Photo by Jen Clapp, it might be my favorite photo ever. I love the tiny sombrero.

Blue Crush

I did it! I went surfing and I got up, a few times. I don't actually have any pictures of it because I was, you know, riding some gnarly waves. The Ministry of Education has plenty of evidence though, they even have a video of me in my wet suit doing some crazy stretches, running, and pretending that the sand was my surfboard. I am convinced that the Ministry will use all this against me someday in a very public extortion case, but I think I will come out the winner.
We went to Pichilemu, a really cool beach town about three hours from Santiago. It was gorgeous and quite a bit cooler than the sauna that is Santiago. I loved it. We really had no problem adapting to the lifestyle and I am convinced I could be a surfer girl, my sore body is not as convinced, but I think it might just take a few more times and I'll be blogging about the life of a surfer.
We had an amazing asado (barbeque) that consisted of lots and lots of alcohol and a plethora of meat and avocado. I can honestly say I have never seen so much meat or so many avocados, I can also honestly say I have never tasted more delicious pork. I apologize to pigs everywhere for all the smack I have ever talked about you, you are deluxe.
My tired, sore, sunburned body is off to sleep. I hope you all had a good weekend.
Included is a photo of a cute couple who held hands the entire bus ride. While most of the public displays of affection are offensive in the country, this was endearing and precious. It is also the only picture I have of the trip.

Pasa 10! Hang ten!

I am going surfing this weekend! Oh my gosh, how crazy. If I get eaten by a shark, all my love. I had a good life. More likely, I will just feel extremely sore and tired, but so happy because I will have crossed yet another thing off my list. Also, I will be able to feel the sweet relief of the cool water during this hot summer. I know all of you in Montana are rolling your eyes, because of course I am mentioning how warm it is, but I will have you know, it's no picnic. I am hot all the time from sun up to sun down and in between. It's ridiculous. According to my host family, this is the hottest summer they can remember. Yikes.
I made some Chilean friends and they are rocking my world.
The one on the left, Coke I met through Couchsurfing and he is one of the most interesting and interested people I have ever met. He is incredibly kind. He makes maps for a living and has given me heaps of information on Chile and hiking. Mauricio, on the right is my friend Kendra's host. He is very nice and incredibly helpful. Neither speak English very well so it is a challenge to communicate with them, but also really amazing to see how far my Spanish has come and also how sometimes words are not necessary. I will brag and say that I do get their jokes in Spanish, so I think I am improving.
That being said, class is fun, but also a challenge. I took the test that all interpreters are required to take today and that was the biggest blow to my self esteem I have experienced since 7th grade. Who knew that I needed to know things like stocks and how to describe hypothetical businesses in Spain? I sure didn't.
I must go prepare for class and also pack for the beach! Enjoy the snow!!!
Besos y abrazos (hugs and kisses).

Ghost: Starring Yours Truly

Today I lived out a dream, I was a potter. It was only for a few fleeting hours, but nevertheless I was one (and I've got the pictures to prove it)! One time my amazing friend Kristin (hi!) allowed me to use her wheel during college, so it wasn't the first time, but today I actually made something. I had a few intense moments where I wanted to sing Unchained Melody and get really into it. We created for a few hours and then I had the most incredible empanada these lips have ever tasted. An empanada is a pastry full of meat, onion, hardboiled eggs, and one olive (I could do without the olive, but they are very popular here). It was divine. I could probably write about it for a few hours, but I will save it for my journal. They are also incredibly cheap, $1 gets you the luxury of a lifetime.

Bowl by Hannah (it's on ebay, check it!)

I was concentrating very hard. Also, don't I look like Demi without the short hair?

This one is for Caleb, I impressed them with my stegosaurus skills.

Welcome to my photo album, I won't bore you with too many stories.

The men of the mine.

Apparently, this is not just a cultural thing, it happens all over the world. The country code is 56 if you are interested.

This was on a locker in the men's locker room (Don't worry Lady KJ, I had permission to be there).

I love this sign, it reminds me of South Koreans.

Somehow, I didn't feel like this would do the job had I needed it.

This has nothing to do with my adventures, but my host father has turned me onto this website
http://www.pixdaus.com
It is incredible and has some amazing photos. You should check it out and silently thank Juan. He rules.
Disfruta (enjoy)!

Mining....

A quick history lesson: The backbone of Chile's economy is its copper industry. I know it's surprising since it seems like all of the fruit and vegetables in the United States, especially Montana, are from here, but that isn't what allows them to be such a wealthy (by comparison) country down here. It's all in their mountains.
Today we went to Sewell an abandoned mining town that still has a fully functioning mine. I went deep inside of The Devil's Mountain, which was alarming considering I had signed my life away twice earlier that morning. Chile is not only the strongest (economically) country in South America, I think it might also be the most protected. I have signed more waivers for my life here than I have ever signed before. At first I thought I should be alarmed that I have to sign a waiver whenever I ride a bus or take a tour, but I have decided to admire this attention to detail.
After signing my life away I was told I needed to wear a large orange coat, a hard hat, a gas mask, and carry around an emergency kit from the sixties in case I was to be stuck inside the mine. This was all in Spanish, so I was slightly alarmed. After getting all decked out in our gear we entered the mine by bus. It was completely dark and felt exactly like the Indiana Jones ride in Disneyland (but without the assurance that Walt had your back). After driving in pitch black for at least ten minutes we were dropped off and left at the mercy of the miners, the rats, and God.
After the rocky start we had an awesome tour of the mine. It was insane to be wandering around the inside of a mountain. There are more than six levels to the mine and if I'm not mistaken (which I easily could be) there are more than 2000 kilometers of roads. We saw a quartz room and got to tour the locker rooms of the men who actually live in the mine. Inside this I was also alarmed because there were many Mary's and Jesus posters. It was incredible and like nothing I have ever seen before. I couldn't imagine living inside of a mine and seeing the sun only every few weeks. The good news was that I didn't feel so pale in there, so maybe I would like it more than I think.

A little piece of Montana, if only they had thought to bring pasties.

I'm telling you, these suits are irresistible.

The mine, this picture fails greatly.

We were working those suits and heeding all safety advice.

Here we are clearly not heeding any safety advice, I guess you could say we were acting Chilean.