First thoughts

Well I finally decided to actually write something. Thing is, I keep a journal that I write in almost daily, so this is kind of extra. I am thinking that I will put something up like once a week...hopefully more?

As a lot of you know I arrived in Chile about two weeks ago and have been living with my host family for roughly a week and a half. I would say today is the first day I actually feel settled and have somewhat of a routine. The family I am living with, whom I adore, has finally let down their guard and is showing me their true colors, which I might add are brilliant. They are incredibly loving of one another and are touching to watch. They all treat me so well, and I feel like another member of the family. They have two children, Macarena 20 and Martin 16. They also have a small zoo: 2 birds, a dog, a rabbit, and a hamster. I don't know what the birds are named but the Dog is Mochi (pretty much my Mom's other son), the rabbit is a giant and is named Tambor, and the hamster is Merlin. My "Dad's" name is Roberto and my "Mom's" is Valeria (about my parents age). They are adorable with one another. Family is very important here. Though there are exceptions, the overwhelming majority even if "separated" still see one another and play a major role in one another's lives. My "grandparents" are over often and so are other members in the family. I am very happy here.

Chile is a gorgeous country. The people are warm and the scenery is breathtaking. In the last two weeks and I have had the chance to travel up and down the coast of my region and am in awe of how beautiful it really is here. Yet, it is still quite impoverished and dirty (the beach for example is often littered with trash, and graffiti abounds, though it is almost always political). They family I live with is an exception and most certainly not the rule. Last weekend the program I am in traveled as a group to the town of Lebu. There we stayed at a boarding school of sorts. Primary education (through high school) is mandatory here, so those kids which live far out in the country must be bused in to larger cities where they live for the week and go to school. That is the kind of school we stayed at. Sadly, it was in deplorable condition and it is truly a shame that these underprivileged kids must associate learning with udder filth. It is true that at least they are being educated and that they may or may not know any difference, but in the end the environment is not healthy. Black mold was everywhere, toilets lacked seats and paper, showers were without hot water and the windows in the gym were composed of black trash bags. In Chile, private schools offer significantly better education and facilities, but are a luxury. The majority of the population does not have the ability to give their kids what they deserve and what we in the states take for granted. That is the reality.

We are lucky. We are so so lucky, and yet we are literally clueless. Some may agree with me, and yet I know this is not enough. In the end I know that me saying this seems rather cliché. We have heard this countless times before, about Asia, Africa, and South America, the balkans...the the world, and the majority of us merely accept it and then immediately relegate this knowledge to the background. We fall asleep and move into the routine of our own lives. This is the true shame. That we neglect to do something no matter how small that "thing" may be. It is who we were meant to be. We are called, daily, to help those who were dealt a shitty hand. To be examples. For my Catholic friends, you know that we are all one body. And when we see an open sore, a wound, we know it deserves our attention, we must not let it fester, we must not lose a limb. Mother Teresa knew this, in one of here first visions Christ took her to the foot of his cross and had her look toward the horizon. In her view were the countless poor, the neglected, to which she could see no end. Chirst wanted to help them, but he could not because they did not know Him. This was Mother Teresa's calling, to teach them of Christ and his mercy through example. Suffering is a part of the human condition, it is who we are, and it demands conviction, struggle (perseverance) and growth. Never forget that we are all called to Sainthood. I am sorry for the sermon, i wasn't planning on doing this but I think it gives you a better picture of what Chile has meant to me thus far and what I spend my time thinking about. I am not asking that people start sending checks to organizations that work with the poor in Lebu, unless that is what you feel called to do, but I am asking that you look at your own communities whether they be poor in spirit or in general health and to ask yourself what you can do, how can you be a better example? Some will say they do enough...could it really be that they couldn't do less?

To end on a lighter note, I start school monday and am very excited. The spanish is coming along quite well and with the addition of actual spanish classes I can only imagine the kind of improvement to come. I have made some great friends and relationships continue to grow. I am also excited to travel; I have some pretty awesome trips planned for the entire year...so look forward to great pictures and stories. If you ever have questions or want to know more about specific experiences, please email me and I will be happy to divulge even more details. There is obviously a lot I haven't spoken about...which is the problem with blogs, to bad it isn't linked up to my brain directly.

One quick last story to share. When I was in Lebu I did a lot of walking throughout the town. Once I walked alone to the river which was very close to where we were staying. It has a park that extends its entire length. There is a section of the park with a playground. I decided to stop near the playground and watch the children play. There were at least 30 kids and many of their parents were just relaxing, enjoying life and their children's laughter. Flying kites is a big deal here. All the kids do it and some of them even make their own. While I was watching, one of the kids noticed me watching (more like sapeando). Now I say he noticed me watching, but I am pretty sure it was more that he noticed that there was a "gringo" sitting to the side and that I stuck out like a sore thumb...as we do pretty much everywhere. Anyway, he came up and began talking to me and in Chile, the children are by far the easiest to understand...no accent and simple words. We talked about kite flying and about the river and how it had a lot of animals from the ocean. He wanted to show me one and said its name "apancora" but I had no idea what this was. Turns out it was the Chilean word for crab. Anyway he brought it to me and a bunch of kids came over to see it. We hung out for about a half hour and then it was time to go. No real point to the story except that there is something special about children and their openess.

Until next time.

love,
timo