Hello!There are so many new things I want to write about and I don´t know where to start! Chile is absolutely amazing, in every way!MY CLASSES - I started my classes on Monday and they´re going really well so far. I´m taking an advanced Spanish class, Business Spanish and a Digital Photography class! All of which are very interesting and I think will prove to be extremely useful during my stay here. I have a great class schedule; Monday and Wednesdays I have classes at 2pm and arrive back home around 6pm, Tuesday and Thursday I have classes around 11am-with a break in the middle for lunch or some exploring-a class around 4 and then arrive home at 6pm! PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION - I have learned, for the first time in my life, how to use public transportation. El micro (the bus) and El Metro (the subway) have been extremely easy to use, very efficient and very cheap! I was very nervous in the begining to use them alone, but have learned the do´s and don´ts and am having no problems! (knock on wood!) I don´t carry a lot of valuables with me nor money, like you would do in any other large city. I use una tarjeta se llama BIP (I use a card they call the BIP Card) this card has a microchip in it that you scan whenever using the bus or subway. The BIP card is handy because you can recharge it easliy whenever your balance gets low. When you ride the bus you always get a free connection on the subway, so you only pay one or the other, its a great program. I´m amazed that the subway-stations, and the city in general, are SUPER clean! ...the subway and streets of NYC never dreamed of being so clean! MY FAMILY: My familiy is soooo great! My host-mom is very, very kind and patient. She´s helpful and always, always makes me feel at-home. She includes me in whatever they do, even if it´s running to the store for bread (which they eat a lot of here!). My host-dad is also very kind but isn´t around as much because he owns a restaurant in the city and is very busy with it! He´s easy to talk to and helpful as-well. The children are both very sweet and they took to me very quickly. The baby tries to crawl into my room in the morning, it´s very cute. Pascuala is always wanting to brush my hair or play with my iPod! WHAT I´VE BEEN UP TO: I haven´t done a whole lot of exploring or photo-taking yet. Monday night I went with my host-parents to a party that my host-dad put on at his restaurant for the Birthday of his cousin. The food was absolutely, positively amazing! ...I got a little bit tipsy off a drink called Pisco Sour and stuffed myself with fresh guacamole, arrepas and tequenos. The arrepas and tequenos are actually Venezuelan foods, that I am familiar with, and my host-dad cooked them for his cousin because she lived in Venezuela many years and misses their food. I socialized with a lot of people and was greeted with a kiss on the cheek by every single person that arrived....a Chilean custom! (it was the same in Venezuela too!) Today I took a taxi to the mall with an American friend. It was a cute mall, small with inexpensive shops! I bought a very cute (and cheap!) summer dress to wear here. Very nice.So that´s a little catch-up on what´s been happening here! This weekend I´m spending some time in a southern city called Concepcion to visit a chilean friend I know from Maine! (It´s such a small world!) It will be my first time taking a bus cross-country as the commute is 6 hours. Expect more photos!I miss everyone! Love,Michele