November 20, 2008
The year has been flying by. I truly can’t believe we’re almost into December, which means it’s almost time for our trip to the U.S. which in turn means we then have just ONE YEAR until we leave for our trip around the world.
This is something we have been planning and saving for, for so long now that I cannot even fathom we’re actually going to do it. Because of the amount of time that’s gone into preparations it’s always seemed like something of a pipe dream even though I know we’re slowly but surely working on making it a reality.
All of a sudden both S. and I were both hit with a jolt of reality when we realized just how soon we’ll be departing (a year may not seem soon to some of you, but we’ve already been working towards this goal financially for two years now so in my mind, just one more year is definitely soon). Because of this, we’ve really decided to buckle down on saving. Now that my tax situation is resolved, I’m trying to work harder, write more stories, say yes to all the photography jobs that come my way and just make more money in general. And we’re cutting back in every way possible.
My monthly spending limit for extras is now 50,000 pesos. “This is rough,” I think, as I sit typing away from Starbucks, even though I know that fifty thousand for entertainment is more than enough. 
I’m not exactly a thrifty person. And to be honest, this year, which was the first year of both S. and I’s lives in which we were making enough to be able to freely spend and buy things we wanted. We went overboard. The spend spend spend is out of my system now, but I’m not going to lie…not struggling financially for the first time ever, was so nice. We were able to afford a great lifestyle and still save up about $25,000 dollars. However, we want to buckle down in the upcoming year. So, going out to eat is being cut back and like I said, I now have a self-imposed allowance.
It’s been hard to get used to. Old habits die hard. But, the upside of it all is that I’ve lost 2.5 kilos now that I no longer eat lunch out every single day of the week. The downside is that never leaving my house is boring. Which is why I ponied up $2,500 (pesos) of my spending money to get a frappucino and come sit at Starbucks in the air conditioning. It’s worth it to me. I’m often a lot more productive when I change up the environment where I’m writing. Anyways, the plan is to save $35,000 dollars more in the next year. It amazes me that by cutting back we’ll be able to sock away and additional $10,000 bucks! I mean, I don’t love not being able to order sushi delivered to my house at my every whim, but when we’re able to travel for another couple of months because of our extra savings, I know it will all be worth it.
November 17, 2008
Ha. We win. We’re not being sued. The jackass was totally bluffing. Today was supposed to be the day where if we didn’t bring in checks for more months of rent the landlord would sue us. S. consulted with our lawyer, whose dad is doing better, btw, and our brilliant legal mind told him to cuss out the landlord and make it clear that we’re not fucking around and we’re not paying him another fucking peso. So S. went in to the meeting with the landlord, told him so, and the landlord shrugged his shoulders and said, “Ok.” He’s not suing us, there will be no further drama, thank goodness.
I celebrated with a glass of Frangelico and spent some time editing pictures not for work, not for other people, but for me! FUN.
Here’s a shot that a friend took of S. and I at a wedding. By the way, S. is considering doing a guest post for me. Do you guys have any questions for him?!? He wants to write but he says he needs more inspiration so if there’s something you want to ask, now’s the time.
No no, Papi isn’t cuddling with S. as he sleeps…
She’s actually attacking!
This is quite possibly my favorite picture ever taken of Papi. I LOVE her. Seriously, it takes all my willpower to restrain from blogging about her every single day.
One more…
And lastly a few photos from when we went to Ky a couple weeks ago. Can you believe Rodolfo’s arms are long enough to get us all in the picture?
K…bye!!!
November 16, 2008
When I went to school at Campus Macul of la Chile university here in Santiago, every Thursday was dubbed “Protest Thursday.” It didn’t really matter whether there were any real issues to get up in arms about — Thursdays the students protested, rain or shine, with or without cause.
Sometimes I was annoyed because my classes would be canceled if the protests were big enough, sometimes I was happy to see the students stand up for their rights if I thought they were protesting an issue worth talking about and once I was really scared when they were protesting APEC and someone threw a rock that hit me in the head.
In the news, I get upset whenever I see injuries and violence at protests. I know that a lot of kids who protest are intelligent and speaking out against the injustices in their country, which is a wonderful thing, but on the other end, there are so many who go just to make trouble. They throw giant rocks and molotov bombs at the police. The police fight back and chaos breaks out. The kids who incite the violence are often painted as innocent little babies being crushed down by the big bad government. I’m not saying the police are always in the right. I’m just saying, the violence comes from both sides.
Anyways, I’m getting way off topic. What I wanted to write about is the fact that Chileans have often asked me why people in my country don’t protest when we don’t like the way things are going. I tell them what I think is the truth, “Our generation has had it so good for so long, we don’t think we have a lot to protest about.” However, I also explain that we often do have protests, they just don’t make the news down here in Chile. For me, during college I participated in protests fighting back against the injustices illegal immigrants in the U.S. face. I picketed Taco Bell, who buys (or maybe that has changed, I haven’t been following the sage since I moved here) tomatoes picked by illegal immigrants and refuses to pay them humane wages. That was a concept near and dear to my heart because I’ve always worked in restaurants and been friends with cooks and bus boys and managers, who were illegal. I know they’re not a faceless evil coming into our country to take down the good ol’ American boy. They’re people trying to make a better life for their families. I don’t fault them for that, and I think every human, regardless of government status, deserves humane treatment. So yes, we do protest, although my generation hasn’t protested nearly as much as the generations before us because we’re lazy and used to our cushy lives.
After my country voted Obama president, I was proud, yet still felt immense feelings of disappoint and shame that we are so bigoted we took rights away from a minority group. I was SHOCKED that so many people voted for writing discrimination into the constitution and want to refuse gays the right to marry. However, this weekend I was proud to see my people stand up against something so wrong. Protests were held in 50 states and 10 countries. Chile blogger Clare just wrote about the Milwaukee protest and has pictures of some really great signs people brought out.
This isn’t about what the religious fanatics believe it is. This is about seperation of Church and State. That’s what our country is based on! Our founding fathers are probably rolling over in their graves right now after seeing that line, not even blurred, but completely crossed. If you don’t believe gays should have the right to marry, then that’s fine. Be part of a hateful religion that treats people as second class citizens, not as equals as the Jesus you claim to believe in preached. But, don’t try to impose your religion upon the government. Discrimination is WRONG.
Remember back in the day when people thought women and blacks were second class citizens? We look to our history books and can barely even conceptualize how ridiculous that concept is. One day, in my lifetime, we will look back and have our minds boggled again by the fact that people tried to denied gays and lesbians the right to marry.
Free love, peeps, free love.
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