Another day, another peso

¡Buenas Dias!

Before we begin, please note the utter absurdity of the subject line. The Chilean peso is worth approximately 0.0021691973969631236442516268980477 of a dollar, or a fifth of a cent. Add that to the lack of tax, the cost of international shipping, the different value of products caused by a different supply/demand, and a completely different monetary system, and I can evaluate that this time that I´m paying for in the internet café will cost me: some vaguely defined amount of money that I do not understand, but honestly doesn´t really matter that much, dollars(also an approximation).

At any rate, I wanted to continue with my story from last week of the first bit here in Chile. The flight from Salt lake to LA was in the smallest plane I´ve ever been in, followed by the flight to Chile in the biggest plane I´ve ever been in. Along the way we had many opportunities to talk about the gospel in both English and Spanish, and in our group of 41 we were even able to place a few copies of the Book of Mormon and set up a few commitments to meet with missionaries via the international number.

As we landed in Chile, I was watching very intently out the window to see how different everything was. Sure enough, as I watched in the yellow glare of the airway lights, I glimpsed something moving across the Airway. I let out a chuckle as I realized that the first moving thing I saw in Chile was indeed a dog.

There is a rumor in Chile that Santiago has more dogs than people. I don´t know if that is true or not, but it is rare to go more than 10 seconds(literally, that is no exaggeration) on the streets of my mission without seeing a dog. Every house in Santiago has at least one dog, and everyone here walks with their heads down, not because they are mean people (to the contrary, actually), but because you have to watch your step. You never take of your shoes until you go to bed, and you learn very quickly how to identify which dogs will be trouble and how to avoid them. Most motorists don´t even slow down when they see a dog in the road, because the dogs have learned to move, and if not the general consensus is "oh well, it´s not like we´ve got a shortage". Brutal, but the quality of life for these dogs isn´t that great anyway, so it´s really easier that way.

As we exited the airport I noticed something else. It looked, felt, and seemed almost the same as Utah, even with the mountains in the right places, but the smell of the smog was crazy thick. The Valley is like a Giant bowl, with natural barriers on all sides. This means that all of the pollution, which is heavier than the other gasses, stays in the valley. Santiago has specific limitations on cars here, but in a city of 5.5 million, that means very little.

As we´ve proceeded to meet and greet and learn more about the city, I´ve learned that Chileans have a very unique culture. I don´t have much more time, but next week I´ll send the rest of my observations about the city, and I intend to use the rest of my emails to talk about the work alone, so if you have any questions about Santiago, ask them this week!

Thank you for your letters, prayers, and concern. I hope to hear from you soon!

A Dios, Con Dios!

-Elder Wheelhouse

Next week: Fletes, Fereas, Fiestas, and Finger Sculptures!