becka lippy

It's 3:30am and I just got home. I went to a house party with some friends from the new church plant I've joined. I don't have much to share except some ramblings about how this experience here is quite different from my time here before. I am still mentally working through a lot of what I am experiencing here. It is much slower and sweeter than my life has been over the last while. Life here has more to do with "buena onda" (having a good time) and less to do with making a big deal out of all the little things that press around is. One of the ways I experienced the difference tonight was in the culture I live in. Not the greater culture of Chile, but the subculture that I live in here. Before most of my friends lived with their parents and were still in full time studies. But now, the people I am hanging out with are older. In fact, I tend to be the youngest in our group. Which is a really nice change. I am moving into my own apartment on Tuesday, and I need to b

This week has been a prime example of the stressful freedom that comes with singleness. I remember the first few years after college, my girlfriends and I used to lament that we wished we had husbands who could help direct our lives. There were too many open doors, too many possibilities, too many options in life. How were we supposed to choose? If we had husbands, surely our lives (or actually, just decision making) would be substantially much easier. Paul says in his first letter to the Corinthians, " The one who is not married is concerned about the things of the Lord, how he can please the Lord ."(1 Cor 7:32) I have seen over this past year the incredible blessing of being unmarried. I got to serve in a way that was in many ways unhindered. My schedule was infinitely more flexible. I didn't have to worry about making two schedules fit into one. I didn't have to worry about a lot of things, really. I felt the reality of this counsel from Paul and I appreciated it.

I don't start work for another week or so... so I walk. I walk all around my favorite parts of Santiago. I took the subway quite a bit away and then walked home from there. It was about 2 hours of walking, and I loved it. I love the architecture here. I love the buildings, and the streets, and of course, the castles. Yep. There actually aren't many, but there is one just a block away from my current apartment. It's called Santa Lucia and its a beautiful yellow castle with gardens all around it. It is quite possibly my favorite place in the world. Anyways, I'll share more later, but for now just a quick note to say, I like living here. I like living in Chile, in Santiago, in el centro. I like the life here. There are parts of it that I just am not there yet. Like the way they take long long vacations... but I'll get there. I'm determined to get there. Slowly but surely, this is mi pais.

I arrived safe and sound on Wednesday. I got into the airport at about 6:30am and made it to the apartment by 8am. I am renting a room from a couple who lives in a decent sized apartment near my favorite neighborhood. I spent my first two days walking around, buying things I need, and enjoying the city. I put together a little list of the things about Chile that I love. This list is in no way exhaustive, but to give you a little taste of my life here. Most condiments come in little bags. Jam, ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise. At first this was awkward to me. My little bag of jam would spill out in the fridge and I was left with a gooey raspberry mess to clean up. But I learned to appreciate the little bags. I especially appreciate the fact that I can be very lazy and only use one knife to spread all my condiments without worry of double dipping. I love the bread here. It’s fresh. You buy it from these big wood basins and you pick out whatever pieces you want, put them in a bag, and pay les

I guess waking up too early and not being able to fall back asleep is a good time for posting on my blog. I am finally back in Chile. It feels strange, I don't feel as "excited" as maybe I expected to feel. But I do feel completely at ease and at home. Four years hasn't done much to diminish my love for this place. But before I get into all that, I want to take a minute and say a few words about San Francisco. I've barely lived in San Francisco, especially as an adult. But it is in many ways "home" to this wandering girl. I like the art that happens there, the communities that form there, and of course above all, I love the weather. Cold in the morning which warms up to a nice pleasant afternoon and then cool in the evenings. And except for some small rainy seasons, that is basically it all year long. Before I left, I borrowed my dad's car just before sunrise and took some photos of some of my favorite spots in the city. Here are a few I took of the