Laurinha Moves to Santiago!

I'd like to send a big virtual hug out to my dear friend Laura Baker aka "Laurinha", after her big move from Washington D.C. to Santiago, Chile earlier this month!

Laurinha (pronounced Law-reen-ya) is a fantastically friendly and spunky redhead wih a penchant for all things South American. We met in Portuguese class at the University of Virginia in 2003, where the good-spirited Professor Haberly christened her "Laurinha" or "Little Laura". Having already taken many years of Spanish, she was quite used to the "Little Laura" part (usually translated to "Laurita" in Spanish). But Portuguese being its own wonderful entity, Laura was offered a brand-new diminutive form for her name. And, needless to say, it has stuck ever since...

Laura first did a study abroad program in Chile during her undergraduate years, then returned to Santiago to teach English after we graduated in 2004 and has now moved back to pursue her grad school studies in International Relations and Latin American Studies! Her rock-star Spanish skills are out of this world, as is her Chilean boyfriend Daniel, with whom she is finally reunited after a very long-distance romance. YAY! And I thought Charlottesville and Richmond were spread too far apart!

Best of luck Laurinha! Chile is lucky to have you.