never a dull moment....

I took a walk on Thursday to Plaza Brazil to do some writing and people watching, and I could not help but notice all of the couples. There is no shame in PDA, apparently. I then realized it was Valentines Day. Ha. Anyway, this phenomenon is not isolated to such holidays, I see it alot in parks & ect. Anyway, happy belated valentines day.

Another very prevalent phenomenon in Chile is all of the vagabond dogs. They are everywhere, for the most part, just laying around in the shade. Very seldom do you hear one bark, or even move for that matter. So, I spent my Vday in the company of about 5 dogs all lying around me! (we kept our pda to a minimum, i´m still a little shy)

Anyway, my date with my friend Paulo for the afternoon fell through due to him being sick. So, I set off alone. First, I rode the subway to the bus station to buy my bus ticket for the next day to Concepcion. The subway was soooo packed. I could barely sneak in the door, and then I was practically jammed up against the glass. (this was about 7 pm) Anyway, I bought my ticket and then decided to walk back to the hostel. (about 45 min walk)

On the walk I got to peruse several little malls. All very old and reminiscent of Mexico, but people not really hassling you to stop and look at there stuff. Stuff included lots of clothes, hats & ect. The walk allowed me to see alot and to be amongst the people, but with a little bubble around me.

Later that night, I went out with a German lady and Uruguayan lady that work in the cafe above the hostel. We went to a popular bar/restaurant and we ate "carne crudo." Raw beef. It was tasty once I got beyond the fears of being planted on the john for the next week. Later we went to a salsa techa, danced and drank till about 5:30 am.

"The next morning" I hailed a cab about 15 min before my bus was supposed to leave and raced me and all my stuff to the station. Luckily the bus was a bit late. The ride was nice. I had an open seat next to me and I slept much of the time. When not sleeping I had great views of the Andes and the country side.

Antonio, Paula’s husband, picked me up at the bus station, took me on a quick city tour and then we relaxed and had some beers. We ate great food that was prepared by his bakery (Hanns & Grettles). Later, two of Antonio’s good friends came over and we drank beer, wine, tequila, pisco sour and piscola. Furthermore, they speak sooo fast. But Its great practice. I have heard almost no english since I have arrived, except in music. Antonio almost exclusively listens to english music, but can’t speak it.

The next day we went to Antonio’s parents’ beach house (about 30 mins) for his nephews birthday. In attendance were all of Antonio’s family, except Paula and Antonio’s 20 y/o son. This was a real treat. First of all, the house was amazing. Right on the beach, pool in the backyard, not huge but very comfy with an amazing view! We spent the day here drinking, eating, eating, drinking and a little sleeping.

We ate empanadas with cheese empanadas with beef, onion, and cheese as an appetizer. For the main meal we had grilled beef, chicken, duck and cow tongue. The tongue was very good; tender with a nice flavor, however a bit strange.

We spent the whole day there, it was very nice. Again, the people speak very fast. Surprisingly, I understand alot, but I don’t really have any context. Especially in the family setting. These people have obviously known each other for a long time, so I´m sort of out of the loop.

The next day, a friend of Antonio’s, Antonio, and I went to the coast where the River Bio Bio enters the sea. It was very beautiful. It was very reminiscent of the Oregon coast. I got to play tourist a bit a take some photos. Beautiful sunset. We then stopped at a little restaurant and had empanadas, machas, and locos. Machas and locos are sea food. Locos supposedly are difficult to get in other countries and are very expensive. This food was excellent.

We later returned home for a few more drinks. Antonio then went to bed, and I decided to go out walking solo.

Today, we walked around in search of a pension for me to stay in. There are many options, so I should be in my new place soon. Also today, Paula returns from the US, so I think the party may be coming to an end. At least with Antonio.

I have been learning sooo much since I left home. My brain is constantly being flooded with information. As I said before, I have only been communicating in Spanish. The people around me, thus far, only speak Spanish. This is very nice. At this point, I understand much more than I´m able to speak myself. When I´m being spoken to directly, I understand between 70 and 100% of what’s being said. When I´m listening to others speak, I understand, on average about 60%.

I am very pleased to be in Concepcion. It is a very beautiful city that reminds me alot of Oregon and Missoula. It is a college town like Missoula, and the university is very beautiful like U of M. However, the flora is more similar to Oregon. A bit more water here, so it’s a bit more lush than Missoula.

So I´m told, the city is going to fill up with students in the next couple weeks when school starts.

I regret not posting any more pictures at this time, but I´m going to wait until I have my computer hooked up. Saludos..