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Showing posts from September, 2005

Allergies

So I finally went to the doctor after almost two weeks of harsh coughing and getting bad looks from people on the street. My teacher gave me the name of a doctor in town who is from Australia and I went to see what the deal is. She confirmed what I had thought, I have allergies. I never knew that my allergies were so bad, but I guess until November, the trees here in La Serena that I love so much will cause me to suffer asthma attacks every day. So the doctor, who by the way is Jewish and was telling me about the anti-semistism she has expereinced here in Chile, gave me lots of fun medicine, including a cough syrup with codine. The medicine in this country is so cheap! The medication i take everymorning that costs about $100 In Cali, is only $10 here! Yeah, and birth control is practically free without even needing a prescription! Craziness! By the way, a note on the anti- semitism. While I have seen a few swastikas grafitied on walls, the majority of the anti-semistiam, is just pure i

I need a job

How is it that I paid all this money for an education and I still don´t really know what I want to do. I have been searching online for jobs all afternoon and I found one that maybe would be cool. It is with a missions organization (sorry mom) and I would be stationed in Argentina to receive short term missions groups, orientate them and help lead the mission. I think it would be cool because I could be doing both the administrative leadership work and the real working with street children work, all in one job. Plus, I would get to use my English AND Spanish. Who knows though... who knows.

chess in the park

I have made it my daily habit to walk to the plaza de armas, a quaint park with benches circling around a beautiful fountain. I sit on one of the benches and watch the people walk through the park or the childrne play around the fountain. I recently have begun to hang out with the men who play chess in the park every night. There are always two or three games going at one time and at least three or four onlookers. Although the men have encouraged me to take a try at the game, I decline and remain one of the on lookers. It has been way too many years and I want to remember strategy before I try to play. I love it though. Chess needs no language, and I feel like I am in a park in New York. All in all, htis city has become so dear to me. I am not sure why, but i truly feel at home here. It helps that the son of the family who owns the hostel I live in is so nice to me. His name is Felipe and he is 21 years old and a student of Chemistry at the university. For some reason, I have no clue w

being a Jew in Chile

A few days ago I stumbled upon an English bookstore and persuaded myself to buy some books. I bought a Jane Austen classic, Persuassion, which is only second to the wonderful Pride and Prejudice. I also purchased The Promise, by Chaim Potok. Now this book was dangerous for me to read (side note: I ended up reading the whole 300 page book in one night, not a good idea). As I read Potok´s carefully crafted sentences and beautiful descriptions of the Jewish world in New York, it gave me that desire that seems to come every two years or so, to be a Hassid. Don´t ask me where that comes from, but it is there, about every two years. In any case, it made me proud to be Jewish, to come from such a deep history of perserving the Word of God. And then that makes me want to go to Seminary. Yada, Yada, Yada... I guess I want too much in life. I want a thrid world orphanage, and to debate theological matters with Jews in the coffee shops of New England. The whole thing became wierd when I was walki

A true CHILEAN FIESTA

Last night, I was supposed to go to this Bible study, but I really did not want to go. It was not a rebellion, but I just didn´t want to go. So instead I hung out with Felipe who is the son of the family who owns that hostel and his friends. They are all in University, about 21 years old, and SO nice. We talked about Bush and American politics. We drank pisco which is to Chile as Tequilia is to Mexico. And after a few hours of that, we went to a fiesta because tomorrow is the Chilean indepence day and the whole weekend is dedicated to the party for it. It was a Cumbia dance, with three differnt bands, and hundreds of people. It was so awesome! All that salsa dancing in Cali really paid off. All of Felipe´s friends have girlfriends and I had come with this guy who I have been hanging out with in town. He is from Austria and is staying at the same hostel. So it was a little awkward, kinda felt like a date, maybe, but it was cool all the same. I love this country. And of course in true Ch

My mind is made up

After so many days of all this pressure anmd worrying about what I am supposed to do, and who i am supposed to be, I have decided that God told me exactly who I was BEFORE I came to Chile and that still remains. I am His daughter and I am a forgiven sinner. End of story. All I need to do is love God, love His creation, and live this life He has given me. That is all. So I am going to stop worrying about what the people here want me to believe and start living what I know. End of that story. Another side note, I never knew that I would be so oaky with not talking to anyone for such a long time. It scares me a bit, how much I talk to myself and how much of it sounds like philosophy. Leah (my roommate) used to say that my brain worked differently than most people, and these past few weeks where I have spent so much time working over issues in my head, I have begun to agree with her. I finished my first journal (mom, it is not ready to be published though) and have now begun a journal that

Fever is gone

Okay, so the fever is gone, at least I am pretty sure. i haven´t actually had a thermometer, but Monday, when the fever started I went to sleep for a few hours so shivering cold, and then I woke up in the sweats, but the same thing happened the next night... anyways Mom, you can relax now. I have a cough and it is not pretty, but I am taking cough medicine and continuing to watch what happens. On another note, I am still pretty confused about what to do with the whole church thing. I ran into Iván, the prophet, today and he said that he had been praying to talk to me again. He is so radical. I know that He is serving God but I don´t know if I can be that radical. He takes that whole following the scripture only to a new extreme. For example, he believes that the family should worship together and the children should be present in the service because we all contain the same Spirit. Well, he believes that the family should ALWAYS worship together. Like there is no reason to have a women´

lo siento

I feel pretty disconnected from the whole world right now because for the past three days I have been stuck in the house sick. My fever comes and goes and I think it is just a head cold, but as a few of you know (hem hem DAD!) I am a little bit of a hypocondriac- okay the college education never taught me how to spell that word. But I bought muchas medicinas a la farmacía y espero que I will get better. Thisis how my thoughts work, media en español, y media en english. Anyways, if I don´t feel better by day eight I will go see a doctor. I hope everyone is doing well, I have stll been dealing with the whole church issue. My mom says that she is glad that I was not "slain by the spirit". Basically, I am not sure I can go to a church where the Bible is not the main source of enlightenment. We need the Spirit to understand the bible, but we need the Bible as our foundation. Your prayers and comments would be greatly appreciated.

a little fun last night

So far, here in La Serena, sine I don´t know anyone, I haven´t had a chance to go out at night. And let me tell you, Chilenos are obsessed with their alcohol. the bars are where friends are made and generally where people hang out and I wanted to go, but there is no way i can go alone. So this group of internationals exchange students- from Brazil, France, Germany, and two from Mexico- came to spend the night at the hostel last night. So i went and introduced myslef and they invited me to go out with them. SO we went out and I had a blast. My two frinks rule is still valid, so as the German guy next to me poured his FIFTH glass, I declined for the millionth time. Anyways, After about 4 hours at the bar, where we met and decided to sit with another group of 8 people, we went back tot eh hostel. And it was awesome because I thought that for sure these guys, I mostly hung out witht eh German and the Brazilian, that they would be tired of me, but they gave me their information and said tha

There is way too much to write for one blog

So as most of the people who read this blog know, i was really nervous about coming here to Chile becuase I really value my church family, and I was not sure that I would reallyhave one here. But about 20 minutes after I wrote the last entry, I was wlaking through the downtown center and I passed some music that sounded familar and I stopped to listen for a moment- it was Jaci Velasquez, a Christian artist that I used to listen to back in the states! I went to where teh music was playing and I asked the middle aged women at that booth, who was the music. I found she was a Christian and I asked her where her church was. The whole scene reminded me of a story I read somewhere of how the original church found eachother in the market place with the fish symbol. The women, named Veronica brought, right then and there she just left her booth with someone else, and she brought me to her church. There were two women there at the time, one of them was one of the pastors. The pastors consist of

PRAISE GOD!!!

Okay, the last 24 hours were probably the scaries tof my trip so far, because I left for La Serena with no CLUE where I was going to stay. And I arrived in the city late at night and I was worried that I would sleep on the streets for a night. But God brought an amazing little woman named Iris who brought me to her house, and I spent this mornig looking for a place and God provided an amazingly cheap place just two blocks from my school. The hostel is called Viña Del Mar and is owned my a little couple whose son goes to the university here and the dad speaks a little English and is happy to learn more. Ahhh.... God is so GOOD!

leaving for La Serena

This message is particularly for my mom. I am going to take the bus today up to La Serena where my classes will be! More info later. LOVE YOU MOMMMMMMMYYYYYY! Sorry, to all my friends who are wondering why my mom gets a message all to herself, but out of everyone I know, this woman worries like a Jewish mother, oh wait, SHE IS!

arrested by Chilean police!

JUST JOKING!!!! (sorry dad if i gave you a heart attack) But in all reality, so I decided yesterday taht I wanted to shop and explore Viña, so I went tot eh downtown part and I was in this story, and for some reason, the security thought i had stolen something and they pulled me aside and asked to see my purse, so I showed them, and told them No hablo espanol, and after looking through my stuff and seeing that they was nothing in there and then looking at each other in wonder, they let me go. I told Marcela and she said that the next itme ( i hope there never is a next time!) that I should demand that THEY open my purse, but if there is nothing in there, then i sue them. She said it is not like suing someone in America, but they have to give me stuff. I was scared when it happened. I made a joke with my dad before I left that i would use the money he gave me to bribe the police to get out of jail. Actually though, i was talking to Marcela about the governemtn and after Pinochet, the po

Viña

I am now staying in Viña del mar with my buddy kallie´s future aunt, the beautiful Marcela. She and her daughter Flo are jsut a blast and I am so grateful that they are letting me stay withthem! BY THE WAY- so I don´t know if news was just not getting to the home in Trinidad because it wasn´t until I was talking to Chubs on the phone in Venezuela that I heard about Katrina and it wasn´t until I got to Marcela´s house that I really found out how horrible the sitruation is. I am really sad that all this is going on and I am so far awayand can do nothing to help. I leave to come to a "third world" country and I find out that all the help is needed back at home. America is in my prayers!

Hola todos de mi amigos

I am safe in Chile! I arrived late last night, more like 4 in themorning, but I am here and I am spending the day in the city, shopping and enjoying the beautiful culture of Latin America. I hope everyone is well. Brian! I am glad there are no spiders in yournew house. I didn´t realize that you were moving. I hope the move went smoothly. And I bet Willa is just getting cuter by the day. The kids in Trinidad were looking at my pictures and saw that pic that you guys gave me of Willa and they were obsessed with it. I guess they have never seen such a blond baby! Good to hear from you! Carlos----- MI AMIGA! I am so glad that you are on here so I can keep in touch with you! I hope the Bay Area is treating you well and you are having fun in the Real World.When i open my orphanage, you can come and bring lots of toys and candy! Lve you