First Post from Chile... My Voyage Here

Okay, so this is my first official update! After over 21 hours of traveling... from SeaTac to Cincinnati, to Atlanta, in order to finally arrive in Santiago, I am here! Everything in travel went smoothly, and I was able to get all my luggage and into the country perfectly, which was surprising after having such quick connections. And it was nice, because the captains and flight attendants were all so friendly! The captains were teasing me about being bound to Delta airlines for the rest of my life, and if I fly anything else, I´ll go to jail. I just told them that our close family friends´dad flies for Alaska and they told me I had to go to jail! This one flight attendant wanted to cut off my french braids because they were so pretty and he loved my haircolor...!

Up above: This is my flight leaving Seattle here.

The scenery above the clouds is absolutely amazing! (see pictures above and below)

So when I was finally in Chile, at 7:30 in the morning, I got off the plane to discover how freezing cold it is sometimes! This time of the year is the end of their winter, heading into spring (Sept. 21 marks the beginning of spring here in the south western hemisphere). It was 4 degrees C, or around 44 F and I wondered what I had got myself into!

Brrrr! (I know that pic is blurry but it´s around 50 degrees F!)

But it warms up and the fog burned off and it´s probably a nice temperature in the mid to high sixties in Santiago right now as I write this. It changes all the time. So I layered up all the clothing I had carried on with me and headed into the airport to get my Visa... They only accept $20 that are pristine... no rips, slight soiling, or excessively-folded bills are accepted! It´s insane. So it was a very good thing that I had extra twenties on me, because the lady had to ask me three times to give her a better bill. PICKY! Then I got my passport stamped and headed on to baggage claim in perfect timing, as my bags were just rolling onto the conveyor belt! I was so excited. I got them scanned and then as soon as I stepped out, Jim Thurston was waiting for me!

We took a quick detour home in order to see the city of Santiago (which a majority of it is filled with gorgeous architectural designs and old buildings). I unpacked and then called Mom and Dad, and then we took off for the beach house about 1 3/4 hours away from Santiago... to the south west a bit... in a town called Quisco. It is the national independence holidays right now, and they go on until Wednesday the 20th. (See all my pictures from the city and my first day there in my photos link... or just click here:
http://s78.photobucket.com/albums/j96/Chile_girl/CHILE%20PHOTOS/Day%201%20%20%20%20%209-17%20in%20Santiago/
As for now, I am just resting from my travels, and will be getting adjusted for the next few days. The Spanish is awesome. I love hearing it everywhere and speaking as much as possible. It´s interesting to learn all the new things and the colloquialisms. We take turns laughing when I say something or don´t quite understand it correctly... They have already been teaching me a lot about the Chilean dialect. The accent is taking time to get used to. I'm not quite sure about the forms yet... they don't use formal very much. But they do really slur their words and leave off the endings of them... for example, the 's' on tu-form words. For the Spanish speaker, you may understand why it´s so hard to understand a Spanish dialect that leaves out their ´sés, as it makes tenses very hard to understand! They also have A TON of slang, and they have a few words that they ONLY use in Chile. Like 'altiro' which means "right now." Es igual a "ahora." And there are other things that are really colloquial. There are many differences in the Spanish I have learned and the Chilean dialect. They say it is the hardest Spanish version to learn, as they slur their words and leave out the 's' sounds a lot.

I will be in Chile for at least 6 months, and I'm working in computer ministries... either the Internet or video editing or communications work b/w Spanish and English for the Integridad Ministry. I will be here for the full duration of 6 or 7 months, and will not be returning home for any holidays or anything, as round-trip plane tickets are around $1500 on average. (There's no money to leave and then come back...! And plus, I get to experience the holidays here and everything. And, who wants to come home to 30 degree weather when I can stay here when it's 80?!?) I was so blessed to have found a ticket down here and back for $1000!

Well, that´s about all for now, in terms of a general update.
I´ll be in touch and if you have any questions, or want more info, let me know!