ay dios!

Hola todos!

So, I guess it has been about eleven days that I have been here in Chile and so far I have managed to learn very little Spanish.

How is that?

I spend way too much time with the U.S. kids in my program!!!

But it's alright.  I know that eventually I will find a way to speak Spanish more frequently whether by convincing my friends here to speak it or by making some Chilean friends. :)

Where I left off last, I was going out clubbing.  This proved to be quite a delightful endeavor, though it was not "clubbing" in the least.  I went to two bars with a boy from my program and then four people from the Stanford program.  We found a really enchanting neighborhood that had a million cute and trendy bars and clubs and the streets were filled with venders selling the coolest stuff!  Although I will not comment on my own personal alcohol consumption, I must say that the drink "Pisco" (a fruity brandy-like drink) is quite popular here.

I went out clubbing (for real) on Saturday night with a few U.S. friends and the host brother of one of my friends (and a couple of his friends).  This was fun and gave me more of a chance to practice Spanish cuz the host brother and his friends didn't know much English at all.

Then I started classes on Monday (January 12) and they're all amazing!  They touch on everything from social justice to grammar to working on perfecting daily conversations (like shopping at the store) to Chilean music and indigenous myths.  There are three classes and the professors are named Marcela, Marcela, and Marcelo... kinda weird.

Oh wait, my host brother just called me to dinner.  I'll write later! :)

Con amor,

Laura