la vida es bella

have i named a post that before? i guess it's a testament to it's truth.

bueno, so i returned from my 'sabbatical' from english. and it really was a great week. i'll admit, it was not completely english free. it's tougher than you would imagine. the most obvious way is that when the north-americans get together, we speak in english. and i guess i was never ballsy enough to just speak in spanish, but in my defense, bi-lingual conversations are difficult if both parties are not agreed to it.
but more than that, it's hard to escape english because it's almost a regular part of the culture here. that is, i walk around and hear US music. US shows are on tv. some of my class readings are even in english. it was weird to notice how much i was exposed to it without even realizing it.
so, anyways, here are some things i learned/gained from this experience:
--i would say i'm beginning to think more in spanish. it depends on what i was just doing and what i'm thinking about, but if i get in the right mode, it's spanish.
--i need more good running music in spanish. i haven't found my latin lupe fiasco or bloc party yet.
--i made some more spanish-speaking friends. i think in my attempt to avoid gringo-time a little more, i pushed myself to hang out and had some great convos in spanish.
--i got sucked into a chilean teleseries. i'm not sure thats a positive thing, but it is what it is. i'm officially hooked on 'mala conducta.' jajaja.
--cultural activities!
---that is, monday i went to a speaker at the university who is chilean but now lives and teaches at georgetown in the states. he worked in the bill clinton white house and is now working on the hillary campaign. other than that fact, he was great. the point of the speech was to explain how the upcoming election in the US would have significant effects on latin america, but he ran out of time and ended up just talking about the election. it was really interesting to hear. and also to be in a room full of people so interested, asking so many questions. that can be tough to do in the states with US politics, let alone if it was about a different country.
---tuesday i explored the national library of chile, and it was pretty interesting. its an amazing, huge old building, and it had a big study room that took me back to the quiet room at loyola. after, i went to a my good friend sarah's apt and made her speak with me in spanish.
---wednesday i started my volunteer work in a really poor neighborhood called cerro navia. it was amazing, and i'll write more about it in the near future.
--thursday i just had class all day and went out with the gringos. don't judge. jaja
--friday i went to the cultural center to enroll in a modern dance class (yay!) and later went to the national symphony of chile. it was beautiful.
--yesterday i tried to go to a theatre. well, i did go. but when i get there, bought my ticket and went inside, i realized it was a children's theater. so i felt pretty silly. BUT, it's a great example of US influence, because the play had 5 musical numbers in it, and i'm not making this up: 'step by step' by new kids on the block, 'it's raining men,' 'my heart will go on' from titanic, and then the music, but different lyrics from 'baby one more time' by britney spears, 'i'm too sexy' by right said fred, and 'lets get retarded' by the black eyed peas. i was almost crying i was laughing so hard when 'it's raining men' came on. i honestly think they had no idea what the song was about.
--and today, i broke my sabbatical by going to the movies to see the first US movie since i've been here. (i saw 'the darjeeling limited' and LOVED it. i recommend it if you're at all wes anderson fan. or even if you're not.)

ok, so, obviously, it was a great week. i saw/heard some amazing things, met some great people, gained a nephew (see below), and learned a bit about myself.

bueno, i cant continue to put off my reading anymore. this whole 'not having class on mondays and fridays' thing is a tough temptation.

y por los de uds que me escribieron(/hablaron) en castellano, montones de gracias. aun si todavia no he respondido, me encanto recibirlos.

besitos!