These first few days have been filled with experiences, new people, and Chile. Although I am adjusting, and I think quite well, I am still nervious a bit. Before I left Vancouver, it was about the beginning of my Chilean experience. Now that the experiencee started - so far, so good - my nerviousness switched focus. I am now thinking about next week. This week I am "safe" in Santiago, studying Spanish while living with a woman (room and board, as part of the arrangement with the school) who is wonderful - directs me around and cooks. After this week, however, I am leaving Santiago and heading south. There, I am on my own - just myself, my bike, Barney, and a big unknown Chile. Not to mention the fact that even though I really minimized my packing gear, it feels awfully heavy. And the mountains are high... and Barney is not much help.

Despite all my moments of nerviousness, I have already seen quite a bit - places, people, and the Chilean lifestyle. Santiago is the center of the country, with about third of the population living in this city. Which means that it is probably more affluent than most of the country... although I might be wrong. And, looking back at my life in Vancouver, I know that I have a great life. In Chile, I would be considered upper-middle class, and perhaps even a bit more. Definitely puts a lot in perspective for me; I have a feeling there will be more as time goes by.

There are lots of dogs here, and many of them are apparently homeless. They are almost everywhere, including the biggest streets and the various neighbourhoods. They either sleep, or wander around looking for food. Some of them are absolutely beautiful... luckily, I am on a bike, otherwise I would have had to take a few with me. What sustains me, in this area, is the knowledge that I will be taking a dog once I am back in Vancouver.

One interesting thing is what my current knowledge of Spanish forces me into. See, I don´t yet know past tense or future tense in Spanish, and am therefore forced to be in the present (tense). It is an interesting experience, to try and converse from the point of view of "only right now." So far, except of my occasional worries - too much to carry, how will I find this or that place, where do I buy food - I am definitely being present, in the present, in the now. Nada mas.