5 months in and I still am blogging.

Hola everyone,

Another long gap between posts, it's Sarah and I am writing this post alone. :( But actually, since the last post Ali and I went to Valparaiso and Vina del Mar together. We had a great time, did a walking tour, walked around the city admiring the architecture and loads of street art. We had dinner on the beach one night and spent a day on the beach in Vina. It was great weather and we had a good time. We listened to some live music and viewed a lot of art studios which we both loved.

Helene, Antonella, me and Ali (these are the girls that we stayed with for a while in Santiago- the one that my parents met in New York)

Valparaiso port

one of my favorite pieces of street art

even the stairs have artwork

art in Valpo

last day together in Vina

Valparaiso

Valpo! (how Chilenos refer to Valparaiso)

sunset from the beach in Vina del Mar

Ali left on Tuesday, April 2nd to head back to Santiago for her bus to Buenos Aires. I spent the day in Valparaiso and went to Pablo Neruda's house there. Pablo Neruda was a Chilean poet and politician and won the Nobel Prize in 1971 for Literature. He has 3 homes that have all been turned into museums; one in Valparaiso, Santiago and Isla Negra. The house was pretty incredible, beautiful gardens and amazing views over the city of Valparaiso. (No photography was allowed in the house that's why there are no photos)

"Look at all of it, retain the good."

I came back to Santiago that night where I spent a week and a half staying with my friend Arturo's family, consisting of mom, grandmother, sister and Arturo. It was such a warm and fulfilling experience consisting of new food (porotos con maiz), speaking more Spanish than I wanted to (mom and grandmother only speak Spanish), exchanging languages with Arturo (because he wanted to practice his English), reading a book in Spanish about living life slowly without rushing, learning how to slackline,  going to a temascal (sweat lodge as we call it in the states) and so much more. It was an overall amazing experience and I learned so much.

view of Santiago from Cerro San Cristobal

Arturo and me. Bicicletas, verduras y frutas. bueno.

slacklining, not the best photo because I am losing my balance but you get the idea

fire to heat the stones for the temascal

activity with Arturo. Museum of Human Rights

Arturo's sister, mom, Arturo and me. Gracias por todo!

This past Friday I went to Pichilemu (3 hours south of Santiago) with a wonderful lady (Ingrid) from Santiago that I met when I first arrived to Santiago about 2 months ago. She was going to Pichilemu to visit her friend (Gregg) and his family so she invited me along. Pichilemu is a very small town known for their surfing so I was very excited to join as I was looking forward to learn how to surf in Chile. I took my first surf lesson ever and stood up 4 times. The water was freezing but the wet suit did its job :) It did take me a while to warm my hands afterwards but it gave me so much adrenaline. Saturday night we went to Punto de Lobos to watch the sunset and it was gorgeous. There were so many surfers down below in the ocean just propped on their boards watching the sunset too. I took a second surf lesson on Sunday and started paddling a bit on my own. My 2 classes were fun but I definitely had sore ribs after those classes.

The first casino in Chile but now is a cultural center 

first day of surf class

Ingrid and me at Punto de Lobos sunset. Grateful.

My cousin, Jenna, passed away Saturday night, I found out Sunday early evening after my surf lesson and I felt so sad when I found out. I spent time communicating with my family and just trying to be present with myself and my feelings. Being countries away from all of my family during this hard time has not necessarily been the easiest thing but I am working through it. The next couple days in Pichilemu I spent relaxing; reading, writing, sitting on the beach and reflecting. I realize that although I am not there physically I am there spiritually and energetically. To everyone who had been praying for her and our family, thank you. Jenna was an amazing person who will truly be missed by myself and so many others. I love you Jenna.

I love you Jenna. Your love and energy are still around.

My first 2 nights in Pichilemu I stayed at a hostel called Surf, Eat, Sleep. It was good, besides the extreme snorer in my room. The next 3 nights I stayed at Gregg's house, well actually not in his house, in the treehouse. He has built this incredible treehouse for his daughter's to play in and it has 2 loft style beds, a full bathroom and a mini kitchen. So that was my space and I felt like a kid and loved it. Tuesday I spent the day sitting at Punto de Lobos watching Gregg surf. So, I am back in Santiago as of this afternoon. I went to the bus station and bought a ticket to La Serena and Elqui Valley which are observatories and there is also a yoga village in Elqui Valley. My bus leaves tomorrow night so one more day here in Santiago. Stay tuned...

lunch with Gregg, Sonia (his wife), Anastasia (daughter) and Ingrid

loft beds in the treehouse

trying to stay warm in Pichilemu

Much love,
Sarah

Life is short, if I haven't told you that I love you and you are special then I want you to know this now. Thank you for being part of my journey as we all go forward. Smile.