Life In a Refrigerator

I feel like I'm living in a refrigerator. I thought I'd be able to adjust fairly quickly but everyday seems to get colder and colder at night. Probably because it is, since winter is just setting in here, but that's not important, ha. I think my house is especially cold since it's still being worked on so we don't have carpet or real ceilings in parts of the house to help contain the heat (in fact my room is the only one with carpeting). The main part outside of the rooms on the second floor is just tin roofing and such, so there's no insulation to keep it warm. I did discover that because of the constant temperature, I can leave any type of drink I want chilled such as my water bottle in my room and it will be just the right temperature next time I drink it =) But seriously, my hands and nose are definitely not fans (if either of those had a facebook page and they had those stupid fan pages for the temperature here, they would not become fans). I can't wait to defrost in California on my way home.

Yesterday was Father's Day. I was a bad son and didn't do anything for my real dad or my host dad. Poo. I did, however, enjoy a wonderful barbecue for lunch with my family. Once everyone woke up I went with Rodrigo to a few nearby shops to buy carbon (charcoal as we so call it, though the charcoal here really is carbon, it doesn't come in small coals like we're used to), small sausages, some tomatoes, and some superbueno salsa. (I found out today in class that they don't like things spicy here, something I'm very happy about) For our lunch we had their traditional salad with lemon juice, olive oil, and salt (it's got a very interesting flavor), a Chilean salad that just consisted of tomatoes and onions (very good indeed), the small sausage on a piece of bread with the salsa, rice, pork, and steak. Oh how I loved having steak. I finished off one plate of the steak and pork and they asked if I wanted seconds and I said sure assuming it'd be just a half a piece or so. Much to my surprise, I ended up getting two more pieces of steak, each bigger than my first. Well, I tried my best but could only get through one and left the other on my plate. They sure know how to eat lunch here...

After, we all got in the car and went down to the beach to walk along and check out the vendors. My mom kept showing me stuff I could buy for my pelola and I saw quite a few things that I want to go check out again. While there, Rodrigo got himself an illegal copy of Wolverine: X-Men Origins for Father's Day (which explained how they already had a copy of Fast and Furious [not the first, but the 4th {yeah, real unique name right? (is this how you do this many thoughts in one sentence? I'm not sure...oh well)}]). It was just about time for the sun to set when we arrived and luckily I had my camera with me this time so I was able to catch some amazing photographs of the beautifully colored sky. You can check them out on my facebook if you want: http://www.facebook.com/matthewluttrell
Boy how I love the ocean. Other than Rodrigo, my family didn't really seem to care that much about the beautiful sight in front of us. I still don't understand how they don't appreciate their city...or at least it doesn't seem like it. I guess they're just used to it.

After walking back through downtown Viña, we hopped in the car and picked up some completos on our way back. A completo is Chile's type of hotdog, complete with mayonaise, cheese, and guacamole. It's better than it sounds, though hotdogs aren't that good to begin with. After, we all watched Wolverine and then went to bed. Very good day and a really fun weekend. Next weekend I'm going to Papudo =)

Today, I woke up and shaved for the first time since arriving. I really am not a fan of shaving but I don't like looking like a bum. Life is tough, let me tell you...ha. I was a little worried today since I only had 870 pesos in change and I knew that most micros are between 430 and 500 pesos. Luckily, I hopped on a micro for 430 in the morning and decided that I'd go to Easy (the Wal Mart of Chile) after class to get change for my 10.000 pesos bill.

First class was horrible. I hardly understood anything he was trying to tell us, and I don't think anyone else in class did either. It's not that I couldn't understand him; it's just difficult to comprehend a difficult concept in general, yet alone in your second language. Luckily we had enough time to eat lunch today though. Second class was a lot of fun again. We learned about a Chilean identity, and if one exists or not. After, our professor took us to the first week of the graffiti workshop. We met his friend whose nickname is charquipunk, and he talked to us about how graffiti emerged as it is today in Valparaíso about 10 years ago (actual murals instead of just simply tagging buildings), and then talked about the different types of graffiti and some of the more famous artists. He also showed us some of his own work and boy is it amazing. I'm so super stoked to watch him work and be able to do it myself =) If you want to see some of his work, you can see it here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/charquipunk/
His signature is a cat, if you can't tell, hehe.

After class I walked over to the Jumbo/Easy complex and wandered around for a bit before picking something out for my pelola =) I thought for sure I'd be able to pay for a 990 peso thing with a 10.000 peso bill (about equal to $20) with no problem, but sure enough the cashier didn't have enough cash and had to have a manager come give him change. Luckily, I have enough money for the micro for a few days. After leaving, I hopped on another micro for another 430 pesos so I didn't have to use any of my new billetes (bills) and had just enough moneda (coins) to pay for it. The driver was also really nice and made sure he told me how much it would be in a way I could understand rather than using slang terms. He then asked how to say 430 in English and proceeded to say "Four thousand right? Four thousand." I kindly corrected him and he smiled and thanked me and I took my seat. Best driver I've had so far? I think so.

Speaking of the micros, I've decided I'm a huge fan. Not only are they fairly cheap (about 80 cents each way), but they're also super exciting. Where else can you get a sweet view of the ocean (I saw the sunset again today), an exciting ride weaving in and out of traffic like Jason Bourne, and a firsthand view of the city every day, all in about twenty minutes or so? I think my favorite part is not knowing what route it'll take, just where I'm going to end up. There are hundreds of different micros, and they all take different streets and routes, but as long as they have one of two different street names for my way to school, or one name for my way back, I'm good to take it. Every day I discover a new part of town as the adventure unfolds before my very eyes. Oh micros...how crazy you are. Fun fact: Rodrigo told me the drivers work 7 days a week, from about 7 AM-7 PM (I dont know how long of a break they get, if one at all, but I imagine it's not very long), and they just drive the same route back and forth, back and forth. The only salary they have depends on how many tickets they hand out to customers so it kinda explains why they're so aggressive. Know you know..

After returning to a locked gate and waiting for a few minutes for my family to show up, my mom made me eat the lunch I wasn't able to eat earlier since I stayed after class. Immediately following, they brought out all the food for their once and I had some bread with the amazing Cougar Cheese I brought, and then finally had some Chilean pastries. I've heard from all my other classmates that they have desserts all the time, but I'm sure it's better for me in the long run =) I watched part of Shrek 3 then another movie about Werewolves, and then came to my room to relax. I just now finished downloading and listening to Coldplay's free new live album. Me gustó mucho. Now, it is midnight and time for bed. It's supposed to be 60 tomorrow, I'm hoping so...

Chao and buenas noches.