Fall Is Here!

I was hoping for an eternal summer here in Viña but last weekend made me realize I should probably start bracing for cooler weather. 

The leaves in the neighborhood started changing colors and falling to the ground.

Then, the clouds started to roll in and before I knew it the rain began to pour. 

And we had a weekend of rain and dark skies.

A weekend of highs in the 50s and pouring rain means two things: soup and tea.  

The change in seasons is a reminder of two things. First, this means I am about to miss a 120 degree summer in AZ. And second, I have been living in Chile for almost four months now. I can tell I am finding my groove here: school seems to be going well, I am building friendships, I visited a new orphanage, and now I am off to a meeting with my host Rotary club. Although I may not get my eternal summer here, I can honestly say that I am really enjoying living here. 

Happy fall everyone!

Best Move

Over the last several months, I have watched a lot of my friends and family members make decisions, move places, get married, start schooling programs, graduate, change directions in their lives, etc. All of these changes remind me that we are on a different mission that only we can fulfill. After undergoing quite a bit of personal and geographical change in the last several months, I found myself thinking about one of my favorite quote from Viktor Frankl-

"[T]he meaning of life differs from man to man, from day to day and from hour to hour. What matters, therefore, is not the meaning of life in general but rather the specific meaning of a person's life at a given moment. To put the question in general terms would be comparable to the question posed to a chess champion: "Tell me, Master, what is the best move in the world?" There simply is no such thing as the best or even a good move apart from a particular situation in a game and the particular personality of one's opponent. The same holds for human existence. One should not search for an abstract meaning of life. Everyone has his own specific vocation or mission in life to carry out a concrete assignment which demands fulfillment. Therein he cannot be replaced, nor can his life be repeated. Thus, everyone's task is as unique as is his specific opportunity to implement it."

Thank you for being part of the mission in my life and supporting me on my journey. I wish you all the best and all my support on finding your own, personal "best move."


Happy weekend everyone!

Sunset

Living in the Land of Street Art

The street art in Chile is one of my favorite things about living here. 

I snapped a couple pictures of the many, many art pieces here. I will post more soon but here are a few for now- 

I loved these colors

My favorite staircase!

This reminded me of Van Gogh

Allende still walks the streets!

A bird in a sweater

I love this one!

:)

21st of May: Naval Glory Day (or Beth Anne's Experience Bring Around More Guns in One Day than She Has Been in Her Whole Life)

Yesterday, the 21st of May, was Naval Glory Days in Chile. The national holiday is a celebration of The Battle of Iquique, which was Chile's naval battle with Peru in 1879. Eventually, this war lead to the Chilean military taking control of land in the north, which at that time belonged to Bolivia and Peru. Since Valparaíso is a port city and boasts a large naval base, one of the country's main celebrations was here. The city filled with tourist and there was something for everyone since this holiday includes a huge parade, multiple protests, and the president giving his state of the union speech. From my gringa perspective, I found this holiday interesting for several reasons.


First, Chile actually lost The Battle of Iquique. I was shocked when I learned we were celebrating a battle that they not only lost but also the same battle that Arturo Prat, their famous commander, perished. Although Chile eventually stole land from won the war against Peru, the whole celebrating a loss baffled me. I could not think of a single big American holiday where we celebrate a day we suffered a major loss.


Second, Chile apparently lost a bunch of land in the South. One of my friends, who works for the Navy, explained that while Chile's navy was fighting up north near Peru, Argentina seized the moment to steal some Chilean land in the south. The ironic twist is that the Argentinians recently realized this land has a lot of oil. Now Chile has another thing in common with Peru and Bolivia, they all want their historic land back. 


Third, while we were waiting for what felt like a really long time for the parade to start, my friend almost got pick pocketed. Thankfully that didn't happen thanks to a lovely little Chilean couple who was standing next to us and altered us. 


Fourth, I have never been around so many guns in my life. For real. I was actually a little worried. Here is just part of what I am talking about- 

Fifth, I found the uniforms to be quite funny. Not only were there several different kinds but some were just bewildering-

Ikea called. They would like their lampshades back. 

These "backpacks" looked like seat cushions. 

Who still uses bayonets? 

These hats befuddle me.

Female uniforms included red lip stick and black purses. 

Swords with gold handles!

They love swords and hats here. 

Drums!

It was like a free concert...

...kind of

Some people really know how to find a good view-

 And lastly, the protesters were out and getting beat up-

Of course the Chilean police were waiting for this to happen...

Party onward (with confetti!)...

Los Perros

Before I begin, this blog is dedicated to Buddy, my favorite dog in the world. 

Every time I leave my house I encounter dogs. Since I miss my dog in the US, being greeted, sniffed, and licked by dogs could not make me happier (except for when I see they are cover in flees but that's another story). 

So here is an introduction to some of the dogs in my neighborhood! 

While some dogs are strong and grow very tall

Other are fluffy and tend to stay very small

Some are clean, well-groomed, and neat

While others have lived their whole life on the street

There are dogs that greet me every day after I run

And dogs that stay on the porch and don't like to have fun 

Some like to investigate and smell the ground

And others just like shade and a place to lie down

Some try to scare me when I walk by at night

And others watch to make sure things are alright