La Vida que Extraño (The Life I Miss)

This week I've been missing a few things that I don't have here in Chile, but only two things have been bothering me: 1) My guitar and 2) Pine Lake Camps.

Seriously, not having my guitar is killing me! My fingernails have grown to be longer than they have been in years and I keep fidgeting all the time! I was Skyping my parents and they were getting a little annoyed with my because I kept tapping the computer and sounded like a raucous! At the time, I couldn't figure out why I was so fidgety and I resorted to sitting on my hand for the remainder of the conversation. But during this week, I slowly began to notice my fingers feeling estranged with that lack of instrumentation. I'm almost embarrassed to say it, but when day when I walked by a man playing guitar in the street, I even teared up a little because all I wanted to do was play my guitar! 

But even more trying this week has been the many reminders I've had of PLC. This is the first summer in 5 years that I haven't been on staff and I thought being in another country would distract me to the point of not thinking of it much at all, but such is not the case! I think about camp quite often and so desire to be there serving but I also don't want to leave this new home! Believe it or not, I smelled a campfire the other day and longed for those beautiful nights with campers and stars. I visited a ranch last weekend and upon entering one of the cabins, I was amazed to recognize the scent of Pine Lake cabins in the middle of a dessert valley. And this morning, as I was reading in Psalms, I found a lovely reminder of camp stuck between the pages of those which I was reading: some year-old bugs! That was a little gross, but the redeeming factor was knowing that it was from nowhere else then the camp which I love so much =)

Best of both worlds: Playing guitar at Pine Lake! =)

Needless to say, I'm missing campers and the staff and thinking of the 2013 group so often! But don't get me wrong. I am still loving my time here and not wishing myself away in the least! I am well aware of the struggle it will be to leave when the time comes, but camp is still just so near to my heart! Praise God for the time I was able to spend there over the many years and for all He continues to do through the ministry at Pine Lake!

Like I said, I've still been having grand adventures in this new place, too! Last weekend, I went to El Valle de Lluta which is another part of Arica. One of the Primas lives out there with her family where they run a ranch and restaurant! Pamela took us on a tour of the valley and we got to see some really neat things... and also some very strange and disturbing things!

This guy is an ancient fridge contraption used by the indigenous people! It's made of mud and rocks - I still don't understand how it worked...

We discovered an antique train station and took some fun pictures! Guess which  amiga is from Chile =)

And so, we made an interesting trip to this little town called Eco-Truly. We were looking forward to the adorable, self-sustaining town, and it was great at first! There's a kind of plaza, children's play equipment, gardens, llamas... everything you could ask for in a small town! But after a while, we noticed things were a bit strange up in this area. We came across a display of pictures showing situations of preparing meat, but instead of animals being prepared by humans, it was the other way around! It was really quite disturbing and graphic. I wrestled for some time with the decision of whether or not to take a photo, but opted against it. Even if I had, I wouldn't put the picture online. As it turns out, this is a group of Hare Krishna Hindus who have secluded themselves from society, although they depend on the business of tourism to support their lifestyle in this isolated community. There's plenty more to share about all I learned during my time there, but if I don't stop now it could easily turn into a book!

Excited to enter the Eco Truly Community. At this point, all we knew was that it was a cute little town of its own.

This is one of the Children's play equipment!

"Coma sano; hagase vegetariano" (Eat Healthy; become vegetarian)

 Thankfully, not long after we better understood what we were seeing, we headed off to Ranch Benny which is run by Pamela and her family! We stopped at El Río Lluta for a few photos on the way =) The Ranch is absolutely beautiful and such a great break from the city! It's a very peaceful place and on top of a hill leading towards the mountains which are right behind the family home! We took a short hike up the hill to a cross which was built of rocks by Pamela and her dad. The view was even more spectacular from above! All in all, it was an excellent day and well worth the odd encounters.

El Río Lluta: It looks a bit more like a creek!

View of the Valley from atop the cerro =)

Allison and me looking out over all our eyes could plunder!

The weekends are generally much more exciting than the weeks since we have so much homework to complete, but I am not be deprived of joy and learning (outside the classroom) even so! This week, I learned that my lack of a sweet tooth is even strange in this foreign country. We had a Torta de Tres Dulces (Cake of Three Sweets, for those uncertain!) and I would not try to handle that again unless absolutely necessary! Generally, the food isn't as sweet here as it is in the U.S., but that was pushing it! From time to time, my little brother likes to give me a hard time about taking my tea without sugar. At first he was concerned that maybe it makes me sick, but when he found out I'm just not a huge fan of the taste, it became a subject of teasing =)

Interesting fact I learned this week: It is perfectly acceptable in Chilean culture for a grown man to play with a little girl's hair. Even if they're strangers! This is not considered creeping, but rather endearing. It's so strange to think of the extreme difference that exists between our cultures in that area. But I admire the trust that exists here.

Exciting food I tried this week: Chilean Sushi! Oh my goodness I really enjoy sushi! I just wish it wasn't so expensive!! Although this wasn't entirely legit because Chilean sushi contains beef rather than fish; who knew? Not to worry - I did also eat some fishy sushi =)

Danger for the week: On Wednesday night there began some HUGE protests in Santiago expressing frustration with the expense of education once again. But it didn't stop in Santiago; we had a riot at the UTA including mini bombs, from what I heard. I wasn't there to see any of it (I live a fair distance from the U) but I was well informed not to go near the building as long as I could avoid it! However, in the morning, there wasn't a sign of chaos.

And one last emotion for the week: I'm in a literature class here which I'm really loving. My professor is great and always has great ideas or thoughts to share. Today she was expressing how important it is that we speak Spanish all the time while we're here because when a language isn't used, it's lost. As she was speaking, it dawned on me that I only have four more weeks here! Many of the girls are getting anxious to return home, but I cannot place myself in the same boat. I love living in a place where I get to speak Spanish all the time. I'm going to miss that when it's time to head back. There are a ton of things I'm going to miss. But that just means I need to enjoy it as much as I can while it's here and wait to handle the raw emotions about it all when the day comes.

Man, am I grateful for God's blessing to let me spend my summer in Chile. Funny that I would start this post talking about the things I miss, and close with what I don't want to end. After this trip, I cannot imagine there will ever again be a possibility for me to deny my love for this language and the culture. I pray that my involvement does not end here! But who knows where the Lord will take me in the future. As always, I need to remember to live in the gratefulness for the blessing of today.

Always in Love.