Another week goes by

    Well, it's only been a week since I last blogged and I already have a ton more to share! I had two little kids this week at school ask me if I am a famous person. I resisted saying that I was a famous American actress, so I said, "no", to their disappointment. I also had my first tests, one of which I got a 6.5 on and the other a 3. 7 on. To remind you of the grading system: 7.o is the highest and 1.o is the lowest. Sooo pretty good and pretty bad.

    Last Sunday, our family of 6 squeezed into the car and we went to lunch at a small, Italian resturant in the comuna Ñuñoa. (Side note: there are 52 comunas in Santiago). Also, try prouncing Ñuñoa with the two 'ñ's... very difficult for gringos! This resturant is known to have the best Italian food in all of Santiago, so it was packed full. The walls were covered with pictures of famous Chilean and South American fútbol players, singers, models, comedians, and actors when they ate there. They didn't lie about the food, it was incredible! But the plates were humongous, so big that it was my lunch for a week.

Here is a horrible picture of mi familia at the Italian resturant. My host dad took the picture, not many of us are smiling, and Jose is ready to dig in instead of taking pictures. This was the first time I went to a resturant in Chile with any of my Chilean families! 

     Afterwards, we drove to Los Condes, which is on the opposite side of Santiago from where I live. In the comuna Los Condes, there is a sector called Los Domincos. In Los Dominicos there is a beautiful old church and an artesanal market that sells handmade items from different parts of Chile.

La iglesia (iPhone 5c photography at it's best!)

    As you know, Chile is very long, stretching 2,670 miles from the north to south, making the country have both climate extremes and polar opposite landscapes. The north end of Chile is very dry, with the Atacama Desert, sand dunes and the Salt Desert. The famous copper mines are found in the north, too. So from the north, there are lots of llama and alpaca fur products like slippers, hats, scarfs, and more. In the South, there is a lot of rain making everything very green, bright, and healthy. There are tons of plants, animals, and lakes. They make a lot of sheep products and petroleum is also found there. Two things remain the same between the north and south: the Andes and the Pacific Ocean. Santiago is considered in the middle of both climates. 

You can tell this little girl lives in the north because of the house and the clothing she is wearing. This picture was in an exhibit at Los Dominicos. 

 

A bird from the south at Los Domincos.

 

 This is one of the stores in Los Domincos. Each store sells a certain product from Chile. This store sells Lapis lazuli which is a unique stone mined in the Andes of Chile. The brilliant color and different patterns of minerals within it, make it very popular. 

 

 Chile's famous for all their copper found in the north! 

 

I have been taking a picture of the sunset literally every night because they all amaze me. One night I will be saying how this is the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen, and then the next sunset leaves the last one in the dust. 

    Last night, I went with my sister to her friend's 16th birthday party. It seems that birthday celebrations in Chile are very similiar to ones in the United States. We ate candy, cupcakes, and pizza, played Just Dance, and watched movies! I had a ton of fun and loved meeting more friends! I still need to get used to kissing on the cheek whenever you arrive or leave... don't want to be the rude American! 

I am going to cut this post short and share the rest of my stories next time I blog; gotta go eat once with the extended family!

Buenos noches!