A typical day

Hola, todos--

I´m starting to get accustomed to life here in Santa Maria. Though the cold still gets to me, it´s a comfort that everyone here complains about it--it´s the Number 1 topic of conversation here. We´ve just been informed, too, that this has been an unseasonably cold start to the winter down here.

A typical day for me goes like this: I wake up at 6:30, leap out of bed and light a little gas heater so that my room is not quite so cold. I go to the bathroom and splash exceptionally cold water on my face because in order to have hot water you have to light the water heater and in the mornings that´s just impossible. I get dressed and do my makeup in front of the little heater in my room.

In the morning before school we drink a warm drink and eat bread. There´s bread at every meal, and there are different kinds of bread with different names. It´s all white bread, but here you know the difference between them and they all taste a little different (I´m not receptive yet to the subtle differences).

School starts at 8:15, but I don´t have class at the same time every day. Mondays are my fullest day, then all the other days I either start late or leave early. Thursdays I don´t have class at all, so I´ll spend it planning or studying for my Master´s exam.

Lunch is the big meal here. You have 2 or 3 dishes, and tons of food. During the week I eat at the school, but on the weekends Edith (mi madre) makes salad, a main dish, something warm to drink, and a fruit for dessert. They´re amazed that it isn´t the same in the U.S.--they think eating a big dinner after work disrupts sleep while your body is digesting.

School has 2 recesses for the students, no matter what grade you´re in. The director is convinced it would be better to follow the U.S. model of not having any breaks and getting done sooner, but in my opinion a little physical activity and a mental rest is probably a good thing for the students.

I leave the school with mi madre the secretary at around 6:00, and we have "Elevens". It´s a little like afternoon tea. You have tea or another warm drink, and bread, usually with something to put on the bread. I´m learning very quickly to like herbal tea--yes, I´ve become a tea person ! (I´ve never liked it before.) Later in the evening, when it gets colder, we light the big gas heater, and I get to take a warm shower. I´ve learned that, just like in the U.S., if you flush the toilet the water gets hot. So I don´t turn on the cold water at all, and flush the toilet once or twice while I´m in the tub. It´s divine, except it hurts my hands and feet because they´re so cold.

Lastly I fill up my "marido", a little hot water bottle covered in flannel that I sleep with like a stuffed animal, with really hot water. Here the nickname for the hot water bottle is "spouse without fingernails". It makes me laugh that Edith calls it "the husband" instead of its real name "guatero": "Oye, vamos a echar una aguita al marido." Then I bury myself underneath layers of blankets and comforters with mi marido and don´t move until morning.

I *am* accostumbrando. It´s a little like my mission, just with all the discomfort I didn´t have while serving in the States--now I have the whole experience!! Next weekend I think a friend and I are going to Viña, a large city on the coast. They say it´s not as cold there.

I really do like it here in Chile. It's just taking a little while to get used to the cold and how cold is dealt with here in this country. But so far I love the diverse geography of Chile and its people are very warm and welcoming. And that makes it all worth it.