Already a month passed...

I can hardly believe it. I have already been in South America for a month. Spring is starting here, the magnolias are blooming, and it is getting warmer (and sunnier). Some days feel like they are dragging on because I am very dependent on the other lab workers and the daily tasks here.

But I am already feeling more relaxed. Whenever there is not much to do, I learn Spanish, write the blog, go for a walk, or meet people for coffee. I have to say, I really enjoy having the morning for myself and not having to rush out of the house. I leisurely wake up, do some yoga/stretching, and have breakfast while listening to a German podcast. Being in the lab before ten? That's quite stressful. During the day, I stay on Isla Teja because my apartment is 20 minutes away by bike. In the evenings, I attend a Spanish course or go to the gym.

A new country also means trying new things. So I participated in a trail run for the first time. It is a run over very narrow and rugged terrain, with some altitude gain. Super exhausting and even if you are well trained on flat tracks, you quickly reach your limits here. The run was organized by the university on the occasion of an anniversary. You could sign up for different categories, and because we didn't know exactly which category we belonged to, we all signed up for different ones. Before the run, there was a very challenging Zumba warm-up for everyone, which would have been enough as a workout on its own. After the run, we were all exhausted and happy. Then came the big surprise. We exchange students won every category! I had registered as a staff member, so now I have a gold medal, a t-shirt, and a free ticket for the trail run in Pucón. This run is supposed to take place around Villarica and is highly recommended. I'm very lucky because it takes place in the last week that I stay in Chile. So, I have to keep going and train ;). I also attend a dance fitness class here called "Arrow-Attack". A small middle-aged guy, a bit chubby and with a highly energizing aura, turns up the music and goes wild. It's just incredibly infectious, and you feel like at a children's birthday party where you can just bounce around. Even I break a sweat heavily ;D.

Many Chileans make chocolate, cookies, cakes, bread, and everything else themselves and sell it on the street to earn some extra money. A young woman always comes to the lab every week and sells the best granola bars I have ever eaten! And she designs beautiful chocolates and pralines. ("Rayen-Chocolate") She showed me last weekend how to make your own chocolates and decorate them nicely. Huge thanks to her.

And the language?! I have to say, my Spanish is getting better (I think), but it's still pretty bad. That's why I attend a Spanish course at the university and signed up for a language tandem. There are many, many people in Valdivia who want to learn German, so we meet to practice both languages. I have two fixed tandem partners with whom I have lunch or meet up. It's very exciting because we also talk a lot about culture, the education system, and general differences. Gabriel, for example, is a music student and wants to work in Germany later. Music is even more important to the culture here and is closely connected to history. I listen to a lot of music from here, and I really like it. Maybe because Chileans feel their music and the atmosphere is always exuberant.

That's why I attended a concert by Victor Jara, a famous Chilean composer, on the weekend. We sat in a concert hall, and the instruments were mixed. Guitars, flute, drum, cello. A soloist took turns with a choir. As soon as a song started, it felt like the whole hall was singing along. (Or clapping, depending on what was appropriate) At the end of the concert, a traditional dance was performed, and the entire audience was invited to join in. Would that have been possible in Germany at a "classical concert"?

Frieda (October 1)