i'm getting to know the city better now... thanks to the metro which goes everywhere. the part of santiago in which i live is very modern... might as well be in europe. however a lot of the city is as funky as most other latin cities. matt and i went to a weekly market in the west side closer to the mountains. it was freezing cold and raining, but we still had a good time grocery shopping and eating food from sketchy sidewalk grills. i picked up more long underwear... it's key.
last night a few of us went out to some clubs with killian's room mate and his friend- our first chileans. i was tired from waking up at 7:30 to go class, so i went to sleep at 3:00am, but everyone else was out until 7:00. that's normal, though. the night here starts at 12:00 or 1:00 at lasts until well after the sun is up. the clubs are super fun and it's easy to meet people. still, gringos (that's what they call pretty much any foreigner) must be careful and not drink too much. already two students in my program have had their wallets and cell phones stolen. one of them woke up in a tree planter and couldn't remember who he had been with... i'll make a note to myself not to end up in that situation...