La RAJA

Ay caramba, where do I start?! The past few weeks have been pretty kerrrrazy and my memory's just a little bit haaazy...

It all began a couple of fridays ago, with a scrumptious Diwali dinner in the Majestic Hotel's fancy Indian restaurant - wow, curry has never tasted so good after such a lengthy absence from my taste buds. After stuffing ourselves til bursting point, we bundled into a taxi and headed to the buzzing Bellavista neighbourhood for some jaaazzzz. Now, I know what you're thinking - sounds more zzzzzz than jaaaa. In fact, the musicians were not only mega talented, but also well entertaining; at one point there was even some sexual tension between the trompetist and the trombonist! The only bad point came when they charged everyone an entrance fee with the bill instead of before we actually went in - cheeky bastardos.

The following week was just one thing after the next: a Rapture gig, indie clubbing, happy hour caipirinhas, a good ol' fashioned Chilean BBQ, a bizarre drag show, ice creams in the park, a big night out with the "cool kids"... suffice to say a big chunk of my student loan has most likely disappeared and my sleeping pattern still hasn't really recovered.

Things at uni have been a productive as ever - now that one teacher I was "assisting" has pissed off to Spain to do her PhD I have even less work to do, although there do seem to be a lot more students coming to ask me for help - it's good to feel useful every now and then, even if I am a lazy mofo. There have been no riots to speak of for aaages now, but there have been noise bombs and a crazy lady in leopard-skin walking around with a siren attached to a megaphone... I tell ya, this ain't just any old university.

Lo que pasó, pasó...

Maaan, it's hot hot HAWT in Santiago and it's not even the height of summer yet! My flat is slowly turning into an oven - there is a price to pay for the beautiful views provided by floor-to-ceiling windows on the top floor, apparently - and my feet are a lovely shade of pink. Why is it that you always forget to put sun cream on one body part?!

I cannae complain though; this weekend I went to Pichilemu, a coastal town that is part wild wild west, part surfer's paradise. It was wicked to get out of the city for a couple of days, even if it was just a wee bit windier than we expected. Arriving there at midnight after an eventful 4-hour bus journey, which included over-affectionate couples and a singing drunkard standing over me in the aisle, we headed straight out and stumbled on a buenissimo Mexican bar with Simpsons characters spray-painted on the walls and a pool table with balls that just wouldn't stay put. Crazily enough, we ended up in a club playing bangin reggaeton choons and, well... you know the rest.

One of the more surreal moments of my time here so far happened two fridays ago: while celebrating one of the second-years' birthdays with some drinks on the grass near the English department, the whole group suddenly burst into the Spice Girls classic "Wannabe". Shockingly, hearing a dozen chileans singing said girl power anthem didn't exactly fail to make me laugh. A lot. I've also been been getting to know the "cool kids", a great bunch of fourth-year students who are all really "buena onda" i.e. fun to hang out with. They took me out for Halloween, which isn't anywhere near as big here as it is in Blighty (I saw one devil-woman and that was it!). Although it was "diva night", we mainly opted to skip the drag show and get our groove on in the electronica room til 5am.

So yeah, life in Chiiile continues. I haven't exactly been following the arduous gym routine the self-satisfied personal trainer set out for me, and neither have I actually made it to any English Lit. classes or saved the streetkids. I am definitely feeling a lot more settled though, and that is reason to be cheerful, even if I am slowly turning into an avocado...