Some observations...

On the days of the week:

• If today is Monday, "tomorrow" means Thursday.
• Monday is just the start of the week so no one can be expected to know anything. Tuesday is only one day after Monday, so no one can expect much then either. Wednesday is the middle of the week and really, the end of the week is better. Thursday is still one day from Friday, which is the true end of the week. Friday is basically the weekend so really it’s probably better to just wait until Monday… And repeat.

On the metro:

• People wear sunglasses. In the train. Underground.
• People sit on the floor when there are still empty seats. These people appear to be neither poor, nor drunk, nor crazy.
• 1 stop before getting off the metro, people get up, walk to whichever end of the metro car is going to be closest to the stairs leading out of the metro station, and wait eagerly so they can rush out of the train the second the doors open. This is the only time I see anyone rush or hurry to do anything in Chile. Once they are street level, they’re back on the Chilean clock.

On Spanish class:

• I now know the grammar rules for making 2 past tenses and 2 future tenses, plus the conditional (which in English is “would…”)!
• My profesora has the best shoes I’ve ever seen. And she told me where I can buy my own.
• My profesor gives the most amazing explanations for vocabulary ever. He also has gone from wavy longish hair that wasn’t a mullet to a mullet with a little curly tail thing on one side. The first 2 days it was all I could think about, all I could see and all I could hear. Now its getting better… my coping that is, not the hair.
• I have a lot more words in my repertoire now, noteworthy palabras are:
  brujería = witchcraft
  sí po = yeah (Chileanism)
  fome = boring (Chileanism)
  estadounidense = United States-ian
  almuerzar = to lunch
  cafiche = pimp
  nubioso = cloudy
• My favorite verb conjugated is: trabajaba (trah-bah-hah-bah) which means either ‘I was working’ or ‘He/She was working’.
• Embarazada does not mean embarrassed. It means pregnant.

On this place:

• Dogs are in the streets. Everywhere. Fortunately they seem to ignore humans for the most part.
• The houses in Valparaíso (neighbor city to Viña) appear to be hanging on the sides of the hills. They are like colorful sprinkles on a cupcake with a mountain of green icing.
• Buildings are made of cement like in France, so even when it is sunny and warm outside I need a sweater inside.
• The great mystery I’ve yet to uncover is that in general, people make less money here than they do in the US. However, most things (except produce and meat/eggs) cost the exact same, and in some cases more (jeans).
• “You can’t visit Chile, you have to discover it. The best part of Chile is the aftertaste.” A quote from Ximena which sums up my feelings about this place really well. Like how at first some red wine tastes too fruity or too earthy, but once you’ve swallowed what’s left on your tongue is the most incredible taste. After being here for a month I realized the more I’m here, the more I love it. What appeared so different before now looks at once commonplace and extraordinary to me. It’s like it takes a while for your eyes to get used to Chile and once they come into focus it’s not messy anymore – it’s beautiful.