Charlotte in Chile!

  Hola hola!! Another week down in the beautiful country of Chile! Along with the usual classes, this week we had the exciting opportunity to visit a local high school for “English Day.” They were very fascinated, especially with my red hair, and told me I looked like Anne with an E and Max from Stranger Things. It was such a cool opportunity to connect with some local teenagers, play some sports, and chat over tea and biscuits. They gave us a show with a Chilean dance (one we’ve learned in our dance class!). On miercoles, the international program at PUCV hosted a potluck. There were tons of students that participated in many countries all around the world, and everyone had to bring food from wherever they were from. I brought Boston creme donuts, Tom made s’mores, and we all ate soups, pastas, desserts, drinks, breads, and SO much more. It was DELICIOSO!!! I am enjoying all of my classes so far, especially my dance and drawing class, where I am learning lots about the traditions ...

                                                                                !Holi amigos!! ?Como estás? This was a great week of settling in, getting used to my normal, everyday routine, and having fun! I started my art class, which is epic, and found this cool floor at a random cafe! There weren't too many exciting adventures, but lots of movement of the body! Dance class on Lunes, runs with Alaina on Miercoles y Domingo, and rock climbing on Jueves. Here are some more types of food I’ve been eating. A pesto chicken pizza at an Italian restaurant near my home, a typical meal of rice and fried egg con ensalada, and many many cafes (this is a typical drink in Chile, cafe helado: coffee with ice cream). (PS Mom, Gilda made me cansuela (popular Chilean so...

  ¡Buen día a todos!  Week two is all wrapped up- the first week of classes! So far I am taking four classes: Spanish, Latin American Film, Chilean Dance, and Drawing 2. Wahoo! All of my professors are amazing and kind, most everything is spoken in Spanish and it’s all quite fun- especially the dancing… I finally bought some running sneakers (zapatillas) and have been enjoying my jog to the beach in the mornings (my classes don’t start until 11:45!), where I can watch the fisherman off the pier. Some new foods I’ve been trying: Completos (basically hot dogs covered in avocado, tomatoes, and LOTS of mayo- LOTS). Very delicious. One cafe, El Pasaje, has been taking all my money because it is DELICIOUS. Here is a berry matcha that I devoured. And lots of Peruvian food is around- here is mine and Alaina's lunch of calamari and Peruvian fried rice (with shrimp, beef and chicken- YUM). I went on two adventures this weekend. A day trip to Maitencillo, a small coastal town north of Vi...

August 2, 2026 Hello hello! Week one is complete! What an exciting one. This week was full of orientation activities at my university in Valparaiso, PUCV, meeting new people, and exploring my new home! I have made friends from other states in the US, Ireland, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Belgium, France, and of course, Chile!  The first few days were quite exhausting, getting used to the culture shock here in Chile. I live in a small coastal city called Viña del Mar with my lovely host-abuela Gilda. Every day, I hop (quite literally they do not wait around) on the bus for a quick 15 min commute to Valpo (Valparaiso). The buses are stick-shift here, so quite a bumpy ride! The weather has been rainy the past few weeks, but we've had a few days of sun☀️. My new host-cat, Pepa, keeps me company (by sleeping on top of me every night), and reminds me of the kitties back home. There are plenty of stray dogs running around to remind me of the pooches back home too. Viña and Valpo are full of sm...