First experiences in Chile

It’s been a little over a couple of weeks since my arrival, and I’ve been able to see and get a taste of new things here in Patagonia Chile.

From having a free gym membership to hanging out and giggling with my huge homestay family and the other two interns, this experience has been incredible so far. 

This past Friday I had what they call an “evaluation” at the gym by my personal trainer, who set up a workout schedule for me to do on my own three times a week. The workouts brought me back to Track in high school. Such bad memories (some good of course, but most bad). I thought back to the tough workouts (I found that I could never really push myself to the extent that most of my teammates could) and the yelling of the coaches because I oftentimes fell behind. (I later realized that I became easily fatigued because of my anemia; I carry the trait for beta thalassemia, which is a blood disorder that reduces the production of hemoglobin). I want to get into better shape, and one of my goals for this summer is to stay on top of these workouts. 

On that same Friday we went to a birthday gathering for our host mom’s niece. The family is huge, everyone is nice and relaxed, and the ambience in the homes is warm and friendly. The 2 interns and I ended up playing a big game of Uno for a few hours with the other young people in the family (cousins, family friends, our host mom’s daughters and their boyfriends, etc.) It was beyond fun. We practiced our Spanish (as well as learned a lot of Chilean slang), got to know some of the people from this region better, and laughed the night away with our silliness and random jokes.

Last Wednesday we took a day trip to Puerto Natales, a small town three hours up north from Punta Arenas by bus. It’s pretty dead this time of year in the winter because tourists typically come during the summertime. The hostels, souvenir shops, travel agencies, and other places either weren’t very busy or were closed. We visited the cave of the Giant Sloth (La cueva del milodón), walked along the beach, met a Chilean from Santiago who wanted to take pictures of and with us foreigners, and ate at a very good seafood restaurant.

                               Puerto Natales, Chile

This Tuesday is a national holiday, July 16 (Our Lady of Mount Carmel; in honor of the Virgin Mary I). We’ll be going to Fuerte Bulnes with the host family and friends, a Chilean fort about 40 miles south of Punta Arenas.