Thoughts on Day Three

I realize that I have been including many superfluous facts in my posts but it helps me to remember how it all happened. I am also working on adding photos to the posts. This week we have been in training at the Univeristy in Santiago every day from about 9-5:30 with a few breaks and an hour for lunch. The days are long and it gets dark early but we are learning a lot and meeting all of the other volunteers. The group is mostly Americans with various other countries represented (Scotland, England, Australia, Bermuda). It's interesting meeting all of these people and then realize that we will all go out and be all over the country with completely different experiences. We find out Thursday the specifics of our placements and transport to them Friday or Saturday.  I want to include a feature of things I miss and new things I enjoy: I miss: --Consistent wireless access (contridictorily, it has been exhilarating not being tied to my iPhone 15+ hours/ day) --Real coffee (they drink Nescafé because beans are in short supply, exported if they do have them) --Obviously my family and friends New things: --The city --Street vendors --Using my Spanish in an authentic context  --Relaxed pace of life - even in the big city restaurants take their time, people do not really run anywhere, overall there is no sense of urgency. I am surprised this does not irritate me more due to my extreme need for punctuality. All of the things I miss are trivial and not obstacles in my experience. The new things are exciting and greatly contribute to my growth experience.