Love and Food

Hey all. It´s been a couple days but I´m back.

Much to report..

There´s a saying here that the amount of food and sugar your mother feeds you is equivalent to the amount of love she has for you. On this scale I´ll be a dearly beloved fatty by the time I return. The phrase "estoy lleno" (I´m full) is my go-to.

Things have quieted down in the apartment since 6-year-old Aimara left to stay with her mom for the week (pictures of this toothless princess to come). Just me and Betty here. That doesn´t sound latino whatsoever but trust me, it is.

Have spent the majority of last couple days with the entire group listening to drawn out lectures about Chile´s politcs. Neat thing about Santiago though it´s hands on history when dealing with politics. You can walk to the spots and see for yourself where history was/is made. Have toured the presidential palaces and many plazas. Lots of stone and stories to weigh it down.

This past Sunday I went out exploring with some friends. We climed Santa Lucia, which is something of a smal mountain with an observatory on top. The view is incredible from up there. The city is surround by mountians on all sides. This time of year it gets smoggy during the day, blocking the view, but I can imagine what it´ll look like once the winter rain knocks the smog down.

I´m off right now to a smal little nook of Santiago known for its Bohemian vibes. Today is the birthday of a girl in the program and a few of us are meting for a smal celebration. The bus and subway system here are wicked easy to learn. Imagine the system of New York diminished to les than a tenth of its size and that´s Santiago (a city of 6 milion people).