos!"

And then the day got even better. Abby, Ashley, and I went to a cafe called Cafe Literaria (that we found thanks to Abby's previous exploring). It was the perfect day to snuggle with some coffee (even though they don't have "real" coffee here... just espresso. It did the job.), and have some sweet American conversation with some wonderful people. And we navigated our way there, too! (I don't know if I'll ever get over being excited about mastering the transportation system here... sorry.) I think Cafe Literaria is going to be our Chilean JJ's, Bongo Java, Fido, and Frothy Monkey... it was a great little taste of Nashville, and I have a feeling that we'll be there very often. It's about a 5 minute walk from a major metro station, and it's all windows that overlook a beautiful park with a reflection pool. And it has two floors that are full of chairs and tables-- perfect for "studying," if we ever get around to that part of "studying abroad."

A few more random things:

1. In my Chilean family, I'm referred to as "la Maddy." I should've seen this coming...

2. A Chilean woman on the metro on the way home today asked ME for directions to the mall! And I knew the answer! I think my eagerness to answer her freaked her out a little...

3. It's really strange that we went from summer to winter overnight. Besides the temperatures, it weirds me out that it gets dark so early! I was on the bus home today around 6:30, and it was completely dark outside. It tricks me into thinking that I get to go to bed, but that's not so much true.

4. Crazy that it's been a week! I'm feeling more and more adjusted every day. Thanks for reading!