Flying solo

I´m going to make this quick because a girl with bad B.O. sat down next to me at the internet cafe and I can´t plug my nose and type at the same time. At least not with any comfort or efficiency.

I had a great weekend after a rocky end of the week. On Thursday, I had horrible cramps. Among the oddly-few periods that I´ve had in Chile, a couple have been doozies. This was one of those that made me hate being a woman, curse all my female ancestors, and swear to never give birth. Fortunately, it was a holiday so I could stay home and be miserable.

But Friday was a good day. My classes went well and I was feeling a lot better. I also looked at a booklet I´d gotten along with my morning newspaper. I flipped through it with the intention of throwing it away, but then realized that it was full of listings of shows, exhibits, and cultural events in Santiago this month. Sweet!

Last night, I went to Barrio Bellavista, a happening, late-night neighborhood, for a cabaret show. For $12, I got two drinks and a 5th row seat (okay, so there were only six rows ...). The drinks helped me relax a little since I felt a little bit awkward being alone. The show included several guys in drag. That, along with Bellavista being one of the more open-minded areas of Santiago, the crowd noticeably included a considerable number of gay people. It was refreshing because Chile is terribly homophobic. The show was great, and so over-the-top that I understood the gist, even if not the Spanish. It also helped that a guy in the back row snorted really loudly instead of laughing, so I always laughed whenever everyone else did, even if I didn´t get the joke!

The only thing bad about the night was that I decided to pee after the show. Surprisingly in a city where bathrooms frequently don´t have toilet paper or toilet seats, the bathroom wasn´t the problem. I didn´t even realize there was a problem until I couldn´t make my metro connection. Dang. I ended up waiting for a bus along with several dozen similarly-stranded people for nearly 45 minutes. A quick flip through my wallet revealed that I had enough for a taxi. I flagged one down without a problem and was home shortly thereafter. The $6 I had to shell out made that the most expensive pee of my life.

Today, I headed to my next "cultural event", this one a show at the Casa de Cultura in Ñuñoa, another Santiago neighborhood where I haven´t spent much time.

(By the way, the stinky girl left, so I´m still typing ...)

It was a rendition of The Frog Prince (in Spanish, "La Princesa y La Rana") for kids. I chose this one for several reasons. First, it was free. Second, it was in a place I had never been. Third, it was designed for children, so there was a high likelihood I was going to get the jokes! I wasn´t disappointed on any of the counts. It was free and took place under a large tent on a beautiful property. And, wouldn´t you know, I understood the jokes. Also, no one accused me of being a pedophile for being alone at a children´s play. In fact, after the show, a little girl came over and asked me if I was Michelle Bachelet, the Chilean president. I was flattered -- and amazed that a little kid knew who the president was and what she looked like!

What do you think? Is there a resemblance?

Today was also a good day because I got to talk to my dad. He´s such a great guy and we have fun, interesting conversations. I´m excited to see him, my mom, and my siblings (here´s hoping my sister living in Timor-Leste can make it back for a visit!) in February. My host parents were telling me today over a lunch of empanadas that my parents will be surprised at how much I´ve changed in my time here. They say they see a huge difference even though they see me every day, which makes it harder to notice changes.

I feel like I´ve changed a lot, but I live me every day, which makes it nearly impossible to notice changes. As you know, personal growth is not linearly progressive. You take steps back, forward, and sideways. You slip, leap, trip, and sprint. Some days, you revel in the progress you´ve made and others you feel like you´ve somehow regressed and are worse off than when you started!!

Not so long ago, I felt depressed and discouraged. It seemed like nothing was going my way and that the future was similarly bleak. With the encouragement of several fellow EFT-users (www.emofree.com), I tapped and tapped. I don´t think I´ve talked about it in my blog because it seems kind of hokus pokus, airy fairy, whatever. But, damn, it works. It´s like acupuncture without the needles. It´s like therapy without the therapist. Or the countless sessions without any progress. Or the money spent on the countless sessions without any progress.

It´s not I regret any of the therapist visits ... okay, except for the ones with the guy who was a total doof. He told me that I seemed incredibly mature and well-adjusted, and didn´t understand why I had made an appointment with him. Then, after two sessions, I told him I didn´t want to meet with him anymore, and he said he really enjoyed meeting with me and didn´t understand why I didn´t want to make another appointment with him. Doof.

How did I ever start writing about this? I forget but am too lazy to scroll up and figure it out. Besides, I´m not sure how many people even read my blog ... so maybe this is just a chance for me to think about ... well ... whatever and not have to worry if it´s logically connected. You tell me!