Vuuuuelta

It's hard writing after a whole month of absence... I'm not sure where to start!

I'll start at the top. Three and a half weeks ago, my class of thirty kids left on our end-of-third-year school trip. It's called the Gira de Estudia or something like that, and each of the three classes in our third year (Junior year, our school time) gets to chose where they want to go. Poncho's class is going to Brazil soon, and the other two went South. We had the longest (and most expensive) trip of all. We travelled all the way to Puerto Montt and saw the sights there and in between for a week.
I put up all my photos on Facebook... I don't like taking photos, so there aren't a lot. I prefer to see the sights while I'm there instead of waiting to get photos online to get my eye out from behind the digital screen... Anyhow, I'll try to give a play by play account. Let's see if I really have a memory or not.

Lunes/Monday:
Our first day, we got to leave school early, at ten o'clock, to go home and pack our things. We returned at 7 to board the huge bus that was waiting to take us off. We didn't leave until about 8, but all of the parents and boyfriends stood around the whole time waiting for us. I got a seat next to Pippi, toward the front of the bus, but quickly found that the action was in the back, so I didn't sit there until about four in the morning when I decided, to Hell with it, I was going to sleep.

Martes/Tuesday: After a long night of not sleeping in the bus, we arrived early in Puerto Varas. We unloaded into the hotel (where the other 3° was packing up to leave and told us how great it had been) and got into our rooms. Although all of my classmates were in groups of three, I was alone with Pippi because the Miss didn't want her to feel left out. We could see the huge ocean-like lake out the window, and it was really cool to sleep with the sound of waves crashing all night... Not that we slept much. Anyhow, we left later that morning to visit an outdoor Chilean-style mall in nearby Puerto Montt. It was raining, which is typical in the South, but we spent almost two hours looking through the carved toys, knitted clothes, and all kinds of interesting things. We then went to a little restaurant (so little, as a matter of fact, that we couldn't all eat at the same time), where we had our first meal of salmon! Of course, it was served Chilean-style, which means that it came with chopped peeled tomatoes, shredded lettuce, and peeled baked potatoes, with lemon and salt. Not terribly exciting, after eating that for lunch and dinner every day, but still, everyone was excited about the salmon. Afterwards, those of us who had gotten to eat first went out in a little boat rented to tourists. It was falling apart and painted all different colors, and the woman who drove it told us a little about what we were seeing. We saw a sea lion, among other South-y wild creatures... :D We then returned to the hotel for dinner and sleep...

Miercoles/Wednesday: We all got up monstrously early in the morning - most of the kids got about three hours of sleep, due to the Chilean love for partying all night long. We drove through mountains of mud to a white water tourist attraction, called the Saltos of Petrohue. There was quite a bit of smow-y hail on the ground, and when we arrived we were told that it was closed. Not to be discouraged, everyone piled out and posed for a hundred thousand pictures. Meanwhile, I ran with a few classmates to the end of the road to look at the rapids and take a picture with the entrance sign. It was very very cold! When we got back in the bus, we were told that neither could we go to Chiloé, an island a little bit to the South. To get there, you have to go on a ferry, which was closed due to the weather. Everyone was pouty when we drove back through Puerto Montt in the rain and stayed the rest of the day in the hotel.

I have to admit that at this point I don't remember the next few days in detail. But we ended up going to Chiloe as well as the Salts. We also went to a natural hot spring, and swam in the huge pool heated by the geisers. We spent the whole time well, partying it up in the South of Chi Chi Chi le le le VIVA CHILE!


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We're almost done with school; we get out this Friday. The seniors left about two weeks ago. There was a huge Acto, which means synchronized dancing, karaoke, and speeches in front of the whole school, and they were all hugging and crying by the end. Now they have the PSU, which is going on as I speak. It's a two-day-long test, with four sections. Students can choose which they want to take... Pedro's not taking Science as he's going to study law. And here, when you say you're going to study something, you don't have the option of changing your mind. Once you enter university, you have to follow your career path unless you want to drop out, take the PSU again, and start over (my cousin is doing this now).
Anyhow, we haven't been doing much in classes... Today I have nothing in the morning except English (HA) and in the afternoon only Math of the regular three. So I have a little more time to eat lunch... And I get to leave early. Se dice FOME: boring!

On MY college front, after writing literally 20 or 30 essays I have finally come to the end. I'm now wrapping it all up, so to say. I've been accepted to UBama and Tulane, possibly among others but it's not too important as I'm fairly sure I want to go to Tulane. Yet another Brown! Not to mention that I'll get a 50% or so scholarship... And I'm applying for the full one. It's exciting!

So... English. Can't speak it. Literally, I sound like a student in my English class. I have to think, and my pronunciation may or may not have changed drastically...

Hmm

Not sure what else to say. I hope to go to the Termas del Flaco, which is a thermal near my house. It's said that the stars there at night are incredible. My sister invited me to go with her and her friends, but I'm kind of trying to think of other ways to go... Haha.
Been thinking about Xmas... It's SO strange that it's in the summertime here...
My parents have to work literally until Christmas in their school...
flksasdfljk

Ahí, no tengo más...

Chao entonces, hasta luego!!!
Emily