Three weeks left in my trip!! I cannot believe how fast time flies by. It literally seems like yesterday I was struggling to buy my very first bus ticket in Santiago, and although life is still a struggle for me all the time, things have definately started to become normal. Its weird how the definition of normal can change. Four months ago, security guards at Mcdonalds and paying to use a public bathroom (not including toilet paper) would have seemed weird to me, but now, thats my life. Stray dogs running all over the streets might seem scary in the US, but here they are pretty much considered squirrels. I never, ever, in my entire life would have eaten a plate of crudos - raw ground beef on a piece of bread with a lemon juice and a mayonnaise type sauce- but I tried it here, and honestly it wasnt that bad. This whole experience has really opened my eyes to so many different things, and I think that is something that I never would have been able to learn unless I actually lived it. Its easy to look at a book or read an article and see pictures of a place and their people and imagine their lives, but to actually be a part of a culture that is completely different than your own is really a life changing thing. Some days I struggle to understand why cut up hotdogs on anything is a sophisticated meal, or why you have to go through three lines to buy a pencil, but that is just the way of life here. I have for sure had some ups and downs in this trip. Some days I refuse to speak spanish because its just too hard, and quite simply, I dont feel like it, but other days I look around and am so thankful to be in a country as beautiful as Chile, and am so thankful to be able to say that I lived in a foreign country, basically on my own, for almost 5 months, and dont want it to end. Some days it is so cold in my bedroom that when I wake up, I can actually see my own breath. But then there are days like today, where I went to the beach and it was absolutely beautiful, and just sat and listened to the waves crashing against the rocks for an hour, went to a feria and listened to live music and ate empanadas and anticuchos, and I think that there is no place in the world quite like Chile. My trip is winding down, and its starting to freak me out. My life that I am just starting to get used to is about to do a complete 180. I am SO excited to see my family, my boyfriend and my roommates and I hope they are excited to see me too, but I feel like everything is just going to be weird for me once I get there. At least for a while. I wont have the lovely Marisol to clean my room and cook for me, and I wont constantly feel out of place, which now, is my normal. As much as I am dying to get home, I really think I am going to miss Chile.
And enough of my ranting :) I had a pretty good week here, even though it was EXTREMELY cold. Whenever I see a facebook status complaining about thunderstorms or heat I want to slap that person right in the mouth. There is a common misconception among my friends that I am basking in the hot sun of South America getting a tan while I have been down here, and I regret to inform anyone who previously thought that, that it is simply not true. For me anyway. I am pretty sure I am whiter than my sister Lauren in the dead of winter, and that is a very bold statement. If anyone reading this doesnt know her, just know this: she is a 22 year old female who uses SPF 70 all year long. Enough said.
I have been eating red meat for the past 4 days straight, not the healthiest thing in the world, and had the BEST steak of my entire life on Saturday night at a place called el Rincón Gaucho. It was 8900 pesos (about 19 dollars) for an all you can eat meat buffet, and it was sooooo delicious. If anyone ever finds themself in Southern Chile I highly recommend it. It was the best meal I have had thus far. So fresh and flavorful, they dont even give you salt or pepper or sauce or anything. Just the beef. SOOO good. I cant even get over it. Today, I also had some delicious meat from an outdoor market type thing. Its called an anticucho, basically a shishkabob (sp?), with sausage, beef, onions, and of course hotdogs :),all freshly grilled on a stick with a little chunk of bread on the top of it to soak up all the juices. Disgusting but so good.
School (or lack of school) has been interesting. There are protests and riots all over the country, so I actually havent gone for almost a week. This week probably wont be any different, I will keep you informed!
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