Movin' On Up

I had such an amazing time with Molly yesterday- going to Spanish class, making friends on the "micro", and meeting her host mom Claudia and her host sister Javi! This morning, we planned one last adventure together before my departure. Our mission: obtain a prepaid cell phone. Unfortunately,even between the two of us, we still have some communication issues, and we ended up at the administrative offices of Movistar (the company that sells the phones) rather than the Movifone store. Oops! Don't worry, Mom. I will get a phone ASAP here in Arica.

La Molly, her host sister Javi, y yo 

Offically, my group was supposed to meet at the airport in Arica, but since almost all of us were on the same flight out of Santiago, there was a lot of unoffical meeting and greeting. It seems like a nice group. There are 25 of us total- 23 chicas, y 2 chicos. What I find interesting is that the majority of us are NOT from the Northeast. Tulane University is well represented, as is the state of Tenessee (shout out to Lindsey here!).


During the flight, I sat next to a "carabinero." If you don't know what that is, Wikipedia it! My carabinero was a very nice man, and apparently was impressed with my Spanish, because he took his laptop down from the overhead bin to show me photos of his wife, three kids and his dog, "una rasa cocker," or a cocker spaniel. 


And now, finally, I am in Arica. We have orientation at a hotel for four days until we meet and move in with out host families. The big news of the day was that I found out my host parents names- Jessica y Iván. I don't know anything else about them, or whether I have host siblings, but there you have it. Jessica y Iván. 

The drive from the airport to the hotel

!He llegado en Santiago!

I have arrived in Santiago! 

With only a small change in itinerary after I found out the plane I was originally supposed to take from Miami to Santiago would be about five hours delayed, I arrived at the Santiago airport this morning sleep-deprived but on-time. After stopping briefly at the hotel to drop off my luggage and freshen up,  I met up with Molly and her group. They had a trip to Valparaiso (a city about two hours west of Santiago by bus) scheduled for today, and couldn't have been nicer about allowing me to accompany them! Here are some of the highlights from my first day in pictures: 

Hand crafts sold at Puerto Valparaiso. Some of the most popular
items (not pictured) are llama wool scarves.

Boats at Puerto Valparaiso

La Molly

The first of many stray dogs

Magnet for sale
 (I took this one especially for you, Broff!)

Something Jewish?!?

Not only were there stray dogs, but also stray kids! These
little guys followed us around for a while.

La Molly y yo 

7 days until departure. I've been spending the past week or so saying good-bye to my family, friends, family friends, and uh, former AP European History teachers (be jealous). I will miss tea dates at Starbucks, lazy afternoons at Cedar St. pool,  and of course, crazy nights playing Balderdash (again, be jealous). 

So Long, Farewell, Auf Weidershen, Adieu

Aside from that, as I prepare to pack, I am realizing just how much STUFF I use on a daily basis. I swear I could stock a small pharmacy/cosmetics store with all of the products that I use-- creams, lotions, and potions in bottles of every shape and size. Products with names like "Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer." To be honest, I'm not even sure what a foundation primer is. What I do know is it is an integral part of my morning routine. How am I going to fit three and a half months' worth of this stuff into my suitcase and still have room for clothes and shoes???  

13 days until departure. I've left my apartment near Tufts to spend the next couple of weeks at home, and I have got to say, I am truly enjoying the luxury of life at home. Not that 30 Sunset wasn't great (I think anyone who crossed our threshold would agree it was), but cable TV? Pancakes prepared by mommy? JASMINE and REX?? To be honest,  I'm feeling kind of bummed that I have so little time here.  Would you want to leave these two furry faces?

Jasmine and Rex

On a brighter note, I have finally made hotel reservations for my first two nights in Chile. I've been in touch with Mario from Hotel Riviera, and everything is set. I know which shuttle service will take me from the airport to the hotel, and Mario has even assured me, most kindly, that they can hold my luggage "in custody" if I arrive before noon check-in time (which I will). The plan is to spend a couple of days in Santiago with Molly before I have to fly up to Arica to meet up with my program. So excited!! Not only do I get to see Molly after all this time, but how awesome is it that one of the first people I get to see after landing in a strange city is one of my best friends? Also, the girl who introduced me to Carole King. And neither last nor least, my best harmonizing buddy. ¡Tengo muchas ganas de verle!


ATTENTION globe-trotting friends: Any packing tips for me? One thing that I have already made a mental note not to forget is a travel alarm clock. Since I use my cell phone at home, this is one item that I tend to forget. Every time. Anything else?

The yellow on this map is Chile. As you can see, Arica is so far north that it nearly borders Peru and Bolivia -- "disputed territory," as Grandpa would say. But not really. No worries.