First Week... FIESTA WEEK!!

What a week! The party at the club last week was so crazy! Well, the process of getting there was actually a lot crazier than the club. Some of us wanted to walk, others wanted to take a taxi, taxi's were called but none of them showed up... we ended up on a bus. Which we thought was the wrong bus, but then turned out to be the right one. The club was called Scratch and it looked like you could contract something that would make you scratch, if you know what I mean. The place looked sketchy. But, we had a great time. Here are some pics:

Good times yeaa. So, after arriving home at around 5am I slept for a little while and then went with my host mom Meg to the most wonderful Farmers Market I have ever been to. There was just mountains of fruits and veggies and all for very little money. We ended up almost not being able to carry everything home, we got so many yummy things to eat. It was beautiful.
After we arrived home I got ready and left to go on a tour of Valpariso, one of the cities next to Vina del Mar. At the beginning of the tour we went on a boat/lancha that took us around the harbor. We saw sea lions!!

Valpo, as everyone here calls it, used to be the biggest sea port in Chile, before the Panama Canal that is. It is still a big tourist destination and is a beautiful. In 2003 it was made one of UNESCO's world heritage sites so now they are trying to restore the old buildings and preserve the older parts of the city. Most of the residents live in the hills or the cerros that lead to the sea and it is the only city in the world like that. In the cerros there are limited roads and most residents use public transit. Each cerro is like a different neighborhood but they are all connected so you can't even tell when you pass over from one cerro to the next. The roads/paths/caminos are steep and narrow and all the walls are covered in artistic graffiti. Valpo is a beautiful city. At the end of our tour we went to a very traditional restaurant to eat chorialla. Chorialla is a traditional Chilean dish that was born in Valpo. It is french fries covered in scrambled eggs with onions and topped with steak. It sounds really strange but it is sooo good, and soo very bad for you.

This week some of my classes started, but only my Spanish classes. I have Grammar class and Composition and Chilean Culture class. They meet 2-3 times per week. My other classes are going to either start next week or in April, which is a little strange to me, I am not sure why they do not all start at the same time. My other classes Contemporary Themes which I know will have a lot of history, more work to do and then another class is called Cultures in Contact. Cultures in Contact is a class with half Chilean half international students and we learn about each other, there will be a lot of field trips I think. Well, I hope.

The past couple of days have been hot so I have been able to go to the beach!! It is not usually very warm here since it is already fall. It is much hotter in the summer months of December and January, and now it is only going to get colder. I am excited for it though, I enjoy cold weather, especially fall weather. Sweaters and pants and jackets :) I have been going out a lot, hehe. The traditional drink here is a pisco sour, not really sure what is in it but it tastes limey and yummy. The wine is awesome, even the really cheap stuff. Its all good.

This weekend I am going to Santiago for a tour of the city with my group. We are going to see all of the famous plazas and buildings and stuff. The day after I hope that I will be able to go hiking! I am very excited for it so I hope everything works out.