No te preocupes.....

Dear Mom and Dad,
     You will be happy to know that I spent my first few weeks here getting to know the area in the safest and most appropriate way possible. I behaved myself the entire time, and never, ever did anything that you yourselves wouldn't do. Nonetheless, for those of you who plan on traveling anytime soon, here are so helpful hints, should you have a lapse in judgement or a need a quick reminder of the importance of the adage, "When in Rome."

1) Don't talk to strangers on a bus, especially late at night.

So, apparently, this rule is universal. You especially think this would apply when the stranger advises you to disembark the bus in a dark alley in a country unfamiliar to you, in a language that is not your mother tongue. But, you might be tempted to listen to him, because in general people have been pretty nice, and everyone has a good heart, right? And there is probably a 5 percent chance that he really is pointing you in the right direction, but take it from me, you still shouldn't do it. If he makes an ugly hand gesture when you follow him off the bus, you really really shouldn't do it. As tempting as it is to experience the adrenaline rush from watching your life flash before your eyes, and as fun as it is to ponder about the fact that you might seriously be endangering the lives of 5 friends you just made 1 week before, don't be fooled. The first couple of days I'd recommend sticking to the metros even if it does mean having the breath squeezed out of you and becoming all too familiar with the grandpa standing next to you due to the congestion at hora punta (rush hour)

1a) If you break rule number one, be sure to have a guardian angel in the form of a mother of two sitting at the back of the bus screaming at you and the bus driver in something that sounds like laksjdlasjdlksajdlkj CACHAI CACHAI alsdjlaskdjlaksjdlkjsalkdj SI-POOOO NO-POOOO

This rule is pretty self explanatory, but is key (clave) if you plan on breaking rule #1

2) If you need a little extra dough for traveling, there is always tutoring kids in english, drug traffic, or better yet cafe con piernas

It was one of those days where not having central heating made you press snooze at least 3 times just so you could snuggle up under you down comforter for 15 more minutes. It was one of those days where I had already downed 4 cups of tea but I was still freezing, and so even though one more might lead to extreme over hydration (and then extreme dehyration...cause tea is a dehydrant, right?) it seemed like it was worth it (vale la pena.) It was one of those days that when my friend Tess called to see if I wanted to grab a cup of a coffee at a cute little hole in the wall kind of place, I immediately jumped on the offer.

Before we knew it, we were sitting outside, failing to communicate with the waitress, and waiting for another cup of tea. We chatted briefly, but as we looked around, Tess noted the over dominance of Y chromosomes, the smoke filled restaurant, and scantily dressed "waitresses."After one leaned over to the men sitting next to us showing just a bit too much skin, Tess asked the man sitting next to us "what the hell was going on" as I sat back in my chair with rosy red cheeks. Of course, she was much more diplomatic about it, but nonetheless we could tell something just wasn't quite right.

Apparently, we had stumbled upon Santiago's,"cafe con piernas," a coffee bar/strip club which they are proud to call their own. While, we were lucky to stumble upon a watered down version of these classy little joints, as you can imagine it was quite the experience. After 6 weeks under my belt I am proud to say I will always look around before sitting down to grab an "innocent" cup of coffee.

3) Visit the virgin your first shabbat in town

So, I am sure when Mom and Dad asked what I was doing my first saturday in Chile, they were thrilled to hear that I was going to visit the Virgin. But, I just couldn't resist. Climbing the second tallest hill in Santiago was way too tempting, especially when the view from the top would be so incredible. The climb was a bit more than I had anticipated, but celebrating with a view of a blue blue sky and Mary opening her arms watching over the sprawling city below her made the bit of the hike even more enjoyable. Being able to see the city from the top of Cerro San Cristobal, a hill creating a 300 meter high panoramic viewing deck,  forced me to gain my bearings, understand the layout of Santiago and helped me to ubicarme the first month and a half when getting lost in the city.

Bienvenida a mi Vida

Okay, so sorry for the six week delay. I know you have all been waiting anxiously for this moment, sitting on the edge of your seats, and biting your fingernails in anticipation of my rants, rambles, and run-ons, unable to do anything all day except press the refresh button on your e-mail to see if I have responded to your lovely letters. As always, these messages come with a warning to pardon my spanglish, my syntax, and the ridiculous details I may share, but hopefully you will still find this blog somewhat entertaining, marginally informative, and at the very least proof that I haven't yet fallen off the face of the earth.

I know I have to make up for lost time, so I will do my best to give you a taste of Santiago and some background information, while still keeping you up to date with the happenings of the here and now.
So, here we go..

Let's Start From The Very Beginning...A very good place to start
Unlike the adventure I had flying to Peru, the "pasaje" here was relatively calm. Besides being required to throw out my trail mix by customs, the trip over went smoothly. I couldn't have been happier to have an uneventful flight after having the s***t scared out of me, being told I had mono, and being kindly reminded by a certain someone that they would be happy to get the "Sara Lever has mono" facebook group started again. But I arrived in one piece and after struggling to explain to the airport people that I wasn't chilean, I collected my belongings and was chaufferred by "radio taxi" to my new home for the next 5 months. The car ride consisted of lots of awkward pauses and I honestly couldn't tell you anything the driver said having had it been my first contact with chilean spanish (more on that to come).

It's All in the Family
My family here is da bomb. 'Nuff said. I know some of you have had the pleasure of meeting my little brother on skype and hearing wonderful stories about mi madre y padre, but for those of you who haven't, perhaps I can give you just a hint of what it's like to be a part of the Vasquez familia.

I was greeted to a comfortable apartment one Saturday six weeks ago by Alvaro. We awkwardly stared at each other for a couple seconds as I tried to remember whether to greet with a kiss on one  cheek or two . Luckily he broke the ice by extending one arm out to hug me and offered me a hand with my luggage. At first, his quiet demeanor and sharp features made me think he thought I was weirdo, but after several long chats, we both have come to understand each other. Alvaro, might be the smartest person I have ever met who knows about everything from the Mapuche (the indigenous group here) to how to prepare gefilte fish, and has a quick wit, which comes out at dinner conversations and at once (weekend tea/coffee time). Mi madre, Pati, has more soul than Aretha Franklin and Marvin Gaye combined, and fills her house with love and compassion (to date the Vasquezes have opened their doors and their arms to 8 host children, with whom which they continue to keep in touch). Pati is a mean card player, and is never shy to offer a word or two of advice, and has a soft spot for all things organic, natural, and spiritual. Diego, mi 9-year old (hermanito) is always running around doing something and never ceases to surprise me with his extensive english knowledge and ability to keep himself entertained for hours on end. There isn't a day he doesn't greet me with a huge hug and a kiss on the cheek and is never shy to correct my spanish or teach me new words. I love thinking back to the first day when I met him, and he gave me a drawing he had made of a family portrait of all of us together, and how he responded to my "how are you" greeting with a "super-bien."As you can see, I am quite lucky to have been placed with the most kick-ass family in all of Santiago, which might I add is conveniently located in a great part of town (more on that later)

So...What's up Next?
As I mentioned before, I have to make up for lost time and so I might have to skip some details, but not to worry I will be sure to fill you in on the protests in which I have been partaking, the tear gas I'm still trying to wash out from my clothing, and late night run-ins with carabineros. Chill brah, I have actually almost succesfuly avoided all of the above. But, there will be more to come including tales of visits to la Virgen, failed dining experiences to strip clubs, and not so suave attempts to make friends at local university. In the meantime, here are some pictures of mi vida.

Hiking up Cerro San Cristobal
Rethinking my defintion of a hill

Being weirdos at an ecoferia
Filling up on free samples of goat cheese and whole wheat bread