I have now been down in Chile for over a month now and my time here continues to be an amazing experience. I have learned so much these past few weeks; my beliefs about certain issues, my views toward the Earth and all its people, and my thoughts about life in general have been challenged and I have been opened up in so many ways. I am truly in a phase of self-discovery and exploration and it’s so exciting!
I am now back in Santiago after having spent the weekend in Quisco, a small town on the coast. It was absolutely gorgeous! Judy has a beach house there so we joined her and other Maryknoll missioners for their regional conference. While they all sat in on meetings, Gretch and I decided to do some exploring of the little town next to the vast sea. Our excursion led us to Isla Negra, where we saw Casa Neruda, the beach home of Pablo Neruda, a famous Chilean poet. Neruda was a very inspirational figure for this country and his poetic works will always be treasured. We definitely enjoyed ourselves at his house and even became guests at the little cafe that was there! It was nice to sit and have some food, with the sea as the backdrop and warm spring sun shining down, and all the while, sharing good conversation. The entire weekend was splendid and I would really love to spend more time there, it was simply beautiful. The coastline was breathtaking and looking out into the sea made me feel so small, yet, at the same time, so capable of anything I want to do.
As I sit here on the patio at Judy’s house, with the warm sun at my back and a slight breeze tickling my face, I am content. I have now been to all three sites (Chillan, Vilches and Santiago) and have observed the work being done at each. I think all of the locations have something great to offer and each have a uniqueness that the others do not have. Also, each have their own setting, whether it be a rural town in the mountains, or a bustling metropolitan area. I know I could be happy working in any of the places and all of the people at each site are incredible. However, with that said, I have decided that Santiago will be where I end up. Gretch and I both love it here; and I think for me personally, it will be the most challenging place to live (of the three) and that draws me to it even more. It will be an entirely new experience; it will be different; it will be a great opportunity for me to grow. Plus, there so many options for me to get involved in something related to health or medicine, and that is so exciting! I am excited to live in a big city; I am excited to learn from all of the astounding women I have met. Its funny too, because I did not even know that Santiago was an option before arriving in Chile, and now that is where I have decided to stay. Yay! Now time for finding a place to live……….
I am so excited about everything! I am simply just trying to live the reality of every moment and enjoy every day that I will spend down here in Chile. As Neruda said, “Hoy es hoy, ayer se fue.” (Today is today, Yesterday is gone) That quote reminds me that I must just live in the here and now, and trust that everything will work out!
