Adieu, Arica

Recent weather: 70s and sunny every day.
Recent reads: 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles, "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" by Mark Twain

Happy to say that this work exchange was a great success! Batting .666 aint half bad...But, after 3 weeks here in Arica, it's time to continue on my way.

Some highlights from the past couple of weeks:
1) Surfing. I have attempted previously in San Diego last summer but it never fully came together. It seemed I couldn't really keep my lanky limbs in check and I usually just flailed about on the board for a bit like a baby giraffe learning to walk, before somersaulting into the water awkwardly.  But after 3 lessons here in Arica with the legendary, quintessential "surfer dude" Yoyo Sepulveda, one day it all just came together and clicked! Since then, I've been trying to surf as often as possible. The waves here in Arica have been great for learning, small but long, so once I pop up, I can ride the wave practically all the way to shore. Of course, when I triumphantly ride the wave for as long as possible, I am humbled by the task of paddling all the way back out. Fortunately, after a good ride, I'm so stoked that I can't wait to get back out there and ride another! It's hard not to be in a good mood when I'm sitting on my board in the middle of ocean waiting for the next set of waves with sea lions playing on the rocks nearby, sea turtles popping up here and there, just watching the sun set off the coast of Chile!

2) The Circus. We noticed some activity going on in the empty lot across the street and it turns out the circus has arrived in Arica! I went to El Gran Circo de Ruperto on opening night with the two boys. I haven't been to a circus in forever so I was pretty entertained. My favorite act was the hula hoop girl who lit her hoop on fire and then lifted herself up in the air and back down, all while keeping the hoop going! The circus was hosted by, of course, Ruperto. The character Ruperto portrayed the typical drunk Chilean with an intoxicated stagger about stage, slurred speech (which made it even more challenging to understand what he was saying), and a goofy laugh. During the comedy bits, I would say I generally understood what he was talking about but missed a lot of the punchlines. Overall, the circus was a huge success in my book!

3) Festival de Independencia. Last Saturday night I went to a music festival where 3 groups performed. The music was mostly pop with a little bit of rap tossed in. The headliner seemed like a big hit with the teenage girls. Or maybe they were just jealous of his bedazzled jean vest. I wouldn't say they are my new favorite boy band (can you have a favorite "boy band?"), but I enjoyed the energy and was certainly entertained. The headliner was a 2 man duo that went all out with 5 dancers, 3 backup singers, and 5 band members. Throughout the performance, they blasted confetti, glitter, clouds of fog, had 2 guys in glow in the dark suits on jumping stilts doing flips, and for the last and final attempt to win everyone over, the lead singer brought out his infant daughter dressed in a pink leopard print outfit with a matching headband. I don't think the baby had any ear protection but I applauded the overall showmanship nevertheless. Or maybe that was just the pisco sour talking.

There are definitely a few things I will miss about Arica:
1) Mornings with Magdalena. Señora Magdalena and I leave the house everyday at about 10am to do computer repairs in clients' homes for a few hours. We do a lot of walking about town so we have ample opportunity to talk about pretty much everything including, but not limited to: futbol, painting, did you see what that girl was wearing?, books, ugly dogs, international travel, why she only has 2 kids, life goals, what's up with Bolivia?, religion, taxes, how our grandparents died, nuclear power plants, rap music, etc. There was one day when I told her that my stomach didn't quite feel right and I needed to go home immediately to use the bathroom; I think we bonded because I felt strangely close to her after that. Magdalena is open to talking about pretty much anything and regardless of the topic, she'll usually make some kind of irreverent joke at the end and we'll share a good laugh.

2) Siestas. After lunch I usually take an hour snooze and it's amazing. Traveling, I usually leave my hostel late morning and don't return until evening time since I'm seeing all the sights non-stop. But my love affair with naps has now been rekindled.

3) Someone else cooking for me. I guess the last time I had someone making all my meals for me was high school? And even then I ate lunch at school. While the portions here have been ginormous and meals are generally carb-heavy, I've gotten pretty used to someone else doing all the work in the kitchen.*

4) Francisco/Francesca. Franny is the neighborhood tranny. He/she stops in the store here pretty regularly to use internet for a few minutes. Then, he/she will spend twice the amount of time that he/she was on the computer asking me how much services cost (photocopying, scanning, etc.) but never actually needs anything photocopied or scanned. Sometimes he/she goes all out on her look and really tries to sell it and some days she just throws on the same pair of white, super tight booty shorts and calls it a day. But considering Francisco isn't supposed to be into me, he/she is strangely friendly to me in particular, and almost always buys me a Fanta or brings me cookies or mangoes.

My next stop is Iquique, Chile, as I make my way to Bolivia in the next couple of weeks.

*Note to self: Must hire personal chef.