rain and supermullets

When it rains here, it is a lot of things. First and foremost, a penetrating icy cold, like a cold where my feet might start rotting and falling off, even with wool socks. Second, it's exciting. Wind and rain and angry ocean don't stop the city at all. I quite enjoyed riding the metro 200 meters from the raging death zone of wave and rock. The drains in the cerros get full really fast, and subterranean water bursts from the street in geysers from overfilled pipes. This is normal winter in region V of Chile. Life still move in the city, perhaps even faster. Venders frantically sell umbrellas, food venders move under the overhangs of buildings, and the ice cream guy still sells ice cream on the micro. Side note: I love that guy, and my day is better every time I see him.

Speaking of micros, I find them super interesting, especially when they are completely full. People will walk on and just move to the back without paying. I did not understand this until I asked Ken about it. It's a trust system. The people are trusted to pay on their way out. And sometimes, change or payment is passed along. Like one person in the back will pass their coins up to the front, and it makes it there. That is so cool! I love when the micros are full, full of interesting people. I love watching how the micros work. Between the passengers, crazy turns, and the ice cream man, I am always entertained. Using the micro is a gamble though, because sometimes my matrícula, a university document, is accepted as a student card, which as an extranjero I am unable to get. When it's accepted, I pay $150 pesos (about 27 cents USD). If the driver does not deem it valid, because they don't have to, then the metro is cheaper at $275, rather than a micro ride at $350. The card for intercambios was eliminated by the Chilean government like a year ago, so I am unable to get a regular one.

On the use of 'po':

Me: "... they put 'po' on the end of everything!"

Kevin: " Sí po. cool po."

Me: "I will email Señora about that."

Kevin: "Ok. Yeah po good idea po."

Me: "Yo po. Don't make fun of my po, bro."

Kevin: "Don't taze me bro. po."

My fourth random thought to write about is mullets. The mullet is popular here, not just among the younger generation either. And when I say mullet I mean super mullet. Like short everywhere else except the back where there are like 3 or 4 super dreads, that are 2 feet long or more. I see it all the time, honestly. Not all of them are that way, a shorter mullet is popular as well. Ha, no Chilean boys for me, they better cut their hair first. This is coming from the gringa, who is not accustomed to and is therefore fascinated but not impressed by the mullet/super mullet.

And back to the rats, the giant ones. Yep, day 4 of giant rat discussion. I think the final ID on the thing is a coipo. It is essentially a large amphibious rat. I want one. I am going to tame one, and walk around with it. Think about how safe that would be, no one would mess with a girl holding a huge ferocious water rat, about 5 times the size of a normal rat, maybe more. People freak out at things that are larger than they "should be," or larger than they are accustomed to seeing. For instance, tarantulas, or giant salamanders or hummingbirds, weird and freaky, is it not? This is why I would be safe with a pet coipo.