Algarobbo, beach town.

Wow, way too much to potentially say about the past weekend at the beach. I thought that it was somewhat silly to be going to the beach during the winter, but we definitely lucked out with the weather conditions and I am sure that I speak for everyone of the students that the getaway most certainly exceeded my expectations. The only complaint I had was that the bureaucratic stuff such as signing up for classes, rules, ect, thought important, seemed a bit out of place to be during the limited time we had in Algarobbo. However, getting to to know the fellow student's in the program better and all the other fun activities made up for it for sure.



My quick video of the world's largest pool.

Where to start...we stayed at a very nice hotel (Hotel Pacifico) that was across the street from the beach. We had all our of meals in there as a group and the entire staff was very hospitable. The only extended time I spent in the room was to sleep because I was constantly doing things or stuck in a conference room listening for informational meetings. I got to swim in the world's largest swimming pool, let alone visit it and walk through the super mario tunnel that goes under it, took multiple swims in the ocean despite not having a bathing suit and the water being bitter cold, and it was a national holiday for fisherman the last night we had their so there was a big dance party in town. I could go on for days about the weekend and all my thoughts, but it's not necessary. The good times rolled, and I'm sure they'll keep on rolling.

Settling In

The last two days haven't been to exciting to discuss. Exploring this gigantic city, orientation at school about the upcoming weeks, buying little necessities for my room, etc. The public transportation here is excellent. I have a "bip!" card that accesses both the buses and them metro that both can take you essentially anywhere very quickly. Connected my cell to the local network and bought some minutes...really easy process. I got introduced to a tutor, Pablo, who is a 4th year architecture student with a good outlook that can help me during my studies at Universidad de Chile, nice guy.

For this weekend, all the students are going to the beach for more orientation stuff. Seems strange to go to the beach because its a bit cold for that. Won't be able to update the site until Sunday night most likely, but I should have some cool stuff from the trip.

The weather hasn't been much different than San Francisco, surprisingly. The real problem is the smog, might even be worse than Los Angeles cause of the surrounding mountains combined with tons of cars. The other students all seem nice. Went to a place called Le Petit Bar last night with ten other people, great place. Very small, had a guy playing Clapton, Floyd, Guns n Roses and taking requests. Fun stuff.

We had a quick oral exam this morning for placement in Spanish classes for next next couple weeks. Very easy. Have to start packing for the trip, be back Sunday night. ciao...oh yea, and i've been eating lots guacamole and avocados : / still rather leave satan's condiment out of my meals.

First Days

The second day after arriving to Santiago was filled with sleeping...in-and-out for hours. I did manage to go on a walk near the hotel and visited a nearby Mall and park. Found a monument in memory of an important general who died during the Allende craziness. My hotel was a ways from downtown and never gained the energy to take a cab ride over there.

I checked out of my room this morning and took a car to the college campus (campus oriente) where I met-up with a bunch of the fellow exchange students from various UC's before being introduced to my temp-mother. After meeting Lucretia (Lucky, pronounced luke), we grabbed my bags and went to the nearby apartment in
Ñu
Ñoa (city within Santiago). There I met my temp-father (Ivan), got settled in my room, and began talking away. They both do not speak much English, so it will be good practice from here on out.

My room is awesome (internet, view of the mountain range, cute and simple), pretty much everything I could ask for.

After an excellent lunch of salad and traditional Chilean soup, and watching the Euro cup match between Germany and Turkey, Ivan took me to nearby downtown to explain the bus system, how to get around, important locations, how to get to school, etc. I am excited that I will finally get to use public transport and walk to school. The evening ended with hot chocolate, salami, and bread..woohoo! I have to go back to campus tomorrow morning at 9:45 for orientation and to meet the professors of Universidad Catholica.

Here is a great video of these silly people who ride the bus for free just to play music, strange...reminded me a lot of santa cruz

The Eagle Has Landed

After about 26 hours of straight travel, I have finally arrived. Left Lihue, Kauai a little after 10 p.m. local time, stopped in Honolulu for an unexpected refuel. Then continued on to L.A., then Miami for a 6 hour layover. It is now 7:18 a.m. EST (Chile), so you can do the math.

It was close to freezing when I stepped off the plane, but it is still early in the morning. Took less than 15 minutes to get from the the airport to the hotel thanks to a lack of traffic and a good driver. I have a room for the night at the Grand Hyatt in Santiago [thanks mom : ) ] on the 15th floor with a great view of the city. I am going to try and get a couple hours of sleep, and then do some exploring. Shopping mall across the street...and wow, as I type the sky has gotten lighter over the past few minutes to reveal a beautiful snowy mountainscape that overlooks the city. Sunrise in Santiago must be one of the most beautiful vistas I have seen in a while. Can't seem to find my power cord for my camera...not good. Still able to transfer a photo in.