Into the woods, and back.

Our campsite

Fast forward a little bit and Monse, my housemate, has left to go home to Mexico. We spent a week saying goodbye with asados, parties, dinners and finally a weekend camping. After much research and debate we settled on a place that isn't too far from Valparaiso. A friend of Monse's from her photography class is a volunteer with an organization called Chinchemen that is an environmental conservancy group, similar to Saratoga P.L.A.N and Five Rivers in upstate New York.
http://chinchimen.org/

So we crammed into a car, bought more supplies than necessary and headed off to the woods. This place is so heart-achingly beautiful that I don't feel like words exist to describe it.
The coast

It was so nice to get out of the hustle and bustle of the city for two days and breathe fresh air while sitting next to the ocean. This place is made of rolling green hills that end in cliffs, which lead down to the ocean. There are beaches made of pebbles, with caves tucked back in the cliffs. We were lucky enough to see two 'nutrias' or sea otters, playing in the waves and eating lunch. We also got to see a Peruvian Booby, which was pretty cool. The organization has a deal with local farmers, who take care of the land, but can also use it for their livestock or agriculture. Consequently, I woke up to the sound of cows mooing a mere five feet from our tent. Life is good.

Sea vegetation

After our return to Valpo I spent a few days trying to get more interviews set up. I have had little success with this, but have sent out lots of emails and met more people that it all looks very promising. My SIP research has sort of fallen into a rhythm of one week of interviews, one week of planning, etc. To be fair I was also pretty distracted this week with a visit from an old friend. Someone I haven't seen in 6 years. I just want you to picture that for a second, I still had braces the last time we saw each other. I met my friend Nico at Spanish Camp about 6 years ago and we've kept in touch ever since. He's currently living in Buenos Aires and decided to come to Chile for winter vacation. It was really awesome to see him, and try to cram a lifetime of Valpo into three days. I think we successfully hit all the highlights and then some.
Last lunch for Monse

We went to a pena (the traditional Chilean party) so that Nico could see what it's like, got lost in the cerros, had an asado, drank Chilean wine, went to the market, cleaned the house (guests are treated very differently in this country...), stopped by my host family's house, and caught up on the last 6 years. It's funny how time flies by, but it also seems like nothing has changed.

The weather finally gave out after a few days of sun, and the rain has settled in again. I can't complain. It's a good excuse for me to sit in my bed and recover from my cold.
Nico and Me at la casa de la china

Also, I feel like no matter how hard things get here, I am content. More than that, I'm pretty consistently happy to be where I am, and I think that's a very good thing (don't worry I'm still coming back to the states).
House updates:

We have rats. However, Sambo is enjoying killing them so I think we'll be okay. At least he now has a way to channel his energy.
Sambo realizing his full potential by climbing up the bulletin board to the ceiling

On Monday a guy from France is moving into Joaco's old room. He is a giant, blonde man, who I think will be an interesting addition to the house.
We all miss Monse.
I successfully made lemon bars. I decided to make them for two reasons, we needed dessert and we are out of gas for the estufa, so I used the oven to heat up the kitchen while we all crammed in there and watched a movie. If that's not multi-tasking I don't know what is.