Dear Ricardo Arjona,

Thank you, brave soul. You who so fearlessly watch over my sleep all the nights of my stay here in Hospedaje Tulipanes, glowering mysteriously out from your featureless burnt sienna prison, your hair oh-so-carefully tossed to the side, your colorful vest arranged just so, your awkward squat a masterpiece of discomfort: it is your face that I see last every night as I drift into the hinterlands of sleep and it is to your squared jaw and heavy brow that I wake each morning. Who are you? I often ask myself this question. Wikipedia tells me that you are a Guatemalan super star, a teacher and a basketball player and a singer-songwriter, a maestro of all Afro-American and Latin music, and a man known to many as El Animal Nocturno.

BUT WHO ARE YOU?? What do you dream, what do you hope for? I guess I could listen to your music and find out, but that would kill your mystique, and ruin all of my fun. I prefer instead to create my own story for you, one filled with Guatemalan princesses (is that a thing?) and cowboys (also a thing, maybe?), of close scrapes and daring feats and triumphant victories.

So thank you Ricardo Arjona, you ponderous unicorn of a man. Though you may grow withered and frail in real life, somewhere far far far away from here, to me you will always be the hunched protector of my sleep, the Guatemalan cowboy of my dreams.

Sincerely,

La Miss

P.S. La Miss is Eralia's nickname for me, which you should probably know since you're always hanging around and surely would have heard me called that, but I thought I'd remind you just in case you forgot. I love you. What? Who said that. Gotta go bye!

One more photo of Lago Ranco

(Although let's be honest, it's probably not the last you've seen of this place, at least from me.)

Santiago Orientation Week

I took this when I climbed the hill of San Cristobal (I think that's what it's called, too lazy to Google) and saw the virgin. It's one of my favorite pictures I've taken so far of Chile, I think. Which includes the ridiculousness that is Lago Ranco, where every picture I take looks as though it could be plastered on the wall of a travel agency.

So how is it here? Like I said, a little ridiculous. The weather has held up pretty well although it's a bit overcast today. But yesterday I took a walk around town, reveling in the cascade of "Hola!"s and "Buenas!" from people I'd never seen before. I found myself, as I invariably have this week, down by the water, and I napped for a bit on a bench in a park. Sun on my face, the quiet whisper of leaves above, the anti-rhythm of the lake throwing itself onto the rocky beach... For a few minutes everything dropped away and I just existed, in time, without restraints.

A lovely start to the weekend, if you ask me. I came back and hung out with Eralia, Sofia, Maria Jose, and Raul. A chilled out Thursday night, topped off with a re-watching of Pitch Perfect and then a morning (FINALLY) of sleeping until I woke up.

Next week I start teaching some classrooms on my own, so I've savoring the peace and quiet for as long as I can. I survived the first two days in one piece, and in all honesty, I like a lot of the kids. They're not all interested in learning English, but I think they've become accustomed to seeing it as a chore. Hopefully I can bring a little life to the subject, and maybe in turn get them to give it a second chance.

In the meantime, here are some pictures from my first week in Santiago. 

 A public sermon happened in the park. Not entirely sure what was being said, although I caught some stuff about homosexuals and the father and whathaveyou, so I think it's probably better I didn't.

 The first thing I ate in Santiago! And it was... not particularly Chilean, I don't think. After strolling around for a bit and picking my new Chilean burner phone, lemon ice cream was exactly what I needed. Although mine was much thinner than ice cream, it might have been sugar-free, so it tasted more like water-ice? Still, highly enjoyable.

I hate that this is so blurry. Turns out climbing a hill for like, an hour, is not conducive to steady-handed photography. Who knew?!

 Sign on the way up the hill. Might be kind of hard to read, but it says, essentially, this way to the Virgin.

 The noblest and regal-est street dog I have ever seen in my entire life. EVER! I want to take you home with me, good sir!

 The Chilean guard. Every one and their mom wanted a picture with them because, I mean, look at them.

A falling down church. I don't know its significance or why it's so dilapidated  but it kind of reminded me of some of Savannah's old forgotten buildings. Southern Gothic gets me every time.

Lago Ranco

The view from the mountain behind my town. If you are thinking this looks like something from The Land Before Time, we are on the same page.

My room:

Some other rooms in the house! Unoccupied at the moment, it's just me and Auralia.

The pitch!! Although that is obviously not what it is called in this part of the world.

Aralia!

The front!

The gardens here are seriously worthy of envy.

 My house is right on the corner. Mountains in the background, NBD.

 Bird. Including this because I was told I should.

 Sunset.

 The Catholic church.

 The radio station!!

Wonderfully fragrant bundle of herbs.

Watched: Safety Not Guaranteed

Kind of a sad, messed up little comedy (or dramedy, perhaps? I didn't have too many belly laughs while watching). Some great character moments although a general air of uncertainty over the protagonist's sanity made me pretty uncomfortable while watching. Audrey Plaza continues to do the Audrey Plaza thing without much alteration from Parks and Recreation or 10 Years (the most range I've seen her show was in Scott Pilgrim, where instead of her usual weary, slightly-to-very jaded she is simply rage-filled and sarcastic). Jake Johnson continues to be an underutilized treasure. Kristen Bell, even in this small role, continues to be adorable. So this movie more or less just kind of maintains, you know?