Day Two

Another good day for me down in the america del sur. I woke up and went out with my mom Judith to explore the city and learn about the public transportation system (very efficient). I learned all the buses, subways, and trains use the same swipe card for payment...and for the equivalent of about $.30 USD you can travel anywhere in Santiago. Judith took Rachael (mi amiga from SJU) and me out to a local market and they had a lot of really cool stuff. There was a guy carving intricate sculptures out of a single match, and also some sculptures using stone found only in Chile and Afghanistan, it is a extremely rare electric blue marble type rock...really cool. They had puppies for sale for about $15 USD and some little parrots too.

Then we went to the mall to pick up some groceries and lunch. I decided to go to lunch at a small place in the corner of the mall...the locals call it "McDonalds" which I think is Spanish for "delicious". Everything costs more in Santiago...I think in part because of the city atmosphere...and also the declining value of the dollar, but it was very tasty nonetheless. We got our groceries...bought some minutes for my Chilean cellphone and went to visit Judith's friend. Judith's friend (I forget her name) works in a retirement home, so I got to chat with some of the old ladies, and I picked some fruit in the garden...no one wastes anything down here...and the fruit that fell on the ground was always picked up...we brought a lot home.

Judith, Fransisco and I had sandwiches for dinner...and I'm gonna call it an early night because I have orientation tomorrow morning for my University...and I also hope to go to the gym and sign up to play some basquetbol!

Chao!