home

I'm home now and enjoying being with my family. :) Sometimes, I can't believe that only a few weeks ago I was sitting on the beach in Chile. I miss that mountainous, coastal country that I called home for 5 months. If I think about it too much, I get sad. But, I knew this would happen, so after finals, I spent my last 2 weeks soaking up Chile.

Las Docas beach 

I went to the beach almost everyday. There are lots of beaches not too far from Valpo, so we'd wake up and catch a bus to a beach somewhere. I would sleep, read, sketch, and the only dilemma was whether or not to play frisbee or take another nap.

Sara and I found this little fishing village about 2 hours away called Horcón, known for it's fresh seafood and hippies. We dug our toes in the sand and listened to the waves crash.

Horcón:

La playa en Reñaca:

 

When I wasn't at the beach, I was on the third floor of a hundred year hotel that's home to a bunch of art studios. I met a lady named María Fernanda who taught me how to paint. We mixed oil paints, drank tea and listened to Cuban music. I could have lived in her art studio surrounded by all the painted canvases and big windows. We would just talk for hours while we painted and she'd tell me about when she lived in México, what kind of music we like, and where we want to travel. She asked me about where I'm from and my family, and she told me about her kids and her family. I almost cried when I told her bye. I miss her. She's one of the most loving people I've ever met. Her heart just evelopes you when she hugs you.

I really dropped the ball on writing in my blog, so I need to catch up on what I left out. I ran a 1/2 marathon at the end of October...

I turned 22, and my family had a party for me. It was so fun, and Rosa made a cake with some loud icing. They even decorated the house. What a great family. :)

 

I would go on long walks through my cerro on Sundays. Here are pics from my walks through my neighborhood in the hills...

 

 The view of Valparaíso from my neighborhood...

 

Garden party on the sidewalk

An art exhibition at the foot of my hill where artists painted for 11 hours on 11/11/11...

Before

After

Other wanderings...

A concert in Plaza Sotomayor

 We went to a Chile vs. Paraguay soccer game in Santiago. Chile won 2-0. CHI-CHI-CHI-LE-LE-LE!!!

 More art on the walls...

Musician on a loft in a pub...

Wishing my camera would take pictures in dim lighting..

Found a cat in a bar...

 

...while we listened to a Cuban band...(I guess Cuban music is popular in Chile.)

 I miss the beaches, I miss María, I miss my Chilean family, my friends...I miss Chile. But, I'm glad to be home with my family. But, I'm gonna have to say goodnight because I think I'm going to the woods in the morning with my dad. It's good to be home where my closest neighbor is a 1/4 mile away. It's just good to be home.