March 25, 2009
I have a twin. She’s homeless and lives in San Francisco.
People on Flickr are always discovering her and I and then sending me emails to tell me I look just like her.
I have her picture bookmarked and every once in a while I go back to look at the girl…a reminder that our life is sometimes nothing more than the circumstances we are born into. Sure, everyone is capable of rising above, I fully believe that. But, being born to parents who love us, who aren’t poor, who aren’t drug addicts — the list could go on and on — gives anyone of us with this privilege a huge home court advantage.
I go back and look at her because she is me/I am her in a different life. The description by the photographer who took the picture says “she’s smarter than she lets on,” and “from everywhere.” So am I.
Today this was my amazing life. I had a big salad with bacon ranch dressing that an angel from Cincinatti brought me, my bottle of fizzy water that’s always with me, and a glass of chilled, sweet red wine for dinner. I used the internet to work while my dog sat on the couch and kept me company. As I sit here I can smell the flowers that a good friend brought us.
I am blessed. I look at her photo and wonder where she is and what she’s doing now. I hope she’s found her way.
Obviously, I want to see everywhere and everything that the world has to offer. That’s probably not possible due to the fact that we have been saving no money lately.
Anyways, these are a few places top on my list.
In Chile:
La Carretera Austral
Patagonia
Chiloe
Easter Island
In South America:
Galapagos Islands
Cartagena de las Indias
Angel Falls
Machu Picchu
In Central America:
I just really want to go back to Costa Rica! Ever since we went 3 or 4 years ago that place has been on my mind.
In North America:
I’d really like to spend some time in some of the smaller Mexican beach towns.
NYC. Again, because I love it.
California, because I’m pretty I’d love it but I’ve never been.
S. is dying to go to Canada, and I wouldn’t mind spending some time camping there.
Europe (I’m just going to list countries, not specific destinations within each country, because there are too many).
Ireland
France
Italy
Greece
Turkey
Czechoslavakia
Germany (Ok, here, I really want to go see the concentration camps. I feel like those are just something that every person should see).
Pretty much anywhere in Eastern Europe
Middle East:
Dubai (I have a really good friend who lives there)
Anywhere within cheap flying range.
Asia:
Tibet would be my top priority if I could only go one place, but really, I don’t know enough about this side of the world to pick out specific destinations. I do know that a lot of places are cheap and beautiful and that’s enough to make me want to see it all. 
I also really want to see New Zeeland, and Australia as long as our money doesn’t run out! You’ll probably also notice that nowhere in Africa is on there. Of course I would love to do a safari, but those are for rich people, or people with a lot more money saved than what we have. And plus, that’s something we can also do when we’re older, even if we have kids…especially if we have kids. What child doesn’t dream of going on a safari?!? I would like to do some sort of service work in Africa, but I need to find a charity that’s not shady, not religious and doesn’t involve teaching English. I’d also love to do Egypt.
Suggestions are more than welcome! We’ll take anyone’s advice on where to go and what to see if we can swing it. Please realize that if I didn’t list a specific country or place it’s not because I don’t want to go there, it’s just that I’m realistic in knowing that while we might have an infinite amount of time we do have a finite amount of money and for now these are the priorities.
I’m also trying to make sure that if we are skipping certain places, they’re places we’ll be able to get back to easily once we’re older and even if we have kids. For example, you CAN vacation in Europe when you’re older, even with children. Since it’s more expensive, it probably makes sense to wait until we’re better established and have enough money to enjoy it. However, we cannot backup through Asia when we’re older and have kids, and it’s cheaper now, making it more of a priority on my list.
March 23, 2009
This country is not for me.
As much as I love certain bits and pieces of it, aside from my husband, they are all superficial reasons and not enough to hold me. It’s the man I love who ties me here. I’m tied to him and through him, to Chile. I love that connection, but S. himself doesn’t feel a strong bind either. To him this place is like a family member. He knows he has to love it and so he does so, sometimes begrudgingly, sometimes not.
In the long term though, the reason is simple. Life in some other countries is easier. To a Chilean 30-40 hours a week is a part-time job. To someone in the U.S. that’s a full time employment, and many people earn much more salary-wise in the U.S. while working much less.
And thinking way long term, the best education that money can buy here leaves children completely isolated from the realities of the rest of their country. Time after time I run into cuicos who live up in La Dehesa, go to school in La Dehesa, have never been below Plaza Italia and generally have no clue about the living conditions of the rest of Chile. I wouldn’t want my children to have that mentality. But odds are, if they go to a cuico school and live in cuicolandia to be close to said colegio, they’ll be brushing up against it on a pretty regular basis.
Then there are the silly little things that rub me the wrong way. I’d like to be able to get a hair and when I ask for “layers” to not come out with a mullet instead. The “close families” that people from Latin America always brag about drive me nuts when they’d rather suffocate than turn their children independent. Culturally, I find most Chileans extremely hard to read, and have had little success in making friends with Chilean women. Of course, there’s the HUGE trust issue as well, which I have talked about on this blog a lot, but I would classify it as one of the defining characteristics of Chileans who live in Santiago. “Piropos,” aka catcalls, especially when they cause me to get in fights, make me want to claw my eyes out, as does public transportation using the metro. The difference between socioeconomic classes pains me and makes me uncomfortable. Women are exploited in the name of being a “promotora,” every day. And just the fact that Chileans put mayonnaise on everything and walk slower than snails is enough to push me over the edge if I’m already having a bad day.
Those reasons wouldn’t be enough to have me wanting to leave.
But, there are the reasons my perceptions have been shaped the way they have. Chile has given me reason after reason to hate it with the passion of a thousand burning suns. I don’t hate it because it also gave me S.
Today, I was talking with a friend and she said, “Maybe all those things that happened to you were lessons you needed to learn. If you had learned them in any other city you’d hate that place instead. But since they happened here, you’ll forever hold that against Santiago, regardless of it’s good or bad characteristics.” Wise words. Maybe I could have really loved it here long term. But I’ll never know because we can’t turn back the clock. And she’s right, I will forever hold these things, not necessarily against the city, but as a part of me. I can’t forget them. They’ve made me paranoid and that’s OK because it’s my mind’s way of protecting me, making sure I never get in such horrible situations again.
In my own way, I very much respect this country and appreciate it for what it is. But that’s not enough. Chile isn’t for me.
I know I gripe about living in Chile sometimes, but I have this country to thank for winning me an AWESOME contest!!!!
One of my favorite photographers (I’ve linked to him before from my photography blog, so you might have already seen his blog, but if not, run, do not walk to his website, his pictures are amazing), Bobby Earle, held a contest to win a DVD. The DVD has info from a rad businessman/photographer and a presentation from an incredible photographer who I love, Jasmine Star. I actually tried to go to her workshop a while back, and when I started searching for plane tickets and hotels and realized the cost, I started bawling like a little baby.
So my tears and living in Chile were what pushed Bobby over the edge to choose me as the contest winner and to say I’m pumped would be an understatement. I’m like a little sponge ready to soak up all the information on that DVD and put it into use!
Check out Bobby’s blog and leave him some love. Tell him how awesome his pictures are, or you can just thank him for the DVD for me
March 21, 2009
I just made a quick video to say thanks to everyone who participated/read/commented on the group blog! I love everyone who takes part in this little community of Chile bloggers that we have. Thanks so much!!!
Hello from my 5d Mark II from Kyle Hepp on Vimeo.
PS. These videos were shot with my new camera that has HD video capacity too. WOAH, cool. I will probably never really learn how to use it. I’m still mastering the craft of photography too, I don’t even want to think about the time that would be needed to spend learning videography too…but for now, it’s great for high quality videos for JMCS.
Also, I realize that I speak grammatically incorrect English in this video. Please forgive me, my English is out of practice. Writing is fine, but speaking…not so much. Sometimes I sound like a foreigner. 
PSS. This was a test video we shot of Papito. I LOVE HER.
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- If you don't try and keep up, you just sound like yourself, which should sound like the moment. ~Grace Jones.
- I have no competition and no rivals. Everybody's got their own pace, their own trip. I don't try to keep up. ~Grace Jones, cont'd.
- @inosherry, I can't say I am very wizzardy but I can certainly try!
- 4am and I'm not tired. But 7:30am is going to come quick. At least I got lots of editing done!
- @markdubya, it might be 2010 but we're definitely still in Michigan. Speaking of. I'm here. Let's hang!
- Planning a baby shower for my future sister in law. This is definitely NOT my forte.
