Closing Time
The most important conclusion I have reached during my year long personal and academic studies is that----
It is ok to be a product of my culture...but only with constant conscientious reflection.Throughout the year, I found it difficult to tell people that I am American because of the problems and hostility that this often carries. No one was afraid to be blunt and everyone has an strong opinion about what the US government does (mind you, the majority of what they say is not very positive). Usually they have even more to say about
our government than their own.
I also struggled with the materialism and consumerism that I have grown up in, yet had never before noticed. I often experienced guilt for having had, in one year, the opportunity to travel and experience more of Chile than most Chileans will ever experience in their life. It confused me to feel wrong, but now I have realized that it isn't wrong- it just is. I have been given this chance for a reason.
The opportunities that I have been granted stem from my past opportunities and experiences and negating or feeling guilty for what I am given or what I have earned is not really the appropriate reaction. What I have found is that more than anything, I should take into consideration where I come from and incorporate what I am learning from everything that I do, see, and experience and to not take anything for granted. I´m not Ghandi, and at this point in my life I don´t see it necessary to give up all pleasures in life. But in the end, it is going to be me that climbs that mountain and all I have to rely on is my previous experience (my
own two legs) and some guidance from others who have walked a similar path before.
I had a great year and now it is officially ending- I'm in Atlanta, Georgia right now waiting for my connecting flight to Cali where I will be greeted by several members of my family- I hope they don't forget to pick me up.
So what am I looking forward to? Finding a job where I can use my Spanish, studying (again), looking at life from a different point of view than before, and following the words of my friend Brigt-
Life is a sequence of surprises....so just enjoy. :-)
My last day
My last 36 hours in Santiago were busy- and absolutely fabulous. I went to a wedding where we partied till 7am, slept three hours then ran errands, ate lunch at Juan Pablo's family's house (typically the day after the wedding the whole family gets together again for a big meal of seafood...it was delcicious), and finally got together with my good friends at Natalia's restaurant to drink my last Fanschop (Chilean beer with orange soda).
In my last two days, I cried, laughed, danced, kissed, sang, drank, ate...and made merry. I loved it and hated it at the same time knowing that I will not live moments like those ever again.
Oh nostalgia...Tan dulce la vida...
My Horoscope
"Slow Fades Are Worse Than Sudden Endings"
That is what my horoscope told me today. Tomorrow I will probably agree.
However, in the past few days I haven´t really been able to think much about the fact that I am leaving Chile on Sunday night. I have been too busy tying up lose ends with my apartment, writing cards to people, trying to sell my TV, paying bills, requesting school records, etc etc.
I just played in my final water polo game (we lost) and right now I am enjoying some down time drinking a coffee in Café Melba in Providencia where a friend works. But he isn´t working today so I won´t get to see him before I leave. :-(
This evening, I will be a guest at a Chilean wedding. What a good way to go out, huh? I should be dead tired tomorrow for my going away lunch in Santiago, where I am sure I will cry like a big baby and expend every last ounce of energy that I have. But that means that I should sleep like a baby on the airplane, so I´m ok with that.
It´s been a good year. Well, almost year. In two more weeks it would have been a year since I arrived on February 1st.
Time flies when you´re having fun.
Taking Care of Business
I just finished climbing a volcano. It was awesome. But it was playing with me- the sucker spewed up lava so high but it never let me get a good picture. My hands were freezing, my nose was running, my eyes and lungs were burning from the sulfuric gases, and I just couldn´t capture the image that I wanted. Oh what a person will go through to try and get a good picture...
I´m leaving the Lake District tonight and heading to Santiago on a bus. This will be my last long bus ride. Buuuu... :-( This weekend is bound to be looong yet very short. But that´s ok because I want it to hurry up and never end. :-) I´m leaving on Sunday night and will be back in So Cal sooner than I know it.
But what do I know?
I know that I still don´t consider myself fluent in Spanish; I know that this year flew by but that I enjoyed every minute of it (even the crappy parts...and yes there were quite a bit of those. I just didn´t blog too many of them); I know that I´m going to be very excited to see my family; I know that I will be very sad to leave my friends; I know that I am definitely planning on coming back within the next 8 years (it´s all part of the 10-year plan); I know that even though I´ve seen, learned, and done a lot this past year that I´ve still got a whole lot more to see, learn, and do in the future.
And well, the list can go on and on, but I don´t really have the time to do that. I need a shower. Badly. I´m surprised that you can´t smell me from there.... :-)
Class 7
I ate it big time going down some class 7 rapids today in Pucón! I hope to post a picture soon.
Tomorrow I am going out with a bang...but hopefully not too big because I´ll be climing an active volcano! Should be fun....
The Enchanted Forest
On Friday I arrived on the storybook island of Chiloé. Its quaint fishing villages with houses built on stilts over the water and picturesque fields with grazing cows brings you back a century in time. Out of all the placecs that I have visited in Chile- this is the one place where I could live...if the government didn´t have plans to build the biggest brige in South America connecting Chiloé to the mainland.
Although this bridge will offer much better healthcare for Chilotes (they don´t consider themselves Chilean- Chilote is the culture created amongst the indigenous people and the original settlers from the 18th century that has continually strengthened due to the island`s isolation from Chilean influence), I think that the island will lose a lot of its charm. On Saturday night, I listened to a hip hop Chilote group that sang about this very topic- how the bridge will be built to take things away from the island (wood, culture, family structure, tranquility) and to bring things that they don´t want (McDonald´s, movie theaters, more people, pop culture).
As of right now, I have fallen in love with this island, and especially its folklore. I visited the national park and walked through the enchanted forest where the troll and fairies live. Good thing I escaped without any problems- they say that this troll drugs young girls and gets them pregnant (thus explaining any unwanted pregnancies:-) )
While in the enchanted forest, my camara ran out of batteries (of course) so I didn´t get any of the REALLY good pictures of the day- the sandy beaches with ravenous birds eating their prey, the bridge shaped like a boat, the mussel collectors (I wouldn´t call them fishermen because they use really thick wetsuits and collect the mussels a couple huundred meters out from the beach), the mermaid that appeared...no just kidding- that is just another part of the legends.
After Sunday´s shopping trip at the local craft fair in Dalcahue I went to a gastronomic festival in a tiny town called Pid-Pid. I participated in the potato sack race and would`ve won (I was way ahead of the other five chicas) had I not fallen five feet before the finish line. :-O I also helped out in the tug-of-war but the Chilotes beat the Chileans (I was on the Chilean team).
I´m now in Valdivia and am going to try to go to the Kuntsmann beer factory. I`ll probably eat some lunch there and then head to Pucón to try and do some volcano climbing...
Penguins and Tierra del Fuego
Yesterday I visited the penguins of southern Chile. Limping around in the cold weather sucked until I saw the first penguin... then I forgot the pain completely. It was the best trip to the zoo- only I wasn`t at the zoo. The 500 wild penguins on the coast of southern Chile were very self-absorbed and hardly noticed us tourists.
Today, I took a ten minute flight in a 9-passenger plane over the Straights of Magellan to Tierra del Fuego. Wait- what?!? No. Yes. Hahahaha. Seriously. I really did. Am I sure? Yes. I think. Well, I have the picture to prove it.
I met with the President of the Rotary club in Porvenir (literally translated as "what lies ahead" or "what the future holds") in the only Chilean town on the island. We had coffee and then I had to leave on the boat to return to the continent. I was in Tierra del Fuego for three hours.
Before, During, and After Five Days in Heaven
Before
On the Navimag ship I met a tall dude from Denmark (Jens),a cute Norweigen (Brigt), and a smart American (Ken) and the three of them let me tag along with them on the W-shaped trail in Torres del Paine National Park.
Day 1 (Dec. 31)
Upon arrival the weather is beautiful so we take advantage of the time and set up camp with a beautiful view of the namesake rock towers of the park. At around 11 we hit the trail that should take about 4 hours to the base of the towers. About an hour into the uphill hike, the rain starts to come down. We make it after several breaks past the midway point and eat lunch. Jens decides to go back. The three of us push on.
At the very rocky, steep end of four-plus hours we reach the base of the rock towers which we can´t even see because it is too cloudy and rainy. But it didn´t matter because it was still breathtakingly beautiful. The whole hike was.
On the way down, I slip and nearly break my leg. I shed a few drops of blood but all of my limbs are intact so I´m ok.
By the time we reached camp at 8 pm, it had stopped raining but we were soaked to the bone. Jens was sleeping in the tent- nice and dry. Brigt started a great fire, we cooked some dinner and celebrated with a few swigs of pisco the turn of the new year with the Italians that were camping next to us.
Day 2- Happy New Years!
We pack up camp and head out on first curve of the bottom of the W towards Italian Camp. The weather is nice and the terrain varied with surprises around every corner-green lakes, pebble beaches, snow capped mountains, side views of the towers, several rivers, a bit of mud, and of course the best company.
Camp set-up isn´t too easy because I´m sharing Ken´s two-man complicated tent. Jens and Brigt get their stuff set up within five minutes and Ken is still struggling to show me how to stake down the tent properly. Once that is done, we concentrate on dinner which is a huge task because Ken´s stove sucks. But it´s quite entertaining because it causes all kinds of expletives to escape from his mouth. We finally crash around sunset, or 11:30 pm.
Day 3- Jan. 2
It´s up the middle of the W. All uphill. Luckily we can leave our packs at camp.
Jens leaves us to go at his own pace and to "think thoughts". During the hike we pass a snow covered mountain with huge icebergs that are crashing into the valley below. Amazing.
We manage to get lost on the trail and end up scaling the mountain and doing some rock climbing. Brigt is hopping along like a gazelle while I hold on for dear life and manage to not fall. Its a long route but we end up in a pristine area by the side of a river runoff. The sand´s texture makes it feel like we are walking on bread. It´s cool.
We finally find the trail and decide to have lunch before continuing on. Since I have already seen magnificent views for the day I decide to take a nap by the river while Brigt and Ken finish up the trail.
On the way back down my knee starts to hurt. Uh oh. I don´t remember falling wrong or twisting it. Hmmm...
Back at camp Jens has already packed up the tent. We have a two hour easy hike to the next camp but I am starting to struggle a bit with my knee.
Day 4
My knee´s pretty tender but not really swollen. We have the last arm of the W to do today and we hit the trail at around 11:30.
The hike takes us through a valley and up towards Grey Glacier. We know its close when we come upon a lake with ice burgs floating in it. I suggest a swim but no one is up for it...
At lunch time we find a brilliant view of the glacier and sit down for yet another day of salami and crackers. Brigt is allergic to wheat (have you ever heard of that before? I hadn´t...) so he just eats the salami. I can´t take it anymore so I eat the only can of tuna that we have. It is the best tuna from a can that I´ve ever had.
We press on and arrive at Camp Grey for our last night of camping. We try to arrange a trip for tomorrow to trek on the glacier but the situation is uncertain because of some problems the company is having with their boat. I´m limping at this point because of my knee but don´t really care- I have a chance to walk on a glacier!!
Before sunset we walk to the lookout point that is pretty close to Grey. It is even more powerful than I expected.
After an hour of bonding, we turn in for the night with good news from the tour company about the ice climbing...
Day 5- Glacier Day!
We´re supposed to be at the office at 8:50. I arrive late (does that surprise you?) at 9-something because I was waiting in line for the camp bathroom. Brigt will later give me a speech about arriving late and wasting other people´s time....
We get on the boat and ride to the far end of the glacier. There are 7 or 8 of us in the group with the guide. From the moment I put on my crampons (the spikes that attach to your shoes to give you a grip on the ice) I can´t wipe the smile off of my face. I´m walking on a huge, million year old ice cube!
We check out the crevices, waterfalls, the Jesus lake (because it looks like you are walking on water when you cross it), and climb a vertical wall. It cool. Literally.
I take advantage of the endless supply of ice and ice down my knee that is swollen and really hurting. I am mentally preparing myself for the return journey to the previous day´s camp in order to catch the catamaran back to the bus. It`s going to hurt. A lot. Luckily my pack isn´t too heavy.
At 2:00 we return to Grey Camp and start our return hike. Today, we need to complete the hike in 3.5 hours that lasted five hours yesterday. I`m not looking forward to it but it is pretty much the only option that we have.
We leave. Twenty minutes into the hike I take off my favorite hat and leash it on to my jacket. Five minutes later I realize that it has fallen off. I`m pissed. Brigt runs back to try and find it but doesn´t see it anywhere. Now I`m really pissed. And upset. I want to cry.
Then I get mad at myself for being so attached to a hat. The adrenaline starts pumping and acts like a drug to numb my knee. We make it back to camp in under three hours.
I`m still pouting about the hat on the bus ride back to the city. Brigt tells me to stop acting like a kid. I am one. But I knock it off anyways because he`s right.
blood, sweat, tears
after all three of the above in the last few days (during 50 km) i am still alive....will write more tomorrow....
That Was Fun.
I had a good past three days in a boat heading towards the southern end of Chile. The second night was a bit rocky but I had no problem with sea sickness so that was great.
In general it was a great learning experience (ha- what time here hasn´t been?). I talked to some amazing people and really ended up clicking with a few. One of the first few people I met was a Chilean from Puerto Natales, the port town where I have just arrived. He´s going to take me around on a tour a bit later of the outlying areas and if we have time we´ll visit the ice age cave with remains of the great sloth that was discovered early last century. After meeting with some Rotarians, I´ll go to a BBQ with him and most likely out dancing but I´ll have to turn in early because I leave early tomorrow morning for my five day backpacking trip in Torres del Paine.
One revelation that I came to while contemplating on the empty deck early yesterday morning-
My life is one great journey that is just beginning.
Does the Round World Have an End?
If it does, then I´m heading towards it!
I spent the day in Puerto Octay and Frutillar- two towns known for their Scandanavian architecture and German population. The kuchen (German pastry) is delicious and the views of Volcano Osorno is amazing as well.
I´m in Puerto Varas right now in an Internet place and will stay the night here. I will catch a bus early to go to Puerto Montt and then off to my cruise at the end of the world. I hope that no crazy huge earthquake strikes here....(My thoughts are with South Asia)
The 25th in Los Angeles (Chile)
I took the passenger train from Santiago yesterday and was heading to Temuco but changed plans about an hour into the trip. I wasn´t aware that the train passed by Los Angeles, but when I heard a few Italian travellers mention that they were heading that way- I knew I had to go there.
My friend Natalia´s mom is originally from Los Angeles, a city of about 150,000 people 6 hours south of Santiago. She called her mom and had her nephew waiting for me when I arrived.
I spent the evening meeting her family and relaxing. We ate dinner at about 10.30 and arrived to church just as mass was ending. We still went inside because I wanted to check out the church. There were people waiting in a big line to kiss the plastic baby Jesus. Interesting tradition.
Christmas in general down here is a bit different- definitely less commercialized, although the Viejo Pascuero (Santa Clause) is an image well known by all. The family exchanges gifts at midnight- usually just one or two and then the kids go out with their friends and hang out till whenever. Natalia´s cousin and I went and had a beer at the local pub and turned in around 3.
I woke up today at noon and we went to the fire station where the firefighters were just arriving from the poorer neighborhoods were they were giving out gifts to the kids. One of the commanders at the station is a family member here and he introduced me to an Italian traveller (different one than I had met on the train) who is travelling the circuit that Che Guevara travelled on motorbike.
I vaguely remembered from the movie Diarios de Motocicleta that Che and his partner´s bike broke down here and they actually slept in the firestation for a few days. Interesting because if you are a faithful reader of my blog (Mom, Sean, and a few others) you will remember that seeing that movie is what inspired me to keep this journal (diario).
Anyways, right now I´m going to eat lunch with the family and then its off to Salto de Laja, the biggest waterfall in Chile. Not sure when I´m leaving the Los Angeles worlds apart from the one in CA yet...
Stuff
Last night was hard. I was in downtown Santiago passing out food and Christmas presents (the items that I had been collecting all year from exchange students who were leaving and couldn´t take everything with them) to people who live on the street. Kids too. Lots of them.
By the time we finished, it was late so I went home in order to pack. I was planning on packing up everything in my suitcases in order to have everything ready for when I return to Santiago in three weeks...but I ran into a problem. I have three suitcases and more than enough stuff to fill them with (I can check in two suitcases but I will have to pay for the third if I want to bring it). But after being on the street with these kids who run around barefoot and live by fires in abandoned buildings...I felt so guilty for even looking at all of the STUFF that I have accumulated.
And do I really need this stuff? Well, most of the things are items that I have aquired during my travels, a few items of clothes, books, papers from school, etc. But other things that I was planning on bringing home include my bedspread and some dishes that I bought here.
How necessary are these things? In order to live, they aren´t, I suppose. In order to be happy, they aren´t either. But where do I draw the line? I don´t know yet. I haven´t decided. I´m going to think about that during the next three weeks while traveling in the south. Maybe seeing some natural beauty will clear my head.
Bad Blogger
I haven´t been in the blogging mood lately...sorry. But in order to update the world- I´m leaving Santiago tomorrow morning to go down south. I´m going to be on the island of Chiloé for Christmas and then I take a cruise down to Port Natales. New Years Eve I should be backpakcing in Torres del Paine National Park. According to the Lonely Planet, it is one of the most breathtaking places on earth. I´ll let you know if it takes my breath away. :-)
As of right now, I´m putting off packing all of my stuff. Instead I´m writing this blog. But it will get done. I just probably won´t sleep because in an hour I´m going to be with friends giving dinner to homeless people on the street. It´s my last project with Rotary.
Speaking of Rotary, I went to my last meeting at my host club on Wednesday and finally exchanged club banners. I am hoping to go to a few meetings down south, but that will depend on my timing...
Well, I better go get my stuff done. Grrr... I hate doing things that I don´t want to do.
Merry Birthday, Happy Christmas
Last night we celebrated Natalia´s birthday at her parent´s restaurant. It was a big bash with lots of food, friends, family, and fun. Unfortunately I won´t be in Santiago on the 28th to help her celebrate the real date, but I guess that means that I´ll just have to come back to Chile in a few years to help her celebrate a different birthday. Maybe the 25th? Hahaha. Happy birthday Nati- I love ya lots!
Well it´s Christmas time and I´ve hardly even noticed- until today. I went downtown to the train station (which happens to be next to an outdoor mall) in order to buy my ticket to go down south and was inundated by the crowds of people doing their Christmas shopping. It was fun doing some people watching and a bit of window shopping myself.
It´s kind of funny seeing a huge decorated Christmas tree next to a big fountain with kids playing in the water. It is summertime here, you know?
Mato
I had a dream that the other day I slept in a cave after a night replete of shooting stars and woke up to the sight and sound of waves crashing on the rocks of a beach on an island thousands of miles away from anything I had ever known before.
This picture is the image from the end of my dream.
Cuando parace ser un sueño pero sabes que es otra realidad- ¿debes tratar despertarte? O solo tratar mantenerte en el corriente para no ahogarse lejos del continente?
(When it seems like a dream but you know that it is just another reality- should you try to wake up? Or just go with the flow of the current and try not to drown, far from the continent?)
Culture Shock
When I left Easter Island I felt empty, yet so full. I was so confused. When arrived to Santiago, I spent about an hour with Adrien in her apartment before heading to the metro to go home. On my way towards the station, I had such an urge to cry and I didn´t know what was wrong. I didn´t want to go home and be alone. I called my roomate Hector, hoping that he would be there, but he didn´t pick up his phone. Then I remembered that he was also travelling and that made me almost sick to my stomach.
When I got home, I turned my key in the lock....and the door wouldn´t open. Someone inside came to the door and opened it for me. It was Amanda, an Australian friend of Hector´s that he had met on Easter Island. She had been crashing at our place for the past few days because she has a flight to the US in a few days and didn´t have anywhere else to stay. I was so relieved to see her.
When I came in, she commented on all of the shell necklaces that I had around my neck. They were given to me as a sign of good luck by all of the friends that I had made on the island. Once I started talking about that...I spilled my guts about ALL of my experiences on Rapa Nui.
By 2am (I had arrives at about 10:30) I had sorted out many things and I realized that most of all- this was my first experience with culture shock. After the eleven months that I had spent in Chile, this past week was the first time that I had had such an experience.
The funny thing was that while it was happening, I hardly noticed. Maybe that was because it seemed like such a dream. And it all didn´t really hit me until I was leaving. Being in such a small town, aliented from practically everything while at the same time having contact with the world was so...tumultuous.
Right now, I am coping well. I spent the day cleaning my room, reading, and writing. And thinking. And reflecting. A lot. Last night, all I really wanted to do was put on my backpack again and travel down south to forget everything and be by myself. But now, I have kind of grounded myself and need to take care of a ton of things before I have the opportunity to do some more travelling. Tomorrow I will post some pictures and some of the thoughts that came out of my pen while taking off in the airplane from the island. I promise. :-)
An Eye Opener
Easter Island is amazing but there are many cultish, strange things that the average tourist doesn´t get to know because of how blindingly beautiful it is.
Number one- practically everyone on the island is related, but that doesn´t mean that their "family" lives in a "family" atmosphere, or are even friends for that matter. Imagine having four brothers and sisters by your mom and dad and right across town lives your half brother who is the same age as you. And he is in your high school class.
Tourism makes competition fierce among vendors, and it is often a cousin or uncle you are competitng with. And if you get in a fight with your mother in law- be careful because she might have her husband´s brother, who could possibly be your child´s math teacher, come and steal the roof off of your house. And you can´t really escape because the next town is 3500 kilometers away. Although you could hide in a cave if you wanted to.
The seemingly lawless of the island doesn´t help anything. Although there are cops on the island, the are really there to establish a "presence" and not to actually do a job. If you are caught speeding or your vehicle isn´t registered, it doesn´t really matter.
And jail?! Hahaha. What a joke. If you are sentenced to time, all it really means is that you get to have a free bed, breakfast, and dinner since you are allowed to leave during the day to do whatever you want.
What kinds of crimes exist there anyways? You´d be surprised. A man sodomized his girlfriend last year with a beer bottle- and now he´s dating her friend. If an indigenous Rapa Nui rapes another Rapa Nui- nothing will happen to him. They will just blame it on their "savage blood". Schizophrenia might also be used as an excuse.
Easter Island is the epitome of "living in the present". Most people make a few bucks and its gone the next day. But its ok because tourists keep coming and spending money anyways. Think about it- if you can charge $3000 per square meter for a painting, then you shouldn´t have too much trouble buying beer for yourself and friends. Plus, if you don´t have food, you can always go fishing or go to Aunt Maria´s house and she´ll feed you.
I think that in the end it was all so shocking to me because I apply my cultural standards and what I know to their way of life. It would be interesting to see what they would say if they were to come to my hometown and make their own judgements of how we live on a day to day basis.
Temptation Island
Well I´m back in Santiago and the past week already seems like it never really happened. But I do have photos to prove it. I´ll try to get them posted soon.
I´m leaving with such a twisted impression of possibly one of the most beautiful places on earth. It´s funny how you see pictures of a place and expect one thing, and then you go there and it is so much different, even though it looks the same.
Having the ability to speak the language and share with the islanders changed the whole scope of the trip. Usually, as a tourist destination, most visitors just see the archeological sites and don´t get to know the people. But Adrien and I spent the past week hanging out with the kids our age and speaking with people from the judge on the island to the air traffic controller and the island´s music teacher.
Pablo Andrés and Adrien
What did we learn? Too much to share in one blog. I could probably write a book based on this past week. But as a basic rundown- everyone on the island is related so they are desperate to hookup with the foreigners. I think I was hit on by everyone in the island. And often times, foreigners will stay. It is an enticing place, afterall. But a few years later after the couple has a kid, the islander usually finds some other tourist that is even better. So they split up. Honeymooning couples on the island have been known to break up and get together with islanders.
Other strange stories- there is even a German girl who lives in a cave with one of the "rustic" or "hippie" islanders. I´m not kidding. They don´t have water or elecricity, but she decided to stay with him during what was supposed to be a week long vacation.
I could have easily had my pick and stayed... I could have become an artist/English teacher/translator on the island, or something like that... but there are too many other places I want to see and things that I want to do. Forgetting that the rest of the world exists can only last for so long for me. But in the future, I wouldn´t mind vacationing there for a month or two. Especially now that I have friends and I could crash in their place for free because it is everything but cheap.
One Day
I have one day left here in Temptation Island. Adrien and I are going to rent a car and go camping with a few friends that we have made. I hope it goes well. And then its back to the real world.
Paradise Lost and Found
Sometimes I hate getting online. Why? Because I prefer to not worry and pretend that the world is as happy as where I am at.
Right now I´m in the middle of nowhere (practially) yet when I get online I learn that some soldier in another part of the world admits to killing a wounded soldier from the opposition. And it makes me sad. (Mind you- I didn´t read the entire story... not that it would have been the "truth" anyways given the half ass means of media communication the the United States receieves anyways...)
Rapa Nui Christmas cheer in a restaurant
But despite the helplesness that I feel...I´m here, secluded from the norm, from most worries, and from most stressful pressures. Last night I went to the Rapa Nui Rotary meeting and I think that it was the best meeting that I have ever been to during my Rotary studies abroad... The members were so real and natural that it seemes almost unreal. My ideal service club meeting...almost. Although the treasurer did walk out because of an internal conflict (it seems), but besides that the club seems very united. Well, I guess that in a communty of 4000 people it is hard not to be, right? (Wrong, as I will explain later.)
Presentation of Rotary symbol
Anyways, the meeting ended well and today I got sunburned on the beach before a tour of the island by the island´s judge. Now I am going to the going away party of a local islander...ironic, huh? In two days I will be going away from the island myself and in one month I will be having my own party before returning to the North American continent...so much to do in so little time.
Maybe tomorrow I will have enough time to tell you about the local men wooing the foreign travellers and getting them to stay here and forget the rest of the world.
I hope I make it out of here alive....
Gilligan´s Island
I think that Rapa Nui, as Easter Island is known to the natives, would have been a better set for Gilligan´s Island....This place is absolutely amazing!
Adrien and I are staying the hotel of a Rotarian right outside of the small town of 4000. Today we went on a tour of about half the island with a group of five other Chileans. We saw many "moai"- the big statue heads made out of volcanic rock- there are over 800 on the island, about 400 of which are still in the "factory" waiting for transport.
The moai factory
These things are so incredible...and some are HUGE. There are many theories about their transport, from levitation to rolling them on tree trunks and even talk of aliens. Adrien is a big alien believer so she is especially loving it!
15 moai
At the end of the day, after the picnic, we drove up to paradise- a white sand beach with coconut tress and crystal blue water. Absolutely breathtaking.
Anakena Beach
While I was out taking pictures, I ran into a teenage kid who was about to climb a coconut tree. I got some unreal photos of him picking the fruit and then later breaking it open. He shared some with me- it tasted like....coconut. Hahaha. But it was a much better experience than eating it out of a bag.
Last night, after an album launching party of a local band on the beach, we hung out with some locals and learned a lot about the way of life here. I´ll have to share that later because Internet here costs five million dollars an hour (not really, but it´s expensive) and I have some other business to take care of. I really wish I could share my photos right away but that will have to wait until I get back to Santiago.
Was it All Just a Dream?
Today is my last day on campus. I ate lunch in the Food Garden with my friend Deyanira where we usually eat together. It wasn´t sad or anything because I´m going to see her again. It did suck though because it wasn´t as good as usual, and that is sad... You always want to go out with a
bang, you know? But given that we waited until 5pm to eat, there were slim pickings.
I´ve been taking photos of my campus for the past hour. I´ll post one soon.
I´m not sure how I feel yet because it doesn´t seem like its ending. I´m not leaving Chile for another month, but it is all coming to a close.
Tomorrow I´m going to wake up in Reno and ask myself when I open my eyes, "Was it all just a dream?"
School Daze
The End is Near
Tomorrow is my finance final and I still have to turn in my take home final for my international political ethics class, but after that- I'm done with school here in Chile! Ahh...nice, but kind of sad at the same time, you know? Well, I'm sure that going to
EASTER ISLAND will help me forget about that!
Yes, I am going to Chile's Polynesian island in the middle of the Pacific. What a good way to begin my summer, huh?
I´m Published
I love this blog because even if my mom is the only who reads it, then at least someone is listening.
So hey mom- if you want to read some more of my liberal spew, visit the Reno News and Review website-
http://www.newsreview.com/issues/reno/2004-12-02/travel.asp
COANIQUEM
I had originally planned to return to Santiago by today, but I just couldn´t leave without meeting one of my few goals while travelling up north- visiting COANIQUEM (www.coaniquem.cl), the largest burned victim treatment centers for children in Latin America.
There are two centers in Chile- one in Santiago and the newest site in Antofogasta. Given that the directors of both locations are Rotarians, it wasn´t too hard to get in touch and get a tour of the facility. It was more a matter of convenience for Dr. Solar, the Director in Antofogasta, and when he could meet with me. Since he had time today, I decided to stay and take advantage of the opportunity.
He picked me up at my hostal this morning and we went to the year-old facility where more than 5000 burn victims are treated per year. The doctors from this center (primarily women!) as well as those in Santiago also travel throughout Latin America in order to train doctors in other countries in the area of rehabilitation of patients who have suffered severe burns.
I got to help in the process of sterilization of materials that will later be used to treat victims as well as sit in on a follow up visit for a little boy with burns on his neck.
In a consultation
The Rotary Club of Santiago, my host club, as well as the San Francisco CA club, the 2nd oldest club in the history of Rotary, support the COANIQUEM Foundation through RotaryQuem (quemado = burned). I made my contribution today by buying the Christmas cards that they sell as a fundraiser. So if you recieve a card from me in the mail, then check out the back- when you read COANIQUEM, then you will know that its proceeds have gone to support a good cause.
1907
I was in Iquique yesterday, a port city in the north of Chile. I didn´t have much time and the paragliding business didn´t have room for me, so I hopped on a bus to visit a ghost town that is about an hour away.
Humberstone
Humberstone was a nitrate mining company town where, at the turn of the century, employees and their families were payed with tokens instead of cash which kept them entrenched in an unbreakable cycle. In 1907, the three thousand town members, including women and children, walked the forty kilometers of sand dunes to Iquique, in order to ask for support from the local government for better working conditions and payment in cash from the company that was ignoring their requests.
Upon their arrival at the town square, two thousand were subjected to a bloody massacre by the local police force- they were shot and killed at point blank, weaponless, and without a chance to voice their needs. The remaining one thousand were forced to return to work without any changes.
This account was related to me by a construction worker who is working on the restoration project of the mining town. He had many wise words for me, two phrases which I will share with you-
"Love what you do, because if you don´t, you won´t love who you are"
and
"Just because a person doesn´t have a degree doesn´t make them worthless. Sometimes, they may be even more educated."
So Much to Say
I have done so much in the past five days that I don´t know where to start. As of right now, I am in Arica, the border city in the north of Chile right next to Peru and very close to Bolivia. I´m staying the house of a Rotary couple and last night I went out with some Rotaract kids here.
Sandboarding the other night was cool- its a lot different that snowboarding because you have to crouch down more, put most of your weight on your back foot, and drag your hand behind you in the sand. It was fun but I definitely went to bed that night beat and FULL of sand EVERYWHERE.
The view while sandboarding at midnight
On Saturday I went on a tour of the region and visited several lakes as well as a salt lake and a few small towns.
Lake Chaxa
Flamingos in the Salt Lakes of San Pedro
Tomorrow I leave for Iquique but will only be there for the day. I am hoping to paraglide over the city since I won´t really have time to go exploring in depth.
Arica- Hitting the Bullseye and Finding Independence
Arica lies on the northern border of Chile, right next to Peru and is also about an hour away from Bolivia by paved road. I arrived here at 7am by bus on Saturday morning and a local Rotarian picked me up and brought me to her house. I took a quick shower and ate half of my breakfast before we hurried out to the final activity of the Rotary-Lions Club Olympics at the military base. The final game? Target shooting!
At the shooting range
Now I´m no pro with rifles (given that I´ve shot twice in my life with my dad, a life long member of the NRA)- but I´m not too bad either... It must run in the blood though because after the clubs finished up the competition, the "ladies" got to "try"- and boy did my marks surpirise everyone there! Each of us got three shots-I marked a 10, a 9, and an 8. Not bad for a lady, huh? If I would have had the full 10 shots that the participants got, I am sure I would have placed in the top 3. Thanks for the training dad!
Rotarians, Military, me with my 10, 9, and 8
Finding Imdependence
Historically, relations between Chile, Peru, and Bolivia have been pretty rocky. About 125 years ago, Chile won the War of Independence and received the ceded land that now strectches between Antofogasta and Arica. The most important- Bolivia ended up without access to the sea and, accordingly, without a port to import and export products. To this day, Bolivia is trying to get back what they gave away.
Arica has two "ports"- one is occupied by Chile and the other actually is "loaned" to Peru. (I don´t know about the conditions of this loan). But the Peruvians don´t use it. They have never used it in the past 125 years. It seems to me that a simple solution to the Bolivian problem would be for Peru to "sub-let" the port to Bolivia. This would save Bolivian, a country in which the poverty rate is at 80%, from the high taxes that they currently pay while using Chile´s port. But that´s just my idea.
While speaking with the locals, there doesn´t really exist any racial problems or prejudiceness (I doubt that is spelled right) between the three converging cultures. However, predominantly Bolivian, Peruvian, and Chilean neighborhoods do exist in the city, but it doesn´t really seem to be a dividng factor. They say that it is interesting how three different independence days are celebrated throughout the year. And interstingly enough, the Rotaract club from Arica participates in more activities with a Peruvian Rotaract club than other Chilean clubs because of geographical proximity.
Chile border city of Arica- to the left of the flag is Peru and to the right is Bolivia
I heard more than once that Ariqueños have been intersted in declaring and independent state from Chile because they feel quite ignored by the Santiaguen government in general. But in the mean time, the Chilean military presence remains strong and when importante decisions must be made, Santiago mandates. For example- Mexico sent Arica a statue of Christ- city members wanted it to face the city, but Santiaguien officials decided that it would be better that it face the ocean. The statue waited ten years in the port before it was finally installed on the hill next to the city- facing the sea.
Dry
I arrived in San Pedro de Atacama today- its in one of the driest deserts of the world. I am going sandboarding in a half an hour and tomorrow I have a full day tour to several lakes that are around here. I should be pretty tired tomorrow night when I take a ten hour bus ride to Arica (the northernmost city of Chile)
Close to Calama
I spent Thursday with a Ricardo, a Rotaract member in Calama. He took me sightseeing in the area.
Chile´s oldest church- from the 16th century. Made from adobe and leather
Me with Rodrigo, another Rotaracter and safety inspector, at the copper mine Chiquiquamata. It´s the biggest open mine pit in the world.
Protesting the Cooperation
Despite the images you may have seen on CNN, the protest in Santiago was very peaceful. There were approximately 45,000 people who marched, all for various causes- supporters of women and gay rights, plabor laws, preservation of the environment,
not 4 sale
and of course anti-APEC and especially anti-Bush....
It came to a close with a concert in the park right by my house and things stayed peaceful for a good hour.
The crowd enjoying the concert.
But of course, things had to get nasty. I don't know how it started but tear gas was thrown- man that stuff BURNS!!!! (Did you know that eating lemons helps the pain go away?) After that there was no hope- kids had to get stupid. Windows were broken, cars burned, blah blah blah.
I left with Adrien right away and passed by the store where I always buy vegetables as well as the Internet place right around the corner- the owners were closing up shop. Just in time. The stupidity moved from the park to Seminario (thats the street name) and then from there I don't know because by then I was safe and sound at home. What a pity- out of the 30,000 that were there, a handful of people had to ruin all the fun.
"Get out Bush- enough with your pacts against the people!"
On another note- I am in the same city as 21 leaders of the world. It will be interesting to see what acords they come to, although they are not obligated to sign anything, nor are they regulated by anyone, nor hold accountable to anything. That is exactly what people don't like about about this Asia Pacific Economic COOPERATION-they don't cooperate with anyone but themselves and their friends with money! What about us, our culture, our land, our resources? Those are the questions that protestors want answered. We want a say too.
PS- I participated in the march because I think that the people should have a bigger piece of the pie when it comes to economic decision making, especially considering that they are the power to the machines.
Spaghetti Fundraiser
Friday night I went to a fundraiser for a missionary group on campus. Although idealogically I personally don´t support their projects, I went because I am a fundamental supporter of volunteer projects, especially ones that help unite communities, like this one does.
Victor, Pía, Me, Andrés
What excitement?
Besides a few protesting incidents downtown and tear gas thrown by the police, there haven´t been too many APEC troubles. Of course, the conference hasn´t even started yet...
It is kind of funny because my friend Adrien is quite radical and hung signs saying "Fuera Bush" and "Gringos Against Bush" outside of her apartment window- which faces directly into the police station where protestors are being brought in handcuffs. What a way to fuel the fire.
Tomorrow is the scheduled march and yours truly will be there to experience it first hand- I need accounts and picture for a few news article that I will be writing. Good thing I live close enough so I can flee the scene if things get out of hand. I don´t really feel like being deported for contributing to civil disobedience.
That´s a Bomb
Where am I? I´m not in Iraq, not in Gaza, nor South Africa....so why are there BOMBS going off? I´m not joking.
This morning, an abandoned package was found inside one of the metro stations very close to my apartment. The police evacuated the building and then detonated the sucker. I saw on tv the news media reporting that the loud noise and slight tremors that were felt had something to do with water pressure and tests or some bologna like that, but an hour later (after the coast was clear) I had to go to that very same station and one of the guards told me on the DL (down low) that it really was a bomb.
Now- why are there bombs in metro stations in Santiago, Chile, South America you might ask? The answers are found in one acronym and a bad four letter word- APEC and BUSH. Both of these are bringing great unrest to Santiago, where popular uprising, protests, and yes, unfortunately violence as well, will be taking place during the next five days.
All around the city there are signs posted declaring "Go home Bush", "Bush is a terrorist", "No a APEC", and inviting everyone to "take to the streets to take back the power". The APEC Economic Leaders Summit (which includes the presidents of all 21 members of APEC) doesn´t even start until Saturday, but the big universities located downtown are already closed for the week and bombs are already going off.
Great.
Personally, I´m not convinced that resorting to violence will help take back the power in any way, but it is definitely a way to be seen and NOT heard.
I hope that the scheduled march goes well and ends peacefully on Friday, especially considering that I live about five blocks from where it is supposed to end. I´ll keep you posted....
