I Don't Really Know What to Call This...

This blog entry, that is. But here I am back in North Carolina, and while the overwhelming part of me is very happy, there is also a part of me that already misses Chile, and most importantly, D. (I know, I'm only going to be gone for 2 weeks, but still). But what I want to write about right now is the former...

It seems I have developed a love affair with Chile. Only, now that I type that, I think it's not quite an adequate term. Because most love "affairs" are short-lived, it seems, and I certainly don't want mine to be so. I don't know what it is, but each day as my feet hit the blazing-hot pavement, I gaze up at the blue sky and palm trees (I have ALWAYS loved and wanted to live in a place with palm trees), and look around at the flowers and fruit stands and think, "wow, I love living here." Even that sentence doesn't even begin to capture it. In fact, the more I try to capture my feeling, the more futile it seems. Now, lest you think I am still in the "honeymoon" stage of culture shock, I have spent time in Chile before. And yes, I've spent an entire winter here. I know the realities of life without central heating. It sucks. But it seems a small sacrifice to pay to be able to be part of a beautiful culture.

The other day I went to barrio Concha y Toro by myself, and just wandered through the streets, admiring the architecture and stopping at the little fountain for a rest. It feels like a different world there. I went to what is quite possibly one of the coolest cafes in Santiago, and couldn't concentrate on the book I had brought to read, because my mind was flooded with thoughts of "I am so blessed to be in this place." I don't know if it was that day or another that I had the thought, "I could stay here for quite awhile." And by stay, I mean live, in Chile. How long is quite awhile? I don't know... I used to be scared by the idea of living in Chile for a number of years, but now I begin to think I could. Again, I'm aware I still haven't been here for a very long time, but each day renews my love for this place, and that is something I'm not going to argue with.