Leela´s Monthly Update ©
March 1, 2004 - April 1, 2004
Edition 8

Where I Last Left Off…Punta Arenas, Chile

I feel like I have blinked my eyes and in the meanwhile a whole month has passed. Time flies when you are having fun, right? Well it must be the case at least for things as of late. The last time I wrote, I was still in Punta Arenas, Chile just kind of hanging out alone for a few days after Suzy and her parents had left, waiting to catch my flight back to Viña del Mar. (By the way, if you ever have the option of LanChile versus another airline, take the other airline! Come to find out there is no system of standby flights on LanChile- - even when space on the aircraft prevails- - nor have they heard of paying the difference of price in order to bump your flight up to the next ticket bracket.) Nevertheless, my days there passed relatively quickly as I rarely find myself being bored and usually can manage some way of keeping entertained (even if it entails reading my magazine cover to cover a repeated number of times).

Viña del Mar, Chile…HOME!

As I entered my key into its breach outside of my apartment door, a burst of emotions ran through me. I would finally be in one spot for a set amount of time, living not as a vagabond, but as a person with a dwelling. As wonderful as traveling is (and I would do it again in a heartbeat) there definitely is something to say for coming back home; after all, the saying, “Home is where the heart is,” exists for a reason. I was ready (at least for the time being) to be in one place for awhile, to sleep in my own bed, to have my own space, and to just enjoy life. And I have been doing exactly just that upon my return to Viña del Mar.

I have to admit, I felt like a princess the first couple days back; I had my own closet with a multitude of clothing selections as opposed to the three outfits between which I had been alternating throughout the majority of my southern hemisphere summer. I did not have to share a room with all of the other hostel inhabitants, nor a shower for that matter. My Chilean mother had food prepared on the table, and I did not need to worry or stress about from where my next meal would come, nor did I need to think about taking care of having clean clothes. I did not need to preoccupy myself with the next location to where I would be heading, how I would get there, where I would stay, what I would be doing, whether or not I needed to worry about my safety, health, or anything of the like. In addition to physics, Einstein’s theory of relativity (at least in this case) applies to the realizations one has while traveling. And just trust me on this one; traveling is not the same as vacationing. You have to WORK to travel (and learn for that matter). Fellow backpackers, I am sure you know exactly to what I am referring.

So my first days of shock and felicity swept quickly by as I took advantage (or maybe just realized) how much my hometown really has to offer. I got back in time before school was starting to enjoy the beautiful beaches of Reñaca (a town 10 kilometers away from Viña del Mar), soak up some of the last rays of summer sunlight, and enjoy the small things in life that really matter when one takes time to appreciate their presence. Luckily enough, I was delightfully surprised by the fact that school started on the 15th of the month as opposed to the 8th, which gave me an extra week to enjoy the summer’s farewell.

However, this is not to say that I wasn’t busy during this epoch, because for those of you who know me well, I am never completely restless. My good friend Suzy calls them “Leela Projects” but I just prefer to call them hobbies. Needless to say, I had a plethora of ideas and pastimes with which I wanted to spend more time while I could do so.

Big on this list was getting back into shape, because exercising ranks highly in my life. And while traveling, it was pretty much impossible to ever go for a good run, much more so because one does not know the routes nor the safety level enveloping the surrounding area(s). It was highly discouraging to start from square zero again, definitely realizing the level at which my body’s endurance had deteriorated. But finally last week I reached the level where I was before my first departure to Argentina back in November. I am also looking into taking a yoga class; activities like this can be deceivingly difficult to unearth in a foreign country.

I also had time to catch up with friends and Chilean family, do a lot of laughing, progress on movies (I am still sooo behind though), read a few books, play the violin, and hit the night scene (sorry mom and dad J). In addition to also catching some spectacular sunsets (and sunrises) as of late, I also have been going on a lot of walks (instead of taking the bus) when I have an errand to run in order to really appreciate all the advantages omnipresent throughout the area. I am sure there are projects I have forgotten to mention, but you get the point. So needless to say, these first two weeks before school started were nothing short of perfect.


School Bells Ringing...

Unfortunately nothing lasts forever (diamonds may be an exception J), and some form of reality (called university) decided to take place. I can’t complain too much as I only have 12 credits (I am only deficient a 3 credit history class to complete my degree but have to take a minimum of 12 since I am registered as a full-time student) but nevertheless, classes (even easy ones) take up time.

I am really enjoying my classes this semester. Oddly enough, there is a History of Iran class offered here, and since I needed a history class, it worked out perfectly (what are the chances, eh)? In addition to that, I am taking: Latin and South American Contemporary Literature, Spanish Writing, and French. My class schedule works out blissfully as I have a 4 days off on a weekly basis. Thus, I find that I have a really great balance between school and personal life.

In addition, I am getting the kid’s hospital volunteer program in which I was involved last semester off to a start, as Suzy and I are the new co-chairs. It should be a pretty successful volunteer season- - we’re both pretty dedicated to the subject so I’ll keep you posted on its status.

The new exchange students have also arrived, and I have met so many amazing people within the past month. The majority of them (like last semester) are from the USA, but there is also an abundance from Europe and a few from Asia. There is also an Iranian girl here named Leila, who was born in France as her parents fled the revolution, then during high school returned to live in Iran, and for college attends a private liberal arts in Massachusetts. Thus, just from her history, she speaks three languages completely fluently and is now working on her fourth (Spanish). It is nice to have someone with which to practice my Farsi, as unfortunately it has gotten to a pretty pathetic level. We have chatted a few times (in Persian), and it has helped butter-up my language skills a bit, but I still have a LONG way to go in preparation for my visit to Iran in August.

Speaking of languages, I don’t know what has happened to me (or my brain) but I have made “the click” to being fluent in Spanish. I always gotten along fairly well and could understand virtually everything that was being spoken, but sometimes had problems communicating what I was thinking into Spanish. (For those of you who do not speak another language, one always understands more than he or she can speak, thus making it difficult at times when he or she understands but cannot convey his or her own thoughts.) Also, while some phrases came out naturally, I had still been translating in one form or another from English to Spanish. Ever since I have been back in Chile, for some reason, I have made the switch, in which now I am actually thinking in Spanish and sometimes I forget how to express a thought in English! This is a little weird for me, because while I speak Persian fluently, I always grew up speaking the two languages simultaneously, thus very rarely did I ever encounter a time when I could not think in my mother tongue. And while I am never going to speak Spanish perfectly as it is not my native language, I know now that I can think, speak, read, and write fluently, which gives me a sense of satisfaction. I still have a ways to go though, but I feel now as if I can really relate not only to the Spanish language, but to the Chilean lifestyle and culture (which is all going to make it so much harder to leave)!


A Slew of Visitors…

One of the highlights of the month was having visitors! Unlike my time with Sam and Eckla (where we had planned being together in South America) I received two surprise visitors by way of an impromptu decision! Two of my friends from Moscow, ID (Tyler Valiquette and Micah Delfino) came to visit me last week for about five days and we had a wonderful time together. Last I had heard, they were in Costa Rica studying Spanish at a language institute. Micah had shot me out an email a few months earlier telling me vaguely that the two of them had plans to make it all the way to South America and if it collaborated with my time in Chile, that they would come visit me, but knowing the two of them (and knowing that they don’t make plans until the last minute) I didn’t really think it would happen, especially since I had heard through way of the grapevine that after Costa Rica, they had headed to Panamá. So you can imagine my shock when I heard word from Micah that the two of them were in Buenos Aires! I responded to them telling them that as soon as they decided on the dates to come visit me, that they were more than welcome to stay as long as they wished, especially since Suzy now has her own place and has room for visitors. (Unfortunately, with my Chilean family living situation, I cannot really host visitors, let alone two males.) Micah wrote me back and told me that they were thinking about going to Mendoza, Argentina and from there coming to visit me but they still had not decided and that when they knew what they were doing, they would let me know. A few days later, I had a message on my cell phone, but was busy all day and didn’t have time to check it until 3:00 that afternoon. Good thing I did check it because it was Micah informing me that he and Tyler hopped on a bus to Mendoza, were currently in Mendoza, and in five minutes were catching a bus to come and see me and would arrive to Viña del Mar at 4:00 p.m (yes, that same day)! So I had an hour to change my plans and prepare for their arrival!

The four of us (Micah, Tyler, Suzy, me) seriously had a great time together. We didn’t do anything special besides hang out and catch up, but that alone was an incredible amount of fun. Suzy and I took them out on the town, took them dancing, took them to our 5 star hotel/casino, among other things. We also watched quite a few movies, caught some spectacular sunsets, ate lots of delectable food, (most of which we cooked at Suzy’s place) and the two guys were great sports and even met my Chilean parents. J It was wonderful to have them here, and I have to admit, I got that yucky empty feeling when they left. (They are currently in Bariloche, Argentina trying to see if they can work at a ski resort for the winter to pay for their travels.) Thanks again to Suzy who hosted them graciously out of the kindness of her heart!

At the same time of Micah and Tyler’s stay, I got a last minute email from my sister Nassim, who is currently living in Kabul, Afghanistan, telling me that two of her friends (named Cynthia and Lincoln) were going to shortly be arriving to Chile. So the day after Micah and Tyler departed, I had the pleasure of meeting the lovely couple (who my sister met on their Cuba trip) and going out to dinner as they were passing through the Viña del Mar/Valparaíso area. They were such great company and we had a fabulous time talking and swapping stories. It really is a small world.

Besides that, I am seriously just trying to enjoy every minute of my rapidly terminating experience of living abroad. I want to hold on to each minute and every memory, so I am taking the time to enjoy the small things in life, whatever they might be. I have little or no complaints…life is good.

The End

"It doesn't matter who's to blame. They are all a bunch of terrorists. One does it for God, the other because they think they have a purer blood line." (Jesús Miguel Gómez, at a demonstration in Madrid)

[Quote of the month in dedication to the 190 people who lost their lives in Spain on March 11, 2004]