crisscross

Hello friend,

It's a cloudy, balmy day in Santiago. We're expecting rain today and through the weekend. I like the rain, especially here in the city, because I can jump over little rivers along the sidewalks as they cascade down the street looking for a storm drain.

This week went by really fast, probably because I've been more than occupied with life here. Classes are in full-swing, more or less. On top of volleyball and literature, media ethics and Spanish class started this week. Chilean culture starts in two weeks, which should be interesting, but this week I felt swamped, so two other class sessions every week might put me close to the edge. So far, I don't have a ton of work in my classes, except for literature. My professor, who looks like a Latin American version of Albert Einstein, decided to assign a Spanish novel for us to read by Tuesday. Granted, a book in a week isn't too bad, I suppose, but in a foreign language, it's going to be brutal. My professor is horrible, absolutely dreadful. He knows way too much about literature. He just rambles, for three hours, about absolutely nothing. He comes in to the class all disheveled with half of his shirt un-tucked and then when he thinks about things, he scratches one side of his head, so that his gray-black hair sticks out on one side of his head but not the other, normally it's the side opposite the un-tucked shirt. And, as if the class were super interested in what he has to say, he adds the sound "hmm" after sentences that he wishes to emphasize; I think it's as if he wanted to ask if we understand what he just said. A) No, I don't. B) It likely has nothing to do with our readings or Chilean culture or literature. It's very annoying.

Besides classes, I've been attempting to assimilate into Chilean culture. My attempt at sneaking myself into social circles comes in a 3-step plan.

Step 1: Live with a Chilean Family. Check.
Step 2: Join a team of some sort. First is volleyball class, which isn't really a team, but it has the same principals. It's easier to make friends without having to take lecture notes and read diagrams on a white-board. We played a few games today in class. I did one good thing and one bad thing in the midst of acceptable things. The good thing- I got to spike a ball and score a point. The bad thing- I watched a ball drop four feet in front of me. Secondly, Cross Country is going good. We had a really hard workout yesterday, my lungs have never burned so bad. Everyone on the team is super cool and really welcoming. I think we all might head to the beach for a weekend sometime soon. I also heard something about a time-trial next week. The Chilean Nationals race is in early September, so I have a feeling that it's to see who will compete. It would be sooooo awesome if I could compete, but since I'm technically not from this country, I'm not sure if I'll be able to. We'll see, though.
And Step 3: Volunteer. I have two programs in mind right now, and I'm hoping they will work out with my schedule so I can work with them both. The first is called English Opens Doors and it involves me working in an elementary school or high school teaching English with a Chilean teacher for 4 hours a week. The second is a shelter for abused and abandoned animals, primarily dogs. I'd have to feed them, bathe them, and take them for walks. I have trainings for both next week, so I've got my fingers crossed.

Today is Alexander's birthday. I bought him beer and chocolate... since I know no one who doesn't like beer and/or chocolate.

Tomorrow or Sunday I'm hoping to get out to Yerba Loca, a nature sanctuary about 20km. outside of Santiago. I just have to find out how to get there. You can check out this link to read up on it. It's in Spanish but I think it has pictures. http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santuario_de_la_Naturaleza_Yerba_Loca

As for right now, I need food and a nap, and then I have to read, a ton. Bye!