I´ve Arrived

Hello hello

A week after I arrived in Santiago de Chile, following five flights (count em, 5) to get down here, a night in the airport spent with two Israeli travelers and a stray dog, and finally into a 10 bedroom international house 15 minutes from my work... its now time to start my blog.

Ok, you must give me some patience as Í´ve never “blogged” before, so we´ll see how this goes... Background: basically I´m working for Amnesty International in their Santiago office for three months, then will spend the next three months (April, May, June) traveling through Bolivia, Peru, and Ecuador. Today concludes a full first week of work in Amnesty (likewise that of any job post graduation.. eek!) and I´m starting to understand how things work around here. I´ve been placed in charge of the team that defends human rights in Colombia, and will also be working with those on rights of children and rights of women. It´s a lot of time in front of the computer, I confess, and hopefully I´ll be able to organize a night of solidarity, or something of the sort, that will pull me out of the office and into a bar (all in the name of human rights, eh?).

Santiago as a city is something else: loud, polluted, and in your face; all this I expected. However, what I didn´t expect was the extreme generosity and basic friendliness that I have encountered with numerous Chilenos in my first week here. Whether its a friendly (not sleezy) buenas tardes, helping me with my bag, or warning me not to continue my treck up a to a look out point at 9p due to the fact it wasn´t safe at night, I feel somehow connected, and safe.

Oh, and due to the recently arrived status, there are cetrain things that I´ve noticed that both intruge and entertain me. However the only one I can think of at the moment is the fact that should you wish to go to a park, plaza, or anywhere where there is grass, you must, I repeat must, go in a couple. And I´m not talking two girlfriends or guys hanging out, but I´m saying a romantically linked, kissy kissy all over each other couple. It is so entertaining to go to these places and be the only one walking around, sitting on a bench, or what not, without my legs entertwined with someone else. I´m not sure what all the singletons do here... perhaps don´t leave the house??

My living situation is truly.. uh.. interesting? I live in three story, 10 bed room house found on craigslist that currently only has 5 residents: three frenchmen, one irishman, and myself. Due to the fact that the school semester just finished, and its summer time, many Chinleans and students have left the city for the beach or home. Its expected the house will fill up soon, so it´ll be a surprise of my next five roommates... always exciting. The owners of the house are a Chilean-American couple who are currently residing in New York, so the Chilean´s parents have taken over house duties. They´re awesome, super warm and welcoming, and very Chilean. Its pretty funny, because the Irish dude does not speak a work of Spanish, not one word. When I first got there, the dad was trying to explain to him that I had arrived, and after many unsuccessful attempts, I peaked my head around the corner to introduce myself. The dad promptly told me that this fool doesn´t speak a word of Spanish, right as the Leon, the Irishman, said the same thing to me in English. Well take this situation, and figure that this weekend we are going to have a party because I have just arrived (yay), and because their friend from work has just retired. So I´m assuming the crowd will be a mixture of elder Chileans and the hodge-podge of those of us in the house. Should be entertaining, yah?


Oh, and can I just say that the fruit in Chile in the summer is RIDICULOUSLY DELICIOUS. Every day, I stop at the fruit stand to get my fix of cherries, grapes, peaches, and avocados (all of which have a different spanish name in Chile than in Mexico or Spain), and stock up for the day. It excites me, it truly does :)

As of now, I haven´t uploaded any pictures, but shall soon enough. The photo site http://www.flickr.com/photos/blairlyman/sets/ has old pictures from San Diego and such, but will also be the home of this trip.

I hope everyone is just fabulous, doing your thing. Drop me a line to remind me I have friends and hopefully I´ll see, talk, email, or hug you all soon.

Peace
Blair