Christmas in Chile

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Yet again, over 2 months have passed without me writing a word here. Once you boil it down, my life here is just like my life at home. I go to work, I eat, I sleep, and I do some things in between all of those. So really during much of the past 10 weeks, there hasn't been too much exciting stuff going on to write about, but now that I sit here and actually think of it, I suppose there are some pretty cool things about living here that you should know about.

First, my new apartment/community that I moved to at the beginning of October continues to charm me everyday. Despite my initial fears that it would be too far from things, it's turned out to be exactly what I wanted. Close enough to mass transit and places to go out at night, yet far enough from the hustle and bustle of downtown. And, most importantly, I'm living with people who's company I enjoy.

Secondly, work! My school year at the colegio finished up in early December, and it was a slow and painful finish as I had next to nothing to do during most of November and the first week in December. There were countless days when I would go, go to one or two classes, and then be sent home because there was just nothing for me to do. It was nice of them to send me home when I wasn't needed, but also a bit boring at the same time. It was sad to say goodbye to some of the students, but overall I think it was a good year there. Certainly different than teaching in the US, and it was difficult at times to adjust to my limited role there, but it gave me opportunities to forge closer bonds with some of the kids than I may have been able to as a regular teacher, and it was the small interactions with the students on a daily basis that was the best part of my job. It wasn't perfect, but I'll miss it. Outside of the school, I started working for a new institute at the beginning of November that has proven to be a good place to work thus far. I only have one client with them but am hoping to secure more through January and February so that I can remain here until early June. Since I only have one client now, I've been on a bit of a mini vacation and have been able to relax for the past few weeks and have more time to myself. I haven't fully taken advantage of that time yet, but I have some museums and other small things I'm going to start doing after the new year.

Third, Christmas! I just cannot get used to the fact that it's almost 90 degrees here everyday, and we just celebrated Christmas. It's nice to be able to walk outside without freezing to death, but I just can't wrap my head around it. There's a certain charm to sitting inside with my family on a cold Christmas day, and a snowy season always makes it better. No matter how much I enjoy the hot weather, a cold Christmas will always be what I think of when I think of Christmas. And of course, Hanukkah here did not exist for me. I honestly forget when it started and began, but really, aside from lighting the menorah at night, it's exactly the same as it would be if I were home. But aside from that, I enjoyed a delicious Christmas Eve dinner with my roommate's family, and spent a quiet Christmas at home cooking and drinking good wine. As for New Years Eve, I think I will be having dinner with my other roommate's family, and then going to see fireworks nearby, and then potentially out for the night. I think I will enjoy warm weather on New Years Eve much more than I did on Christmas. It makes going out at night much more comfortable when you aren't freezing to death.

Fourth, I was fortunate enough to have been able to travel to Mendoza, Argentina at the end of October for a long weekend with friends. The bus ride took much longer than we expected due to an incompetent customs process (18 hours!), but it was a fun, relaxing weekend with good friends, good food, and time to relax. Mendoza is an absolutely gorgeous city and everything there is so inexpensive. I enjoyed getting to eat some delicious steaks, and the chocolates, which I never really associated Argentina with, but apparently they are famous for their chocolates, particularly their alfajores, which are much better than the ones they make here in Chile. Since I'm a US citizen and had to pay $160 to enter the country, I am headed back to Argentina in February for a few days, but this time to Buenos Aires. The entrance fee is valid for 10 years so I want to take advantage of being able to travel there inexpensively. I'm very excited to go back and see what all the fuss is about.

Fifth, I was lucky enough to have a friend of mine come visit me for ten days in November and my sister for a week in December. It was great having familiar faces here, and fun getting to play tourist and tour guide for them. I got to revisit a lot of places I've already been, as well as a few places I had yet to visit. I know I had a great time having them here and I think they enjoyed it, too. I was really grateful that they choose to take their time and money to come visit me here.

Finally, I wrote last time about my process of taking the LSAT and applying to law school. I won't go into all the details, but I earned the grade I wanted on my LSAT, applied to 4 universities, and so far have been accepted to all 3 that have responded. I should have a response from the fourth school by mid January, but at least I know next August I'll be headed back to school! It was very exciting and unexpected to hear back from schools so quickly after submitting the applications, but I am very relieved that I don't need to wait months and months for a response and that I know what my future has in store for me.

I will most likely update here again in early February after my vacation to Torres del Paine at the end of January, and I promise then that there will be photos. But for now, here are a couple photos from my trip to Mendoza.

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