Eres un gringo?

This is the first question I am asked when I either strike up a conversation with a Chilean or they come up to me (and ask for donations to their college fund...true story). Maybe it's the red beard slowly creeping in or the map that I constantly pull from my pocket to find El Mercado Central y El Museo Precolombiano. When a friend from Luxembourg found out I was from Texas, he lit up and said: "EVERYTHING is bigger in Texas, right??" To which I responded: "and EVERYTHING's smaller in Luxembourg, right?"

The first four days have been a roller coaster to say the least. When moving into a new hostel yesterday the cabbie drove off with 90% of my body still outside the car. Friday night, I was voted off the stage at a karaoke bar because I rendition of "I Shot the Sheriff" did not live up to the Chilean standards. My first meal was a hot dog called the Italiano gigante. It's a huge hot dog (a Chilean favorite) with tomatoes, guacamole, and..wait for it...mayo. Disgusting but I forced myself to finish it. So the following day I went to McDonald's and downed some nuggets and Fanta.

However after all of this I am having a great time. The best time. Saturday we took a trolley up to the top of Cerro San Cristobal, the mountain right in the middle of Santiago and saw some outrageous views. After a rainstorm in Santiago, the smog that famously covers the city clears out and the views are incredible. The Andes are snow-capped and the way the city nestles into the bottom of the mountain resembles Denver in a way and is indescribable. I have a lot more to add but will bullet point some highlights:

- Friday night we had a BBQ on our balcony overlooking the Plaza De Armas. Meat that came from the lung lining of a cow. It was delicious. Also, present was a blind man named Johnny who plays guitar and the harmonica. He was traveling the next day to do a benefit concert in Concepcion and is somewhat of a Chilean celebrity. Or so I was told.
- I have seen some damage from the earthquake. Several museums and government buildings have structural damage on the outside but the mess has yet to be cleaned up.
- Tons and tons of stray dogs. Saw a woman drop a T-bone to one on my first day and then another woman drop a bag of chicken bones which resulted in a feast for several pups.
- Chileans like to talk about the NBA. (My pick: Celtics in 6).
- Ketchup comes in a green bottle and mustard does not taste like mustard.
- DON'T flush the toilet paper!!! It belongs in a trash can next to the toilet.
- Saw a woman breastfeeding her child at El Parque de Santa Lucia today...
- First songs I heard in Santiago playing at my hostel: Tracy Chapman's "Give me One Reason", No Doubt's "Don't Speak" and Shania Twain's, "I feel like a woman." I can't remember the last time I heard any of those songs.
- Word Cup fever is everywhere and I'm loving it. It's the first time Chile's national team has played in the cup since 1998 and they have a favorable draw against Honduras, the Swiss, and..Spain.
- I find out tomorrow what city I will be placed in a get to see a profile of my family!

That's all for now. More to come before I head to the Patagonia next weekend.