Valdivia!

I have finally arrived to my final destination for the next few months...Valdivia! The past 24 hours have been exhausting but filled with lots of new things. Timing worked out wonderfully and Jon was able to meet me to take me to my bus in Santiago. I felt 1000 times better being put on the bus by him as opposed to lugging my copious amounts of belongings through the city, with no one to see me off. Although we only got about an hour with each other, it was exactly what I needed. Man, I love that guy:)
I left Santiago at 8:30pm last night for an 11 hour bus ride to Valdivia. The bus was shockingly great! My seat was in the front row, on the upper deck. It was a pretty cool view, even though it was dark out. The seats were comfortable and could pretty much recline all the way down. The Condor staff was also incredibly nice. They give you a pillow and blanket but instead of coldly handing it to you or charging you $5, they gently fluff the pillow, put it behind your head, and practically tuck you in with your blanket. With this great setup, I thankfully slept for most of my trip. I woke up to an early morning filled with rain. Apparently it rains a LOT in Valdivia and in this general vacinity. When I arrived to the city, I got off the bus hoping that the person I was supposed to be meeting (Marcelo) would be able to pick me out. Never seeing each other before, I thought this may be hard, but then I figured that being a gringa, I stick out like a sore thumb. Well, I was right. He find me easy peasy. Marcelo is a faculty member at the Universidad Austral de Chile where I will be working on my project. He has been incredibly kind and helpful, emailing back and forth with me even though my spanish is terrible. After the bus, he drove me around the city, made sure I had everything I needed, and introdcued me to my new house.
I now am 1 of 3 students living in the nicest, cutest pension. It is conveniently directly across the street from the university. It is quiet, pretty, and the perfec place for me. My room is also really comfortable. I have plenty of space, a desk overlooking the field, a cozy bed, and even a cute little reading chair. My clost here is twice the size of mine at home too! Other than my room, the rest of the house is adorable. It is two stories and is just filled with charm. My new house "mom" is named Mariana and is very sweet. At first, I was freaking out about how fast her and Marcelo speak, but it already has gotten better. I am realizing that I just have to take it slow, ask for help, and listen as much as possible. They even said that I was doing well...I'll take it! The other two people that live here are both students. One from Puerto Rico, and one from the U.S. Having someone else in my same shoes makes me feel a thousand times better. It looks like we will have to help each other a lot.
I really love my living situation here so far. Everyone is nice, and it feels like a little family. Meals are eaten together which allows for a lot of conversation. I LOVE how chileans eat too! Our biggest meal was lunch, which consisted of delicious food made on the wood stove. It made it feel cozier in a weird way. Instead of dinner, we just had what they call "Once" (ohn-say).  It felt very European because it consisted of bread with some meats, cheeses, ham spread, and mashed avocado. To wash it done, was the steaming hot tea. By the time we sat down, half of my body was shivvering because of the temp here. Having no central heat will take some getting used to. The house is heated by a wood stove, which makes it seem more hardcore:) Anyways, the hot tea was perfect. This was a nice meal to end the day because we all just sat and chatted, learned new and random words, and got to know each other. I also brought my house mom wild rice from Minnesota which I think she thought was great.
Overall, a great day. The thing I was freaking out the most about before I left for Chile was my arrival here. I was afraid to be here alone, meet who I would be living with, meet who I would be working with, and try and stay afloat on the language boat. So far, I will chalk this day up as successful. I think I am going to like it here. I actually think I am going to love it here. I guess I will have to revisit this thought on monday when I actually start work, but hopefully it only gets better from here.
Tomorrow is going to be more exploring day. I am sure I will have plenty to talk about:)

See ya dudes.