I officially had a reality check today- it was my first day of class through my program, CIEE! After heading to register my visa, I had some lectures and then took a tour of the important buildings in central Santiago. The main one that is actually very famous here in Chile is called La Moneda. This is where all of the presidents come and work, and also where the president Salvador Allende committed suicide. It is surrounded by tons of Chilean flags and beautiful courtyards, as well as statues of all the important presidents. Although it was tiring to try and understand my teacher explaining the political history in Spanish, it was great to see some history for the first time. After my school FINALLY ended a little after 6pm, Vivi met me and she showed me how to ride the metro together back to my house. It actually is much easier than I expected, and I am planning to do it on my own tomorrow.
(La Moneda)Now that I have the boring stuff, I want to talk about my weekend! On Saturday night I went to see one of Sergio's shows. It was at a club called Bunker, which is apparently one of the biggest and most popular gay clubs in Chile, if not South America. The show didn't even start until 2:30am, so Vivi and I took a nap from about 9-11:30, which was good because I was actually awake! I have never been anywhere like this in my life. There were probably around 1,500 men packed into this discotec, complete with LOUD techo music and strobe lights. When we got there I got to go back and see Sergio's dressing room and meet all of his fellow perfomers, all of which are flamboyant and extremely welcoming! Eventually Vivi and I headed up to the balcony to watch the show. It was SO incredibly entertaining, and I couldn't BELIEVE how great these men looked in their outfits! Sexier than many girls I've seen. Funny thing that I haven't mentioned yet- EVERYONE in Chile smokes. Everywhere. So imagine more than 1,000 people smoking inside this one club. About 45 mins into the show, I started to feel very numb and lightheaded, to a point that I was sure I was going to faint. Vivi immediately sat me down and was like "we need to go!". After explaining to her that NO ONE in my life smokes and that I'ver never once inhaled it, we determined that I was just feeling the effect of hundreds of cigarrettes wofting up to the balcony. So embarrassing though! Let's hope I get used to the smoke, because this place was so so fun!
(Sergio and I before his show! Notice the white haze... the SMOKE!)Vivi also took me shopping yesterday at a HUGE mall here in Santiago. We didn't end up finding any shorts, but I did get some more sandals and some shorts to sleep in, as well as a safer bag that goes across my shoulders instead of just on one shoulder (those apparently can get stolen very easily here in the area where I go to school). It was a very fun and relaxing trip, and I always enjoy shopping! Let's just hope it cools off here a little bit soon- it is still been about 85 or 90. Luckily it's very dry heat so you don't feel too sweaty, but I am ready to be able to wear jeans comfortably!
(The mall- I can't remember the name for the life of me!)
(The mall- I can't remember the name for the life of me!)Alright, well I need to get some sleep tonight so I can survive another long day of class tomorrow! Hope all is going well in the U.S. Miss everyone!
Ciao!
Laura
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