Hola! I have officially been in Santiago for 5 days! It has taken a few days of getting settled in to launch this site, but I hope this is going to be a good way to let all of my friends and family stay in touch back home!
Where to start? We arrived in Santiago at 5:45am on Wednesday March 9, 2011. After two connecting flights from Miami, Florida and then Bogota, Columbia, I was ready to get out of the plane! First observations?Santiago is a huge city, and looks upon first glance much like many other cities in Europe. The infrastructure, highway system, and transportation is very nice - so I have had no trouble getting from place to place. Our hostel is in the City Centro, which makes for a decent walk to just about everything you might need! Chileans are very friendly, eager to chat with you, and find out where you are from...(though, really, I am obviously a gringa!)
One of the biggest adjustments in the first week has been adapting to the food:) There have been roughly 3 enjoyable delectable Chilean meals...but it is not an understatement of how much white bread they eat here! Each morning I have a white roll, a warm/watery yogurt, and instant coffee (Nescafe). They also give you a small chocolate cookie with every meal. which perhaps leaves something to be desired, but as the bread doesn't seem to hold too long, is a pretty tasty snack! I know I will find things that taste good soon, and everything is an adjustment, but I find myself missing Latte's, salads, and brown rice! To their credit, Chile has the most abundant supply of fruit and vegetables at all times, it is so so cheap to buy fruit I can hardly get enough!
I have to run to my spanish lesson, but look forward to more updates!
Chao!
I'm SO excited that you arrived safely and are adjusting to all the cultural differences. You seem to have such a positive attitude, which is exactly what you need! Be patient with yourself, the change in diet, the language, etc, and enjoy all the new experiences. The people who had regrets from our group were the ones that didn't step outside their comfort zone. Connect with the locals whenever you can! Wow, this brings me back to my first few weeks in Pohnpei! Enjoy! Keep us posted!
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