First Week In Santiago

I just finished up my first week of classes and work in Santigo, Chile! It was sad saying my goodbyes to my parents and sister, but I was excited to get started. I'll admit, the first few days were tough and it was hard understanding my home stay family and my coworkers in Calvo Mackenna Children's Hospital. The first thing my professor told me at ECELA Language School was "the people here don't speak Spanish...they speak Chilean." But, so far, every day has been much easier than the previous and I have had the pleasure of conversing with and getting to know my home stay family and my coworkers.

My work in the Hospital has been very rewarding and I have been working alongside Dr. Jorge Morales.  I already learned much about renal and hepatic laboratory exams and I had the privilege to attend grand rounds each day this week.

I have loved my Spanish classes so far and we focused on topics concerning grammar, vocabulary, conversational skills, and even some Chilean slang. My classmates are all very nice and I met students from all around the world, including Switzerland, Brazil, and South Africa! This weekend a few of us planned a trip to go trekking to El Morado, a section of the Andes mountain range, and it was absolutely beautiful! We all packed a lunch and a winter coat and set off Saturday morning at 7am to catch our bus to the mountain range.

               

Setting off!

We met a friend along the way!

       

Almost there...

Watch your step!

Ran into some neature (neat-nature)!

It was a little windy!
(Selfie Stick would have been useful here)

Left to Right: Me, Alex (Tampa, FL), Jasmin (Switzerland), Carlos (Brazil)

MADE IT TO THE GLACIER!

It was an amazing trip with some beautiful sights! My legs were definitely sore, but well worth it. Here's some advice for trekking in the Andes: bring warm gloves, a jacket, and don't step in the water! I can't wait for my next adventure!