Off to the Races

Day 3 of being sick: I slept until 12, but what daylight I managed to be awake for I used well. The last couple of days have been fairly mellow. I went for a long walk Monday night and stumbled upon Parque Ecuador and las Ruinas Teatro Enrique Molina. I didn't explore either because it was late and I was trying to get back to Simón's apartment.

Tuesday I looked up different vet clinics and found one across the street. I walked over and asked if I could volunteer/shadow there. The vet was willing, but he doesn't speak English well, so he had to ask his friend to translate what I was looking for. I sent him my curriculum vitae (resmé) and I'm waiting to hear back. In the meantime, Simón asked his friend, Catalina, to ask her English-speaking professor about what I could do as a volunteer. Today, Simón and José brought me to meet the professor at el Club Hípico de Concepción, the Thoroughbred racetrack of Concepción. We got to watch the horses race, which was really cool because it was our first time watching a race like that. 

After the races, the three of us went to the Mall Plaza Trébol, which was HUGE. We hardly saw a fraction of the mall, and there was a rock wall, trees, a little pond, sculptures, a library... We got froyo at YouServ, a self serve froyo bar similar to Yogurt City or Orange Leaf. Afterwards, Simón and I went into the library, where a woman was holding an art exposition. She was demonstrating her art-meets-textile works, though I couldn't understand what she was saying because she spoke too fast. José found us in the library and we decided to go back so José could pick up his girlfriend, Mariana. José and Mariana dropped us off at the apartment, where we met up with another two of Simón's friends to study.

This morning (afternoon?) Simón made breakfast and brought it to me in bed because I was sick. He has the biggest heart <3 For dinner, I made spaghetti with tomato sauce, onions, garlic, oregano, merkén, and jurel (a tuna-like fish from a can). IF YOU HAVE NEVER HAD MERKÉN BEFORE YOU HAVE NOT LIVED. Last night Simón made completos, which is a hot dog on a bun with diced tomatoes (mixed with garlic and a little onion), mashed avocado, ketchup, mustard, and mayo. Without having to work, I'm certainly appreciating the fact that I am able to spend more time on preparing and considering my meals. I'm not sure if my pants are just old and stretchy or if I'm losing weight...but it's only been a week so I think probably the first one. I FEEL really good though (aside from the really awful cold that I have.) I also experienced Turrón today. It's kind of like a candy bar made of egg whites, honey, nuts, and sugar. Someone sold it to Simón while we were stuck in traffic because people just walk between traffic lines selling stuff here... Photos from today are below!

At the track

At the mall

Art Expo