"Did y'all... feel that?"

Greetings from Valle Nevado! Dear Judy and I are hanging out in a restaurant that is far too nice for a ski slope and have 100% turned it into our lodge for the day. The manager was not thrilled when we took out our brought-from-home sandwiches, but there is quite literally no other indoor place to hang on this whole slope, so here we are. Our toes had no other option. Perks of following Dr. Mini's instructions of no lateral movement and staying inside on this beautiful ski day are as follows:

1. Hanging with Judy Chen! I did not know Judy at all before coming on this trip, and what a joy it has been getting to know her. I have never met anyone who is as engaged as she is, and I am in incredible awe at her ability to sketch things so perfectly and meticulously and quickly all while taking notes on any thought that comes to her mind. It is inspirational to watch her with her Moleskin and pen. Actually so inspirational that I bought myself a mini Moleskin and am attempting to be more free and artistic like she is. Even more, she is one of the most amazing authors of both blog posts (https://futuretravel.today/writing-in-discomfort-b4c37205c41a) and poetry (http://www.judytzchen.com/poetry) I have ever met. Aaaaaand she is a loyal follower of Chileen in Chile, and therefore is more than deserving of a shout out.

Judy, my fellow bag babysitter

2. The playlist of this restaurant. I would describe it as straight fuego. Quite the mix of Ed Sheeran + Coldplay + not one but two songs from the Shrek soundtrack + White Flag (all together now: "i will go down with this ship... and I won't put my hands up and surrender... there will be no white flag above myyyy door. I'm in love, and I always will be") + the occasional Drake. How can I find this on Spotify?!?

3. The whipped cream that arrived on the top of my overpriced cappuccino. Kind of maple-y while being coffee-y and making me feel as cozy as holding a nice cup of hot cocoa after sledding. And I got a complementary chocolate dipped cookie! 'Twas the least they could do for that price.

4. Watching Monica being proposed to!!! No idea who she is, but her whole family flew down from Venezuela to surprise her and she was so so so happy! Yay love!

5. Finally putting a life long confusion to rest and looking up the differences between mandarines, clementines, and tangerines. I invite you to read for yourself! Very interesting!
http://www.fooducate.com/app#!page=post&id=57A350F2-502D-C177-4EC9-94C3886387E6

6. Above all, looking out the window and seeing this:

Valle Nevado ski slopes... not exactly Wachusett amiright 

Andes Shmandes

Maybe the only more ~Chilean~ thing that I experienced this week besides hanging out in the Andes was my very first earthquake! Toto, we ain't in Boston anymore! At 3:15 on Wednesday morning, I woke up to a light rumble of the street below, and thought to myself "huh. that sounds like what I would expect an earthquake to sound like. how fun" and then right as that thought was finishing up, my apartment building started to sway! Now thaaaat was the really enjoyable part, mostly because it quite literally just rocked me back to sleep. And I know that sounds really absurd, and you may be thinking that I should have been way more terrified, but it felt so incredibly normal and safe. For all of you true fans and followers out there, you may remember that Santiago received about an inch of snow the day after we arrived and proceeded shut down for all intensive purposes. Yes, that same city received a 5.5 magnitude earthquake and did not blink an eye. Not on sign of damage was recorded in the whole city. Impresionante. 

"HIGH IN SUGAR HIGH IN SATURATED FAT HIGH IN CALORIES" 

Toto, we ain't in Boston anymore: part 2

Milestone number two of the week was successfully enrolling and starting classes at Universidad Católica! Sommmmeeeone is getting there art credits filled! I managed to enroll in Arte y Espacios Públicos (Art in Public Spaces) and Folklore Chileno (I'm going to let you superstars translate that one). I will be taking these classes in addition to the Spanish course that all of the Tufts in Chile students are taking together and my internship that will be settled in the next couple of weeks. UC has four different campuses across Santiago, and I am taking courses at two of them. Monday's will be hectic because I have to zip from San Joaquín to Oriente during the hour long lunch break, but Matthew and I are ready to rock and roll to make it to Espacios on time. Who is ready for some sandwiches ~on the road~. Oh that is another funny thing about Chile! Sandwiches are really not considered lunch. More of an appetizer if you will. Or breakfast. If I bring one, no matter how large, my host mom gets very concerned that I'm not eating enough. But alas, I do not have time for a microwave tomorrow, so we have agreed it is ok on Monday due to the time crunch. Below are pictures from two of the campuses. I love how distinct they are! 

Campus Central

Campus San Joaquín

Milestone number three was being asked for directions on the street yesterday. It's the little things. 

Milestone number four is just an overall feeling of being more settled and comfortable. I chatted with my über driver the whole ride to the ski trip pick up, I know at least five different ways to take public transportation to the central office, Claire and I joined a gym and successfully completed our first yoga class en Español, and I almost always know where I am in relation to both my house and the Andes. I no longer sit with my host abuela in silence because we can't understand each other, but rather we now joke and I retrieve bananas for her when she asks (located on top of the fridge and a solid 3 feet above her reach). My host mom knows the foods I do and don't like not because they were written on the sheet she was given by the program but because I am comfortable enough to tell her and she is more than happy to listen. She recommended medicine for my cough, and she drives me places at night so I don't have to walk alone in the cold. I chat with Oscar, the doorman/security guard of the building every time I go in and out, and I pick up on Chilean slang that I never knew about before 3 weeks ago. Cachai? (Do you understand?) Pó (no direct translation, but is added to the end of everything) Al tiro! (Right away!) I dance and sing with my little brothers, we play with fidget spinners together, and they comfortably poke fun at my gringa accent. Home is getting comfier and comfier by the day. 

Speaking of the little chiquillos that sleep in the room next to mine! Today is Día del Ñiño! In addition to Mother's Day and Father's Day and Grandparent's day, Chile also has Children's Day. So here is to my two newest broskis. I give you: an unflattering picture that I snapped on my way back to my room an hour ago.

Manuel (left) and Pedro Pablo (right)

Sorry this blog isn't super long, but it's late and a school night hehe. Thank you for reading again! Love you all.

xoxo

Olivia/Liv/Boo

Spanish Word of the Blog!

Terremoto: earthquake

Just had to be. Shaky shaky shakyyyyy