Passing time

I have finished 8 weeks of my internship now, 11 more to go! (2x 2 weeks holiday in between those weeks) So in that way time has passed quickly I believe. My spanish has improved a lot which is so great, main reason I came here of course. Overall all is going well here, been ill the last few days, so didn't go to work for 2 days, but will definitely be back on Monday. 

I have been doing sports 2/3 times a week, which has been nice, usually two weeknights (usually with my roommates) to the gym in our building and once a weekend, going for a run outside. This morning it had rained, and to go running after the rain is the best, because then there's the least smog. One thing I will definitely not miss when going back to Holland, is the amount of looks/attention I get. A blonde girl running... Every guy looks, every second guy says hi, every third guy whistles, every third car slows down, and many cars full on brake in the middle of the road to make sure you can pass their car. Very surreal... and highly annoying. (okay some people might say flattering, but if you experience it every time, then not so much.) So to just be running in peace, with no one looking at me, yes that's something I'm looking forward to! 

The last two weeks have been a bit colder again, but the days are getting longer and next weekend the clock goes one hour forward, so summer time is definitely coming nearer! I have been getting to know people better which is nice, went to a theatre last weekend, which was a good way to test my spanish, and okay I couldn't follow every sentence, but definitely understood everything generally haha. I had a work BBQ last wednesday, good way to relax with the colleagues I share an office with every day. Just the 7 of us and their partners, they are a great laugh. I can follow most of the conversation, but overall it goes very very fast and so before I can even think of something to say to participate in a conversation, already the next topic has started. So this can be hard, but I have just been thinking that it's quite interesting experiencing this role of just being a listener to a conversation, as many of you know usually I'm quite a loud mouth, so maybe I'll learn something of taking on this role. (or maybe not haha) But it's definitely another experience! 

I've also just been realising during this time away how great my friends are back home, which is why it's probably harder to find something similar here in Chile, because you don't just find friends like that. I've been in contact with them lots, which has been great! Also Philip and I are still going really great, our weekly skype is still definitely one our weekly highlights and it'll just be really nice to show him everything when he gets here. So yes nothing to complain about really, like the Dutch say: Alles gaat z'n gangetje :)

SUN!

So to start this post off I just want to show my excitement about it having been hot these last few days!!! My face even got burned yesterday, so so exciting haha! Something I'm not sure I've mentioned is that of course it's winter here, which generally means around 15 degrees each day, sometimes around 20, but it only reaches that around 4pm and then the sun goes down pretty quick. Now this weekend it's between 25 to 28 degrees! So nice to feel the sun burning on my face again! Been a while!
That's the main thing the internationals complain about. How cold the houses are during the winter. The houses are barely insulated and so unless you continuously have the heater on, which no one has as it's expensive, it's very cold, so you sleep with a hot water bottle, many many blankets and jumper, long trousers etc. But luckily it's getting warmer so that's exciting!

Something that is very easy in Chile, which has always been a bit of a hassle in Holland, is the way of greeting. You just kiss everyone on the right cheek, when you meet them for the first time and then afterwards always when you see them and when you leave them, you kiss them. SO EASY. Whereas in Holland it's like only if you haven't seen someone for a couple of weeks you kiss them 3 times and then only if you don't normally just give them a hug and if you don't normally do that either, you might just shake their hand or you just wave... Very confusing.

So these last twee weeks have been good! My birthday was much better than expected. I was surprised by work with a personally made cake and some singing and a decorated desk, so that was lovely! Also my biblestudy at night was fun:) Still expecting quite a few letters and packages which have been sent, so I'm looking forward to them, but it takes a month if not 1.5 months, so that's annoying. Then the following night, the 7th, I got surprised by my biblestudy group and some other friends with a surprise party which Mirva, my Finnish roommate had organised, so that was super lovely!!! Had a great night.

The weekend passed pretty quickly and then I was at work again. Work has been quite boring, doing market research every day just filtering information, but I just mix it up a bit with learning some Spanish and using facebook and whatsapp as I shouldn't be doing it too quick anyway as otherwise there might be issue again of needing to think of a new task haha. So yes the days go quite slow, 9.5 hours is a long time each time, but overall my time here goes pretty quickly I think! Lots of things to look forward to from half September onwards which is exciting, so that keeps me going! We will have the national public holidays for 4 days, which is one big feast like Queensday. The following weekend a friend who is doing her internship in Brazil will visit me and the weekend after, first weekend of October, Philip will come for 2.5 weeks! Can't wait!

Friday we also had a public holiday, so an English girl who is new in Chile and came to the church I go to and I went to Valparaiso again for two days. That was really nice and the second day we just spent on the beach which was great!! Today 28 degrees so will definitely be sunbathing a bit more, before I'm back to work again with which I don't see any sun for 5 days.

I got surprised by one of my beautiful best friends Georgia with flowers on my birthday!

Valparaiso

One of the  25 best ice cream places in the world!

1 month

So I'm now 1 month in Chile. So far it's definitely been an interesting experience. Interesting to see the difference in culture and the differences between a city such as Santiago or a small city such as Arnhem or town Geldermalsen. So far I still wouldn't say I'm loving it, but like I said in my previous post, that would require stronger friendships I think.

I had a difficult week in my 3rd week. I was quite emotional a couple of times and the weekend away got cancelled once again which was just frustrating as I was once again left with the concept of what shall I do this weekend... Luckily I was able to meet up with some friends from church and I got to know my new roommate Mirva, from Finland, a lot better which was nice, so still the weekend went quickly and it was nice to get to know some people better. Something that has just been quite difficult is the moments that I'm with a group of people at work or outside of work and they all speak Spanish. I can follow kind of the gist of the conversation, but I can't contribute to it, so I just stand there smiling for most of the time. At those times I just feel lonely although I'm with a group of people. So I find that hard, but at the same time I think to myself, if that's just what I have to do a couple of times a week (e.g. lunchtimes at work) for 6 months, then that's what I got to do, I can easily survive that haha. But yes at those times I just miss my friends back home a lot.

During that week I knew the next week (this week) would be much better as I would be moving to my new room and I would go snowboarding, so definitely something to look forward to. On top of that on Wednesday I got given a task at work which will take me a couple of weeks to do which is exciting as that makes going to work so much better! I have to do market research. The purpose of this market research is to research the Chilean hospital market and to identify all the products that the top 3 hospitals have which Droguería Hofmann sells as well. With that information, it can be seen which products they buy from Droguería Hofmann and which products the hospitals buy from Droguería Hofmann´s competitors. This shows Droguería Hofmann, my work, their market potential. As there's an online software that my work has access to, which shows all the sales in the public healthcare market, I just need to really filter that information and make it into a good accessible excel file etc. 

I also discovered that because I arrive at work at 8am and leave at 5.30pm, with only half an hour of break, I would be working much more than the 840 hours that we have in my contract for 21 weeks. I would be doing 955 hours in those 21 weeks instead, so that would mean I'd be working around 2 weeks too much. Now that's not a really big problem of course but that gave me the idea that maybe there is a possibility I can join my parents more throughout their time in South America, and we have now indeed planned that I'm joining them those two weeks that they are travelling! We will be going to Lima, Peru, doing to Inca trail to Macchu Picchu, seeing Santiago and seeing the Iguazu Fall on the border of Argentina/Brazil, and I will then fly back to Santiago, and my parents will have a last weekend together in Rio de Janeiro. As Philip will come in the first two weeks of October and I will join my parents the last two weeks of November and I leave Chile the 13th of December, those last months will fly by! 

So yes this week has been a lot better, my move went well and I feel at home and my room is nice and warm instead of sleeping in a full tracksuit with jumper etc, so that means I sleep better as well. Snowboarding with two girls from church yesterday, Teresa from Chile and Kate from New Zealand, was very fun as well and was a nice birthday treat for myself haha. Wednesday is my birthday, but don't have anything special planned, just work and at night the biblestudy which is always nice. I will bring cake to both, the way the Dutch people do haha, so I'm sure it'll be a nice day.