que te vaya bien!

well, friends, it's my penultimate day in chile. this summer...errr, winter...errr, whatever has been one for the books: first time in south america, visiting brazil with dad and jim, living abroad without family, facing my fear of language-learning head-on, trying chirimoya and other foreign foods, getting my shoes shined, and working in a legal internship. and then there's the things that follow me on every adventure: chasing down buses, talking to anybody and everybody, dancing up a storm, and finding myself in the middle of nowhere without a return plan.

after living in three apartments and two neighborhoods, i'm happy to report that santiago and i are officially pals. i've scoped out every indie cine in the central city and found plenty of cafes and hilltop parks in which to unwind. i imagine that if i were to live here for a year, my santiago-love would only grow. when i get frustrated with my language progress, i start listing words and phrases that i have learned since june. one of my favorites is: que te vaya bien! it roughly translates as "fare thee well" and folks say it all the time: when you're going back to the U.S., leaving on a weekend trip, getting out of a cab, going to the grocery store, leaving the grocery store, making a trip to the restroom...

i've used that phrase a lot this week. sunday, megan took off and i said goodbye to my favorite chilena from church. mike and marie left on tuesday. kristel, wednesday. i said goodbye to alberto yesterday. sarah and work friends, today. and i'm not quite finished. paula and i are going out after spanish class tonight. then camila, melissa, and i will squeeze in one final carrete. tomorrow, roxana and i nos juntaremos before meeting elizabeth (a fellow mormon extranjera who has been studying spanish in santiago for the past two months) for almuerzo.

then it's back to regular life. trading blog entries for last-minute internship interviews and knowledge of all things criminal. thanks for joining me on this adventure. 'til the next time: que te vaya bien!