Two weeks down!

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As predicted, it's been a frustrating two weeks. I arrived in Santiago on Sunday, February 13 after an uncomfortable flight (American Airlines apparently puts their oldest, most crowded planes on the South American routes). For the first two weeks here, I've been taking intensive language classes and staying with a teacher from the school. Meanwhile, I've been frantically looking for a place to live for the rest of the year, which is far easier said than done.

I don't love Santiago yet. There is a lot of good and a lot of bad. In short, the jury is still out.

Here is the short list...

SANTIAGO:
The Good - It's a cool city! There is art, music, culture, etc. It's pretty here, more or less. Think sort of European Architecture with a weird Mexican influence.
The Bad - There are birds everywhere. I'm afraid of birds.
The Ugly - There is extreme air pollution (includes smog and smokers). Since arrival, I feel as though there is a gunky film covering my eyes.

CHILE:
The Good - The wine, oh heavens, the WINE! And it's summer here, which means there are delicious/abundant fruits and vegetables.
The Bad - In general, it's more expensive than I expected.
The Ugly - I had forgotten how uncomfortable, isolating and (very rarely, but sometimes) dangerous it is to be a light-skinned, light-haired women in a country of dark-skinned, dark-haired people.

MY NEW APARTMENT:
The Good - It's centrally located and very very safe. Plus I have my own bathroom!
The Bad - There is no bike rack at my building. 😞 If I want a bike I'll have to haul it up to our 5th floor apartment.
The Ugly - The neighborhood is loud (who am I kidding, the ENTIRE city is loud) and crazy busy.

THE LANGUAGE:
The Good - I speak Spanish. In general, I'm good here.
The Bad - Chilean Spanish is unlike any other Spanish. I never understand the first fews things out of someone's mouth.
The Ugly - If Chilean Spanish is difficult to understand in person, it is IMPOSSIBLE to understand on the phone. I literally have a small panic attack each time my cell phone rings.

I move into my apartment on February 27. I have international student orientation at my university on February 28. Classes start on March 2. More updates coming soon...

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Photos

Santiago
I TOLD you it was big! This photo was taken from the top of Cerro (hill) San Cristobal.

Salud!
In the afternoons our instructors at the language school would take us out for some informal "practica comunicativa." This is a Pisco Sour, the most popular drink in Chile.