Hey there y'all Just got back yesterday from a trip to the North with my host mom, and it was awesome!!!!! So we started up in Arica. I never realized just how long chile is, and I'd forgotten how fast airplanes are. We went in a plane, and it was 2 or 3 hours. In bus, I think it's 20. And I thought I was pretty far north here in Vallenar. But basically Arica is the city furthest north in Chile. Almost in Perú. Actually, it was Peruvian before the War of the Pacific. That war where they were fighting over [View Full Entry]

---

---

Hey there, y'all It's been way too long since I've written one of these. I'm just realizing lately that I'm down to six weeks. Seems like a lot, right? Well, that means six 5-day school weeks to sit through, yes, but I'm down to just six weekends. Sad. But still, I'm feeling almost ready to go. I feel like there are just a few more things to do, and then I'll be really dying to get home. It's getting cold here lately, winter and all that. I have to go to school in the morning not only with the school sweater, [View Full Entry]

---

---

Hola It's a saturday, I'm lazing around right now, gym class killed me yesterday, and I've discovered that black tea with honey is amazing I'm definitely getting into a really relaxed phase of my exchange. I hang around the house with my host family a lot more. I like to cook. I study. I read. I salir on weekends. I've got school, but it's so much easier now. I understand a lot more, and they're not really passing much new material now. This year is more for getting ready for the PSU, which is like an ACT that gets way too [View Full Entry]

---

---

hello y'all My mood: tranquilo. I got my tooth fixed at the beginning of the month. School is going well. I haven't been homesick, though I've had some healthy nostalgia. Like, looking back and saying "those were good times" but not feeling sad about it. Life is good. I guess I could use a weekend. Well, I haven't been homesick, but every now and then I have a sad moment. Easter was cool. My gringa friend Laura came to visit for easter. We hung out, visited an iron processing plant in Huasco, and made nostalgic cooking projects. Banana bread and pancakes. [View Full Entry]

---

---

Hola This has been quite the summer. It's been plenty long, but I haven't gotten bored. It's great. Not really looking foreward to school starting the 28th, but it'll be ok, I guess Goals for this half of a chilean school year: 1. read all the books they assign me to read 2. get a 7 (100 %) on some test that's not english, PE, or music 3. get good study habits. Some sort of daily routine. Never quite got that down 4. stop buying from the kiosko at the school. The overpricing there is ridiculous, as much as 50% price [View Full Entry]

---

---

Hello How are y'all doing? I have so much to say here. First of all, Where's Christmas? Somehow the hot summer weather and lack of familiar christmas carols and being away from home keeps me from feeling like christmas is coming. Maybe when it gets here I'll feel it. Anyway, though, I'm going to miss all of you very much. a good part of this blog is in photo captions, so check those out too. I'm not really in Punta Arenas, but I was yesterday I just got back from a trip south, and it was awesome. Amazingly awesome. Beautiful. I [View Full Entry]

---

---

Hola Life is good. I think I did really well on each of the 4 tests we had. 4 more coming up this next week. Yeah. Crazy last two weeks. And I am counting down the days until the Rotary Orientation. And I just realized I've been here for almost 4 months now. Kind of scary The video game craze here in Vallenar is DotA. It's a variation of Warcraft III online, stands for Defense of the Ancients. As I understand, you choose a heroe, you defend a base, and then the game consumes your life. People here have "tareo." Everyone [View Full Entry]

---

---

hola Basically, right now I am dying for some summer vacation. It's still crunch time at school. Finishing up the year. We've got 2 weeks left, and 8 tests left. And we're getting some final projects. Blah But I am totally pumped up for a Rotary trip to southern Chile in December. Going with other rotary students here in chile, the people from the orientation. Should be sweet. Going to go visit Punta Arenas, Punta Natales, Seno Otway, Cueva (cave) de Milodón, Parque Nacional Torres del Paine, and Glaciares Balmaceda y Serrano. I'm not sure where all these places are, folks, [View Full Entry]

---

---

hey, just wanted to let you folks know that we're ok here in Vallenar. There was a really bad earthquake further north, and I don't really know details. We just got a bit of a tremor here. [View Full Entry]

---

---

Hola I'm sitting here typing and eating toast with raspberry jam. I love it. The simplicity. I think the only thing that beats it is manjar. It's like caramel, but you can spread it. And it's not like that fake caramel syrup for ice cream. This is the real stuff At this point my life is filled with school. I guess this is crunch time of the year. Just finished a video for english class, now I have a philosophy project to work on and we just got a biology project dumped on us. Luckily, there's only a month left of [View Full Entry]

---

---