It's December 2nd and the weather is so beautifully warm that I sometimes have to remind myself that everything has been reversed and we actually ARE at the end of the year. It's weird to walk down the street and see ornamental indications of the holidays hanging from street posts and power lines as I'm in search of something to relieve me from the heat of the sun. It doesn't exactly scream "holidays" to me, but for everyone else in this hemisphere it is exactly what it should be.
It's December 2nd which means things are officially coming to a close. It means I will be home in less than two months now and that more tidal waves of change are on the horizon. November ended with a frenzy of events and random happenings that kept me happily busy and sometimes quite frustrated. On the work side of things, we finished three main events all within a week's span of each other to leave us dragging our feet and our eyelids just to make it through each following day. The experiences were interesting, but I am happily content with the knowledge that I only have 12 more official work days left until I am free as a bird. As fantastic as this experience was, I'm ready for a new one. My last event was simple and rather relaxing. My boss, Pablo, drove me out to a dinner party that our client was having and instead of running the show we ended up wine tasting, rodeo watching, and enjoying an incredible meal. It was a nice way to end things.
Within those weeks of non-stop events, we had some visitors in our house that I hope never to meet again: the well known and highly disliked family of cockroaches. I awoke in the middle of the night one night to get a glass of water, and I was pleasantly greeted by a party of cockroaches who were helping themselves to whatever happened to be on our kitchen floors, counters, sink etc...ew. We called the fumigator who came the following day to leave us with piles of dead cockroaches that were hiding in our walls. Unfortunately, for someone who is incredibly afraid of any type of bug (minus ladybugs and fireflies) this was not a fun experience. Well, I felt more relieved knowing we had blasted them out of our walls, and I began to sleep better and better each night. This came to a halt this past Friday night when I awoke suddenly (after about two weeks without seeing a single cockroach) to find a huge one crawling on my arm, another under my covers and a third conveniently up my shirt. Needless to say, I had a minor breakdown in the middle of the night trying to figure out how and why they came into my room, my bed and my clothes. It wasn't a pretty sight. As of now, I have sprayed every sort of cockroach killer possible, I have surrounded my bed with powder (they don't like dry things apparently) and we have called the fumigator once again who came yesterday. Quite the adventure. Our building informed us that unfortunately the 10th floor has a cockroach problem (gee, really?) and that they will be taking steps to look at it soon (aka: they'll address it in a few months...). I'm hoping we'll be pretty safe from another infestation at least for the next month or so until I flee from there.
After Friday nights incident, a friend of mine and I escaped to the beach to meet up with my roommate and her family (and 12 other people) to celebrate Thanksgiving in a house they rented for the weekend. We went to a small town called Zapallar which is on the coast about two hours away from Santiago (3 by bus). However, due to our attempt at cutting the travel time down (in a number of silly ways) we ended up arriving 5 hours after leaving the city. Luckiy, getting there was an adventure in and of itself so we remained pretty content with our effort. We spent the weekend in a gorgeous little house owned by a Chilean chef that had just enough room for everyone and a view overlooking the beach from the balcony. We showed our Chilean friends what a real Thanksgiving was like as we served two turkeys and many more typical dishes. It was odd enjoying it on the deck in the sunshine, but it was so great. We stuffed ourselves (as tradition) and layed around the house, the beach, the deck and anywhere else that would hold us. My friend and I roughed the freezing water for about an hour and then decided it was time to get out once our extremities stung and we were nothing but shivering messes. We huddled on the beach in a sleeping bag and clothes while those around us roasted in the sun (see below).
The town itself was home to houses that lined the shores and an array of colors that I havent seen in a long time. Both the vegetation and the residencies boasted bright colors that mixed with each other to create stunning scenery. The whole weekend was a treat for our bellies and our eyes. We stayed up until the last hours of the weekend and luckily got a ride home so we didn't have to have a bus adventure so late in the night.
Now, it's December 2nd and things are winding down. I have a few breezy weeks of work left, many goodbyes coming up as people meander out of the city and onto different things, and trips to plan for. I'll be going to San Pedro de Atacama for four days this month with my Chilean co-worker/friend before spending my last week in Santiago and heading down South. It's all going to fly right past my eyes before I even realize it, but I hope it takes my breath away as it does. In less than two months, I'll be home.
I'll update soon about my trip to San Pedro and my last days here in the city before heading south with a tent and a backpack.
I hope you're all well and staying warm up there in the north.
Keep the hugs flowing.
Save some for me.
This past week has been an extremely, and unexpectedly, emotionally charged one. Without getting deep into the details of the heavy situations, conversations and realizations, I will share some of what I took out of it.
I have realized a lot in this past week about balancing work with friends/family, and I have taken a step back to look at the importance of being happy and the importance of keeping your balance in check for your own emotional safety. We all face decisions that take us away from keeping our word or take us away from being part of something that makes us happy, but how we handle that is the test that we'll continue to take.
I had to make a decision without having any say in the matter (if that makes sense) that took me away from a very important night with the family of friends that I have formed here. It was something that kept me from providing my promised presence to the most important people of the past year of my life, and it was an oddly eye opening experience. This series of events helped lead to me missing a "goodbye" to a great friend, a miscommunication with another great friend, and the swirling idea that I served everyone a great disappointment. The thing about great friends is that they understand everything. I have been so fortunate to find myself surrounded with people who do not get angry, but instead offer me hugs and words of support and encouragement. However, as a human being, I do not go as easy on myself as others do. I was hit really hard by the fact that I was not able to keep my word and that I was helpless in the matter.
Anyways, I explored that. I looked at what it does to me and how it can affect those around me as well. I am 23 years old with very little "real world" work experience under my belt, and I am going step by step hoping not to stumble along the way. Moreso, I am stepping very carefully so as not to hurt anyone else by not being present. But, I realized that there are decisions out there that will let people down. There are choices and moments that we won't be able to avoid and that will make us feel very small. I suppose the approach and handling of these moments is critical though difficult.
Another thing that was reinforced for me this past week was the power of communication. A friend approached me feeling a series of upsetting things that I had unknowingly helped cause, and it was an incredible exchange. He approached me without any accusatory tones and without any attack, but instead eloquent honesty and complete care. It was, to me, proof that we have so much power in our words and that they can be used for such beauty even when the news isn't always good.
This past week was such an emotionally charged one, and I find that at the beginning of a new one I feel oddly rejuvinated and calm after some turbulence. I guess we all need some turbulence to appreciate the calm that we have inbetween difficult moments. I also find that communication can hold so much meaning, whether it is verbal or not. It can be used so well or so poorly, and we continue trying to find that balance with each person.
Aside from my dumping of emotion and vague explanations, I can inform you that there hasn't been much different in Santiago life. I worked a really long week of 12-16 hour days all last week for an event between Italian businessmen and Chilean businessmen, and it left me absolutely exhausted. The weather is getting incredible and I spent the majority of the weekend at outdoor festivals, in the park playing soccer and at cafes, and all of it with great people. I have about a month left of work, but my final event is this week so I can see some freedom coming and some relaxation in the works. From there, my travels will begin as well as my farewell to Santiago.
I hope everyone is well. I will write more soon.
Keep the hugs flowing.
Save some for me.
Rabbit rabbit. Happy November. One of my senior year roommates at UNH used to ask us on the first of every month if our first words had been "rabbit rabbit" upon waking. I still strive to make it a point to do so, though I often forget.
November has rolled in and in the southern hemisphere that means more heat. All of a sudden the temperatures have changed in Santiago and that means that people are walking around in better moods and with noticeably wider smiles. The grassy parks are lined with couples who are spilling affection, and even the street dogs seem to be much more playful.
I have been taking advantage of every moment that I am not stuck indoors and in front of a computer planning an event. I've realized that sitting in front of a machine all day is hardly what I want to be doing for a career, and although it has been an incredible opportunity and experience, I am quickly getting ready to move onto the next thing that is coming my way. I have about two more months of work and then I will be backpacking down to the bottom of Chile, or the end of the world, before making my way back north. I'm sure the blogs will be much more interesting and full of life while I am hooked to the back of the birds' wings flying south.
I went outside the city last weekend to a friend's house on the beach and it was so nice to be away for a little while. Although the wind left us with a permanent chill, it was nice to be able to breathe clean air and stare out the back porch to the beach below. We went to a local fish stand and ate clams and mussels on the side of the road before hauling a fish home to cook it. We spent much of the weekend cooking, wandering the rocks that led to the ocean, and sitting by the fireplace in the evening as the sky exploded into color.
Ive noticed that as the spring rolls in and the weather gets warmer, the sunsets have been almost painting the sky in brighter shades of pinks, purples, reds and oranges. The clouds have started dancing into new formations and almost every night I am stunned at how the sky can look so incredible and at how the clouds can bend and break as they do. Ive been told that the pollution actually affects the sunset skies, so I find that one ounce of me is forgiving towards the smog. I think these last few months will be a utterly pleasant farewell to the city.
Three months from today, I will be sitting on the wings of a plane to bring me back around. Although it sounds like awhile, Ive quickly learned that a three month period can pass you by without you even noticing.
Well, there is a man playing his guitar in the park below my apartment, and I find that I being lured to my balcony to listen. Therefore, my words will end there for right now.
I hope everyone is doing well and seeing some beautiful sunsets.
Keep the hugs flowing.
Save some for me.
Someone ended a brief online note to me recently with "I hope you found what you were looking for in Chile...Safest journey home". That got me thinking about my reasoning for coming on this journey, what I was seeking at the time, and if I have found it or not.
I don't really know why I came to Chile. I have been asked that about 239892382 times here. "Por qué Chile? (Why Chile?)". I often stare at them before I come close to answering "Im asking myself the same question...", but all that usually comes out is "I.don't.know". I know that I came to South America to solidify my Spanish and learn about a new culture, but aside from that did I come looking for anything?
I think as the year is coming closer to a close, I have realized that in some form or another I came looking for parts of myself that I could only find with distance and time. I came looking to hold my own hand along the rough roads to know that it was possible before taking the next steps into the whirlwinds that will keep me going for a long time.
Sometimes I think I also came this far to find my "safest journey home". Where is home? Home is where the people you love surround you...I have created a small home here because I have had the pleasure of being involved in friendships that have turned into family and experiences that have been stitched to my soul, but ultimately I know that there will be a return ticket.
This experience is incredible everyday because Im using my brain in ways I never thought I would, Im learning things I never imagined, and Ive created a web of people that have kept me safe and sane throughout it all. I am still amazed at all facets of the world I am seeing, and even moreso at all the facets of myself that are included.
Quite a lot to ponder.
Keep the hugs flowing
So, where was I? That's right, I was in Peru making friends with the clouds in Machu Picchu. So let me continue...
After we visited the real life postcard and sat in the unreal setting, we made our way down to the city of Cuzco to spend a few days exploring that area. We took the train through beautiful mountain landscapes in a railway car filled with a huge group on vacation from Japan. They spoke no English or Spanish, and we certainly didn't speak any Japanese, but somehow we all became friends within the first thirty minutes.
We arrived in Cuzco late (meaning 9:30 to me...) and settled in the hotel. I got up early to explore on foot via a morning run, and I couldn't believe how beautiful the small city was. The architecture was screaming with history and even the color of the sky at sunrise seemed just right for this place. The next few days were spent roaming more Inka sites around Cuzco. There were so many places in which I thought to myself "How can the earth be this beautiful? How can something like this exist?" By this point in the trip, I was really learning to enjoy the meditation that we did each day, and I really used my surroundings to get into it. At each Inka site I noticed that the use of water was very important to the ancient culture, and there would always be sources of water incorporated into each space. Amazing fountains that seemed to come from no where would offer a peaceful background noise as trees seemed to make their offering to the land by swaying back and forth whenever the wind desired. I walked barefoot around many of the sites trying to allow my body to soak up what it could from the earth. Each day in Cuzco consisted of roaming an Inka site, being amazed at the beauty of nature and coming back to the city to roam the historical streets and have coffee somewhere.
From Cuzco, we took a 9 hour bus ride to an even smaller city named Puno. The bus ride was beautiful, and we stopped on the way to see ruins from Pre-Inka cultures and beautiful churches. We slept, meditated, talked and conversed with each other and with strangers. It was a much needed rest day after many days of such mental, emotional and physical changes and adventures. As we pulled into Puno the one site we were all set on was the grandeur of Lake Titicaca. Even from afar we could see that it was such an immense body of water and it seemed to appear from no where. Everyone had their faces up to the windows on the left side of the bus and digital cameras were clicking away.
After settling into our hotel in Puno, we rested for the night and prepared for the next days adventures. I got up early and ran down to the water to jog alongside the sunrise, but I had to stop many times to stare. In addition to the beauty taking my breath away, I realized that the higher up you are in altitude the harder it is to breathe. I was up at 5:00am due to the inability to sleep (again with the breathing thing) and I watched the sunrise over the lake as I stared without being able to form a thought it my head. It was just so real.
Our Shaman Amaru took us to a local market that morning to pick up the necessities for a picnic by the water. We spoke with the vendors and they provided us with delicious foods and snacks for our journey. We drove for an hour out to a random rock formation in the middle of nowhere and climbed over pathways and rocks stopping to talk to the locals on the way. We were in the middle of a field of huge, tall, thin, flat rocks that seemed to spurt from the ground. I was amazed that rocks could be formed like this in any element of weather. They were incredible. We were apparently in some pre-Inka gateway to the Pachamama god. We chanted and hummed our way into a meditation of sorts before roaming the area in some silence. I realized that I was silent during a lot of our days due to my desire to take in each molecule of beauty, and also due to my lack of words to express how beautiful it really was. After breathing deeply and getting drunk off the landscape, we got in the van and made our way to the waters edge to have a picnic, do some tai chi and breathe some more.
We drove through a little town that was so remote and almost desolate (but also very alive), and I couldn't believe that they were places like this that existed. Women sat against their mud houses to take a break from herding sheep or washing clothes in a water basin while kids ran around letting the earth be their playground. It was so refreshing to see.
We sat on the waters edge cutting mangos, pears, peaches, bananas and homemade bread for our picnic. We fed the dogs that roamed the area and watched women carry a wheelbarrow down to the water to wash clothes. We watched ox (I think) wash in the water and follow their owners back to their land. We filled our bellies with such ripe fruits before we walked along the shore. I stuck my hand in the water and was surprised at how warm it was considering the breeze that was keeping us so chilly. We each laid out on a rock like stuffed seals and took some sun into our bones to warm us up. It was simply an ideal afternoon. On our way out, we left fruits with the locals and waved goodbye to the sheep...The rest of the afternoon was so relaxing as we just headed back into town to bum around. Perfection.
Speaking of bumming around, I think it's about time for me to do some of that before I update anymore about Peru. There is little left (yet so much left out), however it IS a Sunday morning and the parks are calling my name. I will write soon about the rest of my trip to Peru and whats been going on in Santiago.
Keep the hugs flowing.
I'll send them back.
xoxo
It's been almost two months since I've last posted, and for that I apologize.
Let me quickly catch you up on the last two months before I delve into other things:
For most of July, I simply worked and tried to stay warm in the Santiago winter. I got into the routine of making dinners most nights with friends, relaxing whenever I had the chance, and tried to get myself more comfortable in my work environment. The beginning of August had me mentally preparing for a trip to Peru during the last two weeks of August. At work, I did whatever I could to organize things and make sure there wouldn't be any loose ends when I left. More so, however, I was trying not to let the excitement take over every minute of every day. It had been 7 months since Id seen anyone from home and the anticipation was killing me. I spent two weeks in Peru (which I will explain a little bit below) and I came back to Santiago with a completely different perspective of things. Things have shifted into a completely different frame and that was something I was not exactly expecting.
Peru was ineffable, though I will try to explain a few feelings I had along the way and a few things my eyes gazed upon on our journey.
I got on a plane on August 15th to head up to Lima, where I would meet up with my two aunts (Patti and 'Stretch'), to spend two weeks with a Peruvian shaman who would introduce us to power points in the ruins of the Inkas and many other incredible things. I got to the hotel where my aunts were already waiting and fell into hugs hugs hugs. That was enough to fulfill me and it was simply the beginning.
We spent a day in Lima catching up, eating well, roaming the streets and hugging some more. Then, we were on our way. We flew to Cuzco to meet with a man named Mallku (who Stretch often called 'Malcolm') who would explain our trip to us. Immediately upon landing in Cuzco I felt like I was in more of a cultural experience than I had been in Lima. The city was old and beautiful yet modern enough to offer complete comfort. Buildings were built on old Inka ruins and the energy throughout the city was incredible. We went to our Shaman's office and drank some coca tea for altitude sickness as he described what we'd be doing.
After the office visit, we drove to the Sacred Valley which is a small city outside of Cuzco and located at the base of beautiful mountains. We were driven to our hotel which was a beautiful lodge on the edge of a small river and placed in a small town. Everything was so fresh, so beautiful, so natural. I couldn't believe my eyes at the sight of how incredible nature could be. I had almost forgotten how special it was since Ive been living in the heart of a smoggy, dirty city for the last seven (now 8) months. There, we spent a few days learning the area around us. We went to salt basins, Inka ruins and more. We meditated beneath the scorching sun in the middle of Inka ruins. I am new to meditation and I found it a little bit confusing and difficult at first, but I was traveling with some experts and very supportive people who simply told me to do what felt right to me.
After a few days in the Sacred Valley, we made our way to Aguas Calientes for a night to go see the infamous Machu Picchu. We arrived and wandered around the extremely touristy town before taking our first trip up to what should be (and maybe is) one of the wonders of the world. We sat in a bus that rode around the edge of the mountains for about twenty minutes until we arrived. We waited until later in the afternoon so that we'd miss the mass of people, and luckily it worked. We arrived there while many others were leaving so we had some peace and quiet on the mountain top. Without even seeing the ruins yet, I could barely believe my eyes. The mountains were completely covered in trees except for this big mass of open land that housed the ruins of the the Inkas. There was so much beauty in each branch and stick and rock that we passed, and the energy was incredible. On our way up the path, a small butterfly circled around me and landed on my foot as if to greet me and welcome me to the area. I waited until it flew away to continue.
Laying eyes upon Machu Picchu was like sitting in a real life post card. looking down from high above, it was so perfect that it was almost unreal. Llamas fed on the grass to keep it short, and the verdant ambiance still remained fertile. It was so incredible that words would only diminish it.
We meditated and allowed ourselves to take in whatever the place wanted us to take in. We breathed deeply and rubbed our hands through the grass as we sat overlooking the peaceful ruins below. Although there were tourists galore (even at a 'slow' period) there was still a strong energy that surrounded the area. We remained fairly silent as we simply enjoyed our time overlooking such an immense history.
The next morning, we made our way up to Machu Picchu again only this time to see the daybreak. We arrived at about 5:30 or 6:00 and sat waiting for the sun to come over the peaks and warm up the land. It slowly rose as everyone around us awoke as well, and the shadows crept over the ruins as if they were stretching into another day of looking amazing. The air was clean and fresh, and everyone seemed so content and happy to simply be there. People were taking pictures and laying in the grass for hours as the sun crept up behind us. The light falling on the ruins made things look almost surreal, but we believed and joined in to the picture taking and relaxation that was going on in the patches of grass. We laid around for a few hours before making our way down to explore the ruins themselves. There, we saw the llamas walk right by us to feast on different patches of grass. We touched beautifully carved stones and looked through perfectly placed windows as we learned that NOTHING was done without intention. We spent hours in the big historical playground before we meditated and made our way down the mountain to call it a day.
Unfortunately, I can't describe every moment or feeling, otherwise we'd both be sitting here for days. I will leave this post for now so that you may read the little bit that I could even describe before I explain the second part of my trip. I will post again really soon with other details of my trip to Peru, since there is still so much left to be said.
Hope you enjoyed this brief update. Look for more really soon about Peru and more.
Keep the hugs flowing.
Send some to me.
I woke up this morning to some cold mountains, loud city buses and the knowledge that the weekend is right around the corner. I glanced over at my calendar in hopes to see a holiday coming up soon (Score! This Thursday the city takes yet another day off)and I realized that the date is July 10th. I kinda stared at it behind sleepy eyes for a moment, and I quickly realized that July 10th marks half a year of living here.
Although it's not exactly a huge milestone, it is the first significant one I can think of. In six months, I have created a completely different life, made new friends, got a real job and I've done it all in a new country and a language other than my own.
I remember quite clearly arriving here in Chile. I hadn't slept in about two days, I got fined at the airport for "smuggling" an apple in from Florida, I got ripped off in the taxi (because I was a tired, apple-stealing gringa), and everything looked new, scary and exciting. I walked the city for days, I learned the streets and the metros and I slowly started to let Santiago seem into my pores (literally...its filthy here).
6 months later I have moved twice, I have made a ton of new friends (additional family, if you will) and I have a job that I really enjoy. I thought about that as I walked to work in the cold this morning. I thought about how in 6 short months I have built something out of nothing. I landed on empty shores and built a hut, then a road, then I started a small town (I just need a bank...). The sounds of the buses no longer shake me as they pass, the streets no longer intimidate me, and I am no longer a stranger to Santiago.
Well, its back to work for now.
I miss you all.
Keep the hugs flowing and flying, and I'll try to catch a few.
much much love.
