I\u2019m in love with Chile already.<\/p>\n
I flew from Chicago, Illinois, to Dallas, Texas, and then on to Santiago, Chile.\u00a0 On my first flight, I pulled out a book on Chile and Easter Island.\u00a0 A woman sitting next to me noticed this and asked if I was traveling to Chile.\u00a0 (She had traveled there before.)\u00a0 Our conversation led to her giving me an inspirational pep talk.\u00a0 Her last words of encouragement were \u201cConquer the world!\u201d\u00a0 I took our meeting as a good omen.\u00a0 On my second flight, I became even more excited because I was hearing conversations in Spanish all around me.\u00a0 And then the words \u201cBienvenido a Chile!\u201d were said and they couldn\u2019t have sounded more beautiful.<\/p>\n
Everyone in Chile is so friendly.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t find mi mam\u00e1 at the airport right away, so a man offered to help me search for her.\u00a0 When we found her, she came up to me and gave me a big hug and a kiss on the cheek.\u00a0 We were both so excited to meet each other.\u00a0 After our initial meeting, she and I had coffee together.\u00a0 Anyone who knows me well knows my obsession with coffee, so I knew that we were a good match.<\/p>\n
I absolutely love my new family.\u00a0 First is mi mam\u00e1.\u00a0 Her name is Orietta.\u00a0\u00a0 Next are mis hermanos.\u00a0 Their names are Antonio, Felix and Ignacio.\u00a0 I love having older brothers.\u00a0 I am so grateful to belong to such a wonderful family.<\/p>\n
The first night I was here, Chile was playing Bolivia in f\u00fatbol.\u00a0 Mis hermanos told me that it\u2019s tradition to throw un asado before a game, which is the equivalent to a BBQ in the United States.\u00a0 So that\u2019s exactly what we did.\u00a0 I got to meet many friends and learn a thing or two about f\u00fatbol.\u00a0 I also got to try Pisco for the first time!\u00a0 Pisco is a famous beverage in Chile and Peru.\u00a0 I was told that Chile and Peru argue about which country has the right to claim Pisco as their own.\u00a0 (It\u2019s Chile, obviously.)<\/p>\n
Everyone here is happy to help me with my Spanish.\u00a0 That is one thing that I really need to work on \u2014 being able to speak fluently.\u00a0 Tomorrow I start my Spanish Intensive Class with the other gringos. I\u2019m excited to make improvements!<\/p>\n
*Originally written on January 13, 2013<\/p>\n
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