Blah.

It's pouring outside my apartment window. Oh another grey day in Santiago. What do I miss most about home right now? The sweet warmth of summertime and those blue skies that generally accompany it and of course, all my friends and family. Yesterday was a pretty big day in Hawkeye football, I've heard. As of today, in the southern hemisphere, I've been living in Chile for a few days short of two weeks, however, it feels like much longer than that. I'm still trying to adjust to the huge amount of smoke that fills the bars and restaurants. It seems every Chilean smokes, despite the fact that printed on the bottom of each pack sold, it states: Every year X number (I can't remember the exact number at this moment) of Chileans die from smoking. You could be next. All in Spanish, of course. While watching the Chile v/s Venezuela futbol game last night, I felt like I was in a hot box. My eyes were watering and I could just feel the smoke permeating my skin cells, hair, and clothes.

As homework becomes assigned, my new home is starting to shake that "vacation feel". Still, with only three hours of class each day, excluding Tuesday when we are grooving in our Dances of Latin America class, I have ample free time. Last Thursday, my roommates and I explored the Mercado Central (the fish market) and the block rows of thrift shops. Joe, my roommate, found a sweet Egyptian-inspired, blue-sequin vest, perfect for Halloween. Because some traditions, no matter how far away you are from home, must live on.