Last pages

Doesnt it feel good to finish something, a book, a test, hiking mt kilimanjaro? Today was all about tying up loose ends. Sylvain got his test scores and learned he passed all his classes, I sold my books and got 20 bucks for them - in New York I would have gotten half that. On the way home from spinning class where Claudio played 3 songs from the Venga Boys because once I had a fit of laughter when during class We Like To Party came on which I hadnt heard since high school, and I dropped off a bag of stuff (including the 6 knives my mom had sent me when I first arrived) to give to Elisa. Yesterday I donated 3 bags of clothing to the YMCA saying Quiero dar esto meaning I want to give this, the woman receiving said bags asked something and I responded por las mujeres - for the women, she looked in the bag and asked what women? to end most of my transactions when I have no idea what else to say because often with the help of fluent friends I prepare a speech, this time I hadnt expected anyone to ask for what women and therefore I was stumped. In this situation I smile for a long time, and eventually someone says gracias. Even with the donated clothes, the bag of books I sold and the shoes Ive worn out and tossed away, my bags are still full, not as full as when I came, but stuffed nonetheless.

Im doing a last load of laundry while Sylvain retrieves his boxing stuff, our bags are packed and we leave for Pucon in 3 hours for on last Chilean adventure. We've both been hopped up on the excitement of leaving, heading home after a long time away, seeing friends, and the holidays ahead

So here pretty much ends the Chilean chapter. Bring on Paris.

Pavarti's vinyasa yoga

Funny how some things come full circle. When I moved here in september I had been practicing yoga intensely for about 6 months and in the last month or so I had been working out regularly at the gym so I had gotten a lot stronger and my yoga practice felt the benefits. Then I got here and tried a few yoga classes, I spent every other blog writing about the disappointing experience so I wont retrace my steps. About a month ago gringa girl brought me to Hari Kari a vegetarian restaurant that also had yoga classes early in the morning and after 6pm. They were very inexpensive and so I figured I'd give it another shot, something about the place and space sort of resonated with me, it was very indian and that felt comfortable to me.

Of course, I never made it to yoga until last night. The girls and I were back at Hari Kari having lunch last week and we decided to say goodbye yesterday with a yoga class and some drinks afterwards. I picked up gringa girl who lives on the way, she hadnt been to any yoga classes here, and I assured her it was no more than light stretching and eye rolling. When we arrived we found real yoga mats- not just 3 inch foam mattresses, and real blankets. Things were looking up. Pavarti introduced herself, we knew her already, she's the waitress at Hari Kari and since we sup there once a week she was a kind and familiar face. She asked what kind of yoga we practiced and I said vinyasa and hatha- so when class began with the familar melodious chanting I went from low-expectations to spending the yoga practice beating myself up over not coming sooner. I was in a weird heaven hell. Finally I found my yoga class, Pavarti was a sweetheart, the yoga wasnt challenging but the poses and chanting were like salve for the soul, and I was leaving tomorrow. We got our first class free and I felt a surge of emotion, I made gringa girl tell Pavarti that Id spent months looking for a good yoga class here and with her I had finally found it, the day before I left Valpo.

technical difficulties

My Ipod touch is flickering on and off, since this was my last mode de connection except for Sylvains crazy keyboard french laptop Im feeling pretty psyched that tomorrow we kiss Valpo goodbye and head to Pucon for some... more vacation...

Being in Valpo has been a strange experience, I have no regrets about coming, but I sometimes wonder if I should have stayed so long. The last two weeks have been the best two weeks but they have been seriously marred by technical malfunction, fleas, and mediocre weather. I dont have any desire to look back and spend time weighing the Valpo experience, Ive had plenty of time, in fact, nothing but time to think about things. For a long time now the questions worth considering havent had anything to do with being here; instead, what comes next.

For now Im headed back to the states, frankly thrilled to see snow, to feel seasonal, holiday joy and whatnot because I have not been able to muster any here. While Ive been away Ive been pretty dismayed by the state of things back at home. As a teacher were always going on about setting high standards for our students, the same goes for my country. Eight years of Bush was enough to crush anyones spirits, but while I see the opportunities for change coming to fruition; I dont see anyone taking advantage of them, and thats been more disappointing then when the opportunities didnt exist in the first place. Im tired of fighting with republicans about who is right and who is to blame, what I want to go home to is a place where no matter where you stand on abortion, guns, or healthcare, you do whats right.

Im afraid to move to france, Im afraid that it will mean giving up watching football on sundays, giving up my language, and everything thats familiar, giving up my job and the opportunity to work at a school where my experience and voice matters, where I can work hard and make a difference in kids lives whose experiences I understand because I know their parents work two part time jobs and receive no benefits so their healthcare plan is called waiting all night long in the ER because once again their brothers asthma was acting up, their bedroom is the living room couch, and I understand how and why their lives are like this.

I dont know much about any students in France, I dont know the hierarchy I will find in French schools, or what to expect or how to locate myself within it all. My french is better but nothing is worse than not being able to communicate effectively exactly what you need to say. But what I do know is that the French take care of their own. Politicians are politicians wherever you go, but healthcare is a right to all its citizens and no one is free to carry firearms in the parks or to church. Politicians dont dumb themselves down or instigate fear of intellect.

Right now though, I just want to enjoy being back home.

going to the movies and cerro la campana

First things first, out of the desperate boredom of a Sunday without a laptop for 8 days I begged Sylvain to tak me to a movie promising he could pick the flic. In the past he has tried to convince me to see the Haunting in Connecticut so giving him free reign was risky, not to mention the choices we had were as follows: 2012, Coco Cannel biopic and Twilight. 2012 was at the bottom of my list but thats indeed was what we saw. I could have happily lived a fullfilling life without having seen it, but going to the movies was almost like being back in New York. With a 15 minute intermission in the middle and a 6 dollar price tag, you could find your differences, but after 3 months of cinema abstinence I enjoyed ever minute, even if the film was rote and predictable peppered with many moments of disbelievability.

Cerro la campana, I woke up at 730 left the house just after 8 got the metro at 835 just missing the 830. Arrived in Limache an hour later got a collectivo, argued with the driver after he suggested I pay 10 dollars for what should have been a 4 dollar ride and ended up paying 6. Started hiking at 10, 2 hours later the novelty pretty much wore off, soldiered onward and upward, and then said to myself, screw it, Ive hiked Mt Kilimanjaro, Ive summited Machu Picchu and so with that I figured Id had a pleasant day of hiking - 4 hours in total - and I turned on my heels and made my way back down. When I got home I found that my knees were in bad shape- I am convinced that jogging down Kili forever ruined my knees in this capacity and my days of hiking up tall things are over if only for the descent and the painful aftermath of knee pain. Still, I popped an Ibuprofrin and things the pain subsided nicely, especially with the new Dexter episode to take my mind of my own troubles and replace them with Dexters. On a day when 3 of my best friends turn 30 it seems to me that age is sneaking into town and ruining all the fun.

1 more week

Im thinking about my last seven days in Valpo to the soundtrack of Sylvain singing along to REM in the shower.

Monday Im going to try a repeat attempt at Cerro la Campana, this time hopefully no strikes.

Tuesday go to Vina and get legs waxed for 5 dollars one last time and then finally head to Concon.

Wednesday Spinning class zith Claudio and bring all my clothes and whatnot to do the nate to Salvation Army

Thursday Yoga with the gringos and pack

Friday leave for Pucon

Fleas

Ive been going out to lunch a lot lately, today was no different, back at Hari Kari with the gringo girls for 3 courses for 3 dollars. Hari Kari is the kind of place you sit on pillows and take off your shoes. As were sitting there talking about birth control and mace, Im mindlessly itching my ankles and I remember to ask the girls if theyve had problems with bug bites. Turns out theyve had problems, and those problems are called fleas.

So I was right, its not bugbeds that are biting in the night, its fleas. Apparently because its Chile and because there are street dogs and cats everywhere that they exist everywhere.

I find this both hilarious and devastating. The fact that for months now Ive been itching and itchy to the extent that I have blogged about it, wondering naively if it was a bedbug attack, and over lunch 3 Americans announce casually, oh yes, what youve got is a case of the fleas. The only way I know of getting rid of fleas is by wearing a waxy red collar sold by purina. The girl from Wisconsin rid herself of her pesty friends with some special shower gel, the girl from Portland sucked it up and lives with it, and I think the girl from California cleans and vaccumns religiously enough she has won the battle.

Taking it all in stride, I plan to chalk this up as yet another delightful story to tell at dinner parties or perhaps a short chapter in my memoires: the bugs Ive slept with.

Mac down

Two days ago we had our friend Gabi over for drinks and we were watching phoenix and daft punk music videos on our projector when next to my head my mac charger sparked and then an ominous smell.

Gabi brought me to the Mac store in Vina there is one at the mall I never been to and we discovered that to replace my charger Id be dropping 140 american dollars. I opted to forgoe this expense for now and spend the next two weeks using Sylvains french keyboarded laptop with a broken b button and impossible to figure out punctuation. I figured out the period and the @ sign and thats as far as my ambition and threshold for frutration takes me. Its bad enough the a m q and w keys are in the wrong places and to type a number you have to use caplocks.

Gabi is kind of a lost boy. His father is Chilean his mother is French Canadian but lives and teaches in Paris where Gabi was born. Right now he is living in his step fathers Valpo apt with his friend Pablo who is a childhood friend from Paris. He has dropped out of university twice Im guessing at this point its just not his bag but Gabi isnt a loser, in fact Id say hes sort of typical of his generation, searching for answers about who he is and where he fits. As it stands he plans on staying in Valpo until New Year and then heading to Peru or elsewhere to find an NGO or volunteer position for a few months- I have my doubts about this coming to fruition but its a nice idea- and then heading back to France via Canada.

Where do we all belong, its a question that seems to plague a lot more of us as less and less of us stay rooted in the soil we were raised in. There are two ways of looking at this I think- one is to say wherever I have good friends, work and a support system - I can make it work. The other involves check lists measuring weather considerations, aesthetic comparisons, cost of living, crime rates, public transportation, outdoor access, political leanings, size considerations, the list goes on. Certainly the items on any check list play a part, and who we are as people factors in to how important those measures will be.