"A todos, a vosotros"

To everyone, to you.

That's the title of a poem by Pablo Neruda, a communist writer and great poet from the lovely country I will be spending this semester in, Chile!

The majority of my time will be spent in Arica, a small city in the northernmost part of Chile and also the Atacama desert--the driest desert on earth! You might be thinking, desert=dry and totally lame, but fyi, the Atacama is home to some sweet mountains and volcanoes, but most importantly...VICUNAS (see top of page), adorable llama-like animals that better live in my backyard, or I'm asking for a refund.

With my program, I'll also be making a few excursions to southern Chile and Peru to study some of the native cultures. In the last month of the program, I'll be conducting an independent study research project in either Arica, or another city, yet to be determined!

I just watched The Motorcycle Diaries (must watch) so I'm full of idealistic fantasy and more anxious than ever to get into South America. Tuesday I fly (standby...should be interesting) to Santiago, where I will spend a week with a nice lady named Barbara and her son Carlitos exploring the capital city, which is conveniently perched next to/in? the Andes.

(Ignore the next section Mom and Dad):
Those are really all of my plans to date. If you don't know me, you should know, my planning skills are still maturing and often include a little improv, but hark!, I am equipped with some good readings for possible layovers and long bus rides. These include The Essential Neruda, Life of Pi, Siddhartha, and of course, the Chilean public health standards, which definitely deserve a slow clap.

So, if you are reading for scandals in Chile as my bold title alludes, I'll try to keep it interesting; otherwise, enjoy my sporadic, choppy, very grammatically incorrect life documentation.