Comfort at "Home"

I wish I could put a scratch and sniff sticker on my blog.  Words don’t do justice to the wonderful scents that tickled me awake on Friday.  Truth be told – it wasn’t breakfast.  It was lunch.  And yes, I slept until 12:00.  But here that’s normal – at least during the summer if you’re on break from school (which they are). 

I arrived in Chile on Wednesday and it’s been phenomenal so far.  I feel rejuvenated and alive!  For those who don’t know, I lived here during college for 7 months and am staying with the family that hosted me then.  I have a mother, Maritza, and two sisters – Karen (26) and Meli (20).  They are truly like family to me.




Karen and me out at a nightclub

  


Meli, Mama and me having ice cream by the beach

 

The first day when I arrived we had a big almuerzo (lunch).  Usually it’s the biggest meal of the day – eaten in the early afternoon.  We had pollo (grilled chicken), verduras salteadas (sautéed vegetables) and arroz con mariscos (rice with seafood – clams and shrimp).  Delicious!  Even better than white cheddar popcorn. :)

We've also had porotos granados.  The translation is a little rough (and my Spanish is a little rough) so it's basically like a bean stew.  It's a very traditional Chilean dish that takes hours to make.  I was, to say the least, grateful.

Yesterday's almuerzo was a story in and of itself.  When somebody tells me we're going to eat it's like Pavlov ringing the bell.  We went to a restaurant on the beach and waited for TWO AND A HALF HOURS before finally getting seated.  In the "world of Annie," waiting for two and a half hours to eat is like death.  Death to Annie.  I resorted to munching on cereal while I waited and was near panic when we finally got seated.  The meal, however, was delicious...reineta con camaron (white fish topped with shrimp) and of course - some fried potatoes and bread on the side.  Carb up.

In Chile food is a means to enjoy your relationships.  So today I caught up with an old friend over sushi for lunch (while talking) and then we walked along the beach (talking), stopped for coffee (talking) and sat on a park bench (talking) for about 5 hours.  I love how conversations flow so naturally here, how people are so honest in their friendships, and how talking is a pleasure and not an obligation.

What we realized is that he and I may live worlds apart but we still have the same issues - finding the right career, building a successful future, falling in and out of love, and deciding on a path that truly makes us happy.  Somehow I find that very comforting.

And thus, I leave you with this thought...it's a small, small world. Whatever problem you're currently facing, you're not alone.  Someone, somewhere out there is experiencing the same thing right now.  Somebody is having the same feelings, the same doubts, the same wishes and the same dreams.  And hopefully that distant sympathy brings you some comfort as well.