becka lippy

To grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ and to do some justice to the boys at westminster : To glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Favorite saying of the year: I am more sinful and deserving of death than I could ever imagine, and more forgiven and loved than i could ever have hoped for. (I am paraphrasing Pastor Brian who is quoting Tim Keller) This year has been such a huge year in my life and as I look back on it I can hardly believe how much God has changed me, stretched me, and loved me through it all. I have had crushes and believe it or not (almost) broken hearts. I have closed chapters of my life and seen new ones opened. I have flown and I have fallen. I have seen new parts of the world but more importantly he conocido (conocer= to know and to experience)new things about myself. I want to take a moment to thanks my family who have supported my crazy adventurous spirit, my friends who have held me accountable and taught me what true sisterhood is, and most

I finally had one! I had a dream where I speak in Spanish in my dream! It was kinda funny though because the exact parts of Spanish that I struggle with when I am awake, I struggled with in my dream (I am not sure when to say ¨¿Que haces?¨, or ¨¿Que estas haciendo?¨ since in this circumstance you cannot just translate perfectly from English to Spanish). But in any case, I had the dream early this morning and woke up right after it. I was so excited that I had had a dream in Spanish that it took a while to fall back asleep. I have been here in Chile for almost 4 four months now, it is about time...

Aylen is the daughter of Claudia and Diego (my sis and her husband). She is four years old but thinks that she is 21. She was looking at some of my pictures of you all the other night, so we decided to take some pictures of her. Her is her modelling for my camera...

These are some of the photos from the night my family and I went out as a welcome back party and also a goodbye party to the girl from germany who had been living with us since October. We got locked out of the house (a little miscommunication about who had keys, so here are the ladies standing by the door as we waited for Jaime (my host dad) to climb over the roof of the neighbors and onto our roof so we could get into the house to open the door. So we had a late start... We headed to a bar in town that had live music. Unfortunatly, the singer was horribly drunk and basically sat in his own world with his eyes shut and belted out tunes to his own rhythm. We finally got the microphone away frm him and gave it to Jaime who was able to salvage the night with his amazing singing. Here are Claudia and Diego (my sis and her husband) Marion is in the pink next to me, laughing probably at Jaime. The woman on the other side of me is named Belen and is Chilean but has lived in Sweden for 30

This will be short and sweet, I promise. Basically, Christmas in general for many reasons is a hard time for me, and particulary this year, I really wanted to be home with my family. To see my dad, mom, nigel and all the siblings. I really wanted to see my dad. But unless a good grand or so fell into my hands, it wasn´t going to happen. It will be probably a good half a year or more before I get to go see them... That fact, and the fact that I hate that our world has taken a date, called it the birthday of Jesus and then turned it COMPLETELY materialistic, I just don´t have the best feelings for Christmas. But this Christmas was okay. I started journalling on Christmas Eve abot wanting to be home, and I started to cry, BUT I decided not to cry on Christmas. And I didn´t. I know, sounds so encouraging. But it was. I really didn´t do much yesterday. I just read my Bible and took the most amazing siesta! For all of you who were praying for me on Christmas, (esp. Ashlee), thanks. I really

So I have and I haven´t really hit too much on the whole cultural differences deal. I will use the quote from my gender studies prof from Cal Poly, ¨There are more similarities than differences.¨ But somethings interesting that I have noted from talking to a few gringos down here is that they are very bothered by the stray dogs and wonder why the government doesn´t do anything about it. Why don´t they have better animal control? Why don´t they have a better nuetering (not sure about the spelling there) program? I was talking to a guy who has spent considerable time in both Chile and the US (like over 10 years in both) and we were laughing at these gringos. Why doesn´t the US do something about the gangs in the cities? Or the high divorce rate? Chileans don´t really see the stray dogs as a problem. They don´t attack people. Yeah they poop, but there are street cleaners who deal with that issue. But I can only imagine when they look at the states, what they must wonder about and say to

I know this is a day early, but I won´t be able to send out the lovin tomorrow so here it is: I hope you all have a joyous Christmas and that somehow through all the madness of cooking, cleaning, entertaining, opening presents, and all the other components of the holiday you will remember the real reason we should celebrate is the birth of a man who gave up His divinity and Himself to live with us and die for us. Just admitting this gives me chills, but it is the Truth that I live for and I hope that it is what I remember this Christmas. Quick note: I made my family pancakes this morning since pancakes don´t really exist down here. My brother asked me if they were waffles becasue he had seen a movie that mentioned something for breakfast called waffles. I tried to explain the difference but eventually gave up. I made waffles with blueberrys and plain, and we had strawbwerries and syrup for topping. I also made eggs (with cheese the way my dad makes it) and bacon (very kosher, I know).

These are some of the photos my buddy Sarah sent me. These were all taken at our graduation from TEFL certification after party. I would like to say that everyone was pretty well behaved, but basically after a few hours, everyone was too drunk for me to enjoy the party anymore, so I left. But the first few hours were fun, and in general I really had a great time with these guys. In any case, these are my classmates and I. One of the two Sarahs and I in our classroom before the party. Stacey and I. Wes and I. By this point, he had definitly drunk a little too much, and I was on my way out of the party... but one last picture with him as he plays dress up in wierd hats (keep in mind it is summer here). Here is Sarah and I. This is what happens when English teachers in Chile drink too much and find a finger puppet. And yes, that is me in teh background, trying to not be a part of the photo. (rolling my eyes)

Prior to coming to Chile, the only knowledge I had of gypsies was that they were travellers from the southern estern parts of Europe and they were sent to the concentration camps with the Jews. My time here in CHile, particulary La Serena has changed that. There are a few minority groups here in Chile, one of them is the Gypsies. I have not come across any in Santiago, but here in La Serena and some of the other smaller but still substantial towns, there are large groups of Gypsies who roam the streets every day. You can pick them out of the crowd from their wild hair and different dress. To tell you the truth I have never seen a male Gypsy over the age of 4 or so, so I don´t know how the men dress. The women on the other hand all wear long, faded, and obviously aged skirts and oversized sweaters. They look as though they have not bathed in weeks and their accent, although many of them have lived here in Chile for all their lives, is very distinct. Anyways, the women roam around the ce

Okay, there are some people who read this and have never met me in person, but let me explain something about myself. I am probably the MOST hopeless romantic you could ever meet. The disease has been affecting my mind for quite some time and the doctors are dumbfounded by what to do. No, but really. Okay, with that said... I was walking and talking with the Lord the other day, and I realized that I am okay being single (this feeling will probably last a week or so). Going to Cal Poly and having a wedding to go to practically every week, was hard on us single girls. At least in the states, there is this culture for single women, it is almost cool to be single. (LIke the Sex in the City girls). But then, I come here to Chile where few get married, but EVERYONE has their palolo (boyfriend or girlfriend). And with all the cultural pressure to just date someone, not because they are the ONE, or even because you really like them, but just because why be single if you can be with someone. Th

Here in Chile, basically anyone above the lower class has a maid. Usually the maid does not live in the house, but visits the house a few times a week cleaning, cooking, walking the dog, taking the kids to the park. It is amazing. In the States, a maid costs about $10 an hour, I believe. But here for only $20 a week, you can have your house kept completely clean by someone else. I don´t think if I were livng by myself I would have one, not because I am a clean person in general (my parents or roommates can give testimonies) pero no necesitola (but I don´t need one). The apartmetn i am moving into COMES with a maid, yeah, whatever. On a bright and yet rainy side, I think a pray of mine has been answered. I have been praying for a ministry. A few opportunities have come up and I have half way been involved, such as the high schol youth group at my church and the AIDS project with SIM, BUT this is different. I need to pray more about it but there is a couple from switzerland here who are

Believe it or not, and I know mom and Rach that you probably won´t believe it, but I found a book that I enjoyed almost as much as Pride and Prejudice. It is of course another Austen novel, Northanger Abbey. Here are some of my favorite quotes from it: ¨Not keep a journal! How are you absent cousins to understand the tenour of your life in Bath without one? How are the civilities and compliments of every day to be related as they ought to be unless noted down every evening in a journal...¨ ¨Friendship is certainly the finest balm for the pains of disappointed love¨. and there are more, but I will not bore you with the fancies of a girl... How was that, do I almost sound Austenic?

I hung out with Professor Fagan, who taught me Spanish (or he tried to) in California. He is the reason I made my way up to La Serena. And no, he is not the reason I came to Chile. There is a rumor that was almost started that I ran off to Chile with my professor, BUT that is absolutly not true and in fact I had already settled my mind on coming to Chile before I ever met him. But in anycase, he is here in La Serena visiting his family for a month or so, so we hung out and had a great time. He is and always will be one of my favorite teachers of all time. And it is always nice to see an old friend in a new country.

So this is from last week, but I thought I would share it with you guys... Last week I decided to teach my intermediate class about similies. I brought out my Norah Jones Cd and used the song ¨Turn me on¨ which is just full of similies. We discussed in class the grammar of similies, and the function of similies, and we listened to the song. After listening a few times, we were discussing the song and I had to explain the very to turn (someone) on. I am friends with most of my students and on the weekends we go out so this was not as difficult or wierd as could have been. One of the ladies in the class named Myriam who is young and pretty and so much fun to hang out with just could not understand the concept. One of the more advanced students in the class who honestly hangs out with the guy teachers too much, introduced the word ¨horny¨ and had my wonderful Myriam saying, Ï´m horny¨I was dying! I was trying to get control of the classroom and to explain that Myriam should not be saying

I have come back to my beautiful home of La Serena. I have been back for a few days now and I am adjusting to the clean air and slow pace of life. The institutes for English here don´t know if they will need me so I have started talking to the tour companies about being a tour guide for the five weeks that I will be here. I could translate what the real tour guide says or I could just learn the facts and give the tour myself. I think this would be one of the best ways to spend the summer. That way, I could see more of the countryside, meet some cool people, and have my nights free to go to the beach bars with my friends. Speaking of friends, i know I have talked about my host brother Felipe before and I how much I like him, but I have to repeat one more time just how blessed I feel to have him in my life. For those of you who don´t know, he is 21 and studying chemistry at the university here in La Serena. he is just a good friend and last night we stayed up talking and I realized how m

Okay, I am so sorry that I have been slacking in the whole writing deal. I graduated on Tuesday from the Institute and we basically partied all night in celebration. Then I woke up a few hours later to meet with a new friend for coffee before I leave for two months, and THEN I tackled the anormous city of Santiago trying to find a place to live. Now for those of you who think that this should not be very difficult, let me expain something to you... the children in Chile do not move out of their parents homes until they are married, literally. I have met women with their 40 year old sons still living with them. This includes the college period becuase in general, students go to college in the same town that their parents live in. And if they are adventurous and they go to school in a diferent town, it is only because their aunt lives there. So basically, there is no college housing. Or really any housing for single people. So I gave in and paid an agent to find me a place to live. So i

Okay, I have received three requests for information about the elections here in Chile. I am not sure where to start since there are so many things I could say about them. First let me explain something about Chile: it is a democracy. And not just that , but you have to vote. If I understood one of my friends correctly, you have to vote, even if you don´t actually vote for anyone, you have to go stand in line and turn in a ballot. I am not sure how often the elections are, but I think every four years. Right now there are elections for Senators, Diputados, and the President. Don´t ask me what the difference is between diputados and senators. There are three main canidates right now for presidency. There were four, but one fo them is now so far back in the polls that he is not really a threat. The other canidates are Bachelet, Piñera, and Lavin. Bachelet is a woman who I think is socialist. She is from the same party that is in power now and I think she will win. Piñera would be my othe

Just joking, who the heck could claim to have figured out everything??? (except Jesus!) Okay, but really, I think I found the job that I would love to do. We were studying tests and the different type of tests out there the other day adn we took a look at the TOEFL test. This is the test that all internationals have to take in order to get into univeristies in the states. It is crazy hard! There were even some questions that I had to read a few times to get, so students who want to take it, take it very seriously. There are very few classes that help students prepare for the test, but the ones that are out here, pay bank. Like we are talking like $60 an hour per student. Yeah, so my idea is to charge that much for the rich kids and get really good at teaching the material. Then, i want to go into the liceos (the public schools for the lower class) and strike a deal with the administration. I will offer to teach the TOEFL training course for free to any student who the teachers send my

Well, that is I have a phone number. That's right, I officially got a call phone down here- it's not looking too good for those who are trying to convice me to move back to the States... My number is country code 56 area code- 08 number- 282-7209 So yeah, it only costs me a dollar per minute to call anyone, BUT it is free to receive calls. Just a warning though, it is still expensive for you to call me, but if you ever need to, here I am! AND, please keep in mind the five hour difference, so don't call after 6pm California time.

Here is some good old American fun for Halloween. This is Flo, Marcela, and some other buddies.

It is hard to get access to a computer so this blog is coming to you guys a little after the fact. Okay, saturday we had class, unfortunatly and we spent most of early saturday in class. But after that, we decided to go for a carne asada (BBQ). SO we met at this guys house and started the afternoon with some wine and bread since none of us had brought anything else. It was about 5pm. We decided to split up and a few guys went to the supermarket andthe rest of us headed up to Cerro Cristobal (it is a mountain the middle of Santiago that offers a place of santuary from the city. We found some BBQ pits hidden in some trees. We threw the meat on the grill and opened more bottles of wine and beer. The party had begun. I of course hung out with the chileans BBQ the meat. Okaythis bog is going to be pags long if I don´t do this point style. So sorry that the details are going. -The boys were such boys and since out of the 12 people in our group, only two of us were girls, they acted like boys

(I know, I know, this is LATE!!!) I love you and I miss youtons. There is a package in the mail for you. I sent it a week ago, so it should get there soon. I hope you like it!!!

so yesterday after classes ended, my classmates and I decided to go out for a beer. We went to teh local Irish bar (since there seems to be an Irish bar in every city around the world) and there we ordered our pints of beer. of course I had one pint and was good for the night, but some of my friends enjoyed the hour hour supply of beer more than one or two pints... hehe. It amazed me that the eight of us, who had just spent the WHOLE week together in a little classroom would be able to go out to a bar and enjoy each others company. But the time was great. We drank our beer and guessed what type of cars each other had back home, we talked about our parents, we talked about religion, and most importantly we talked about nothing and everything pertaining to life. I sat next to the two Sarahs and James, nwo are all quite lively company. Sarah T. is from Ohio but went to school in So. California and although she may be quite in class, when she does express her opinions they are stated so el

I was walking to get some lunch and ran into a woman I met at the woman´s Bible study named Beth. When she saw me she practically grabbed me and she told me that I was an answer in prayer. She was stressed out about the meeting she was on her way to and she begged for prayer. So we prayed, right there in the middle of the street. Such a blessing to me to get to see God answer someone´s prayer. One of my friends was shocked that I ran into someone I knew when this city has 6 million people and I am an extranjera. It made me think of SLO and how I couldn´t go anywhere without running into someone I knew. It is such a good feeling, a feeling of connectedness.

The pain of missing my dear Rachel is dulling today but I thought I would share her with the rest of you. if only she would be wise and listen to the advice of her close friend and just move to Chile already!

Thisis the beach about 8 hours north of La Serena and about 16 hours north of Santiago. Just darn beautiful. The water is so blue. And the weather was perfect. Darn beautiful.

I was praying this morning as I was waiting for the bus and I was half way joking when I asked God if tody he could show me how much He loves me. The second I said it though, I realized how much I was serious. So I smiled and thanked Him that today would be an amazing day because I was going to know today how much He loves me. I got on a micro (bus) and sat down in a seat (which a seat in and of itself is a blessing here in the city). I soon heard a friendly voice behind me say goodmorning. I turned around and saw one of the men from California I had had lunch with on sunday. I asked him where he was going and he said that he was going to a men's bible study. We chatted a little and parted at the bus stop. What a great way to start my day, talking with a friendly face. And for lunch i am going to meet up with the woman from Nebraska that I met at Thanksgiving. AND then for dinner I am hanging out with the multi denominational bible study. a quick little note about the buses in Sant

So last night was a wierd night (a felix type of night). I'm not going to go into too many details, but basically I had a moment where life was just too ironic and I needed to talk to a specific friend(Ashlee). So, thanks to the extremely cheap phone card that I found, i called her up and we chatted. It was strange to talk to her and know in my head that I am thousands and thousands of miles away. The lives we live would be practically impossibel without the technology we have. We couldn't visit other cultures as easily, we couldn't get information we want as easily and in reality we couldn't expereince as much variety of life. All these things make me so grateful for the technology we have, but at the same time I think we are in a sense prisoners to the very thing that seems to free us. How many times do you check your email in a day? In an hour? (Mom, you don't have to answer that, I know that you check it three or four times an hour... hehe) Not that this blog ha

I am writing from the food court at teh local mall where there are computers you can pay to use. I just finished having lunch with 6 californians. I am not sure why, but it seems like the majority of gringos I meet are from California. A little side note. Do you ever think that you like someone one because it works well to like them, and not because you actually like them. For example, you might choose to like your new boss, because liking your boss would make your life easier. But there is not necessarily anything special about your boss. Sometimes I wonder if I choose to like people more than I actually like them. Like I like the idea of them. Some people who read this will prabably thing I am crazy, but others of you will understand. And then the next question is: If you like someone just becasue you want to, does that make it wrong?

Happy Thanksgiving everyone (a day late, I know)! I have had a lot of people ask me about Thanksgiving down here. Well, it is a holiday only for the US, but the average Chilean knows about (We can thank the Friends episode for that). I actually went and had a REAL Thanksgivng meal, pumpkin pie and all. My church which is an international church and is made up of mostly Gringos, put on a Thanksgiving potluck. It was amazing. Of course it was missing a few things that I have come to realize are traditions for me from my childhood. Some of the foods they were missing were Grandmom's augratin potatoes, deviled eggs, and Martinelli's sparkling cider. The church also was not able to provide chairs in front of a tv for all the men to fall asleep on. I think that is one of my favorite memories: walking into our tv room and finding not just my dad, but my granddad, both sleeping in front of the tv. Overall though, the night was wonderful. I sat at a table with a couple from nebraska who

Every wednesday morning, the pastor of my church and a few elders and anyone else who wants to come, meet at a coffee and bagel shop to pray for the church. It happens to be at the same bagel shop that I go to everymorning, so I get to join them. Today though, no one showed up but the pastor and I. So we ate breakfast and talked. Can i just say that I appreciate the fact that God places the most amazing people in my life? This man is a prebyterian missionary and had like 4 degrees from different universities, including Fuller and Westminster. BUT he is not caught up in all of it. What do I mean? Well, we were talking about the situation with pastors here and it was so interesting to hear the issues that are coming up with the training and selection of national pastors here in Chile. He and I discussed everything under the sun and I was glad. Sometimes I think that people assume that just because I am a blonde girl from California that I am not up for an intellectual conversation about

I can feel God breaking me. I was so desperate for His grace this morning. So desperate for His grace. I sat at breakfast and listened to the amazing worship cd that Ashlee sent me and read some of His amazing promises. It was a difficult morning but through all of it, He stayed by my side and showing me in the details of the morning how much He loves me.

One- my GRANDMA!!! I absolutly love my grandma, and I feel so blessed that especially the past five years or so, I have really gotten to know her. I just received an email from my grandma who has for the first time in her life set up an email account! So welcome grandma to my blog. I hope this gives you a little insight to my life here in Chile, and I promise you it is SO SAFE! Two- ASHLEEEEEE!!!!!! Okay, out of all the people in the world, the person I love to travel with teh most and in all honesty have travelled with the most outside of my family is my buddy Ashlee. A few summers ago when i was having a hard time in teh heats of Wisconsin I photocopied my journal adn mailed them to her. She commented on them and mailed them back. So we have decided to continue the tradition and a month ago I sent her my journal. Today, I received in the mail not only my jounral returned with comments from her, but TONS of goodies, including: reeses peanut butter cups, candy necklaces, cds that I req

This weekend was amazing. After my BK night on friday I decided to venture out for Saturday. I had heard that there was some prayer meeting for the city of Santiago so I droppped by the church to see if anyone would be there to give me directions. Well, it turned out that two of the organizers were there and I helped them prepare and set up. the meeting was on a hill, more like a mountain that overlooked all of Santiago. Since O got there early with the organizers I was able to meet some people before the whole of it started. I met one girl in particular who spoke perfect English. As we were talking I asked her what she wanted to do after she graduated and she asked me if i had ever heard of Campus Crusade for Christ. Ummm... Yeah! She wants to go on staff with them once she is done so we got to talking about ministry and all the amazing stuff going on right now inthe world. People slowly trickled in and by the time worship started, about 150 people had arrived and the sun had set. We

So last night was my first friday night in the huge metropolitian universe of Santiago. And where was I? I went to Burger King. That´s right. Well, the other students met to go out to a friends house to drink and hang out, but after starting each day this week at 7 am and not getting home until closer to 8pm, I was exhausted! So I declined the invitation, yes even though it involved Pisco, and I headed out to the Starbucks I had found earlier this week. I guess coffee houses serve different purposes here because at 9:30 Starbucks was already closed! Well, Santiago is not really the safest town to wander around in late at night, so I knew I needed to find a spot soon. I walked back to the bus stop and noticed that the burger king there was open, and they would remain open until midnight. So that is where I went. Instead of a latte, I had a large diet coke. I sat in the burnt orange booth, under the harsh neon light, and I studied grammar. After an hour or sho of grammar I moved on to wo

I taught my first practice class for my trainers and peers today and loved it. I had such a great time because the technique we use to teach is like a puzzle game. When the time came for feedback the major comment from the group, including my trainer was that I use my voice and speech very well, One guy even commented that I am like a kindergarten teacher, but in a good way... hehehe, I guess that is not the first time I have heard that. Tomorrow is my first REAL practice teaching with real language students. I am excited. At lunch I got into a great discussion with two of the guys in my group about globalization and other interesting world topics. It was nice to have an intellectual conversation and disagree, and yet be okay with that. Alot of the people in my group with me are very open to talking about life and philosophy and God. It is an interesting group and I am stoked to spend a month with them. Chao for now...

So my class went well. It is going to be alot of hard work, but it went okay for a first day. I started off yesterday with breakfast at New York Bagels where a prayer group from the church that I want to go to was meeting. I joined them and met the three men who were with the group. I dont understand why these things are always men and never women. Anyways, the pastor was there who I am excited to banter with over theoligcal issues, one of the elders, and the guy who is in charge of the youth. Now let me just discuss for a moment, Matt the youth leader. He is a gringo from North Carolina and probably in his mid to late 20s. he is on missionary staff with MTW, yeah. He uses the Westminster Catechism for evangelism, yeah. And he loves arguing with Jehovahs witnesses, yeah. SO when i found all this I thought to myself, I think I need to call Kallie. Kallie, because she will appreciate more than any other person my attraction to these qualities. Yeah. Okay, done with the discussion. I went

SO I have to admit it, the city that I dreaded coming to is growing on me. i am not sure HOW MUCH, but at least for now, it is livable. It helps that I had my first real espresso, actually from Starbucks, in three months. ahhhh.... And also, I have been eating breakfast at this New York Bagel shop, so my tummy is very happy! IS that sad that I am here in this beautiful country and the only food I want is the comida gringa? I have decided that basically anyone´s first day in Santiago is going to be a trying one, unless you are on a tour or something. The transportation system here is kinda like the people, very unorganized and messy but it works perfectly once you get the hang of it. The family asked that I be home for dinner at 8pm every night (8pm is actually early for Chileans to eat dinner). So at about 6pm, I decided to take a short adventure on one of the micros (the local buses). Unfortunatly I forgot to bring my map, so I ended up in some random part of the city with no clue how

So I am in Snatiago now and I am living with the family that the school set me up with. They are nice and the apartment we live in is in the best part of Santiago, fairly safe, etc. So, a little background- I have become obsessed with one of the telenovelas (a Chilean version of a sitcom or soap opera). It is called Gatas y Tuercas and I LOVE IT. I have learned alot of spanish from it too, so really I just watch it for educational purposes. In reality, it is Chilean and takes place in Santiago and I really have learned SO mcuh about the culture from it. So after I settled into my room last night, I decided to take a walk around the neighborhood. As I was walking down the street, I saw her. The actriz who plays my favorite character on the programa was walking her dog down the street. Okay, being from California, everyone asks me if I know famous people. And I have to explain to people that it is not THAT common to run into famous people in the streets in little San Luis Obispo Ca. But

I am watching a program on CNN which is now my connection to the world. There is a program on right now about the families in Pakistan who are facing not only the absolute horror of dealing with the thousands upon thousands dead, but also the cold winter ahead that could easily kill them if they do not get better housing then the thin tents they now live in. I feel so helpless. What can I do here? I want to do something, but I don´t know how. I don´t know what. and these darn photojournalists show the eyes of the people, so sad, so hopeless. Please tell me what I can do, because I dn´t want to live this life like this. I hate the fact that I can live in total denial of the suffering that others are in. I hate that. I hate that the situation seems so big and I feel so small. These families in Pakistan are facing more harship than I could ever imagine. Mothers who have lost their young children. Nothing could be worse. I need to do something, but I don´t understand how. I makes me want t

I thought alot about Argentina while I was there and spent a good two hours sitting at one of the sidewalk cafes watching the people and observing the culture. I noticed a few differences between Chile and Argentina. (Disclaimer: the majority of my observations of Chile are made from a six week stay in La Serena and the observations of Argentina are made completely from a two day stay in a small but urban city called Mendoza. My observations may not be accurate of the culture as a whole, but they are my observations.) Argentina´s good and services are considerably less expensive than Chile (about 1/2 the price in most cirsumstances) The women of chile are much more protective adn possessive of their men. There is a ridiculously higher level of Public display of Affection (PDA) in Chile. Anywhere you go you can find couples kissing, but in Argentina it is much more conservative. The people look physically more diverse in Argentina. i could not describe for you what an Argentinian looks

Wow, I found a reason to stay in Argentina. I fell in love with this town within the first minutes being here. It has a spirit that reminds me alot of New York City, but is much cheaper. In fact, it is SO cheap here that Chilean come here to shop. For example, a sweater that would be $40 in the States, and the same in Chile, is only about 8 dollars here. Or breakfast this morning, which was amazing, was only $1.25! So I am going to go shopping, yeah. Teh streets are lined with small boutiques and sidewalk cafes (with real espresso!) And the people here are dressed like NYC. So fashionable and chic. The streets are fairly clean and the trees that line the raods offer shade as you amble your way down the busy sidewalk. At the hostel I am at, there are a bunch of women. One woman from California is there with her 8 year old daughter. They are learning Spanish. They first went to Chile, but didn´t like it and decided to come to Argentina. They say the people here are more content and happy

I told a few of you that I would be heading to a small surf town called Pichilemu, but I have changed plans. I am actually going to go to Argentina instead. I need to renew my tourist card so I can either pay $100 at an office in Santiago, or I can just cross the border again. Yeah. In all honesty I am not in the mood for a HUGE adventure, so this probably be low key, but I am planning on returning to Viña for a few days to visit Marcela and Flo again before I have to be in Santiago. This is on purpose because Flo is having her first communion on Sunday. I just love that kid! I just got back from a horseback ride that lasted about 4 hours and was just beautiful, but I forgot how much four hours on a horse kills your butt! My horse was named Frutilla (Strawberry) and was the sweetest thing ever. The tour consisted of another gringo from Florida who is just spending a week vacation here and spoke NO spanish, and my guide who is a 15 year old local who spoke very little english. So I tran

Pucôn is a small town in southern Chile (about 10 hours from Santiago) that sits upon the eastern end of one of the many lakes in this region. It is in my opinion Chile´s repsonse to Lake Tahoe. It is smaller and there is only one casino, but the log cabins that line the water look like they belong on a postcard. The downtown consists of the main road filled with boutiques, cafes, and most importantly the tourist agencies. There are over twenty tourist agencies here and it seems impossibel to know which one to go with. The volcano that looms in the distance is actually active and is climbed everyday by many tourists who want to see the boiling lava quietly spurting from the whole. I, who am not as adventurous as I would like to think, will not be climbing up the 5 hour hike in the snow to the volcano peak. I am going to take a horsebackriding tour to a waterfall instead. But for those who read this adn want some adventure, there is plenty in this town to be had. Today, I chose to hike

I spent the last four days with a missionary family in Temuco who have served in Chile with SIM for 20 years or so. They first worked with Wycliffe working with the natives (like Native Americans) of the land. The native people of this area are called the Mapuche and they live lives that look very similar to the North American native americans. They are generally poor, living on reservations, and unfortunatly their culture and language is dying out. This family has really invested their whole lives to helping these people and sharing the Gospel with them. Their daughter is in the country for a few months and is my age so we spent a good amount of time talking and hanging out. She brought me to her college age group at her church and it was so similar to what I went to when I was at Poly that it didn{t matter that it was in Spanish, I loved it. At one point the MCs called up all the visiters and first timers. I pretended like I didn{t understand and lowered my head. Unfortunatly, I am a

I took a walk through Viña Del Mar today since I have noticed that what I enjoy more about cities is just walking through them and watching the people as they live their lives. I am not much of a tourist, am I? anyways, I have been thinking recently about how much i used to pray and I happened to have my cell phone from California in my purse because I am going to try to get a plan for it down here. So I pulled it out and opened it as if it had been ringing and began to pray. I did this in California, but there EVERYONE is talking on their cell phones as they wak along the streets or as they shop. And as I walked i noticed that not a single other person in sight was on their cell phone. So I talked to God for a few minutes and then "hung up". h well, it was at least nice for a few minutes, even if I was being the stereotypical gringa. Well, I walked and enjoyed the slighty overcast day here in Viña and took note of all the stores and the people and just the culture that this

For those of you who don´t know me too well, I have kept a diary since I was about 13 years old. I go through about a notebook every other month or so. If anyone thought I wrote alot on my blogs, you should see my journals. So today, I was writing not because I really knew what to write, but I felt like maybe I needed to write. Some interesting truths about how I am feeling right now came out while I was writing. Here is a piece of my entry: I just wish I knew what I was doing. Right now I am so sick of waiting. I do really like the idea of working with the AIDS project... Jesus, I am happiest when I am serving You. And I haven´t really been doing that here. If anything, this two month period has taught me how I am absolutly misreble without serving You. It is like James in the Bible says, "faith without works is dead". And it is true. I have faith and I have had faith, I have studied Your Word, and I have kept my mind learning about You. But I have not loved. My faith is wor

For some reason I have a hard time understanding just how far away I am in this world from those I love. I think the fact that I talk to my mom a few times each week on the phone and the fact that I generaly feel connected, although not enough, with my friends, leads to my misunderstanding of how far away I am. This thought keeps coming into my head that I should go home for Christmas. I have to keep reminding myself that it is not plausible. Because it is about to be summer time here, the airline tickets are ridiculously expensive here. So yeah, not possible. Last night was Halloween, and Marcela and I were laughing because I was practically back in the states. Halloween is not a HUGE holiday here but there is a good number of families who celebrate it. Marcela is definitly one of them. She decorated the house and put orange and black balloons outside the door. We made a costme for her daughter Flo, who decided to be Miss 17 (kinda like Miss teen). As the kids came to the door we, bei

So I am now in step number 3 of the trip, Viña. I was in Valparaiso for only one night but man was it worth it! The hostel I stayed in with a friend from Germany was SO nice. I don't think I would ever bring my mom to a hostel but this was an exception! The building itself was so tastefully decorated, but it was the owner who made all the diference. When I first got to the hostel he opened the front door and said "ahh, eres rebeca." But he said my name the way an english speaker says it, (Chileans say it different) so I knew he wasnt Chilean. I commented on this and before he had time to answer, his phone rang. As he talked on his phone, he said the word brillant in response to some remark on the other end. I knew at that moment he was British. And I was right. He visited here four years ago, and never really left. He has written a tour book on Chile, called Footprints, so he KNOWS Chile. At our incredible breakfast of bread, jam, and lots of fresh fruit, we all just aske

Okay, I am sorry if i scared you guys yesterday with the whole knife thing, but I have to admit that I was a little scared too. But I am safe. The bus bus late, true Chilean style, and then we waited at a terminal for nothing it seemed like, for a good hour. SO I got home a little after 2 in the morning. The whole bus ride was a test of patience. Everyone was asleep, but me. And then my batteries for my discman ran out, and I sat there in the dark in silence for about 3 hours listening to other people snore. But once I was in my bed, MY bed, I slept like a baby. It was great. When I got out of the cab, I heard a guys voice behind me, which at two in the morning on the street, you do NOT want to hear. But I turned around to see Felipe coming home. I nearly jumped on the poor guy I was so happy to see him! So we went inside and I immediatly went for the arms of my host mom. We hugged, adn I mean really hugged, and then she noticed the sunburn and was upset that I didn´t wear sunscreen ou

I arrived in Caldera two nights ago and have taken it slow here. there really is nothing to see, but my body was craving a good sunburn (sorry mom!). Literally, I was obsessed with teh thought of lying in the hot sun and just soaking it in. I am not sure if I am Vitamin D deprived or what? But I did, I found a spot in the courtyard of the hostal and soaked up all the sun I could get. And my face esta rojo. Pero, estoy contenta. an email from a friend back home reminded me just how much i used to pray adn how much I LOVED talking to God every moment of my day. Okay, little secret about becka- I used to put my cell phone on silent and open it up as if I was talking on it adn I would pray. I don´t know if it is just the psychology of it, but it was easier to talk to God on my cell phone than just talking to the air. I recommend it to anyone who wants a better prayer life. So anyways, last night I remembered my love for hanging out with God and I spent some time reading one of my favorite

I am leaving in an hour or so for the official begining of my trip. My room is all packed up, a very sad job, and I am ready to go. I am first heading up north for Caldera, a cute little beach town. Then I will return to La Serena pick up my HUGE travelling backpack and head down the 8 hour bus ride to Valparaiso. Then up to Viña Del Mar with my buddy Marcela for a few days. I will be going down to Temuco, where the missionaries with SIM live and I will stay witht hem for a few days looking at their AIDS projects they are trying to start. I will then head to Pucón and then Angol. I will spend one last day in the town of Talca and then, finally after two weeks of pure travelling, I will arrive in Santiago for my four week course for TEFL. I am very excited to get going, but in all honesty, I am a little sick. It is just a little bit of chills and a clogged up head, but my host mom is using that as an excuse for why i shouldn´t go. I told her that I am planning on sleeping alot on the 6

I only spent two weeks, actually ten days, at the home in Trinidad. But I am missing those kids. There are a few especially that I wish I could see again. There are these three brothers who I absolutly loved! They were older, some of the otldest kids in the home, and each one was really special to me. I know I am not supposed to have favorites, but the youngest of the three, Andy was defintitly... special to me. He is like 15 years old, I think, and is just sweet. He is a really good kid in general and I loved getting to talk to him and hang out with him. I really felt like an older sister or something. On my last night in Trinidad, he stayed out and talking with me in the gazebo after everyone else had gone to bed. We talked about life and everything it involves. One of the subjects we hit one, which is bound to happen when you talk to a 15 year old boy, is girls. An older of friend of his, whom he respects and admires, had given him advice about girls. I kinda know this friend of his

This whole situation with Paulo is bothering me and I am trying to figure out what the problem is. I think the problem is partially a cultural one. Here in Chile, everyone has a boyfriend or girlfriend. it is just a part of life. And so the commitment level is not very high. Back home, when you dated someone, you were making some what of a commitment. If you had a boyfriend or girlfriend, you were in a sense saying that a part of you life was claimed. You couldn´t just go out and flirt with other people. But here, it is different. People just have a girlfriend or boyfriend. There doesn´t weem to be the commitment level that I am used to seeing in relationships. All of this is really wierd to me, but it is a good lesson. Never just assume that someone is not taken. Marion was saying that a guy at her work who had been really nice and pretty flirty with her just told her that he has four kids, from three different women! She was shocked. He had never thought to ask this young guy if he h

Oh yes, it´s ladies´night... Here is us in action at the Kareoke Bar. I love this picture of us and I got a copy of it made for my host mom as a little gift. Claudia, mi hermana, has really become like a sister to me and I am so grateful to have her. Mi mamá es muy simpatica and treats me like one of her own.

Jaime and I at the Kareoke bar dancing. He spent mosst of the night d.j.ing, but eventually we got him to come out to the dance floor.

These are the boys. The one all the way on the left is an uncle and the other two are his sons. The one on my right is Alex. He is just great, totally laid back and funny. He said he would teach me how to cook someday. I need the help.

This is a picture I originaly took for blackmail purposes, but I now realize that it is my only picture of Felipe. So here he is, sleeping. Next to him is abuelita, y next to her is Aylen, the daughter of Claudia.

These are my Chilean grandparents. They amaze me, even after all these years of marriage, they are really affectionate physically with each other. They tease each other and hold hands and it is obvious that they are very much in love. I hope some day I can have a romance like theirs.

This stuff makes me think I am still in the states. It is just mind blowing. I don´t understand neo-nazis in the first place, but in Latin America?

These are really quite popular here.

Last night I was flipping through the tv channels and I noticed that Passion of Christ was playing. i tried to watch it, but I couldn´t. I apologized to Christ that I was so weak that I couldn´t even watch a film about His pain and I changed the channel. I came upon another movie, the Stigma. Very interesting film. Although it is not really Biblical, and in fact it paints a somewhat scary picture of God, it also paints a beautiful picture of Christ. There is one point in which the main detective priest goes to talk to an ex priest about what was happening. They meet in a church and the ex priest asks the detective priest, "look around, what do you see?" The detective priest answers that he sees a church. The ex priest stands up and waves his arms around and replies that it is not a church, for the Church of Christ is much larger. And there is no need for a building in a relationship with Christ. The ex priest turns his face upwards and loudly proclaims, " I love Jesus!&q

(This one is going to be long... but good.) Seriously, I have been hearing quotes in my head from Pride and Prejudice as I experience life here. For this episode the quote from Mrs. Bennet when referring to Mr. Bingly´s behavior toward Jane, "He used her very ill indeed!" Okay so here is the story. The whole family has spent the week watching Paulo and I, especially my host mom. Everyone was excited to see that we got along well together and that we enjoyed each others company. We even flirted a little, but from what I understood it was not any serious flirtation, but just fun between friends. Well, the week was coming to an end and everyone was waiting for some great romantic moment that I knew would never come. I wasn´t worried, but in a sense a bit amused at the novellic (I don´t think that´s a real word, sorry mom) quality of the situation. Friday night, as I wrote earlier, we went out with his sister and my host brother and sister. We had fun, but no romantic moments. Sa