Orientation

Huh, where am I? Momentary panic.

I'm in Chile. Ok, now I remember. Santiago to be exact. Aji Hostel off General Salvador y Providencia.


What time is it?

Who knows, maybe 10 or 11 in the morning. I do know today is Friday Abril 5 and I have enough time to run off 24 hours of being in airports, a taxi, and airplanes before meeting up with my new friends.

As I walked down the creaky steps of the hostel, excitement overcame me.

Last night:
If it is any indication of what Chile is like, than Chile is a place like any other place. It's somewhere to be experienced.

Once I settled my stuff in the hostel and freshened up, I bounced down the stairs into the pleasantly warm and smoggy air of Santiago. As I walked, I saw people racing by on bikes, buses, stores selling books, hats, and food. But what kind of food? What's a churrasco? Unfortunately, I didn't find out that day. I settled on a small pizza place, as I was limited to using my Visa card.

The Brazilian, Flavio, struck up a conversation with me soon after I finished eating. As we spoke we exchanged greetings in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Soon the Chilean women next to us, Angeles, was also in the conversation. As we spoke, I became more comfortable trying to speak in Spanish. We became more comfortable with each other.

Three people, three countries, yet in one place. We're not very different. Angeles, works for LAN airlines on the admin side. Flavio is graphic designer. We're all looking forward to one thing, the weekend. Rest and relaxation. As we talked about work and Chile, I realized how rare this moment was. Twenty minutes ago I was alone. Thirty minutes ago I could've stayed in a place where people spoke English.  An hour ago I would not have met Angeles and Flavio. As the hours went by, day turned to night.

Then came Jeron and Kaeley, two Americans here for Lolapalooza. Jeron asked me to write down/draw something that was significant to me about my experiences. In a brief moment of clarity, I distilled one thought, from the many racing through my mind. Traveling is not about the geographical location, but the sights, smells and most of all the stories of the people you meet.

______

Valparaiso

"Villa de las lomas"*

Saturday night as more volunteers showed up at the hostel. I plucked up some courage and announced that tomorrow, our last day of freedom, I was going to Valparaiso. Soon a few others latched on to that idea and off we went. A subway, a bus, and some trekking brought us to a wealth artistic expression and history. Valparaiso was and is one of the major port towns in Chile. Nestled in the hills, people have painted their houses in brought colors. It is a complete work of art. There are houses made of tin, wood, and lastly art. Narrow stair cases cut through the organized chaos.

Only after I took this picture did I notice the best part. I took the picture to capture the first sight of the ocean clashing with the houses. Afterwards I noticed the girl on the hill.

Stones, bamboo chutes, and some fabric make up a Chilean ship and flag.

Sopaipillas!!! You know that's right! Yes, I had one. Yes, it was awesome. No it wasn't full of sugar.

A cat dreams of catching a mouse. Beyond the cat is a dog. Dogs in Chile are interesting. I became sad as nearly every corner and street came with a dog forever known as "street dog". They're everywhere. Don't stress though, street dogs don't live bad lives. They don't even seem too unhappy. Chileans are very protective of these animals whose owners have essentially abandoned them. Kicking a street dog is as frowned upon as not speaking quickly in Spanish. On the upside, I have seen only a small amount of homeless people in Santiago. As much as I wish no person or creature should be without food and nourishment, it is nice to see people taking care of people. 

Hey look proof that I'm in Chile!

*Villas de las lomas: This might not actually be a name ascribed to Valparaiso, but it was fitting to me.