Living the Dream

If you've ever had difficulty memorizing the spanish names of the parts of the body, then here's the cure for you: Spanish yoga. After just one class, I can now recall the Spanish word for heel, elbow, and knee with next to no effort. On the other hand, if you've ever had difficulty understanding the Spanish language, Chile is NOT the place for you. Most Chileans act as if the "s" at the end of a word is just there for decoration and see no value in pronouncing it. Not only that - Chileans like to make up their own words.

-Exhibit A: "Eris bacan, ¿cachai?" (which means "You are cool, ya know?")
-Exhibit B: "¿Estas lista? Ja po, ja po!" (Are you ready, let's go, let's go!)
Even a native of Latin America is perplexed by such language. Nevertheless, I am slowly learning.

On an average day, I wake up and do some reading before eating breakfast with two of my three little brothers. We usually have toast with jam or eggs along with a hot tea or cafe (coffee). The only coffee Chileans drink in their houses is instant coffee - powdered. My days of being a coffee-snob have ended abruptly.

Following breakfast, I get ready for school and either walk or take the Metro to the building that serves as a one-floor Stanford campus. I go to class, eat lunch with some companeros (classmates), explore the city and then head home. We don't eat dinner until 8:00pm, which would kill me if we didn't have "onces," a small bit to eat around 6:00pm.

After dinner, the fun begins! Sometimes it's salsa dancing and other times is a friendly bar. I certainly don't go out as much as some of my classmates, but I still enjoy the night life.

This is a typical day. However, no day is actually this well-planned. Generally, the only stable parts of my days are breakfast and dinner. The rest is determined by where the wind blows me. For example, last week I saw one of Pablo Neruda's three houses. Yesterday I ascended Cerro Santa Lucia (cerro meaning "hill") and got a bird's eye view of Santiago. On Tuesday, I took the Metro to a small college to help some students learn English. Each day is unlike any other and that's the way I like it.

I have officially started the volunteer internship I mentioned before. I'm working with an organization called Accion Emprendedora (AE). The mission of the organization is to assist low income entrepreneurs in developing a sustainable business (i.e. a seamstress) by providing classes and other resources. AE is now trying to add a micro-finance branch to the project, which is where I come in. My role is to create a profile of the market of Chilean micro-finance institutions. It suits me, though I'm sure the thought of it makes some of you yawn :).

I will stop there before you waste your whole lunch hour or study break reading about the adventures of Kelly Fee. I'm off to Valparaiso and Vina del Mar this weekend and hope to return with a story or two.

Ciao,

Kelly