Viva Valparaíso: Settling In! 🇺🇸 🇨🇱

"To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted." -Bill Bryson

As my sister pointed out to me earlier this week, the Olympics are two weeks of "ridiculous patriotism," of cheering wildly for athletes you have never heard of competing in sports you know nothing about, simply because they are waving the right-colored flag. Imagine a room, then, of sixty students from all around the world watching the first day of competition at Rio 2016. As an Italian athlete competed, there were hoots and hollers. When the German team was shown, there were even more. Then a Spanish athlete, French, Colombian, Swedish, Swiss, Thai, Chinese. Finally, an American gymnast entered the arena and I let out a cheer. But then, I looked around the room and realized that I was the only one rooting for Michael Phelps and Gabi Douglas and Serena Williams. Right then, I realized something: I was a minority and will continue to be a minority for the next 5 months. Being the only American in my group most definitely has its ups (like not having to argue Trump vs. Clinton with fellow voters) and its downs (like no one truly understanding how great peanut butter is) but, no matter what, it's an eye-opening experience, to say the least.

On August 27, 2012, 10 days after I had arrived in Argentina to study abroad, I wrote in my blog, "It's not better, it's not worse, it's just different." These past two weeks in Chile have brought me back to this idea so many times. The more I travel, the easier it becomes to tell myself this and appreciate the cultural differences. That being said, it's a matter of time and willingness to learn about others that makes all the difference!

I had a wonderful second week settling into my new routine here. Classes at UTFSM started and I think I finally have my class schedule figured out. It turns out that I don't have classes on Mondays or Wednesdays, which I'm excited about because it'll allow me to do a bit more exploring (and homework, of course 😜 ). All of my teachers have been really helpful and understanding, especially when it comes to simplifying the basics of biochemical engineering as it relates to the Krebs cycle! The class I think I'm most looking forward to is Pre-Colombian Civilizations! Since I am the only student and my professor is fairly laid-back, he explained that we could learn about the indigenous Chileans by conversing with fishermen at the port and about Mayans by visiting local museums; what a great way to learn in a foreign country and culture!

Aside from classes, I've been able to get to know the city a lot better this past week, too! Whenever I stumble on a new cafe or pasteleria (pastry/dessert shop), I can't help but try it out! I think I'll definitely know the best of the best by the end of my time here 😊 Yesterday, I took a micro (bus) about 20 minutes north to Concon, which is more of a small surf town. I walked around, ate empanadas, talked to some fisherman and, my favorite activity, went sand-boarding on the dunes! It was so beautiful and so much fun (pictures below)! Today, I slept in, went to mass downtown, tried out another cafe, and then relaxed and watched the Olympics with my host family and little siblings. Since I don't have class tomorrow, I'm planning to go back to Concon and try my hand at surfing 🏄🏻! I'll let you know how that goes...

As you can tell, all is well here in Valparaíso! I'm most definitely experiencing the ups and downs of culture shock and being away from everything I'm used to but, all in all, I'm staying busy and making the most of my time here! As always, thanks for following my travels and know I miss all of you! Keep in touch.

Love from Chile,

Kerri