The Diaspora Begins...

Today I had a final coffee with Kate, who´s headed back to the States - we´re all hitting that two-year mark and doing some serious thinking, and some even more serious American food craving.

My first memory of Kate is that she was the one who spoke up when the US embassy workers were very blasé about telling us that Chile was due for a huge epic earthquake, and asking more questions at the Duoc introductions. As we all know, that did come to pass, along with a whole lot more events! It´ll be sad to see her go, but we´ll once more be in the same country in June!

Here´s a shot of us in a place that somehow does not look like Santiago!

Maratón de Santiago

For those of you who don´t know, I´m training for the half-marathon on April 3rd. This is a big event in the city - it closes all the main roads, and goes past a great deal of the city landmarks.

I´m feeling pretty good about the training - so far, I´m up to 18.8 kilometers without getting overtired, and the half marathon is 21. I can make it!

Incidentally, this is one of my favorite bus routes - always takes me places!

Most exciting entry yet!

My fridge. Many apologies, I have spent today in the depto studying, not out doing cool things to take pictures of.

The socialism postcard is Ricardo´s, the painting is Nati´s, the sushi magnets and the conversions magnet are mine! I do not know where Evita came from, she just showed up this week.

The cat is our household pet, bought for me because the depto is too small for a real one.

Obama in Chile!

Today was an exciting day - the Obama family came to Chile! He came to confer with Piñera, and Michelle Obama and the girls went to Renca and saw some dancing. We went a few hours before their plane even landed, and waited in the Plaza de Constitución to see them!

Overall, the crowd was very friendly, not very intense, just curious. The was one woman who shouted ¨Go home, yankee!¨ over and over, but a lot of others shouted her down, or just mumbled that they wished that she´d quiet down. Two men next to me rem

arked that it was a sign that a democracy was present that people could shout whatever they wanted, even at the president of the United States.

I made a poster, and Ludette and I showed it, and I wore Ricardo´s ¨Hope¨ shirt, so we were interviewed by Tele13, TVN, CNN Chile, Telemundo, Television UC, LUN, MEGA, and la Tercera, which was fun but awkward - if I panic in front of a microphone in English, just think how much I freeze in Spanish!

Obama and family arrive at La Moneda!

Barack and Michelle

And the girls.

Ludette and I on the other side of La Moneda after!

On a side note, I have never felt so gringa in Chile as I did today walking around in an Obama shirt on a day when he was visiting the city. I have a great advantage for a gringa here, that I can blend in in a crowd, which is very appreciated on many occasions, as it makes me much less of a target in many ways, and I can fly under the radar when out and about, rather than sticking out merely for the way I look.

San Borjas

This is a park I love that is across the street from my old apartment. Lizzy, Shander, and I took advantage of today´s beautiful sunny weather to lie in the sun.

Shown: Shander in foreground, roller derby girls, older people watching the derby, a few couples doing what Chileans tend to do in parks...

Costanera Center

Of course it´ll be reassuring to have the tallest building in South America, and the second-tallest in the Southern Hemisphere in one of the most enormous-earthquake susceptible areas of the world.

...is what I think, every time is see Costanera Center. I can´t go into a building without wondering what I´d do if there were an earthquake, and wondering how much the building will sway or shake enters my mind when ever I go up more than a few stories.

On the other hand, what a wonder of modern engineering that it´s even possible!

Pi Day!

Here is the spread of pies from pi day:

There was: deep-dish Chicago pizza, apple crumble, peach crumble, mini quiches, fritatta, sweet potato pie, Ecuadorian fried green bananas, and a no-bake peanut butter pie thing!

¡Que rico!