Arrival

    So, it´s now officially been one week that I´ve been in Chile. Last time I wrote, I was touring around the capital of Chile, Santiago. However, this past Sunday, I finally arrived in Valparaiso, the city where my university is located. Sooo beautiful! When we arrived, the sun was setting over the ocean as we descended from atop one of the many hills in the area down into the city to meet our host families. I´ll do my best to put pictures up soon.
    There´s so much that I´ve already learned about this culture and way of life that it might take me a good chunk of a book to explain it all thoroughly. Rather than do that, I´ll give you a little taste of the highlights.
    Pan (bread) is bought fresh from the market every day! Chileans pride themselves in being one of the top bread consuming countries in the world. It is literally served with every meal just about. Talking about food, their way of eating is vastly different than ours. Breakfast, is incredibly light, if eaten at all, and usually consists of bread, tea, and maybe some oatmeal. On the contrary, lunch is a big meal, the biggest of the day (more like our dinner). Dinner is more like a tea time called "once," which is eaten about 8 or 9 pm at night.
    In regards to the house, things are definitely different here too. Have you ever ignited a "calefont" before taking a shower? Me neither. Basically, a calefont is a heating unit for the water that is lit only when needed. Also, since central heating does not exist, or is terribly expensive, most houses have one or two "estufas" that are essentially portable heating units to warm the house, but these are turned off when people go to bed to conserve energy. So, how does one stay warm at night? Blankets, clothes, and "guateros." A "guatero" is basically like a thermos, which is filled with hot water and placed in your bed to keep you warm at night. I´ve yet to use a guatero because my host mother says that typically girls use them and guys don´t ask for them.
    Transportation is the last thing I´ll highlight. Oh boy, there´s some much to be said about using public transportation in Valparaiso and Viña del Mar. Here´s the different types of transportation: "a pie," "metro," "micro," "collectivo," "funicular," and "taxi." A pie is simple, just walk. I like that one the best, because I know where my feet are going and it´s free to walk. However, going uphill, a very big hill in fact, is quite a workout. I´m expecting an increase in calf muscle by the end of my trip. Metro is fairly simple to use. In fact, it´s now my go to mode of transportation because I just obtained my student metro card which gives me a great student discount on fares. The problem with metro is, it´s not actually that fast of a train, and the trains come like every 10 minutes. So, don´t use it if you´re pressed for time. But for leisure travel, or if you´re ahead of schedule, metro is the best way to go. Okay, here´s the toughest but most interesting one of them all, "micro." The micro is the term the Chileans use for the city bus. Buses are everwhere. They are the most popular method of transportation, and they´re also the most confusing method of transportation. The buses each have a different number, a different color, and a different list of 3 or 4 destinations displayed on it´s side and front window. I don´t yet completely understand all of the different prices or routes of these buses, but I know how to get around on the one I need to use to go to and from school. The coolest thing about these micros is the driver. Micro drivers are champs. First off, driving a manual transmission bus in the heart of a congested city is hard enough as is. Combine that with picking up people and dropping people off constantly, and he also has to accept your fares, give you correct change and a receipt, all while putting the micro into gear and merging into traffic. If you don´t find a seat, you better use both hands to hold on, because, the driver doesn´t necessarily wait until everyone is ready before he guns it back into traffic. Taxis are simple and much like the ones in the US. Collectivos, on the other hand, are basically shared taxis that have typical routes that they run. Essentially, they´re like a combo between a taxi and a micro. Finally, there´s the oldest and most unique mode of transportation, the "funicular." These things are basically inclined railcars that take passengers up and down the hills. Some hills only have funiculars because the hills are too steep. These aren´t necessarily very convenient due to their small passenger capacity, but they´re differently worth the experience and view.
    Like I said, I´ll upload some of these photos soon. I register for classes today, and they´ll begin starting next week. Please continue to pray for me and for energy and strength specifically as I´ve been battling a cold due to the temperature and climate change. Look forward to updating everyone more soon!