TERMAS DE CHILLAN

The past few days have been wonderful! My host family has been so amazing in helping me figure out how to make my smartphone work here, and in helping me buy a coat and sweatpants. I didn't realize how cold it could be here! We are rapidly heading into spring/summer here, and I didn't need to buy much other than a coat and some warm pants to run in. I spent much of Friday attending the orientation at the university and then running errands with my host family/shopping with our new Chilean friends.  I'm still not totally understanding the whole money system here — it is so, so different and I'm nervous to ride the buses until I have it figured out. 

Yesterday we hopped on a bus at an insanely early hour (or, well, 8:30 which is early considering the time change and the fact I am having a hard time sleeping) and headed to Las Termas De Chillan, one of the most beautiful, calming places I have ever been. It is the last couple of days of ski season, so we split off into groups: The ones that wanted to ski on the not-so-great snow, and the ones that wanted to hike and sun themselves by the hot springs. I was a part of the second group, and I spent roughly two hours hiking around, and four or so hours lounging by the pool. I'm a bit lazy, yes! It was really nice though, because I actually had 3g coverage here. It is so weird to be surrounded by the Andes Mountains and yet still have full bars. Claro, you are AMAZING. 

Last night we spent singing karaoke and then headed out to the discotheque to dance for a few hours. It is so different from the States! I don't even know how to describe it, but it was fun. We got home around four am, and tried to sleep  — I didn't do as well with that as I had hoped. I can't wait to get a bit of a schedule going, and then hopefully my sleep will get better. 

I didn't bring any clothes for clubbing, so I thought I would leave you with this gem: 

Yes. I went out dancing in yoga pants and running shoes. SO sexy.

WEEKS

The view from my AWESOME hotel room in Seattle

It has been a while, and for that I am sorry. It has been a whirlwind past few weeks. I drove to Seattle (twice!) for my passport, went on a spur of the moment road trip with Brandon, and flew to Chile. 

I intended to post this last night, right after I got in, but my computer was dead because I didn't have a converter. I hope to post something every day when I have the time, but I will not let it interfere with my life here. I'm so excited for the opportunity! Needless to say, I feel much happier today. Jet lag is a beast. 

Brandon and me, after a long hike through the redwood forest,

It feels rather strange to be writing this post, partially because I'm enjoying a lovely case of jet lag and also because the reality of being here hasn't sunken in yet. It still catches me by surprise when I'm walking around and everything around me is in Spanish.  It doesn't help that my flights were difficult (Great pilots, but my flight was cancelled twice in a row. DFW airport is not that great my friends, not that great) or that my language barrier is greater than expected.

In fact, this is the post that everyone told me I would probably write the first day and I just couldn't hear it. I kind of nodded along, when the reality is that this is incredibly hard. Incredibly hard. My host family is great, but I'm probably coming off as some sort of ass because my Spanish is so poor. My ability to use the proper formality is iffy at best, and I'm lapsing back into English without realizing it. I just feel so incredibly lost. 

It isn't that I have regrets, or even that I am especially homesick. I'm just at a loss for words as to what I feel. 

BALENCIAGA 12 ROSE GOLDEN CITY BAG, BLACK (TO BUY OR NOT TO BUY)

I'm on the hunt for a new purse and wallet. I don't really change my purses often, and I tend to prefer something that is durable and classic, something that gets better with age. I'm incredibly picky though, and this is where it becomes difficult. I don't want something that is going to be too slouchy, but I don't want something that is ridiculously structured to the point of being hard. 

The City Bag has been a longtime favorite of mine, partly because of its size, and partly because of the overall rugged-yet-elegant look. You can wear it anywhere without running the risk of it wearing you in the way that some other well-known bags can. 

Unfortunately, this bag runs about $1,800. I've been saving up, and I think that it could be a truly lovely investment, but I feel so frivolous when I think of spending that much on a bag. 

Any thoughts? Have you ever seen a City Bag in the wild? Do you think a nicer bag is worth the extra expense? 

IT IS HOT

This summer I had this brilliant idea: I wouldn't put in an air conditioner. I mean, last year I didn't need one and they use a ton of electricity, so I thought I would be eco-friendly and save a bit of money at the same time. 

Initially, I thought it was a brilliant idea. It hasn't been that hot, and I have been spending most of my days either at school or at work, therefore being in an air conditioned environment much of the time anyway. Unfortunately, the past three days have involved 100 degree temperatures and my hanging out at home, stressing about school. Any makeup I put on is gone by noon, and my hair that was immaculately curled at 9 is now limp and disgusting. My only savior is cold drinks and frozen banana-flavored popsicles. 

How do you beat the heat? Are air conditioners the only way? 

CHINA GLAZE NAIL LACQUER ELEPHANT WALK SWATCH AND REVIEW

You have probably noticed this already, but I have a major affection for grey nail polishes. I feel like they are tasteful and elegant without being stuffy, and stylish without being trendy. I also just like the color grey (my favorite color.)

I've been trying to cut back on my polish purchasing, mainly because one can only justify so many grey polishes and because I'm (hopefully) leaving soon, but when I saw this in Sally's I decided it was unique enough to justify, and it was on sale. 

You can't see it in the photos, but it has micro-glittery bits in it. Not enough to be difficult to remove, but enough to add a beautiful detail in the sun. The first coat applies a bit streaky, but two coats is absolutely perfect. In the photo I have two coats of the color and no top coat whatsoever.  

Overall, I'm quite pleased.

FREEDOM AND FEAR

Today was my last day of class for the summer! It feels strange to have finished off a year of Spanish in  two months, and I already miss going to class. I'm one of those people who whines about getting up early, having homework and getting stuck working on projects, but misses the crap out of it when it is over. I guess I'm a glutton for punishment? 

I'm completely and utterly terrified though. I'm not quite sure how well I did on the test today, and if I didn't do well, I may not be able to go to Chile. See, the previous terms consisted of four tests, each worth ten percent of your overall grade. That meant that if you struggled a bit with one of the concepts, you weren't completely out of luck.  However, this term we only had two tests, and each test was worth 25% of your overall grade. This would have been fine, except for the fact that the tests were the same length as the previous tests, and the questions were very similar. 

It doesn't seem like a big deal, but look at it this way: I usually scored about 88 on the previous tests. Not bad at all, considering we spent about two days on each chapter and I was working full time. This term we spent the same amount of time on each chapter, but everything was worth roughly twice as much as it was before, taking my comfortable 88 and making it 44. Not reassuring numbers in a 400 point class. Those numbers can make an A student a C student in no time flat. 

I admit, I have checked the website over and over again, and my grade probably won't be posted for another three or four days. I feel like I'm dying! 

I have an enormous amount of nervous energy because of it. I managed to finish putting away all of the bedroom boxes and reorganize all of the bedroom after class, and still feel twitchy and anxious, even though it is nearly midnight and I got very little sleep last night studying. I'm just stuck in this awful cycle of could have, would have, should have. What if I had studied harder? I should have quit my job sooner, and then I would have had more time to study. 

I also fear that it is a self fulfilling prophecy. I haven't bought my plane ticket yet. Maybe I've known all along that I'm inadequate? Incapable of doing well enough to do something like this. Maybe I'm too stupid to try. 

CHOPPED

I've cut about eight inches of hair off! For the longest time I was trying to grow my hair out, trying to get it past my waist, and wearing it up nearly all the time to protect it. Last week I realized that not only did my hair look crappy, but it looked dull and lifeless. Why have long, long hair if you are going to leave it in a bun all the time? 

I read about five thousand hair salon reviews in my area before deciding on one called "Big Funky Hair Salon." 

I admit, I probably never would have gone in except for the glowing reviews that I saw online. When I called the stylist was able to get me in the same day, and the results were nothing short of miraculous. I know my skin looks awful and I seem a bit stoned here, but my hair is so much more attractive now than it was before. I'm in awe! I really don't miss the length as much as I thought I would, although the shock when I saw all the hair on the floor was intense. 

Also:

I'm getting a new camera! A real, decent-quality camera. I'm still in the research stage, but I should be posting far better photos within the next week. I'm ridiculously excited!