Hogar Dulce Hogar!

After a long day's journey, I have finally landed in my adorable apartment in Viña del Mar, just 2 blocks from the beach! After a slight bump in the road at the beginning of the day (blah blah not allowed to get on the plane visa issues blah blah), we finally figured out a way to get me on the plane and on my way. And the rest of the day went perfectly smoothly! All my flights were on time, none of my baggage was lost, I had a personal TV screen on both planes and watched lots of movies, actual not horrible meals were included on the flights, and there was a nice car service man holding a sign with my name on it waiting for me at arrivals to drive me the two hours to my new city. Even though it was about 20 hours of traveling by the time I actually stepped into my apartment, it was an easy trip and I'm so thankful it went as well as it did.

Driving into Viña at night was the prettiest sight. Since the town is on a large hill, we drove in at the top, and you could see all of the city lights leading all the way down to the beach. I tried to take a picture but it was blurry and didn't do it justice from a car window. I'll find a way to get a picture though :) When we got to the apartment, my two roommates were there to greet me and give me a warm welcome to the city! Actually the first thing we did after I put my luggage in my room was go out and buy some alpaca socks from a local vendor a few blocks down, so it was it was literally a warm welcome. These socks are so fuzzy.

Since the program that I am with has people that come for whatever length of time they want, there are always people coming and going. This is kind of bittersweet, since one of my roommates is literally leaving tomorrow morning. But at the same time, it's an advantage because there's always someone that is a veteran and understands how things work and has all the inside info. It feels strange that I'm the newbie right now, because I know next month the roles will be reversed. It will be nice to have a change in group dynamic every month though. It seems like the group of people that are here are really cohesive and friendly. I can't wait to get to know everyone and the city of Viña.

Tomorrow starts the first of my 3 weeks of Spanish classes as a refresher course and to familiarize myself with any and all things Chilean. Luckily, I don't have to be there until 2 in the afternoon so I can catch up on some much needed sleep after today. Tomorrow is going to be a big day since it's my first real day here, and I can't wait to explore and get settled in my new Home Sweet Home. I already feel very comfortable here and can tell that I'm really going to like my life here! More pictures to come once I'm unpacked and get a chance :)

Besos!!