nearing the end...sniffle, sniffle

Would you believe me if I told you this is my last week in Santiago? I almost don't believe it. I know everyone says the cliche about time flying, but really, it's not like it has all been peaches and cream for me at this end of the world...but now I'm sadly facing the truth of the close of the semester and the inevitable return to winter in Berkeley. If anyone ever tells you that a semester is a good amount of time to spend in another country, don't believe them. I suppose I'm biased, but I'll tell you why I say that. It's just such an awkward number of months in which to settle in, make real friends, get to know your surroundings, and improve your language skills--it's almost long enough, and at first it seems like it will maybe be too long--but maybe I just thought that because it was the first time being away from "home" for so long. There were so many things I kept telling myself I would see and do "some weekend," and now there is barely one weekend left, and I'm missing so much...San Pedro de Atacama, Valparaiso, Blondie's, La Pintana, more of la cordillera. And not to mention the time I could have invested in making friends here--oh, I've been so lazy, I'm lucky I live with sociable people who always have people around, but I'm realizing I don't have many Chilean friends of my own...it's hard enough to take the risks and go out on a limb to make friends, but add the language and cultural differences, and I'm just not the smoothest. Oh, before I forget to mention it: I was totally wrong about the peaceful nature of the anti-Bush/APEC march and demo--it got hella ugly shortly after I left. The pacos were just waiting by with their water tanks (kinda makes you feel like you're still living under the dictatorship, I imagine), and then when some of the younger and more anarchistically-leaning folks started throwing things at the tanks (poor tanks), and the tear gas and water cannons rolled into action. My friends were ok, but they arrested 5 foreigners, three Germans and two North Americans. Oh, and the bastards also arrested over 600 Chileans over the course of the weekend's protests!!! But I had a wonderful, wonderful time with the 'rents--we had a whirlwind tour of Buenos Aires last weekend, where we were immersed in the best possible scene for consumeristic enjoyment, as well as excellent tango music (no dancing), food (though I did not partake in the imbibing of Argentina's famous beef, I hear it's good), drink (I'd say the wine's better than Chile's), opera (at Teatro Colon, one of the world's grandest opera-houses; we saw Death in Venice) and crazyness (I refer to the circus atmosphere at the San Telmo antique market on Sundays). And sad to say, I spent much of the last week slaving over my psycholinguistics research paper. Intended to have it done before they got here, then by Tuesday, the original due date, then by Thursday, the new due date, then by Friday so I could return to sanity. So I pulled two all-nighters during that saga and unfortunately wasn't able to show my parents around Santiago, like I wanted to. I would love to tell you about all the amazing ideas I was absorbed in, since I still can't stop thinking about it, even though I need to move on...it has to do with second language acquisition and code transfering of narrative styles between language cultures. I'm a geek. Passed out Friday night, skipping out on a going-away party some of the EAP kids were throwing, and Saturday was magical: went to the 31st Festival of International Artesania (crafts) with some new gringa friends, and then to the 6th Latin American Organic Festival/1st ever in Chile. It was like a mini-California day, with the sun beating down and sampling yummy organic goods and finding presents to take home to you! Then the Chilean part of the day started: went to see some beautiful Chilean music that night, Manuel Garcia, who performed alongside a great Cuban poet, Fidel Ordena (OK, I just made up Fidel's last name, sorry), at one of the dozens of cultural centers in my neighborhood (El Sindicato). And then went out with Alexana, Katie, and Pancho to dance in Bellavista...more like to look for a free place to dance with not unbearable music. Such locales are hard to find. But not so establishments with Happy Hour. Got home at 6am and wrote the worst and longest poem I have ever written in my life...and in Spanish. Anyway, I have a final exam in my psycholinguistics class tomorrow and a final paper in my lit seminar--more about Eliot's Family Reunion, and I'm out of here next weekend. Going away party on Friday, though all my gringo friends will be gone...Oh, and the hippy class tonight, with Katie. Hopefully I'll be more animated when I tell you about my travel plans. Enjoying the snow and rain? I'll try to send some sun your way.