Santiago

I arrived in Santiago on Wednesday safely but two of my bags decided to stay behind in Michigan. The plane that took me from Detroit to Toronto was very small so all of the luggage didn't fit in the cargo area. Instead of making the trip to Toronto with me, my bags went from Detroit to Chicago to Miami and then finally to Santiago. Both of my bags were delivered to me at Claudio's house on Friday night at 11pm. Needless to say, I am so happy that all my belongings are back in my possession.

I have been very busy since I arrived in Santiago. Claudio and I went for a hike on Wednesday outside of Santiago, although the views of the city are very poor due to the smog. The smog is so terrible that the schools won't let the children practice sports some days. On Thursday we went down town to the market and met up with some friends for lunch. In the evening we went to a concert with live dancers and very traditional chilean music. It was beautiful! And today we went climbing at in Maipo Canyon with Miguel and Natalia. It was a wonderful day and I'm so happy to be out hiking and climbing again!

And tomorrow, I will attend my first protest in Chile! I'm very excited to support the people in protest of several dams that the government will be building in Chile. There is so much that I want to write about but my internet time is very limited. Hopefully I can share more tomorrow, including details from the protest. Until then, I hope all of my family and friends are doing well! Sending love and hugs to all!