Hola a todos! Right now I'm listening to a song that I've heard a few times here, called "Arriba la vida" by Croni-K. You should look it up, it'll make you want to dance! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_I9ytgRg_F8)
Today was another day for adventuring. I was exhausted last night, so I went to bed relatively early instead of meeting up with friends--I played cars with Renato for a long time, and then called it a night. This morning I woke up to a cloudy, cold sky, but nonetheless wanted to go exploring. What can I say, I always get cabin fever during the winter, and when there's a whole city to explore, there's no way that I'll let the weather get in the way. I had plans to meet up with a friend at Cerro Santa Lucía, and decided to walk there instead of taking the metro. I live about 4 or 5 metro stops away, so I set out 45 minutes early, not really knowing how far away I was. Walking to Santa Lucía was definitely a rewarding experience; not only did I orient myself to the different places that I've visited in Santiago, but I realized that I live only a 10 minute walk away from La Moneda (their white house, remember?), and 35 minutes from the National Library. It's pretty easy to orient yourself here, because a river and main street runs through the city, which the metro stops on Line 1 follow.
While many people may find other cultural differences the most striking and hard to become accustomed to, to me understanding how to walk in Chile has proved the most frustrating and complicated out of all that I have encountered. I can't seem to understand the vibe of walking. For example, at home people tend to walk on the right side of the sidewalk, at a fairly steady pace, leaving room for others to pass if they need/want to. Here I have encountered that each person has their own preference of walking. Some follow what I am used to, others amble along taking up the whole sidewalk, and others weave in and out of the surging sea of people. There is no steady flow of walking, instead each person chooses their own pace, style, and number of peer walkers. This is the one place where my Washingtonian "walk on the left, stand on the right" side remains completely perplexed. I tend to dart in and out of walkers, get stuck behind others, and then finally find a way around.
Anyway, after wading through the midday crowds, I met up with my friend, and we got lunch, wandered around permanent outdoor craft stalls (mostly just oggling over the warm sweaters, hats, and gloves because it was SO cold), and then went to a cafe to warm up with a hot NesCafe (real coffee is unfortunately pretty rare).
After las onces tonight, a big group of us went to a salsateca--first to take lessons, and then to dance. What a wonderful time! Around 8 gringas descended on the salsa club, and we all joined in the class, taught by an excellent instructor. Afterwards we danced salsa and merengue until around 1:30 (In Chile most events don't even start until midnight, and go all night, but I'm more than happy to go to bed now!...I'm sure we'll get accustomed at some point though.). I can't wait to go back and dance salsa again--everything about it is so suave and fun, and the music is tan rica! Also, people here know how to dance with their hips. Very important.
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