Chile.

Wow. Amazing. Incredible. Once-in-a-lifetime. Beautiful. Breath-taking. Wow.

Chile was awesome. We had fun on the plane up there--- even though I got to sit next to Slattery and mom on both the flights down to Santiago. We arrived like two hours later than scheduled. Once down there, Roberto and Juan greeted us at the airport, immediately talking to me (since they knew me from last year) in Spanish. (yeah, that threw me off at first). The Tampa Prep kids, Birmingham kids and RCHS kids all boarded two buses. I was under the impression on our two and a half hour ride to Olmue that Robert thinks highly of me...he was already calling me "hija mia" (my daughter) before we had been on the bus an hour. We headed to that quiet, little village called Olmue. Such a peaceful place (until all the villagers decide to celebrate Easter by getting drunk and smoking pot-- and talking on non-existent cell phones, don't ask). But it was fun. We toured El Copihue, the five-star hotel where we stayed. The first day was mostly a tour of the hotel area and of the surrounding village/town.
The second day, we went to an island to see penguins! Mucho fun! lol. We rode little itty-bitty boats out in the ocean, and around an island inhabited by penguins and protected by the government. Then we headed for the beach nearby where we played soccer, football and swam in the ocean. It's gorgeous. Wow.
The following day, we went camping in the Andes. Marsha can tell you all about La Montana. She and a few others went up the moutain, following animal trails. (Meanwhile, I'm swimming in the muddiest lake on earth and helping cook dinner). Apparently the mountain's plants were all thorns that looked like harmless bushes... so Marsha, Grant, Josh, Harry and a few others came back bleeding all over from the prickly enemy they encountered along the way. We were camping in some type of cow pasture because there was "caca de vaca" everywhere. Oh yeah, good times. I helped fix and serve dinner, which consisted of steak, hot-dog-type-things (choripan), salad, potatoes, fruit, chicken, and some type of vegetable/potatoe salad with mayonaise thing... Of course, there was no bathroom to speak of, no running water, and other such luxuries, but we had the greatest time. Rob and Juan had set up tents and brought stools for everyone. I helped wash up the dishes after dinner, and then Poala (co-founder of the Gaia School), Julie, Lane and I played "Guess That Person" in Spanish. (A non-english version of 20 questions). We built a massive bonfire and hung out for a while. Then it was time to go to bed, and I put my sleeping bag out next to the bonfire which by this time was dwindling. That was only after Rob put rocks around the perimeter to ensure our safety while we slept. In the morning, I ended up helping cook/serve breakfast, which consisted of eggs, more steak, fruit, bread and cereal). Then we had free time for a while, before playing games. We played- find the plastic spoon in the middle of a forest; retrieve your torch from the top of a hill, and cross-dressing. Lunch was sandwiches, so there was little to prepare. After that, we cleaned up camp and headed by to El Copihue. We had been placed in classes based on our Spanish ability a few days before--- I was in advanced. Fun stuff.

There's SOOOO MUCH MORE to tell, but I am exhausted after being on a plane/in airports for 12 hours. But I'll leave you with some funny quotes from Chile:

"Chile is a cross between Johnston County and the O.C., divided by friendly-looking mountains that really have prickly plants." -Marsha, 3-21-05

"I think I just pulled half a tree out of my pants." -Marsha 3-20-05

"Quesodillas son una mezcla de queso y pesadillas." -Paola 3-20-05 (Translated: Quesodillas are a mix of cheese and nightmares.)

Me: Why are there so many dogs running around Chile?
Mr. Slattery: The Catholic Church

"Super-mega-bacan." -Everyone said it at some point. "Bacan" = "cool"

"Five naked people, in my bed, smoking crack." -Someone, who shall remain nameless (only, none of that actually happened...) <-- but I agree, it was the prank to beat all pranks.

Mr. Slattery: Go pick up all the caca and put it in the trash.
Kit: But Mr. Slattery, you're too big to pick up.

Me: Habla con la mano.
Mr. Slattery: Es mejor como tu cara.
(Translation: Me: Talk to the hand. Mr. Slattery: It's better than your face.)

More to come! And pictures too!