I Feel Like I´m Still In Kansas, Toto.

I am currently in Temuco, which is more south of Santiago. We took the train from Santiago to Chillán on Saturday. The train was a fun way to get somewhere... if only the somewhere we got to was a little more exciting. Chillán was kind of the Mexican Hotchkiss to our trip, though, sadly to say, I enjoy Hotchkiss a little bit more. This run down town did not have much to offer except a very small market and a chill that runs up your spine from the fog and the mear fact it´s FREEZING in the morning in the fall. We also happened to want to do stuff on the day NOTHING was open. But I did buy a hand made sweater from the market for 10,000 Chilean pesos, which I think is about $20. It keeps me warm and it´s knitted, so I love it already. We also happen to get food from the one place that opens (though it was 11:30 and we were starving until then) which happened to be a Chinese resteraunt. Not too bad, but very weird that we´re eating Chinese in Chile. Anyway, we did get to take a 4 hour bus ride to Temuco, which was nice because we got to actually SEE the mountains and country through minimum amount of smog. Temuco is nice enough. It´s kind of like more of a metropolis Durango. It´s set in the mountains more, but we are staying in a hostel that is a block from a mall.

So far Chile has been alright. Definately not in culture shock. The way of life in the places we´ve been is much like it is in Colorado, except we´re a little more boisterous. It´s been a little frustrating because I feel like I´m in a different part of Colorado, but everything and everyone is in Spanish dubovers. Maybe it´s because I had these expectations of what my experience here would be like, and it´s not like what I thought. So I think that fact of thinking I´m home and not seeing people from home has made me slightly homesick. BUT, I´m also not ready to go. I LOVE the people I´m with and I´m getting more chances to talk to them about Christ. so The work is not done yet and I know I´m going to enjoy being with them for this whole time! Continue to pray for them and for me has we travel around.

Well, I think we´re going to go watch Indiana Jones in Spanish and see if we can find a market. Something to do! Yay!

Vaya con Díos,

Leah=)