-El Lugar sin limites by Jose Donoso
super interesting chilean novel about gender and sexuality and so much more
-Sab by Gertrudis Gomez de Avellaneda
first cuban anti-abolitionist novel
-El Periquillo Saniento by Fernandez de Lizardi
epic picaresque novel
-Luna Caliente by Mempo Giardinelli
slightly scandalous and pretty short novel from argentina
-Martin Rivas by Alberto Blest Gana
classic chilean love story
-Maria by Jorge Isaacs
another fundamental latin american love story
-Hijo de Ladron by Manuel Rojas
Life goes by so quickly here. I've been reading and studying around the clock. I moved! I moved into a new apartment a little over a week ago, and I'm really happy with the change. My new address is:
1047 San Martin Dept. 32
Concepcion, Chile
I have the most amazing roommate (we're going to start a band called Cookie Dough girls or something because we both just run around the apartment singing) Sally Dodge from a little village in England called Beer. She is a non-stop hoot. Meet Sally:
All we do is laugh and sing when we are in the apartment at the same time. I finally feel as though I am settled.Check out my room:
This is my gorgeous wall window. The curtains came with the room. One of the reasons I knew it was meant for me. Also, I had three different signs that were guiding me here. seriously. First about a month ago I told me students that I was looking for a place to live, and one of them (who happens to be extremely tall and attractive) told me his brother rented rooms and wrote down the website for me. I stuck the small piece of paper in my pocket and promptly forgot about it. A few weeks later I found an ad online for a furnished room, so I sent an email. The next day my British friend Chris told me that our mutual friend Sally had open rooms in her apartment. So I called Sally up and planned to go and see the apartment the next day. That morning I received an email back about the other room, and I decided to check out Sally's place first. Once I got here and checked the address again I realized that Sally's place was the same place from the email!!! So I called the fellow and wheeled and dealed myself into my room. Then as I was moving in and unpacking I found this little slip of paper in my pocket which said www.lamorada.cl or something, which was the link to my apartment!!! Turns out my tall attractive student is the younger brother of my tall attractive landlord!!! Isn't that insane!! They look just alike too. anyways, the moral of that story is I feel like I am in the right place. 
This is my desk and cork board one that I put up, along with my computer and printer and my lunch. ha.
My bed.
cork board number 2Speaking of that, see the little picture of me and Ryan at her wedding. Yesterday I received the most amazing surprise package from Ryan filled with books, pictures, a magnificent mixed CD, and the best PJ pants I have ever had (I'm wearing them now)! Thanks so much Ryan!!!!
My bookshelf I bought for 30 bucks.
my two closets and all the sweet animals my mom has sent me. the bears shirts say smile, kisses, and love ya.
This is Sally's room.
the living room
and the kitchen.
nice huh?The apartment is in a perfect location right across from the grocery store and about four or five blocks from campus. I have soooo much more independence, and I have been cooking!!!
So far I have made:
-two batches of chocolate chip cookies (both gifts to other folks)
-fried chicken (my british friends we're amazed with this meal)
-zucchini casserole
-lentil soup (smashingly good)
-lots of eggs
-no-bake cookies (or chocolate biscuits in Sally's land)
-a variety of wheat pasta dishes
Aren't you proud??? It's been great fun. My room is the perfect size and sits at the back of the apartment. I have one wall that is completely window, and I took upon myself to purchase a 30$ bookshelf and two cork boards to liven the place up a bit. There are a few semi-negatives about the place, but not really even negatives at all, just eccentricities, which are:
1. no heat (umm. . . well, maybe this is a negative)
2. no laundry (we have to go around the corner and use our neighbors' washing machine and then we hang dry out side my window. Unfortunately this process only works when it isn't raining. I'm not really sure what we will do then. anyways. . .
I think that's it. There aren't any variety of insects or scary neighbors. Our landlord brought us a tv last week and we have cable and internet (he is, by the way, extremely tall and attractive but has a girlfriend, sad). A lovely little lady comes around and tidies for us during the week.
and the heat isn't even that big of a deal any more because my lovely unitedstatesian family away from home (George and Nancy Saunders:two wonderful professors from Indiana who are here as Fulbright Scholars. Check it out:http://george-chile-adventure.blogspot.com/) bought me an electric heater as a gift!!!!!! It is so wonderful, and I am unbelievably thankful to them for such a thoughtful gift. I'm not sure how much I have told you about George and Nancy, but they are really a godsend for Akshai and I and others. They have invited us over a dinner almost every week--which is always amazing. Last week I had to have a root canal, so they not only let me stay over one night when I was in extreme pain, but they also went with me to the dentist!!! and Nancy made me custard!!! It was amazing. So they are sort of like my Guardian angels here.
Yeah. Root Canal. I've been having throbbing, wake you out of your sleep pain that had been getting worse. So, a chilean friend I work with named Patricia finally just told me she was calling her dentist for me last week and took me over to see her. I could barely talk at that point when the waves of pain would hit. anyways, the dentist was lovely and removed my nerves so I wouldn't have anymore pain and gave me lots of medication. and then I had to go back to actually have the root canal done on Friday, with George and Nancy, which was a pretty intense experience. I have to go back one more time on Wednesday to finish the thing. and it all went well, but it was hard knowing that Dad was so far away, since he is my dentist and all.
The weekend before last I went to Santiago to hang out with my friends from San Francisco Viet and Steve who were traveling in Buenos Aires and hopped over to hang out. We had an amazing time and even went on a "Legendary Tour Etilico." This is Viet attempting to eat his massive sandwich at this cool cafe we found. It vanquished him and basically took his honor.
This is the suit of armor at Viet and Steve's apartment. My lovely family that I lived with in Santiago let me stay at there house. stupendous. i love them.
our first stop on tour etilico
I had a Blast hanging out with them, and I'm so glad they came. We laughed a lot. We also went to this little fruit market that had the melon tuna that I love (that is now out of season) and so I bought one (or two) and then we had no way to open it, so I asked the cheese man if he would open it for me and he did (without smiling) and I poured melon juice all over myself accidentally. it was fun.I have also been improving my musical tastes: thanks to chile and was able to go to two concerts!
The first was inti-illimani, who I'm sorta obsessed with. They are amazing. Here's the gang at the concert:
That's Kristin, Nick, Akshai, and Sally. This is a dark picture of inti:
My recommendations for this week would be Inti-Illimani, Victor Jara, and Violeta Parra.
I'm not even going to mention grey's anatomy. well, other than that. I'm still brooding.
Other than that. I've been reading folks. Reading, Reading, Reading. I should be reading now! I gave a two hour presentation in my Master's Class on the book Sab which was super scary, but amazing. I am so happy that I am here and feel like I am really learning, changing, growing so much. Every day there is so much possibility--so much can change--and so many new things to see and experience. Night before last we had a surprise party for our friend Kazu (who is a complete doll and helped me move with his car). Yesterday Sally and I went on a three hourish walk around the city and up through the mountains on some random trails. We ended up at the Natural History Museum, which was really cool and then last night I had a pancake party and made chocolate chip, banana, and choc chip and banana pancakes. George, Nancy, Nicole, Raul, Akshai, and Sally and I had a super fun time--we even played phase 10.
My tooth is bothering me a bit, but it is so much better now than it was. I miss you all so much. Please come and visit me. soon. I have so much to show you.
I have probably forgotten something.
Hope you and your are happy and safe,
una aurora,
Mere
This is the opening of my great book Respiracion Artificial, a quotation from T.S. Elliot:
"We had the experience but missed the meaning. an approach to the meaning restores the experience." (Kristin and Sara: sounds like a SL t-shirt quotation to me!!!)
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