Hi everyone. It's 3:20 and we just got done with lunch. I have studied for my upcoming final all morning, so now I am taking a break. I have a million things to remember for this test, so I'm staying in all weekend to memorize as much as possible. A lot of my friends are going out, having barbecues, going to soccer games, and trying to visit places in Santiago previously unseen. I think that is wonderful, however, I know that if I were to join them, I wouldn't be able to study as much. I'll do all those things after I get done with my exam on Tuesday morning. I will then have 2.5 days to bum around the city with nothing to do before my flight on Thursday night. Yes, everyone - we are at T-minus 5 days until I fly out of the southern hemisphere. Well, it is 6 if you count the rest of today. It is a little sad that this trip is ending, but at the same time, it is good to move on as well.

This week, I haven't done a lot except study. Although, I started a photo scrap book on Shutterfly.com which I'm really taking a lot of time making. I am transferring all my blog entries into it, as well as putting captions on a lot of pictures. I have 50 pages completed so far, and hopefully can fit the rest of my trip in the next 50. I think it will be nice to have a whole book to commemorate my trip to Chile.

A couple months ago, Cecilia asked me what I normally like to cook and eat when I am in the states. I told her my norms: spaghetti, enchiladas, soup, salad, tacos, etc. So last night, we were having dinner and she tells me that she would like to throw a small party for me tonight, because it is my last Saturday in Chile. And she was so excited to tell me that she is making... tacos! I think it's really sweet that she remembered a dish that I said I liked and that she never makes.

Since I haven't written in a while, I should probably give some updates as to what I have been doing. Last Friday, Kate and I went to Vina Del Mar and Valparaiso to visit my friend Sarah who is from Chicago. She teaches English in Vina, and was so happy to give us a place to stay on Friday. We arrived in Vina, after dark, by bus. The bus systems in Chile are amazing, because they go every where and at convenient times. For example, to Vina it is 6 dollars, it only takes 2 hours, and buses leave every 20-30 minutes. Sarah picked us up at the station, and we walked about 20 minutes to her apartment where she lives with her boyfriend and two of his friends. After we got settled, we went to dinner at a bar in Valpo and ate pizza. All of the bartenders and waitstaff watched us the whole time, were super nice, and invited us to an asada (barbecue) the next day. We didn't go, of course. Americans aren't uncommon in Chile, but you feel like a celebrity sometimes (not all the time), because you are treated differently. For instance, Kate found a tiny hair in her drink, so the bartender made her a new one, free of charge. Now, this wouldn't be weird in America, but in Chile??? That is absolutely unheard of! Normally, if you want a new one, you have to pay for it. So it was nice to have better service than we are used to. An example of normal Chilean service? Sarah said that a week prior to our visit, her roommates ordered 2 pizzas. After the delivery, they opened the box to one very cold pizza, and one pizza that was completely uncooked. They called the pizza place, and discovered that they could order more pizza and pay for it, but there would be no replacements.

After dinner, we met one of Sarah's friends, also an America, who is teaching English in Argentina. We went to a small bar that serves wine smoothies which is basically jugo natural (freshly squeezed juice) mixed with wine. They also serve hot wine, but we didn't try any. After finishing our pear and banana wine smoothie, we headed to another bar where we danced until 4 am. The other girls wanted to stay out later, but Kate and I were getting tired. We all talked about it and decided to go home, because Sarah's big plan was to go out even later the following night. By the time we got some McDonald's and walked home it was after 5:30!

The next afternoon, we took the bus back to Valpo to walk around and try to see the sights of the city. Valparaiso is a little town, built into the hill with windy roads, colorful houses, and a great view of the ocean. Well, the ocean is there, but it was so foggy that we couldn't exactly see it. I took some really beautiful pictures that I plan to turn into photo art at home. After lunch, we made it back to Sarah's apartment, and Kate and I decided to go back to Santiago. We were both so worn out from Friday, that we couldn't do another crazy night again. Plus, Kate's parents were coming in the next day, so it was a good excuse to go home. Sunday I slept in, watched a couple movies, and did homework. It was a really relaxing day. This past week of school went by super fast. I went out to lunch a couple times with friends, had dinner with Kate and her parents, and also went to the USAC program dinner on Wednesday. I bought some wine yesterday to take home with me, and that leads me up to today. I cleaned my room, and tried to start organizing my bags for my trip home. Anyway, I should get back to memorizing. Miss you and love you all! Emily