Sandi at Large

I think this post will be more about me than about Chili.  Yesterday we traved to Vina del Mar,  pretty city on the coast. Our travel involved two bus trips with a change in  the Bus Station in Santiago.  The buses in Chile are really nice, better than our old Grayhounds, but the bus stations are kind of not so great.
The stations are very crowded, confusing, and kind of dirty. Bus travel is the primary means of transportation for most people here, and it feels like everyone is traveling at the same time.

Buses for the small towns and large leave throughout the day, and you buy a ticket, go outside and find the bus, and wait for the bus to leave. In Latin America, all buses leave in about 10 minutes, which in some countries mean, when the bus is full. I will say the buses in Chile leave pretty much on time.

There are agents standing by the buses who call out in carnival style  to say where the buses are going, and to encourage you to take their bus. Aire accondtionado is a big draw. You can pay there by the bus or after you have boarded. One woman boarded the bus as it was  leaving the station, then asked us whete the bus was Going. "Santiago,"  we said. She appeared satisfied and sat down.

Well. Anyhow, when faced with one of these trips, I an always filled with excitement for what I will see and apprehension about all the things wre won't exactly know until we get thete.

"I can't do this," is my go-to thought in such sotuations. My need to plan and arrange things into organized and familiar units, is a hindrance here. At such times I have to give my shoulders a proverbial shake, and remind myself that all is well in this moment and all will be well in the next moments to come, however unanticipated.

     Yesterday, I found myself feeling this way when G-man hurried off  in the Santiago bus station to buy tickets for the next leg  of the trip, As I stood there guarding the baggage, fully prepared with water bottle in hand, I experienced a new way of looking at myself. I felt sturdy, able to face new thigs and adapt. It was a fairly new feeling for me, and I liked it. So what if he didn't come back. I know how to say, in Spanish, "help, my husband is lost!" That and "Donde esta el bano?" Will take you far.

There's no Midnight Buffet, but ......

G-man and I are not luxury travelers: no resorts are expecting our arrival with rum punch in hand. We have our moments though, and it is the enexpected warm encounters that knock my socks off about travel. For example, you only have to open your mouth here to be asked where you are from and are thus launched into a warm, happy conversation. We wandered into a pet food store, looking for birdseed, unsuccessfully, but had a great visit with a young man and his 11 yr-old dachshund, LuLu. Before we wandered back out, he wanted to give us a free gift of a tarot reading. I now know that I have a bright future, and Gerry learned the name of our next president. Either that, or he will be meeting an interesting woman, and I didn't quite get the translation. Que sera!
  Today's outing led us to meet a nice woman working in a gift shop. Before we left, she kissed us good-bye, and all but invited us home. What a lovely person!
   Chileans always do the kiss on the cheek thing, tho guys just hug and slap each other on the back. This occurs even if you meet and part several times a day.
    We are also having fun shopping for a mop and other necessary tho mundane items. It's kind of an adventure.
    On a separate note, if you ever celebrate your birthday in San Fernando, I strongly recommend a slice of chocolate torte and a cappuccino at Cafe Roma!
   Ciao! Que  le via bien!  I promise to do something more exciting soon!

Under Blue Skies

Hurrah, we are safely. Arrived in San Fernando, a medium size town about two hours south of Santiago. It's early spring here, chilly nights and mornings, with pleasant and sunny days. This resembles so much the big agricultural area in Southern California, and the climate is the same. 

We have a cute little townhouse in walking distance of the town center, and across the street from a huge, twice- weekly farmers' and flea market. The varieties and low prices of produce here are unbelievable. There are many super markets and a shiny new mall, but real life takes place in the countless little shops and businesses that you might not think to go into. We are fortunate that our friend and landlord, Nicholas is an excellent and willing guide. He knows everyone.

I am trying to talk with people a bit but my limited Spanish is very limiting, and I often feel kind of dumb, but I'm working on it. Paula, the wife of Nicholas, is taking me to her English class tonight in hopes that I can learn something in reverse and possibly find a Spanish tutor. The free classes are offered by the Mormons, so I had better not agree to anything in Spanish.

   We will be traveling around in the future, but right now we are adjusting and learning and opening our eyes. We feel very safe here and well-befriended!

And the Question is ....

Twelve days until we leave for Chile. I've had a lot of questions about this trip, and not just my own. They go something like this: Say where? You mean South America? Are you going on a mission trip? Why are you staying so long? And the big question is: Are you looking for a place to move if Trump wins the election? You probably would not be surprised how often I'm asked that question. 

The answers are: Yes, the Chile that lies along the southwest coast of South America. Yes, it is a very long way. No we are not going on a mission trip. We are going to visit, tour, and learn about a beautiful, fascinating country with warm, hospitable people. We are staying so long to have time to really see the country; to step over into Argentina for the wine country tours; and to see what it would be like to live in a foreign country for a while.

As for the big question, well, maybe. We would be more inclined to choose another country to live in if Donald Trump were to become President of our country, but our curiosity about another place to live is not limited by whether or not he wins.

Our interest in another place to live has to do with the climate of hatred, bigotry, and gun violence that has taken over our country. That we have become a people who would for one second take Donald Trump seriously, says to me that this is not the America I know and love. I do not think these issues will disappear, regardless of the outcome of this painful election. We have more guns than people in this country. People are arming to the teeth for some kind of armageddon that I don't understand.

In Chile, as in many other countries, it is very difficult to get a gun. Most all of the gun owners are hunters who own hunting guns. It is not an indicator of patriotism to own a gun in Chile. 

I'm not going to live much longer. I would like to live the remainder of my life in peace. The fact that I see people in public places wearing guns on their hips nauseates me and terrifies me.

Would I like to get away from this mentality of divisiveness and violence? You bet. Is Chile the place? I really don't know, but it will be fun to see what it is like, and to live, if for only three months, in a place where I don't expect gunfire to interrupt the everyday process of living, and where I won't have to pray every day that the 5 and 6 year-old children I work with in school, won't be mowed down today by an AK-47.

So, I guess, we are thinking of moving. I wish it weren't so.