¡¡Bienvenido a Chile!!

I started the journey in San Francisco and on the second leg of the trip from Canada to Chile, I was both intrigued and overwhelmed to sit next to an old Argentinian character wearing a three piece suit. Between the many stories he shared with me, he managed to steal sodas and entire bottle of wine from the temporarily-vacant beverage cart. I wouldn't have wanted to start this trip any other way!

(With fellow Chimes Jay, Mark and Brandon in San Francisco before leaving and on the right, a picture of Santiago, Chile)

I arrived in Santiago on Thursday, June 21 and was picked up at the airport by my friend, Ignacio Torres who was one of the founders of an entrepreneurial education organization here called Accion Emprendedora. Accion has become well-known in the country for its success in educating low-income citizens and providing them with the necessary knowledge to start their own businesses. I agreed to volunteer with Accion during some of my time in Chile, mainly once I move to Valparaiso (Valpo) during some time outside of class. I am currently in Santiago taking a Spanish course before I start college classes in Valpo on August 4.

Ignacio was nice enough to let me stay with him and his family for a few days. We met the Accion crew and headed off to Valpo for the grand opening of the new center where I will be working. Valpo was incredibly gorgeous. A city of about 200,000 with more people in the total surrounding area, Valpo is Chile's main shipping port. The city is nicely situated on the Pacific and features beautiful beaches in Vina Del Mar, as well as mountainous surroundings with picturesque views of the ocean. You'll hear and see much more about Valpo in the coming weeks.

I stayed in Valpo for a couple days to travel around with an old friend, Carlos Bortoni from Mexico, who I met through HOBY (Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership) in 2004. Carlos and I are both volunteers with HOBY now. Carlos is in Chile with a group from Harvard so I spent the weekend with them and formed some cool new friendships. One day, we went to the house of Pablo Naruda, a famous Chilean poet, and undoubtedly, one of the most beloved people in the country.

(My buddies Carlos and Mike with me in a central square of Valpo and a scenic view of the city on the right)

Once back in Santiago (about an hour and a half drive from Valpo) on Monday I started Spanish classes. My classes start at 10am and run until 2pm each day. Though I am enrolled in a "group" class, though the class is only me and a girl from University of Chicago. So far, the classes have been fantastic and I feel as though each day is an incredible learning experience.

I moved in with the Zuniga family for the week. Gabriel Zuniga studied abroad in Chester (stayed with the McCoys) in 2006 and told me to come stay with him if I ever traveled to Chile. I decided to take him on on the offer for a couple days. He and his family were incredibly hospitable--even when I returned late from the Discoteca (a Chilean dance club) at 6am one morning (this is when I discovered first hand that the Santiago public bus system doesn't run regularly after midnight).

(With the Zuniga family and the view from their neighborhood- this is a normal view from Santiago)

I completed my last move while in Santiago to a very nice family living in the northern part of Santiago (don't worry, the plan had always been to stay with a total of three families here--they didn't kick me out). The Riveras have one son and two daughters. In Chile it is customary for young people to continue living at home until married. So though the three kids are all well out of college, they still live at home and eat with the family at the dinner table every night.

As it is winter in Chile now, I had to take advantage of the opportunity to ski in the Andes. I went this last Sunday with some college friends from the east coast. The ski runs are completely different here. There are no trees at all but the snow conditions were amazing. We made it to the hill here called "Colorado" surprisingly enough. In two weeks I'll be headed up to Valle Nevado (another large ski mountain in the area).

(Brint, me, Emily and Mark on the backside of El Colorado, and right, a beautiful view on the last run for the day)

I'm off to three days in Buenos Aires starting tomorrow and will surely report back on that experience. Argentina is supposed to be a beautiful country as well. Feel free to comment on the blog here and ask many any questions you have about Chile. It's always a blessing to hear from the US family and friends! Miss you all!