Así es la vida

On Friday, I set out to complete the dreaded mission of registering my visa to get my Carnet de identidad (Chilean Identification Card). Since my small city does not have its own PDI* (Policia de Investigaciones de Chile), I had to travel to the nearest city that does: Villarrica.

*Side Note: As a foreigner, you have to go through the PDI (so until you get your carnet de identidad). This is standard, but any Chilean citizen associates the PDI with serious crimes, so expect them to be shocked when you tell them where you are going.

My co-workers at the liceo are all very supportive of one another. It’s such a positive work environment that I get excited to go everyday. That, and I have nothing else to do during the day if I’m not there...While discussing bus tickets yesterday after school in the teachers’ lounge, one of the teachers offered to take me to purchase my ticket and drop me off at home. As we approached the window, he took care of everything. He purchased my ticket (a chivalry thing), asked about all the bus stops to see if I could wait closer to my house, and then showed me where the other bus stop was. It was so kind!

Then my Internet went down. I was mildly terrified because I had no idea how to get to the PDI from the bus station in Villarrica and the EOD volunteer there couldn’t meet me in the morning due to her teaching schedule. I needed Google Maps and I was stranded in my house staring at my computer screen, waiting for the WIFI to work.

When it came back on at 11:45PM, I quickly did my research so as not to miss my window of opportunity.

This morning, I left the house with just enough time to get to the bus station. I didn’t want to admit to anyone that I was planning to walk twice as far as I needed to because I was too afraid to wait at the random bus stop on the street. I mean, what if it didn’t stop like it was supposed to? More security at the terminal, in my mind.

After about 5 blocks, the bus decided to break down. The driver tried everything he could, but it kept stalling. When we made it to the next bus stop, we pulled over and waited for the next bus. This bus was smaller and was packed with 2 busloads of people. I did not have to stand long, however, since many people got off on stops along the way and emptied seats. I enjoyed watching who would get on and off at various campos and towns.

In Villarrica, I quickly discovered that I was destined to get lost. Only major streets had street signs, and even with those, I couldn’t locate where Google told me I needed to go…As I walked around in the rain, sin umbrella (which, of course, my host mom told me to bring), I asked a few people where to go. They pointed me in every different direction. Then, a girl around my age asked me for directions...I explained to her that I was not from the city either, and that I was looking for the PDI. Of all people in that town, she was the one who knew the correct way! I was relieved to arrive at the building, but felt like a wet dog. I just hoped that I had all of the information that I needed.

From that point on, everything went smoothly. After registering my visa, I met up with my friend, the volunteer there, and she showed me around town. We saw the lake and the location of the volcano. The volcano itself was completely hidden behind the fog. What I saw was beautiful, though. We got lunch and chatted about our experiences so far. It was so nice to not only get a dose of veggies, but to speak to another person in English and to share what we were going through with another person who was going through the same thing.

Despite the rain, I returned home in Loncoche feeling refreshed and content. I opened the door to find my host mom cleaning. She had a fire warming the house, with incense added to create a comforting environment. My wet boots and socks were placed near the fire to dry and she asked me about my day. As the teachers joke at school, she is beginning to take on a motherly role with me. As for me, I’m completely okay with.