Orientation

Orientation week at PUCV is similar to that at any other college, except harder to understand and more interesting. We have orientation groups and leaders (monitors). My Monitor is Caroline, who was an exchange student at MU last semester. It was exciting to see a familiar Chilean face on Monday when this all started (Alina too). Of the 280 exchange students, 180 are from the US. Much of this week is spent picking out appropriate classes and learning about how Valparaiso works- especially safety. I saw graffiti that said "El Karma... y mi bolso?" (bolso= purse or bag). Perhaps inspired by an actual theft. It made me wonder how safe it is to walk around alone, being gringa. I at no point have felt very unsafe, except for the shady steps of the Micro mishap. Good news on the Micros- if I stay on the 504 for two more stops, I end up at the stop right next to my house.

In between getting passport photos and doing paperwork for our visas, I walked around Valpo with other group Q members, Garret, Laura, and Jen. We found a street that had cars parked on the sidewalk, and the sidewalk was steps... it was that steep. I also tried a Mil Hojas pastry thing at a panderia. Through the confusion and incorrect grammar, everyone seems to get the idea of what I am talking about or asking for, and I can therefore be sort of independent, which is really a good feeling. I must rethink my crossing the street strategy though, drivers here are a little on the crazy side.

The best part of today was successfully discussing with my host mom, Carmen, the story of my camp bunny, Inca Toll. This rabbit was named after a trail at camp, which was named after the concept of Inca roads. In order to go on the road, you must pay a toll of adding a stone to the road. The name also matches Chile because the Incas used to live here, not in Valpo, but in the Andes closeby. So camp ties in to Chile. An apt name for my travel bunny. More importantly, the communication component was there. Sort of. Carmen also enjoys when I talk about my volcano dreams and act out an eruption with hand gestures and noises because I don't know the words. She says I can visit a dormant one. It better be very dormant.