Settling in is interesting

My second day in Chile was pretty fantastic as well. After I'd woken up to the loneliness that crept into my room, my roommate Christian came in and told me to put my swimsuit on because we were venturing outside the city to a small picnic and swimming area. I immediately felt better, and I obliged. After waiting quite awhile for Isa to get ready (she takes longer than 3 girls combined...) we finally ventured out. They showed me how to use the metro (which is very similar to that of Boston), and I experienced first hand the crowds they were talking about. There is no air conditioning, so the windows on the metro are open, and the wind offers at least a little bit of relief from the heat created by the crowds.
After about 40 minutes on the metro, and meeting their friend Clint (from Texas) half way, we made it to the end of the line and hopped a bus to where we were headed. It was a bumpy but beautiful ride.
Upon arriving at the picnic area (in Spanish, they spell it pic-nic....they just felt like putting that lil dash in there I suppose), I noticed how calm and relaxing it was. We were far from the city and there was so much nature all around us.
We swam and relaxed for hours until we decided to eat some typical Chilean food and cool down in the shade. It was beautiful. As we walked back to the bus stop (10 minutes down the road), I noticed how many cacti were growing out of the hills and spilling into the streets. I'd never seen a cactus that close, so it was fairly exciting for me. Isa told me of all the fruits that lay hidden beneath the tough exterior, and I was amazed.
The bus ride back was longer and hotter, as was the metro ride.
Eventually we got here and plopped down to rest our legs and recover from all the sun we'd gotten.
It was a pretty great second day, considering I was starting to get a little lonely and homesick and worried about what I would do with myself.
Yesterday I found my way to the bank and the grocery store. The grocery store was so exciting for me (I LOVE grocery shopping) and I was overloaded with so many new products. It took me forever to get a few things, but it didn't bother me a bit. After that, I walked to the center of the city and roamed for a bit. The heat really bites you even though it's not humid. It's extremely hot, and there is apparently a hole in the ozone layer right over Santiago (mom, yes, I'm putting on sunscreen...). I roamed the streets before I had to get back to the cool temperature of mi casa.
I talked with Isa for awhile about various things, and we got to know each other a little more. Soon, Christian came home from his one class, and we all set out to get Isa a Yellow Fever shot (they're traveling to Bolivia) and to get a juice of some sort at a cafe. The hospital was closed when we got there, so we walked to Barrio Bellavista (the cultural, young neighborhood) and I immediately loved it. There were young people spilling into the streets and music coming from every which way. We enjoyed a natural fruit juice at one of the cafes and just talked.
It gets late really quickly here, but it only feels like the afternoon. It's still not dark at 9pm, so it's easy to think daytime goes forever.
I slept almost 10 and a half hours today, which is a rarity for me. I think my body and mind are still in recovery and trying to catch up to what is going on around me.
I don't know what I'll do today, but I'm thinking about checking out some free theater shows that are going on. I'm not entirely sure. It's already almost 10am here, but for them that's early.
Well, I'll keep you posted.

I miss you all and think of you often.

Keep the hugs flowing
Send some to me too
love love love