Pausing on a Sunday

First, more fun with Chilean slang:

fome - boring
¡al tiro! ("to the shot") - right away!
¡al seco! ("'til it's dry!") - drink it all!
ramo ("branch") - course or class
hacer una vaca ("to make a cow") - to chip in money for something

After a weekend salsa dancing with the girls in a discoteca, walking up and down Viña with Felipe (my new Chilean friend who I just met through a language interchange program), wandering through streets that were colorful with the balloons, bubbles, and pinwheels of El Día de los Niños ("Children's Day"), and sharing a four-course Sunday meal and several cups of tea with my host family and their relatives, I'm ready for classes to start. I'll be up bright and early tomorrow morning to start navigating my way through the complicated week ahead.

Since the international students are not part of any set academic track, it's a little bit complicated to register across disciplines for courses, so we end up showing up to tons of classes, pick and choose the ones we like, and then sign up officially at the end of the month. Monday's candidates are History of Chile, Chile in the 19th Century (I'm going to see which one I like better), and Choral Practical (which I'm really excited about, since it's singing + Latin American culture, although I'm not sure if I'm eligible to take it). They're all in different buildings spread out across the two cities (in castles, on hilltops, near plazas - I feel like I'm navigating a misty medieval world) so there's a good chance I'll get desperately lost by the end of tomorrow. *gulp* Wish me luck!