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Hello again!
You may have noticed a surge in photos on my blog, that is because I finally have a computer! If you didn't notice well you should go check them all out, sorry if its a bit overwhelming.
I've had an eventful last week and a half. Last Wednesday we traveled to Santaigo to watch Chile's national team play Argentina's national team in soccer. As they border each other, there is quite a rivalry between the two countries so this was quite the anticipated game. Argentina was favored to win easily in this game but that didn't stop the Chileans from coming out in force to support their team. We had great seats, 13th row, right in the center of the field. It was really fun to be so close to the action and I found I was actually watching most of the game because I could see so much better. From the start Chile was playing great, we scored the first goal and were out playing Argentina the whole time. In the end we pulled off a 1-0 victoy. It was the first time in 88 years that our top team has beat their top team and the fans were going crazy. It was such an intense celebration afterwards and I was so glad to be in the middle of it. Driving home their were crowds of people celebrating in the streets, people drove around honking their horns and waving Chilean flags and everyone was in a great mood. It was the most intense display of national pride I have ever seen, and it was cool to see the country come together like that.
The next day 12 people from my group and I boarded a bus and drove for 8 hours to Mendoza, Argentina. It is a small border town in the Andes mountains known for its chocolate and meat. The trip was so much fun and I loved almost every moment of it. We did a biking wine tasting tour, went whitewater rafting, mountian biking and canopying (a series of zip lines). My favorite activity was probably moutnain biking, even though it was the scariest in my opinion. The views we saw were so amazing, I am in love with the Andes mountains now. Unfortunately I didn't bring my camera along on the biking so I have no pictures to show it, but believe me the scenery was fantastic.
We also went to an amazing buffet restaurant in Mendoza. I had some of the best Argentinian beef, as well as pork and ribs. It was delicious. Another really fun part about being in Mendoza was hearing a different type of Spanish. Chileans are known for having really awful spanish. They speak very quickly, drop letters off the end and have lots of slang. When we talked to the Argentinians we understood them so much better. It was really cool to discover that we really are learning something while we're here. I felt much more confident with my spanish skills while I was there.
Last week I began my service learning work. I am working at a small private Brittish school a few blocks from my house, coaching 1st and 2nd grade girls in field hockey. You might be wondering, "when did Katelyn start playing field hockey?" The answer is never, I know nothing about it, but neither do the first and second graders, so it all works out. I assist another coach and spend a lot of time just getting the girls to focus and taking them to the bathroom. But they are all really sweet and give me lots of hugs. Its a nice way to practice my spanish and I'm learning a new sport too! My favorite part about it is that the girls call me "Miss Katelyn" or just "Miss" its so adorable.
After doing all of this traveling I am sad to realize that my trip is almost half over! I am not ready to go back yet, not even close. I love all the new experiences I get to have every week and it is really fun to challenge myself out of my comfort zone. My language is improving so much and I am learning a lot about myself and the world. I am loving things so much that I've decided to extend my stay here by another week. I will go to Bolivia with my parents and Nathan to visit Andy and then my friend Chelsea and I plan to go to Peru to visit Machu Picchu (hopefully with Andy if he can make the dates work) and will return to Minnesota on January 8th, just in time to go back to school on the 11th. Though my time at home will be short, I am excited for my adventures. You only study abroad once right? I'm sorry if I don't see you in the few days that I am home, but you'll just have to come visit me up at St. Ben's if you want to see me, its a great place to visit!
Thanks for following my travels, I love hearing from all of you!
Love,
Katelyn
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