Being Uncomfortable

Changing countries, universities, languages, etc. can be a little uncomfortable (some days more than others). Chile is teaching me how to be at peace and live in an environment that is not necessarily the most immediately comfortable.

I was thinking about that today as I was catching up on some reading. (What else do you do when the forecast is rain with a high of 50?) I ran across a quote from one of my old teachers, Dr. Krauss, who said, “Being uncomfortable is a good thing, because it forces you to reassess your place in the cosmos. Being too comfortable means you’ve become complacent and you stop thinking. And so being uncomfortable should be a spiritually uplifting experience."

So, here's to being uncomfortable, to being a little crazy and taking risks. Here's to reassessing our place in the universe and in our neighborhoods, to thinking and acting, to discovering what exists around us and within us.

Perú!

I wondered if I could ever like Latin America more than I did before winter break but, after spending almost two weeks in Peru, I realized the my fondness for the Americas continues to grow. 

Peru was an incredibly beautiful country. Rich in both Incan and Hispanic history, Peruvian museums, churches, and Incan sites provided the perfect travelling haven for my inner historian. The country's geography provided an outstanding background for the travels. I super thankful for the time I was able to spend there. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I will stop rambling and let the photos speak for themselves...

This was one of the first plants to greet me when I arrived in Arequipa...

While I was there I visited the one of a kind-El Monasterio de Santa Catalina de Siena.

At night, the city lit up and music could be heard in all corners of the streets.

I made it outside the city for a bit and the surrounding areas were stunning. The city also is the home of the "Incan Ice Maiden", who I was able to see. Eek!

 Next, I moved onto Cusco. Below is a picture of the main plaza. This city is a fascinating collision of the Incan and Hispanic histories.

Peruvian kids were adorable.

Incan ruins are everywhere. This site was a storage fortress names Puka Pukara. 

Afterwards, I began the treck towards Machu Picchu...

The scenery was breath taking.

We spent the night camping amongst Incan ruins in the Sacred Valley.

And then finally made it Machu Picchu!!!

My childhood dream was to visit this site. 

I never imagined it would be so huge!

I hiked up Huayna Picchu with a friend. Machu Picchu looked so tiny from up above. (P.S. I did rock the ASU shirt there and saw a fellow Sun Devil. Of course, when I saw my fellow Sun Devil, I screamed, "Arizona State," across the Incan ruins. Once a Sun Devil, always a Sun Devil!)

The llama nobility still lives at Machu Picchu!

Afterwards, I headed to Lake Titicaca. The lake is the highest lake in the world and is enormous!

On the lake, there are many islands including these "floating islands" that are completely human made from straw and dirt.

Along with humans, these pigs live on the floating islands. 

Other islands have regular festivals. 

Amantaní, an island where I did a home stay, was filled with ancient Incan ruins...

including a temple for the sun god. 

I had a great island host and wonderful French travel buddies.

The lake was amazing!

Viva el Peru!

:)

Food: The Delicious Down-Low

Of all the foods that would inspire my to write this post, bacon would be the original inspiration. My roommate was cooking with bacon the other day (see pictures below) and I started thinking about Chilean food. I combed through some of my photos and nabbed a couple related to Chile and my food experience here. 

So starting with bacon, here are some of my Chilean food field notes. 

They sell bacon in little cubes that buyers have to cut themselves. 

This little cube cost about $2 USD (about $10-12 per pound)!

Speaking of meat, here is some typical Chilean BBQ (or asado, as they call it here) food. Notice the chorizo in the fire. The piece of meat in the front of the photo is one big piece of meat that rotates and roasts in the fire. Vegetarian heaven!

The Chileans do not eat that many sweets but they love the pastries once in awhile. Someone bought these pastries for me. The one of on the right is an apple pie/custard pastry and the one on the left is like a seven layered cake. Yum!

Peanut butter and hummus are my food staples in the USA. When I arrived in Chile I realized neither existed here. So, I learned how to make my very own basil hummus (left) and peanut butter (right).

Bakeries are all over this country. Little bakeries dot the street corners and produce some pretty amazing bread. However, this loaf came from the kitchen of yours truly. :) 

Most countries are famous for certain foods. Chile is famous for its empanadas. Empanadas are stuffed in the middle with cheese and other deliciousness (meat, seafood, veggies, etc.). They are sort of a Latin American calzone. The empanada pictured above is HUGE and comes from my favorite empanada restaurant in Chile. You can munch on this while watching the sunset over the Pacific. 

Goodbye First Semester!!!

On Tuesday, I finished my last final! Woohoo! I have not yet received all my grades but I do know that I passed my classes. Thanks to everyone who supported me. This certainly felt like the longest semester of my life (maybe because finals lasted 6 weeks :) and I am glad this one is behind me.

Changes: Around, Within, and Throughout

Over the weekend, I went for a long walk along the coast with some friends. We are currently in the middle of winter here and walking along the cloudy, chilly coast made me realize that I have lived in Chile long enough to watch the seasons change from the middle of summer to the middle of winter. Changes are inevitable in life. Some changes we plan for and others surprise us. Some changes are more challenging and others are subtler.

In many ways, my time leading up to and living in Chile is part of a larger season of change in my life. However in the last few weeks, I have been more aware of the changes in my life. When I pause for long enough, I suddenly become more conscious of the changes happening all around me in many moments. Some of them are more obvious changes, for example: finishing my first semester in Chile, saying goodbye to a roommate and friend, sharing new experiences, etc. And other changes become apparent to me only after siphoning through my everyday experiences and recognizing changes around and within me, for example: realizing my Spanish is improving, letting go of some of my preconceived notions, following through on different dreams, etc.

My walk along the coast reminded me that some changes are like the tides and the seasons, they come and go without seeking my consent or bending to my will. And other changes are like the walk itself, they are changes that exist within my agency and are influenced by actions.

Moving to Chile was a huge change in my life and my time here has forced to reevaluate changes I would like to make in my life and to embrace how to live in a world that is constantly changing all around me. I am learning to see continually changes around me, within me, and throughout my life.

The coast this weekend-