Victories: Build Me A Triumphal Arch with Toothpaste and a Microwave on Top

I have figured out the money, more or less. 500 pesos is about 1 dollar, and it costs only 470 pesos to get from Viña to Valpo in the bus. Fantastico. I also bought socks and toothpaste yesterday, how wonderful! The socks were a bit pricey, about 6 bucks a pop, but they have wool in them and I wasn’t about to complain. It is about 40 degrees here and humid, so I’m a bit chilly. I also successfully learned how to operate the shower today (you have to turn on a pilot light for the heater before any water will heat in the apartment) and horror of horrors, they leave the window in the bathroom wide open, literally blowing clammy cold air directly into the shower. I closed it for my shower and opened it again later to air out the steam. My host mom gently insisted that I borrow her hair dryer so I didn’t freeze to death. I am very grateful. They say summer starts in September… This morning I was awake quite early, thanks to jet lag. Everyone else was sleeping in on a Saturday morning, so I thought I would take care of myself like the big girl I am and find breakfast. My most important goal was tea – nothing better to warm up the hands. Only problem was, I had not yet been instructed how to turn on the gas stove or how to get the microwave to work. I opted to mess with the microwave more stubbornly after several failed explorations since it would be harder to blow up the house with and succeeded in heating water! This all sounds pathetic on paper, but let me tell you, I feel empowered and ready for crazy buses, getting lost in foreign countries, and speaking a new language. I can heat water, after all. PS: I met my host mom's boyfriend, who is a vet for racehorses at the sports club nearby. 750 horses under his care. He seems nice, he used to host international students too. PPS: Tomorrow I'm going to church with Mollie, I will get on a Micro (bus)and hope for the best.