Well, I have only been in Chile for 2 days and already I have noticed 2 things. One, my Spanish is in worse shape than I thought, and two, I am going to be forced to come out of this experience speaking Spanish. Two hours after getting off the plane in Temuco, my Aunt left me alone with the maid, yes we have a maid, and told us to have a conversation. It was a very short conversation. I have been told that I have wonderful pronunciation with the words I do know, but that is a rather short list. On man told me that all I have to do is tell people that I don´t talk much, but I understand everything, and with my good accent they´ll actually believe me. This will keep people from saying mean things in front of me. I think it´s a great idea. My family is doing a wonderful job making sure that I am getting adjusted to life here a little before I really start working. Right now we´re taking a couple days to vacation in Valdivia before my cousins, Jack (9), and Will (3), start school on Monday. It´s wonderful to be in late summer again, but I keep reminding myself that it will be winter again soon enough. My first opinion of life in Chile, or at least my Aunt and Uncle´s life in Chile, is that it´s a lot like college. The culture is more of a collectivist culture, which is very different from what we´re used to in the states. My Aunt´s best friends is also their maid, and she and her husband are usually around all day. They have a small group of friends who hang out with each other all the time, often into the wee hours of the morning. It definitely reminds me of my friends and I in college. It´s pretty much awesome. I haven´t met all the members of this ¨family¨ yet, but I´m already hearing stories. If you think my family is red-neck, we´re nothing compared to some of their friends. Though I´m still in the tourist stage of my trip, I´m awaiting the time when, as my Aunt says, you start to wonder why nothing in this crazy country works. All, in all, it´s been a fun two days, though I do miss my friends, family, and of course, LOST.