Updates.

So it's been a year since Aneya and I went to live in Santiago, Chile, and six months since we parted ways. Since then we've started our own blogs. Below you can find the links to our respective blogs and check out what we've been up to in the past six months we've been away.

Aneya has gone back to Las Vegas, is attending school, writing, freelancing (sometimes for me!) and, as always, traveling. Aneya writes about life in Sin City on her blog The Chronicles of Aneya.

I moved back to Los Angeles, did some crime reporting/geocoding, then moved back after I got a job as the editor of an English-speaking magazine in Santiago. I just started blogging from here, and will post more on life and my experiences in Santiago, Chile at Chile Part II.

Here's a sample from Aneya's latest post from Chronicles, a reflection of the writing and adventures we had in Chile:

"I spent the first 6 months of the year in Chile, with my friend and fellow writer, Lauren. We blogged daily about our adventures, and by god there were many. We survived earthquakes, aftershocks, post traumatic stress, possible tsunamis, chronic unemployment, illness, theft and, perhaps worst of all- heartbreak. All in the span of 6 months. In a country we'd never stepped foot in, where we knew virtually no one, where everything we did- from getting an apartment to catching a bus- was new to us."

-- Lauren

Aneya & Lauren: What We're Reading.

Note: In Cold Blood, by Truman Capote, is noticeable absent from our collection. We recently gave it to Stephen to read (since he was laboring through Infinite Jest, and needed a break).

Aneya: One of the first things Lauren and I bonded over, way back when, was our mutual love of books. Although our tastes vary, we both share a love of reading, and we've been trading books back and forth for years. It all started with our love affair with David Sedaris (who we eventually saw, live at UCLA, which, without a doubt, was one of the best readings I have ever been to in my life. My face literally hurt from laughing so much).

Lauren: That was an amazing reading, and as you can see a copy of Me Talk Pretty One Day is among the books we towed down here and it will definitely make the journey back to the States. Aneya and I both love reading, and we try to trade not just books, but interesting articles we find, and good newsy websites.

Aneya: When we realized we were moving to Chile, we each brought a few books with us, which we quickly went through. We went looking for English bookstore but they were few and far between. Plus, each book cost a fortune! We begged our parents to send us more, and they obliged. Pictured above is the collection we've accumulated so far.

Lauren: ... Minus a few. Books here, paperback English books, cost about $30USD! And Spanish books aren't much cheaper. They're incredibly expensive! And the selection is pitiful, usually "airplane books," some classics, and a lot of Allende (part of the above collection, which I soon discovered I was not a big fan of).

Aneya: We thought I'd be a fun idea to let you all know what we're reading at the moment. We have quite the eclectic collection (as you can tell) and it'll be interesting to go back through books we've already read and recall how we felt about them.

Lauren: Which is pretty much what we do over lunch/dinner anyway. We fill each other in on the news the other missed, and tell each other how we feel about each other's books. It's almost like a tradition now.

We've been doing so much reading since we've gotten down here. Anything in English that we can get our hands on or that our parents generously send us. If it's in English, we read it. And some Spanish. We'll be doing these weekly posts on what books, magazines, news clips we're reading and if you see something we should see, please send it our way via comments.

Aneya: All this is to say that you can look forward to weekly book reviews, every Wednesday, starting next week!

-- Aneya & Lauren

Aneya & Lauren: Tutoring.

Lauren: So, since Aneya and I have had trouble finding consistent employment, we've chosen to take matters into our own hands: We're starting our own tutoring lessons.

Aneya: Basically, we're becoming entrepreneurs and starting our own business. Because you know what? We can't wait around forever for someone to hire us! We've been here three months, and I taught one class! Lauren has taught none! We've had enough.

Lauren: It started a few months ago, when I put in a call to our new friend Carl, who is from the states, telling him of my inability to find a job. A few months later, he found two friends of his that wanted private English classes, and I met up with them in the Plaza de Armas. I had no teaching background, so Aneya seemed like the perfect partner. We're starting our classes today.

Aneya: I am honestly so happy to have steady employment now. Not that I didn't enjoy all the traveling and sight seeing we've had the privilege of doing the past few months. That was all great. We've met so many amazing people, had incredible, life changing experiences. But then again, the downtime was getting to be a bit much. There's only so much internet surfing you can do. And, I completed a special course, got certified and came down here specifically to teach!

Lauren: Before we left, everyone said we'd step off the plane speaking English and be hired on the spot, right there on the tarmac. This however was not how things played out. We've been searching in earnest for employment for months, albeit doing some traveling as well. Now we're on the road to our own business! We've got the whiteboard, flashcards, and the first two lesson plans, and, courtesy of Andy Franks, a fancy flyer to spread around the streets of Santiago.

Aneya: I know! Everyone was like, "Oh, just say hello and they'll hire you!" That was not the case. To be fair, a major earthquake did hit in the height of hiring season, and for weeks afterwards the entire country was on hold. But we really did try! (Mom, I'm talking to you! We did!) But nothing was sticking. And now we're all set to go! Andy- that poster is amazing, a big shout out to Mr.Franks for making it happen!

Lauren: At first, I didn't come to Santiago thinking I would be teaching English, but in speaking with people who have learned English and now using my own second language on a daily basis, I can see what doors another language opens for people and I'm excited to help people speak with their relatives, be more marketable at work, and just be able to communicate with more people.

-- Aneya & Lauren

Photo credit: Andy Franks