i am in the desert, about 1500 km north of santiago. my friend bimbi and i took the 23.5 hour bus ride from santiago, and arrived today at around 3pm. for all of today, it was the exact same scenery, which consisted of nothing except various hills/mountains of rock and sand. there was absolutely no vegetation unless we were close to a village, which is also where some of minute amounts of water exist.
we did see a lone alpaca, with no owner or companion in site.
we are staying in a hostel and right now i am bundled up as much as possible, since it's about freezing right now. during the day, however, it was about 75F.
tomorrow we're going to see the altiplano lakes, with flamingos, and for a nice trek to "see the flora and fauna."
right now, however, in the middle of nowhere, the stars are incredibly bright, and last night we saw a sunset that we can only hope to see again sometime in our lives. the sunrise this morning on the bus was equally magnificent, backlighting the craggy horizon.
another sunrise tomorrow...
Monday, May 26, 2008
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
my life has been renewed.
i found cheddar cheese. i'm not even joking. i felt uplifted, as though i finally had hope for the flavor selection in chile.
it is called "Cheddar: Light, Tasty" and is made by an Australian company called Bega. So exciting. It actually manages to taste like something.
The little things you miss...
it is called "Cheddar: Light, Tasty" and is made by an Australian company called Bega. So exciting. It actually manages to taste like something.
The little things you miss...
Monday, May 19, 2008
on a sad note...
today, whilst descending the san cristobal hill, i heard a dreadful crying that sounded like a child. i went over to the side of the road and saw the smallest little black puppy. it seemed as though it had just opened its eyes - it couldn't have been more than a couple weeks old at most. my heart pretty much broke. i started petting it, and it kind of stopped crying, but then i picked it up, and it started up again. the little one had dirt caking his right eye closed, so i tried to wipe it off.
a man was passing, and i asked him what i could do. he suggested i just leave it because probably the mother went off to look for food and would come back looking for her pup. there had been a smallish black dog that joined us part-way up the hill, and she looked as though she could be a mom. maybe she told him to stay put?
so i put him back, and he stopped howling. but it was one of the hardest things to just leave him there. i'm trying to tell myself that his mom came back for him, or at the very least, that someone else might have picked him up and taken him home.
this dog issue is a real problem here in chile. i think they should spend less time watering the grass and put more money into programs like taking care of all the stray dogs and cleaning up the river. the dogs are domesticated wild animals, if that makes sense. they chill with people during the day, conduct traffic (literally, they don't let people cross the street until it changes from the red to the green man) and protect their territory. however, at night, they turn into the pack animals they are, and literally run around santiago, 5+ at a time. i'm not quite sure what they do, but they do it really hard. that is why they lie around looking dead during the day.
regardless, most of the time, the dogs are great, they seem happy, random people feed them, homeless people try to sell them, but the puppies --- the puppies break my heart.
a man was passing, and i asked him what i could do. he suggested i just leave it because probably the mother went off to look for food and would come back looking for her pup. there had been a smallish black dog that joined us part-way up the hill, and she looked as though she could be a mom. maybe she told him to stay put?
so i put him back, and he stopped howling. but it was one of the hardest things to just leave him there. i'm trying to tell myself that his mom came back for him, or at the very least, that someone else might have picked him up and taken him home.
this dog issue is a real problem here in chile. i think they should spend less time watering the grass and put more money into programs like taking care of all the stray dogs and cleaning up the river. the dogs are domesticated wild animals, if that makes sense. they chill with people during the day, conduct traffic (literally, they don't let people cross the street until it changes from the red to the green man) and protect their territory. however, at night, they turn into the pack animals they are, and literally run around santiago, 5+ at a time. i'm not quite sure what they do, but they do it really hard. that is why they lie around looking dead during the day.
regardless, most of the time, the dogs are great, they seem happy, random people feed them, homeless people try to sell them, but the puppies --- the puppies break my heart.
rain
today, for the first time since i have been here, it is raining. it sends the smell of the earth and fallen leaves into the air, mixing the fresh with the damp smell of decay.
climbing san cristobal hill today, one could finally see all of santiago, even the snow-capped mountains! the one bad thing about winter here is that the smog settles. for weeks, we haven't even been able to see the foothills of the andes, and i haven't seen snow-capped anything at all. however, today, the rain cleaned the air, washed away the smog (probably in the river - ooph) and all was clean and clear and crisp.
i am starting to think of carving pumpkins and halloween costumes, not to mention thanksgiving. sadly, down south, we'll be getting those holidays when it is warm again, almost summer.
however, this rain takes me immediately back to salzburg, summer 2003. i was staying in a fraternity/hostel house, and it was still chilly, early in the summer. rain was pouring down outside and we all gathered in the bar area of the house (only in salzburg!) and listened to getz/gilberto "girl from ipanema" and danced, the heat of our bodies mixing with the cool air, creating a misty, truly magical atmosphere. that night, we were all so connected, needing nothing more than the rain and the music.
tonight i listen again to "girl from ipanema." though i am now in chile, the smells are the same, and the rain feels just as clear and pure.
climbing san cristobal hill today, one could finally see all of santiago, even the snow-capped mountains! the one bad thing about winter here is that the smog settles. for weeks, we haven't even been able to see the foothills of the andes, and i haven't seen snow-capped anything at all. however, today, the rain cleaned the air, washed away the smog (probably in the river - ooph) and all was clean and clear and crisp.
i am starting to think of carving pumpkins and halloween costumes, not to mention thanksgiving. sadly, down south, we'll be getting those holidays when it is warm again, almost summer.
however, this rain takes me immediately back to salzburg, summer 2003. i was staying in a fraternity/hostel house, and it was still chilly, early in the summer. rain was pouring down outside and we all gathered in the bar area of the house (only in salzburg!) and listened to getz/gilberto "girl from ipanema" and danced, the heat of our bodies mixing with the cool air, creating a misty, truly magical atmosphere. that night, we were all so connected, needing nothing more than the rain and the music.
tonight i listen again to "girl from ipanema." though i am now in chile, the smells are the same, and the rain feels just as clear and pure.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
internet update
i've got it. and you can now call me at 540-458-0145. i'm having a couple of technical difficulties - at the moment i can't call OUT on my phone, but i can accept calls. if i miss your call, i will skpye you back and then hopefully we can arrange a time to talk on the phone, which has a much better connection.
poco a poco...
poco a poco...
boheme and beethoven
right now we're in the middle of our run of La Boheme, and it has confirmed my secret belief that i really want to be an opera singer. how amazing to get to sing those melodies that Puccini and Verdi wrote! not to mention the ability to act at the same time as you are expressing yourself musically. *sigh*
it's a gorgeous opera, and luckily for us we're playing it about 10 times. tomorrow, though, we begin rehearsal for beethoven 7, which was added as a lunchtime concert smack dab in the middle of our run of boheme. not great timing, but great music!
we have three rehearsals for the beethoven and then a concert at 1pm on thursday, followed by boheme at 7. a richly musical day.
it is lots of work, but i do feel extraordinarily lucky that i am being assigned such great music. i kind of feel as though this season i'm getting a run-down of the "best of." opera, ballet, orchestra... later on we're playing shostakovich 5, also sprach zarathustra, marriage of figaro, barber of seville, suor angelica, bluebeard's castle, and the ballets sleeping beauty and the rite of spring.
jobs are so exciting!!!
it's a gorgeous opera, and luckily for us we're playing it about 10 times. tomorrow, though, we begin rehearsal for beethoven 7, which was added as a lunchtime concert smack dab in the middle of our run of boheme. not great timing, but great music!
we have three rehearsals for the beethoven and then a concert at 1pm on thursday, followed by boheme at 7. a richly musical day.
it is lots of work, but i do feel extraordinarily lucky that i am being assigned such great music. i kind of feel as though this season i'm getting a run-down of the "best of." opera, ballet, orchestra... later on we're playing shostakovich 5, also sprach zarathustra, marriage of figaro, barber of seville, suor angelica, bluebeard's castle, and the ballets sleeping beauty and the rite of spring.
jobs are so exciting!!!
Friday, May 16, 2008
cold!
it is now officially chilly here. i have to wear a scarf and coat and mittens or else i freeze!
this has become an issue mostly in my apartment. my building is old - it even has some broken windows in the stairwell - and it also has no heat. no central heating, no radiators, no gas, etc. again, it is "non-furnished."
this means that soon i will be purchasing an 'estufa,' or rather, a stove, to heat my apartment during the winter. they really love gas here because the electricity is so comparatively expensive. however, i've been told that if i buy a gas stove, i need to crack the window so i don't die of carbon monoxide poisoning. *this is mentioned to me in a very casual, offhand manner.* alternatively, i could get a carbon monoxide sensor and then when it starts beeping open the window.
for some reason, i was under the impression that as long as gas is being burned, there's not a terrible danger of monoxide poisoning. for example, many people have gas stoves, and there's no concern unless the gas is on and the stove isn't lit. anyone have thoughts on this? shouldn't it be the same for my estufa? and, presumably, if i buy a decent estufa, the chances of dying should be lower...
this has become an issue mostly in my apartment. my building is old - it even has some broken windows in the stairwell - and it also has no heat. no central heating, no radiators, no gas, etc. again, it is "non-furnished."
this means that soon i will be purchasing an 'estufa,' or rather, a stove, to heat my apartment during the winter. they really love gas here because the electricity is so comparatively expensive. however, i've been told that if i buy a gas stove, i need to crack the window so i don't die of carbon monoxide poisoning. *this is mentioned to me in a very casual, offhand manner.* alternatively, i could get a carbon monoxide sensor and then when it starts beeping open the window.
for some reason, i was under the impression that as long as gas is being burned, there's not a terrible danger of monoxide poisoning. for example, many people have gas stoves, and there's no concern unless the gas is on and the stove isn't lit. anyone have thoughts on this? shouldn't it be the same for my estufa? and, presumably, if i buy a decent estufa, the chances of dying should be lower...
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