life without knowledge is like death in disguise
Well updating this thing has not exactly been my strong suit. I'll surely have to improve on that measure and be more active. A lot has happened in the last... however many weeks since that first little blurb about the purpose of the blog and my location at the time (I guess I didn't really say much else).Briefly, here is what has happened lately:
1. After that very fun day in the color-splotched port town of Valparaiso (a place now forever in my heart, stunned by the vivid life splurging from it), we prepared for the last few days before the team was to head back to the ol' USA. Mostly that meant parties. We threw a big one at a bar called black the night before the big departure. I ended up getting ridiculous, of course, and somehow in the midst of that, got semi-harassed by one of the bartenders I had been dancing with. When I went to the bathroom to get away from him, I found him standing there in the women's bathroom when I came out of the stall. CREEPY. I freaked out, everyone decided to leave, but then Ellen and I came back in and did our best to curse them in Spanish, followed by a full soap bottle thrown at them by Ellen. I love that girl. Shegotballz.
2. So on Wednesday, all of the Americans minus Danielle and me got on a plane and headed home. Briefly some wonderful memories from the trip:
- Going to Starbucks and changing our names each time we went in there (they ask for your nombre when you go to Starbucks in Chile so they can call it out when your drink is ready). I think I was Queen Isabella, Princess Jasmine, Gertie and Willow (like the tree, the one that weeps).
-The day we got Alberto, the infographics professor, a birthday cake. It was the same day as the Queen of England's 80th birthday. So I suggested we have "Happy Birthday to Alberto and the Queen" put on the cake. Well, they couldn't fit it all, so we nixed the "Happy Birthday" part. But the people messed up and when we got there and pulled out the cake for him, it said, "Happy Birthday to Alberto the Queen." This was in the newsroom, so everyone had quite the good laugh.
-The last night in the desert, we all went to the Valley of the Dead to had a bonfire and a going away party. It's this place with huge, sandy hills where sandboarders go to ride. I ended up joining Gabe, Mike & Colin to make 30 second exposures of rock star poses. They looked pretty sweet, making it look like almost daylight with the stars in the background. Of course, it was tough to stay still, but it was fun to try.
(enough for now)
3. The day after the team left, Daniell
e, Andrea and I decided to go to Andrea's beach house in San Domingo. We brought her friend Maria Teresa and headed first to the pottery town of Pomarie. We wandered around the town, bought gifts and then went to play on the beach and watch the sunset. It was a fun,
short getaway. See photos above and to the right. The one with the dog is in the pottery town and the other is obviously on the beach. Danielle is to the left, Maria Teresa in the center and Andrea on the right.4. The next day was Andrea's birthday. We headed back to Santiago and later that day, we went out to dinner with her Mom and Step-dad at an excellent Chilean-style restaurant. As always (the pescatarian that I am), I got fish. Earlier Maria Teresa called Andrea and told her she needed to go on a blind date that very night with a friend of hers. Andrea says, "But the girls are here and it's my birthday.. I don't think I want to go on a blind date on my birthday." But Tere promised the date would be great, the guy was great and besides, he would have 2 friends with him (OH so now we're thrown into this equation??? I definitely don't care to go on any date with anyone other than my boyfriend who was on another continent). But since it was her birthday and Tere was so convincing, Daniella and I sucked it up and played wingmen. The guy shows up after we get back from dinner around 11 to pick us up. Turns out, not only is he obese and completely unattractive (sounds shallow, I realize, but Andrea was not attracted to him at all, and that attraction thing, for better or for worse, is important), but he is also 31, unemployed and living at home with his parents still. A real catch, eh? When we get in the car, another girl is sitting in the front passenger seat (who brings another girl on a date with you??), so the 3 of us pile in the back seat. We ask where we're going and he tells us it is a surprise. So if you tell 3 strangers, one whose birthday it is, that you're going to a surpise place, it better be pretty damn good. Nope. Definitely not. He took us to his friend's Dad's house. His friend, the same age, also still lives with his father and is also unemployed. The third friend is in the same situation. The Dad even hung out with us for a while. They all sat around drinking Coke's and when I asked for a beer and Andrea's date tried to open it, I had to explain to him how to do because he didn't know. Turns out they are all a part of the ultra-conservative Opus Dei movement. Ya know, the crazy Catholic group they talk about in "The Da Vinci Code" (though not quite so extreme). Poor Andrea. It was all we could do not to burst out in laughter throughout the night. What was Tere thinking???
5. My last day we go up to get an elevated view of the city. Smog and all. It would be such a beautiful place were it not for that smog. But from there, I said goodbye to the girls, got on my plane and looked forward to being home. I made friends with a Texan who was born and raised in Santiago. We discussed politics and the cultural differences between the US and Chile. It was great conversation.
6. Home. I missed home. For the first time in my life I think, I was actually ready to be back at the end of my travels. Usually I convince myself that I never want to return, go through horrible withdrawl after I do, and take weeks to readapt. But not this time. I spent a few days with my family before Brad came down to Charlotte that Friday for my uncle's wedding rehearsal dinner. He met my Dad's side of the family for the first time and I think it went better than I expected. The next day, we went to the wedding, did lots of dancing and ended the night by going to bars in Charlotte. It was a nice time. He stayed until the 4th, when he had to drive back to DC for work.
7. Moving. Here I am in Arlington, VA right now, on the outskirts of DC. I'm living with Brad and his friend right now and next week we are all moving to a new apartment so we can add a new roommate as well. It should be interesting and a good test of our relationship, to see if this just might be something lasting.. how we get along living in close quarters. This weekend he is away in Vermont and I am spending time with friends who live in the area. Monday I start my internship at Washingtonpost.com. Excitement exists all around me...
posted by Whitney Shefte @ 9:41 AM
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