Casas y Classes

Avenida Republica de Irael.  For many of you, this street evokes images of the ritzy, the ultra-posh.  But I assure these presumptive readers that my home is a modest three bedroom, outfitted with only the bare necessities.

Psych, my digs are bitchin' sweet, you suckers just got punk'd.

We've got:

Gabriela and Ricardo Arévalo, my parents

Leonardo, my brother

Two cats

One dog

Wireless internet

Cable TV (watching "Stranger than Fiction" with Spanish subtitles helps me learn.)

There are doors in every wall, and when it's nice out, all of the doors are open, and the house is more akin to a giant veranda with a kitchen.  My bedroom is the largest I've had in, I think, ever.

Chile is an enigma.  Avocados and empanadas are a dime a dozen, but peanut butter, of all things, has to be imported and costs a relative fortune.  Escudo, the popular Chilean beer, is bought in returnable bottles a little larger than an American 40 oz., for somewhere in the neighborhood of 900 pesos, or US$1.75.  The subway puts Chicago's el to shame, screaming down the tracks for about 40 seconds between stations.  A one-way fare during peak-hours runs 420 pesos (US$.75).

But safety is not certain.  Just today, a girl was pick-pocketed on the metro.  Little was lost, but the message was sent.  Bags and purses are to be kept between one's legs when sitting, and worn over the chest in certain neighborhoods.  Staying out very long after dark isn't advised, particularly for women, and even more so for blondes, who have the unhappy reputation here of being "accommodating."

Still, the city spans far and wide, and offers spectacle on every block.  For the cautious visitor, it supplies a wealth of diversion.  Hearty and esoteric Moai observe silently along Avenida Liberatador General Bernardo O'Higgins, the main strip, while only gently westernized culture abounds.

Classes are begun, and their fruits grow plump already.  Enrolled in only Spanish I and Travel Writing, I've sat in on a nonfiction class and a dance class, both with thrilling results.  The first week is going well.