Hello one and all from the not too different from the United States city of Santiago de Chile!
Well, I have been in Chile for 4 days now, and I´m really enjoying myself. This city is pretty darn cool and safe to be in. I honestly don´t worry too much about my stuff getting stolen (which I usually don´t take much of anything of value with me in mi mochila), and I´m with people I know all the time. So far we have seen Pablo Nerudo´s house (or the one in Sanitago, apparently he had a few), the art work of Violeta Parra (WAY cool, see if you can find pictures online), and have gotten to talk to some really neat people. Yesterday we talked to a guy who works to construct this ¨villa¨ of sorts in the ghetto to promote safetly and community. Today we talked to this lady about the ¨Documentation and Archives Foundation of the Vicarage for Solidarity¨, which is a place that stores documents from this foundation during the dictatorship of Pinochet that took records of people who had human rights violation of any kind from the coup or had family members who were disappeared and such (if you don´t know anything about Pinochet and what happened during his dictatorship, please look online because it´s a huge part of why I´m here to learn about). Then we also talk to another lady about life after the coup and how this is still a wounded nation. Very hard stuff to process, but also very important. They have a history hear that they make sure no one forgets, that they themselves are still healing from. The good parts of their history are shown through people in statues, while the harsh bitterness is shared from person to person. It makes me want to not forget my history, though it isn´t harsh or terribley traumatic but we are the protectors of memory. How can we pass it on if we don´t know it to begin with? Our history books leave out important parts about how Columbus dealt with the Native Americans (and almost destoryed a complete race of people) and how Hitler and Mousilini were not the only dictators in history. I´m not angry as much as I am disappointed. But what can I do now except learn? Better late than never, right?
Other than that, things are going great. I´m learning more about my fellow travelers, and have even had times to tell them what I believe and they have even asked me questions! VERY cool! Here are the prayer requests I have:
-That I get more chances to share about Jesus
-That we figure how to get from place to place and that my flights will be okay
-That I won´t compromise my values to fit in, and yet still hang out with everyone
Okay, I´m done with this sticky keyborad. I need to go back to the hostel and take a pepto to help with the burning baby eels in my stomach. Hasta luego everybody!!
Vaya con Dios,
Leah=)
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