I wanted to throw in a quick update, even though I don't have much time.
I'm writing from a hotel lobby in Algorrobo - we're finishing up the last weekend of the study abroad program, and have come to a little tourist beach-town to spend a few days together to wrap up. We've all finished our independent projects and sharing presentations of what we've learned. It's very interesting to see what everyone has been spending their last month on! There's a wide range: one girl spent a month studying a safe house for battered women, and was able to compare it to her experience with community work in the US. Another classmate spent a month with the women in a fishing community, interviewing them and later wrote a play about their lives. We saw studies of a bi-cultural education, a community radio station broadcasted from a mental hospital, intercultural health.
Working on this project has been more or less my entire life for the past few weeks. Literally the past week I had no time to exercise or train - I was sitting at my computer, whether in my house or at a cafe or at the University, the entire time. It's been intense, and I've learned a lot, but needless to say, I'm glad it's finished!
Since the word "house" came up in the last paragraph, let me tell you exciting news: I moved into a new house! I was looking for a place to live in Valparaiso (instead of Vina del Mar, which is a good half an hour away), since I'm going to be here for three months. I was lucky enough to find an amazing place! Some circus artists I've been training with happened to have an extra room in their house - the house is beautiful and the housemates are beautiful. I've been living there for about two weeks and I am very happy with it!
Unfortunately, I won't be able to enjoy it for about a week now - after we're finished wrapping up the program here I'm going to go up to San Pedro de Atacama (a little town in the middle of the Atacama desert- they say the drying desert in the world) with a few friends. I have some musician-friends up there, and there happens to be a performance on the 11th, so they've invited me to perform in a fire and music show in the middle of Valle de la Luna. I'm very excited! Valle de la Luna is one of those places that I saw photos of, heard all about, and made a promise to myself I would have a valuable experience in. And now, by luck, I'll be performing there!
Valle de la luna:
I'll make sure to let you all know how it goes!
