Santiago, Chile

Monday 24th July was the longest day of my life!! It lasted 40 hours - and I was awake for 32 of those!! Before you think I have gone crazy, or somehow invented a way of making days longer, I will explain. New Zealand is 16 hours ahead of Chile, therefore the usual 24 hour day had an extra 16 hours added onto it. Which meant I arrived in Santiago (after a 12 hour flight) 4 hours before I left New Zealand!! I did not manage to sleep on the plane as it was a very bumpy flight and the flight attendants kept running around the plane every hour telling everyone to put back on their seatbelts, so there was little chance of getting any sleep! Needless to say, we arrived safe and sound, and I managed to get through customs with no problems. But the minute I stepped outside the airport I was jumped on by about 20 Chileans shouting taxi at me!! I had been told which company to go for so I found them, and then went to get some pesos from the ATM. I was then stalked by the guy who represented the taxi company I was going to get a lift into the city with. He was terrified someone else might lure me away and he would lose all of USD$9!!

Eventually I got to the hostel I was staying at, and was shown my room which turned out to be a shoebox!! It had a small single bed in it and just about enough room for me to squeeze my backpack next to it!! At this stage I was too tired to care and I still had 8 hours more to stay up before I could go to bed. I managed to occupy myself, as well as make some Irish friends who very kindly fed me dinner. They also fed me the following night as well as I was clearly too useless to venture out and find food for myself (I don´t speak spanish!!).

The next day I went to the Spanish Language School to enquire about Spanish lessons and a place to stay for the next 3 weeks. They were very kind and sent me off to visit a homestay. For those of you who don´t know, a homestay is where a family rent out a room in their house/flat. I met the lady, who I quickly found out spoke no English, and since I didn´t speak any spanish, everything became very interesting and confusing!! As I didn´t really understand what she was saying, I decided the best thing was to go back to the language school. I then got the lady there to call up the homestay lady and confirm everything - it worked a treat!!

On the Wednesday I moved into the homestay and also started my spanish lessons - this was my most exciting day so far!! It turned out that where I was now staying was actually above a strip-joint. Luckily I haven´t come across anything as it is underground and I am on the 8th floor of an apartment building. The people I am staying with also have a small boy who I think is about 4-5 years old. At first I thought he was cute, now I think he is just plain irritating!! He keeps coming into my room, throwing things around and taking things - grrrrr!! Plus its not like he goes to bed at 8pm like most kids, noooo, he stays up till gone midnight, so its not like you get any peace and quiet!! All in all though, the room is nice (and its a lot better than staying in a hostel), and I get breakfast and dinner, so I don´t have to cook - yeah!!

Other than attending the spanish school I haven´t really been doing much. Everytime I have a problem speaking to the lady I´m staying with, I make my way back to the school and get them to call her - its just brilliant!! I do have to mention that I am getting far too much attention. I have a 20 minute walk to the school everyday and people always stare, or try to talk to me, and its driving me crazy. All because I have blonde hair and I stick out like a sore thumb! I am seriously considering dying my hair or buying a wig!!

I have another week of spanish left, and then I have to fend for myself which should be really interesting!! I am really looking forward to leaving Santiago as its not that nice a place and there is not much to see. Also the pollution here is hurendous! Everyday I go out I get a massive headache and my eyes and throat burn - just wonderful!! The city is surrounded by snow-covered moutains, not that you would know most of the time because the smog hides that! Also the weather in general hasn´t been that great (I´m used to Australia!!). It was torrential rain the day I arrived and since then it has been cloudy and very cold - I have still yet to buy a jacket! I head south in just over a week and apparently it will get a lot colder - yeah!!