WEEK 13 IN REVIEW

Monday 12/16

So I´ve got exactly 4 weeks in Chile, 6 weeks in Brazil, 2 weeks in Europe, and then I´m home!  I cannot believe it.  Leaving for Chile on Wed.


Tuesday 12/17

I read a 500 page book between last night and today, second book I´ve read in Bolivia! CHILE TOMORROW!


Wednesday 12/18

Seven hour flight to Santiago, arrived around midnight.  I stayed in the nicest hostel I´ve ever seen! H Rado Hostel, in the center of town... loved it! Kind of expensive though, at 13,000 pesos (like $25) foor a 6-person shared room.


Thursday 12/19

This evening I went to the metro with all of my luggage to transfer to a couchsurfing apartment.  An older man saw that I was lost at the entrance (cuz I didn´t know where to buy a ticket) and I asked him how to get on the metro and he proceeded to ask how it was possible that I didn´t know how to use the metro.  I said, ´´In Idaho, where I live in the USA, there is no metro, and I´ve never done this in South America before.´´ He told me that I shouldn´t lie, that all Americans have money so I shouldn´t be trying to swindle people by saying that I don´t know how to use the metro.  He said it was especially bad to lie to older people because it´s disrespectful.  I said, ´´No, I´m not lying!  They have a metro in New York City, but in the west of the country there is no public transportation like that, most people have cars.´´  And I asked him where I could buy a ticket.  He got angry and said, ´´Please just stop lying, it´s making you look ridiculous.  It´s an impossibility for you to say that you don´t know how to use the metro and that most people have cars... don´t expect me to believe that.  I will just help you if you will admit that you´re lying, and then stop it.´´  I stood by my point (because obviously I wasn´t lying) and he continued to yell at me until he saw tears in my eyes after about 5-10 minutes of this lecture.  He finally said, ´´Fine, just take this ticket and walk down there and get on the metro.  This will be my good deed for the day.´´ And then I thanked him and walked away.


Friday 12/20

I went to the Santiago mall today, the only place in South America with an H&M, I was told!  It was super impressive.  Five stories with a movie theatre on the sixth floor, but super expensive.  I ate the most delicious Taco Bell bean burrito (fresco, even!) that I´ve been missing for months, 600 pesos.

Let´s talk about how I stopped a fight on the street tonight...  I saw 4 guys start to argue, and another guy showed up with a taser.  He chased one guy, and a huge crowd followed them down the street.  When I got over to them (after crossing 4 lanes of traffic) one guy was lying on the ground with a broken nose and blood everywhere, eyes closed.  The other guy was now shirtless with a gaping wound below his left eye, with both eyes black and swollen, and blood covering his teeth and all in his mouth.  Two guys were attacking them.  There was a crowd of 20-30 people watching.  I stepped into the circle and put my hand on the main guy´s chest while he kept attacking the two injured guys.  He was kicking their heads and bodies, and punching their faces and heads.  I thought I was going to get punched in the face, but I didn´t!  All I could think to do was to speak to him really fast in English to create a distraction, while I did my best to pull him off of them when he attacked.  Since I´m taller than most Chilean men, I was strong enough to actually help in this situation!  I was telling him to stop and pushing him with my two hands on his chest, and then pulling him off from behind.  After a while, a few men stepped in to help me, and we created a circle around the man on the ground and tried to keep the other man behind us.  The guys that were attacking them eventually left, since they couldn´t get past us anymore.  I stayed long enough to make sure that they were safe, and the two injured men eventually got up to walk home.  They were beat up, but it could have been much, much worse.  One guy asked me if I was the girlfriend of the injured guy on the floor, and I was like, ´´No, I don´t even know him.´´  Later, as I was walking back to the party, when I had walked a few blocks away, another guy approached me and said, ´´Are you their friend? I saw you back there...´´ and I was like, ´´No, I don´t even know them,´´  and he was like, ´´Wow, you were SO brave, you have inspired me in so many ways... most people just watch fights here, they don´t get involved.´´  And we talked the rest of the 20 minutes back to the party.  The end.


Saturday 12/21

So so so tired.  I don't know how I'm gonna get to Osorno... sold out.  I'm super stressed.

Today was fun... pool with Alina and Maria (Germans).  I made fajitas and salsa.