Ashley Is Burnt

So today I went downtown with Delphine to exchange my money and then we went to the grocery store! It was very different, there are so many people there you cannot even move. Downtown is very different from our downtown... it is very lively and there are food markets EVERYWHERE!!!!

After shopping around a bit I came back home and had lunch and then me and my familia went to the pool which is right on the ocean! And I got burnt... BAD. Like real bad. Its so crazy that I was tanning at the end of February! Tonight I am going to a party with Tatiana... its a surprise birthday party. I'm really scared to go because I can't understand but we shall see!!! BYE xoxo

Ashley in Chile Day 1

Hello! I finally made it to Chile 15 hours later, and am so exhausted because I have had hardly any sleep. I left Calgary at 4:15 pm and arrived in Toronto at 11:55 pm their time. It was so sad saying BYE to my family but I know that I will see them soon. When I got to the Toronto airport it was pretty much deserted. There were no workers and I felt as though I should have known how to get to my connecting flight... so after walking around aimlessly on my own I finally found someone who directed me to customs... and I went there, again. So I finally arrive at my gate and it is FULL of SPANISH people! They were all talking and I couldn't understand anyone and it was really hard... I felt like I didn't belong so I went to the Duty Free store. We finally started boarding the plane and all the flight attendants and everything spoke Spanish and right away Spanish was the new language and they didn't even translate in English half of the time... so I was a complete moron and I didn't understand anything!! So from this I was TERRIFIED to get off of the plane in Santiago because I had to go through Immigration and then the International Police. NO ONE SPEAKS ENGLISH! So here I am never having been forced to speak before trying to communicate in where to go for my baggage. After finally finding it I had to go through customs again... and they don't make any of this clear to foreigners... so I was being yelled at in Spanish and I had no idea!! Then I finally get out and at that point I couldn't even find my family and I was being harassed by taxi drivers to get into their cab. This random dude came up to me and helped me call the family and he helped me find them thank GOD.
So we were driving to Vina del Mar from Santiago and people here drive like madmen. Like its ridiculous. And there are no seatbelts?! Go figure!! It was about an hour and a half to Vina del Mar and it looks like stereotypical mexico. Somewhat desert area and VERY different from where we are from until you get into Vina del Mar and then it is so pretty!! Very modern too.
For the rest of the day we had a huge lunch with my family and I ate fruit and vegetables that I have never even seen before!! And it was all so delicious!! After that I have just been packing and taking pictures. I'll attach a few of them so everyone can see! Its the view from my balcony/ my room!

AHHHH!

Well I am leaving for Santiago, Chile tomorrow afternoon and I'm really nervous about it... but excited too! I leave Calgary at 4:15pm and I'll arrive at the Santiago Airport on Thursday morning at 12:30pm. From there my family is going to pick me up and we have to drive 2 more hours to Viña del Mar where I will be living! I should prepare myself for some major culture shock. I'll post a photo that my family has sent me from Chile... its a picture of my future room and the view from it!

Ashley*