I am close to completing my first week of living alone in Chile and it has actually gone really well. I am enjoying my apartment and think that I finally have the things I need to get by for the next three months. I have made countless trips to the store this week to buy food and household items such as cleaning supplies and kitchen utensils and I am tired of shopping.

Shopping, cleaning and organizing makes me hungry so I of course had to do a little cooking this week. I was kind of nervous about it but I prepared three good meals and joined in on a number of other meals throughout the week at my teammates houses. It is overwhelming to cook when you have almost no food, no spices and no utensils but we made it work.

My first meal to cover for myself was breakfast. Now I know that breakfast does not seem like that big of deal but I promise, everything takes longer here and if I just eat cereal I will be very hungry before lunch time. So I began by attempting to make a Chilean breakfast like I had been eating at Isabel's. It took more time than I thought it would but it was yummy and sufficient.

On the menu: fresh bread from the store, one side with ham and cheese, the other with butter and jelly, a peach, yogart, coffee with milk and pear juice (I thought it was OJ in the store). The only thing missing was the palta (avocado) and it was too hard to eat.

Next came lunch. I really had the bare minimum of food so I was very limited in what I could cook but I was happy with what came out. I know it does not seem like much but I was proud of this meal.

On the menu: more bread, burned on the stove in an attempt to toast it, eggs with ham, and palta. Only seasoning ingredient available: salt.

My second night in my place Chad and Sara had me over for dinner for their first real cooked meal. It was such a great success. The food was so yummy and it was nice to feel normal and enjoy sharing a meal in each others homes even if our table was two boxes and Sara had to cook the pasta in two batches because it would not all fit in one pot.

On the menu: pasta with tomato sauce and ground turkey, parmesan, and garlic bread.

And now for my pride and joy. On my third day I attempted what I would consider a real meal. It was lunch time but that is the time Chileans eat their big meal so I have joined in that aspect of their culture as well. So I started out the morning at the feria and got lots of fresh veggies for super cheap. Then I stopped by the grocery store and got rice. Then I stopped by the meat store and bought some chicken from the butcher across the street. This purchase alone was a big step. I could have just gotten chicken at the grocery store but most Chileans prefer the carneceria so I wanted to try it out. It was a little intimidating and I am not sure if I could buy red meat there but I was proud of my chicken.

On the menu: a beautiful salad, chicken and (the best part) Chilean rice.

Oh it was all so good. Chilean rice is great! Everything was seasoned with salt and cilantro. It was not the best meal I have ever made but because of the effort and the significance it felt like it was.

Next on the menu: Eel!!!!

Haha, just kidding. I just saw these at the local fish market and was so creeped by them and that people cook them that I had to share.