I did get on the plane though, which is what mattered most. I was the first to arrive in Atlanta and hung out by the gate as the nine other Grove City students trickled in. It was kind of weird to be with grovers in that context, but I got over it pretty quickly as, one-by-one, I was reunited with familiar faces. The nine-and-a-half hour flight was made bearable by sitting among friends, and we spent a good deal of time looking over the list of Chilean slang that we received last semester. The rest of our time was devoted to sleeping and dissecting plane food.
Santiago as we descended
We arrived in Santiago around 8:15 a.m. and established ourselves firmly as the group of lost, obnoxious Americans at every possible turn. Finally out of customs, we met up with students from other universities who are also attending Adolfo Ibáñez. One of the guys from the University said that there will be around 80 U.S. exchange students this semester - and that's not including any other countries. An hour and a half in a bus brought us to Viña del Mar, where a horde of Chilean hosts massed outside of the bus. Some had signs with names, others were waving lists, and I'm pretty sure there were some who were just there for the spectacle. Eventually I located my host, Alicia Cowell. Despite the English last name, Alice (as she prefers to be called) is fully Chilean and refuses to speak to me in English. She lives with her husband Antonio in a "departamento," which is pretty much an apartment. Also inhabiting the depto are Paula, a Chilean student, and Christina (sp?), a U.S. exchange student who leaves tomorrow. Another girl is supposed to come in soon to take her place. I haven't met Antonio, Paula, or Christina yet, as they're all out studying or working. Currently I'm staying in a tiny side room until Christina leaves; then I'll take her room.
My room for tonight
Once I got showered and had lunch with Alice, we walked all around Viña so I could get my bearings and a taste for the place. It's a bustling city right on the Pacific coast packed tight with bakeries, restaurants, stores, more stores, artisan shops, more stores, pharmacies, and people. Alice has spent her whole life here, aside from a few years in Europe, and knows the place inside out. I'm excited to find out where my other friends live in relation to me and see what their take on the city is tomorrow when we meet up for orientation.
Your room reminds me of the hotel rooms in germany. They asked if I wanted a single room and I said yes. I promptly changed my mind once I realized I may have a claustrophobic attack. lol Glad you are getting your bearings!
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