Adventures in Chile - Part 1

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Hola,

I arrived in Santiago 4 days ago. When I got to my host families house I quickly realized that the lady did not speak ANY English. I had no idea what she was saying. Later I found out that they weren't expecting me until the 6th of January! The lady seemed Ok with it though.
The house is small, but fairly modern. All the houses are gated and locked. The windows all have bars on them, and every house has a security system. The area I am in (Vitacura) is very nice and appears to be safe. I have been told it is one of the wealthiest communities in Santiago.
The language barrier is a problem, but i am finding that my Spanish is quickly improving, and I can now sometimes understand the lady. Its funny when she explains things -like whats for dinner- if its chicken she flaps her arms and goes ´bock bock´. its quite humorous. The food is very different. One night we had hummus wrapped in corn leaves - gross. They also eat stale bread with EVERY meal.

My TEFL course is really good so far - exactly what I had expected. There's a big mix of people, another Canadian, 2 Scots, a New Zealander, a Venezuelan, and 4 Americans. Some of us in the class are planning to do a weekend trip to Valparaiso (the beach) in a few weekends.

The traffic in the city is out of control. There seems to be no laws. People drive wherever they want. On some streets in the poorer areas, people walk in the middle of the road, selling just about anything you can think of - fans, popsicles, tomaotes, magazines.

The city is surrounded by mountains, and it is always sunny and at least 30 degrees. I have yet to see a cloud. There are also poisonous spiders here. They are really small, but if you are bit by one it starts eating away your skin, so I am told. My host family is constantly killing them.
My bed is filled with ants, but at least it is not spiders.

Last night me and the host ladys nephew had a few beers. He speaks a little English, so I am helping him speak English, and he's helping me with my Spanish. He really likes his beers. Beer is cheap too!

This weekend a few of us from my class are going to go out and explore the rest of the city. I have so far mastered the bus route to and from my house - but crap its really difficult! There are occasionally dogs on the bus - I haven't seen a chicken on the bus yet(LOL), but they roam freely in some neighborhoods.

After my first day I was thinking,´why did I come here, etc, etc´. I am no longer thinking that - i am really enjoying it. I think I have made a good choice. But only time will tell for sure.

take care everyone, and keep in touch. For at least the next few weeks, I can check e-mail almost every weekday.
JIM

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Photos

Out in Suecia
With my TEFL classmates