Best Saturday EVER!

Today made history as I am starting my second month here in Chile.

I went running with my friend Derek, another student in the exchange program, this morning. See, we go to the beach A LOT, but we only even put our feet in the water. Even that is super difficult, because the water is freezing! The water here is super cold, and we are still in the winter months. Well, today after our run, we decided to take the leap. We went out onto the beach, took off our shoes, and sprinted into the water! I was debating whether I wanted to dive in or not, but it didn't matter. About four feet into the water, there was a drop off, and I went straight under water. Just as fast as we went in, we sprinted back in. We jumped around a little and then I decided to go in for a second round! THAT WAS NOT SMART!! I went under the water, and when I tried to run back out, the current caught me. My head was above water, but the water was so cold I couldn't catch me breath. I started freaking out!! I was literally able to stand, only feet from the shore, but I thought I was dying. Derek was like "Lauren, you are fine." It took me a minute to realize that I was actually fine, but I still had to work hard to get out of the water. I was soaked and freezing!!!!!

It was an awesome day!