El primer dia

My first day in Chile was awesome. Flying into Santiago, I saw mountains after mountains. It was beautiful. I met my host family today, and they were so sweet and excited to meet me. They are so awesome! My host mom and host brother picked me up and took me back to the house. I also have a host sister. Compared to living where I have in the past, this is so different!
I talked so much Spanish today, which was great. My host family has had some students before but never a girl. I was nervous about my Spanish speaking ability but they said that I am doing great.
We went for a walk around a very small portion of this huge town. We ate ice cream cones as we walked along by the beach. I love talking with my family. My brother had a friend over last night, and it was great to meet and talk with him too. It's great practice talking to people in Spanish. As we were sitting around talking, I.....hold on.....I should back up a minute. Before this trip, I told people that I was not going to be funny in Chile. It's not that I think I am really funny in the U.S.; it's just that I figured my jokes would not work in Chile and I wouldn't know the language well enough. And although I am still learning and will be learning for the next 6 months, I was able to joke around with them last night. They understood and we all laughed. It was a great time.
Today I took 2 placement exams- one written and one oral. My mom had to drop me off at school, and my brother picked me up. This will be the routine for the next couple days or however long it takes to find my way. It is usual for people in Chile to return home for a long lunch period. I have to return to orientation later today. Classes start tomorrow. I am already noticing cultural differences and am excited to learn more.
It is going great. Praise be to God!