lovely

so it's been a week or so...not a whole lot of actually blog worthy things have happened. went to class, learned some grammar, learned about ancient Pakistan, learned that I hate old literature from Spain...you know, schooly stuff.
tuesday was Catie's birthday so we had a little fiesta at her house with friends and a few drinks and homemade salsa and conversation and brownies and music. and it was lovely.
wednesday we watercolored over some sketches that Catie got out of the trash outside the art building. also lovely.
thursday we decided to try our hand at going out by ourselves(without boy-chaperones). we went to this cafe/bar place and I had a chocolate martini which was delicious. then we headed over to Valpo on the micro to find somewhere to dance, but ended up going to a different bar with some new friends because i forgot my ID so we couldnt get into any of the clubs. We're invited to their asado(bar b que) on monday. lovely.

I had a lovely day yesterday, too. I woke up late and spent a long time emailing and facebooking and such and then went down to the beach to read and take in some very end of summer sun. autumn is whispering its arrival in the breeze, but summer is still holding onto the late afternoons. as i sat in the grass emersed in Allende, this strange old gypsy woman came up and asked for some monedas(change) so I gave her some. but then she was trying to give some little seed for good luck and pulled out one of my hairs and wanted me to take out a large bill and something about the babyin her stomach(which was not really there). i was getting more and more uncomfortable and when it became obvious she was not going to leave me alone, I just got up and left. I was sad to leave the beach, and my heart was burdened for that strange sad woman. but I walked over to this cute cafe that I've been wanting to go to since I got here and got some actually delicious coffee and resisted the deep urge to get apple kuchen. Catie joined me and we decided to go to this free concert we heard about.
it turned out to be an orchestra from a university in Germany and the jazz band from our university playing together in an outdoor amphitheatre! there was such an interesting atmosphere. the orchestra was playing some modern stuff, but mostly Beethoven and the like. so the air was full of the sweet intensity of live classical music as well as smoke from the fog machines and the voices of vendors selling popcorn and churros. The purple stage lights gleaming from the polished surfaces of the cellos and the drum kit made for quite an interesting dichotomy. there's something so awesome about watching an orchestra play a symphony, to see the music being created and felt by the musicians. watching the bows of the violins bob frantically, carrying energy from the heart of the violinist, through the instrument itself and out into the eager ears of the public. watching the tympany player put all of himself into every strike to the massive drum and move his head with the beat that he himself is creating. watching the conductor pour his soul all over the stage, leading this ridiculus conglomeration of wood and metal controlled by flesh and blood, bringing them together into the ebb and flow of the music, creating something beautiful.
needless to say, the concert was lovely.
then we walked the 15 or so blocks back in the evening chill, had some once and got gussied up to go out. we met up with our friend David, a friend and fellow scout of the chicos we met down south, and his friend Benjamin to go to a discotheque 2 blocks from my house and danced the night away...
and then this morning i was surprised with breakfast in bed - crepes, each filled with different jams, and pancito(little bread) and coffee. yeah, lovely.

things I've learned:
* There's pretty much no way to avoid eating dessert after lunch. like today, i was way full of cheese empanadas and rice and hamburger patties, but I still got suckered into eating ice cream...such a terrible dilemma.
* Skype really is the best thing ever. if you are reading this and you don't have it, download it. now. it's so super easy and then I can talk to you. and if you do already have skype, add me! i'm mollyyoung1
* naps are also the best thing ever, for various reasons. of course there's the whole catching up on sleep thing, but when I nap I can usually remember my dreams! it's a big deal! plus sometimes, just as I'm falling asleep, God tells me things. like this last week I was really worried about something and had been for a few days and right as I was on the edge of sleep that afternoon, I just felt extremely comforted and calm and clear. It was like a burst of cold air through my brain, clearing out all the junk I had been dwelling on.
* it is apparently quite common to talk with/hang out with someone for long periods of time without knowing their name. it seems to keep happening
* I am so so glad I am not a college freshman here. they are called "mechonas" and have to go through the most terrible hazing! the upper classmen paint them and draw on them, pour milk and eggs or fish oil and all kinds of nastiness on their heads, cut their clothes, steal their shoes, and send them out into the street to ask for money. it's the most pathetic thing ever! but this next week is called semana novata and most classes are cancelled because there are huge parties all week in honor of the freshman. so this past week was awful for them, but next week is party week. (and also awesome for me because we get to go to the parties and not have class!)
* there seems to be repetoire of songs that all chileans know by heart. we plan to learn them.
* ciao is actually the italian spelling of my favorite goodbye word. so i've been spelling it wrong...

until next time,
chau!!! (the right way)