Home again, home again, jiggity jig. Here are some of the bullet points of my month back in my home away from home.

THE FAMILY: Upon my arrival in Valdivia, Jacqui (my host mother) asked me whether I liked dogs. When I said yes, she told me, “Good, because we’re thinking of getting a puppy for Manolla.” The idea sounded great but, knowing Jacqui’s tendency to speak of distant plans as if they were to take place tomorrow, I didn’t put much stock in the comment. Imagine my surprise when, 3 hours later, a fluffy ball of white fur that looked more like a large mouse than a dog was rolling around Manolla’s feet. At first I didn’t know whether the little guy was going to make it. Manolla isn’t the gentlest of 7-year-olds, Jacqui doesn’t like dogs, and I , the person who has never owned a dog, was somehow the one who seemed to know most about caring for a puppy. It was a recipe for disaster. However, I’m happy to report that, rather than kicking the bucket, Copito (Snowflake) is still alive and kicking. He spent the majority of his first weeks sleeping, but his energy level is increasing as quickly as his size, and I think in another week or two he might be able to keep up with Manolla.

A delighted Manolla and a slightly terrified Copito in his first minutes in his new home.

THE UNIVERSITY: I’ve been learning from the mistakes I made last semester and, having figured out how to navigate the system (or lack of system), I was able to spend the first few weeks shopping for my ideal four classes. Several potentially interesting classes were nixed for long lists of reading or too many quizzes, in favor of classes like “Film Appreciation.” Always the perfectionist, I am determined to appreciate those movies more than anyone else in the class. Though my courses aren’t homework-free, they are a huge improvement on last semester. Aside from the film class, I’m also taking Contemporary History of Chile, Contemporary Latin American Literature, and Chilean Theater. The majority of my classes only meet once a week, which leaves me plenty of free time to sleep in and hopefully do some volunteer work (which I’ve yet to organize). Fellow gringa Catherine and I are also playing with the women’s soccer team at the university (very fun, though not quite as impressive as it sounds). Unfortunately, I had class the day that Catherine attended the try-outs for the Chilean National Soccer Team.

WEATHER: March was an unbelievable month, with warm, beautiful weather. I spent as much time as possible outside, well aware of the impending doom that was fast approaching. With arrival of April has come the first of the rains…it’s going to be a long winter. Fortunately, I recently purchased an entire sheep’s-worth of wool, and Jacqui has promised to teach me to knit a sweater.

TRAVELS: After a summer of wandering, I’ve been mostly content to relax in Valdivia and live the bum life. I did make a return trip to Curinanco with Catherine and Victor, a small town on the coast near Valdivia that claims a stunning beach and is virtually untouched by tourists. Last weekend, Catherine and I headed to Pucon with the plan of climbing Volcan Villarrica. Our appearance in town made the campground owner’s month and we had our choice of any campsite we wanted. Poor weather conditions kept us off the mountain, and we had to settle for whitewater rafting and bicycling instead. It is a hard life we lead. With all the rain we had on the second day, it was hard to say whether we got more wet paddling down a river or peddling down rural roads.

Two of the new recruits: Catherine and Victor

Curinanco