Tuesday, February 20, 2024

#8: February 20, 2024: Day 40

 I have been in Chile for forty days, and will be here for eighty days more. I thought that this would be a good milestone, a good way for me to split this journey up, to conceptualize it and reflect.

It has gone by both incredibly fast and incredibly slow. My first day here seems so long ago. And yet, other firsts--the first trip to the coast, for instance--feel like they happened just yesterday. I suppose that's how time works. I feel like I have done so much, but also feel like there is so much I haven't done yet. 

Forty days is about twenty-five days longer than I have ever been away from home. Some days are harder than others. I have now built a good routine into this place--the metro, the shops, the parks, classes--but I would be lying if I said that I didn't miss home. I have realized being here just what a magical place Iowa City is. Sometimes I wonder how much it has to do with the city itself, and how much it is just because I know the place, in a fundamental way.

This leads me to the great, but difficult, part of being in Santiago, which is the experience of a brand new space, new culture, and most significantly, a new language. It is breathtaking to experience something new, to learn something new. But there is also a friction that comes with it. As I move through this 1/3 milestone, I am trying to lean into the friction. This is where growth happens, sure, but it's also where life happens. I try to keep in mind what Kalmia told me before I left, something like: "Don't forget to do stuff." Her only small "regret", about her months abroad in Guatemala, was not doing more stuff. At this point, I am beginning to understand what she meant by this, and I will try my best to keep putting those words into action. And it truly has gotten easier in my time so far...I feel settled in very nicely.


I got some acrylic paints from Lider and my first painting was so terrible. I am telling myself that I would more closely resemble Van Gogh if only they had oil paints. This might be my new favorite fallacy: Blaming the Medium. I abandoned pastel drawing long ago...maybe I'll get some watercolors.

Trip for spring break is set: I'm off to Mendoza on March 1st. My only plan right now is to pick up a Messi jersey. Will keep you posted.

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#9: March 1-4, 2024: Mendoza and the Night Bus Through the Andes

 Apologies for missing a week...at least this post will be somewhat eventful. On Friday, March 1, we had our last day of classes before ...