coming along

I have been in Chile for a week and a half now. The language is coming along, not as quickly as I would like, but it is coming along. My Chilean mom and I have had a little bit of trouble communicating because of the language barrier. She is so sweet and I feel bad that I can't understand everything she is saying. The first day we met she was telling me about the government and history of Chile. Well, I understood that she was talking about history and the government but I some how concluded that she was talking about what her husband used to do before he retired. I was under the impression that he worked for the government and had a pretty high profile job. I asked Ale, in english, more about what her dad did when she and I were alone later on. I told her what I thought her mom had told me and was asking detailed questions about it. She just laughed and laughed. She was like, "I can't leave you and my mom alone together to talk. Today my dad was the president, tomorrow you will make him the pope." It was pretty funny. Madre kept laughing too. So now that is the running joke around here. When Madre and I talk without Ale interpretting she swings by to make sure we are speaking about the same things. We are getting better though. She knows more english than she thought and I know more spanish than I thought. With the use of a dictionary and gestures I think we get the basic idea of what page the other person is on.

I have another funny story about how I need to learn spanish. Yesterday Madre came downstairs in the morning and I was all dressed and ready to go because I got up early to study. Normally they come downstairs and have breakfast ready for when I wake up and then I get to eat it in bed (I am so spoiled, they know it and I know it). Well because I was up she thought I had already eaten breakfast and asked if I wanted more. I thought she was asking me if I wanted to eat. So I said yes and she made me a big ol' bowl of oatmeal. It was very tasty, but then Ale came downstairs and made me more food cause I had only eaten oatmeal. I think that Chileans believe we have a whole breakfast of pancakes and eggs and bacon and the works for breakfast everyday. I don't mind a bigger breakfast though cause then I don't get hungry at school and snacking is never on my mind. All in all I think I ended up eating enough for the whole household. And then if that wasn't enough I ended up getting two 'onces' too some how cause I can't understand what I am saying. They ask if I want to eat and all I understand is the word eat and so I think they are asking if I already ate. Not always the case. They are so good to me though. They are the best family away from my family that I could even have.

Ale is going to try for a natural birth and was talking about essentail oils and things. I whipped out mine. She just kept saying how cool they all were and she wants tips on kinds to get to help with labor. I sure don't know. Any suggestions??? That is brave. If I have kids I plan on having epidurals just as soon as they will let me. Go modern day medicine!

On a medical note and just to let you all know that I have not changed at all I will tell you I had my first normal bowl movement in Chile today! Hooray! It was followed by a super not normal episode though. Someday I will get used to the water. Someday