BACK IN VINA!

Hey Everyone!
Sorry It´s taken me so long to update this blog! Things have been really busy around here. We got back to Vina and went directly to Santiago for orientation. The hotel we stayed in was called "Rent a home"...at first glance we figured it would be a little sketchy, but it was REALLY nice! They were like little apartments with kitchens and living rooms. I lived with two other girls from Luther and the girl who is my housemate right now. Lets see....orientation. Well the first day we went to a statue on a hill of the virgen mary. It was HUGE, something like 25km tall. It was so pretty to look out and see everything. Hopefully I can put some pics up later. The statue was put on the hill because it was the hill that guided the first settlers to the city of santiago. Afterwards we had our typical dinner of peaches and yogurt topped with ceral (so good!). The next day was SO busy and tiring, but interesting! We went to the Moneda...the building where the president does her thing. Its called the Moneda because it was originally a mint and later was turned into a building similar to the white house. After the Moneda we visited a musame of pre columbian art. It was interesting but we were all pretty tired at that point in the day. The next day we went to the house of Pablo Neruda....he has 3. It was AWESOME! He designed it to be like a boat, so each of the rooms are very small and shaped like they were in a boat. He was such a creative person, both in writing and in his art.

Now we are back in vina getting ready for classes to start. We´ve had 2 days of orientation so far, and my brain is still trying to switch back to spanish. There are 47 people in the program and its a great group. I love the new house i am living in. Every evening we sit and eat dinner and talk for about 2 hours. Its like living in a soap opera, everyone is so dramatic which makes the evenings entertaining. I got to see the psych building today where all my classes will be. Its AMAZING. Its near a lake on the outskirts of the city. Its a building with tons of windows and is very open and spread out. I´m excited to take classes there. I´m also planning on joining the college swim team here with another guy from CA. If its goign to be everyday and intense i may re think it, not because it wouldn´t be fun, but because i really want to have time to explore and enjoy new things. ...I can´t believe I´ve almost been here for two months. I´m very ready to start classes and really jump into the culture.

Hope everyone is well!
Cristina