Finally - another post on this wonderful mode of communication that I kept building up as the way I was going to keep all of you informed as to my doin's.
This morning I went in search of a piano, since I've not been able to find one to practice on the whole time I've been here. I've been going absolutely crazy. I guess I haven't really searched that hard, but every church I go to (and me being the crazy church-visiter that I am, I've visited quite a few different ones around), I check to see what kind of instruments they've got up there, and NONE use a real piano in their worship service! Organs, yes - keyboards, yes - pianos, no. I e-mailed the music department earlier this semester, and they were like, ask again after April 15 or something like that - so I should probably just make my way up to Cerro Alegre, or Concepción?, and weasle my way into a practice room - but something makes me feel like there are probably only like 2 pianos in the building and they'll both be occupied. I have actually seen 1 piano - it's in the teacher's lounge in the school that I do English Opens Doors at, and I think I may just go a little early tomorrow and play over all the voices and tell them that if they have work to do, they can move somewhere else, because they put the piano in the wrong spot if they didn't want people to play it.
Ok - enough ranting - I have a list a mile long of things to write about. One small random thing was that the other day, as I was making my little walk down to the bus stop, I smiled at this man that had a big Fallabella sack, and he smiled and said "Hola" really strongly. I said "hola" back, and smiled and laughed the rest of my way down - I thought, surely he's not from around here. He may actually be, but somehow the way he said, he seemed like he must be a non-native speaker tourist. Anyway - it made me happy, and I realized that's kind of sad if someone happily smiling and saying hello on the street seems so foreign. So, I decided that I need to smile and say hello to more people in passing.
In relation to that, I'm constantly saying "I love nice people", because it's just so reassuring to come across someone especially helpful or friendly, etc. Like the parking guy on the little street coming up to the history building - he always says hello and chao on my arrival and leaving each Monday and Friday, and occasionally asks how I am, etc. He's super-nice, and Rebecca and I said we want to stop and talk with him some time - she has class at a different time, but made the same comment about how nice he is to her as well.
Another incredibly nice person account! A few weeks ago, I was walking along Avenida Valparaíso (the main street in the center of Viña del Mar) with Rebecca (pretty much my best friend in Chile - exchange student from Tennessee - we get to drawl out our Southern accents together), and felt something tug at my backpack. I walked a few more steps, and said hmm, Rebecca, is my bag open? Yes it is. As I look in, I discover my wallet is indeed gone. We stop and look around a minute, ask a couple guys if they saw anyone with it, and go into the nearest centro de llamados (call center) to call my mom, because I knew that my debit card was in there, and we should get it blocked. As I was talking to my mom and making a list of all the things that were in there, I realized that I also had stupidly enough left my passport in there from my trip to Mendoza, Argentina as well. My Chilean id card, which took forever to get was also in there, etc., etc. The only cash was 10 mil pesos, maximum - about 18 U.S. bucks - wasn't too worried about that. Anyway, after getting the card blocked, going home and going through all my papers to make sure what all was actually in the wallet, going to the police station to report it stolen, etc., I get an e-mail from Dr. Arms the next Monday that said that his ex-girlfriend Dra. Romero (who lives in Santiago, and whose information I had included on a sheet of Chilean contact info. in my wallet) had contacted him and told him that someone had called her and had my documents. So, I call Dra. Romero, find out that someone had called her, told her they had my documents, but then the call cut short before getting any more info. - all she had was the number they called from. So, I figure I can call the number when I get home to see where it was, and while I'm home I get a call to my cell phone from the guy, and he tells me works on Ave. Valp. painting a big building down there, and I could meet him in the morning to get it. Of course, my Chilean mom Margarita tells me how this should work. Rebecca and I had discussed making brownies, or giving him some type of gift, as well as a card - but of course that's not how you do it in Chile - a little money reward, no card. Oh, ok. And, she also devises a series of schemes, as to whether she's going to be right next to me when I go up to she spot, or if she's going to be waiting somewhere else and come up only if the guy assaults me, etc., etc. She does a little investigation, by calling the 2 different numbers that he called from, as well. Anyway - we finally get there - late, because they thought I must have been confused about the painting - surely, he was a portrait painter on the street - and he's super-nice, a young guy from the South living with some older lady in the area (a tía, but I assume it wasn't actually his aunt - prob. a lady that rents out rooms) - all my stuff was still in there - including the debit card - I was on cloud nine. When he got to work Monday morning (after I lost it Sat. evening), it was just laying on the sidewalk near the construction area. I really wanted to give him a huge hug, but Margarita had me so on edge, I didn't know if it was appropriate or not, etc. Anyway - I was super-relieved and felt so lucky and blessed!
So, yea for nice people. More later!
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