Welcome to Antofagasta

So I crammed a bunch of things into my last day in Santiago. Lindsey, Lauren and I took the metro to Cerro San Cristobal, walking through Bellavista (the hippie, artsy neighborhood). We took the funicular to the view on the hill and walked around. There´s a Lindsey and Lauren on the Funicularhuge sitting area with little eateries and shops at the top of the funicular and a chapel and outside mass area. You can ascend closer to the Virgin. We arrived at the perfect time of day, as the sun was right behind the statue, creating a halo around the Virgin (aaaaaah!*holy choir singing in the background*) We found our way to the telegrafico to take a quick trip through the park encompassing the hill. The ride is like being in Willy Wonka´s glass elevator, suspended in the air and really stuffy but still worth the trip. We found out the park has a wine tasting area, a botanical garden, japanese garden, and an outdoor pool. We stopped and Lauren tried mote con huesillas (a cold tea with wheat on the bottom and a whole preserved peach on the top... kind of like a Chilean bubble tea) We walked through Bellavista. One of the highlights were the two cute German guys we kept running into at San Cristobal. We saw them again in Bellavista and waved. =) I picked up a cuff bracelet made of zebra fur.... punky in a fun way. We walked around an open market. Lauren and I wanted to venture to Mercado CentroThe virgin watching over Cerro San Cristobal (a seafood market) and Bellas Artes (a museum). Lindsey ventured home and Lauren and I walked through the market. I got to practice my spanish recognizing the food and trying to match it with the word. But the most educational aspect of the market was our lunch. We both ordered a salmon plate. Our server preceeded the meal with a little "compliment on the house" which turned out to be "juice of Salmon Plate and "Juice of the Sea" seafood" which came in little glasses. We couldn´t tell if it was a drink or a small "soup" in a glass, but whatever it was, we decided to save it for later (or never!). We walked to Bellas Artes and walked through the galleries. We returned in time for me to pack my things and say goodbye. The Antofa group had a send-off crowd as we drove away into the night. *sigh* After 17 hours on the bus, we arrived in the dessert. We all agreed it exceeded our expectations. We Shark head at Mercado Centro were told there was no vegitation, fleas, and lots of strays. Actually, the area by the ocean is quite beautiful, I haven´t had any encounter with fleas, and there are less strays here than Santiago. So our first days included more orientation specific to the city. We met our families on Tuesday and went home for the first time. Suprisingly, I felt terrified! I hadn´t been bothered by the fact I would be living with a host family but the idea of meeting them for the first time and living with them for 8 months made me anxious. Plus, the picture that I was given with the card had the previous host daughter in it. I was pleasantly surprised, though, to find out I wasn´t living alone with my host mother. First night in Antofagasta Her daughter, Veronica, son-in-law Roberto, and their two children Barby (12) and Benjamin (Ben-ha-min) (1.5) live with us as well. I have a nice little room to myself. They also have a dog, a poodle I think, that lives in the sitting area outside of the house. I would like to love Doggie but unfortunately, he pees and poops in the sitting area and then likes to paw me as I come and go! We celebrated our first week here by going out for dinner at an Arabic restaurant close to the Universidad de Antofagasta, where we´ve been having lectures. Then, Olivia, TJ, Eliot, Gregg, and Cameron and our director, Ana Maria, went to sector Huascar where there are a lot of clubs. We went to Kamakaze and did some dancing and except for the electricity going out for an hour during the night, it was good. I came home at 4:30am (!!!) as places close down here at 5am and don´t really start going before 1am. This morning, my sister, Barby, and I walked down to the beach and did some swimming and sun bathing. Love the beach! Next week, I´ll be observing my English classes at Edda Cuneo Moreno which is outside of the city near the airport at a military base. My co-teacher has told me the children are very disciplined and I won´t have many problems with them. I´ll be teaching classes for 1st grade through 8th grade. So far I´m loving it! I love having access to the beach, the temperature is perfect here, and I can run along the beach. My host family is very sweet yet give me a huge amount of independence. We haven´t shared many meals together, but I´ve had good conversations with my host mother and her granddaughter (little Barby who´s taller than me!) I also adore Benjamin who is still learning my name ("Lee-sha") and demonstrated his ability to copy the martial arts guys on tv kicking and punching his little 1.5 yr old legs! He´s a little bundle of energy and likes to terrorize the family when possible. =) More to come later. My home address: 1165 Chillan, Antofagasta, Chile oh! and I have a cell phone!