So it is currently Tuesday night, the 25th of August and I am sitting on my bed. So arriving here I had some luggage problems but I really don't want to go over that. I am living in a house with a mother, a daughter of 25 years and two Chilean girls that study nursing in the college, they are both 18 years old. They are all very very nice. It is pure rain here, and a little on the cold side. I walk to the university because it is super close, but that does not prevent me from getting wet. Today I was taking some video and now my camera is not in the best condition, it got a little wet. I hope it will be fine after it dries.
The second day I was here, Saturday we had orientation and that night we went to this chilean girl's house who houses an american student and she is also one of our counselors. So a little get together there then just before 1 we headed on over to the casino, to the discoteca in the bottom. It was super cool. The music was from the 80's and 90's, lots of english songs, super fun to dance to. I danced with this one guy but I warned him I can't dance but he tried to teach me, it was very entertaining. But after a while I told him I was going to dance with my group now. It was rather awkward, but it was interesting. Then getting from there to my house, it is not a far walk, but not safe at night to walk unless accompanied. So me and 3 other students had some fun trying to call taxi's I ended up just getting in with two other girls so the taxi went to 3 different places.
Today we went to the internacional police station here in Valdivia to register our visas. Getting back to the University I had to take a Micro, which is a bus. And I was with a group and they got on a bus but it was totally full although the last step was free, I did not get on. So I stood at the side of the road for about 5 minutes watching cars pass by and other buses, I was looking for a Micro #4, 5, or 9. One came along I got on paid my 350 pesos and this time there was enough room to get to the the second stair. After a few minutes someone got off and I was able to stand at the top of the stairs! Moving up the chain yeahhhhh. But that is where I stopped advancing. Ah but being on the same level as everyone else was awkward because the roof is not especially high nor the people are extrodinarily tall. And I was in front of everyone. So I just looked out the window. It is not pure dark skin, dark hair short shorties here, but more so than home.
My host family says that I talk rather well, not perfect but surprisingly well for just arriving. We took placement tests as well for spanish and I did well, a 6.2 for an average between the written and oral tests. I did better on the written one of course. The grading scale is out of 7.0 so this would be in the B area I think. I signed up for the intermediate spanish conversation and composition class but will be in the advanced one. Yay! The people have been extremely nice, the man that is the director of study abroad students in the US for my program is here and is checking everything out. He doesn't speak spanish very well hahahha. Poor guy. But he came to the house today and looked around and we talked while they were drinking coffee. He was very nice and commented on how much courage this requires and how different it is and things such as this. He was also able to listen to me speak spanish to the director here in chile and my host mother and he commented that he was impressed with how fluid I talked. He was a very nice man.
So currently I am with a cold and not real energetic. I had my first class this afternoon and it was good. It was a grammar class, which will be useful. So yes this is rather long but I am covering a few days, and skipping a lot of details I am sure. But hey if you want details you go live in some foreign land.
La Jazmin
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