My fav (Chilean) Spanish Words

In alphabetical order:

1. chirimoya (cheer-ee-moi-a): super fun to say. is a Andean fruit that isn't actually available this time of year. makes an excellent "trago" (cocktail) that tastes like a piña colada.

2. cosista (co-see-sta): packrat. aka me. our guide at Pablo Neruda's house describe his as one. as opposed to a 'coleccionista.' PS: his house, La Chascona, is awesome.

3. gringo/gringa (green-go): NOT offensive. describes North Americans. Mi mamá chilena refers to her past exchange students as "las otras gringas" (otro/a = other). 

4. guagua (wah-wah): also fun to say. refers to a baby. specifically an infant (I'm pretty sure ...)

5. paracaidista (pah-ra-cai-dee-sta): maybe my fav. literally means parachutist. actually used to mean party-crasher. like someone who drops in uninvited - get it?

First Impressions

I made it! After 24 hours of traveling, two delayed flights, and one itinerary change, I finally made it to Santiago nearly a week ago. It's been a whirlwind of days, and it feels like I've been here forever even though it's been barely 6 days. Everything, from the weather to my fellow students to the city to my host family, has been amazing. A few fun facts/updates:

- For the first time in my life, I don't feel short. I actually feel ... tall? Weird. I'm def taller than most/all of the Chilean women, and a good number of the men as well.

- The Spanish is tough. The Chilean dialect is notoriously difficult for its slang and the tendency to drop consonants [más o menos -> má o meno; ¿cómo estás? -> ¿como e'ta?], as well as quick speed. If someone speaks slowly/clearly - like a professor, or my host mom when she wants to tell me something important, my understanding is good. If I overhear a conversation between two natives ... yeah ... hopefully that will improve.

- The food is delicious. Lots of fresh fruit and vegetables - I get to eat avocado in various forms almost everyday. Saturday my family and I went to "la feria," which is the market. Produce isn't really sold in stores, so we bought all that stuff- tomatoes, peaches, cucumbers, etc. - even cilantro there. It def makes a difference in the cooking that all the ingredients are so fresh.

- Santiago is nice mixture of modern and classic city. As to the former: Santiago has the cleanest, most spacious subway system I've ever been on - there's even TV screens in the cars (they show basic stuff like the weather, but still!), and this is coming from someone who's graced the turnstiles of Chicago, DC, Boston, and New York. As to the latter: the city centers around classical buildings from centuries ago, and colonial architecture abounds.

That's not nearly everything, but a pretty good sample I think. They've been keeping us pretty busy (not to mention the amount we keep ourselves busy exploring the nightlife), but I wouldn't trade it for anything. Look forward to more updates soon, and hopefully I'll get some pictures up too!

Hey everyone, and welcome to my blog!

In one week I'll be getting on a plane and flying south to Santiago, Chile. I'll be spending the next five months there (maybe more!) studying abroad and doing my best to live as a Chilean student, which includes living with a family, taking a full load of classes, hanging out with friends, and traveling in and around the country. Of course there will be a lot of adjusting to do, but I'm looking forward to new and unforgettable people and experiences. 

I'll be doing my best to update this blog on a regular basis with pictures and stories of my various adventures ("adventure" being a loose term) and other encounters; hopefully you all will enjoy reading it as much as I'll enjoy sharing with you. There will be entries in both English and Spanish, the latter of which should improve as the semester goes on ...

This will be my first time studying abroad, and my first time in both Chile and South America, and I'm always looking for guidance. So if you've got ideas or suggestions or just something you're curious about, let me know - the last thing I want to do is leave anything out!