Lighting the Path-It's famous!

Just kidding.

It's not famous, but today's devotion comes from Psalm 119:105, the verse that gave birth to this blog.

So, here's the link. Enjoy and you'll see why this verse is quite important and relates to life: I don't know much about my future, but with God's word as a means to 'light my path' I can trust it and depend on it to show me what I need to know in this life. One day at a time.

Thanks for readddddinnnng!

You rock my socks!

Ife S.

P.S. My laptop mouse pad is on the fritz. Not fun.

It's chilly en Chile while eating chili.

Dear wonderful readers. It's been a great journey to and from Chile and I am officially back in the States (as of last week Thursday). It's been an interesting time this past week in terms of gettin used to my family, its habits, English, and a boat load of other things, but today's blog will give you a hint into the reverse culture shock that I've been experiencing (and make me miss Chile).

Maturing?
  So, if you know me, you might say I'm a pretty mature person and couldn't possibly think of any more ways for me to mature. But ladies and gents. It's true: Ife is still maturing! In Chile, I only lived with 3 other people and they are all adults so the place was quite clean all the time, however, when I got back to my house...there was a pile of dishes, my room had been invaded my all the members in the family and the whole place seemed to be choking me. That's when I realized a change had occurred. I wanted to clean so badly and put the house back into order. It was the part of me that had changed while I was there and gotten used to cleaniness, neatness and the sorts. But it wasn't just that, it was the fact that I wanted to do it. I don't really like chores, but this hadn't bothered me much. In the mornings, if I see dishes in the sink, I stack them and clear out the dishwasher. If I see schnibbles of paper on the floor, I don't walk over them; I pick them up and whatever else in the vacinity that seems out of place. Ife.Has.Arrived.

Onces?
   If you read previous blogs, I've mentioned onces a few times. It's the tea time in Chile that comes after lunch. Instead of dinner, they have a light meal consisting of bread, tea, palta, ham, queso, and other finger foods. Having come back to the states, I wanted to each onces. For me, it was more than just the food and how cute it was to eat at 7pm little crackers and tea, it was the whole family eating together and waiting for one another (at least in my host family) to sit down to eat. My family in the States doesn't do that so I guess Onces was something I've missed a lot and would like to have here, but we've tried eating together...doesn't work since we all have so different of schedules.

Español?
  Uds. no entienden como quiero hablarlo casi cada día. Por eso, decidí avisar a mi amigo, quien vive acá en E.E.U.U. pero hablar español bastante bien, que vamos a hablarlo todo el tiempo! Era mi idea pero él quiso hablar tambien para que no lo pierda. Voy a tomar 2 clases de español el próximo semestre en mi universidad por lo tanto no voy a preocuparme demasiado. Sin embargo, quiero seguir conversando con mis amigos/amigas y todos que hablan esp. Mi familia no entiende nada de esp y, además, habla yoruba (idioma de Nigeria), lo que no hablo bien. no importa...tengo tiempo porque tengo ganas de hablarlo medio bien. jaja

Well, the list continues with going in to kiss everyone, but realizing it's not a thing here. jaja. It's so funny because I wasn't in the ambiente de dar besos todo el tiempo pero ahora I think I hug isn't complete without un beso. And bread is just NOT the same. I can't eat bread here anymore..it's like I'd be committing a crime to each sliced bread instead of pan batido..don't get be started on alfajores. I brought some to the states and my family hasn't touched them...besides the fact that these chocolately goodness snacks are delicious, alfajores are like....essential to the Chilean well being (not really, but I was on a roll).

Aight..I'm done. As I continue my culture shock experiences, I'll inform you of anything rather disturbing that goes on. Much love, snow and besossss for each and everyone of you.

I've missed you all and am glad to be back on this side north of the equator.

Love, peace and elbow grease...
    Ife 'Quipayan' S.

Notes from my subconscious

Dear friends,

As of Wednesday night, I was officially stressed.
It's not even that I feel rushed, it's that my subconscious that tells me that I'm stressed.

I've had rather strange dreams these past nights.
Some of them seem to be relevant to my present life, but other are just really weird.

For example, I finally finished taking down my braids of 3 months and decided I should fix it or at least make it look decent. I found a industry sized comb that would handle the jungle of my hair and after washing it, putting lots of conditioner, it started drying and I knew it was time to tackle it head on. I found lots of knots during this process which meant lots of hair falling out (blah). I deeply despise seeing my hair fall out. I don't know why but I just can't stand to see it.

"Arg".

"Qué te pasó" asked my Chilean sister Pauli.

"Todo mi pelo está cayendo!" I said in a frustrated, half laughing voice.

Later that night, I had a dream that more hair was falling out. My mom, aunty, sister and I were seated in our small sized bathroom at home on stools and discussing my hair.

Ladies and gents, you know I'm stressed. Pssh. Hope it passes quick 'cause my subconscious is really catching on about my true fears.

Sights, Sounds and Smells

Hello everyone!

It's been waaaay too long since I've written and I'm actually excited to let you know that all is well. I am in Chile for 18 more days (less than 3 weeks) and, as I speak, am juggling relaxing, sending this update and reading about the history of Chilean music.

It's been a busy last month, but also a very good one. I am setting my own schedule, waking up when I want and just doing things at my own pace. Though I seem to leave the house less (because I find it easy to just work at home), I have come to realize things that I've become so accustomed to, but still take note of.

Sights:

    -The house of my aunt: This aunt is the sister of my mother and we all live in the same compound. We seem to be in her house all the time. Whether we're eating, visiting, or just working, I've starting treating it as my second home because I can honestly go there whenever I want My classmate that used to live there moved out and is living in an apartment with other classmates, but comes back often enough for tea time (las onces) and lunch. This is definitely a reflection of not only the family, but the Chilean lifestyle as well. The family is such a central focal point that, even after the kids move out, dinner/lunch/onces still includes the majority of the family. It doesn't overwhelm me when there are 15 people over for lunch or onces and we spend more time talking than we do eating.

 - The city

       So, I personally am not the best first sight navigator so 4 months later I am more familiar with the city and knowing how to get home from almost any part of the city. I still have my off days. I was in Viña del Mar-a neigboring city-the other day (having an interview with a woman for my project) and didn't want to take the subway because I knew the buses are cheaper and didn't mind demorando mucho (taking much time) to get back home because it's a pretty city. On my way back, I accidentally got on the wrong bus headed the wrong way, but thanks to my previous experience of being lost, I asked the bus driver before actually boarding. I saved myself money and time...so I guess I'm getting the hang of figuring my way around...sort of.

Sounds:

   -The bus

        Las micros (pronounced: mee crows) are way more than just busses, they are one of the few sources of transportation for many many many people. I live on a hill that is casi (almost) impossible to subir (go up) if you don't drive a manual car. Most people don't have cars, and even less of them can manuver up the steep cerros (hills). Every day, almost every 15 minutes, I can hear a micro's engine going up the hill, almost in a struggle because it often has to stop on the slope to drop off passangers. Seeing as there are few actual sidwalks in Valparaíso, everyone just walks on the street and a good indicator to get off of the street is the roaring sound of the micro. It can always be heard before it's seen. Which is always a good thing because if I'm running late, but can hear the micro comming, I'm out the door in a flash.

   -Tom

         The dog. He's old and has been having a few pains. He doesn't like climbing up the stairs and so he whines when he wants to climb up. It's a shame, but we've figured out that all he really needs is sometime to say, "Sube!" "Climb!" Just a little encouragement.

    -Spanish

           I have become better at understaning Chileans (the wrost, so they say in proper Spanish speaking).

Smells:

   -Fish

         Fish, fish, fish, fish, fish. I mean, it's kind of obvious. The entire city was established on a port and you can see the mar (sea) from all points of the city (it's pretty fabulous). However, there is this route on the micro where it runs along the shoreline right next to a caleta (bay) where fishermen bring in their catch. The smell is expecially strong in this specific area, but I know where we are, if I lose track of my geographic location, when I smell fish, the strong stench of fresh fish. I'm used to it now...but still, it's strong.

-Dog excrement

    I won't explain this. There are just sooo many dogs in this city. It is sometimes unbelievable.

-Smoke

    People smoke in unimaginable quantities in this country and freely. From the age of 13, you can see young children to old people on the street smoking. Me carga (It bugs me) when I see little children smoking and no one really opposes it. I smell smoke too often and sometimes come home smelling like smoke, but am very grateful for good health.

In all this, I've learned to enjoy this city and take in all the sights, sounds or smells. I'll miss it all when I go back to the states and might bug you all with stories about these sights, sounds and smells so I hope you all get ready to be part of my reverse culture shock. :)

See you soon!

Earth to Ife. Halllo?

As I'm sitting here in my bed really late this...dusk, I'm really thinking about my future. (Buckle up, this one's a doozy). Don't fall asleep on me here.

No, just joking. I am thinking about my future, but I won't be sharing it (much) with you.

So I have 2 blogs and realized when I was writing in the other one that I really don't want to be a lawyer. Eso.

On to the rest of Chile. I think I want to come back to Chile after I finish college. I have been thinking that I really don't want to leave right now. I don't know what it is that is making me feel this way (I haven't fallen in love so I can rule that out), but it's strong enough to make me consider leaving and starting over.

Maybe that's it. Starting over. I actually don't want to talk about this right now. It's too late and I'm not thinking correctly. The blog isn't a sounding board so I won't bore you with my preliminary thoughts. I have lots of them if you want to hear them...later. Just let me know. I might just share.

Then, I am here to talk about my week. My first full week back from el norte and intense work. I've stayed in most days of this week and probably eaten way too much, but that's okay. I'm not going anywhere soon. I am working on my project that is due in a month and therefore have no classes or no obligations...speaking of obligations....

He has none. He's a 30-algo year old man with 2 kids under the age of 10 and lives in the home of his mother. My host brother in el norte. Codename: Stephen. My host mom suggested we get married. Chiste, obviously, but I was like "What? He's not married?" And so is the case of many young men here in the lovely Chile.

(Disclaimer: THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION DOES NOT APPLY TO EVERY FAMILY AND DO NOT APPLY IN ALL ASPECTS.)

         I'm not going to be really extensive because I do have a 3 page paper to finish. But here's what I've noticed. There are a lot of babies having babies and baby daddies with no obligations or little obligations to the children they have, and there are a lot of 'grown men', digamos, who still live with their parents.

It is very much a cultural thing. The family setting is a very powerful organization of people and is very important. The mothers take very good care of the children (pretty much until they get married, but sometimes after that....). They do their laundry, cook, make their child's bed, etc.

Example:

  *Macarena (a very popular Chilean name) is a 25 year old that lives with her mother. She has a 3 year old daughter. She is not married to *Rodrigo (the father of the child), but sometimes spends the night in his house with his parents who take care of their daughter *Juliana. For Rodrigo to be living with his parents at the age of 30 is not anything to be ashamed of or to be made fun of as it is sometimes the case in the US. Rodrigo works, has a car (which is something pretty rare in Valparaiso) and brings in his own income; however he does not live on his own. Rodrigo's mother does not mind taking care of her granddaughter when her son has to work or is out with friends. Rodrigo does run errands for his mother and probably does some chores. This is a not always the norm.

Another scenario is that Rodrigo does not do chores, and in fact in incapable of cooking himself a meal. He has a girlfriend (off and on), carretea (parties) a lot and attends the university (say he's 25, not 30). He still has a daughter, but does not spend time with her. He lives with his mom and she does everything for him. Cooks, cleans, makes his bed and does his laundry.

Okay, basically, after an unfortunately drawn out blog (which I apologize for), the lifestyle is different here in Chile. I personally think that it spoils the young children and does not make the younger generation responsible for its actions. When you continue depending on your parents and are not given any form of independence, it can create an atmosphere of non-chalant-ness (?). Because mom and pops give you a place to stay and food and a roof even if you have kids that you don't support and spend countless nights not contributing positively to society and its growth.

Whatevs. I'm done. Earth to Ife. Wow.. what a rant. Remind me NOT to write when I'm tired.

*These names are used to protect the identity of the people involved in this story.

Teach me how to Dougie (this one's a shortie)

Hola damas y caballeros (sin cabeza?)
 
     How goes the buena onda? Okay, so we've officially entered the month of noviembre (in Spanish, not much is capitalized apart from the first letter of the first word in a sentence) and summer is SOOOOO hot here, but we're still in spring. No importa. I'm back in the city of lights, the ocean ports and hills. These past few weeks have been quite interesantes and I'm semi-nervous for the next month because I'm not always the best when left to myself. Too much free time=not enough work getting done, but God willing, this month will not be this way. I'll learn to make good use of the time I'm given.

   HIGHLIGHTS SO FAR IN CHILE:

Dancing in Mil Tambores (Valparaiso)
Volunteering in a small community with kids (El Salto)
Performing Sleepy Hallow (Caballero sin cabeza is our Spanish translation) to little school children (Putre)
       --Almost anytime I get to dance in my own little world to good music or play with kids--
Spending time with friends from WashU (Valpo/Santiago)
Watching brilliant stars (Putre)
Sharing my faith (Everywhere in Chile)


I am not going to explain every single one of these because my words wouldn't do them justice, but what I've found from these experiences are my passions in this life. Anytime I perform (dance, sing, act), I get this high that only comes from these passions. Anytime I can make a small child smile/laugh, it makes that day all that better. I get a whole lot of satisfaction in simply doing these things, but also how others feel.

-Dancing I do for myself. It's funny because I lose sight of where I am and sometimes get too consumed in the moment. One time, we went to a pretty empty bar in Arica that had media-buena musica and enough space for a dance floor. My friends went to drink, but I'm not into that so when the music got really good, I basically got up and started dancing. My other friend joins and we've got a little dance floor going. 10 minutes later, another friend tells me that there is a man recording the both of us. I immediately stop because I didn't want to draw bad attention, but 2 min later...there I was again. Ah well, maybe I'll be famous. haha. Vamos a ver.-

Music is my heartbeat.

So passions? Not really sure how this will translate into the "real world" and what my future consists of, but right now, I'm loving these moments! I realize I'm very much a homebody, but when it comes to the very core of who I am, these passions are where it's at.

Left to myself, I'd be a professional child developer/enthusiast that danced on the side. Imagine that :)

I was going to upload a super ballin' photo, but Blogger's being a bit fome (Chilean slang...look it up!). Next time.

Until then, much love, peace and pig grease,

Ife 'Quilpayan' S.

P.S. Do YOU know how to Dougie? I hear it's all the rave.

Usted no puede dejar su hijo acá. Saca la vuelta

Buenas!

Greetings from Arica, Chile. A semi-large city with a great calidad de vida (quality of life). I'm in the north of Chile on an excursion with my program and have learned soooo much that it's quite overwhelming if you ask me.

 I should actually be in Putre, Chile (3600msnm-meters above sea level), but me apuné (I got altitude sickness) and had to climb down from the mountain. Though sharing the minute details would tickle my (now calm) estomago, it might make you sick. But if you were wondering about Putre, I'll tell you:
 

(This foto isn't mine. I left my memory card in Arica....2 hours away)   

 The pueblo is home to mainly immigrants from Bolivia or Peru and also of the Aymara culture. Interestingly, there are a good handful of hotels and hostels because it's a happenin' spot for turists from Europe (Germany, France, España etc.) and for Chileans who want a change of scenery. Jimmy, a very kind hotel personnel, informed me that people come here before heading north and that he enjoys working in the hotel with his family because the hostels no son como eso. I personally ran into 2 Spanish men travelling north in S.America. They thought Putre was nice and quaint. :)
 
         It is possible to walk through the pueblo in about 30 minutes, but my heart struggled to keep up so it took me a whole lot longer. Lucky I, the clinic was 5 min away from our hotel and, unfortunately, I was there 2 times for about 45 min. each time receiving oxygen. I did get a chance to check out the murals that told leyendas andinas (legends from the Andes region) and do some star gazing with others in our sleeping bags. It's quite cold at night and very warm during the day since it is more or less a desert. To find out more, visit Chile or your local world wide web!

(Mi foto desde mi casa de Arica-My photo of Arica from my house)

Arica, on the other hand, is a city of about 190,000 fab. people who haven't been exposed to much in life (from my point of view). I'll tell you about the port city and then contar (recount) my experience here. The city how two "centers". A center of commerce and the actual center. It is a mixture of cerros (hills), playas (beaches) and a bit of desert. It doesn't rain a whole lot here-if ever (as you might be able to tell because the roofs are flat instead of steeple like and some of the homes don't have "roofs"). I live in Cerro La Cruz and can get to the center of commerce in about 15 minutes. The center of commerce is mas o menos (more or less) one long calle (street) named 21 de mayo. You can find McDs, banks, shopping stores, pharmacies, and streets that lead you to artesanal 'tienditas' -little stores where you can find lots of great (and kind of inexpensive) gifts and clothes made from alpacas or llamas. The rest of the city gets more spaced out the further away you get from the center of commerce. Along the playas are other markets and plazas/playgrounds. The life here is very tranquil, so much so that I forget what day it is here because it seems that no one ever goes anywhere. Is it still Saturday?

    
      I can't compare Arica to Valparaíso, so I'm not going to, but I will say that because Arica is smaller, the people (and their stares, glares) are more pronounced. I'm not generalizing the people who live in Arica by any means, but I felt more out of place here than I do in Valpo. Although no one has "done" anything to me, the discomfort I sometimes feel is bothersome. From really weirded out stares to "be carefuls" to people shoving their kids to the side as I pass got me thinking about where I am. I realize that I'm one of 10 people who look like me in Arica (not a real fact) and that my features are super interesting (at least I think so), however, me molesta que I feel like I'm part of a museum exhibit 16/7. I cease to be a person when someone grabs my hand/hair to see how it feels. If you ask me, sure I'll take a picture with you, but snipping pictures is not cool. -I know I snipe pictures, but I at least ask permission if I can or only snipe when I know it's something performed/is part of a group or activity.- I also don't think I've been feared before, but here I am...On the other hand, I've gotten a lot of "I would like to stand next to the negrita" ie. me. We were taking a group photo with an group that performed typical Aymara dance and a (nice lady...I'm sure) dancer said this. I'm shaking it off, but I know that they just want to remember having a black person around. Whatevs.


I don't want to rant and rave (because I could keep going) because I know that it's part of the experience and I can't do anything about it, except for vive la vida (live the life) I've been given and love the people in it. En serio, I hope you all got something from this blog.

To end on a good note, I'm not sick and have met some genial (nice, great, kind, etc) people here.
P.S. Here's a video that explains the title: Chocolate cake made me late

Until next time,

Mucho amor, ife, amore, love, houb, amour, sayang,

<--I went sand boarding!

Ife 'Quipayan' S.