quitting school to become a pro gambler
there is a ruby tuesday’s going in down the street. between pizza hut, starbucks, mcdonald’s and this new addition, it’s almost like i never left america. and then the construction workers remodeling the building tell me i’m very pritty. bootiful even. “like a barbie.” definitely still in south america.
yesterday there was a national strike of colectivo drivers. which caused major traffic issues in santiago, but wasn’t too noticeable here. however, due to the lack of public transportation, there were very few families at teletón. to pass the time, the other chilean volunteers taught me how to play a game. basically scattergories without the cool dice. great, i love that game. they even told me i could play in english if i wanted. two languages at my disposal. money in the bank. round one was the letter C. the first column was fruits and vegetables. c…c…c…c…ch? ca? c..c…c… time’s up. nothing. carrots? cucumber? cauliflower? even spanish. coco? cebolla? endless possibilities. but absolutely nothing. and so the game progressed. spanish and english did battle in my brain, and i ended the game 1450 points behind the winner.
speaking of strikes, a lil’ update on the education situation. students at my university resumed classes this week! they’ll continue participating in marches and demonstrations, but have officially resumed the semester. the other two universities in the city are still on strike, and tomorrow is another day designated for national marches. i still haven’t been inside my actual university since that first day of class three months ago, but maybe by the end of the semester we’ll have returned. baby steps.
when i got home yesterday afternoon i settled into my desk for some quality study time. aka skype chatting a friend from denver, listening to these hilarious spanish language podcasts that i recently downloaded, spending some time with jesus, getting a snack, buying a flight to patagonia, checking facebook, and cleaning my out my camera’s memory card. i was just getting ready to crack open the spanish novel i have to somehow complete in the next three weeks when my host dad popped into my room. gringa, let’s go. where are we going? don’t worry about it. grab your sweater and your camera. quick. good thing my memory card is ready. next thing i know we’re hopping on a micro.
turns out wednesday is race day at the stadium. and i must say, watching horses sprint around a track is surprisingly entertaining. i even managed to pick the winning horse. if i was a betting woman, which i am not, i would have won a hefty sum of cash yesterday afternoon. and even better than the races is the people watching. boy oh boy.
winner winner chicken dinner
ironically, this morning was one of those days where chile didn’t feel like where i wanted to be. and i’m once again reminded that i can’t live by how i feel in a given moment. because my feelings change as fast as the sun burns off the fog that made this morning less than welcoming. or as quickly as my luck would change if actually did start betting on horses. i have to base my life on truth, not on my circumstances or my geographic location or the amount of blue sky visible out my window. and so this quote from oswald chambers. nailing it once again. what a guy. Wherever the providence of God may dump us down, in a slum, in a shop, in the desert, we have to labour along the line of His direction. Never allow this thought—“I am of no use where I am,” because you certainly can be of no use where you are not! Wherever He has engineered your circumstances, pray. father thank you that today i wake up in chile. that i’m not haphazardly here, but that you placed me here for a reason. may i live out the plan you have for my life, and may i bring you glory here in viña del mar and wherever else you take me.
