Upon our return from Bariloche, after spending over 13 hours in the right car, we awaited Cony's PSU results. (PSU: their version of the SATs, only here the results hold much more importance, as they are almost the only deciding factor when the Universities choose students). Long story short, Cony scored a few points lower that she had hoped to - the score she needed in order to make it into med school in the Universidad Católica de Santiago, the best university in S America. So, after a couple days of very uncomfortable drama in the house, Cony applied to the same university but going into engineering/business instead (which her scored surpassed by a long shot).
She (and all the other Chilean university applicants) had 2 days after getting their results to make their decision on where they wanted to study, and where. During that process Cony explored the option of going to study in B.A., Argentina, where the education is free, and they don't require a test to get in - also for foreigners. Naturally, that caught my interest! I almost jump right into the student visa and university application processes as the fiscal year starts in March, but soon realized that I would need to return to the U.S. For an interview, in order to get my visa. ...but it's a really great option for when the time comes...!
For New Years Eve we had a nice dinner with some friends, then went out to see the town fireworks, and then I went to join some old friends for a calm welcoming-in of 2015, while most of the other youngsters in Linares went out to a huuuge New Years party.
It was a cold (rare), calm night, and finally at 7:30am Cony and I decided to go home...having to bring Seba as well, as arriving at the house separately was not an option. Seba, being the only one with alcohol still in his system, and a lot of it, made leaving difficult. One uncomfortable thing led to another, and January 1st turned out to be hopefully the hardest day of the upcoming year. We all came out relatively okay, thank goodness!
I decided it was high time to be leaving Linares, and eventually Chile in general, so I made plans...or rather, I bought a bus ticket 24hours north into the desert, and left the rest open, as is my preferred way to travel.
Due to various tensions within the family, our goodbye didn't go as well as I hoped, and left me feeling a bit rattled and empty. But I know that it is all temporary and things will get better with time, but it's still not nice leaving friends who you know you won't see for white a while with a sour taste in your mouth...
On Jan. 5th at 17h I got on a bus from Santiago (1,400km northbound) to Antofagasta, the largest city in Northern Chile, and the capital of the 2nd region. I arrived today, Jan. 6th, at 13h, and quickly got on a bus for another 6 hours (NW) to San Pedro de Atacama! ...a few days in the Chilean desert!
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