Tranquil Chaos

I have officially completed a week of classes.

Many of my classes turned out similar to the experience chronicled in my last entry, but I think I kind of like the chaos and confusion of life here in Chile. During our month of travels I was reading "In the House of the Spirits" by Isabel Allende (which, if you haven't already read, I STRONGLY suggest that you do), which takes place in Chile and spans its history from the days of the haciendas up until the revolution in the '70s. Many of the characters are inclined towards the supernatural, and often spend their times conversing with ghosts or adding on labyrinths to mansions. The overall sense of tranquil chaos that presides in the pages of her book is exactly what I have encountered here -- and I almost expect my daily life within the walls of my university or by the shores of the Pacific Ocean to begin to mirror a piece of fantastical fiction. So it is with this mindframe that I faced a week of classes being scheduled in rooms that dont exist, trying to understand how the libraries, photocopy offices, and secretaries all function together to get materials to students, and diving into the icy waters of that kind of loneliness that can only exist when you are amids a massive crowd of people. It's been an exhausting rollercoaster ride of really beautiful moments and "oh crap" moments, with a little bit of blase thrown in here and there. God has given me a few new friends, hope that my Spanish is - in fact - improving day by day, Molly hugs exactly in the moments when I need them the most, and those little reminders that I have learned to love so dearly that He is here and that I am His. For example, the sunset last night. I had some reading to do for school and I was tired of being in my room, so I walked down to the beach, sat in the sand, and proceeded to read out loud so my mouth could practice making words in Spanish and let my voice be lost in the sound of the crashing waves. There was something unspeakable in the beauty of the colors and in the feeling of damp sand on my toes that brought me back to reality of God's love, and suddenly I forgot all the thoughts of self-pity and fear that had been fermenting in my heart all day. Or today, after my attempts to make it to my art class proved to be a failure of truly epic proportions, as I was leaving the art building in defeat I passed by a trash can filled with last year's art projects. I proceeded to dig through said trash can and pick out some of the less bent drawings and tucked them under my arm to decorate my walls. I also bought Molly some lillies today, because they were too beautiful not to.

So, in a messy pile of word vomit, there's my week. Chaotic, beautiful, painful, fantastical, difficult, lonely, fiction-esque, and fast. My dreams have been confused and wordless as I transition to functioning in English to Spanish, but I hope that soon they will be filled with rolling Spanish.

I've been keeping up a steady routine of skyping, trying not to be overwhelmed by wanting to call every number in my phone to tell them I love them and that I am thinking of them here in Chile. I am amazed by the technology that allowed me to video chat with John Boiles from Chile to Cameroon -- free.

Birthday is coming up in a few days, and I'm not sure what the celebration will look like, but I'm hoping it will resemble a party with new friends and some homemade Kuchen. Some free birthday drinks might be fun too.

Anyhow, I'm going over to Molly's house tonight to watch a movie and snuggle. Keep the comments coming!!! Even just to say "hi" so I know I'm not just writing to the winds....

Ciao,
catita

p.s. - i strongly suggest that you go put a banana and about a half a cup of milk in the blender and then drink it. mmmmmmmmmmm, the deliciousness of simplicity....