One week in the city....

So I have officially been in Valparaiso for one week.

Being here is harder than I thought it would be. I never realized how frustrating it would be to do simple things like buying a cell phone or figuring out how to ride a bus. And I am abnormally happy for classes to start tomorrow because I want to be able to communicate using more than five verbs, some staple nouns, and a few verb tenses.

But some positives:

I love my host family. We are still in the feeling each other out phrase, but I feel like I can spend time with them when I want to and can do my own thing too. They are super accomodating to my schedule, whether it be class or going out and exploring the city. I still feel awkward sometimes because my Spanish is so basic sometimes they have to go back and explain things to me, but they don't seem to ever get tired of doing it. It is tiring for me, cause I'm listening to what they say, translating, and trying to answer back. If my attention ever wonders I'm screwed because then they look at me and ask, "entiendes?" (Do you understand?) and I have to figure out what it is I'm being asked, because I'd rather not tell them I stopped listening when I couldn't follow the conversation. But overall I'm happy with it, my host mom is super nice, my host Dad is sarcastically funny(I think), and both of sisters seem genuinely interested in what I have to say. Although, I can't wait for the day when I can have more than a one-sided conversation with them.

Some random things:

I will never appreciate central heating as much as I do the first week when I get back to the U.S. Cause it doesn't exist here. Everyone wears all their clothes inside and no one goes barefoot because it is too cold. To keep me warm at night, I have my pololo (chilenismo for boyfriend), and he is the best boyfriend I have ever had because he keeps my feet warm at night. Don't worry Mom, I'm refering to a hot water bottle with a fuzzy pink cover with orange hearts. I also discovered the estufa, a gas space heater I didn't know was for my room until yesterday when it was raining and I went to take a nap and my host mom insisted I use it. It's gas and I'm thinking leaving it on all the time could be dangerous, but I don't care cause it was exactly what I needed to make my nap blissful.

I don't really watch a lot of t.v. at home, but here the show I've seen the most is House. Doctor House is on every weekday at 8 PM and my family, including my 70 or 80 something year old grandmother is obsessed with it. It's fun cause its the one thing we can do together and have equal levels of comprehension. The show is in English with Spanish subtitles. (sidenote: it's a great way to learn Spanish, surprisingly).

I'm thinking about going on my first trip in two weeks, if I can make sure I don't need my student visa. It's kind of crazy because I know so little of Valpo, but if the opportunity comes up I can't not go spend the weekend in Mendoza, Argentina!